Chapter 202
**Chapter 200: Turmoil in the Harem**
...
At Donghua Mountain, the royal retreat where the Empress Dowager recuperates.
In the sweltering summer, the lotus flowers in the pond bloom vibrantly, their emerald leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Shen Wei relaxes in a pavilion by the lotus pond, her face adorned with a specially crafted whitening mask, her eyes comfortably squinted in delight.
“Your Highness,” Cai Lian rushes into the pavilion.
Shen Wei lifts her eyelids slightly. “What is it?”
Cai Lian lowers her voice. “The daughter of Duke Lu, Lu Xuan, was diagnosed as pregnant a few days ago and has been granted the title of Xuan Pin. Consort Lan has suffered a miscarriage and is in poor health; the imperial physician says it will be difficult for her to conceive again.”
Shen Wei raises her brows slightly.
As soon as Lu Xuan entered the palace, she was granted the title of a noblewoman. With her beauty and literary talent, she quickly won the Emperor's favor, gradually overshadowing Xie Fanglan from the Xie family.
Now that Lu Xuan is confirmed pregnant and has been elevated to the rank of Pin, the Emperor dotes on her, showing her affection that rivals that of Consort Lan in her prime.
Cai Lian continues, “Lu Xuan is practically another Mei Fei; her beauty is on par with Mei Fei’s, her talents are comparable, and her personality is much warmer. The Emperor is quite taken with her.”
Mei Fei refers to Liu Ruyan.
During her time in the palace, Liu Ruyan was already a side consort and had given birth to a daughter, Li Nanzhi. Later, when the new Emperor ascended, Liu Ruyan was granted the title of Mei Fei.
Though Liu Ruyan's favor was not overwhelming, her cool demeanor and lack of desire for competition meant she had no enemies in the palace. In fact, the newcomers did not see her as a rival.
Cai Lian is worried. “Your Highness, should we think of a way to return to the palace? If Lu Xuan becomes the favored one, what if the Emperor forgets about your past with him...”
Men are fickle. With a stunning beauty like Lu Xuan constantly in front of him, how could he remain unaffected?
Cai Lian is anxious, fearing that with time, the Emperor might forget Shen Wei and their children at Donghua Mountain.
Shen Wei gently shakes her head, her gaze drifting toward the lush lotus pond in the distance. “No rush, let’s wait a bit longer.”
Lu Xuan is indeed beautiful and talented, a formidable opponent, but she is merely a “copy” of Liu Ruyan.
Shen Wei understands Li Yuanjing; this man craves novelty. No matter how beautiful a woman is, he will eventually tire of her if they spend too much time together.
Lu Xuan is flawless, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but it is precisely her perfection that may lead to disinterest.
Li Yuanjing enjoys the process of nurturing a woman from a blank slate into a well-rounded individual.
...
Time flows, and a year passes in the blink of an eye. Shen Wei has been at Donghua Mountain for two years now. Le You has started climbing trees to look for bird eggs, and her two sons have learned to run around energetically.
The Empress Dowager is the happiest.
Her three beloved grandsons surround her daily, each calling her “Imperial Grandmother,” making her heart swell with joy, wishing to give them the best of everything in the world.
In the retreat, Shen Wei finishes her workout, wipes the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, and flips through the account books sent by the merchants of Yanjing.
Cai Lian rushes in with news from the palace. “Your Highness, something big has happened in the palace!”
Shen Wei pauses her reading, her tone calm. “What is it? Has Lu Xuan been promoted to Guifei?”
The Lu family is a century-old noble house, though it has been declining. Duke Lu has no sons, only two daughters. A few months ago, Lu Xuan gave birth to a son, and the Emperor granted her the title of Shufei, bringing glory to the Lu family.
The Emperor, busy with state affairs, does not summon his consorts often, but he has shown considerable favor to Lu Xuan, spending five or six nights a month in her palace.
Staying five or six nights is considered a mark of great favor in the harem.
“Shufei has not been promoted,” Cai Lian’s expression is grave. “The Crown Prince has passed away, and the Emperor is furious, punishing the Empress to kneel at the royal ancestral hall. Shufei is temporarily managing the affairs of the harem.”
Shen Wei is taken aback. “The Crown Prince has passed away?”
The current Emperor has many offspring, including those who have died young, totaling ten princes.
The Empress gave birth to the Crown Prince Chengke and the Second Prince Chengzhen, while the concubines in the palace bore four boys, Liu Qiao’er had the Seventh Prince, and Shen Wei had the Eighth and Ninth Princes, while Shufei Lu Xuan had the Tenth Prince.
Who would have thought that the Crown Prince, Li Chengke, would die?
Cai Lian explains, “It is said that the Crown Prince stayed up late studying for several days and fainted at his desk in the middle of the night. When the old nurse came to check on him, his face was dark and he had already lost his breath. The Emperor was enraged and punished the Empress.”
