Chapter 287
**Chapter 285: Mo Xun's Dream**
Li Yuanjing curled the corners of his lips. Shen Wei had no secrets from him at all; he appreciated her honesty and straightforwardness.
Li Yuanjing opened the letter and read it quickly, his eyes scanning the lines. Shen Xiuming never mentioned having Shen Wei compete for favor, nor did he send her to whisper sweet nothings to the Emperor. He only cared about whether Shen Wei was doing well in the palace.
Between the lines, the image of a caring brother came to life.
Shen Wei handed a peeled chestnut to Li Yuanjing's lips, and he naturally took a bite. Her face was full of gossip as she pointed to the last few lines of the letter. "Your Majesty, look at this! My little brother is particularly attentive to Mo Xun."
Li Yuanjing set the letter down and nodded. "There is indeed affection there."
He picked up two open chestnuts, peeled one, and handed it to Shen Wei. "Does he know that Mo Taiyi is a woman?"
Shen Wei rolled her eyes, clutching Li Yuanjing's sleeve. "He must know that Mo Taiyi is a woman. Your Majesty, do you think my little brother and Mo Xun could end up together?"
As Li Yuanjing peeled the chestnut, he caught the eager look in Shen Wei's eyes. His thin lips curled slightly as he revealed a secret to her. "Mo Xun is a married woman."
Shen Wei was taken aback.
She leaned closer to Li Yuanjing, pressing down on his hand that was peeling the chestnut, and asked eagerly, "Your Majesty, don’t keep me in suspense. Who is Mo Taiyi's husband?"
Li Yuanjing leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear.
Shen Wei could hardly believe it. "The national master of Yue has repeatedly sent people to hunt down Mo Taiyi. How could they possibly be married? Is there really such a bizarre couple in this world?"
Shen Wei had always known that Mo Xun had enmity with the national master of Yue. But she never imagined that Mo Xun was actually the legitimate wife of the national master.
They had exchanged vows, held a wedding banquet, and stumbled through over a decade together, still playing out the melodrama of "she flees, he chases."
Li Yuanjing said, "I’m not clear on the details, but that national master of Yue is deeply in love with Mo Xun."
Perhaps there was a misunderstanding between them that led to their separation.
Shen Wei felt a pang of sympathy. The national master of Yue was powerful and ruthless. Her brother, Shen Xiuming, would likely be no match for him. If the national master decided to take action, Shen Xiuming might find himself in grave danger.
She resolved to write a letter to her brother, urging him to let go of Mo Xun sooner rather than later.
As night fell, Li Yuanjing and Shen Wei continued to chat under the lamp, gossiping about others. Li Yuanjing found this leisurely time quite enjoyable, feeling relaxed.
Until a voice from outside announced that dinner was ready.
Shen Wei tucked the letter into her desk drawer and followed Li Yuanjing to enjoy a delicious dinner.
...
...
In Changxin Palace.
After Shen Wei was elevated to the rank of Guifei, Lu Xuan had been simmering with anger. The dinner table was laden with exquisite dishes, yet she hadn’t touched a single bite.
"Your Highness, how about some silver ear and bird's nest porridge?" the maid, Xiao Qin, offered the warm porridge.
Lu Xuan didn’t move her chopsticks.
She couldn’t eat.
Ever since Shen Wei returned to the palace, the affection she received had dwindled. Even though she was pregnant, Li Yuanjing's visits hadn’t increased; he only occasionally sent some health supplements.
Lu Xuan caressed her rounded belly, a wave of bitterness washing over her. The once passionate relationship she had with Li Yuanjing felt like a distant dream, increasingly unreal.
Xiao Qin tried to comfort her. "Your Highness, don’t overthink it. If the Emperor truly favored Chen Fei, he would have pushed for her to be made Empress. The fact that she was only made Guifei must be due to General Shen's influence."
After Shen Mieyue escorted Princess Zhaoyang to Yue, he stayed there for ten days. He didn’t change his name, living under the title of "Mieyue" while enjoying himself on their territory. He even challenged several generals of Yue to duels, winning every single one.
In the end, it was an old general from Yue, seasoned in battle, who fought Shen Mieyue to a standstill, preserving Yue's honor. The two became close friends, drinking and reveling together.
During those ten days, the name of the formidable General Shen Mieyue echoed throughout Yue, greatly enhancing the prestige of the Qing Kingdom.
Upon returning to Liangzhou City, Shen Mieyue resumed his duties at the border.
Thinking of the rumors surrounding Shen Mieyue, Lu Xuan lowered her beautiful eyes and chuckled bitterly. "I hope I’m just overthinking... Xiao Qin, ever since the Dantai family was implicated, I’ve felt a lingering anxiety."
Anxiety, yet she couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
Xiao Qin reassured her, "Your Highness, worrying is harmful to your health. Right now, the most important thing is your child."
After a pause, Xiao Qin continued, "Tonight, the Emperor is staying at Yongning Palace again. Someone saw Chen Guifei's maid carrying a food box towards the Taiyi Hospital."
Lu Xuan raised her beautiful eyes, scoffing. "Chen Guifei is truly bold, daring to communicate secretly with that Taiyi right under the Emperor's nose."
Xiao Qin brought the warm porridge closer, speaking softly. "Chen Guifei is courting disaster; we have plenty of opportunities to bring her down."
Lu Xuan's irritation eased a little.
She slowly sipped the bird's nest porridge, contemplating her strategy to suppress Shen Wei.
...
...
As night deepened, the palace fell into a tranquil silence, with lanterns extinguishing one by one. Approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon grew fuller, casting a bright, cold light that covered the palace bricks and tiles with a layer of silver frost.
In the desolate Qiu Liang Palace, the sound of insects chirped.
Beneath the yellowing leaves of the hehuan tree stood a simple gray tent, resembling a grave. Mo Xun curled up in her bedding, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her eyes tightly shut as if trapped in a nightmare.
After a long while, she suddenly opened her eyes.
The bright moonlight seeped through the tent's seams. Mo Xun wiped the sweat from her forehead, her fair face still showing signs of panic. She pressed her hand against her heart, hearing the thumping of her heartbeat.
"Strange, why are there iron birds flying in the sky and iron boxes running on the ground... What a bizarre world." Mo Xun stepped out of the tent, looking up at the towering hehuan tree.
The moonlight flowed like mercury, and the hehuan tree rustled gently.
Every time she slept beneath this great tree, she would dream of peculiar scenes.
In her dreams, enormous iron birds flew overhead, while iron boxes with four wheels raced on the ground. People lived in towering buildings, each holding a glowing little board in their hands.
In her dream, she entered a tall, strange house and walked into an odd large room.
The doorplate read: [Physics Laboratory No. 8].
In the dream, several people in white coats approached her, chattering in a language Mo Xun couldn’t understand.
Mo Xun recalled the images from her dream, murmuring to herself, "What is a laboratory... and what is physics..."
She pondered for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it.
Mo Xun wandered around the desolate courtyard for a while, until she finished the chestnuts Shen Wei had given her. Finally, she crawled back into the tent, falling into a deep sleep in the quiet palace courtyard.
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