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

Chapter 336 Deceiving Me
Shen Qingwan was speechless. Whether she genuinely didn't understand the rules or was pretending, since she wasn't following them, she shouldn't blame Shen Qingwan for giving her a hard time.

Shen Qingwan turned over, pulled the blanket up a little, and continued talking.

Zhen'er: ...

This was the first time she had seen the Empress like this. Although it was somewhat unbelievable, she still felt that she could understand it.

After all, this Consort Yan is too arrogant. I guess she is probably the first person in the harem to have been in the palace for so long, and it wasn't until she was promoted to the rank of Empress that she came to pay her respects to the Empress.

Zhen'er carefully withdrew from the palace.

"Your Highness Consort Yan, our lady attended a banquet at the Empress Dowager's palace last night and returned quite late. She has just gotten up. Please wait a moment in the main hall, Your Highness. The Empress will be here shortly."

"Thank you for your help, Aunt Zhen'er."

After speaking, Consort Yan walked towards the main hall, and waited for more than half an hour.

"Your Majesty, what do you think the Empress means? If she really doesn't want to see you, why would she keep you waiting here?"

The one who spoke was Xia'er, the maidservant that Consort Yan brought from her residence to the palace as part of her dowry.

Consort Yan's expression was also unpleasant. She got up and walked to the entrance of the main hall. She glanced in the direction of the bedchamber and said to the palace maid standing at the door, "Please trouble you to go and inform her that Consort Yan requests an audience with Her Majesty the Empress."

Now that the weather is warmer, the curtains at the gates of all the palaces in Kunning Palace had been removed several days ago. Although they had been standing outside the palace, they had heard every word Zhen'er said.

Since Her Majesty the Empress doesn't want to see her at this time, even if she is summoned a hundred times, Her Majesty the Empress still won't want to see her. This Consort Yan is really something. She has been in the palace for so many days and has never come to pay her respects to the Empress. She just had her night with the Empress, and she came to pay her respects before dawn. I don't know what she's up to, or who she's trying to impress.

The palace maid bowed and said, "Yes, Consort Yan."

"No, what kind of state is this..."

Upon hearing this, the palace maid slightly raised her eyes and glanced at Xia'er out of the corner of her eye.

What kind of attitude?

What's wrong with her attitude?
Consort Yan asked her to go and announce the news, and she agreed, but she didn't smile and show her back teeth. Does that mean she had a bad attitude?

If the master doesn't understand the rules, he naturally can't teach any servants who do.

Xia'er's face turned pale with anger, but before she could finish speaking, Consort Yan pinched her silently from beneath her.

The words that were on the tip of her tongue got stuck in her throat, and the dissatisfaction on her face could not be hidden.

Compared to her, Consort Yan seemed much calmer. She nodded politely, "Thank you for your trouble."

The palace maid bowed and walked towards the sleeping quarters. Although this was Kunning Palace, Consort Yan was a lady, a mistress, so she only dared to grumble in her heart and dared not show it, unless she really didn't want her head. The palace maid dared not be disrespectful, but she was more or less unwilling.

Having served in Kunning Palace for so many years, she knew the Empress's temper to some extent.

The Empress didn't come out at this moment, leaving her to wait here. So she was to wait to the very end, no matter how many times the message was sent.

As long as the Empress decides to come out, she will still come out even without prior notice.

But some people just can't see things clearly.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment, this servant will go and inform them for you."

The palace maid didn't head directly towards the sleeping quarters; instead, she went around to the small kitchen in the main hall. "Your Highness, why are you being so polite and courteous to a mere servant? Look at her, she was all smiles, but then she turned around and disappeared. Is that the direction of the sleeping quarters? The sleeping quarters are clearly over there."

As Consort Yan listened to Xia'er's complaints and stared in the direction the palace maid had left, she couldn't help but sigh.

I had long heard that the Empress and the Consort were at odds, and it seems that such rumors were not unfounded.

The fact that the Empress disliked her so much, leaving her standing aside on her first visit to pay her respects, is probably related to the fact that she was introduced to the palace by Consort Xian.

It seems she still needs to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with the Empress about this matter.

"Your Majesty, you have only just entered the palace and you are already a Noble Lady. After serving the Emperor yesterday, His Majesty personally promoted you to the rank of Consort. Such an honor is something that no other lady in the harem has ever received. Many ladies in the harem have spent their entire lives in the harem and have never even reached the rank of Consort, let alone two Noble Ladies. The Emperor values ​​you so much, so why should you wrong yourself?"

An honor?

Consort Yan found those two words particularly grating. Was it really such an honor?

If the Emperor valued her so much, why didn't he promote her to the rank of Consort before she entered the palace, instead of waiting until she entered the palace to serve the Emperor?

Such an irregular promotion is bound to make many people envious.

The palace maid had just reached the back of the main hall of Kunning Palace when she saw Zhen'er walking out from the direction of the small kitchen.

"Aunt Zhen'er."

Upon hearing the voice, Zhen'er suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Is something the matter?"

“Aunt Zhen’er, it’s Consort Yan. She just asked me to inform Her Majesty the Empress.”

"Alright, I understand. Go tell Consort Yan to pass it on to Her Majesty the Empress."

"Yes, Aunt Zhen'er."

After watching the palace maid return the message, Zhen'er turned and entered the palace. She carefully went in, afraid of disturbing the Empress, but when she entered, she found that the Empress had already woken up.

She looked very listless as she dressed herself.

Zhen'er's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly walked over. "Your Highness, when did you wake up? Why didn't you call me?"

Shen Qingwan shook herself. She hadn't woken up at any time; she hadn't been asleep at all.

It's unclear whether the original owner's condition was due to that illness or the effects of her transmigrating into the body.

She is a very light sleeper and is easily startled awake. In the past, she could take a nap without any particular problem, but today, she couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned in bed, and her head was throbbing.

"Has Consort Yan left?" Shen Qingwan asked listlessly.

"Your Majesty, Consort Yan hasn't left yet. She just sent someone to ask when Your Majesty can see her," Zhen'er said while helping Shen Qingwan straighten her clothes. "She's currently sitting in the main hall drinking tea."

After the palace maid returned to the main hall, she told Consort Yan everything that Zhen'er had told her.

Xia'er finally couldn't hold back anymore, "Do you think our mistress is easy to bully and are deliberately deceiving us?"

The palace maid glanced at Consort Yan, then knelt on the ground in a panic, saying, "Your Highness Consort Yan, this servant dares not."

"Dare not?" Xia'er sneered. "I think you're incredibly bold. The direction you just went to announce your arrival was towards the Kunning Palace's sleeping quarters. Don't tell me that Her Majesty the Empress didn't rest in her sleeping quarters last night, but in the back garden of Kunning Palace?"