Chapter 36
**Chapter 36: Today is Your Day Too**
The Yan Wang was seething with anger, with no outlet for his frustration. After a moment's thought, he made his way to Qixue Pavilion, hoping to find a sliver of solace in Liu Ruyan's tranquil courtyard.
Upon receiving the news, Liu Ruyan, accompanied by her maid, greeted him at the door. The summer night was stifling, and from a distance, the snow-like Qixue Pavilion and Liu Ruyan, dressed in white, made him suddenly reluctant to step inside.
Every visit to Qixue Pavilion felt like attending a funeral. If only Liu Ruyan would tidy up the courtyard and wear something other than white, perhaps he wouldn’t slowly lose interest in her.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” Liu Ruyan said, her expression neutral, neither happy nor sad, as cold as the snow atop a mountain.
The Yan Wang entered Qixue Pavilion. Liu Ruyan calmly served him plum tea, her watery eyes studying him as if reminiscing about a love that had long since passed.
Just as the Yan Wang lifted the teacup, a buzzing mosquito landed on the back of his hand, biting him hard.
He frowned slightly. “Didn’t the Neiwufu send mosquito repellent to Qixue Pavilion?”
The garden around Qixue Pavilion was overgrown with trees, and there was a pond nearby that attracted mosquitoes. The cacophony of frogs croaking, insects chirping, and mosquitoes buzzing made the summer courtyard particularly noisy.
He found himself longing for Shen Wei’s Liuli Pavilion. At least there were no mosquitoes there!
Liu Ruyan replied coolly, “The smell of mosquito repellent is unpleasant; I don’t like to use it.”
Being cold-natured, she rarely attracted mosquitoes, which instead feasted on her maid and eunuchs.
The Yan Wang took a couple of sips of the plum tea. He didn’t particularly enjoy its slightly bitter taste, but every time he visited Liu Ruyan, she insisted on brewing him a pot.
Frustrated, he set the cup down and walked with Liu Ruyan in the courtyard.
On this hot summer night, the moon cast a gentle light, and fireflies flickered in the garden. The Yan Wang casually remarked, “These fireflies are quite beautiful.”
Liu Ruyan, moved by the scene, sighed sadly, “Sometimes in dreams, I transform into a crane, while countless blades of grass become fireflies in this world. Sometimes I truly wish to become a firefly, shedding the troubles of the human realm.”
As she spoke, disappointment washed over her, and tears glistened in her eyes.
The Yan Wang: ...
He simply couldn’t continue the conversation!
With so many mosquitoes buzzing around, they were biting him instead of the cold-natured Liu Ruyan. He had rushed out that day and forgotten to bring the mosquito-repelling sachet Shen Wei had given him...
Thinking of Shen Wei only deepened his gloom.
He didn’t linger in Qixue Pavilion and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Liu Ruyan stood at the courtyard entrance, watching the tall figure of the Yan Wang depart, revealing a bitter smile. “Since ancient times, men have been so fickle. Shen Wei and I are both pitiful souls.”
Beside her, the maid Xue Mei silently pinched her own skin.
After all that effort, the Yan Wang had barely warmed the place before leaving with a dark expression!
“Master, there are too many mosquitoes in our courtyard. Should I light some mosquito repellent?” Xue Mei suggested.
Liu Ruyan shook her head lightly. “I don’t like the smell of mosquito repellent; it’s not as pleasant as the fragrance of plum blossoms.”
Xue Mei rolled her eyes silently, glancing at her own hands covered in mosquito bites. When would this miserable life come to an end...
---
The Yan Wang returned to his study, filled with pent-up anger, intending to read for a while.
The study was stifling; even with an ice basin filled with ice cubes, a thin sheen of sweat formed on his forehead.
He was restless.
Fu Gui, observing his mood, fanned him while hesitantly saying, “Your Highness, I have something to say, though I’m not sure if it’s worth mentioning.”
The Yan Wang looked up. “Speak.”
Fu Gui awkwardly continued, “Your Highness, it’s unlikely that Shen Wei would resort to witchcraft against you. I took a quick look at that wooden figure, and it doesn’t seem like a tool for witchcraft. There are no curses inscribed, no silver needles to pierce the heart; it only bears the birth dates of you and Shen Wei, which is rather strange.”
With Fu Gui’s reminder, the Yan Wang opened the wooden box and took out the wooden figure.
The figure was intricately crafted, engraved with names and birth dates, and wrapped in two loops of red thread.
After pondering for a moment, he instructed Fu Gui, “Take this box to Yuqing Temple and have a respected Taoist take a look. I want to know what’s peculiar about this little figure Shen Wei made.”
Fu Gui held the box carefully. “I’ll take care of it right away.”
As night deepened, the Yan Wang returned to his main chamber to rest alone. He lay on the soft bed, his pillow made of the mugwort stuffing Shen Wei had gifted him.
Above the bed, a fragrant sachet hung, also a gift from Shen Wei.
By the bedside were the black embroidered gold boots that Shen Wei had personally crafted.
Even the white silk nightgown he wore was made by Shen Wei...
His emotions were complex. He realized that Shen Wei had quietly woven herself into his life. He thought again of that strange wooden figure, and after a long while, he sighed silently.
---
In the Rose Garden, Zhang Yue set down her teacup, a smug smile lingering on her lips. “I never expected that Shen Wei would be such a fool. She didn’t even know how to defend herself and foolishly said, ‘A hundred mouths can’t argue,’ hahahaha.”
