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

Chapter 386 is awesome
Zhen'er woke up suddenly from her dream, not knowing what she had heard.

Shen Qingwan felt a pang of panic and glanced out the window, pretending nothing had happened. She took two steps toward Zhen'er and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The Queen."

Zhen'er hurriedly scrambled to her feet, glancing nervously towards the window. "Who are you talking to?"

"No," Shen Qingwan said casually. "I saw the window was open and was about to close it. Were you having a nightmare?"

"It's all my fault for falling asleep, Your Highness. Please go to bed and rest. I'll go close the window." Zhen'er said remorsefully, walking quickly towards the window. She gripped the window frame with both hands and looked out the window one last time, unwilling to give up.

Only after confirming that there was no one in the courtyard of Kunning Palace did he feel relieved enough to close the windows tightly.

"Your Majesty, a lot has happened in the palace recently, and people have even died. We should be careful, just in case," Zhen'er said solemnly.

"Alright." Shen Qingwan nodded. "Go and pour me a cup of tea."

"Your Highness, you're already having trouble sleeping tonight. If you drink tea, you might not be able to sleep until dawn. How about I pour you a cup of warm water with some honey?"

Shen Qingwan nodded. "Let's do it your way."

Shen Qingwan fell asleep at some point, and when she woke up, it was already noon.

It's really great not having to deal with a palace full of concubines in the morning.

It seems like she hasn't woken up naturally for this long in a long time.

Shen Qingwan couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Even the noble empress couldn't live as she pleased. She was confined to the square palace all day long, and could only see a small patch of blue sky.

Although the monthly allowance in the palace was quite substantial, the annual tributes were also considerable.

But these things can only be kept in the palace; even if she leaves the palace one day, she cannot take them with her.

If she took something from the palace to a pawnshop, the pawnshop owner would surely report her to the authorities and have her imprisoned.

The women in the harem were fighting tooth and nail for this position, but Shen Qingwan felt that being an empress was meaningless.

When she woke up, the side hall prepared for the eldest prince in Kunning Palace had been cleaned up, and the palace maids had just finished airing out several new quilts.

Shen Qingwan checked everything and found that there were no problems.

"Su Tianhe, go and bring the eldest prince over."

Su Tianhe was startled. "Your Majesty the Empress? Have you thought this through? If we just bring the First Prince here like this, aren't you afraid that people in the palace will gossip behind your back, saying that Your Majesty has feelings for the First Prince? If that gets back to the Emperor, it might not be good for Your Majesty!"

“This side hall was prepared by the Emperor for the First Prince. Now that the First Prince is injured and has difficulty moving around, and I am still in confinement, I cannot visit him often. It would be better to bring the First Prince here and send him back after he has recovered.”

Say it again!

She was forced to do this postpartum confinement period too.

If Emperor Yuanwu hadn't publicly announced that she had miscarried, none of this would have happened.

“If we don’t bring the eldest prince over, every time I visit him while he’s recovering, I’ll be criticized by those with ulterior motives. Rather than that, I might as well just bring him over openly and honestly, which will also deter those with malicious intentions from gossiping.”

Su Tianhe's eyes widened in surprise. "Your Majesty the Empress is truly thoughtful. This servant was foolish. This servant will arrange for someone to bring the First Prince over immediately."

When Jiang Wenlan saw Su Tianhe, his eyes widened in astonishment. He even secretly pinched his inner thigh under the covers; the excruciating pain made him realize that he wasn't dreaming.

"Eunuch Su, did the Empress Dowager really say that? She wants to take me to Kunning Palace to recuperate?"

Su Tianhe's words were very clear, and he heard them clearly, but he still couldn't believe it and asked again.

"Of course it's true, how could this servant dare to lie to the First Prince?" Su Tianhe smiled, her eyes crinkling. "This servant will help the First Prince pack his things."

"Quickly pour a bowl of tea for Eunuch Su," Jiang Wenlan instructed. "Please wait a moment, Eunuch Su."

Jiang Wenlan was carried to Kunning Palace.

Although the servants carrying the carriage were extremely careful, they could not avoid the bumpy ride along the way.

Several times, Jiang Wenlan gasped in pain from the throbbing of her wound.

But his heart was warm.

This was the first time since he was born that someone had genuinely cared about him, openly and blatantly.

He used to hate the people in the palace talking about him behind his back, but now, when he heard the palace maids and eunuchs whispering to each other, he even straightened his back.

"Wasn't the eldest prince injured? Where are you going?"

"Didn't you see that Eunuch Su is standing next to the First Prince's carriage? Since Eunuch Su came to pick him up personally, he must be going to Kunning Palace."

"What Eunuch Su means should be the same as what Her Majesty the Empress means. Do you think that Her Majesty the Empress will send the First Prince back to her palace later if she takes him to her palace now?"

"Our Empress has no children of her own, and her health has always been poor. She finally had a child, but it was ruined by Consort Yan. We don't even know if she will be able to have children in the future. So it's not surprising that she wants to take the eldest prince into her own family."

"You're all just talking nonsense. The idea of ​​having the First Prince live in Kunning Palace was something our Emperor himself said."

"If that's the case, the eldest prince will eventually be raised by the Empress?"

“The eldest prince is the eldest son. If he is raised by the Empress, the position of heir apparent will likely belong to Her Majesty the Empress in the future.”

Jiang Wenlan's chariot had just passed the Imperial Garden when he saw from afar that the Empress was already standing at the palace gate waiting for him.

“Your Majesty.” Jiang Wenlan’s brows furrowed, filled with worry. “You are not fully recovered yet. How can you stand in this wind? If you were to injure yourself, it would be my fault.”

"It's alright," Shen Qingwan said softly. "Although this isn't your first time visiting the Empress Dowager's palace, you've only been here for meals before. Today you're moving in, so naturally the Empress Dowager will be waiting at the palace gate to welcome our eldest prince."

Jiang Wenlan lowered his eyes, blushing somewhat embarrassedly, "Your subject has caused trouble for Your Majesty."

"No trouble at all, Your Majesty is very pleased."

As soon as Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she instructed people to carry the eldest prince into the side hall.

The side hall faces east, and in the early morning, the sun can always be seen under the east-facing window, making it very comfortable to bask in its warmth.

Shen Qingwan had a soft couch placed there. "When the eldest prince has nothing to do, he can bask in the sun and read a book here. But remember, you must not read in the sunlight, as that will hurt your eyes."

Jiang Wenlan sat on the soft couch, her eyes stinging with tears.