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

Chapter 101 The Eldest Princess

"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered." Everyone rose and bowed.

"There is another matter. The Eldest Princess, along with the prince and princess, will be entering the palace in the next two days. The Eldest Princess was sent to marry a foreign prince for the sake of peace in the northern desert. Now she is not returning to the capital in a grand manner. Since she is living in the inner palace, I hope that all of you sisters can get along with her harmoniously," Shen Qingwan instructed.

"Yes, I understand."

"The residences of the Eldest Princess and the Prince Princess have been arranged. Consort De was unwell last night, so Consort Zhen will take care of the reception arrangements."

Consort Zhen, who usually had almost no presence, was suddenly called upon.

She looked up at Shen Qingwan with some disbelief, and after a while, she stood up from her stool: "This concubine respectfully obeys the Empress's decree."

"Alright, that's all I wanted to say. Is there anything else? If not, everyone can leave now."

As Shen Qingwan spoke, she stood up.

"This humble servant respectfully sees off Your Majesty the Empress."

We left Kunning Palace.

Consort Zhen glanced at Consort Shu and quickly walked up to her.

"Your Highness, are you in a hurry to return to the palace? May I speak with you in private?" Consort Zhen asked, her mind preoccupied.

Consort Shu, her nose red from the cold, hunched her shoulders and glanced at Consort Zhen: "It's really too cold today. If we stand here and talk, we'll probably shiver all over. Why don't you come back to Yonghe Palace with me?"

"That's very good." Consort Zhen followed Consort Shu back to Yonghe Palace.

The Third Prince had just woken up, and his wet nurse was holding him and playing with him in the main hall.

“It’s still warmer in my sister’s palace. Changchun Palace is located in the north, and in winter, the charcoal fire in this room never gets hot.” ​​Consort Zhen rubbed her hands together.

A servant from Yonghe Palace brought over a hot water bottle for Consort Zhen to hold in her arms.

Consort Shu rubbed her hands together and took the Third Prince from the wet nurse's arms.

"Third Prince, you're eating really well!"

Consort Zhen reached out and teased him. Although the Third Prince was young, he was able to understand what she was saying. Hearing someone praise him, he happily waved his hands and giggled.

"Sister Shufei is so lucky. She has a prince to raise by her side, so she'll have someone to rely on in the future, unlike me..."

Consort Zhen looked on with envy and then looked up at Consort Shu: "Sister, what do you think? Her Majesty the Empress asked me to prepare for receiving the Princess today. Is there anything I should pay attention to?"

Consort Shu thought for a moment and said, "There shouldn't be anything to worry about. Everything will be done according to the rules of the palace. The Ministry of Rites will prepare everything that is needed or lacking. My sister can just go to the palace gate to meet her. In the end, the eldest princess was not of particularly noble status back then, otherwise she would not have been able to go to a distant place for a political marriage. The Emperor is just trying to silence the gossip."

"I am of lowly status and have never done such a big thing before. I really did not expect that Your Majesty the Empress would entrust me with such a big matter. In your opinion, does Your Majesty the Empress have other intentions?" Consort Zhen laughed awkwardly: "After all, there are many sisters in the palace, but only I have a daughter by my side. Does Your Majesty want to tell me that if one day the eldest princess reaches the age of marriage, she will also be sent away for a political marriage?"

"Forgive my bluntness, elder sister, but based on your understanding of Her Majesty the Empress, I'm really overthinking things." Consort Shu chuckled. "I've had little contact with Her Majesty the Empress and don't know much about her character. If I had more contact with Her Majesty the Empress, I would have found that Her Majesty the Empress is actually a straightforward person. You see, since Her Majesty the Empress personally took charge of the harem, not only has she received more favor, but more concubines have also become pregnant."

Consort Zhen nodded in agreement, agreeing with Consort Shu's assessment. After all, Jiang Wanying had never been favored by Emperor Yuanwu since birth. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, where the Empress arranged for Jiang Wanying and Jiang Wenlan to celebrate together, Emperor Yuanwu might have almost forgotten he had such a daughter.

Seeing that she remained silent, Consort Shu continued, "Perhaps Her Majesty the Empress thought that my sister doesn't usually have many opportunities to stand out, so she might take advantage of the Princess's return to the palace to attract the Emperor's attention."

Since the purpose of bestowing honors upon the eldest princess was to silence public criticism, those who facilitated her return to the palace should also be rewarded.

"Even if my sister doesn't compete or fight for anything in the harem, she still has to consider the future of the eldest princess. Whether the eldest princess will be sent away for a political marriage or what kind of husband she will marry, my sister's position in the harem plays a crucial role." Consort Shu said calmly.

Consort Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with relief: "Sister is right. I'm just too lazy these days, staying in the palace all day. It seems I should come and visit you more often in the future. Hearing your words has put my mind at ease."

"Since His Majesty wishes to give the Eldest Princess face, then, younger sister..."

"Sister, you must do a good job!" Consort Zhen said solemnly.
-
After the concubines finished paying their respects and left,

For the first time ever, Shen Qingwan didn't go back to sleep; instead, she prepared to make some pastries.

"The Emperor has arrived."

Why did Emperor Yuanwu arrive at this hour?
Does this mean I don't need to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to review memorials after the morning court session?

Shen Qingwan put down what she was doing and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed."

"What are you doing?" Emperor Yuanwu looked curiously at the food platters that Shen Qingwan had laid out.

"In reply to Your Majesty, I am preparing some osmanthus cakes, chestnut pastries, mung bean cakes, and the like, especially for the eldest princess and the princes and princesses. The journey from the northern desert to the capital is long and bumpy, and they must not have eaten or slept well. These things should be pleasing to the children," Shen Qingwan said frankly without hiding anything.

"The Queen is interested."

Emperor Yuanwu walked over to Shen Qingwan, casually pointed to a few and asked about their recipes. Hearing that the colorful doughs were made with vegetable and fruit juices, he was relieved.

"Since the Empress can treat the eldest princess and princes and princesses whom she has never met with such care, why can't she treat a concubine who has just entered the palace with the same kindness?"

Always there?

Shen Qingwan was stunned for a moment before she realized what Emperor Yuanwu was talking about.

"It seems someone has complained about me to the Emperor?"

"If I remember correctly, Consort Dong entered the palace last time by relying on her maternal family's honor, and it was Empress Dowager who personally selected her to enter the palace. If the Empress were to slap her thirty times, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Empress Dowager and a blow to the hearts of Consort Dong's maternal family?"

Emperor Yuanwu spoke in a calm tone, and there was no hint of blame in his voice. Shen Qingwan was not annoyed; instead, a slight smile curved her lips.

This smile, however, puzzled Emperor Yuanwu.

"So Your Majesty also knows that Consort Dong entered the palace because of her maternal family's honor, and was personally chosen by the Empress Dowager. Who else entered the palace with Consort Dong? Does Your Majesty know?"

(End of this chapter)