The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 307 Disgraceful to politeness
"Your Majesty, this is a letter written by Consort Xian to General Qiu Zongxi."

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes darkened. He took the letter from Wu Jixiang's hand and sneered, "This Consort Xian is really impatient. It's only been a few days, and she's already eager to correspond with General Pang's former subordinates."

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Perhaps the Noble Consort really just wants the Qiu family's illegitimate daughter to enter the palace to serve you and please you, so that he can be released from confinement," Wu Jixiang advised.

Emperor Yuanwu's pupils contracted slightly as he glanced at him. "You believe me?"

Wu Jixiang: ...

Of course... I don't believe it!
"Your Majesty, this letter..."

"Send it to the Qiu family as usual. I always thought the Qiu family was loyal and virtuous for generations, but I never expected that they would also collude with the Pang clan. I am truly disappointed in them." Emperor Yuanwu said, and couldn't help but sigh.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

Even if the Qiu family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, they could not withstand being by General Pang's side for so long. Through constant exposure and influence, the word "loyalty" would probably have been completely erased.

The day the Pang clan fell, a bloody storm was destined to sweep through the court.

Emperor Yuanwu wanted to stabilize the court and wipe out the Pang clan, but these two things were inherently contradictory.

Fortunately, the Empress is currently keeping an eye on things in the harem, so there won't be any major upheavals for the time being. All the power in the harem is now in the Empress's hands…

A palace maid brought water to the bedchamber, and Wu Jixiang quietly hid the letter in his sleeve.

After Emperor Yuanwu finished washing up, he walked to the entrance of the main hall and saw the Empress's busy figure from afar. His steps suddenly stopped.

It wasn't that he hadn't eaten breakfast in other palaces, but most of those breakfasts were delivered by the imperial kitchen.

At this moment, the Empress was without makeup, her long, black hair cascading down her back, and she didn't even have a hairpin on her head, which made the vast Kunning Palace seem more down-to-earth.

At this moment, in his eyes, they did not seem to be the awe-inspiring emperor and empress, but just an ordinary couple.

When Shen Qingwan saw Emperor Yuanwu approaching, she raised her hand to brush away the stray hairs that had fallen casually across her face and softly called out, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu suddenly came to his senses. As if deliberately concealing something, he coughed lightly and walked up to Shen Qingwan. "Why is the Empress up so early? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

As Emperor Yuanwu spoke, he raised his hand, intending to help the Empress tuck the stray hairs she hadn't brushed aside behind her ear.

"Your Majesty, come and see the breakfast I have prepared for you: crystal shrimp dumplings, dragon and phoenix steamed dumplings, paper-wrapped shumai, osmanthus cake, glutinous rice chicken, and sea cucumber millet porridge."

Emperor Yuanwu paused slightly as he raised his hand. He glanced in the direction Shen Qingwan had gone and saw a table laden with a sumptuous breakfast. Not only was it sumptuous, but even the plates were carefully selected.

Crystal shrimp dumplings are served on a painted butterfly plate, dragon and phoenix steamed dumplings are served on a rouge-red landscape pattern, paper-wrapped shumai are served on an enamel plate, and osmanthus cake is served on a blue and white porcelain plate...

Emperor Yuanwu's daily meals were served on a set of identical plates, with each dish served on a different plate, creating a unique and charming atmosphere.

The Empress truly put her heart into it.

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes trembled slightly. He followed the Empress to the food tray and sat down. "Your Majesty has been busy all morning. Please stop and sit down to eat with me. If Your Majesty is always so busy every time I come to Kunning Palace, I will feel embarrassed to come again."

Shen Qingwan was speechless for a moment.

Please.

Don't come here again.

He wasn't just busy all morning; she was busy all night. If she hadn't prepared such a feast, she wouldn't have had a reasonable excuse not to stay in bed.

Emperor Yuanwu was indeed a glutton. Seeing the way his eyes shone as he stared at the breakfast spread on the plate, she could rest assured that he would not pursue the matter of last night any further.

Shen Qingwan breathed a long sigh of relief. She made sure that her expression was no different from usual before slowly turning around, picking up her chopsticks, taking out a shrimp dumpling, and placing it in the bowl in front of Emperor Yuanwu. "Your Majesty, please try it and see if it's delicious. I've been busy all morning."

Her overtures seemed to please Emperor Yuanwu, whose expression appeared softer than usual.

Shen Qingwan put down her chopsticks and sat down opposite Emperor Yuanwu. She picked up her chopsticks and stared at the table full of food, but she had no appetite at all. Instead, she felt a little nauseous.

Is this a side effect of staying up late?
"Your Majesty, I am a little tired today and do not wish for the concubines in the harem to come and pay their respects. Is that alright?" Shen Qingwan asked hesitantly.

Feeling a little tired?
When Shen Qingwan uttered those three words, the atmosphere in the hall inexplicably became somewhat eerie.

She glanced at the servant beside her in surprise, and the forced smile on his lips made her suddenly realize something.

Could it be that these servants thought she was tired because of Emperor Yuanwu...?

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan had never been so speechless in her life. She didn't want to talk or explain anything to anyone, because there was simply no way to explain it.

Could she be going to tell everyone that it was because Emperor Yuanwu was in her palace, lying in her bed, that she couldn't sleep all night, and even went outside the palace and overheard everything...?

As Emperor Yuanwu listened to the Empress's words, his expression changed rapidly.

tired?
Why does he have no memory of last night? Did he actually have sex with the Empress...?
If not, how can the Empress's exhaustion be explained? If so, how can it be explained?
He doesn't remember anything.

Are you suggesting he interrogate the servants who were on duty last night to see if they overheard him and the Empress...?
Disgraceful to gentlemen!

What a system.

How could a dignified emperor be mistaken for the kind of scoundrel who would renege on his promises after the fact?

Emperor Yuanwu coughed violently. Wu Jixiang hurriedly came over, helping the emperor to catch his breath while saying, "Your Majesty, please eat slowly."

Emperor Yuanwu:...

Cough...cough cough...cough...

Eat slowly?
When did he eat it?
Emperor Yuanwu, annoyed, snatched the silk handkerchief Wu Jixiang handed him and threw it on the ground.

Wu Jixiang looked flustered and glanced at Emperor Yuanwu, not understanding what was going on.

Having served Emperor Yuanwu for so many years, he could not say he knew him inside and out, but he was confident that he could guess eight or nine tenths of his thoughts.

But why did Emperor Yuanwu suddenly become angry for no apparent reason?

In the past, he was always in a particularly good mood whenever he dined at Kunning Palace. Today, the Empress had prepared such a wonderful breakfast, so why was he still...?

Could it be because of that letter just now?

Wu Jixiang was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat, kneeling on the ground. "Your Majesty, please forgive me."