Chapter 262
**Chapter 260: Accumulating Virtue**
Shen Wei arrived at Kun Ning Palace in a grand procession, riding in a palanquin. The once-glorious palace now seemed to have lost its luster; the leaves of the phoenix trees at the entrance were turning yellow, possibly infested by pests.
Shen Wei stepped down from the palanquin.
The palace maids and eunuchs stationed at Kun Ning Palace hurried out to greet her. Cai Lian and Cai Ping followed closely behind, carrying supplements and medicinal herbs as they entered the palace with Shen Wei.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, a strong, pungent scent of incense wafted over, hitting them like a wall. The aroma was so overwhelming that it made Shen Wei feel lightheaded, prompting her to cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
“Where is the Empress?” Cai Lian asked one of the palace maids.
The maid, trembling with fear, replied, “In the side hall, praying.”
Shen Wei made her way toward the side hall.
In broad daylight, the side hall was dimly lit. The compassionate statue of the Bodhisattva flickered in and out of view amidst the smoke of incense, while the Empress knelt on a mat, murmuring prayers.
Hearing the commotion at the door, the Empress assumed it was a palace maid and snapped, “How many times must I say it? I am not to be disturbed while praying!”
The entrance remained silent.
Then, a voice she both recognized and loathed rang out, crisp and languid: “Your Majesty, how do you do?”
The Empress jolted, her Buddhist scriptures slipping from her hands and falling to the ground. She turned in shock to see Shen Wei standing at the door.
The dim light inside the hall contrasted sharply with the bright sunlight streaming in, creating a play of light and shadow. The Empress knelt in the dark, while Shen Wei stood in the light, the incense in the altar burning slowly.
Shen Wei smiled, “It’s been a while since we last met. You seem to have lost weight, Your Majesty. You should take better care of yourself. Remember to take the medicine the Imperial Hospital sent you on time.”
The surrounding air was thick with tension. Shen Wei’s bright smile felt to the Empress like a ghost emerging from hell.
The Empress glared at Shen Wei’s face with a fierce intensity.
Over the years, Shen Wei had not changed at all; she remained ambitious and ruthless.
“What do you want? To come and gloat over my misfortune? It’s all your doing that has brought me to this state!” The Empress struggled to her feet, her legs numb from kneeling for so long. She looked quite disheveled, and none of the palace maids dared to come near her.
Shen Wei raised an eyebrow, “Your Majesty, you’re mistaken. It was you who poisoned me and plotted against the Empress Dowager. You’re merely reaping what you’ve sown.”
Shen Wei had only added fuel to the fire, trapping the Empress in Kun Ning Palace.
The Empress gritted her teeth, wishing she could pounce on Shen Wei and tear her face apart. She spat, “What, are you here to show off? Your son has been taught by Yang Xuanji, and you think you can flaunt that to me?”
Shen Wei shook her head silently.
She wasn’t here to show off; she was here to accumulate virtue in the eyes of others.
If Shen Wei wanted to establish a reputation for being virtuous, “caring for the Empress” was a great way to do it.
“Your Majesty, I’m truly worried about your health, so I’ve brought you some nourishing herbs,” Shen Wei said slowly. “From now on, I’ll have the Imperial Physician come to check your pulse every two days. It’s hot in summer, and it must be stifling for you to be alone in Kun Ning Palace. I’ll personally bring you a cool mat and ceramic pillow in a few days.”
The Empress was left speechless.
Behind Shen Wei, Cai Lian, Cai Ping, and two young eunuchs had already brought in the items.
There were precious deer antlers, cool fabrics for the summer, and calming herbal soups. Shen Wei smiled brightly, “As the weather warms up and the incense hall becomes stuffy, you should really rest in bed, Your Majesty.”
The Empress was filled with suspicion, unable to comprehend Shen Wei’s intentions. Coldly, she said, “I don’t want to see you. Take these things away! I don’t need them!”
Shen Wei raised her brows, “I’m only thinking of your health.”
The Empress was seething with anger.
Shen Wei didn’t press the issue of the Empress resting. Instead, she stepped back outside, where the two young eunuchs had brought a rattan chair. The sun shone brightly, casting a patch of shade beneath the phoenix tree.
Shen Wei leisurely sat in the rattan chair, taking the account book from Cai Lian and flipping through it slowly.
She treated Kun Ning Palace as if it were her own home.
The Empress stood dazed at the entrance of the incense hall, watching Shen Wei’s relaxed demeanor, utterly bewildered.
An hour later, Shen Wei finally stood up and slowly left Kun Ning Palace. The precious herbs she had brought for the Empress were mostly taken back by Cai Lian and Cai Ping, leaving the rest for the Empress.
“I don’t need your worthless things! Take them away!” the Empress snapped, her teeth clenched in anger.
Shen Wei glanced at the fabrics and herbs, generously saying, “If you don’t want them, I’ll just give them to the palace servants who attend to you.”
Cai Lian and Cai Ping quickly distributed the remaining items among the palace maids and eunuchs of Kun Ning Palace.
Everyone bowed repeatedly, expressing their gratitude.
What the masters casually tossed aside was a luxury for the ordinary palace maids and eunuchs.
After accumulating her virtue, Shen Wei turned and walked out of Kun Ning Palace. As soon as she stepped outside, her expression shifted to one of deep concern, her mind heavy as she returned to Yong Ning Palace.
In the following days, Shen Wei visited Kun Ning Palace every other day for an hour.
Soon, the entire harem knew that Consort Shen was deeply concerned for the sick Empress, attending to her every need. But the Empress remained ungrateful, often responding with harsh words, while Consort Shen, undeterred by past grievances, continued to visit Kun Ning Palace to deliver soup and medicine.
One night, the candles flickered brightly in the sleeping quarters of Yong Ning Palace.
Li Yuanjing, having heard that Shen Wei frequently visited Kun Ning Palace, was puzzled and pulled her aside to ask, “Why do you keep visiting her when I have placed the Empress under house arrest?”
The Empress was unpredictable, and Li Yuanjing planned to depose her soon, along with uprooting the entire Dan Tai family.
Shen Wei rested her head on a soft pillow, her fingers playing with a strand of Li Yuanjing’s hair, and did not hide her intentions: “I’m just putting on a show.”
Li Yuanjing’s tone rose in curiosity, “A show?”
Shen Wei tugged at the end of his hair, pouring out her thoughts like beans spilling from a bag: “Recently, there have been rumors in the palace that Cheng Tai has made Yang Xuanji ill, and some have criticized me for lacking virtue and failing to raise my child properly. I thought, if I could appear a bit more virtuous, people outside wouldn’t gossip about Cheng Tai and you.”
“I visit the Empress every other day to showcase my virtue as a consort. But don’t worry, Your Majesty, I only sit in the courtyard of Kun Ning Palace for a while and don’t disturb her prayers—this tactic is called ‘crossing the sea under cover of darkness’ in the thirty-six stratagems. You taught me this strategy before.”
Li Yuanjing was momentarily speechless.
He recalled a time when he enjoyed teaching Shen Wei to read and even studied military strategy with her.
He hadn’t expected Shen Wei to apply what she had learned.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Wei glanced at Li Yuanjing, her cheeks flushing: “Your Majesty, do you think I’m being hypocritical and malicious? I can’t help it; the Empress poisoned me, and I can’t genuinely care for her.”
She laid bare her little schemes without reservation to Li Yuanjing.
Sincerity had always been a powerful weapon.
Li Yuanjing’s lips curled into a smile as he wrapped his arm around Shen Wei’s slender waist: “All you need to do is be sincere with me.”
Table of Contents
