Chapter 24
**Chapter 24: The Two Attitudes of the Prince of Yan**
A man's words are often deceiving.
Even though Shen Wei exercised daily and significantly improved her physical fitness, the inherent difference in stamina between men and women still left her feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Shen Wei sighed inwardly, realizing why so many women in the royal residence seemed to be lounging around like salted fish—after all, the Prince of Yan was as fierce as a tiger.
As for her, the "Queen of Rolls," she was forced to work overtime every day, her back aching.
Gently, Shen Wei advised him, "Your Highness, perhaps you should return to the main chamber to rest tonight."
Seeing this, Fu Gui chimed in softly, "Your Highness, you need to stay at the East Palace for the next few days to discuss border matters with the Crown Prince. For the sake of your health, it would be wise to rest early tonight."
The Prince of Yan felt a flicker of dissatisfaction.
However, that slight discontent vanished like smoke when Shen Wei presented him with two pillows and a sachet.
With a charming smile, Shen Wei said, "Your Highness, I specially made you two mugwort pillows and two sachets to help you sleep better."
Cai Lian and Cai Ping stepped forward, holding the soft mugwort pillows and the delicate sachets.
The Prince of Yan examined the pillows. They were round and cute, covered in beautiful green-patterned velvet, looking soft and inviting.
The sachets were a jade-like color, embroidered with summer roses, exuding a gentle fragrance, exquisite and unique.
As he touched the mugwort pillows, warmth spread through his heart; it was the first time he had received pillows from a woman.
The Prince of Yan said, "Fu Gui, take these."
Fu Gui immediately stepped forward to carefully collect the pillows and sachets.
The Prince of Yan held Shen Wei's soft hand, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Wei Wei, you should rest well. I’ll come to see you once I finish my duties."
Shen Wei nodded obediently.
After sending off the Prince of Yan, Shen Wei returned to her room to continue her workout, enhancing her flexibility and stamina.
Her physical condition still needed improvement; she had to train hard!
...
In the main sleeping chamber of the royal residence, the Prince of Yan ordered the servants to replace the blue porcelain pillow.
In the Kingdom of Qing, sleeping on a porcelain pillow was a symbol of high status. In summer, it provided a cool respite from the heat. However, the Prince of Yan disliked the hard porcelain pillows and also found the soft ones, which became sweaty after prolonged use, unappealing.
The mugwort pillows Shen Wei gifted him were not only soft but also cool, repelling mosquitoes and aiding sleep.
Leaning against the mugwort pillow, inhaling the faint scent of mugwort, he quickly fell asleep.
...
In the Rose Garden, after the Prince of Yan left, Fang Er and Cui Er joyfully entered the room.
The maid forced Zhang Yue to drink ginseng soup before she could barely wake up. She lay weakly in the bath, feeling as if her bones were about to snap.
"Can Shen Wei really handle the Prince?" Zhang Yue began to question her life choices.
Previously, she had seen Shen Wei serving the Prince, still lively and full of spirit every day. Zhang Yue had thought the rumors about the Prince being "fierce as a tiger in bed" were exaggerated.
After spending the night with the Prince, Zhang Yue realized the rumors were true!
The Prince of Yan was indeed too strong!
Most women simply couldn't endure it.
"Congratulations, my lady! Congratulations!" Fang Er and Cui Er assisted Zhang Yue with her bath and changing clothes, continuously offering their well-wishes.
Zhang Yue weakly asked, "Did the Prince go to Fang Fei Garden again tonight?"
Zhang Yue couldn't understand why the Prince always preferred not to stay in her room. After all, she and Shen Wei were both concubines; where they slept shouldn't matter.
Fang Er shook her head, secretly delighted. "I was watching from the door. Mistress Shen blocked the Prince's path, trying to lure him into Fang Fei Garden. But the Prince didn’t go; he returned to the main chamber to rest."
It seemed the Prince was starting to lose interest in Shen Wei.
Zhang Yue sighed in relief, a glimmer of satisfaction crossing her eyes. "It looks like the Prince's heart is no longer with Shen Wei."
...
The next morning, the Prince of Yan rose with vigor. After breakfast, he prepared to head to the East Palace for a meeting. Recently, the border between the Kingdom of Qing and the Kingdom of Yue had ignited into conflict, and there was much work to be done at the rear.
The Prince planned to stay at the East Palace for a few days to discuss military supplies with his elder brother, the Crown Prince.
Before leaving, he not only wore the mugwort sachet Shen Wei had given him but also instructed his guards to bring along the two mugwort pillows.
