When Shen Wei left the Imperial Medical Bureau, snow had begun to fall in flurries, dusting the ground with a thin white layer. The entire imperial palace was enveloped in a vast expanse of snow.
The air grew colder, the wind cutting like knives against the skin.
Shen Wei shivered, hunching her shoulders against the chill.
Cai Lian hurriedly wrapped a thick cloak around her. The lining was made of white fox fur from under the arms—soft and exceptionally warm. The outer layer was crafted from red Shu brocade, embroidered with silver threads into delicate plum blossoms.
"My lady, the snow is getting heavier. Let this servant accompany you back to Yongning Palace," Cai Lian said softly.
Clutching a hand warmer, Shen Wei quickened her pace.
Passing through the imperial garden, she noticed clusters of red plum blossoms in full bloom. The vibrant flowers contrasted beautifully against the white snow.
Delighted, Shen Wei turned to Cai Lian. "Bring me scissors. I’ll trim a few branches to take back and arrange in a vase."
Cai Lian replied, "This servant can do it. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, my lady."
But Shen Wei picked up the scissors herself and snipped two exquisite branches.
She handed them to the attending eunuch, Ji Xiang, and instructed, "Deliver these to the emperor’s study in Chang’an Palace. Place them in the famille-rose plum vase on his desk. Tell him I cut them myself—and he’s not allowed to throw them away."
Ji Xiang accepted the branches and swiftly departed.
Shen Wei then trimmed five or six more plum blossoms to bring back to Yongning Palace, intending to brighten her chambers with their color.
As she snipped away, her gaze drifted to a snow-white figure standing in a nearby pavilion.
There was no need to guess—it was Liu Ruyan.
When winter arrived and the plum blossoms bloomed, Liu Ruyan often braved the cold to admire their elegance in the imperial garden. Her white robes fluttered in the icy wind, blending seamlessly with the falling snow.
Shen Wei had spotted her, and naturally, Liu Ruyan had noticed Shen Wei as well.
Protocol dictated that Liu Ruyan, as the lower-ranking consort, should come forward to pay her respects to Shen Wei, the highest-ranking noble lady in the harem.
Yet Liu Ruyan remained motionless, her expression as cold and unreadable as ice.
Holding the plum branches, Shen Wei observed Liu Ruyan’s breathtaking beauty from a distance for a moment.
Once satisfied, she turned away. "Let’s return to Yongning Palace."
As the snow continued to fall, Shen Wei’s crimson-clad figure gradually disappeared into the wintry landscape. From the pavilion, Liu Ruyan stood unwavering, her beautiful eyes fixed on Shen Wei’s retreating form.
The scene—snowflakes, red blossoms, and the noble lady—resembled a painting of exquisite beauty.
Liu Ruyan had never noticed before just how striking Shen Wei was. Amid the frozen landscape, clutching those red plum branches, her smile was carefree and full of life.
In this bitterly cold winter, Shen Wei’s vivid presence seemed to warm the very air.
"Why can she still smile so brightly in such freezing weather?" Liu Ruyan murmured, lowering her gaze.
The palace was a dreary place where everyone seemed like withered wood—except for Shen Wei, who brimmed with vitality.
How could one person be so… alive?
Liu Ruyan didn’t understand, and a faint pang of envy stirred within her.
Her personal maid, Xue Mei, stood silently nearby.
Xue Mei didn’t urge her mistress to return indoors. She remained expressionless, her hands clad in thick gloves and her neck wrapped in a woolen scarf.
"What are you wearing on your hands?" Liu Ruyan frowned.
Xue Mei replied, "Cotton gloves issued by the Imperial Household Department to all palaces. They keep the hands warm."
The gloves were unflattering—bulky, round, and an unattractive shade of dark gray—but undeniably cozy.
Liu Ruyan sniffed. "They’re hideous."
Xue Mei answered, "This servant finds them quite warm."