The Empress has always been strict with her two sons, forcing them to study daily, and this incident has become known throughout the harem.
The imperial physicians diagnosed that the Crown Prince died from “excessive fatigue,” leading to a cerebral hemorrhage.
In other words, it was a sudden death.
Shen Wei squints, lost in thought. “A child in his early teens dying suddenly... that’s quite strange.”
Was it an accident? Or was it intentional?
After the Crown Prince’s sudden death, the Empress was punished and lost her authority over the six palaces. From any perspective, the one who benefits the most is Shufei Lu Xuan.
This Lu Xuan is truly extraordinary.
Shen Wei has a premonition that when she returns to the palace, Lu Xuan will be a formidable opponent.
...
As flowers bloom and wither, another year has passed.
The mountains are once again adorned with blossoms, and spring has returned to Donghua Mountain. Shen Wei has now spent three years at the retreat.
The peach blossoms on the branches bloom a vibrant red, and butterflies flit among the flowers.
“Chengtai, Chengyou, let’s go catch butterflies together!” Le You, dressed in a pink palace dress, holds a glass jar containing two struggling butterflies.
Le You runs into the house to find her two younger brothers.
The study is spacious and bright. Le You rushes in and sees her two brothers, Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou.
Though they are twins, they do not look alike. The elder brother, Li Chengtai, resembles their father, while the younger brother, Li Chengyou, takes after their mother.
“What are you two doing?” Le You asks curiously as she approaches.
Li Chengyou, holding a brush, has ink smudges on his fair face. He answers in a babyish voice, “Brother is teaching me how to write.”
Li Chengtai, dissatisfied, retorts, “You can’t even write your own name. How silly.”
Li Chengyou tosses the brush aside and jumps off the desk like a monkey. “I’m not writing anymore! I want to go catch butterflies with Sister!”
Li Chengyou grabs Le You’s chubby hand, and the two little legs run swiftly, darting out of the study. The siblings chase butterflies in the garden, their joyful laughter ringing like silver bells.
In the study, the three-year-old Li Chengtai bites his lip, a serious expression crossing his chubby face.
He watches his sister and brother running around in the yard, sighing like a little adult. “They’re all so silly.”
Their father hasn’t shown his face in three years; perhaps he has forgotten about their mother and the three of them. But his sister and brother remain oblivious, still holding onto hope for their father.
Li Chengtai looks up again, gazing at the portrait of their father on the wall of the study.
In the painting, Emperor Qing Li Yuanjing has sharp features and a commanding presence, resembling a majestic tiger.
Li Chengtai tilts his little head, staring at the image of his father, like a young wolf in a pack, sizing up the legendary old wolf king.
“Chengtai, have some cloud cakes first. You’re still young; don’t stay cooped up in the study all day. You need to get out more,” Shen Wei’s gentle voice calls out.
Li Chengtai turns around to see his mother, still as graceful as ever.
Shen Wei places the cloud cakes on the desk and glances at the xuan paper covered in uneven, crooked characters.
It’s all written by her eldest son.
Le You and Li Chengyou, playing in the yard, hear the commotion and rush into the room, first greeting Shen Wei respectfully before grabbing the cloud cakes and dashing back out to chase butterflies in the garden.
Seeing that her eldest son hasn’t taken any cloud cakes, Shen Wei can’t help but poke his chubby cheek. “Why aren’t you eating? Don’t you like them?”
Li Chengtai purses his lips, his voice muffled as he asks Shen Wei, “Mother... is Father not coming to take us home?”
Shen Wei feigns ignorance. “Your father is very busy.”
Li Chengtai grows more anxious. “Has Father forgotten about us...?”
Shen Wei reassures him, “No, don’t think like that.”
Every two months, Shen Wei writes to Li Yuanjing in the palace. He almost always replies, though the letters are brief, the emotions conveyed are genuine.
In fact, in the past year, Li Yuanjing has been responding even more frequently.
Li Chengtai tugs at Shen Wei’s sleeve, worry etched on his face. “Mother, what if Father doesn’t want us anymore?”
Shen Wei pats Li Chengtai’s little head, comforting him. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Your father is just very busy. Once he’s done, he will come to take us back to the palace.”
Li Chengtai lowers his head, nodding gloomily.
Shen Wei still has yoga practice to attend, giving her son’s small shoulder a gentle pat before slowly walking away.
Before leaving, Shen Wei discreetly pulls a richly illustrated book titled *Zha Mei An* from her sleeve and quickly slips it onto the bookshelf.
*Zha Mei An* tells the story of a man named Chen Shimei, who abandons his wife and children in pursuit of wealth and fame. He is a quintessential heartless scoundrel.
Li Chengtai, not yet well-versed in reading, particularly enjoys illustrated storybooks.
As she leaves the study, Shen Wei glances back at her son by the desk, slowly lifting the corners of her lips.
Royal children cannot be too naive. A sense of crisis must be instilled from a young age.
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