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

Chapter 93 is ugly
"It's alright," Shen Qingwan said calmly, gesturing for Consort Xian to sit down.

Consort Xian was equally unceremonious, sitting down with an air of superiority, as if she didn't care about anyone.

So what if the Empress Dowager embarrassed her in public yesterday? Emperor Yuanwu dotes on her. Last night, Emperor Yuanwu even stayed at Jingyang Palace. It's just a green plaque. As long as Emperor Yuanwu has her in his heart, what does it matter whether the green plaque is flipped or not?

However, the concubines sitting in other positions at this moment couldn't help but have other thoughts.

Especially seeing Consort Xian's smug look because of last night's favor, everyone in the harem knew that Emperor Yuanwu's trip to Jingyang Palace was not for Consort Xian.

"Your father quelled the rebellion in the northern desert, while you served the Emperor in the harem. Father and daughter did their best for the Emperor, and it was indeed hard work." Shen Qingwan still wore a polite smile.

Did the father and daughter do their best for the emperor?
When Consort De heard this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Her smile drew the attention of all the concubines in the room.

When the Empress said those words, the other concubines also wanted to laugh, but those of lower rank dared not laugh out loud in front of the Empress.

The general is doing his best on the front lines, that's true, but when and where Consort Xian is doing her best is something that requires some imagination.

The concubines looked at each other, their expressions quite fascinating, except for Consort Xian, whose face remained completely pale.

Seeing the Empress, who is always unassuming, kind, and gentle, it's astonishing that she could be so sarcastic and unpleasant.

"Her Majesty the Empress is considerate of Consort Xian's hard work last night, and will certainly not hold it against her. If Consort Xian hadn't spoken up, we would all have thought that she was deliberately disrespecting Her Majesty the Empress," Consort De said with a smile.

Consort Xian: ...

Consort De, the Empress's lackey, had been out of favor for so long, yet the Empress never uttered a single word in her defense before Emperor Yuanwu.

Now that even Consort Rong is favored, she still keeps jumping out to help the Empress. I wonder if she's really not thinking straight.

Consort Xian rolled her eyes at her and stopped talking.

Consort De didn't seem to care at all, and appeared to be in a good mood. She picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

"Speaking of osmanthus tea, the best one has to be the one from the Empress's palace. It is fresh, mellow, sweet, and refreshing, with a wonderful blend of tea and floral aromas, and it is delicious."

Shen Qingwan liked to drink osmanthus tea, and it was brewed every day in the palace. However, not all the concubines who came to pay their respects on weekdays would drink it.

Upon hearing Consort De's praise, everyone picked up the osmanthus tea on the table and began to enjoy it.

"This osmanthus tea is indeed delicious. It not only has a rich floral fragrance, but also a unique sweetness," said Consort Shu.

"The sweetness comes from the honey, but osmanthus itself is also sweet. The honey and the fragrance of the flowers blend together, making the sweetness of the osmanthus even more intense. I've added some green tea to the osmanthus. If you ladies like it, I'll have Zhen'er pack some up and send some to each of you later," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

"This concubine thanks Your Majesty for your generous gift."

Consort De rose happily to express her gratitude, and the other concubines followed suit. Consort Xian, who hadn't drunk a drop of water, was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stand or sit.

When Consort Xian walked out of Kunning Palace, her face was greener than the osmanthus tea in Kunning Palace.

After all the concubines left, Shen Qingwan decided to go back and catch up on her sleep.

Zhen'er, accompanied by several palace maids, was struggling to pack up osmanthus flowers to distribute to the various palaces.

"Your Highness, what did Jingyang Palace say about the osmanthus flowers you requested? Do they still want them?" Zhen'er didn't dare to ask Consort Xian directly, so she asked tactfully.

Shen Qingwan was taken aback, but she understood Zhen'er's meaning: "Since I just said that it was to be given to all the palaces, it would be inappropriate to leave Jingyang Palace out. After all, it's not just Consort Xian who lives in Jingyang Palace; Consort Lan and Consort Ruan also live there. It wouldn't be right to give it to all the palaces and leave them out." Zhen'er thought for a moment and nodded seriously: "Your Majesty is right. As the Empress, Your Majesty would naturally not hold a grudge against the concubines in the palace. Otherwise, how could Your Majesty appear so magnanimous?"

Shen Qingwan didn't speak, but smiled.

Zhen'er was quite efficient; in less than an hour, the osmanthus tea for each palace had been delivered.

Originally, it was thought that Shen Qingwan's casual remark was just a reward for various principal positions, but unexpectedly, even the lower-ranking concubines received one, and not only that, but the quantity and quality of the osmanthus flowers were the same.

Now everyone in the palace is waiting to express their gratitude to the Empress.

When Zhen'er returned from outside, she had only three packets of osmanthus tea left. She happened to run into Su Tianhe, who was also returning from outside, at the entrance of Kunning Palace.

Su Tianhe glanced at the tea bag in her arms: "Have you finished the task that Her Majesty assigned to you?"

"The gifts for Jingyang Palace haven't been sent yet." Zhen'er shook her head, glanced down at her arms, and sighed, "You know how our Empress usually treats Consort Xian. This morning, when Consort Xian came to pay her respects, she suffered a loss."

Although Consort Xian brought this loss upon herself, Zhen'er is a servant, and it's inevitable that if she says something inappropriate in the past, she might be held accountable and cause a lot of trouble.

When the masters in the palace are at odds, it is always the servants who suffer.

This job is not easy!

Su Tianhe glanced around, then turned to Zhen'er's ear, covered his mouth with one hand, and whispered, "On the way back, we ran into someone from the Imperial Kitchen who said that His Majesty is going to Consort Xian's palace for lunch."

Zhen'er's eyes lit up instantly: "Really?"

"How could this be false? Consort Xian is also benefiting from the General's favor; no other palace can compare to her grace." Su Tianhe straightened up and smiled with relief: "After this matter is settled, how will Aunt Zhen'er thank me?"

"What a disgrace!" Zhen'er rolled her eyes at him. "The Emperor needs the Grand General, so naturally he has to coax Consort Xian. With Consort Xian's personality, if the Emperor were to be cold to her, she could send a letter home to the Grand General and the court would be in chaos."

Su Tianhe sneered: "I don't think so. When Consort Xian was about to fall out of favor, the General's Mansion didn't waste a second and sent Consort Lan in."

“Wasn’t it said that the maid was sent in for Consort Xian?” Zhen’er said.

"A maid?" Su Tianhe sneered, "Have you ever seen a maid who is so beautiful?"

"No." Zhen'er's face darkened. "Su Tianhe, what do you mean?"

"What did I say?" Su Tianhe was completely bewildered.

"You mean I'm ugly?" Zhen'er pointed at herself with one finger, looking sullen.

Su Tianhe: ...

“No.” Sun Tianhe’s expression was somewhat complicated. “What I mean is, she’s not just pretty, she’s good at seducing the Emperor.”

After Zhen'er finished speaking, she gave him a cold glare and nudged him with her elbow as she walked toward the gate of Kunning Palace.

Su Tianhe let out a muffled groan of pain.

When Shen Qingwan woke up, Zhen'er had just gone to Jingyang Palace.

(End of this chapter)