Chapter 309
**Chapter 307: The Illness of Shen Wei**
...
Xuanming Hall.
Shen Wei lay hazily on the bed, her forehead burning and her cheeks flushed with an unhealthy hue. The cold medicine sent by the Imperial Medical Bureau had made her vomit; her stomach felt like a stormy sea.
As she lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness, she felt her body grow lighter, as if her soul were about to leave her.
Three days had passed, and Shen Wei's illness showed no signs of improvement. On the afternoon of the third day, her awareness began to return slightly. Weakly propped up against a soft pillow, she took a couple of sips of the bitter herbal medicine and asked Cai Lian, "Is this from Doctor Mo?"
Cai Lian shook her head. "My lady, Doctor Mo is ill as well. The sudden drop in temperature these past few days has affected her. She often stays overnight at the Qiu Liang Palace, and it seems she caught a cold."
Shen Wei rubbed her temples and, in a hoarse voice, instructed, "You and Cai Ping should visit Doctor Mo every day... take good care of her."
Cai Lian replied, "Rest assured, my lady. I and Cai Ping will go to Doctor Mo's side daily. Mama Rong and Consort Yu are managing the palace affairs, and everything is in order in the harem. The Empress Dowager and several princes and princesses are very worried about you; they came to visit this morning, but you were still asleep."
Shen Wei struggled to finish half a bowl of medicine before lying back down to rest. As she stared at the bed curtains, she suddenly noticed something was off. "Cai Lian, where is this?"
Cai Lian replied, "My lady, this is Xuanming Hall. The Emperor was concerned about your illness and thought Yongning Palace was too far, so he brought you back here to recuperate."
Xuanming Hall was the Emperor's private palace, adjacent to the Chang'an Palace where he conducted his affairs, and concubines were not allowed to stay overnight. Li Yuanjing had been busy dealing with the mess left by the Xie family, but he was also worried about Shen Wei, so he brought her to his side to recover.
Shen Wei closed her eyes lazily. "So that's how it is..."
She was too tired to ponder how much genuine feeling lay behind Li Yuanjing's actions; all she felt was that this illness was strangely severe.
She had always maintained good health through regular exercise and rarely fell ill.
How could she suddenly be so sick?
...
In the afternoon, in Chang'an Palace, Li Yuanjing and a group of trusted aides were discussing how to handle the Xie family situation.
The Xie family had deep roots; they were like a centipede that could not be easily crushed. Li Yuanjing planned to gradually strip the Xie family of their land and tax revenues, demote Xie Ji to a distant province, and reclaim several important official positions that the Xie family had monopolized.
By slowly depriving them of power and wealth, the Xie family would inevitably collapse within three to five years.
After the meeting, the trusted ministers took their leave.
Li Yuanjing pressed his finger against his brow and asked De Shun, "Has Consort Chen shown any improvement?"
De Shun lowered his head. "Your Majesty, Consort Chen is still the same. She can't keep the medicine down and has a high fever that won't subside."
Li Yuanjing's heart sank.
These past few days, he had been preoccupied with the Xie family, but his mind was never at ease; whenever he had a moment to spare, he found himself worrying about Shen Wei's condition. Many concubines and princes in the palace had fallen ill before.
But only Shen Wei's illness left him feeling so disordered, even a bit inexplicably anxious.
"To Xuanming Hall," Li Yuanjing said, rising to his feet.
He arrived at Xuanming Hall shortly thereafter.
Inside, the scent of medicine filled the air, and the palace maids stood cautiously by. Shen Wei had not yet awakened, lying sickly on the bed, her face noticeably thinner.
Li Yuanjing lifted the curtain and immediately saw Shen Wei's pale, sickly face.
He asked the palace maid, "Has the Consort taken her medicine?"
The maid trembled as she replied, "Your Majesty, the Consort woke up today, drank half a bowl of medicine, and then vomited it back up. The doctor came to check on her and said she has severe cold symptoms. The new medicine is still being prepared."
Li Yuanjing sat by the bed and took Shen Wei's icy hand in his own. He didn't like how cold her hands were; that chill seemed to penetrate his skin and reach his heart.
It felt as if his own heart had turned cold.
Li Yuanjing's heart ached as he gazed at Shen Wei's tightly closed eyes, whispering, "Wei Wei, open your eyes."
