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

Chapter 397 Got a clue
She dared not speak, for she did not know if Consort Rou would take her anger out on her if she did.

It seems that Consort Rou didn't pay much attention to what she said about dining, since it wasn't a secret that Emperor Yuanwu liked to dine at Kunning Palace.

On the contrary, the phrase "in the side hall" puzzled Consort Rou.

"A side hall?"

"Why are we having our meal in a side hall? Is there something wrong with the main hall of Kunning Palace?"

Jun'er was about to cry. "No, Your Majesty, there is no problem with the main hall of Kunning Palace. It's just that the First Prince is currently staying in a side hall of Kunning Palace. He has injured his leg and it is inconvenient for him to move around. It must be because of this that His Majesty went to the side hall for his meal."

It turned out to be because of this...

Didn't the Emperor used to hate the eldest prince the most?
He didn't always hate this son, but hated his birth, which led to the death of Consort Li.

It seems that Emperor Yuanwu is paying more and more attention to this son these days.

If the Empress never has a legitimate son, the eldest prince is the eldest son!
What if the Emperor develops any feelings for the eldest prince? What will happen to his fourth prince?
As she pondered this, Consort Rou turned and walked into the palace.

Jun'er had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a loud "Ah!" from inside the main hall.

"Mother, what's wrong with you?"

When Zhen'er rushed in, Consort Rou was lying on the ground...

Shen Qingwan and the First Prince had just finished their dinner.

Zhen'er hurried in. "Your Majesty, something has happened at Zhongcui Palace."

"What's wrong?" Shen Qingwan asked gently.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital just reported that Consort Rou accidentally tripped and fell in her palace. When she fell, her ankle hit a table leg and it seems she has broken a bone. She won't be able to get out of bed for a while."

"Understood." Shen Qingwan said calmly, "Go and have someone tidy up the place, clean it up, and fumigate it with incense so the whole house smells of food."

Zhen'er paused for a moment.

She began to wonder if she hadn't explained the situation at Zhongcui Palace clearly enough, given how indifferent their master's reaction was.

Shen Qingwan didn't react much, but Jiang Wenlan was different.

After hearing Zhen'er's words, he couldn't help but snort coldly.

"What's wrong?" Shen Qingwan put down the handkerchief she was wiping her mouth from and asked in surprise.

"This Consort Rou is really dramatic. She claims to have injured her leg, but she's just trying to get the Emperor's attention and want him to come to her palace."

Jiang Wenlan's face was grim.

"Didn't Consort Rou just lose a child? She can still serve the emperor even during her postpartum confinement. Why is she in such a hurry to cause so much trouble?"

Shen Qingwan raised an eyebrow slightly, "So many things to do?"

She repeated Jiang Wenlan's words.

"Could it be that when she sent her personal maid to deliver the ginseng just now, it wasn't intentional? If she really wanted to give that ginseng to me, she should have sent it when I was injured, instead of waiting until Father Emperor came to deliver it. She was clearly doing this for Father Emperor's benefit."

Shen Qingwan looked at him with a complicated expression.

Although she knew Jiang Wenlan was more mature than other children his age, she was truly surprised that he could see things so clearly and thoroughly. Shen Qingwan waved her hand, signaling Zhen'er to leave.

When only the two of them remained in the side hall, Shen Qingwan said slowly, "Now that you can understand the cause and effect, may Your Majesty tell the First Prince something else?"

Jiang Wenlan's eyes widened in surprise, and she lowered her gaze earnestly, "Please speak, Your Majesty."

"The rule for surviving in the palace is to keep your emotions hidden and not let others guess your thoughts." Shen Qingwan looked at him intently. "The eldest prince is a smart child. Can you understand what the Empress Dowager is saying?"

Jiang Wenlan nodded, then shook her head. "So when Aunt Zhen'er came to tell the Empress Dowager about these things, the Empress Dowager didn't respond directly because she didn't want others to guess what was on her mind?"

"That's not it." Shen Qingwan's voice remained gentle. "When your father mentioned wanting you to follow me in the future, it was not on a whim. Rather, it was a few days ago when I mentioned to your father that I wanted to find you a foster mother."

Jiang Wenlan's eyes trembled. "Empress Mother, I don't want any foster mother other than Empress Mother."

“But…” Shen Qingwan paused, lowering her voice slightly, “Although your father is still young, there are very few princes in the palace. Does the eldest prince not even have the slightest desire to compete for the position of crown prince?”

The position of crown prince?

Jiang Wenlan seemed surprised that Shen Qingwan would bring this up, his face full of shock and disbelief. "Your Majesty... Mother."

“If you could understand what your Empress Mother is saying, she would definitely find someone who can help you.” Shen Qingwan paused. “Your Empress Mother doesn’t want you to do anything in the future, but your father has so many brothers, and there aren’t many left now…”

If they do not fight, it is very likely that the day the new emperor ascends the throne will be the day Jiang Wenlan dies.

The second prince was physically weak and was certainly not the best candidate to inherit the throne.

The Third Prince was born to Lady Pang. Emperor Yuanwu had gone to great lengths to abolish the Pang clan, so how could he possibly allow a child of the Pang clan to have the opportunity to exonerate them?

That leaves only the eldest prince and the fourth prince.

Consort Rou was no pushover.

She is incredibly cunning, and she also has the support of the Wen family behind her.

If the eldest prince truly becomes the only threat to her son, she will inevitably have to take action against Jiang Wenlan.

I'm afraid the eldest prince, who lives alone in the prince's quarters...

“Your Majesty, you don’t need to say anything more.” Jiang Wenlan nodded firmly. “Your son understands and knows Your Majesty’s good intentions. Your son will listen to Your Majesty in everything.”

Shen Qingwan nodded in relief.

“But Mother, there is something I don’t understand.” Jiang Wenlan frowned in confusion. “Since Father Emperor intends to test you today and wants you to adopt me, why don’t you agree immediately? You don’t have any children of your own right now. If you do have children in the future, I will definitely help my younger brother and will not compete with him for anything.”

Shen Qingwan raised her hand and touched his forehead. "This matter cannot be explained in just a few words. It's getting late. Your mother will have someone come in to help you wash up. Get some rest."

Although Jiang Wenlan didn't quite understand, he still said in a deep voice, "Yes, Your Majesty."

When Shen Qingwan came out of the side hall, Zhen'er was still waiting at the door.

"Your Majesty, it was inconvenient for me to say this in front of the First Prince, but it is something you asked me to investigate last time, and we have already made progress."

Shen Qingwan took a money pouch from Zhen'er's hand.

"This was found at the biggest brothel madam in the capital..."