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

Chapter 348 Guess
She disliked Emperor Yuanwu's actions, but he was the emperor and she was the empress.

She absolutely could not reach out and swat his hand away from her forehead.

In the end, it was Zhen'er who saved her.

When Zhen'er walked in carrying the medicine, she was startled by what she saw.

"Empress... Your Majesty..."

Zhen'er felt her mind go blank for a moment, and her incoherent words still made Emperor Yuanwu turn around and take his hand off her forehead.

"Your Majesty, Physician Zhang instructed me to serve Her Majesty her medicine after she wakes up, as it might get cold if she doesn't drink it soon."

Emperor Yuanwu stood up and made room for him.

Zhen'er walked nervously to Shen Qingwan's side, put a pillow behind her, and fed her medicine spoonful by spoonful.

Emperor Yuanwu stood there, watching intently.

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan really couldn't understand what was so interesting about her taking medicine.

It's not like she's eating poison that will kill her. Instead of wasting her time, she should go to the palaces of other concubines and watch them dance and pose seductively. Wouldn't that be more pleasing to the eye?
Emperor Yuanwu waited until Shen Qingwan finished the entire bowl of medicine before speaking, “Empress, please take good care of yourself for now. Once you have recovered, I will celebrate your birthday properly a month from now. This time, it will be a full year for you, so we must have a grand celebration.”

One month later...

Upon hearing these words, Shen Qingwan recalled the words Mo Ganjunyi had spoken to her that night.

What exactly is he going to do a month from now?
Mo Gan Junyi is not actually the real Mo Gan Junyi. Not only does she know this, but Emperor Yuanwu also knows it.

Moganxie couldn't bear to send his most beloved son to the Yuan Kingdom as a hostage, so he just grabbed one at random.

Mo Ganxie's plan was clear, but since he was willing to come to the Yuan Kingdom, he must not be a kind-hearted person. He must have some bargaining chip that would allow Mo Ganxie to kill him.

If this bargaining chip is so important to him, why is it no longer important a month later?
Shen Qingwan didn't know what he was plotting, but she knew that if she directly reminded Emperor Yuanwu to be careful of the Northern Desert, it would definitely arouse his suspicion.

If Emperor Yuanwu knew that he had met with the hostage late at night, it would inevitably lead to many things that would be detrimental to her.

Seeing that Emperor Yuanwu seemed to want to leave, Shen Qingwan hurriedly sat up straight, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu suddenly stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"The Emperor asked me to write a letter to my cousin a few days ago. She is now pregnant. I was thinking of inviting her to my birthday banquet, but it seems that won't be possible now," Shen Qingwan said with a hint of regret.

Pregnant?

When Emperor Yuanwu heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was fleeting, disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared. "It's not necessarily impossible," Emperor Yuanwu paused and continued, "If the Empress misses her cousin, when I arrive at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I will send a letter to Mo Ganxie, inviting him and Princess Changle to attend the Empress's birthday banquet. The journey from Mobei to the capital is not far. If the pregnancy is stable, he can attend the Empress's birthday banquet and reunite with his family upon his return. Why not? However... she is no longer a member of the Shen family. Even if they meet, it must be in private, and they must not make it public."

“Your Majesty’s considerations are thorough; I know what I’m doing,” Shen Qingwan said.

After Emperor Yuanwu left, Imperial Physician Zhang came in to take Shen Qingwan's pulse. She gave Zhen'er a wink, and Zhen'er casually used an excuse to send all the palace maids out of the bedchamber.

"Imperial Physician Zhang, how is my pulse?" Shen Qingwan's face was still sickly pale, but her spirits had clearly improved.

"Your Majesty, after taking the medicine, judging from your pulse, your health is much better. However, although Your Majesty has recovered well after that serious illness, this cold has brought out many of your previous symptoms. Your Majesty still needs to take good care of yourself and avoid catching a cold again," Physician Zhang instructed earnestly.

These words were exactly what Shen Qingwan had expected. She didn't react much after hearing them, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Physician Zhang."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is what I should do."

Physician Zhang hesitated for a while, thinking that the Empress had sent all the palace servants away, probably because she had something she wanted to ask. The women in the harem were naturally most concerned about... offspring.

"Your Majesty, when I last paid my respects to the Empress Dowager, she instructed me to prescribe some of the best medicine to help with pregnancy. However, I feel that Your Majesty is still young and can wait a while before having children. Please do not rush things."

Shen Qingwan: ...

It's one thing for the Empress Dowager to keep urging for offspring, but what exactly did she do that made a royal physician misunderstand and think that she wanted to have a child?

"I understand what Physician Zhang means. Thank you for reminding me, Physician Zhang." Shen Qingwan's expression was somewhat complicated.

"Your Majesty, please rest well. I will come again this afternoon to take your pulse. It is best for Your Majesty to stay in bed. If Your Majesty wants to get up to do anything, please wear more clothes, preferably a cloak, and be careful not to catch a cold." Physician Zhang instructed in a rambling manner while packing his medicine box.

"I have noted down everything Physician Zhang said, and I will certainly follow his advice. Please rest assured, Physician Zhang." Shen Qingwan paused, "However, there is one more thing I would like to ask Physician Zhang."

"Your Majesty is too kind. Please do not hesitate to give me any instructions."

"I would like to ask how the pregnancies of Consort Ying and Noble Lady Xi are progressing?"

Shen Qingwan leaned forward slightly. She clearly saw that when Physician Zhang heard the words "Consort Xi," his fingertips paused.

"Your Majesty, Consort Ying's pregnancy is stable, and she is taking her medication on time. However, she is experiencing severe morning sickness and cannot eat much. I have tried to add some milder herbs to her medication. As long as she is healthy, she can take better care of herself when she is a little further along in her pregnancy and the morning sickness is not so severe," Physician Zhang explained in detail.

"Then..." Shen Qingwan's gaze fell on Physician Zhang's face, "What about Consort Xi?"

"Your Majesty, Consort Xi is in good health and has not experienced much morning sickness. She also has a good appetite. Although she and Consort Ying are about the same age, because she has not experienced morning sickness, she appears to be much more advanced in her pregnancy than Consort Ying."

Physician Zhang's words didn't seem particularly special at first glance; they were just answers to Shen Qingwan's questions. But upon closer examination, and considering his expression when he replied, Shen Qingwan had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Her guess was probably right.

"Imperial Physician Zhang, there is something I'd like to ask, but I'm not sure if it's convenient for me to do so?"