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

Chapter 355 The Emperor
At this point, Consort Shu's tears fell even faster. "Our harem has never seen anything like this in so many years. How could this happen out of nowhere? Who brought this disease in? If Consort Shen is really diagnosed, will the Emperor kill all of us concubines who have served him in bed?"

"Don't worry, this matter is not confirmed yet, and it may not be some kind of disease. The Emperor has not left the palace, and there are only a few concubines in the harem. They have served the Emperor for so many years and they have all been fine. How could something like this suddenly happen?" Shen Qingwan didn't know how to comfort her.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor stayed overnight at Kunning Palace a few days ago. What about you? Do you feel unwell anywhere? Should we call the imperial physician to come and take a look?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain to Consort Shu.

Although Emperor Yuanwu stayed overnight at Kunning Palace, he only slept in his own bedroom that night.

"This morning I heard that Consort Yan also summoned the imperial physician last night. You might as well find a reliable person to inquire about what exactly was wrong with Consort Yan last night that prompted her to call the imperial physician, and what she examined afterward."

Consort Shu had been like a headless fly all morning, but after hearing what the Empress said, she finally had an idea.

"I've always said that matters in the harem should be managed by Her Majesty the Empress. I panic as soon as something happens. Consort Yan summoned the imperial physician last night, but the less she could get information, the more suspicious it was. I'll go find someone to inquire now." After saying this, Consort Shu couldn't help but sigh again.

"If I remember correctly, ever since His Majesty chose Consort Yan, he has been spending every night in her palace. When was the last time you served him?"

After Shen Qingwan's reminder, Consort Shu suddenly realized, "I remember, it was before Consort Yan entered the palace."

"Then..." Shen Qingwan drawled, "You might as well go and ask who else has served the emperor this month. Just remember to do it quietly. Before the Imperial Hospital makes a diagnosis, don't let the palace be in a state of panic. If the Empress Dowager is alerted, this matter will probably get out of control."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I know what is important."

After leaving Kunning Palace, Consort Shu quickly found out the result.

Although Shen Qingwan had never questioned Consort Shu's competence, this matter was indeed handled more decisively and efficiently than any other matter before.

After all, this matter might be related to her.

"Your Majesty, should we tell the Emperor about this? If so, how should we tell him, and who should tell him?" Consort Shu looked troubled.

"Has His Majesty not chosen a concubine yet tonight?" Shen Qingwan asked, puzzled.

Consort Shu shook her head.

Even if he were chosen, it wouldn't make a difference. Since Emperor Yuanwu sleeps in Consort Yan's palace every night, he might not necessarily have sex with her every night.

If Consort Yan had deliberately wanted to conceal it and turned off the palace lights, it probably wouldn't have been discovered so quickly. Now that she has discovered that she has a problem with her body and wants to deliberately hide it, she will take medicine on her own.

It's unclear whether the medicine will cure her or not. What's more, while Emperor Yuanwu was unaware of the situation, he may have favored a pregnant concubine in the palace, thus endangering the imperial heir. If that happens, the matter will be much more serious.

Therefore, this matter cannot be kept secret...

"But how exactly should we report this to the Emperor?"

After going back and forth, we finally returned to the same question. "Let's not rush things. Let's see who the Emperor chooses tonight before making any plans," Shen Qingwan said with a long sigh.

"Your Majesty, it seems unlikely that the Emperor will choose Consort Yan tonight. The Imperial Household Department just sent word that Consort Yan is menstruating and unable to attend to the Emperor. The Imperial Household Department has already removed Consort Yan's nameplate."

They withdrew?

When Consort Shu heard those two words, she was completely dismayed. "The timing of Consort Yan's menstrual period is too coincidental. Is she really menstruating, or is she deliberately saying she's menstruating to avoid serving the emperor? No one can peek inside her. In that case, we really can't do anything about her for the time being. Are we really going to wait until she secretly gets rid of her venereal disease and then come back to harm the sisters in our harem?"

"She can't serve the emperor, which just means she can't see him. It doesn't mean we're completely without options," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

"how do I say this?"

"If this illness really originated from Consort Yan, and Consort Shen contracted it after only serving the Emperor once, then it means that Consort Yan's illness is already very serious. You just need to inform the Imperial Hospital and explain the seriousness of this matter. I believe that no physician in the Imperial Hospital would dare to risk losing their head to embezzle her small reward. If there is one, then they can be dragged to the Emperor's presence to be punished."

Consort Shu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "I'll take care of it right away."

With that, the person left Kunning Palace.

“Your Majesty, when Consort Shu was assisting in managing the six palaces, she wasn’t someone without a backbone. How come when she’s really put in power, she comes to ask Your Majesty about everything? It’s as if she doesn’t know anything and can’t do anything.”

Don’t understand anything?

You can't do anything?

It's not that she knew nothing or couldn't do anything; she simply discussed everything in detail with others so that if anything went wrong, she could shift some of the responsibility.

This is called risk sharing. Just like when she allocated the power of managing the six palaces, she subdivided the power of the harem into the hands of each person, so that everyone had power, but each person only had a small part of the power.

Consort Shu learned quickly and applied it just as quickly.

In the evening, the Imperial Household Department sent over a green plaque, but Emperor Yuanwu did not see Consort Yan's plaque. After asking a couple of questions, he ordered it to be removed.

Indeed, even boars need rest. Emperor Yuanwu stayed overnight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which greatly relieved Shen Qingwan.

If Consort Yan really has a sexually transmitted disease, then wouldn't it be a case that whoever has recently been favored by Emperor Yuanwu is doomed?

After all, no one dared to say to Emperor Yuanwu that he might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease and have the imperial physician examine him.

He is the emperor. How could the emperor have a sexually transmitted disease? Even if he did, it would be a sexually transmitted disease with a problem.

It would probably be pointless to check her medical records before she entered the palace. She wasn't selected through a beauty pageant. During the medical examination, in that room where only she and her nanny were present, she used a lot of money to cover everything up.

As night fell, Consort Yan lay in bed, writhing in agony, especially in that hidden area where she had scratched herself raw, and blood was seeping out.

She dared not let anyone know about this, and only asked Xia'er in a low voice.
"What's going on? Why hasn't the imperial physician arrived yet? Didn't I give him the money and he promised to come and examine me tonight?"