Chapter 310
**Chapter 308: The Death of Lan Pin**
So this is what it means to be favored by the emperor.
Lu Xuan stood in front of the courtyard of Xuanming Hall, the sky a dull gray, while chrysanthemums bloomed vibrantly around her. Once, the hall had been filled with roses, but now every last one had been uprooted.
In the harem, not a single rose could be found.
Lu Xuan turned to the maid beside her, Xiao Qin, and said, “I remember that Consort Chen seemed to have a strong aversion to roses.”
Xiao Qin nodded. “I’ve heard the same, my lady.”
A bitter smile crept onto Lu Xuan’s face, her nose tinged with a hint of sorrow. “I see.”
Shen Wei had once adored roses, and the emperor had filled the palace with them; when Shen Wei grew to despise them, the emperor had them all removed. Now, with Shen Wei’s fondness for begonia and autumn chrysanthemums, those flowers flourished in the palace...
Lu Xuan felt as if her heart had been ripped out, bleeding profusely. Dazed, she left Xuanming Hall, her mind swirling with memories of the past.
She had always believed that the emperor was incapable of love, that his affections were fleeting.
Today, she realized how utterly wrong she had been.
Returning to the cold, unwelcoming Changxin Palace, Lu Xuan had barely settled down when her son, Li Chengjue, not yet two years old, came running joyfully into her arms. “Mother, mother! I want to eat sweet cakes!”
Lu Xuan looked up, gazing longingly at her son.
The emperor doted on Shen Wei, and by extension, he valued her two sons. The most learned scholar in the Great Qing, Yang Xuanji, was the tutor for Shen Wei’s son. The emperor even personally taught him horseback riding and archery.
But her own son? The emperor would only hold him for a moment and offer a few compliments.
A chill swept over Lu Xuan as she realized the truth: the emperor was grooming Shen Wei’s son to be the heir!
“No... absolutely not...” Lu Xuan clutched her son tightly.
If Shen Wei’s son ascended the throne, wouldn’t that mean her complete defeat? Shen Wei had already taken the emperor’s heart, and now her son would take the throne!
No!
She couldn’t let that happen!
“Mother, what’s wrong?” Li Chengjue looked up at Lu Xuan, his small eyes filled with concern.
Lu Xuan forced a loving smile. “The kitchen is already making sweet cakes, my dear. Why don’t you go back to your room and rest? Mother will come to see you soon.”
Li Chengjue nodded obediently. “Okay!”
He dashed off in a flash.
Lu Xuan leaned back against the soft couch and called for the maid, Xiao Qin. “Is there any news from Doctor Mo?”
Xiao Qin lowered her voice. “My lady, with the weather turning cold, many palace maids have caught colds. Doctor Mo has fallen ill as well. I’ve been keeping an eye on things, and it seems that the head maid from Consort Chen’s quarters visits him daily, being quite attentive.”
Lu Xuan clenched her fingers. “Keep watching.”
She intended to use Doctor Mo to completely bring down Shen Wei!
Could a mighty emperor truly accept his beloved woman entangled with another man?
“Don’t worry, my lady. I’ll keep a close watch,” Xiao Qin replied.
Noticing Lu Xuan’s troubled expression, Xiao Qin added, “My lady, you’re still pregnant and due in two months. You must take care of yourself.”
In recent months, Lu Xuan had been unable to sleep at night, her mind weary and filled with anxiety. As a result, her pregnancy had been unstable, and she occasionally experienced abdominal pain.
Xiao Qin worried that if Lu Xuan continued in such a state of distress, it might lead to complications during childbirth.
Lu Xuan forced a smile, stroking her rounded belly, her tone laced with bitterness. “Not even a child can earn the emperor’s favor. Even if I were to bear another son, he would only become a stepping stone for Consort Chen.”
Xiao Qin was at a loss for words.
With a long sigh, Lu Xuan gazed at the courtyard filled with blooming chrysanthemums, her eyes growing cold. “If I cannot have it, then I shall take it.”
