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

Chapter 403 Dilemma
At such a moment, Shen Qingwan naturally couldn't refuse. She didn't want to drink, but since things had come to this point, it seemed she had no choice but to drink.

Shen Qingwan's eyes flickered, and she downed the wine in her glass in one gulp.

Seeing that the Empress was so easy to talk to, everyone came over one after another to offer her a toast.

Shen Qingwan drank one, so it wouldn't be right not to drink a second one, otherwise people would say she was being unfair and looking down on people.

Although the cups weren't big, after drinking more than a dozen cups in a row, Shen Qingwan felt dizzy and her stomach was also vaguely uncomfortable.

She glanced pleadingly at Emperor Yuanwu beside her, but he was talking to a minister and didn't notice what was happening to her.

Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes and looked at the glass of wine that was handed to her. She struggled for a while before finally gulping it down.

Her stomach suddenly felt like it was on fire, burning intensely for a moment, almost causing Shen Qingwan to lose control and vomit.

Just then, Prince Xiang's wife also came over with a cup of wine.

She had heard about the matter concerning Prince Yao's wife. In her opinion, her status was the same as that of Prince Yao's wife. If the Empress did not take Prince Yao's wife seriously, how could she take her seriously?

She seemed to have a knot in her stomach, and this woman, who usually didn't like to stand out, walked over with a glass of wine in her hand.

"This concubine also offers a toast to Your Majesty the Empress, wishing you eternal youth. I'll drink this first as a sign of respect!"

"Princess Consort." Before Shen Qingwan could even utter the words she was about to say, the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang tilted her head back and downed the wine in her cup in one gulp.

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan increasingly felt that they all seemed to have conspired to get her drunk and take turns toasting her.

Shen Qingwan held a wine glass, the wine in it at that moment like the last straw that could break the camel's back.

If she were to drink it all now, she would surely lose her composure at the banquet. But if she didn't drink it, with so many people watching, the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang had already finished the wine in her cup.

Shen Qingwan looked down helplessly and glanced at Emperor Yuanwu beside her. He was turned to the side, talking to a minister, completely unaware of what was happening here.

"Your Majesty, why aren't you drinking?"

Before Shen Qingwan could find a savior, the urgent words of the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang reached her ears.

Shen Qingwan didn't want to drink, but she had no choice but to.

"I……"

Just as she was hesitating about how to refuse the drink, the wife of Prince Xiang spoke up again, relentlessly.

She gave a dry laugh. "It seems Her Majesty the Empress is unwilling to give me this face."

Shen Qingwan: ...

"Princess Consort Xiang has misunderstood. How could Her Majesty the Empress not give you this face? It's just that so many people have come to celebrate Her Majesty the Empress's birthday today, and Her Majesty the Empress has just recovered from a serious illness and has already drunk quite a bit of wine. If she drinks any more, I'm afraid her body really won't be able to take it."

Consort Shu walked over with a wine cup in her hand.

"The royal concubine."

A hint of displeasure flickered in the deep eyes of the Princess Consort of Xiang, but she had to suppress it and force a smile, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"I think that since the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang is coming to offer a toast to Her Majesty the Empress at this time, it shows her great respect. Since we both have the intention to respect Her Majesty the Empress, why don't I drink this cup of wine on her behalf? What do you think, Princess Consort of Prince Xiang?"

Shen Qingwan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. At this moment, even Emperor Yuanwu didn't care about her, but Consort Shu was willing to stand up for her in front of so many people, even at the risk of offending Prince Xiang's mansion. Her eyes couldn't help but tremble, filled with surprise and gratitude.

The wife of Prince Xiang smiled, but the smile seemed to carry an indescribable meaning.

Consort Shu has three sons and has held the rank of consort for many years. Not long ago, she was promoted to Noble Consort. She has been assisting in the management of the six palaces and has a lot of influence in the harem. Her maternal family is also an important official in the court.

Her position in the harem was equivalent to that of the vice empress.

This is someone she cannot afford to offend, and dares not offend.

"Your Highness, it's not that I wanted to embarrass you. It's just that this cup of wine was offered to Your Majesty the Empress with all my heart. Your Majesty drank all the wine offered by others, but refused to drink this cup offered by me. Is there something you dislike about me, or perhaps something you dislike about our Prince Xiang's Mansion?"

Although the words of the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang were not loud, they drew everyone's attention to the Empress.

Shen Qingwan composed herself, exuding an air of authority.

Just moments ago she was hesitating whether the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang was making things difficult for her, but now she was certain that she was doing it on purpose.

However, she usually had no interaction with the Prince Xiang's mansion, and the Princess Consort of the Prince Xiang was an honest person, so why would she deliberately make things difficult for her?

Regardless of her motives, she will absolutely not drink that glass of wine again.

If she drinks this cup of wine, then a thousand cups await her.

Even if each of the guests offered her a cup, she would still drink until she vomited blood.

Today is supposed to be her birthday celebration, but it's being made to look like her day of suffering.

Shen Qingwan placed the wine glass directly on the table. Just as the glass was about to make a sound as it hit the table, Prince Rui appeared beside her and took the glass from her.

"Since Her Majesty the Empress is unwell and not fit to drink, why don't we all raise our glasses together and help Her Majesty drink this cup?"

After Prince Rui finished speaking, without waiting for everyone to speak, he drank the cup of wine that was originally in Shen Qingwan's hand in one gulp.

"Then I'll drink first as a sign of respect," Consort Shu said immediately, turning her wine cup upside down in front of everyone after she finished drinking.

"Prince Rui, what do you mean by this? Even if you're going to help the Empress avoid drinking, it should be the Emperor, not you..."

Lord Wen stood up, puzzled.

"Lord Wen, your words are strange. An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. It's just a cup of wine. Why can't I help my sister-in-law drink it? Do you want your elder brother to help your sister-in-law drink another cup before you're satisfied?" Prince Rui's face immediately darkened.

Should the emperor be asked to drink on behalf of the emperor?
He thinks he's not going to live long enough.

Lord Wen's face suddenly turned pale. "Of course not."

"Then let us raise our glasses and drink together, may Her Majesty the Empress live a thousand years!" Consort Shu raised her wine cup.

The crowd echoed, "Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"

Shen Qingwan finally sat down, relieved. She breathed a long sigh of relief and turned her head to see Emperor Yuanwu looking at her with surprise. "What's wrong?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

She stood there talking with the wife of Prince Xiang for quite a while, and he asked her what was wrong?
What happened to her?
What happened to him?
Is he hard of hearing, or is he doing it on purpose?