Chapter 127
**Chapter 127: Liu Ruyan Falls Ill**
Liu Ruyan turned her head, the cold wind lifting the dark strands of hair at her temples. Her beauty was breathtaking, and the white plum blossoms blooming behind her seemed to lose their color in her presence.
Shen Wei felt a pang of emotion. During her pregnancy, she found it inconvenient to attend to the Yan Wang (Prince Yan). Half of each month, the Yan Wang stayed at the Liuli Pavilion, and during the other half, aside from attending to official matters at the Crown Prince's residence, he visited Liu Ruyan more frequently.
Liu Ruyan was reclusive by nature, but her beauty was undeniable. In the entire Yan Wang's residence and even in the city of Yanjing, she was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman. Before marrying the Yan Wang, she was known as "Yanjing's First Talented Woman," possessing both beauty and intellect.
Not only the Yan Wang, but even Shen Wei felt her heart stir at the sight of Liu Ruyan.
Winter belonged to Liu Ruyan; her beauty blossomed amidst the falling snowflakes.
With a cool tone, Liu Ruyan replied to Li Yao, "After the heavy snow, the plum blossoms fall, withering away pitifully. Collecting these petals, grinding them into plum powder to make incense is a way to extend their life."
Xue Mei silently crouched on the ground, picking up the petals.
She despised winter. Every time Liu Ruyan had a peculiar idea, Xue Mei, as her maid, had to rush around to accommodate her.
Today it was collecting plum blossoms for incense, tomorrow pruning the plum trees, and the day after that, sweeping the snow off the branches. She was overwhelmed, her hands covered in frostbite, and her monthly silver had yet to increase.
Noticing Liu Ruyan's thin clothing, Shen Wei kindly reminded her, "It's freezing out, Liu Cifu (Concubine Liu), you should wear more layers. It's hard to recover from an illness in winter."
Liu Ruyan cast a faint glance at Shen Wei.
The snow was thick, and Shen Wei was bundled up, her face rounder due to her pregnancy, resembling a fluffy, pampered cat in the snow.
Liu Ruyan disapproved of Shen Wei's gaudy appearance and replied calmly, "I am in good health; you need not worry."
Faced with Liu Ruyan's aloof tone, Shen Wei felt no anger; instead, she found it oddly fascinating. Ah, Liu Ruyan's cold and distant demeanor was truly captivating.
Shen Wei couldn't help but steal another glance. Liu Ruyan's skin was so pale it seemed poreless, her nose elegantly high, and her eyes strikingly beautiful.
Li Yao, fearing a conflict between the two concubines, quickly opened the food box and handed over a steaming plum cake. "Liu Yi Niang (Concubine Liu), Yao'er and Shen Yi Niang made plum cakes for you. Please try one!"
Looking at the small plum cake before her, a hint of anger flickered across Liu Ruyan's stunning face.
She furrowed her willow-like brows and turned to question Shen Wei with disdain, "As the ancient saying goes, 'In the desolate world, after the mountain rain, how many lifetimes does it take to attain the plum blossom?' You dare to turn plum blossoms into cakes! How utterly vulgar!"
The plum blossom, noble and proud, was the most beautiful flower in the world.
And Shen Wei had the audacity to make it into a common cake.
Shen Wei was taken aback by the sudden reprimand, left speechless.
Grinding plum blossoms into powder for incense was hardly better than turning them into cakes!
"Xue Mei, let’s go!" Liu Ruyan felt uncomfortable and didn't want to see Shen Wei's round face any longer.
In Liu Ruyan's eyes, Shen Wei was merely beautiful, but devoid of any substance.
Xue Mei lifted her head from the snow, struggling to keep up with Liu Ruyan while carrying a basket full of plum petals.
Having crouched in the snow for too long, Xue Mei's legs had gone numb. After taking a few steps, she nearly fell, but thankfully, Cai Lian caught her.
Cai Lian and Xue Mei had once been colleagues and shared a bond. Seeing Xue Mei's increasingly gaunt face and the frostbite on her fingers, she couldn't help but say, "Xue Mei, you’ve worked hard."
