Chapter 213
**Chapter 211: Archery**
Deshun had left.
The palace maids in Shen Wei's courtyard began to bustle about, continuing to trim the flowers, grass, and trees in the garden.
The spring sun was warm and pleasant. Shen Wei instructed the maids to move the benches and tables to the backyard. She sat at the table, flipping through the account books sent by the merchants of Yanjing. Her business was thriving, nearing saturation, and there was no more money to be made.
She needed to find a way to open up new markets.
Shen Wei stroked her chin, her thoughts drifting to the royal family—earning money from the royals, becoming a royal merchant.
To make money from the royals, she needed to establish internal channels. Gripping her brush, she murmured, “I need to find a way to gain access to the management of the inner palace…”
If she could obtain the authority of the steward, it would be easy to create a pathway, turning her shop in Yanjing into a “royal exclusive.”
In the current harem of the Qing Kingdom, the Empress and the Shufei shared power equally, jointly managing the inner palace. Shen Wei had to start plotting, step by step, to wrest power from the Empress and the Shufei.
Cai Ping approached with tea, informing Shen Wei, “My lady, Princess Leyou was pushed down by Lan Pin, and the Empress Dowager punished Lan Pin to kneel for two hours.”
Shen Wei paused, her grip on the brush tightening. “Did Leyou get hurt?”
Cai Ping shook her head. “No harm done. But Lan Pin is truly arrogant.”
Shen Wei lowered her gaze. In this harem, the more arrogant one was, the easier it was to bring about their own downfall.
For Leyou, this incident could serve as a lesson, ringing an alarm in her heart.
Shen Wei had always felt that Leyou was too kind and naive. In the royal family, a kind and naive child was like a flower in a greenhouse. If one day they lost the shelter of the greenhouse, the flower could easily wither.
Letting Leyou experience the cruelty of human nature was also a form of growth.
“My lady, Princess Leyou and the two little princes have arrived,” Cai Lian announced.
Shen Wei immediately set down her brush and instructed Cai Ping to take the account books away. Not far off, three children were joyfully running toward Shen Wei.
“Mother!”
In the leisurely afternoon, Leyou had come to Yongning Palace with her two younger brothers. After running around the palace a few times to familiarize themselves with the surroundings, the three children went to the waterside to catch fish.
After a while, Cai Lian returned with news that Li Yao had come.
Shen Wei hadn’t seen Li Yao in three years, but during that time, she had written letters and sent little trinkets that a girl would like, maintaining their bond.
“Greetings, Princess Chen,” Li Yao said, appearing demurely and respectfully.
Shen Wei took a closer look. The once slender and obedient little girl had grown taller, her face fair and beautiful, and her every gesture exuded the grace of a grand princess.
Shen Wei smiled warmly and embraced her, saying, “Yao’er, you’ve grown taller! Let me take a good look at you.”
Li Yao’s cheeks flushed.
Shen Wei’s embrace was as warm as ever. In these three years, although Li Yao was nominally a grand princess, she had never been valued by the Empress and had not been embraced by anyone.
Occasionally, when Yu Fei remembered her, she would send someone to invite her to play.
The deep palace was cold and lonely; her father was busy with state affairs, and the Empress did not care for her. Li Yao often felt isolated. Only Shen Wei’s letters and beautiful little dolls became her only warmth on cold nights.
“Your dress seems a bit worn,” Shen Wei remarked, touching the spring garment Li Yao wore, the fabric old and somewhat rough.
Li Yao didn’t want to worry Shen Wei, so she replied, “Yao’er likes this dress, so I’ve kept wearing it—Princess Chen, I also brought two friends with me.”
As she spoke, Li Yao stepped aside.
At the entrance of Yongning Palace, two little girls cautiously peeked in, curiously looking around.
One was Li Nanzhi, dressed in a snow-white gown, the daughter of Mei Fei Liu Ruyan; the other was Li Wan’er, the daughter of the late Crown Prince.
Shen Wei glanced at Li Wan’er’s attire and frowned slightly. Not only Li Yao, but Li Wan’er’s clothes were also old. Both Li Yao and Li Wan’er lived in Baozhu Hall, nominally under the care of the Empress.
Clearly, the Empress was not attentive to Li Yao and Li Wan’er.
Shen Wei displayed a gentle smile. “Come in, don’t be shy. Treat Yongning Palace as your own home.”
The little princesses curiously stepped inside.
Leyou, who had been catching fish by the waterside, heard the commotion and ran over with her chubby little legs, her big, beautiful eyes gazing at her three older sisters.
