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

Chapter 337 Wrong
"Besides, when our lady arrived, she said that the Empress was already washing up. Now more than an hour has passed. How exactly have you been serving the Empress while she washes up? How could you have been serving her for an hour?"

Before Xia'er could finish speaking, Zhen'er helped Shen Qingwan walk over.

Upon hearing this, Zhen'er said remorsefully, "Your Highness Consort Yan, please forgive me. It was my fault for not serving Your Majesty the Empress well. I am willing to accept the punishment."

Consort Yan and Xia'er turned their heads at the same time in the direction of the voice. Xia'er never expected that the Empress would come over at this time.

Xia'er's face visibly lost all color, turning deathly pale, and her forehead instantly became covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, I...I was wrong." Xia'er's knees buckled, and she knelt on the ground, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Consort Yan hurriedly knelt down and performed a deep bow, saying, "This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"

Shen Qingwan remained silent, walked to the chair in the main hall of Kunning Palace, and sat down. A perfectly timed smile played on her lips, but she exuded an unapproachable aura of authority. "I dined in the Empress Dowager's palace last night and chatted with her until quite late. When people sleep late, they easily feel tired. It was my fault for keeping Consort Yan waiting so long today."

Consort Yan's brow twitched. "I dare not. It was my fault for not disciplining my maid properly. I beg Your Majesty for mercy. After I return to the palace, I will definitely discipline Xia'er strictly and this kind of thing will never happen again."

Zhen'er couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Return to the palace?

Should we take them back and discipline them strictly?

This Consort Yan really doesn't understand the rules of the harem at all.

“Consort Yan has just entered the palace, and she is probably not familiar enough with the rules of the harem. How can she guarantee that she can use the palace rules to restrain her servants?” Shen Qingwan spoke slowly, her tone unhurried but with a hint of sharpness.

"This..." Consort Yan was taken aback. "Your Majesty, I have been learning etiquette from the nanny since I entered the palace. However, there are too many rules in the palace, and I am afraid it will take some time before I can learn them. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

After Consort Yan finished speaking, she looked up at Shen Qingwan, and in that one glance, shock filled her face.

She was praised as a beauty from a young age. When she was still young and didn't understand, some people said that if she were to enter the harem and become an empress, she would surely be the most favored concubine in the palace because of her beauty.

Even after Emperor Yuanwu left this morning, before she saw the Empress, she firmly believed that no one could surpass her beauty, but now…

The Empress was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, adorned with gold hairpins and jade ornaments. Her features were exquisite, and her demeanor was so elegant that one dared not look directly at her.

Her eyebrows were delicate and arched, her eyes sparkling with spring. Her skin was smooth and lustrous like warm jade, soft and lustrous, naturally red and delicate, her skin like solidified cream, her lips red and alluring.

She sat high on the chair that symbolized her status, her eyes slightly lowered, exuding a world-weary charm that was alluring yet unpretentious.

Consort Yan felt utterly numb as she knelt at the Empress's feet.

At that moment, she finally understood those unbearable rumors. No wonder the Empress was so arrogant and domineering, causing chaos in the harem every day, yet she still managed to maintain her position.

Such stunning beauty is irresistible to any man, even an emperor.

Shen Qingwan smiled, but the smile seemed sarcastic: "Since Consort Yan has studied the rules for so long and still doesn't understand the rules of the palace, then I will personally teach you the rules of the harem today." Consort Yan's heart trembled, "Your Majesty the Empress."

"Drag this maidservant next to Consort Yan away and slap her fifty times."

what?
Xia'er was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground. Her mind went blank, and she even forgot how to plead for mercy.

Consort Yan kowtowed several times, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy. Xia'er did not mean to offend Your Majesty. Please have mercy."

Shen Qingwan remained unmoved, simply accepting the tea Zhen'er offered and taking a small sip.

It must be said that adding some osmanthus flowers to Biluochun tea adds a touch of sweetness to the osmanthus aroma, making it delicious.

At Shen Qingwan's command, Su Tianhe entered with two eunuchs, each grabbing one of Xia'er's arms and attempting to drag her outside.

Consort Yan held onto Xia'er's arm tightly, refusing to let go. "Your Majesty, Xia'er truly knows her mistake. I apologize to Your Majesty on Xia'er's behalf. Xia'er was my dowry maid and has been by my side since childhood. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and forgive Xia'er this time."

“Consort Yan, Xia’er spoke disrespectfully to Her Majesty the Empress. Fifty slaps are already a mercy. Consort Yan, you also come from a military family. Does a servant have the right to criticize her master’s words and actions behind her back while she is still in the womb? If Her Majesty the Empress had not shown leniency and had dealt with her according to palace rules, Xia’er would have been dead long ago. Consort Yan, why don’t you hurry up and thank her?” Su Tianhe said.

Thank you?

Consort Yan slowly released Xia'er's hand. In the instant she was distracted, two eunuchs who had come in with Su Tianhe dragged Xia'er out.

"Your Highness Consort Yan, save me! This servant truly knows her mistake, ah... ah ah ah..."

The sound of Xia'er being slapped came from the courtyard. Shen Qingwan calmly drank most of the osmanthus tea in her hand, feeling warm all over.

It seems like she hasn't had osmanthus tea in a very, very long time. Honeysuckle is good, it clears heat and detoxifies, but osmanthus is really fragrant!

"A country has its laws, a family has its rules, and the harem naturally has its own rules. Since Consort Yan has entered the harem, she must abide by the palace rules. I am sorry that you have violated them. We will be holding a investiture ceremony later, and if you are punished, it will be embarrassing. I am letting you off this time because it is your first offense. If there is a next time, I will not tolerate it."

Shen Qingwan's eyes flashed with a cold sharpness, but she smiled and said, "Alright, you can get up now. In the future, when you come to pay your respects to me, you don't need to come so early. If you don't understand anything, just ask the nanny who taught you manners. If there's nothing else, you can go back now."

go back?

Consort Yan was taken aback. She moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but the Empress didn't give her a chance to speak at all and turned to walk towards the palace.

Consort Yan stared at her departing figure, her gaze darkening.

She seemed to have oversimplified everything. She thought that by deliberately avoiding Consort Xian, she could live peacefully in the harem. Little did she know that the Empress had long since bound her and Consort Xian together in her heart. Otherwise, why would she have hit her maid so hard on their first meeting?

Opening one's mouth fifty times is not as simple as slapping someone fifty times with one's hand.

In the imperial harem, slaps were made with wooden boards. When Consort Yan saw Xia'er again, her face was a bloody mess from the slaps, several teeth were missing, and she was unconscious...