With the emperor's permission, the entire courtyard of roses was uprooted by afternoon and swiftly replaced with various flowers and greenery.
Shen Wei remained dissatisfied, ordering further changes to the palace’s screens, curtains, furniture, and decorations.
As dusk approached, Shen Wei lounged leisurely on a recliner, a plate of her favorite pastries on the side table and a beloved novel in her hand, nibbling as she flipped through the pages.
Then Caizhu came to announce, "Miss, Physician Moxun is here to check your pulse."
Without looking up, Shen Wei replied, "Let him in."
She assumed it was one of the palace’s imperial physicians.
To her surprise, moments later, a familiar voice called out, "Imperial Consort—oh no, Empress Dowager... wait, what should I even call you now?"
Shen Wei snapped the book shut and looked up to see Moxun, carrying a medical case, her face gaunt.
The evening breeze brushed past as their eyes met. Since their parting years ago in the Qing State palace, Shen Wei had lost all trace of Moxun. Never did she expect to reunite with her here, in the Southern Chu palace.
Time had left its mark on Moxun—her brows and eyes bore traces of age, and a faint melancholy lingered in her expression, with fine wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes.
Shen Wei dismissed the attendants.
Moxun plopped onto a chair beside her, studying Shen Wei with keen, dark eyes, as if trying to see through this unfamiliar guise to the proud Imperial Consort she once knew.
Shen Wei let her look.
After a moment of thought, Moxun suddenly whispered, "Odd changes, even remains?"
Shen Wei’s hand, holding the book, froze.
When Shen Wei didn’t respond, Moxun scratched her head and muttered another phrase, "Loving your unyielding pride, loving your—"
Shen Wei gave her a pointed look.
Moxun continued muttering, "If even this doesn’t work, maybe she’s from Gen Z..."
She racked her brain, still puzzling over it.
The soul capable of activating the instrument had to contain modern neutrinos. For two years, Moxun had suspected that Shen Wei might be from the same era as her.
Seizing this opportunity, Moxun had come to probe Shen Wei’s origins indirectly.
Yet Shen Wei remained silent.
Moxun murmured to herself, "Impossible. The neutrinos captured in the physics experiment only come from modern souls."
Then Shen Wei suddenly asked, "Which institution are you from?"
Still lost in memories of the modern world, Moxun answered reflexively, "Researcher Li Qingxun from the Special Science Research Institute. And you?"
Shen Wei smirked. "Founder of Microcosm Tech, Shen Wei."
Moxun snapped back to reality.
Her eyes widened in shock, lips trembling. Slowly, her eyes reddened, and with a loud cry, she threw herself at Shen Wei, hugging her tightly. "A fellow time traveler! Damn it, it’s been almost eighty years—finally, I’ve met someone from home!"
Moxun was overjoyed.
Heaven knew how lonely she had been, stranded in this unfamiliar era. Even after achieving greatness, donning imperial robes, and gaining supreme power and unparalleled love, her heart remained a desolate wasteland.
A wasteland overrun with wild grass.
A cry that didn’t belong to this time.
Worse still, after her death a century ago, Moxun had thought she would return to the modern world. Instead, she woke up a hundred years later, forced to live decades more in yet another unfamiliar time.
"Calm down," Shen Wei handed her a cup of tea.
Moxun clutched the cup, bitter tears dripping down.
It took a while for her excitement to settle. After drinking most of the tea, she asked, "You’re the founder of Microcosm Tech—wait, the one in the Third Ring Road industrial park?"
Shen Wei nodded. "Yes."
Moxun recalled, "I remember now. That was a sizable company, specialized in tech components and even took on port projects. The special screws for our institute’s instruments were from your company—good quality."
Shen Wei was surprised. "You remember that clearly?"
Moxun set down the cup, sighing. "When I had nothing to do, I’d reconstruct the past in my mind—the people, the places, even the plants. I even missed overtime work. I was afraid I’d forget everything if I stayed here too long."
She chattered on for a while.
Curious, Shen Wei asked, "Does Li Yuanli know about your identity?"
At the mention of Li Yuanli, Moxun’s expression darkened. "That little brat actually dared to imprison his ancestor! Two years ago, I was delirious for a while and blabbered a lot of modern stuff—he heard everything. He used the institute’s device, meant to swap your soul with Lu Yun’s, but it malfunctioned. Lu Yun died, and you ended up in this body."
Through Moxun’s explanation, Shen Wei finally understood the truth.
Moxun sighed. "I’m the one who dragged you into this. I never should’ve slept with Zhang He'an. Who’d have thought such a handsome man was actually a deranged lunatic? The Southern Chu royals are all mad."
Reunited at last, Moxun clung to Shen Wei, pouring out decades’ worth of words in one go.
As night fell, Moxun reluctantly prepared to leave. "Rest well tonight. I’ll visit again tomorrow. Li Yuanli will definitely come—protect yourself. If he tries anything, just grab a knife and castrate him."
With repeated warnings, Moxun left, glancing back every few steps.
Night deepened.
The imperial kitchen served an array of delicacies, mostly Qing State cuisine with a few Southern Chu dishes Shen Wei favored. Hungry, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating leisurely.
Caizhu hesitated nearby. The meal was prepared for both the emperor and Shen Wei—it was improper for her to start without him.
Outside Changle Palace, soft footsteps approached. Li Yuanli, having finished state affairs, arrived under the cover of night.
The attendants announced him.
The palace servants knelt in rows, but Shen Wei did not come out to greet him.
Li Yuanli wasn’t angered—this was simply Shen Wei’s nature. Though she appeared delicate, her will was unyielding.
His gaze swept over the disordered courtyard, the roses all gone, the newly transplanted flowers slightly wilted. Palace lanterns glowed warmly under the eaves.
After years of solitude, Changle Palace finally had its mistress again.
Under the cloak of night, the servants knelt in silence. Li Yuanli paused beneath the eaves, watching through the window as Shen Wei lifted jade chopsticks to taste fresh asparagus, entirely at ease.
He observed quietly.
For the first time in years, his hollow heart felt full.
