Zhang Miaoyu found herself unable to eat or sleep peacefully.
As soon as the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet concluded, Zhang Miaoyu rushed straight to Shen Wei's palace. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, she finally saw Shen Wei return.
Shen Wei raised an eyebrow, deliberately testing her: "Managing the imperial harem is such a prestigious task. Are you truly not interested in sharing power with me?"
Zhang Miaoyu's plump face fell, and she retorted irritably, "Stop testing me. When I first married the Emperor, I did consider vying for the position of principal wife—but later, I came to my senses. Life is short, and one's own happiness matters most. My greatest joy now is eating, drinking, basking in the sun, and playing with Le You, Yao'er, and the others."
Life is fleeting—one must seize pleasure while they can.
Managing the harem might sound impressive, but not everyone is cut out for it.
Zhang Miaoyu knew her limits. She didn’t have the skill for such delicate work, so she wouldn’t take it on.
Shen Wei smiled and nodded. "In that case, I won’t force you. But as an imperial consort, you can’t just laze around all day—I’ll assign you a task."
Zhang Miaoyu eyed her warily. "What kind of task? If it’s too hard or tiring, I won’t do it."
Shen Wei chuckled. "Since I’ll be overseeing the harem, I doubt I’ll have much free time to spend with the children. If you have the time, Sister Miaoyu, could you keep Le You, Yao'er, Nanzhi, and Wan'er company for me?"
Zhang Miaoyu exhaled in relief and patted her chest. "Don’t worry, I’ve got this."
As night fell, Zhang Miaoyu prepared to leave. Before she did, she wheedled two jars of Shen Wei’s exclusive plum wine and two boxes of candied fruits from her, humming a cheerful tune as she departed.
Exhausted from the long day, Shen Wei could barely keep her eyes open but forced herself to bathe and change. Before drifting off to sleep, she remembered to ask Cai Ping, who was drawing the bed curtains, "Has the news about the Tantai family sending a new girl into the palace reached Kunning Palace yet?"
Cai Ping nodded. "Rest assured, Mistress. Before the Empress Dowager’s banquet even ended, I made sure the news reached Kunning Palace. Her Majesty the Empress likely won’t sleep a wink tonight."
Only then did Shen Wei close her eyes in satisfaction.
There was a ninety percent chance Li Yuanjing would spend the night with Lu Xuan tonight, leaving Shen Wei free to enjoy her solitude.
This bed belonged to her alone. Shen Wei hugged the blankets contentedly and slipped into a blissful slumber.
Half-asleep, she suddenly felt stiflingly warm. Groggily, she opened her eyes—only to find a man lying beside her pillow!
In the dead of night, only two kinds of men would dare climb into an imperial consort’s bed: the Emperor himself or an adulterer.
The dim light within the bed curtains made it hard to see, but Shen Wei’s nose twitched at the familiar scent—it was unmistakably Li Yuanjing.
Warm breath brushed her ear. Shen Wei reached out to touch his face and teased, "Your Majesty, shouldn’t you be at Changxin Palace with Consort Shu?"
Li Yuanjing was in a good mood tonight.
The southern flood crisis had been handled exceptionally well, with no outbreaks of plague and minimal civilian casualties. Reconstruction efforts were proceeding smoothly.
"I’ll visit her tomorrow," Li Yuanjing murmured, wrapping an arm around Shen Wei’s waist. He still preferred holding her as he slept.
Shen Wei was soft and fragrant, her embrace incomparably comfortable.
Shen Wei rolled her eyes inwardly and quipped, "Then Your Majesty ought to make a detour to Huayang Palace and visit the newly arrived sister."
Li Yuanjing’s handsome brow arched. He pinched Shen Wei’s smooth chin between his fingers, smirking. "What did you eat tonight? I smell vinegar."
He loved it when Shen Wei got jealous.
Every other woman in the palace pretended to be magnanimous. Only Shen Wei dared to show a hint of sourness—never too much, just the perfect amount.
Shen Wei let out a delicate huff.
The night was quiet, and that soft, coquettish sound, laced with a maiden’s petulance, brushed against Li Yuanjing’s heart like a feather, sending a ticklish shiver through him.
Li Yuanjing leaned in like a hungry wolf, his voice husky. "I’m starving."
They were pressed close together, with not an inch to spare.
Shen Wei could feel exactly what kind of "hunger" he meant.
She had been sleeping soundly when this man rudely woke her, and now he had the audacity to grip her waist and complain about being "starving."
When was he ever not hungry?
Gritting her teeth, Shen Wei made a bold decision. Suddenly, she flashed him a radiant smile, her jade-like arms encircling him as the bed curtains fluttered down like flowing clouds...
Outside, a light spring rain pattered through the night, only ceasing at dawn.
When morning came, Li Yuanjing emerged from the bedchamber, one hand supporting his waist, the other braced against the wall, before heading to the morning court session.
Shen Wei didn’t bother seeing him off.
For the next five days, Li Yuanjing slept alone in the Emperor’s private quarters at Xuanming Hall, summoning no other consorts.
---
At Huayang Palace, the crape myrtles bloomed in riotous splendor.
Tantai Yinxue, newly appointed as a Noble Lady, resided in the palace’s side chamber. On the night of her appointment, she bathed and dressed eagerly, awaiting the Emperor’s summons.
Once the Emperor shared her bed, her mastery of intimate arts would surely win his favor.
But days passed without a summons, and Tantai Yinxue grew restless.
She sent servants to investigate, only to learn that the Emperor had been sleeping alone in Xuanming Hall.
Though Consort Shu was pregnant, the Emperor had only visited her twice during the day, bestowing lavish gifts but never staying the night.
Nor had he visited Consort Chen at Yongning Palace.
Instead, after attending to state affairs, the Emperor spent his free time at the training grounds—practicing martial arts, archery, horseback riding, and even lifting ceremonial cauldrons—far more frequently than before.
Tantai Yinxue sneered. "They say Consort Shu and Consort Chen are favored, but since my arrival, I’ve seen no evidence of it."
Her personal maid chimed in, "They’ve both borne children. Beauty fades, and so does affection. Mistress, we must seize the opportunity."
Tantai Yinxue knew that well enough, but one thing puzzled her: "Even if he’s tired of the old faces, there are new ones in the palace. Why has His Majesty been sleeping alone these past few days...?"
Her maid shook her head, equally baffled.
Life in Huayang Palace was far from easy. Noble Lady Xie Fanglan, the palace’s chief occupant, took every opportunity to mock Tantai Yinxue with her sharp tongue, leveraging her status to oppress her at every turn.
But Tantai Yinxue was no pushover.
She slipped a little something into Xie Fanglan’s calming tonic, and soon enough, the woman fell "ill," confined to her chambers and unable to cause trouble.
With Xie Fanglan temporarily subdued, Tantai Yinxue pondered her next move. Deciding to take the initiative, she resolved to capture the Emperor’s favor.
She instructed her maid to prepare a bowl of lotus seed and white fungus chicken soup. After meticulously dressing and adorning herself, she set off for the training grounds upon hearing the Emperor was there.
---
The afternoon was bright and clear.
Having finished his state duties, Li Yuanjing headed to the palace training grounds to exercise. The grounds served as the Emperor’s private gymnasium, where he could practice riding, archery, weaponry, and even lifting heavy cauldrons.
Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou were also there, diligently practicing with their small child-sized bows.
After half an hour, Li Chengyou glanced sideways and noticed his father subtly massaging his waist again.
Clutching his tiny bow, he toddled over to Li Yuanjing and looked up with concern. "Father, has your waist been hurting these past few days?"
