Chapter 284
**Chapter 282: Not Abandoning the Empress**
Shen Wei smiled, affectionately wrapping her arms around Li Yuanjing's neck, speaking with confidence, "With the Emperor here, what do I need to worry about?"
Her words were filled with reliance and trust in Li Yuanjing. A warm feeling spread through his heart. His Weiwei always depended on him like this.
After a while, Li Yao returned from the side hall. Li Yuanjing told her that he would not depose the Empress and would spare her life.
Joy instantly lit up Li Yao's pale face, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Thank you, Father," she said.
Li Yao had lost quite a bit of weight recently; her cheeks were almost gaunt. Li Yuanjing beckoned her closer, and upon a closer look, he noticed her pale complexion and swollen eyes.
Clearly, she had been crying for a long time.
Li Yuanjing comforted her, "Go back and eat well. No more crying from now on."
His tone was rarely so tender.
Li Yao vaguely felt that, in her father's heart, there was still a place for her, his biological daughter. It was for her sake that he decided not to depose the Empress, to spare her from sadness.
Not lingering too long in Chang'an Palace, Shen Wei took Li Yao away.
Li Yao's mood had evidently improved; she held Shen Wei's hand and sincerely said, "Your Highness, you are truly wonderful."
Shen Wei paused in her steps.
Tilting her head, Shen Wei softly replied, "I can help you this once, but that doesn’t mean I can solve your troubles every time."
Li Yao froze in place, her smile faltering.
The autumn wind blew, and the strands of hair at Li Yao's temples danced in the breeze. She looked at Shen Wei with a hint of guilt, lowering her head awkwardly.
Shen Wei understood the little girl's thoughts all too well. She said, "You starve yourself and rely on tears to gain my and the Emperor's sympathy. But Yao'er, seeking pity from others is the lowest form of strategy."
A princess raised in a golden nest often possesses a certain naivety, believing that tears can buy her everything she desires.
Li Yao was still young; adults would lend a hand, making concessions because of her age.
But once she married in the future, she would face many life challenges on her own. At that time, tears would not solve problems, and seeking others' pity would be futile.
A teenage girl crying helplessly in a room might evoke sympathy from the world, prompting others to help her; but a woman in her thirties, crying helplessly in a room, would only be seen as useless, a waste of life.
Shen Wei asked, "Do you know why the Empress is despised?"
Li Yao opened her mouth to answer, "Because Mother made many mistakes."
Shen Wei replied, "That's part of it. But more importantly, the Empress thought she had support. I heard that before her marriage, she was doted on by her entire family. Whenever she cried, the whole household would revolve around her, solving her problems. Every time she got into trouble, the Dantai family would always bail her out.
Once the Dantai family fell, with no one to rely on, she was naturally abandoned."
Li Yao lowered her head, feeling dejected.
Shen Wei gently said, "Yao'er, your father can show you compassion for a moment, but he cannot do so for a lifetime. His decision not to depose the Empress was made after weighing the pros and cons, not out of sympathy for you."
In Li Yuanjing's heart, his biological daughter's tears held little value.
He chose not to depose the Empress simply to prevent new families from rising to power.
Li Yao blinked, and in her usually innocent eyes, a hint of clarity emerged. She vaguely understood the meaning behind Shen Wei's words.
"It's getting late; you should return to Cining Palace," Shen Wei said, wiping Li Yao's face gently. "From now on, eat on time and sleep on time. You are your own greatest support; relying on others is useless."
Li Yao nodded, half-understanding, and bid farewell to Shen Wei, leaving with a heavy heart.
Shen Wei let out a long sigh.
Girls from ordinary families can cry and throw tantrums for candy; but for princesses in the palace, no matter how much they cry, it's hard to get what they want.
Princesses cannot afford to be naive; they must recognize the cruelty of imperial power early on.
"Your Highness, shall we return to Yongning Palace for a rest?" Caiping asked softly.
Shen Wei was not tired. "Let's take a stroll in the eastern pavilion of the Imperial Garden. They’ve just planted two precious chrysanthemums called 'Phoenix Spreading Wings,' which are said to be quite beautiful."
The sedan chair turned towards the Imperial Garden.
Autumn had arrived, and the leaves in the garden had begun to change color, a patchwork of reds, yellows, and greens, with blooming chrysanthemums lining the path, a sight to behold.
Upon reaching the eastern pavilion of the Imperial Garden, Shen Wei walked over and, from a distance, spotted a sickly beauty sitting there. The cool autumn breeze rustled her white garments, making her look as if she might ascend to the heavens at any moment.
It was Liu Ruyan.
Shen Wei paused, admiring Liu Ruyan's breathtaking beauty. No wonder she was once known as the most beautiful woman in Yanjing; even in illness, she remained as stunning as an ancient painting.
Elegant and ethereal, untouched by the mundane world.
It was no surprise that Li Yuanjing liked her and occasionally stayed overnight at Liu Ruyan's place. With such beauty, even Shen Wei, a woman herself, felt a stir in her heart.
After admiring Liu Ruyan's beauty for a while, Shen Wei leisurely approached the eastern pavilion. As her gaze shifted, she quickly spotted the two pots of precious 'Phoenix Spreading Wings.'
True to its name, the chrysanthemum resembled a resplendent golden phoenix, spreading its wings in vibrant splendor.
The more Shen Wei looked, the more she liked them.
She instructed Caiping, "Tell the Clothing Bureau that I want my new autumn gown to feature this chrysanthemum pattern."
Caiping immediately nodded, "Of course, I’ll relay the message right away."
As the one in charge of the six palaces, favored above all, Shen Wei would not shortchange herself. Whatever she wanted, she simply had to give the order, and the palace servants would efficiently fulfill her needs.
The competition for favor had its purpose: to make her life more comfortable.
The commotion caught Liu Ruyan's attention as she was admiring the autumn leaves in the eastern pavilion.
Liu Ruyan slowly rose, her beautiful eyes glancing at the gaudy golden chrysanthemums, and she remarked with a hint of disdain, "So tacky."
Shen Wei was at a loss for words.
Liu Ruyan had a poor reputation in the palace, largely due to her sharp tongue, which seemed to be laced with poison.
Years ago, when Lan Pin wore a dress adorned with butterflies at a palace banquet, Liu Ruyan coldly mocked, "So vulgar and garish," nearly provoking Lan Pin to flip the table in anger.
Even the Emperor was not spared from Liu Ruyan's criticisms. For instance, last year, the Emperor of Yue gifted Li Yuanjing a precious gemstone belt inlaid with twenty emeralds, which was extraordinarily luxurious. Li Yuanjing liked it so much that he wore it for five or six days straight.
But when Liu Ruyan saw it, she simply said, "Tacky," and Li Yuanjing was so furious that he didn't step into Liu Ruyan's palace for three months.
Shen Wei waved her fan, her temper surprisingly good. Instead of getting angry, she told Liu Ruyan, "Flowers and plants have no inherent meaning; it is people who assign qualities to them."
Liu Ruyan scoffed dismissively.
Shen Wei kindly informed Liu Ruyan, "Plum blossoms bloom in winter not because they possess noble qualities. They simply bloom in winter because their buds formed at the end of autumn, and they have no choice but to bloom then."
The blooming of plum blossoms in winter is influenced by a combination of climate, environment, and their physiological characteristics.
But alas, modern knowledge cannot penetrate the minds of ancient people. Liu Ruyan's beautiful eyes glimmered with coldness as she said, "The Empress is about to be deposed; it’s clear that you, Consort Shen, are quite pleased."
Shen Wei replied, "... Where do you see my pleasure?"
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