Shen Wei felt slightly puzzled.
She didn’t dwell on it too much—Li Yuanjing was sometimes so busy he barely had time to eat, let alone accompany her for meals.
Time passed quietly as the sun dipped below the horizon, giving way to nightfall. The imperial kitchen delivered an exquisite dinner to Yongning Palace, and Shen Wei, her stomach growling with hunger, waited and waited, but Li Yuanjing never returned.
She sent Cai Ping to Chang’an Palace to inquire. After nearly an hour, Cai Ping returned with news: "Your Highness, His Majesty is dining with several officials from the Ministry of War tonight. He asked you to rest early and said he won’t be coming over."
A strange emotion welled up in Shen Wei’s heart.
Ever since the Plowing Ceremony, Li Yuanjing had been acting oddly. Shen Wei scratched her head, utterly unable to make sense of it.
She could only attribute it to him being too preoccupied with handling the Lu Family to spare her any attention.
With Li Yuanjing absent, Shen Wei enjoyed her solitude. She indulged in the lavish spread of food, took a leisurely stroll after dinner, and then retreated to her study to review the spring profits from her shops.
By the time the moon hung high in the sky, she was alone in her soft, comfortable bed, rolling around happily before hugging a pillow and drifting into sweet dreams.
...
...
Shen Wei had assumed that once Li Yuanjing finished dealing with court affairs, he would return to Yongning Palace to rest.
But three days passed.
Li Yuanjing hadn’t set foot in Yongning Palace, nor had he summoned Shen Wei to dine with him. He didn’t even visit the little vegetable garden he had painstakingly cultivated.
During the day, he discussed the details of handling the Lu Family with his ministers, and at night, he slept alone in Xuanming Hall.
Shen Wei realized the gravity of the situation. She had accompanied Li Yuanjing for years, and never once had they gone three days without seeing each other.
"With the noble families falling one after another, is His Majesty preparing to move against the Shen Family?" In the study of Yongning Palace, Shen Wei clutched a brush, her heart filled with unease about the future.
The noble families had collapsed, while the Shen Family’s influence soared.
Shen Wei was a favored imperial consort with both a son and a daughter. Her elder brother commanded an army of a hundred thousand, her younger brother was a rising star in court, and the faction led by Yang Xuanji, representing the common-born officials, maintained close ties with the Shen Family.
In the imperial court, the Shen Family’s prestige grew stronger by the day.
If Li Yuanjing had begun distancing himself from Shen Wei, it might well mean he intended to act against them. The brush slipped from her fingers and landed on the paper with a soft tap. Shen Wei didn’t dare dwell on the thought. She stood abruptly. "Cai Ping, fetch my robes! I’m going to Chang’an Palace!"
She needed to sound out Li Yuanjing’s intentions.
Cai Ping hurried into the room and opened the wardrobe. "Your Highness, the Imperial Household Department delivered a new embroidered peach-blossom gown today. The needlework is exquisite. Would you like to wear this one?"
Shen Wei thought for a moment. "This one, then. And later, apply a weary-looking makeup for me."
New robes to meet the emperor, a sorrowful visage to convey her distress.
The imperial palanquin carried Shen Wei through the long palace corridors to Chang’an Palace, where the emperor handled state affairs. Eunuch Deshun spotted her and rushed forward to bow. "Greetings, Your Highness."
Shen Wei stepped down and asked quietly, "What’s been going on with His Majesty lately?"
Deshun looked equally bewildered. "Your Highness, this servant truly doesn’t know. After finishing his duties, His Majesty has mentioned several times that he would visit Yongning Palace—but for some reason, he always changes his mind."
The emperor’s thoughts were always difficult to decipher.
Even Deshun, who had served by the imperial side for years, couldn’t grasp his master’s temperament.
Deshun added, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. His Majesty is resting and drinking tea now. This servant will go in to announce your arrival."
Shen Wei waited outside Chang’an Palace.
The spring sunlight was radiant, and peach blossoms adorned the trees flanking the palace gates. Shen Wei’s pollen allergy hadn’t fully healed, and the faint floral scent made her nose itch.