Leyou had previously lived on Donghua Mountain, with only her two younger brothers by her side, and had never met any other sisters.
She felt a surge of curiosity and warmth, cheerfully saying, “Hello, sisters! Do you want to catch fish with Leyou? It’s so much fun!”
The three little princesses: ...
Half an hour later, Leyou and her three sisters were having a blast by the pond, their laughter ringing like silver bells. Although they called it catching fish, the palace maids had already placed a dozen fish in a shallow wooden basin. The princesses used small nets to scoop the fish from the basin.
The maids stood nearby, carefully watching to prevent any accidents.
Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou, seeing their four sisters having fun, decided not to interrupt and ran to find Shen Wei.
Li Chengyou, with sharp eyes, spotted the newly erected archery target in the backyard. Their gentle mother was drawing a bow and aiming at the target—
With a thud, the arrow predictably veered off course.
“Mother, your archery skills are really lacking,” the two sons sighed, shaking their heads.
Shen Wei set down the wooden bow, playfully poking her son’s forehead. “Practicing archery is for fitness, not for aiming.”
Drawing the bow and releasing the arrow exercises the shoulders and arms, enhances posture, and helps shape a perfect back curve, improving one’s overall demeanor.
Previously, while recuperating on Donghua Mountain, Shen Wei had started practicing archery, but her efforts were half-hearted, and her skills had not improved.
However, Shen Wei wasn’t in a hurry to enhance her archery skills; she knew that once she returned to the palace, someone would come to teach her.
Feeling inspired, Shen Wei asked Cai Ping to bring two child-sized bows and arrows. With enthusiasm, she declared, “Since we have some free time, let’s practice archery! The princes of Da Qing must be proficient in riding and archery!”
The two sons: ...
...
In the afternoon, after finishing his governmental duties, Li Yuanjing hurried to Yongning Palace, eager to see Shen Wei.
He had given her the title “Chen.”
As the stars shifted, only the Chen star remained steadfast. The world was ever-changing, but Shen Wei had always been by his side, like the Ziwei star in the sky.
Li Yuanjing stopped the eunuchs from announcing his arrival and walked directly into Yongning Palace. The atmosphere inside was lively and vibrant; eunuchs were trimming flowers in the courtyard, palace maids were sweeping, and over by the waterside, four little girls were catching fish.
Li Yuanjing gasped. His princesses were actually catching fish!
It was utterly absurd!
His princesses, born of noble blood, should not be doing such menial work!
Perhaps Li Yuanjing’s imposing presence affected the four little girls by the waterside. Li Yao lowered her head silently, Li Nanzhi nervously clutched her fish net, and Li Wan’er appeared anxious.
Only Leyou, upon seeing her father in his dark brocade robe, ran over excitedly, her chubby face beaming with joy. “Father, Leyou and the sisters caught so many fish! Tonight, we’ll make fish soup for you!”
Her voice was sweet and soft, her eyes bright and clear, filled with admiration and affection for her father.
Li Yuanjing: ...
Ah, my daughter is so thoughtful.
Catching fish is just catching fish; she’s still young, and as long as she’s happy, that’s what matters.
Li Yuanjing patted his daughter’s head and said, “I’ve punished Lan Pin by withholding her salary for a year. If anyone bullies you again, remember to tell your father.”
Leyou’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Thank you, Father.”
Li Yuanjing couldn’t hide his pride.
Leyou was still thinking about the fish they hadn’t finished catching. After chatting with her father for a moment, she hurried back.
Li Yuanjing watched his daughter’s retreating figure, a smile playing on his lips.
He asked the palace maid, “Where is Princess Chen?”
The maid replied, “She’s in the backyard teaching the two little princes archery.”
Li Yuanjing was puzzled. When did his Weiwei learn archery? He strode toward the backyard.
From a distance, he saw Shen Wei standing outside the archery target, her figure slender as a willow, her green sleeves rolled up with one arm, holding a small wooden bow.
The bronze bell on the eaves swayed in the wind, and Shen Wei, feeling the emperor’s presence, pretended not to notice. She called out to her two sons, “Come, let Mother show you a demonstration. Pay close attention; you must learn the essence of it.”
Shen Wei drew the bow, and the small wooden arrow shot out with a whoosh.
With a thud, the arrow veered off into the distance.
Shen Wei cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “That doesn’t count; the spring wind is strong. Mother will try again, so you two watch closely.”
Not far away, Li Yuanjing’s eyelids twitched. With such poor archery skills, how could she have the nerve to teach their sons?
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