Chapter 40
**Chapter 40: Dedication Must Be Proclaimed Loudly**
Shen Wei was momentarily taken aback, poking at her own nose. “Did the princess ask for me to come?”
Liu Mama smiled with a hint of mockery. “Of course, please, Miss Shen, do come this way.”
With no other choice, Shen Wei left Cai Lian to guard the fishing gear in the pavilion and took Cai Ping with her to the princess's courtyard.
As she walked, Shen Wei turned her mind over, pondering the situation. The princess was holding a meeting, and as a mere lowly maid, she didn’t even have the right to sit at the table. Being summoned so suddenly likely meant trouble.
Upon reaching the main hall of Kunyu Courtyard, Shen Wei saw the princess seated in the main position, flanked by Liu, Zhang, and Liu concubines.
Maintaining a calm demeanor, Shen Wei politely bowed to the princess and the three concubines.
The princess, sitting high above, looked slightly weary. “Shen, the prince will be going hunting in Dongshan the day after tomorrow. Would you be willing to accompany him?”
Shen Wei was momentarily stunned. She had expected something dreadful, but it turned out to be just an invitation to accompany her superior on a trip?
Before she could respond, Concubine Zhang, seated to the side, couldn’t help but interject, “Shen Wei, there are many wild beasts in Dongshan—tigers, wolves, very fierce! Last year, the prince took a maid with him, and a tiger attacked the camp. That maid was so frightened she died on the spot.”
Zhang’s warning was well-intentioned. Hunting was dangerous, and Shen Wei, a woman with no strength to speak of, could be in serious trouble if something went wrong.
“Shen Wei cares for the prince; she will surely want to accompany him,” Liu Qiao’er said lightly.
Shen Wei pressed her lips together, then replied to the princess, “Your Highness, I am willing to accompany the prince to Dongshan for the hunt.”
The princess sighed in relief and said, “Then it’s settled. Prepare well for the trip.”
Shen Wei bowed again and left Kunyu Courtyard.
On her way back to the pavilion by the lotus pond, Cai Ping, who had been holding back her thoughts, quickly spoke up, “My lady, you can’t go to Dongshan for the hunt! The prince goes there every year, and it seems he’s always running into danger.”
Shen Wei paused, puzzled. “How dangerous can it be?”
Cai Ping nodded vigorously, chattering away, “Five years ago, the prince’s camp almost caught fire. Four years ago, his horse went mad. Three years ago, a pack of wolves attacked the camp. Two years ago, the prince ate poisonous mushrooms and had severe diarrhea. Last year, a tiger attacked the camp. Hunting in Dongshan is a tradition of the Qingguo royal family; if the prince doesn’t go, it will cause a stir.”
Shen Wei asked, “Is it only the prince who encounters danger?”
Cai Ping hesitated, “It seems so…”
A warning bell rang in Shen Wei’s mind. One accident could be considered a coincidence; four or five incidents in a row pointed to something more sinister.
The Yan Wang was Shen Wei’s greatest treasure trove, her stepping stone to a smooth retirement. If the Yan Wang were to die during the hunt in Dongshan, all her plans would come crashing down!
Cai Ping continued to persuade her, “My lady, why don’t we ask the princess for forgiveness? We could say you’re ill and can’t accompany the prince?”
Shen Wei shook her head firmly. “No, I must go.”
In Shen Wei’s mind, the royal household was like a large company, with the Yan Wang as the boss and herself as an employee—if the boss died, how could the company continue? What salary would she receive then?
She felt a twinge of resentment. How could the princess and the three concubines not notice the danger surrounding the Yan Wang? If he were to die, what would become of the wives and concubines in the inner court? Had they never considered that?
With a heavy heart, Shen Wei returned to the lotus pond to continue fishing.
Fortune favored the diligent; Shen Wei was lucky and caught a lively big fish in the pond.
The Yan Wang didn’t like spicy food, so Shen Wei had the chef divide the fish in half—one half prepared as a non-spicy pickled fish, and the other half made into the spicy boiled fish that Shen Wei loved.