Liu Ruyan fixed her with a cool stare, a trace of displeasure in her voice. "Xue Mei, you’ve been rather disobedient lately, contradicting me at every turn."
Xue Mei said evenly, "If my lady dislikes it, you may dismiss this servant from Yuxiu Palace."
Liu Ruyan’s face betrayed no emotion. She never bothered with trivial matters or petty disputes with subordinates.
The wind howled, rustling the plum blossoms in the garden. Liu Ruyan tilted her head slightly, gazing at the crimson flowers. "The emperor used to accompany me to admire the plum blossoms," she murmured to herself.
Xue Mei offered no response.
Winter had arrived, and spring was not far behind. When the new year came, Xue Mei would turn twenty-five—finally old enough to leave the suffocating palace walls and escape her nightmarish life of servitude.
Silently, she rubbed her gloved hands together, longing for the arrival of spring.
Outside, the snow continued to fall, but inside Chang’an Palace, it was warm and cozy.
The charcoal brazier radiated heat as Li Yuanjing reviewed memorials, his young son Li Chengtai seated beside him.
Li Chengtai was also reading through reports.
Father and son shared strikingly similar expressions and mannerisms.
Dressed in a small black robe embroidered with serpent motifs and an adorable tiger-head hat, Li Chengtai frowned at one of the emperor’s vermilion-endorsed memorials. "Father, this comment of yours is far too informal," he chided.
Li Yuanjing tilted his head. "Which one?"
Li Chengtai pointed to a line in bright red ink. "General Ye from Lingnan submitted a memorial expressing concern over your frequent sparring with military officers. He worries for your imperial well-being and advises you to refrain. And look how you responded!"
On the memorial, Li Yuanjing had written in bold strokes:
"This emperor is a man of such temperament! Such is my nature! Do not interfere!"
Li Chengtai’s little face was stern. His father’s replies were far too casual—lacking the solemnity and dignity befitting an emperor.
Recently, Li Chengtai had been summoned to Chang’an Palace to observe his father’s work. In the young prince’s mind, reviewing memorials was a sacred duty—yet the emperor’s responses were wildly inconsistent, sometimes even playful.
Li Chengtai was disappointed.
Li Yuanjing ruffled his son’s hair, grinning. "I’m the Son of Heaven. I’ll reply however I please."
Li Chengtai pouted and picked up another memorial to examine.
A short while later, Eunuch Deshun entered quietly, carefully carrying a gaudy famille-rose plum vase. Inside it stood two branches of red plum blossoms in full bloom, their vivid hues impossible to ignore.
Eunuch Deshun placed the vase on the edge of the desk.
Li Yuanjing glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. "A pink vase with red blossoms? Vulgar."
Li Chengtai covered his nose with one hand while holding a memorial in the other. "The plum blossoms smell like fermented rice wine. Get rid of them."
Father and son were equally unimpressed.
Eunuch Deshun smiled awkwardly and explained, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, Noble Consort Shen braved the snow today to trim these branches in the imperial garden. She insisted they be placed on Your Majesty’s desk and must not be discarded."
Silence filled the room.
Li Yuanjing studied the blossoms again—their petals delicate, their color like cinnabar, their fragrance even more pronounced after the snowfall. An ancient verse came to mind: "By chance, adorned in peach and apricot hues, yet elegant still—a lone figure bearing the grace of frost and snow."
Plum blossoms on a snowy day, arranged beside his desk—now that was refinement.
His expression softened. "The flowers are splendid. They add a touch of brilliance to the study."
Li Chengtai brightened as well. "Mother made delicious plum blossom cakes last year! She must have used these flowers."
Father and son were now thoroughly pleased.
The famille-rose vase remained on the desk, its two branches in full bloom, as they returned to their work.
Outside, the heavy snow gradually ceased. A royal guard entered the hall, presenting a state letter with both hands: "Your Majesty, this missive from Southern Chu has been thoroughly inspected—no traces of poison remain on or within the paper. You may review it with peace of mind."