Who would have thought that the prince the Lu family had secretly supported all those years ago was actually Prince Heng?
Prince Heng still had ties to the Lu family.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Xuan instructed Xiao Qin, “Fetch me paper and ink. I need to write to my father. The Xie family has vast lands and mines in Yunzhou. If the Xie family falls, those assets must fall into the hands of the Lu family.”
Xiao Qin frowned. “My lady, the Empress Dowager may protect the Xie family.”
Lu Xuan tightened her grip on the brush, her voice dark. “Then we’ll add fuel to the fire, ensuring the Empress Dowager cannot protect them.”
...
Days passed, and finally, Shen Wei’s persistent fever began to subside, and she started to regain her senses. The first thing she did was check her reflection in the mirror, sighing silently at the pale, gaunt figure staring back at her.
Her meticulously cared-for face would take a long time to recover.
The medical conditions in ancient times were abysmal. If she were still in the modern world, a couple of hospital visits and some medicine would have her well again.
It had been over ten days since she fell ill. Once her condition improved slightly, she immediately moved back to Yongning Palace to recuperate. Zhang Miaoyu, sensing the change, rushed over to visit.
“You’re finally feeling better,” Zhang Miaoyu said, plopping down beside the bed. “The emperor wouldn’t allow anyone to disturb your recovery. He only relaxed when your pulse stabilized yesterday.”
Zhang Miaoyu scrutinized Shen Wei, who had just begun to recover from her illness.
She had lost weight, looking like a delicate flower after a storm, a new sprout emerging from charred wood, life beginning to show again.
Wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye, Zhang Miaoyu said, “I’m so glad you’re okay. What would happen to those children if you were gone?”
Shen Wei had only just begun to regain her senses. Wrapped in a thick fox fur blanket, she managed a weak smile. “I’m not ready to die yet. I want to live to at least a hundred.”
A maid brought in a warm soup to soothe her stomach, and Shen Wei took a few sips from the bowl.
She then asked Zhang Miaoyu, “How is Lan Pin? Did Wu Shi and the Xie family part ways?”
In her days of illness, her mind had been muddled, and when she was lucid, she often dreamt of her modern life, her hometown, and the city she lived in. She hadn’t had the chance to inquire about the happenings in the palace.
Zhang Miaoyu’s expression turned somber.
Lowering her head, she said quietly, “Lan Pin passed away yesterday.”
Shen Wei was taken aback, thinking she must have misheard.
Zhang Miaoyu sighed and recounted everything that had transpired while Shen Wei was ill.
The Xie and Wu families had completely fallen apart. The emperor issued a decree for Xie Ji and Wu Shi to divorce, and the Xie family was required to return Wu Shi’s substantial dowry. Xie Ji entered the palace to meet Wu Shi, and before the Empress Dowager, they signed the divorce papers.
Concubine Zhao had already been executed, and Xie Ji, in deep anguish, blamed all the misfortunes on Wu Shi. During the signing of the divorce papers, he openly mocked Wu Shi for her disgraceful conduct with lowly servants, berating her for her shamelessness.
Wu Shi, already gravely ill, was so enraged by Xie Ji’s taunts that she vomited black blood and passed away that very night. With Wu Shi’s death, her brother Wu Ming went mad, brandishing a sword and attempting to kill Xie Ji at the Xie residence. When stopped, he exposed the Xie family’s long history of corruption, abuse of power, and bribery.
The emperor was furious and imprisoned all the implicated members of the Xie family. Enemies the Xie family had made over the years united to attack them, leaving the Xie family besieged and in despair.
The elders of the Xie family pressured Xie Ji, who had not slept all night, and he had no choice but to enter the palace to plead for forgiveness. Little did he know, he would encounter Lan Pin in the palace. Having suffered the loss of her mother, Lan Pin, in a fit of madness, drew her sword and attempted to kill Xie Ji, only to be fatally struck down by him.
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