Shen Wei couldn't open her eyes; her mind was adrift in a vast ocean, suffering from her illness, murmuring something incoherent. Li Yuanjing leaned closer to her lips to listen carefully.
Shen Wei was murmuring—"Home... home..."
Li Yuanjing's heart trembled slightly. He didn't quite understand where Shen Wei's "home" was; perhaps it was her hometown in the south, but that place had been ravaged by war and floods, and it was no longer a place she could return to.
He could only hold her cold hand and say, "I’m here."
Half an hour later, the prepared cold medicine was brought in. The palace maid attempted to feed Shen Wei, but Li Yuanjing cradled her in his arms.
Outside the curtain, De Shun said, "Your Majesty, the Consort—"
Li Yuanjing interrupted, "Be quiet."
De Shun had no choice but to fall silent.
Through the beaded curtain, Li Yuanjing picked up the bowl of medicine, tested its temperature with a spoon, and then brought a spoonful of the warm, bitter liquid to Shen Wei's lips. In her dazed state, she managed to drink a few sips before her stomach rebelled, and she vomited again.
The medicine splattered across Li Yuanjing's dark dragon robe.
He gently patted Shen Wei's back, as if coaxing a child to take their medicine, his voice softening, "Just a little more."
Shen Wei's head lolled against Li Yuanjing's chest, and instinctively, she opened her mouth, slowly drinking half a bowl of the medicine.
The bitterness of the medicine jolted her awake, but her consciousness was still hazy.
Irritated, she pushed the bowl away, mumbling, "I don't want to drink anymore... my head hurts so much... I feel like I'm burning up..."
The bowl clattered to the floor, and Li Yuanjing's robe was soaked.
Shen Wei, looking frail, fixed her reddened eyes on Li Yuanjing. He caressed her face gently. "Be good. Once you're better, I'll take you horseback riding."
Shen Wei leaned against him, murmuring, "I... I don't want to ride..."
Her voice was weak, her breath uneven, each word tinged with illness. Li Yuanjing patiently asked, "If you don't want to ride, then what does Wei Wei want?"
Shen Wei opened her mouth, her gaze unfocused, as if she were looking at Li Yuanjing but also at another world. Two hot tears rolled down her cheeks. "I want to go home..."
Li Yuanjing replied, "Once you're well, I'll have your mother come to the palace to keep you company."
Shen Wei fell silent.
A palace maid brought in another bowl of medicine. Li Yuanjing was determined to be patient; he used a spoon to feed Shen Wei bit by bit. Shen Wei fought against the rising nausea in her stomach, reluctantly swallowing the medicine.
The room was quiet, filled only with the soft clinking of the jade spoon against the bowl and Shen Wei's occasional, barely audible murmurs.
Outside the beaded curtain, Consort Lu Xuan stood for a long time.
The curtain offered no real concealment; the scene of Li Yuanjing tenderly caring for Shen Wei was etched into Lu Xuan's mind.
De Shun gently reminded her, "Consort, Consort Chen is still ill. Would you like to come back another day?"
After waiting for a response, De Shun repeated, "Consort, would it be better for you to visit another day?"
This time, Lu Xuan snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. "Alright, I’ll come back another day..."
With the help of a palace maid, Lu Xuan stumbled out of the inner chamber of Xuanming Hall.
With each step she took, her thoughts spiraled, her heart feeling as if it were being sliced open.
In recent days, Consort Chen had suddenly fallen ill with a cold, showing no signs of recovery. Lu Xuan had intended to use the excuse of "visiting the sick" to gauge the situation.
But she learned that the Emperor had brought Consort Chen to Xuanming Hall to recuperate.
Upon arriving, she was met with the glaring scene before her. Many concubines in the harem had fallen ill before, but the Emperor had never cared for any of them with such devotion.
He fed Shen Wei medicine, even when his clothes were stained with the bitter liquid, he showed no sign of disdain.
Even ordinary couples in the common folk could not match such attentiveness.
Not even during the time when Lu Xuan was most favored had she received such care from the Emperor.
Her emotions surged, and the past she had deliberately ignored and refused to think about was laid bare before her—
It turned out that the Emperor felt differently about Shen Wei.
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