These pillows were soft and fragrant, perfect for summer sleep; the sachets also carried a light scent, keeping mosquitoes at bay.
The Prince appreciated the thoughtfulness of women.
The royal residence had become stagnant, with wives and concubines adhering strictly to their roles. Only Shen Wei dared to openly express her love for the Prince, which brought him joy.
As he reached the entrance of the royal residence, the Prince recalled Shen Wei's leg injury.
He instructed Fu Gui, "The swelling medicine sent to Fang Fei Garden didn’t work well. Go to the palace and ask the imperial physician to prepare a bottle of high-quality blood-activating medicine to send to Fang Fei Garden."
Fu Gui respectfully replied, "This servant obeys. If I may ask, there are still fourteen bottles of the swelling medicine left for Mistress Shen. Should I discard them all?"
The Prince pondered for a moment; it would be a waste to throw away the unused medicine. He thought of Zhang Yue, who had fainted last night.
He knew his strength was considerable, and that woman was as thin as a skeleton; she couldn’t withstand his force.
"Don’t throw them away; send them all to the Rose Garden." The Prince said no more, mounted his horse, and galloped toward the palace with his guards.
Fu Gui sighed silently.
The good medicine would go to Fang Fei Garden.
The discarded medicine would go to the Rose Garden.
It seemed that Zhang Yue from the Rose Garden was merely a fleeting flower; the Prince didn’t hold her in his heart at all.
Fu Gui took the two types of swelling medicine to the rear residence. He first went to Fang Fei Garden, enthusiastically delivering the high-quality medicine prepared by the imperial physician to Shen Wei.
"Thank you, Master. Cai Lian, please give some of my new spices to the Master," Shen Wei said as she accepted the swelling medicine.
Cai Lian handed a small pouch of expensive spices to Fu Gui.
Fu Gui sniffed; these were top-quality spices from the Western Regions, capable of completely masking any odors. Even eunuchs in the palace might not have the chance to use them.
Fu Gui was deeply moved and spoke a few more words: "Mistress Shen, this medicine was personally prepared by the imperial physician. Although it’s only a small bottle, its efficacy is remarkable, showing how much the Prince cares for you."
Shen Wei smiled slightly. "Please thank the Prince for his kindness on my behalf, Fu Gui."
Fu Gui replied, "Mistress Shen is too polite."
As Fu Gui left Fang Fei Garden, he also checked on the vegetables he had planted. The green eggplant seedlings had grown tall, bearing five or six eggplants of various sizes.
One eggplant looked particularly plump and round.
Fu Gui couldn’t wait to pick it, planning to taste it at noon. This was an eggplant he had personally planted, and it would surely be delicious!
Holding the eggplant, Fu Gui headed next door to deliver the items to the Rose Garden.
Zhang Yue was overjoyed, eagerly welcoming him at the door.
Fu Gui presented Zhang Yue with fourteen bottles of swelling medicine, saying it was the Prince's intention for her to take good care of herself.
Zhang Yue smiled broadly; the Prince was so generous, sending her a full fourteen bottles of medicine!
"Master, will the Prince come to see me tonight?" Zhang Yue asked eagerly.
Fu Gui shook his head, his tone polite. "The Prince is busy with official matters these days; he probably won’t have the time. Mistress Zhang, please focus on your recovery."
Zhang Yue thanked him repeatedly.
She wanted to give Fu Gui a reward, but her purse was light; her monthly allowance as a concubine hadn’t been issued yet.
However, if she didn’t give Fu Gui something, she might end up facing difficulties later. Zhang Yue’s gaze fell on the plump purple eggplant in Fu Gui’s hand.
She chuckled to herself; this eggplant must have been sent by Shen Wei.
Shen Wei was so stingy, sending Fu Gui a mere eggplant; didn’t she fear being laughed at if word got out?
After some thought, Zhang Yue selected a bottle of swelling medicine from the fourteen given to her by the Prince and handed it to Fu Gui. "Master, I don’t have anything valuable here. This bottle of medicine is for you; it’s at least more valuable than this ugly eggplant."
Fu Gui’s expression froze.
The eggplant he had grown himself was round and plump; how could it be ugly?
A surge of anger welled up in Fu Gui, but he maintained his composure as he left the Rose Garden.
As he passed by the waterside in the royal garden, Fu Gui casually tossed the bottle of swelling medicine into the water.
Holding his beloved eggplant, he walked toward the kitchen.
Table of Contents
