Daring to lie before the Emperor was nothing short of courting death.
Cai Ping knocked her head heavily against the ground, forced to speak the truth: "Y-Your Majesty, this medicine... it was for Consort Chen. These past few days, Her Highness has been suffering from headaches, heart palpitations, dizziness, and loss of appetite. This afternoon, she even vomited blood... When the imperial physician examined her, he said she had been poisoned."
"Her Highness feared worrying Your Majesty, so she kept the poisoning a secret and forbade us from speaking of it."
Li Yuanjing's expression turned icy.
...
...
Yongning Palace.
Shen Wei lay weakly on the chaise longue, her eyes weary, her lips pale. Cai Lian held a medicine bowl, feeding her spoon by spoon.
The bitter concoction made Shen Wei frown, her eyes nearly welling with tears.
Outside, a gentle breeze rustled through the courtyard, causing the bronze bells hanging on the palace walls to chime softly.
Shen Wei pricked her ears at the sound, knowing Li Yuanjing had arrived. She deliberately coughed weakly and instructed Cai Lian, "The matter of my poisoning must not be revealed. His Majesty must never know... He is burdened with state affairs and exhaustion. We must not distract him with matters of the inner palace."
Cai Lian, an excellent actress, let tears stream freely as she sobbed, "Your Highness, the contraceptive decoction you’ve been taking—one of its ingredients was deliberately increased in dosage. Someone clearly meant to harm you..."
Shen Wei lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly. "Whoever tampered with the Imperial Medical Bureau must have powerful backing in the court. The court and the inner palace are intertwined—pulling one thread affects the whole web. If I expose the culprit and stir up trouble, it might destabilize the court and burden His Majesty... Forget it. From now on, you’ll personally oversee the preparation of my medicine to prevent further tampering."
Cai Lian wiped her tears. "Your Highness, you always think of His Majesty first. But you must think of yourself sometimes."
No sooner had she spoken than the beaded curtain at the inner chamber rustled.
Li Yuanjing stepped inside, his face dark.
He had overheard their conversation.
Shen Wei, seemingly startled by his sudden arrival, flustered as she rose. "Y-Your Majesty..."
Her face was unnaturally pale, her vitality visibly drained.
A sharp pang pierced Li Yuanjing’s heart.
He had long known about Shen Wei’s contraceptive decoction, but never imagined someone would dare tamper with a royal consort’s medicine.
His Weiwei, enduring suffering in silence, swallowing her pain alone—how could he not pity her? How could his heart not ache?
Shen Wei dismissed Cai Lian, leaving only herself and Li Yuanjing in the vast chamber. She took two steps forward, eager to explain. "Your Majesty, it’s not what you think—" A weak cough interrupted her.
Li Yuanjing gently patted her back and guided her back to the chaise, holding her hand. After sipping tea, Shen Wei suppressed her cough.
"Your Majesty, the servants exaggerate. My condition isn’t serious—just two days of medicine, and I’ll recover."
To reassure him, she added, "There’s something I must tell you. Moxun infiltrated the Imperial Medical Bureau. She prescribed me an antidote and prepared a harmless contraceptive decoction. She’s a remarkable physician—my minor ailment will soon be cured."
Shen Wei saw no reason to hide Moxun’s presence.
After all, Moxun had previously infiltrated the Yue Kingdom’s envoy and now boldly entered the Imperial Medical Bureau—Li Yuanjing’s spies would have noticed.
By revealing Moxun’s identity, Shen Wei demonstrated her trust in Li Yuanjing, ensuring no secrets between them.
Moreover, she planned to frequently summon Moxun for check-ups. A young imperial physician and a young consort spending time together would inevitably draw suspicion. If rumors of an affair arose, her prior disclosure would dispel any doubts.
"I already knew about Moxun," Li Yuanjing said.
Shen Wei exhaled in relief. Of course, nothing escaped the Emperor’s eyes.
She tugged lightly at his sleeve, pleading, "Moxun’s prescription will cure me in no time—please, don’t investigate the poisoning."
A cold glint flashed in Li Yuanjing’s eyes.
This had crossed his line.
The culprit must be uncovered.
"I will have this matter investigated," he said firmly. "Weiwei, don’t plead for mercy on their behalf."
Shen Wei opened her mouth to protest. "For the greater good, my suffering means little. Don’t let one woman disrupt the court’s stability."
Her selflessness moved him.
Li Yuanjing caressed her pale cheek, his tone brooking no argument. "Weiwei, be good."
At last, Shen Wei lowered her head in silent resignation.
...
Night fell, and Yongning Palace lay in tranquil silence. Moonlight spilled through the lattice windows, bathing the bedchamber in silver.
After drinking the bitter medicine, Shen Wei grew drowsy and soon fell asleep in Li Yuanjing’s arms.
Perhaps haunted by the day’s worries, Li Yuanjing suffered a harrowing nightmare.
[In the dream, his temples had grayed, and his children—Le You, Chengtai, and Chengyou—had grown into adults.
Under an ink-black sky, he wandered the desolate palace, searching for Shen Wei. The imperial garden’s flowers had withered, the Yongning Pond dried up—the entire palace felt lifeless.
After an endless search, Shen Wei remained missing.
The palace had become his cage.
Le You approached, tears in her eyes. "Father, what are you looking for?"
Li Yuanjing gazed around blankly. "Where is your mother? I can’t find her..."
Le You sobbed. "Father, have you forgotten? Mother was poisoned in the palace... she passed away long ago."
The words struck like lightning, his chest splitting with agony, his soul in torment.]
Li Yuanjing jolted awake. The dark bed curtains loomed before him, moonlight casting stark brightness upon them.
The dream’s images lingered, the pain in his chest still palpable.
Instinctively, he turned to the bed.
Shen Wei lay peacefully beside him, eyes closed, her silken hair cascading over her shoulders. Moonlight grazed her snow-pale cheeks.
His breath hitched. His fingers trembled as they brushed beneath her nose.
A faint, warm breath.
She was alive.
Relief flooded him. He pulled her tightly into his arms, his heart pounding.
Moments later, Shen Wei stirred, struggling for air.
She blinked awake, finding herself crushed against Li Yuanjing’s chest.
Shen Wei: ...
What madness is this in the middle of the night? Trying to strangle me?
Suppressing the urge to kick him off the bed, she took a deep breath and feigned confusion. "Your Majesty... what’s wrong?"
