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

Chapter 412 (Extra Chapter) (First Encounter 3)

"That osmanthus cake is so sweet. Wanwan has never eaten such delicious osmanthus cake before."

Another older brother?
Shen Wenqian suddenly stopped and turned to look at where Jiang Yuyan lived.

"Wanwan, remember, the guests who have come to our house today are all honored guests. Wanwan, you must not be impolite and must remember the rules your father taught you."

Shen Qingwan nodded as if she understood, then lowered her eyes and stared at the piece of osmanthus cake in her palm, full of regret, "Father has said it many times, and Wanwan remembers it all."

The next morning, when Shen Qingwan woke up, the Shen residence was quiet again. Even her two older brothers, who had given her osmanthus cake and played with the big bug with her the day before, were nowhere to be seen.

"Miss."

A maid in the mansion saw that she had gotten up and came over with a cloak in her hand.

"Miss, the wind picked up last night and it rained heavily all night. It's still chilly now. You're dressed too lightly. Be careful not to catch a cold."

The maid draped the cloak over Shen Qingwan's shoulders, but unfortunately, the cloak was made a few years ago and was already too small.

Rongcheng suffered a severe drought for three years. The Shen family donated a lot of money and grain to build soup kitchens and provide porridge to the people. The household expenses were reduced again and again. The young lady was young and growing fast, and now she could no longer find a suitable piece of clothing to wear.

The maid sighed and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. "Miss, I've cooked some porridge. Please come with me to wash up and have a meal."

"Where are the two older brothers from yesterday?" Shen Qingwan stood still and glanced in the direction of the room where Jiang Yuxian and Jiang Yuyan had stayed yesterday.

“Miss, those two princes went with the Emperor to visit the disaster victims early this morning. Please come with me to have your meal first; they may be back in a little while.”

After the maid finished speaking, seeing that she was still standing still, she couldn't help but add, "The Third Prince said that you like osmanthus, so he specially saved some osmanthus cake. I have already put it away. Please have your breakfast, and I will go and get the osmanthus cake for you."

Osmanthus cake?
Shen Qingwan's eyes lit up when she heard those three words.

There used to be many pastries in the house, and there were always various kinds of pastries on the table, but she didn't like them at all.

But she didn't know when it started, not to mention osmanthus cake, she hadn't seen even the pastries she didn't like for a long time.

Shen Qingwan had just finished her small bowl of porridge when the maid took out four pieces of osmanthus cake wrapped in paper from her bosom. She looked around to make sure no one was there before lowering her voice and saying, "Miss, you should eat this quickly, as Madam will be back soon."

Shen Qingwan only ate half a bowl of plain porridge. She ate this porridge every day, which had no flavor at all. Occasionally, a dish of pickled vegetables would be added to the plate, but apart from being too salty, it had no other taste.

But this osmanthus cake is melt-in-your-mouth sweet and delicious.

Seeing her eating so heartily, the maid poured her a glass of water. "Miss, please have some water. Be careful not to choke."

Shen Qingwan stared at the osmanthus cake in her hand for a long while. As if she had made up her mind, she picked up a piece of osmanthus cake with a determined look and held it to the maid's mouth. "You eat some too."

The maid paused slightly, a glint of tears in her eyes. She took Shen Qingwan's hand and pushed the osmanthus cake in her hand to her lips. "I've just finished eating. I'm not hungry. Please eat, Miss."

Shen Qingwan stared at her thoughtfully for a while, then lowered her head and continued eating.

Actually, she was reluctant to give it away; she hadn't eaten such delicious pastries in so long. But seeing the maid staring at her with a complicated expression, she thought that the maid probably felt the same way, wanting to eat such delicious osmanthus cake. What a kind young lady!
The maid couldn't help but wipe her eyes. Even though she really wanted to eat it herself, she didn't forget to share a piece with her.

Now, after three years of severe drought, the family's food reserves are almost gone. But the wife of the family, instead of caring for their young daughter, insists on going back to her parents' home and even secretly takes the little food the family has left to give to her niece.

Is a niece really less important than one's own biological daughter?

They can't even feed their own daughter, yet they still have to take care of others!

The maid grumbled inwardly, but dared not say it aloud, after all, she was just a servant in this household.

A commotion arose from the direction of the mansion gate. A maid stared at the last half of the osmanthus cake in Shen Qingwan's hand, a hint of panic flashing across her face. "Miss, Madam is back. Quickly eat this last bite."

Shen Qingwan nodded, stuffed the remaining bite of osmanthus cake into her mouth, and suddenly choked, her face turning bright red.

"Wanwan, your mother is back."

Madam Shen's voice came from afar, and the maidservant panicked, helping Shen Qingwan pat the residue off her clothes.

"Uh... Mother!"

Shen Qingwan ate too much in the last bite and choked, burping.

"What is this child doing?" Madam Shen picked her up from the ground. A faint, sweet fragrance of osmanthus wafted from her nose. Madam Shen frowned slightly, then brought her nose close to the collar of the child's clothes to smell it. Her face immediately darkened. "What did Master buy for Wanwan? Life is already so difficult. How could Master still buy Wanwan pastries?"

The maid was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Madam, please forgive me. These pastries were not bought by the master. The emperor brought the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince to the mansion last night, and the Third Prince gave them to us."

emperor?

When Madam Shen heard those two words, her eyes widened in surprise. "The Emperor has come to our residence?"

The maid nodded. "Reporting to Madam, this morning Master accompanied the Emperor and the two princes out. I heard Master say that the Emperor will set off early tomorrow morning."

Madam Shen looked at the paper wrapping the pastries, still covered in crumbs, on the ground, her gaze deepening. A smile quickly spread across her face. "Wanwan, be good. The things your brother gave you must be from the palace. How could you eat all of such good things by yourself? Next time, remember to share half with your cousin Ruyan. Don't you like your cousin Ruyan the most?"

Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes, looking at her hands, and remained silent.

Madam Shen was probably tired. After holding her for a while, she put her down and went back to her room to sleep.

The maid then stood up from the ground, picked up the bowl of water, added some hot water, and held it to Shen Qingwan's lips, "Miss, you choked on the pastry just now, please drink some water to help you swallow."

The maid was speechless.

Although she was very dissatisfied with the fact that her wife favored her niece from her maternal family.

From childhood to adulthood, whatever the young lady had, whether it was food, clothing, or toys, the madam would always send a portion to her niece on her mother's side.

Is her own biological daughter less valuable than her niece?