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

Chapter 330 Torture
Just as Consort Zhen was deep in thought, a young eunuch from the imperial kitchen placed a steamer on a food plate. The lid of the steamer was opened, and Shen Qingwan, after washing her hands, took out a pancake from the steamer.

The flatbread was crystal clear and thinner than paper. The moment Shen Qingwan lifted the flatbread, she could vaguely see the silhouette of the person opposite her through it.

At this, the Empress Dowager became interested. "Empress, what is that in your hand?"

"Mother, this is just ordinary flatbread," Shen Qingwan said softly.

"How can flour be made into such a thin sheet?"

The Empress Dowager's words drew everyone's attention.

Shen Qingwan patiently explained, "Mother, although this is made with flour, when kneading the dough, you have to slowly add hot water to the flour and stir until there is no dry flour left. Then knead it into a dough and let it rest for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Then roll it out into flatbreads. Before rolling out the flatbreads, you have to brush a layer of oil on each piece. This way, the flatbreads will be crystal clear and won't stick together."

"So that's how it is." The Empress Dowager seemed even more curious about the cake in Shen Qingwan's hand.

At this time, Emperor Yuanwu and Prince Rui had finished their game of chess.

"Your Majesty, can't you just give way to your humble servant? Every time you slaughter me without leaving a trace, how can I face anyone?" Prince Rui stared at the oddball, slightly saddened.

On the contrary, Emperor Yuanwu showed no sympathy for his accusations and even rolled his eyes at him.

"You've been talking about wanting to taste your sister-in-law's cooking all day long, and today you finally have the chance. Your sister-in-law has made so much food, yet you still can't shut up?"

Try your sister-in-law's cooking...

When Shen Qingwan heard these words, her hand, which was rolling up a pancake, paused heavily.

"Your Majesty, what did you put on the cake?"

Finally, it was the Empress Dowager's words that brought her back to her senses. "Mother, this is some sauce that your daughter-in-law just prepared. It will taste even better when wrapped around roasted meat."

After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she placed the roasted meat wrapped in a pancake into the Empress Dowager's hand, "Mother, please try it and see if it's delicious?"

The Empress Dowager took a bite and exclaimed, "Delicious, truly delicious! In all my years, this is the first time I've ever known that roasted meat can be eaten this way."

"Mother, it's not just about roasting meat; you can also roast chives, green peppers, cauliflower..."

Shen Qingwan spoke with great enthusiasm, after all, it had been a long time since she had eaten such delicious barbecue.

Although I had eaten with Emperor Yuanwu on Prince Rui's ship before, the space was limited that time, so we just grilled the meat without any side dishes or dipping sauces.

"Alright, all of you, come and try the Empress's cooking." The Empress Dowager urged everyone to come and sit down.

Emperor Yuanwu sat down next to Shen Qingwan and glanced at her sideways. "The Empress is a bit biased. The Empress personally rolled up all the meat for the Empress Dowager's grilling. Why do I have to do it myself?"

Prince Rui chuckled awkwardly, "Why does Your Majesty even get jealous of the Empress Dowager? I guess I'll just have to fend for myself."

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan glanced at Prince Rui out of the corner of her eye. He smiled slightly, and there seemed to be something more meaningful in his smile.

"The Empress is so filial to me, why is the Emperor still unhappy?" the Empress Dowager said, half-jokingly. "Mother, how could that be?" Emperor Yuanwu's expression was somewhat complicated.

“A daughter-in-law is like a daughter, and a daughter should naturally be filial to her mother. If the Emperor wants to eat, have the eldest princess roll one for you. If one isn’t enough, have the second prince roll one too. I guarantee the Emperor will have a full meal tonight.” After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, her gaze fell on the eldest princess. “Wanying, you are the older sister. You roll one for Father Emperor first. After you’re done, teach your younger brother to roll one for Father Emperor as well.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Jiang Wanying obediently bowed and walked towards the oven. As she went, the Second Prince followed her with a hop and skip.

It was naturally a good thing for the children to get close to the Emperor. Consort Liang and Consort Zhen hurriedly got up and went over, imitating Shen Qingwan, to teach the two children how to roll pancakes.

Before long, the eldest princess and the second prince, each holding a cake, ran up to Emperor Yuanwu.

"Father, a rolled pancake." Jiang Wanying handed the pancake in her hand to Emperor Yuanwu and said with a slightly shy tone.

"Father, eat what your son rolled first."

The second prince was still young. Although he was a little scared when he first saw Emperor Yuanwu at Cining Palace, he completely forgot about it in no time. Now, he was standing on tiptoe, stretching his hand high, and the cake was almost touching Emperor Yuanwu's lips.

Consort Liang was so frightened that her expression froze. She was about to get up to stop her, but Shen Qingwan, who was sitting next to her, pulled her back.

Shen Qingwan slowly shook her head, a comforting smile appearing on her lips, as if telling her not to go.

Emperor Yuanwu seemed to be in a good mood. He reached out and took the cakes from the hands of the eldest princess and the second prince, and put them in his mouth at the same time. "Good, good, Father, eat them all, eat them together."

The two children were immediately energized when they saw that Emperor Yuanwu had eaten the pancakes they had rolled, and that he seemed to be in a good mood and did not look disgusted.

The two men stood around the charcoal stove. As soon as the servant finished grilling a skewer, they snatched it away, rolled it up, and ran to Emperor Yuanwu to offer it to him.

"Oh dear, I am so envious of how sensible and obedient both of your children are," Prince Rui couldn't help but say.

"Envious?" Emperor Yuanwu glanced at Prince Rui, then raised the pancake that Jiang Wanying had just given him, as if showing off. "If you're envious, hurry up and marry a princess and have her have a few children for you. You won't be lonely at night. She'll always come to the palace to play chess with me. Having a child running around in the mansion will make it more lively. You won't have to envy others who have children to roll pancakes with."

"Your Majesty, how did you drag your younger brother into this again?" Prince Rui took a bite of the roasted meat in his hand, slightly displeased.

"The Emperor is so eloquent when he lectures Prince Rui, but when it comes to himself, he doesn't speak like that at all." The Empress Dowager's expression changed. "Tonight's barbecue is all thanks to the Empress. After you finish eating here, the Emperor can go back to Kunning Palace with the Empress to rest."

Shen Qingwan: ...

No!

That's not a reward, that's torture!
Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager!

You make it sound so easy, but she might have another sleepless night.

Whether they are legitimate sons or princes, aren't they all Emperor Yuanwu's children? What difference does it make?

She said that with Emperor Yuanwu favoring his concubines so much, it would be difficult to have more offspring in the harem. She suggested that he should make a list of the best days for each concubine to conceive, and then favor each of them one by one according to the list. This way, he could make the most of his limited resources.