For the pickled fish, she sliced half the fish into thin pieces, marinated them with starch, pepper, and salt for a while. In a hot pan, she added aged pickled vegetables and stir-fried them, then poured in hot water to boil before adding the fish slices to cook for a bit. Once done, she placed it in a large bowl and drizzled hot oil over it.
As for the spicy boiled fish, the method was similar, but she added a generous amount of chili at the crucial moment to enhance the dish’s flavor.
In addition to the two fish dishes, Shen Wei also prepared a fragrant vegetable soup made from the greens personally grown by the Yan Wang.
On a hot summer day, eating fish and soup could make one sweat, so Shen Wei had also prepared chilled sour plum soup to cool down and quench thirst.
By the time everything was ready, the Yan Wang arrived at the Liuli Pavilion.
Having finished his official duties, the Yan Wang returned to the palace, his stomach growling, greeted by the enticing aroma of food and the sight of the lovely figure waiting under the eaves...
All his fatigue melted away.
He was used to the cold and desolate atmosphere of the palace, but now it finally felt like the warmth of a common household.
“Your Highness, wipe your face and have your meal. I finally caught a big fish after a whole day of fishing,” Shen Wei said, personally wringing out a towel and tiptoeing to wipe the sweat from the Yan Wang’s forehead before leading him to the dining table.
The Yan Wang held Shen Wei’s hand. “Did you catch this fish yourself, Wei Wei?”
Shen Wei smiled brightly, her tone proud yet innocent. “If the prince wants fish, of course, I have to catch it myself!”
An excellent employee in the Yan Wang’s court would surely showcase their hard work in front of their boss, striving to make their presence felt.
Dedication cannot be silent.
Dedication must be proclaimed loudly.
Even if Shen Wei had spent a blissful afternoon napping by the lotus pond, she would exaggerate it as “working all day long.”
No boss dislikes a diligent employee, and no prince would turn away a maid who served him wholeheartedly.
Looking at the beautifully presented pickled fish, the Yan Wang’s appetite was whetted, and he nearly finished the entire plate.
After the meal, the Yan Wang and Shen Wei strolled in the cool courtyard, where he learned of her desire to accompany him to Dongshan.
The Yan Wang pulled Shen Wei into the pavilion, speaking earnestly, “There are many wild beasts in Dongshan. You, a delicate woman, would be in great danger.”
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The Dongshan hunt would take a full three days.
With wild beasts like wolves, wild boars, and even tigers, the Yan Wang didn’t want Shen Wei to put herself at risk.
“With you there, I’m not afraid of anything,” Shen Wei said, lightly waving her small fan, her bright eyes filled with trust in the Yan Wang.
The tiger guards raised by the Yan Wang were all formidable; what could possibly happen to her?
She just couldn’t shake the worry of her boss going on a trip alone, fearing he might die out there, leaving her without her treasure for the rest of her life.
The Yan Wang sighed deeply, wrapping his arm around Shen Wei’s slender waist as they sat together on the cool bed in the pavilion. “If that’s the case, don’t wander off in Dongshan.”
Shen Wei nodded obediently.
After a satisfying meal and a leisurely stroll filled with conversation, it was time to begin the new activities of the night. Both the Yan Wang and Shen Wei were still young, and after a long time of building tension, they finally fell asleep together.
The next day, the Yan Wang left feeling refreshed, while Shen Wei took her time getting up for breakfast and jogged a few laps to exercise.
In the past, running in the morning would leave her breathless. Now, Shen Wei could run three laps around the Liuli Pavilion without breaking a sweat, feeling full of energy and stronger than ever.
After quenching her thirst with some mint tea, she instructed Cai Lian and Cai Ping to prepare for their trip to Dongshan.
This journey would last three days. With the long travel and the wilderness ahead, they needed to be well-prepared.
Shen Wei calmly assigned tasks to the maids and eunuchs: “Cai Lian, you’ll come with me to Dongshan and bring all the ingredients for making cold cakes and jelly. Rong Mama and Cai Ping, stay at the Liuli Pavilion; daily cleaning, inspections, and trimming of the flowers and plants must be completed. Ji Xiang, clean out the second floor of the Liuli Pavilion and arrange the furniture.”
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