Chapter 300
**Chapter 298: A Visit to the Palace**
After admiring the autumn chrysanthemums, Aunt Zhao planned to visit the ailing matriarch, Madam Wu. Before heading to Madam Wu's quarters, Aunt Zhao deliberately changed into a simple, elegant outfit and removed the gold and jade ornaments from her hair.
She put on a worried expression and, accompanied by her maid, made her way to Madam Wu's room.
Inside the bedroom, a strong scent of medicine lingered in the air. Madam Wu lay weakly on the bed, her face pale and gaunt, almost just skin stretched over bones. An elderly maid was preparing to help her sit up and take her medicine.
“I’m here to take care of you, sister,” Aunt Zhao said, stepping forward to take the medicine bowl from the old maid’s hands.
With a cushion supporting her back, Madam Wu leaned weakly against the bed’s edge, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Sister, my health declines day by day. I’m so grateful for your daily care... cough, cough…”
Aunt Zhao’s eyes turned red as she grasped Madam Wu’s hand and softly replied, “Sister, if it weren’t for you saving me back then, I wouldn’t know where I’d be singing in some tavern. I consider you my own sister, and caring for you is my duty.”
Her words were heartfelt.
As emotions ran deep, tears fell like pearls from a broken string.
After Madam Wu finished the bitter medicine, drowsiness overtook her, and she lay back down, her mind hazy. She instinctively asked Aunt Zhao, “Sister, has Fanglan written to me?”
Aunt Zhao tucked the covers around Madam Wu and gently answered, “Fanglan is not favored in the palace and doesn’t have the Empress Dowager’s support. She has no way to write to you. Don’t worry, sister; Fanglan is the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, and no one dares to bully her in the palace.”
Madam Wu sighed deeply, murmuring to herself, “That girl is too naive. I shouldn’t have let her enter the palace back then…”
Before long, Madam Wu drifted off to sleep.
Aunt Zhao wiped away her tears, adopting a heavy-hearted expression as she left Madam Wu’s room.
The courtyard was quiet in the afternoon, with maids and young servants quietly tending to the chrysanthemums. Inside, the “sleeping” Madam Wu slowly opened her eyes.
The old maid hurried over, handing Madam Wu a medicinal pill. After swallowing it, her pale complexion gradually improved. In a hoarse voice, she asked, “When will my brother return to Yanjing?”
Madam Wu’s family was rooted in the southern Jiangnan region, far from Yanjing. In this generation, only Madam Wu and her brother remained, and they shared a deep bond.
The old maid replied, “Madam, the head of the Wu family received your letter and is already on his way to Yanjing. He should arrive in about half a month.”
Madam Wu closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Her voice was dry, and her frail hands clutched the bedding tightly as she bitterly said, “It’s my fault for not seeing people clearly, being deceived by Xie Ji and that Zhao woman! Poor Fanglan, caught in the dragon’s lair of the palace…”
When she married into the Xie family, she believed in a harmonious relationship. For years, Madam Wu had adhered to her duties as the matriarch, treating her husband with respect.
But there’s no wall that doesn’t let the wind through; time reveals true hearts.
In recent years, as Madam Wu’s health suddenly deteriorated, she began to sense something was amiss. Reflecting on the past affection with her husband, she tore away the facade of his hypocrisy, uncovering the sordid schemes beneath.
The old maid, filled with sympathy, said, “Madam, it’s hard to know a person’s heart by their face. Who would have thought the Xie family was so despicable? Don’t worry; once the head of the Wu family arrives in Yanjing, your troubles will surely be resolved.”
Madam Wu gazed out the window, where the clear afternoon sunlight poured in, casting a blinding glare that hurt her eyes.
She coughed violently a few times, pressing her hand to her chest and murmured, “I hope so.”
...
Five days later, Shen Wei summoned the concubines for a meeting to announce the revised palace rules.
From now on, concubines ranked as noble ladies and those of lower status could apply to visit their close female relatives in the palace twice a year.