She covered her mouth and sneezed.
Before long, Deshun returned with an apologetic expression. "Your Highness, His Majesty will soon be meeting with officials from the Ministry of Rites. He asks that you return for now."
Shen Wei’s expression darkened.
She glanced at Deshun, who wisely stepped aside. Without hesitation, Shen Wei strode into Chang’an Palace.
Deshun cleared his throat and addressed the guards on duty. "Move forward ten paces. Whatever His Majesty and the imperial consort discuss is not for our ears."
...
Li Yuanjing wasn’t in the main hall of Chang’an Palace but in a side chamber, sipping tea. Shen Wei stepped inside and caught sight of his cold, sharp profile.
Lowering her eyes, she called softly, "Your Majesty."
Li Yuanjing set down his celadon teacup.
"I have court matters to attend to—"
Shen Wei gently interrupted him. "Your Majesty, I have been by your side for years. How could I not notice the shift in your mood? If I’ve done something wrong, tell me outright. Don’t keep it buried in your heart, lest I spend my days and nights lost in worry."
The side chamber was silent, save for the occasional chirp of birds outside the window.
Li Yuanjing turned, the sleeve of his black-and-gold dragon robe brushing against the table. His ink-dark eyes fixed on Shen Wei.
Today, she had deliberately dressed in a splendid new gown, clearly having taken great care with her appearance. Yet the exhaustion and sorrow in her eyes couldn’t be masked by powder. The palace was filled with beauties, but Li Yuanjing had always believed his Weiwei stood apart—the only one who could stir his heart so deeply.
But he wasn’t the only one moved.
Shen Wei spoke again, the corners of her eyes tinged red. "Your Majesty..."
Her voice was soft and fragile, laced with unspoken grievance.
Li Yuanjing closed his eyes briefly before rising and walking toward her. He was tall, his frame honed by years of martial training, his limbs long and powerful. He stopped before her, his shadow enveloping her entirely.
His fingers, strong and well-defined, traced the curve of Shen Wei’s pale chin. "Weiwei," he asked, "when did you have dealings with Li Yuanli?"
Shen Wei froze.
Her face was a picture of stunned confusion.
A torrent of furious curses roared through her mind.
She had thought Li Yuanjing’s coldness these past few days was a prelude to striking against the Shen Family. Instead, the man had been secretly stewing in jealousy, suspecting her of an affair with Li Yuanli.
"I have had no dealings with Prince Heng," Shen Wei answered truthfully.
She wasn’t lying.
She and Li Yuanli had only crossed paths a handful of times. He was the only one who knew her true temperament.
Shen Wei recalled the day of the Silkworm Ceremony, when Li Yuanli had inexplicably approached her with a frenzied look in his eyes, even attempting to take her back to Southern Chu.
She had thought the man was out of his mind!
Li Yuanjing, having silently nursed his jealousy for days, finally couldn’t hold back. "If the two of you are innocent, why would Yuanli risk his life to save you?"
Shen Wei blinked in bewilderment. "When did Prince Heng ever save me?"
Then, realization struck.
The river?
Had the figure who plunged into the water to rescue her been Li Yuanli?
Shen Wei had the misfortune of falling into the river that day, her body numb with cold, her consciousness hazy. She had vaguely sensed someone grabbing her hand, pulling her from the icy depths.
She had assumed it was Li Yuanjing who had saved her.
But from the way Li Yuanjing spoke now, it had been Li Yuanli...
"Someone, escort the imperial consort back to her palace," Li Yuanjing said, his gaze fixed on the window as he ordered Shen Wei’s return to Yongning Palace.
He needed time alone.
Perhaps there truly was nothing between Shen Wei and Li Yuanli, but the thorn had already lodged itself in his heart—one he couldn’t easily pluck out.
Shen Wei was his treasure, his alone. Li Yuanjing had never imagined that one day, another might covet what was his.
The feeling was unbearable.
Shen Wei’s lips parted slightly, as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end, she remained silent.
Lowering her eyes, she murmured, "This consort takes her leave."
