Chapter 203
**Chapter 201: Diminishing Affection**
...
Leaving the study, Shen Wei returned to her bedroom, ready to continue her exercise routine.
After three years of careful nurturing, her body, which had suffered from the toll of childbirth, had fully recovered. With her beauty regimen in place, her skin was also in good condition. Indeed, when a woman isn’t burdened with children or overtime work, and enjoys good food, sleep, and leisure, her health tends to flourish.
She felt great—ready to return to the palace.
With the court stable, Li Yuanjing had not taken any new consorts. The harem of the Kingdom of Qing was calm, with Lu Xuan still favored, though her prominence had waned compared to previous years. The other concubines received little attention, giving the harem a somewhat lifeless atmosphere.
The Empress and Lu Xuan seemed to share the power equally, managing the harem together. There were subtle rivalries, but overall, it was not as intense as in the past two years.
It felt a bit like the once-stagnant Wang residence of Yan.
Shen Wei believed that Li Yuanjing would soon summon her back to the palace; he just needed a suitable reason. The fifth day of the fifth month was the Empress Dowager’s birthday, as well as that of his two sons. Li Yuanjing might use this occasion to bring both the Dowager and Shen Wei back to the palace.
...
Shen Wei’s guess was correct.
Li Yuanjing was contemplating issuing an edict, intending to use the reason of “inviting the Empress Dowager back to celebrate her birthday” to bring both her and Shen Wei back to the palace.
Now that the internal and external troubles of the Kingdom of Qing had been resolved, the ninth prince of the State of Yue, Tuoba Hongchuan, had ascended the throne and sent envoys to Yanjing, preparing to sign a peace treaty to end hostilities between the two nations. The envoys from Yue were being escorted back to the capital by General Shen Mieyue.
“Weiwei,” Li Yuanjing stood by the window of Chang’an Palace, gazing at the vibrant spring scenery outside.
Clusters of roses bloomed abundantly, swaying gracefully in the spring breeze.
Three years had passed, flowers had bloomed and withered through the seasons.
During these three years, the harem was filled with beauties, each woman vying for favor and love. Through their murky eyes, Li Yuanjing could always see ambitious souls lurking beneath.
Though beautiful, these women were tainted by the grime of the world. Each girl, as lovely as jade, eventually faded into obscurity, becoming just another ordinary concubine in the harem.
If there was one concubine who had a bit of substance, it was Lu Xuan. When she first entered the palace, she was full of innocence, reminiscent of Shen Wei. But ever since Lu Xuan gave birth to a prince, even though she concealed it well, Li Yuanjing could still detect her ambition and schemes, discovering that she was secretly selling positions to her family members.
These women entered the palace, each carrying the weight of family interests, each hoping to cling to the emperor for benefits.
Only Shen Wei was different. Throughout the three years, every letter she sent home was filled with care and affection.
Shen Wei never mentioned her brother, who was seeking an official position, nor did she ask the emperor to promote him. In her world, there was only Li Yuanjing and their child.
The eunuch Deshun approached respectfully to report, “Your Majesty, General Shen has sent word that the Yue envoy he is escorting is nearing Jiangnan. They are expected to arrive in Yanjing in about half a month.”
Li Yuanjing pondered for a moment and instructed, “Have the Jiangnan magistrate, Shen Xiuming, receive the envoy.”
Shen Xiuming was Shen Wei’s younger brother, demoted to the south three years ago to guard a granary. Due to his outstanding performance, he had been promoted to a sixth-rank magistrate in Jiangnan last year.
Having Shen Xiuming receive the envoy would count as a “meritorious service in receiving envoys,” allowing Li Yuanjing to help him return to Yanjing for an official position.
Shen Wei was pragmatic and never used the emperor’s favor to seek advancement for her brother; Li Yuanjing planned to assist him discreetly.
“I’ll take care of it right away,” Deshun said, bowing his head as he left to carry out the emperor’s orders.
After Deshun left, Li Yuanjing gazed for a while at the flourishing roses before returning to Chang’an Palace to continue reviewing memorials.
In the gilded bronze incense burner within the hall, fragrant and elegant incense was burning. This incense had been secretly sent by Shen Wei, its delicate aroma soothing fatigue.
Three years had passed, and even though they hadn’t seen each other, Shen Wei’s presence was felt everywhere.
“Your Majesty, Consort Shu has arrived,” a eunuch reported, head bowed as he entered the palace.
Li Yuanjing frowned, a flicker of displeasure crossing his eyes. “Let her in.”
