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

Chapter 91 Fighting for favor
"What?" Emperor Yuanwu paused in wiping his hands.

Consort Xian's cheeks flushed slightly: "...This concubine, my back hurts."

Emperor Yuanwu was taken aback, and then a hearty laugh came from the bedroom of Jingyang Palace.

The Lunar New Year's Eve lunch was prepared at the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Shen Qingwan went to the Empress Dowager's palace early in the morning, helped the Empress Dowager with her makeup and dressing, and went to the Hall of Preserving Harmony with the Empress Dowager.

Emperor Yuanwu went there with Consort Xian, arriving just one step later than the Empress Dowager.

Because of the previous incident involving the contraceptive soup, although the Empress Dowager disliked Consort Yao, Consort Xian's use of such a method to gain favor last night naturally made the Empress Dowager dislike her as well.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty the Empress."

When Consort Xian saw the Empress Dowager and the Empress, she hurriedly let go of Emperor Yuanwu's hand and curtsied.

The Empress Dowager's face was grim. She merely nodded slightly and said to Shen Qingwan, "The Empress will sit beside me for her meal later. I have something to say to the Empress."

"Yes, Mother." Shen Qingwan replied.

Consort Xian's face suddenly turned pale.

The Empress Dowager seemed to have nodded when she heard her words, or perhaps she had only slightly nodded when she turned to speak to the Empress.

In front of so many people, the Empress Dowager directly gave Consort Xian a cold shoulder, which made Consort Xian lose face completely.

"Heh." Consort De, always eager for a good show, sneered.

Consort Shu, who was sitting to the side, hurriedly tugged at her sleeve: "Sister, please keep your voice down. Can't you see that the Empress Dowager's expression is not good? If the Empress Dowager hears this, it will be bad if she blames you."

Consort De disagreed: "What's there to blame? The Empress Dowager doesn't like Consort Xian now, so how could she blame someone else because of her?"

"What makes you say that, sister?" Consort Shu was completely bewildered.

"Does my sister really not know?"

Consort Shu shook her head, looking even more bewildered.

Consort De glanced around, then leaned close to Consort Shu, whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I heard that last night, Consort Xian sent Xia Fuchuan to Consort Yao's palace to invite the Emperor to her own palace. The Empress Dowager found out about this early this morning and is very angry about it."

"Really?" Consort Shu looked incredulous.

“Of course it’s true. Everyone in Qixiang Palace and Jingyang Palace knows. Such things can’t be kept secret forever. Just wait, after lunch, the whole palace will probably know.” Consort De said sullenly.

Ever since the incident with the mandarin duck bibs.

Consort De was implicated because her maternal family still enjoyed Emperor Yuanwu's favor, but that favor was naturally far less than before.

It's understandable for concubines to vie for the emperor's favor, but to steal the emperor's bed from another's palace—such blatant theft, even if it wins him favor, will inevitably draw criticism from the other concubines. If Emperor Yuanwu were to choose one of their concubines, no one wants to be summoned in the middle of the night by some concubine citing aches and pains—wouldn't that be a blatant slap in the face?

“Even if Consort Xian wants to compete for the Emperor’s favor, the Emperor has already agreed. If the Emperor doesn’t go, who has the power to do anything to him?” Consort Shu sighed to Consort De.

"So, isn't the Empress Dowager troubled by this matter right now? If Her Majesty the Empress hadn't gone to Cining Palace early this morning, I'm afraid Her Majesty the Empress Dowager wouldn't have come to Baohe Hall today. Wouldn't this little New Year's Eve be a laughing stock for those princes and nobles?" Consort De said with a smile.

"The Empress Dowager and the Empress are just trying to save face. If they really wanted to punish Consort Xian, they would have done so long ago. The war in the northern desert is about to break out, and the Emperor will probably have to rely on Consort Xian's father to pacify the northern desert. How could he possibly punish Consort Xian at this time?" Consort Shu said helplessly.

"Could it be that in this deep palace, the glory of one's maternal family is the greatest favor? The Emperor indulges Consort Xian so much. Didn't he always say he wanted to make Consort Xian a Noble Consort? It seems that once the war in the northern desert is over, the decree to make Consort Xian a Noble Consort will come." Consort De said, glancing in Consort Xian's direction. "The Emperor is so wary of General Zhenyuan. I'm afraid there will be a day when he will give up the Empress's throne to please General Zhenyuan. It wouldn't be surprising."

Hearing Consort De's words, Consort Shu couldn't help but shudder. She hurriedly covered Consort De's mouth with her hand, and carefully looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before slowly letting out a sigh of relief: "The matter of deposing the empress concerns the previous dynasty. The empress has not done anything seriously wrong. There has never been a reason to depose an empress easily. No matter how favored Consort Xian is, she will only be granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort. Sister, please don't say such disrespectful words, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."

Consort De smiled in relief: "Look how frightened my sister is. I was just saying it casually. Alright, alright, let's stop now. The banquet is about to begin."

The banquet ended quickly, and the singing, dancing, and acrobatics failed to bring a smile to the Empress Dowager's face. Everyone felt pleased with the Empress Dowager's expression, but dared not show it on their faces.

Halfway through lunch, Emperor Yuanwu received an urgent dispatch from the northern desert and hurriedly returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"If Your Majesty has eaten well, I will escort you back to the palace," Shen Qingwan, who was sitting next to the Empress Dowager, said as she stood up.

"No rush." ​​The Empress Dowager reached out and pressed down on Shen Qingwan's hand. "I see that Consort Xian hasn't finished eating yet. It's not too late to leave after Consort Xian has finished eating."

Upon hearing this, the entire Hall of Preserving Harmony fell into an instant, deathly silence.

Those concubines who were sitting in inconspicuous places and were still eating put down their chopsticks one after another.

Almost everyone looked in the direction of Consort Xian at the same time.

Consort Xian's face was pale, and there seemed to be something left unchewed in her mouth. She slowly put down her chopsticks and stood up awkwardly: "Your Majesty, I have finished eating."

"Why do I see you haven't eaten enough?" The Empress Dowager said calmly, her face expressionless, which sent a chill down Consort Xian's spine.

She didn't know whether to sit or stand, or whether to say she was full or not.

The Empress Dowager was different from Emperor Yuanwu. Emperor Yuanwu favored a concubine in the palace, but sometimes he had to consider the affairs of the court.

She was the birth mother of Emperor Yuanwu. Which minister of the previous dynasty dared not respect her? The Empress Dowager was old and had been recuperating quietly, rarely concerning herself with matters of the inner palace. But whenever she did inquire, Emperor Yuanwu dared not say anything.

Consort Xian was just being temperamental last night, but she didn't expect that this matter would take the Empress Dowager to heart.

Just as Consort Xian was at a loss, Shen Qingwan suddenly spoke up: "Mother, Consort Xian may be tired from serving the Emperor last night, and she is eating a little slowly today. Why don't you let Consort Xian eat here first, and I will accompany you back to the palace to rest?"

"The people in the Imperial Household Department are becoming increasingly incompetent. Since Consort Xian is not fully recovered, she should rest for a while longer. The Imperial Household Department is becoming more and more ignorant, hanging up the green plaque too early. The Emperor does not know how to cherish Consort Xian. Consort Xian should know how to cherish herself. A back injury is not a trivial matter that can be healed in three or five days. She should rest for a while longer. And you concubines in the harem should also share the Emperor's burdens."

(End of this chapter)