Chapter 320
**Chapter 318: She’s So Tired**
De Shun received the order.
The palace guards moved swiftly, dragging away the two gossipy eunuchs. The little eunuchs begged for mercy, but they had no chance to defend themselves before being silenced and taken away.
The night air was chilly as Li Yuanjing said, “Go investigate. I want to see which blind fool is spreading rumors recklessly.”
De Shun replied, “This servant will look into it right away.”
The emperor’s palanquin headed towards Yongning Palace.
De Shun did not follow the emperor but stayed behind to handle the scene.
With a thud, the two chattering eunuchs were silenced, carelessly wrapped in a cool mat.
De Shun flicked his dust whisk and coldly warned the surrounding palace attendants, “In this harem, mind your own mouths—carry these two bodies around the palace path. Don’t spread what shouldn’t be spread. If you anger the emperor, you’ll deserve to be beaten to death.”
The other attendants trembled, as if plunged into a freezing river, and bowed their heads in response, “Yes…”
The rumors that had just emerged in the palace were abruptly stifled in the face of such a bloody warning.
In a hidden corner of the palace, a maid from Changxin Palace, Xiao Qin, frowned in silence, her fingers trembling slightly.
Tonight, Xiao Qin had deliberately bribed two little eunuchs to spread scandalous gossip along the path the emperor would take, hoping to catch his attention and subsequently expose the disgrace of Consort Chen.
But she never expected the emperor would have the two executed on the spot.
From too far away, Xiao Qin hadn’t heard the emperor’s words. Leaning against the cold palace wall, beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead as she murmured, “I didn’t expect the emperor to trust Consort Chen so much… This is not a good omen…”
If Consort Chen was favored, it meant that Lu Xuan would lose favor, and the future of the Lu family was uncertain.
For the sake of the Lu family and her master, Xiao Qin had to find a way to drag Consort Chen down into the abyss.
She stood in the darkness for a long time, then turned and quickly ran towards Changxin Palace.
...
Yongning Palace.
As Li Yuanjing stepped into the inner courtyard, he spotted Shen Wei bustling about. There was a hint of weariness in her eyes as she sorted through the medicinal herbs, silks, and warming tools handed to her by the palace attendants.
Shen Wei instructed, “Doctor Mo has prepared a new prescription for the Empress Dowager. Make the medicine according to the new prescription tomorrow. Cai Lian, double-check each package of herbs. If any are moldy or discolored, replace them all.”
“The Empress Dowager is afraid of the cold. Have the Internal Affairs Bureau send the plum charcoal to the warm chamber. The room must not be kept closed for long; it needs to stay ventilated.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll go to Cining Palace to attend to her illness. Sister Miaoyu, please arrange the charcoal and cotton clothing for the other palaces.”
Li Yuanjing stood at the entrance of the courtyard, watching Shen Wei work like a spinning top, and his expression darkened.
It seemed Shen Wei had just noticed him at the door. She broke into a bright smile, clutching her stomach as she complained, “Your Majesty, you’re finally back! I’m about to starve to death.”
A steaming dinner was served on the table.
Shen Wei pulled Li Yuanjing to join her for dinner.
Li Yuanjing placed a piece of jade shrimp into Shen Wei’s bowl and said, “You’re all grown up, yet you’re still so childish. If I don’t eat dinner, you won’t either?”
Shen Wei retorted with conviction, “Your Majesty, you’re an adult. If you don’t eat dinner on time, you’ll end up with a stomach ailment that’s hard to treat.”
Every word and action was filled with concern for Li Yuanjing.
His heart warmed, a soothing heat spreading through him.
Clearly, Shen Wei was extremely hungry; she devoured two bowls of rice, and her favorite hibiscus duck and jade shrimp quickly disappeared into her stomach.
After dinner, Shen Wei didn’t rest. She called for Cai Lian, Cai Ping, and Mama Rong, meticulously instructing them on what needed to be done. Li Yuanjing read in the bedroom for over half an hour, and only when the sky darkened did Shen Wei finally return to their room, looking exhausted.
It was as if her energy had been drained; her head rested softly against Li Yuanjing’s chest, half-pouting, half-worried, she said, “Your Majesty, I’m so tired today…”
Her voice was soft, tinged with undeniable fatigue.
Li Yuanjing wrapped her in his arms and asked, “Has the Empress Dowager’s condition improved?”
Shen Wei shook her head, speaking gloomily, “The Empress Dowager is still the same, unhappy and troubled. I spent the whole afternoon with her in Cining Palace, reading the letter from Zhaoyang. Her mood improved a little, but her body is still weak, and she barely ate two bites for dinner…”
Li Yuanjing was busy with state affairs, only managing to visit Cining Palace briefly each day before rushing off. The responsibility of caring for the Empress Dowager fell squarely on Shen Wei’s shoulders.
Seeing Shen Wei’s weary appearance, Li Yuanjing felt a pang of sympathy. “You’ve worked hard, Weiwei.”
Shen Wei replied softly, “The Empress Dowager treats me like her own daughter. It’s only right that I take care of her.”
As the bed curtains fell, Shen Wei’s head sank into the soft pillow. After a while, she turned over, her dark, glistening eyes gazing at Li Yuanjing for a long time.
Li Yuanjing raised an eyebrow slightly, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shen Wei’s expression turned serious. She grasped Li Yuanjing’s hand and said earnestly, “Your Majesty, you must eat on time from now on. The Empress Dowager is ill, and I don’t want you to fall sick too…”
Her voice trembled slightly, her long lashes fluttering like dark feathers.
Li Yuanjing held her warm hand, feeling a surge of emotions. He could sense Shen Wei’s worry and fear. His Weiwei, seeing the Empress Dowager bedridden, was filled with unnecessary fears, concerned that he too might fall gravely ill.
“Alright, I promise I’ll eat on time from now on,” Li Yuanjing vowed.
Shen Wei seemed to finally relax.
Feeling drowsy, she nestled against Li Yuanjing and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The room was quiet, with only the faint sound of the wind rustling the leaves outside. Inside the rosy bed curtains, it was warm, and a dim light filtered in. Li Yuanjing lowered his gaze, seeing Shen Wei snuggled against him.
Shen Wei’s back injury hadn’t healed yet, and she was exhausted from taking care of the Empress Dowager. Some ill-intentioned people in the palace had taken this opportunity to spread rumors, which was truly despicable.
Li Yuanjing knew that Shen Wei had been too busy lately to deal with the gossip circulating in the palace.
Since that was the case, he would take the time to clear up the idle chatter for her.
As the night deepened, Li Yuanjing held Shen Wei close and soon fell asleep.
Outside, the wind whispered softly, and in the darkness, Shen Wei slowly opened her eyes, a hint of a smile curling at the corners of her rosy lips.
...
...
The next day.
After seeing Li Yuanjing off to court, Shen Wei immediately returned to her room to prepare to go to Cining Palace to care for the ailing Empress Dowager. Just as she was about to leave, Zhang Miaoyu rushed in.
Zhang Miaoyu burst into the room, quickly dismissing the other palace attendants.
Inside the inner chamber, she grabbed Shen Wei’s hand, her round face filled with urgency. “Sister Shen Wei, what’s going on between you and Doctor Mo? I heard some rumors last night that left me so anxious I couldn’t finish my dinner. I wanted to ask you, but the emperor was there last night.”
Shen Wei released Zhang Miaoyu’s hand, sitting at the dressing table, calmly pinning a white jade hairpin into her hair. “There’s nothing between me and Doctor Mo.”
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