Thinking of Shen Wei’s foolishness, Zhang Yue burst into another round of arrogant laughter.
Fang Er, serving quietly beside her, caught a glimpse of Zhang Yue’s smugness out of the corner of her eye. She pressed her lips down, hiding her disdain.
After laughing to her heart’s content, Zhang Yue began selecting her outfit for the next day: “Hurry, open my wardrobe! I want to pick a beautiful dress to serve the Yan Wang tomorrow.”
With Shen Wei confined and fallen from grace, it was a done deal.
Zhang Yue needed to seize the opportunity to win the Yan Wang’s favor.
---
On another moonlit night, a luxurious carriage traveled along the official road, stopping at a post station.
The silk curtain was lifted, and a veiled woman, supported by her maid, stepped into the desolate post station. The woman had a graceful figure, and even with a white veil, her elegance as a Jiangnan beauty was hard to conceal.
“How long until we reach Yanjing?” the woman asked softly.
The maid replied, “Miss, if we push the horses, we’ll arrive in ten days.”
The woman revealed a helpless smile. “My Ye family has been in business for generations, but now our family business is in decline. Marrying into the Yan Wang’s residence as a concubine might help my family’s business.”
She caressed her delicate face, feeling a sense of melancholy.
Competing for favor, vying for love, and seeking profit for her family—this was a path she could not escape. She would surely use all her skills to win the Yan Wang’s affection; no one could stand in her way!
Hopefully, the Yan Wang would be a good man, granting her a life of peace and prosperity.
---
The next morning, as dawn broke, it was a day of rest for the officials of the Qing Kingdom, and civil and military officials did not need to attend court.
A delicious breakfast was served, but the Yan Wang had no appetite, only sipping a couple of bowls of rice porridge. At that moment, Fu Gui returned with news he had gathered.
The Yan Wang set down his jade chopsticks and calmly said, “Tell me, what kind of witchcraft is associated with that wooden figure?”
He was eager to know how Shen Wei had cursed him.
Fu Gui placed the wooden figure carved by Shen Wei on the table, his eyes filled with guilt. “Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood Shen Wei. I hurried to Yuqing Temple last night to consult Daoist Qingfeng, who immediately recognized this as a peace charm from the Lingnan region.”
The Yan Wang’s eyes widened in surprise.
A peace charm?
Fu Gui continued, “In Lingnan, there are often bandits causing chaos. Husbands go out to make a living, while their wives at home worry. So, wives secretly carve peace charms. They inscribe their husbands’ names and birth dates on the front, and their own on the back, then use blood and red thread to bury it under a tree.
If the husband encounters danger while away, the misfortune will be averted by the wife. So, this peace charm is actually a means for the wife to shield her husband from disaster. Ah, Shen Wei is from the south; she made this peace charm to protect you, Your Highness...”
The Yan Wang’s hand instinctively clenched, his heart overwhelmed by a tide of bitterness and guilt.
No wonder when he went to Liuli Pavilion to confront Shen Wei yesterday, she had looked so aggrieved.
He had been wrong!
Shen Wei had stood in front of him during the Spring Festival banquet, risking her life to block a sword; she would also wait for him under the eaves in the scorching summer sun.
Yet he had doubted her feelings for him!
The Yan Wang closed his eyes tightly, his heart gnawed at by guilt. He had almost harmed a woman who loved him wholeheartedly.
“Go to Liuli Pavilion.”
Fu Gui bowed respectfully, leading the way ahead.
Fu Gui secretly tightened his grip on the expensive snuff bottle in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions. This Shen Wei was truly... rare!
Time and again, she turned adversity into opportunity.
Each time she faced a crisis, she managed to cleverly navigate through it, deepening the Yan Wang’s love for her.
Having served in the palace for decades, Fu Gui had never seen a concubine so adept at winning favor. Even during the most brutal years of competition among wives and concubines, no one had been as skilled as Shen Wei.
---
Early in the morning, Zhang Yue dressed extravagantly, adorning herself with all the valuable clothes and jewelry from her wardrobe.
She set out early, planning to “visit” Shen Wei at Liuli Pavilion before heading to the Yan Wang’s study to serve him.
At the entrance of Liuli Pavilion, two fully armed guards stood watch.
As Zhang Yue stepped forward, the guards politely blocked her path. “The Yan Wang has sealed off Liuli Pavilion. This lady must return.”
Zhang Yue rolled her eyes, annoyed. “The Yan Wang may have sealed off Liuli Pavilion and forbidden Shen Wei from leaving, but he didn’t say anything about forbidding others from visiting.”
The guards remained silent.
Seeing this, Zhang Yue pushed past them and strode confidently into Liuli Pavilion.
This was Zhang Yue’s first time entering Liuli Pavilion. The spacious, bright rooms, the vibrant garden, the lush green grass, and the shimmering pond felt like a small paradise.
It was far better than her withered Rose Garden.
Zhang Yue looked at Liuli Pavilion with envy, thinking that once she won the Yan Wang’s favor, she too would live in Liuli Pavilion.
With no one around, the maids and eunuchs serving Shen Wei were absent. Shen Wei sat by the waterside, the morning breeze gently swaying the white curtains of the pavilion, her slender figure appearing both lonely and pitiful.
The more downcast Shen Wei looked, the happier Zhang Yue felt.
Zhang Yue approached the waterside, admiring the intricately carved pavilion, and with a smug tone, said, “Shen Wei, today is your day too. You practiced witchcraft to curse the Yan Wang; I believe today, the white silk and poison wine will be delivered to you.”
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