Moments later, the graceful Lu Xuan entered Chang’an Palace. She had dressed meticulously today, her hair styled in a beautiful Lingxu bun, wearing a light green palace gown that accentuated her elegance.
She knelt to pay her respects, smiling brightly, “As spring grows warmer, I personally made a lotus seed and white fungus soup for you, Your Majesty.”
Li Yuanjing raised his hand, signaling for the eunuch beside him to bring the soup to the table, but he did not drink it immediately, nor did he engage in further conversation with Lu Xuan.
A hint of disappointment and sadness flickered in Lu Xuan’s eyes as she knelt again and said, “I take my leave.”
When Lu Xuan first entered the palace, she carried the hopes of her family. Upon meeting the emperor, she couldn’t help but feel a stir in her heart; he was handsome, dignified, diligent in governance, and loved his people—a rare and exceptional ruler, as well as a rare husband.
With high aspirations, Lu Xuan believed she would surely win the emperor’s affection.
She was beautiful and talented, superior to all the other women in the harem. Li Yuanjing would undoubtedly fall for her charms.
In fact, during her first year in the palace, Lu Xuan did receive the most favor from the emperor. In those days of intense emotion, she would prepare ink and incense for him, and they would enjoy moonlit poetry together.
That year was as beautiful as a dream, and they seemed like a loving couple, with Lu Xuan gradually becoming enamored.
But two years passed, and even the strongest feelings began to fade.
Lu Xuan clearly sensed the emperor’s affection for her diminishing little by little.
She simply couldn’t understand. Wasn’t she beautiful? Wasn’t she gentle? She possessed all the admirable qualities of a woman—graceful, virtuous, talented, and beautiful—yet the emperor’s feelings for her continued to wane.
No matter how hard she tried to remedy the situation, she could only watch helplessly as the emperor’s heart drifted away.
Walking in the imperial garden, gazing at the blooming roses by the wall, Lu Xuan sighed deeply, “The emperor truly is heartless...”
Xiao Qin patiently comforted her, “My lady, which woman in the harem hasn’t walked this path? The emperor stays with you four or five times a month; you are already the most favored consort in the harem.”
The emperor was never one to be captivated by beauty.
In the three years since his ascension, he had favored numerous consorts one after another.
When Lu Xuan entered the palace, she was wary of the other favored consorts and secretly plotted against them. But later, she realized that there was no need for her to act; these newcomers were all fleeting.
The emperor quickly lost interest in them.
The once-favored Xie family’s Xie Fanglan had now been demoted to Lan Pin, and the emperor visited her less than five times a year.
Currently, only Lu Xuan was the luckiest, receiving the most attention and affection from the emperor in the cold and desolate harem.
“True, I should be grateful. The emperor has the world on his mind and won’t be held back by a woman.” Lu Xuan closed her eyes tightly, trying to shield her heartache.
An emperor is heartless; one cannot expect love from him. When Lu Xuan first entered the palace, she looked down on Liu Ruyan and Zhang Miaoyu, thinking they were aimless and wasting their time.
Now, reflecting back, she realized that Zhang Miaoyu and Liu Ruyan were not wasting their time; they were simply living with clarity.
Lu Xuan thought she shouldn’t focus her thoughts on the emperor. She had a lively and healthy son, and he was what mattered most.
For the sake of her child and her family, she had to find a way to pave the way for her son to inherit the throne.
In her mind, Lu Xuan calculated that the only threat to her son was the Empress’s son, Li Chengzhen. The other sons of the concubines were timid and ignorant, posing no real threat.
Years ago, Lu Xuan had secretly plotted to eliminate the Empress’s eldest son, Li Chengke. The Empress was on high alert, and Lu Xuan had failed to act against her younger son.
But as long as the Empress remained, Lu Xuan had to find a way to defeat her and ascend to the Empress’s throne.
With heavy thoughts, Lu Xuan, accompanied by her personal maid, prepared to bypass the imperial garden and return to the palace. As she walked, a small child suddenly dashed toward her, colliding with her.
The little boy was thin and small, lifting his head to see the elegantly dressed Lu Xuan, as if he had seen a ghost. He was so frightened that he burst into tears, crying out for help, “Mother, waah...”
Lu Xuan’s brow twitched slightly as she recognized the little boy before her. He was the son of Qiao Pin, the seventh prince, Li Chengxun.
Hearing the cries, Liu Qiao hurriedly rushed over from the imperial garden. Upon seeing her son collide with the blooming Lu Xuan, her face turned pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Table of Contents
