Li Yuanjing curled his lips in amusement. Shen Wei had no secrets from him, and he adored her frank and straightforward nature.
Li Yuanjing opened the letter and skimmed through it swiftly.
Shen Xiuming never urged Shen Wei to vie for favor, nor did he ask her to whisper in the Emperor’s ear. His only concern was whether Shen Wei was living well in the palace.
Between the lines, the image of a brother deeply caring for his family leaped off the page.
Shen Wei handed a peeled chestnut to Li Yuanjing’s lips, and he ate it naturally. Her face brimming with curiosity, she pointed to the last few lines of the letter: "Your Majesty, look at these lines—my little brother seems particularly attentive to Moxun."
Li Yuanjing set the letter aside and nodded. "There’s certainly affection there."
He picked up two split chestnuts, peeled one, and handed it to Shen Wei. "Does he know Moxun is a woman?"
Shen Wei rolled her eyes and tugged at Li Yuanjing’s sleeve. "He must know Physician Mo is a woman. Your Majesty, do you think my little brother and Moxun could have a future together?"
As he peeled another chestnut, Li Yuanjing met Shen Wei’s eager gaze and smirked, revealing a secret: "Moxun is a married woman."
Shen Wei was stunned.
She leaned closer, pressing her hand over his as he peeled chestnuts, and whispered excitedly, "Your Majesty, don’t keep me in suspense! Tell me, who is Physician Mo’s husband?"
Li Yuanjing bent down and murmured a few words in her ear.
Shen Wei gasped in disbelief. "The Grand Preceptor of Yue Kingdom has repeatedly sent assassins after Physician Mo—how could they be married? What kind of bizarre couple is this?"
She had always known Moxun and the Grand Preceptor of Yue Kingdom were enemies.
But she never imagined Moxun was actually his lawfully wedded wife.
They had exchanged vows, held a grand wedding, and spent over a decade in a tumultuous relationship, still caught in the clichéd drama of "she flees, he pursues."
Li Yuanjing said, "I don’t know the details, but the Grand Preceptor of Yue Kingdom is deeply devoted to Moxun."
Perhaps misunderstandings had driven them apart.
Shen Wei sighed inwardly.
The Grand Preceptor of Yue Kingdom was a man of immense power and ruthless cunning. Her younger brother, Shen Xiuming, stood no chance against him. If the Grand Preceptor decided to eliminate him, Shen Xiuming might not even make it halfway.
She resolved to write her brother a letter, urging him to let go of Moxun before it was too late.
As night fell, Li Yuanjing and Shen Wei continued their idle chatter under the lamplight, gossiping about others. Li Yuanjing rather enjoyed these carefree, relaxed moments.
Their conversation was interrupted by a maid announcing that dinner was ready.
Shen Wei tucked the letter into a drawer and followed Li Yuanjing to enjoy a sumptuous meal.
---
Changxin Palace.
Ever since Shen Wei was named Noble Consort, Lu Xuan had been seething with resentment. The dining table was laden with exquisite dishes, but she hadn’t touched a single one.
"My lady, please have some bird’s nest and white fungus soup," Little Qin urged, placing a warm bowl before her.
Lu Xuan didn’t move her chopsticks.
She had no appetite.
Since Shen Wei’s return to the palace, Lu Xuan’s share of the Emperor’s favor had dwindled. Even though she was pregnant, Li Yuanjing visited her no more frequently, only occasionally sending health supplements.
Lu Xuan caressed her rounded belly, a pang of bitterness rising in her heart. The once-passionate love between her and Li Yuanjing now felt like a fleeting illusion, growing more distant and unreal.
Little Qin comforted her, "My lady, don’t overthink it. If His Majesty truly favored Consort Shen, he would have made her Empress despite opposition. The fact that she’s only a Noble Consort proves it’s just a political gesture for General Shen’s sake."
After escorting the Zhao Yang Princess to Yue Kingdom, Shen Mieyue had lingered there for ten days. He flaunted his name—"Mieyue" (Destroyer of Yue)—boldly in enemy territory, even challenging several Yue generals to duels with his broadsword, emerging undefeated.
It wasn’t until an old Yue general, a seasoned warrior, stepped forward and fought him to a draw that Yue Kingdom saved face. The two even became fast friends, drinking and reveling together.
In those ten days, the mighty General Shen Mieyue’s reputation spread across Yue Kingdom, greatly enhancing Qing State’s prestige.
Shen Mieyue then returned to Liangzhou City to resume guarding the border.
Lu Xuan thought of the rumors about Shen Mieyue and lowered her beautiful eyes with a self-deprecating smile. "Perhaps I’m overthinking things… Little Qin, ever since the Dantai family was purged, I’ve felt uneasy."
Uneasy, yet unsure why.
Little Qin reassured her, "My lady, excessive worry harms your health. Right now, the child in your womb is what matters most."
After a pause, she added, "Tonight, His Majesty is staying at Yongning Palace again. Someone saw Noble Consort Shen’s maid carrying a food box toward the Imperial Hospital."
Lu Xuan lifted her gaze, her voice laced with scorn. "How bold of Noble Consort Shen to secretly rendezvous with that physician right under the Emperor’s nose."
Little Qin handed her the warm soup and whispered, "Noble Consort Shen is digging her own grave. We’ll have plenty of chances to bring her down."
Lu Xuan’s agitation eased slightly.
She sipped the bird’s nest soup slowly, plotting ways to undermine Shen Wei.
---
Late at night, the palace was silent, lanterns extinguishing one by one. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the moon grew fuller, casting a silvery glow over the tiled roofs.
In the desolate Qiuliang Palace, insects chirped.
Beneath a withering silk tree stood a gray tent resembling a small tomb. Inside, Moxun lay curled under blankets, her forehead beaded with sweat, eyes tightly shut as if trapped in a nightmare.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open.
Moonlight seeped through the tent’s seams. Moxun wiped her damp brow, her pale face still etched with fear. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound wildly.
"How strange… Why were there iron birds flying in the sky and iron boxes running on the ground? What a bizarre world." She stepped out of the tent and gazed up at the towering silk tree.
The moonlight flowed like quicksilver, and the tree rustled softly.
Every time she slept beneath it, she dreamed of strange visions.
In her dreams, enormous iron birds soared through the sky, four-wheeled iron boxes sped across the ground, and people lived in impossibly tall buildings, each holding a glowing little slab.
And in the dream, she walked into a towering structure, entering a peculiar room.
A sign on the door read: [Physics Laboratory No. 8].
White-coated figures approached her, speaking in incomprehensible tongues.
Moxun murmured to herself, "What is a 'laboratory'? And what is 'physics'…?"
She pondered for a long time but found no answers.
Pacing the desolate courtyard, she finished the chestnuts Shen Wei had given her. Finally, she crawled back into the tent and drifted into a deep sleep under the silent palace moon.
