Chapter 194
**Chapter 192: Shen Wei's Predicament**
The hobbled old woman in the room heard the commotion and limped out.
Seeing Shen Wei blocked at the door by the Yan Wang, the old woman sighed helplessly, “Oh, Concubine, I’ve told you before, the Wangye will be fine. If you rush into the city, it will only distract him.”
Everyone assumed Shen Wei was trying to run out to find the Yan Wang.
The Yan Wang felt a pang in his heart as he grasped Shen Wei's delicate hand, his voice low and steady, “Be good, I will stabilize the situation.”
Shen Wei's nose tinged with bitterness, and tears instantly rolled down her cheeks.
If it weren’t for the thorny rosebush snagging her skirt, perhaps she would have already escaped.
But what ensnared her was more than just the thorns of the roses.
“I understand,” Shen Wei murmured, lowering her head, “The situation is chaotic, and I worry for you, Wangye…”
The Yan Wang stretched out his long arms and pulled Shen Wei into his embrace once more. He inhaled the faint fragrance of her hair, and his previously restless heart suddenly found peace.
The city of Yan Jing was in turmoil, and the Yan Wang felt stretched thin. Yet, for some reason, this morning he had an overwhelming desire to see Shen Wei, a thought that was nearly uncontrollable, prompting him to take the risk and ride over.
He sent Cai Lian, Cai Ping, and others to guard the courtyard, leaving four Tiger Guards stationed outside. He didn’t linger, gazing deeply at Shen Wei, “Wait for me to return.”
He led his men away swiftly.
Shen Wei stood at the door, watching the Yan Wang and his entourage disappear over the horizon. She let out a long sigh, resigned to the unknown fate that awaited her.
Her original life plan had gone awry, but it wasn’t a dead end; she still had time to devise a new plan.
“Twists and turns may hinder lofty ambitions, but as long as one lives, there will be a day to rise.”
Cai Lian and Cai Ping continued to care for Shen Wei with their usual attentiveness.
Cai Ping smiled brightly and reassured Shen Wei, “Don’t worry, my lady. The three young masters are being looked after by the Empress, and the Imperial Guards are heavily protecting them. Nothing will happen.”
After a pause, Cai Ping added enviously, “Wangye treats you so well. With the chaos in Yan Jing, he still came to see you personally. That kind of affection is truly rare.”
Shen Wei smiled but remained silent, her heart calm as still water.
True affection is the least valuable. She couldn’t place her future in a man’s favor, nor did she wish to live by the whims of others.
When love is deep, it naturally cherishes you; but when it fades, it can just as easily destroy you.
Life is long; who can guarantee that the Yan Wang will always love her, Shen Wei?
Relying on others is futile; her future must be carved out by her own efforts.
“Cai Lian, bring me ink, brush, paper, and inkstone.” Shen Wei turned and walked into the room, her gaze catching the flourishing roses in the courtyard. “And cut down all the roses in the yard; they’re an eyesore.”
The Four Treasures of the Study were quickly brought in.
Cai Ping rushed to the small kitchen to prepare a nourishing soup for Shen Wei, while De Shun and Ji Xiang tidied up the room, and the Tiger Guards patrolled outside the courtyard. Shen Wei sat at the pearwood desk, spread out the paper, and began to draft a new survival plan for the court.
Once the Yan Wang ascended the throne, Shen Wei would undoubtedly enter the palace as a consort. But once inside, she would face numerous challenges.
The palace—far broader and more terrifying than the Yan Wang’s residence. With high walls, no one could escape. Men and women trapped within schemed and plotted for power, every corner stained with blood and treachery.
Shen Wei’s mind raced as she began to list the challenges she faced on the rice paper:
First, a large number of new women would enter the palace. These ladies of noble birth would employ all sorts of tactics to vie for favor, potentially stealing the Yan Wang’s heart.
Second, Shen Wei was the most favored in the Wangfu, but once in the palace, she would surely become a target for both newcomers and old rivals.
Third, her three children were young and vulnerable, and Shen Wei’s health had suffered greatly after childbirth, leaving her weak and in pain. Health is the foundation of struggle; without it, how could she compete with others?
Fourth, the Wangfei would become the Empress, the mother of the nation. With the new emperor’s ascension, he would need to maintain stability in the court and a good reputation among the people, which meant he could not neglect the Empress. As the Wangfei gained power, Shen Wei would be the first to be suppressed.
Fifth, with many princes, the competition for the throne would be fierce. Shen Wei needed to find a way for her son to inherit the throne.