Shen Wei’s proposal was naturally supported by the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor had no objections. However, a few stubborn old officials in the Ministry of Rites submitted memorials opposing the change, claiming it violated ancestral regulations.
But this didn’t faze Shen Wei.
In the palace, several concubines had fathers and relatives working in the Ministry of Rites. The old fathers, stubborn as they were, had their loving mothers whispering in their ears, stirring up trouble. After some back and forth, the old officials were forced to relent.
The new palace rules were successfully implemented.
Lan Pin was the most delighted; since entering the palace, she had missed her mother the most. As soon as the new rules were announced, she eagerly applied to Shen Wei, hoping to summon her mother, Madam Wu, to the palace.
Shen Wei naturally agreed.
Lan Pin was overjoyed. Upon returning to Huayang Palace, she immediately ordered the servants to clean the palace inside and out, discarding the withered flowers in the courtyard and replacing them with blooming autumn chrysanthemums.
Lan Pin transformed from her previous despondency, her spirit rejuvenated.
Two days later, the Xie family submitted a memorial to Shen Wei, requesting to visit Lan Pin and reminisce.
“Tong’er, do you think this outfit looks good on me?” In Huayang Palace, Lan Pin wore a pink-blue brocade skirt, adorned with moon-shaped earrings, looking exquisitely beautiful.
Her personal maid praised, “Your beauty is unparalleled, my lady. Madam will surely love it.”
Lan Pin sighed, returning to the mercury mirror, gently caressing her still radiant face, and said wistfully, “It’s a pity the palace is not lacking in beauties—Tong’er, go check at the palace gate to see when my mother arrives.”
The maid chuckled and informed Lan Pin, “My lady, don’t be anxious. I checked at the palace gate a while ago; the Xie family’s sedan chair is already waiting there. Madam must first pay her respects to Consort Chen before she can see you.”
To show respect, female relatives entering the palace must first pay their respects to the Empress.
The Empress was confined in Kun Ning Palace, and the current head of the six palaces was Consort Chen. Thus, the Xie family’s women needed to pay their respects to Consort Chen first.
Lan Pin rested her chin on her hand, her slender fingers tapping the table as she murmured, “Mother, please hurry.”
...
Yong Ning Palace.
Today was a day off, and Shen Wei, feeling bored, personally went to the courtyard to pick a half-basket of chrysanthemums, intending to make chrysanthemum tea.
Li Yuanjing watched with his eyelids twitching. He picked a vibrant golden chrysanthemum and told Shen Wei, “Do you know how precious this ‘West Lake Willow Moon’ is?”
Shen Wei sat in the pavilion, fiddling with the wilted petals of the chrysanthemums, and replied, “Since they’re about to wither anyway, rather than let them rot in the mud, it’s better to pick them, dry them for tea, and enjoy a cup when I’m free.”
She placed the bamboo basket on the table and waved to Li Yuanjing, “Your Majesty, don’t just sit there. Come help me pluck the petals. Otherwise, when the chrysanthemum tea is ready, I’ll enjoy it all by myself and not share a sip with you.”
Li Yuanjing raised an eyebrow but eventually sat beside Shen Wei. He mimicked her actions, starting to peel off the wilted petals, leaving only the best ones at the center.
The autumn breeze was cool, and the gauzy curtains of the pavilion swayed gently, their figures flickering in and out of view.
As Li Yuanjing handled the beautiful autumn chrysanthemums, he suddenly recalled many years ago when he and Shen Wei had taken refuge in Liu Family Village. He was in the courtyard dealing with the game he had hunted, while Shen Wei busied herself in the kitchen.
Carefree, the pastoral life was simple yet beautiful.
The more hectic the court became, the more he longed for the beauty of that rural life.
“Your Majesty, my lady, the Xie family’s women have come to pay their respects,” came the respectful announcement from Cai Lian outside the pavilion.
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