Chapter 232
**Chapter 230: Caring Shen Wei**
Before the Emperor, to dare to lie was to court death.
Cai Ping's head hit the ground heavily, and she could only tell the truth: "Your Majesty, this medicine was requested by Consort Chen. For the past few days, she has been suffering from headaches, palpitations, dizziness, and loss of appetite. This afternoon, she even coughed up blood... The imperial physician checked her pulse and said she has been poisoned."
"She was afraid you would worry, so she kept the poisoning a secret and forbade us from speaking of it."
Li Yuanjing's expression turned icy.
...
Yongning Palace.
Shen Wei was weakly leaning against the favored concubine's couch, her eyes dull and her lips pale. Cai Lian held a bowl of medicine, feeding Shen Wei spoonful by spoonful.
The bitter medicine made Shen Wei frown, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
A gentle breeze rustled outside the courtyard, causing the bronze bell hanging on the palace wall to chime with a clear sound.
Shen Wei perked up her ears to listen to the bell for a moment, knowing that Li Yuanjing had arrived. She deliberately coughed weakly and instructed Cai Lian, "You must not let anyone know about my poisoning. We cannot let the Emperor be distracted by matters of the harem; he has so much on his plate already."
Cai Lian was a good actress, tears streaming down her face as she choked out, "My lady, one of the herbs in the contraceptive medicine was increased in dosage. Clearly, someone is trying to harm you..."
Shen Wei lowered her gaze and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Anyone who can tamper with the imperial physician must have connections to the previous dynasty. The harem is intricately linked to the court; one wrong move can affect everything. If I uncover the mastermind and make a big fuss, it could disrupt the political situation and bring trouble to the Emperor... Never mind, from now on, you will personally supervise the physician when you fetch the medicine, ensuring he doesn't tamper with it."
Cai Lian wiped her tears. "My lady, you always think of the Emperor. You should think of yourself sometimes."
Just as she finished speaking, the beaded curtain of the inner chamber rustled.
The curtain was lifted.
Li Yuanjing walked in with a stern expression.
He had overheard the conversation between the master and servant.
Shen Wei seemed taken aback by the Emperor's sudden arrival, her beautiful eyes flashing with panic. She hurriedly stood up, "Your—Your Majesty..."
Poisoned, Shen Wei's face was exceptionally pale, her vitality seemingly drained.
A sharp pain pierced Li Yuanjing's heart.
He had always known about Shen Wei taking the contraceptive medicine. But he never expected someone would dare to tamper with it.
His Wei Wei, suffering in silence, unwilling to voice her pain.
How could one not feel pity?
How could one not ache?
Shen Wei dismissed Cai Lian, leaving only herself and Li Yuanjing in the spacious room. She took a couple of steps forward, wanting to explain, "Your Majesty, things are not as you think... cough cough..."
In her eagerness to explain, Shen Wei choked and broke into a fit of weak coughs.
Li Yuanjing gently rubbed her back and held her hand as he sat back down on the soft couch. After drinking most of a cup of tea, Shen Wei finally managed to suppress her cough.
She said, "Your Majesty, the servants often exaggerate things. My illness is not serious; I just need to take medicine for a couple of days to recover."
To reassure Li Yuanjing, Shen Wei added, "Your Majesty, there's something I want to tell you. Doctor Mo has infiltrated the imperial hospital. She provided me with a prescription to detoxify and prepared a harmless contraceptive medicine. Doctor Mo is a remarkable woman with exceptional medical skills; I will recover from this minor illness soon."
Shen Wei had no intention of hiding Doctor Mo's identity.
After all, Doctor Mo had previously infiltrated the envoy from the Yue Kingdom and had boldly gone to the imperial hospital; she would surely not escape Li Yuanjing's watchful eyes.
By directly revealing Doctor Mo's identity, Shen Wei aimed to demonstrate her trust in Li Yuanjing, showing that there were no secrets between them.
Moreover, she would likely frequently invite Doctor Mo to Yongning Palace for check-ups. A young physician and a young concubine spending time together would inevitably attract the attention of other concubines in the harem.
In case anyone accused Shen Wei of having an inappropriate relationship with the physician, she would have already disclosed the truth to Li Yuanjing, thus mitigating potential crises.
"I am already aware of Doctor Mo's situation," Li Yuanjing replied.
Shen Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she knew that Doctor Mo's movements could not escape the Emperor's notice.
She tugged at Li Yuanjing's sleeve, gently shaking it, and pleaded, "Doctor Mo has provided a prescription. If I take the medicine daily, I will surely recover—please, do not investigate the person who poisoned me."
Li Yuanjing's dark eyes flashed with coldness.
This matter had crossed his bottom line!
The mastermind behind the poisoning must be uncovered!
Li Yuanjing said, "I will send someone to investigate this matter. Wei Wei, do not plead for the wicked."
Shen Wei opened her mouth, wanting to persuade him, "For the greater good, I can endure some suffering. We cannot let my situation disrupt the political landscape of the previous dynasty."
Her thoughtfulness moved and warmed Li Yuanjing's heart.
He caressed Shen Wei's pale cheek, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Wei Wei, be obedient."
In the end, Shen Wei lowered her head in distress, falling silent, as if she had compromised.
...
As night fell, Yongning Palace was quiet, the moonlight streaming through the window, bathing the chamber in a silvery glow.
After finishing the bitter medicine, Shen Wei's head grew heavy, and she soon fell asleep in Li Yuanjing's embrace.
Perhaps it was due to her thoughts during the day, but Li Yuanjing had a terrifying nightmare that night.
[In the dream, Li Yuanjing had grown gray-haired, and Le You, Cheng Tai, and Cheng You had all grown up.
The night was as dark as ink, and Li Yuanjing wandered through the empty palace, searching for Shen Wei. The flowers in the imperial garden had withered, the waters of Yongning Pool had dried up, and the entire palace felt lifeless.
He searched for a long time but still could not find Shen Wei.
The palace had become his prison.
Le You ran over, "Father, what are you looking for?"
Li Yuanjing looked around in confusion: "Where is your mother? I can't find her..."
Tears fell from Le You's eyes as she choked out, "Father, don't you remember? Mother was poisoned in the palace and has passed away."
Li Yuanjing felt as if struck by lightning, his chest seemed to split open, the pain piercing his very soul.]
Suddenly, Li Yuanjing opened his eyes. The dark canopy of the bed came into view, and the bright moonlight spilled onto it, casting a glaring light.
The images from the dream lingered vividly in his mind, and he could still feel the pain in his chest.
He instinctively glanced toward the edge of the bed.
Shen Wei lay quietly on the couch, her eyes tightly closed, her silky black hair cascading over her shoulders. The moonlight illuminated her face, her skin as pale as snow.
Li Yuanjing froze, his fingers instinctively reaching toward Shen Wei's nose.
A faint breath, warm.
She was still alive.
The heavy stone that had hung over his heart fell to the ground, a wave of relief washing over him. Li Yuanjing opened his arms and pulled Shen Wei tightly into his embrace, his heart pounding like a drum.
Moments later, the breathless Shen Wei struggled awake.
As she opened her eyes, she found herself in Li Yuanjing's arms.
Shen Wei: ...
What is he doing awake in the middle of the night? Is he trying to suffocate me?
Filled with frustration, Shen Wei felt like kicking this bothersome man off the bed. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she feigned confusion and asked, "Your Majesty, what’s wrong?"
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