The road ahead was fraught with difficulties. Shen Wei gripped her brush; she was not fighting alone, as she had the Empress as an ally.
The Empress suppressed the Wangfei while promoting Shen Wei. This meant the Empress was on Shen Wei’s side, intentionally supporting her.
With the Empress as her ally and the Yan Wang’s love, Shen Wei’s future in the palace wouldn’t be too difficult.
Shen Wei let out a small sigh of relief and began to rethink her new life plan.
She would continue to strive; she would fight!
As the saying goes, “Without struggle, one has nothing; fate is in one’s own hands, and the future is forged through one’s own efforts!”
In the following three months, the Yan Wang did not appear in Shen Wei’s courtyard again. The Great Qing was shrouded in dark clouds, with turmoil brewing, and Yan Jing was enveloped in gloom.
The scorching summer passed, and autumn gave way to winter.
As early winter approached, a new sun slowly rose over the Great Qing.
...
This year, winter arrived early, with biting cold. After the funeral of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, the Ministry of Works sent many craftsmen to begin repairing the damaged buildings and roads in Yan Jing, washing away the bloodstains from the ground.
The rebel faction of the Heng Wang had fled beyond the borders, and the new emperor was about to ascend the throne. Yan Jing was slowly being restored, gradually regaining its former prosperity.
On the cold winter streets, soldiers marched a line of men and women out of the city gates. The winter chill was harsh, and the prisoners were scantily clad, men bearing heavy wooden yokes on their shoulders, women bound in cold iron chains, some with blank expressions, others weeping uncontrollably.
“What’s the background of those being exiled?”
“They’re the rebels from the Zhen Nan Hou residence, colluding with the Heng Wang to cause chaos. All adult men and women are exiled to Ling Nan for hard labor, while the young children are cast into servitude for life.”
The onlookers buzzed with excitement, chattering incessantly. The Heng Wang’s faction had been bloodily purged, with some exiled and others executed.
Shangguan Xuan bore the heavy yoke on his shoulders, his expression numb.
Behind him, the cries of the women echoed. The one crying the hardest was Shangguan Qian, who had been pampered since childhood and never imagined she would face exile.
Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, “Brother, I don’t want to go to Ling Nan, sob sob sob, I’m not even married yet… That wretched Zhao Qing, she’s the one who ruined our Hou residence, sob sob sob…”
Shangguan Xuan remained silent, like a walking corpse.
For the sake of ten thousand taels, he had sent the entire Zhen Nan Hou residence into the abyss. The Heng Wang, knowing the outcome was sealed, had long fled beyond the borders, while the Yan Wang used the Zhen Nan Hou residence as a warning to the court officials.
How had it come to this?
Shangguan Xuan gazed blankly at the gray sky in the distance. If only he hadn’t married Zhao Qing, if he had treated Sun Qingmei a little better, with her substantial dowry as a safety net, he wouldn’t have been tempted by the Heng Wang’s silver.
But he had no room for regret now; the Zhen Nan Hou residence had collapsed, with no hope of rising again.
As for Sun Qingmei… Shangguan Xuan thought disdainfully, she had escaped Yan Jing, seemingly lucky to avoid the fate of exile. But how could a weak woman survive in such a cruel world?
He figured Sun Qingmei wouldn’t fare much better.
...
Meanwhile, Zhao Qing, who had narrowly escaped exile, was now bound with ropes, her body battered, with only two of her slender fingers remaining intact.
Iron-clad guards tied her to a horse’s back as the small troop moved beyond the borders.
As night fell, the group halted.
A bonfire was lit in the wilderness, and the mountains of Nan Chu could be seen in the distance, crows circling in the sky. The guards patrolled the area, remaining vigilant.
Zhao Qing lay by the bonfire, the warmth from the flames dispelling the cold that clung to her. She grasped every moment to warm herself, but as footsteps approached, she trembled and looked up in fear.
Before her stood a pair of embroidered black boots, rising to a flowing red coat billowing in the night breeze, a white jade fan in hand, and black hair cascading over his shoulders. Heng Wang Li Yuanli was known for his love of red; he appeared carefree, yet no one dared underestimate his terrifying presence.
Zhao Qing had learned the terrifying nature of the Heng Wang in recent days; even the fiercest demons would avoid him.
Li Yuanli crouched by the bonfire, a playful smile dancing in his finely sculpted features, his voice seductive, “Is it true that the ‘Tai Hua Zha Ji’ was really burned?”
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