Cai Lian secretly slipped her own frostbite ointment into Xue Mei's hand. In the cold winter, Shen Wei showed compassion for the servants in the Liuli Pavilion, generously providing them with ointment and warm fabric.
It could be said that among all the servants in the Yan Wang's residence, those in the Liuli Pavilion had the most comfortable winter.
Xue Mei smiled, though it was more of a grimace, as she quietly accepted the ointment. "I’m not working hard."
Oh, she wasn’t working hard; her fate was just unfortunate.
...
Leaving the royal garden, Shen Wei and Li Yao continued on to visit Zhang Miaoyu.
As they walked, they spotted two servants carrying a heavily wrapped mat, hurrying toward the back courtyard.
The ground was slippery in winter, and one of the servants accidentally slipped. The mat rolled a couple of times, revealing the emaciated corpse of a woman inside. The body was scantily clad, skin stretched tight over bones, and the exposed skin had turned blue.
Her eyes were wide open, unblinking in death.
Li Yao screamed in fright, and Shen Wei quickly raised her cloak to shield Li Yao.
"Forgive us, my lord! We’ll take the body away right now!" The two servants scrambled to their feet, hastily rolling the concubine's body back into the mat and carrying it out through the back door.
Li Yao trembled, tears welling in her eyes. "Auntie, I’m scared..."
Shen Wei comforted her, "Don’t be afraid; let’s go sit in the Huaxiang Courtyard."
Holding Li Yao's hand, Shen Wei cast a sidelong glance at the rolled-up mat, her heart heavy with sighs. This winter was particularly harsh. While Shen Wei had no worries about food or warmth, with a cozy heated room and warm clothing, the lowly concubines in the Wangfu (royal residence) struggled to survive.
The charcoal was rationed, their monthly silver was cut, and they had to weave and embroider in the freezing cold to earn money to survive the winter.
Every year, several neglected concubines froze to death.
Liu Ruyan and the other concubines, even without the Yan Wang's favor, could still live well, their distinct personalities shining through, thanks to their noble backgrounds.
But those without any family background were left helpless, trapped in their small courtyards, relying on the charity of others to survive. When they died, their bodies were tossed away in a mat, with no one to know where they were buried.
Li Yao innocently asked, "Auntie, the concubines living in the southwest courtyard have charcoal in winter too. Why don’t they use it? Did they run out?"
Shen Wei found it difficult to explain the harsh realities of the royal residence to an eight-year-old girl and could only brush it off.
Seeing Shen Wei evade her question, Li Yao secretly resolved to speak to the Wang Fei (Princess) that night, urging her mother to send more charcoal to those concubines so they wouldn’t freeze to death.
...
As night fell, snow began to fall thickly, quickly blanketing the courtyard in white.
Inside, it was warm. The Yan Wang was once again staying at the Liuli Pavilion that night. The two had not yet fallen asleep, cuddled together on the soft couch in the heated room, chatting. On the table lay a plate of plum cakes; the Yan Wang had eaten several pieces upon entering, clearly enjoying their flavor.
His large hand rested on Shen Wei's pregnant belly, feeling the baby’s movements. The Yan Wang chuckled, "The baby is kicking again! Just like me, this one will surely be a mischievous child."
Throughout her pregnancy, Shen Wei had tirelessly sought to make the presence of their child known to the Yan Wang, igniting his paternal instincts.
Day by day, the Yan Wang watched Shen Wei's belly grow, and for the first time, he felt the baby move. He was both amazed and touched; though the child had yet to be born, it felt as if they already shared a soul connection.
The Yan Wang could hardly wait for the child's birth, eager to hold this adorable little one in his arms.
Just as he was savoring the baby’s movements, footsteps approached from outside. Cai Lian hurried into the heated room, calling through the gauzy curtain to the Yan Wang:
"My lord, Xue Mei from Qixue Pavilion has come. She says Liu Cifu has suddenly developed a high fever and fainted. Xue Mei requests your presence."
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