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

Chapter 398 The house is restless
"She said that a few months ago, someone spent a lot of money to buy the personal clothing of a courtesan who had died from a sexually transmitted disease from her. Because the person was so generous, she was blinded by greed. Afterwards, when she wanted to sell the money, someone reminded her that the cloth used to put the money bag was not from an ordinary family, but rather from the palace. So she carefully kept it."

Was it carefully preserved?
It's just a money bag.

If someone had actually given her that advice, they probably would have burned everything down long ago, which would have allowed her to find clues.

Shen Qingwan found the matter suspicious.

If someone hadn't been investigating the matter behind the scenes and found something on the madam, forcing her to tell the truth, then someone had deliberately set a trap for her.

"Put this away safely first, and also that madam..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already had her kept under guard and will not give her a chance to commit suicide."

Shen Qingwan nodded slowly. Just as she picked up the teacup beside her, Su Tianhe hurriedly walked in from outside.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Shen Qingwan paused, her hand holding the teacup still. "What's wrong?"

"News just came from the northern deserts that Princess Chang Le has miscarried and probably won't live much longer."

Upon hearing this news, Shen Qingwan's reaction was even more indifferent than Su Tianhe's.

In fact, ever since she learned that Liu Ruyan was pregnant, she had been wondering how Mo Ganxie could have gotten her pregnant.

as predicted.

The child ultimately could not be saved.

Perhaps this is the fickleness of emperors. Liu Ruyan is too willful and too trusting of men. Young Master Zhao was like that before, and now Mo Ganxie is too.

She trusted men too much, which led to her tragic end.

If I'm not mistaken, Liu Ruyan should be five months pregnant. If Mo Ganxie didn't want the child from the beginning, he could have done it when the pregnancy was still in its early stages...

But they waited until they were this old, clearly intending to kill both themselves and their unborn child.

Seeing that Shen Qingwan hadn't spoken, Su Tianhe assumed she was heartbroken. He and Zhen'er exchanged a glance, their faces showing a struggle before he finally spoke, "Your Highness, why don't we send some precious medicinal herbs to Princess Chang Le? Maybe we can save her life."

Shen Qingwan snapped out of her reverie and shook her head slightly. "No need."

She had tried to persuade her not to marry into the family, but she refused to listen and even severed ties with the Liu family because she wanted to marry Mo Ganxie.

only……

"Never mind, I'll still send some..."

Before Shen Qingwan could finish speaking, a young eunuch walked in.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! Long live the Empress!"

"Get up," Shen Qingwan said calmly. "What's the matter so late?"

"Your Majesty, I am on duty at the palace gate, and tonight I happen to be on duty." The eunuch paused, "Madam Shen requests an audience."

Madam Shen?
Original owner's mother?

Why did she come at this time? It must be related to Liu Ruyan's matter.

Her news came so fast, even faster than hers.

At this hour, no one would be allowed to enter the palace. Presumably, the person guarding the gate today did not dare to neglect Madam Shen because she is the Empress's birth mother, and therefore came to deliver the message.

Since we're already here...

"Then let her in," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

Liu's appearance upon entering the palace this time was quite different from before. She had lost much of her former vigor and instead looked rather disheveled. She had just stepped into Kunning Palace when she ran over crying, but then, as if remembering something, she suddenly stopped in front of Shen Qingwan.

"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed."

Liu performed a deep kneeling bow, and Shen Qingwan hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Mother, if you have something to say, let's go inside and talk."

Liu nodded, and as she stood up, the light shining through the window made her swollen eyes clearly visible.

If I'm not mistaken, she cried the whole way here; she must have been really heartbroken.

Shen Qingwan helped Liu Shi into the hall. Liu Shi seemed to be in a real hurry. As soon as she entered, she knelt down unexpectedly, which made Shen Qingwan feel a little helpless.

Regardless of the circumstances, Lady Liu was the original owner's birth mother. Although they were of different ranks, seeing a mother kneeling before her again and again still made her feel uneasy.

"Mother, please get up and talk about it. What are you doing?"

Shen Qingwan bent down to help her up again, but Liu seemed determined to stay kneeling. No matter how hard she tried, Liu refused to get up. Helpless, Shen Qingwan could only kneel on the ground and listen to what she had to say.

"Daughter, please save Ruyan, I beg you, only you can save Ruyan now."

“Mother, it’s not that I don’t want to help with this matter, but when Liu Ruyan took the initiative to marry into the Northern Desert, she had already severed ties with the Liu family. Besides, marriage alliances are a matter of state, and the harem should not interfere in politics. There’s nothing I can do about this.”

Upon hearing Shen Qingwan's words, Madam Liu's expression changed. "So, you mean you're not going to get involved?"

Shen Qingwan was speechless for a moment.

How could the original owner have such a mother who would disregard the safety of her own daughter for the sake of her niece?

She slowly got up and stood up from the ground.

Liu continued to wail and complain relentlessly.

"Now that you are the Empress, such a small matter can be resolved with just a word from you to the Emperor, so that Ruyan can return."

Little things?

A word?

Liu is really naive. Even in ordinary families, divorce is not a trivial matter.

Moreover, this is a marriage alliance that concerns the peace and stability of both countries.

If we bring Liu Ruyan back, are we also going to send Consort Wen back?

"Mother, have you ever thought about what the consequences would be if I interfered in politics just because I am the Empress?"

Shen Qingwan was speechless and decided to say nothing more. She could only sigh that the original owner's personality was largely caused by her mother.

It's fortunate that she entered the palace; if she had married into an ordinary family, her household would have been constantly disrupted.

"So you mean you're just going to abandon us?" Liu's sobs faltered.

“It’s not that we don’t care, it’s that we can’t. Even if this matter is brought before the Emperor, it will still be of no use.” Shen Qingwan suppressed her anger and said patiently.

"How could you be so selfish? Do you know that Ruyan's child was five months old and she was beaten to death? She is living such a bad life in the Northern Desert. If we don't bring her here soon, she might die. As her older sister, you just cover it up and ignore it. Do you have any conscience at all?"

Liu spoke with great emotion, pounding her chest and stamping her feet. It seemed that if she were not now the Empress, Liu would have taken action the moment Liu uttered the first word that displeased her.

conscience?

Shen Qingwan found those two words amusing.

If we're talking about who lacks a conscience, then who is truly without a conscience?