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

Chapter 313 Avoiding Suspicion
Shen Qingwan looked at her daydreaming expression and seemed to know that she had figured it out.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Have you figured it out?"

Zhen'er nodded repeatedly, kowtowing, "I understand, I understand!"

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan rolled her eyes, speechless, and took a wooden box from beside the table, handing it to Zhen'er.

Zhen'er was taken aback, and took it without understanding why. "This is..."

"These are things that the Empress Dowager just sent over. I think this set of pale yellow jewelry suits you very well, so I kept it for you."

Zhen'er's mouth gaped open in shock, and she covered her mouth with the other hand while holding the wooden box in one arm. "Your Majesty, is this really for me?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

"Fake!"

Shen Qingwan made a feint, trying to take the wooden box back, but Zhen'er covered it with both hands in her arms.

She skipped and hopped as she ran towards the outside of the hall...

You're walking with the same steps!
Shen Qingwan sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She had always felt that the original owner's personal maid was a little dim-witted.

Looking back now, it really seems like the original owner.

Zhen'er had just run to the door when she seemed to remember something and retreated step by step. She looked around and saw that the servants she had dismissed had not yet returned before turning her head away.

"Your Majesty, there's something I'm afraid you'll be upset if I tell you," Zhen'er said, looking troubled.

Shen Qingwan held a wooden stick in one hand, stirring the dying embers in the stove, and glanced up at her, "But you can't not tell!"

Zhen'er: !!!
The Empress understands me!

"Your Majesty, actually, before Zhang Mama delivered the things to you, she went to Lingxiang Pavilion first. Last time you dined at Cining Palace, although the Empress Dowager sent Consort Xi back first and did not dine with you, she later sent Zhang Mama many precious tonics as compensation."

This time, the Empress Dowager bestowed gifts upon you, and she also sent Zhang Mama to deliver a lot of things to Lingxiang Pavilion. Many of the things the Empress Dowager bestowed were rare and precious treasures that were only presented to the palace every few years. There were many of these things that even our Kunning Palace does not have.

This benefited Consort Xi, who ate those things as his daily meals.

As Zhen'er spoke, she couldn't help but sigh, and suddenly realized that the jewelry in her arms no longer smelled good. "Your Majesty, I really didn't want to tell you this, for fear of upsetting you, but if I don't tell you, I'll feel really uncomfortable."

Shen Qingwan listened to Zhen'er finish complaining before slowly saying, "Still couldn't hold it in?"

Zhen'er: ...

Zhen'er's expression flashed through her mind like a slideshow. She took a deep breath and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really not angry at all?"

angry?

Not that bad?

Consort Xi was the Empress Dowager's cousin. It was only natural that the Empress Dowager would take care of her after she entered the palace to serve.

Now that she is pregnant, the Empress Dowager bestows some good things upon her to nourish her body, and outsiders have no right to say anything about it.

Is it really good for pregnant women and fetuses to eat such highly nutritious foods every day?

Didn't Zhang Mama give any instructions when she sent her over? The imperial physician checks her pulse every day, so didn't he notice anything unusual? Consort Xi's health has always been taken care of by Imperial Physician Zhang, who is a top doctor in the Imperial Hospital.

If he sees through it but doesn't say anything, then there's only one possibility...

Seeing that Shen Qingwan's expression was off, Zhen'er dared not say anything more and quietly walked out of the main hall with the wooden box in her arms.

As evening fell, Shen Qingwan had just received news that Qiu's illegitimate daughter was allowed to enter the palace when Consort Shu arrived at Kunning Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has already bestowed the title of Noble Lady upon Qiu Zongxi and Qiu Yanjiao, the concubine's daughter of Lord Qiu. Which palace do you think would be suitable for Noble Lady Yan to reside in?"

"Consort Yan?" Shen Qingwan frowned slightly upon hearing these three words.

Newly arrived concubines do not have titles. They are usually given titles based on their surnames. It is not surprising that Qiu Yanjiao was given the title of Noble Lady as soon as she entered the palace. After all, it was not a selection process. Concubines who entered the palace directly were all given the title of Noble Lady. They had to take care of the face of the officials.

Back then, the people sent to serve in the palace by the Prince Rui, Prince Xiang, and Prince Yao were all directly granted the title of Noble Lady.

But what about this "swallow"?
Consort Shu seemed to understand Shen Qingwan's doubts and hurriedly explained, "His Majesty only bestowed upon her the title of Noble Lady. The Imperial Household Department chose the character 'Yan' from her name for the sake of a better sound. 'Noble Lady Qiu' just sounds a bit awkward."

Shen Qingwan nodded lightly. Since it wasn't an official title, she had nothing more to say, given the palace rules.

Qiu Yanjiao's entry into the palace was neither due to any significant contributions her father made in the court, nor was it an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager.

She was brought in through underhanded means just to please the emperor, and was immediately given a title. It's likely that this will be difficult for her to win over the people.

She didn't find the name "Consort Qiu" difficult to pronounce. However, the fact that the Imperial Household Department deliberately chose a middle character was suspicious. They must have been after receiving some benefits. It was inevitable that they did it on purpose. What she feared most was that they still couldn't see the situation clearly and continued to fawn over the three people who were confined to Jingyang Palace.

"Since the Imperial Household Department has already decided on this, let's keep it that way."

Shen Qingwan's face was always adorned with a smile.

She would naturally not fuss over such a trivial matter with the Imperial Household Department, nor would she offend the Qiu family over such a small thing.

After all, whether this noble person is Consort Qiu or Consort Yan, she won't lose a single piece of her flesh.

However, if that's the case, then the letter signed by Consort Xian and deliberately delivered to Zhen'er must be genuine.

She was even more curious at this moment: Did Emperor Yuanwu know about this matter? What was the purpose of this person sending the letter to Kunning Palace in imitation of Consort Xian's notes?
They wanted her to take this fake letter to Emperor Yuanwu and expose Consort Xian.

Or is it simply that she wants to let her know that Qiu Yanjiao entered the palace because of Consort Xian's influence, and that she will inevitably be of one mind with Consort Xian after entering the palace, so that she should be careful?

Shen Qingwan felt that the latter was almost impossible. She did not believe that the person behind the scenes would be so kind as to go to such lengths just to warn her about villains.

"Where do you think would be a better place to arrange it?" Shen Qingwan asked in return.

Consort Shu looked troubled.

She was unaware that Consort Yan's entry into the palace was arranged by Consort Xian, but she did know that Consort Yan's father had once been a subordinate of General Pang Da.

Now that the Pang family has fallen, so many people in the court have been implicated, and even those who haven't been implicated are living in fear.

At this time, no one in the harem would want to live in the same palace as her; they would avoid her as much as possible to prevent any appearance of impropriety.

Her best place to stay would naturally be with Consort Xian. Given the relationship between the Pang and Qiu families, Consort Yan and Consort Xian must have been old acquaintances.

Can……

Jingyang Palace already has Consort Xian, Noble Lady Wen, and Consort Ruan living there. If another person were to move in, it would be too crowded. On the contrary...