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

Chapter 92 Small temper
The concubines rose and said, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager will follow your instructions."

Consort Xian: ...

After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she and Shen Qingwan left the banquet together. Staring at their departing figures, Consort Xian twisted her skirt tightly with her hand at her side.

Although it was wrong of her to steal Consort Yao's favor, it was still something Emperor Yuanwu had agreed to.

Emperor Yuanwu didn't say anything, so why did the Empress Dowager get so angry?
Thinking that the Empress Dowager had come with the Empress today, Consort Xian's eyes gradually narrowed. Could it be that the Empress had gone to the Empress Dowager early this morning to gossip?

After all, she's done this kind of thing quite often before.

I don't understand why the Empress Dowager is so good-natured and lets her stir things up.

The Empress Dowager did not say this explicitly, but she did mention the green plaque. Could it be that the Empress Dowager meant to remove her green plaque?

With a back injury preventing her from serving the emperor for a year or two, and with more and more new concubines appearing in the harem, wouldn't she really fall out of favor?

However, since the Empress Dowager has said so, I'm afraid the Imperial Household Department will have to do something about it.

The moment the Empress Dowager and the Empress left, Consort Xian, in a fit of irritation, threw down her chopsticks and went straight back to Jingyang Palace.

After Consort Xian left, the concubines began to gossip angrily. Although the Empress Dowager did not say it explicitly, she still made Consort Xian look bad. Everyone, whether they knew or not, suddenly knew.

Consort Xian stayed in her palace all day, refusing to leave. The concubines who were usually close to her were also wary of the Empress Dowager and naturally dared not go to her palace.

"Your Majesty, please try to think positively. The Empress Dowager is the Emperor's birth mother. She may have said a few words to you, but please don't take it to heart," Xia Fuchuan comforted her.

Consort Xian didn't speak, but turned to the side and sighed.

“Your Majesty, as long as the Emperor has you in his heart, the Empress Dowager and the Empress can do nothing about it.” Xia Fuchuan placed a bowl of white fungus soup in front of Consort Xian: “Your Majesty, you didn’t eat much for lunch, please eat a little bit.”

Consort Xian shook her head.

"mother……"

Before Xia Fuchuan could finish speaking, Emperor Yuanwu walked in from outside.

"What's Consort Xian up to now? Why won't she eat?"

When Xia Fuchuan saw Emperor Yuanwu enter, he hurriedly placed the lotus seed soup on the table, bowed, and withdrew.

Consort Xian slowly stood up from the stool, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

"What's with that expression, Consort Xian? You haven't seen me for just a few hours, and you don't recognize me anymore?"

Emperor Yuanwu sat down beside Consort Xian, looking at her surprised eyes, as if she wasn't the one who had been lying in his arms and acting coquettishly last night.

"No...no." Consort Xian seemed not to have recovered her senses: "I just didn't expect His Majesty to come at this time. I thought His Majesty would never come again."

Emperor Yuanwu chuckled awkwardly: "Is Consort Xian referring to what the Empress Dowager said after I left?"

Consort Xian remained silent. Naturally, she dared not speak ill of the Empress Dowager in front of Emperor Yuanwu, but that did not mean she would not feel wronged in front of Emperor Yuanwu.

Emperor Yuanwu reached out and pulled her into his arms: "The Empress Dowager is getting old, and some of her ideas are different from ours. Even if she says a few words to me, I can only listen to her normally. Don't offend her by being too quick to speak."

"I understand this principle. As long as Your Majesty's heart is with me, I will not feel wronged no matter what happens." Consort Xian lowered her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Just now, there was an urgent report from the northern frontier. Your father led 100,000 elite troops and successfully captured Moganbu in the northern frontier. The Princess will also be returning to the capital soon." Emperor Yuanwu said, pinching Consort Xian's waist hard. "With your father here, I am very relieved about the peace on the border. What should I reward your father with this time?"

"Really?" Consort Xian's eyes lit up with joy. "It is Father's blessing that he can share the Emperor's burdens. I believe that Father is loyal to His Majesty and does not care about any rewards."

"Then what reward do you want? I will reward you handsomely." Emperor Yuanwu said, and then put his arm around Consort Xian's waist again.

"I only want Your Majesty's favor, I want nothing else." Following the force of Emperor Yuanwu's hand, Consort Xian sat in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, her smile more beautiful than any flower.

Emperor Yuanwu picked up Consort Xian in his arms and carried her towards the palace.

"Your Majesty, I haven't eaten yet." Consort Xian gripped Emperor Yuanwu's collar tightly with one hand. "I have no strength."

"What strength do you need?" Emperor Yuanwu smiled, his wicked smile as captivating as autumn water.

"Your Majesty," Consort Xian punched Emperor Yuanwu's chest lightly, "No matter what the Empress Dowager says to me, I dare not utter a single complaint. However, the Empress Dowager rarely interferes in the affairs of the inner palace. I admit that I was wrong last night, but the Empress Dowager is fixated on my mistake and won't let it go..."

"What's wrong?" Emperor Yuanwu's smile faded slightly.

"I feel that what the Empress Dowager said today is not what she would normally say." Consort Xian buried her head in Emperor Yuanwu's arms, feeling wronged. "Your Majesty's favor towards me inevitably arouses the jealousy of the other women in the harem. However, I think that Her Majesty the Empress is a model of virtue for the country and is also filial to the Empress Dowager. On the morning of the Lunar New Year, she exempted herself from all the usual greetings and personally went to do Her Majesty's hair and makeup. She is so virtuous and kind. She will certainly not hold a grudge against my little temper. Your Majesty, don't you think so?"

Emperor Yuanwu remained silent for a moment, not responding to Consort Xian's words.

Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a long time, Consort Xian raised her eyes and glanced at him.

In the past, whenever the Empress was mentioned in front of Emperor Yuanwu, even if Emperor Yuanwu did not speak, a hint of annoyance would flash in his eyes.

It was just a casual expression like that that always made Consort Xian feel much better.

Consort Xian did not detect a trace of annoyance in Emperor Yuanwu's eyes; on the contrary, she felt that his mood was not as good as it had been just now.

"You are not allowed to talk about the Empress behind her back."

Consort Xian was startled and hurriedly wrapped her arms around Emperor Yuanwu's neck: "Alright, alright, I was wrong. I shouldn't have mentioned the Empress in front of Your Majesty at this time. It's all my fault."

Although Emperor Yuanwu was no longer angry, his interest had waned somewhat. He placed Consort Xian on the bed and said, "When I came in just now, I seemed to hear that Consort Xian had not eaten. Let the imperial kitchen prepare a meal, as I am also a little hungry."

Consort Xian: ...

Although Emperor Yuanwu was unhappy, his visit could be seen as a show of support for Consort Xian.

Consort Xian dared not say anything to the Empress Dowager, but she managed to regain all the face she had lost in front of the other concubines in the palace.

The next morning.

When the concubines from all the palaces came to Kunning Palace to pay their respects, Consort Xian was the last to arrive.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed. I am late."

"Since you're here, please sit down," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

"Your Majesty, I am truly sorry. Last night, His Majesty was in my palace, and we were talking about Father's pacification of the northern deserts. Seeing that His Majesty was in a good mood, we talked until a little late. This morning, His Majesty told me to sleep a little longer, but I didn't expect to sleep until this hour, which delayed my greetings to Your Majesty..."

(End of this chapter)