Shen Wei asked, "Has Consort Shu's health improved?"
Cai Lian replied, "The imperial physician examined her. After childbirth last year, Consort Shu’s body suffered severe damage, compounded by prolonged melancholy. Now, even medicine can no longer save her—her days are numbered."
Since the Lu family’s downfall, Lu Xuan had been drowning in sorrow, her spirit broken, her body growing weaker by the day.
Perhaps out of lingering sentiment, Emperor Li Yuanjing had not stripped Lu Xuan of her title but instead confined her to Changxin Palace, leaving her to wither away.
Lu Xuan’s two-year-old son had been entrusted to another childless concubine for rearing.
"My lady, do you wish to see Consort Shu?" Cai Lian whispered.
Shen Wei shook her head, her voice calm. "No."
Whatever schemes Lu Xuan harbored, Shen Wei had no interest in meeting her.
She would only see Lu Xuan at her funeral.
Zhang Miaoyu nodded in agreement, chattering away, "Consort Shu is cunning—who knows what wicked plans she’s brewing? It’s best not to see her and avoid trouble. Before you returned to the palace, many concubines died by her hand. She deserves this fate."
After spending half an hour in Yongning Palace, Zhang Miaoyu took her leave, not forgetting to pack three boxes of pastries and a bucket of freshly made chilled cakes.
In the afternoon, after her meal, Shen Wei prepared to retire for a nap when a servant announced that General Sun Qingmei had come to visit.
Delighted, Shen Wei hurried to the gate to welcome her. The late spring breeze carried the scent of blossoms as Sun Qingmei strode in, clad in silver armor, her hair tied high—a vision of heroic grace.
Sun Qingmei clasped her hands in salute.
Shen Wei quickly stepped forward to assist her, eyes brimming with warmth. "Sister Sun, it’s been too long. Come inside—we have much to catch up on."
Seeing Sun Qingmei filled Shen Wei with joy.
Inside, servants brought fragrant spring tea and delicate pastries. Shen Wei had feigned illness some time ago, and Sun Qingmei had traveled a thousand miles to deliver an antidote—a kindness Shen Wei couldn’t forget.
"I’m deeply grateful for your trouble, Sister Sun. Your kindness is etched in my heart," Shen Wei said earnestly.
Noting Shen Wei’s rosy cheeks, Sun Qingmei smiled. "Seeing you well will put your elder brother at ease. As a soldier, a thousand-mile journey is nothing."
Shen Wei longed for the world beyond Yanjing—the misty waters of the Jiangnan region, the desolate deserts of Liangzhou, the snow-capped peaks beyond the frontier. But trapped in the palace, she could only imagine these wonders through books.
With Sun Qingmei here, Shen Wei eagerly questioned her about the outside world.
They talked all afternoon.
Midway, Eunuch Deshun arrived with a bowl of nourishing red date and snow frog soup, sent by the emperor. Shen Wei, already steeped in medicinal brews, declined and gave the soup to Sun Qingmei instead.
As dusk fell, Shen Wei urged Sun Qingmei to stay the night.
Sun Qingmei declined gently. "The desert tribes remain a threat. Liangzhou’s sixteen cities must be guarded. I’ve requested His Majesty’s permission to depart at dawn tomorrow."
"So soon?" Shen Wei was dismayed. "You’ve only just returned—stay a few more days."
Sun Qingmei shook her head. "Defending the border is every Da Qing soldier’s duty. Rest assured, I’ll look after your brother."
Reluctant to part, Shen Wei clasped Sun Qingmei’s hands—no longer the soft, delicate hands of a noblewoman but calloused and scarred from years of wielding weapons.
Who would have thought the once-gentle lady of the marquis’ household would become a battle-hardened general of Liangzhou?
Shen Wei admired her deeply. "My brother is a tough man—he can eat, run, and fight just fine. It’s you who needs care. Stay safe."
Sun Qingmei nodded warmly.
Shen Wei had Cai Lian fetch precious wound ointments and a chest of silver notes, pressing them into Sun Qingmei’s hands.
Unable to refuse, Sun Qingmei accepted the gifts.
Shen Wei escorted her to the palace gates, where towering crimson doors stood open, flanked by stern-faced imperial guards in iron armor.
Sun Qingmei mounted her horse and rode off toward the distant war-torn deserts.
Shen Wei watched with envy.
She counted silently—just ten more years, and perhaps she, too, could taste such freedom.
As she mused, Cai Ping rushed over. "My lady, word from the Ministry of Justice—the Southern Chu spy, Tantai Rou, has been captured."
Shen Wei paused, then smirked. "Vice Minister Yan must be heartbroken."
...
The streets of Yanjing bustled as always, lively and prosperous.
On a crowded notice board, among rows of grim-faced male fugitives, one delicate female portrait stood out starkly.
Gossiping onlookers gathered:
"Whose wife is this? What crime did she commit? Three hundred taels for her capture!"
"Lady Tantai of the Yan residence—a Southern Chu spy, they say."
"Poor Vice Minister of Rites, marrying a spy."
"She’s still hiding in the city. Keep your eyes peeled—we might catch her and claim the reward."
Amid the chatter, a woman in coarse robes lurked in the shadows, her black veil pulled low, lips pale and bloodless.
It was Tantai Rou, on the run.
After the assassination attempt during the imperial plowing ceremony, authorities had quickly traced her. Exposed as a spy, she had fled, only to find her martial skills inexplicably gone, her strength sapped.
"Why? My skills vanished... I can barely lift a hand..." Tantai Rou slipped into a deserted alley to rest.
Before long, footsteps echoed nearby.
She looked up in alarm.
Princess Donglin stood before her, smiling sweetly. "Sister, what a coincidence! My husband has been so worried about you."
Tantai Rou’s face darkened. She had evaded the guards but not this princess.
Beneath that playful innocence lay something far more sinister.
"Was it you who stole my strength?" Tantai Rou demanded, wary.
Princess Donglin giggled. "Sister, you speak in riddles. Men—take her to the Ministry of Justice."
Servants swarmed in, seizing Tantai Rou effortlessly.
With a resigned sigh, Tantai Rou gazed at the spring sky, her mind drifting to the wildflowers of Southern Chu.
She surrendered without resistance and said to Princess Donglin, "Both of us are strangers in a foreign land, driven by necessity to come to Yanjing. After my death, could you bury my body in the southern outskirts of the city?"
