Chapter 331
**Chapter 329: Xue Mei is Punished**
Liu Ruyan closed her eyes, tears glistening as they fell: “What a pity... Since ancient times, those who are deeply in love are left with nothing but regrets. The Emperor is no longer the man he once was.”
Lu Yun’s lips twitched slightly.
She thought that Mei Fei (Mei Concubine) must be out of her mind. The cold wind howled, making Lu Yun shiver; she could hardly bear to stay in the same place as Liu Ruyan.
“Pour me a cup of hot tea,” Lu Yun said, glancing at the maid Xue Mei who was serving nearby.
Xue Mei bent down to pick up the teapot and poured the tea.
Steam rose gently.
The tea was warm, not too hot. Xue Mei held the delicate white jade teacup and offered it to Lu Yun. Lu Yun pretended to reach for the tea but deliberately let it slip from her fingers—
Crash—
The teacup fell to the ground, splashing tea all over Lu Yun’s silver winter robe. Lu Yun feigned surprise and quickly stood up: “Oh no, my dress is wet! Mei Fei, I must return to Changxin Palace to change. I’ll come back another day to enjoy the plum blossoms with you.”
Xue Mei stood frozen in shock; she had clearly seen that Lu Yun had knocked over the teacup on purpose.
Liu Ruyan’s expression turned cold as she said to Lu Yun, “You may leave for now. Tomorrow, I will invite you to admire the plum blossoms.”
That was exactly what Lu Yun had been waiting for, and she pretended to leave reluctantly.
Snowflakes danced down from the sky, leaving only Liu Ruyan and Xue Mei in the plum garden pavilion.
Liu Ruyan’s face was displeased.
Seeing Lu Yun today had given Liu Ruyan a rare sense of finding a kindred spirit. The other concubines in the palace were all so mundane, failing to appreciate the noble plum blossoms, instead gathering in the warm chambers to play cards, embroider, and gossip with a few young princesses, enjoying themselves to no end.
Liu Ruyan couldn’t stand their behavior; these so-called concubines acted like a bunch of common street women.
So vulgar.
It was rare to encounter someone like Lu Yun, who shared her sentiments. Liu Ruyan hadn’t even had the chance to discuss poetry with her before Xue Mei’s tea mishap caused Lu Yun to leave prematurely.
“Xue Mei, you’ve been making mistakes lately,” Liu Ruyan said, her tone unusually stern, her beautiful eyes filled with disappointment as she looked at Xue Mei.
Xue Mei opened her mouth, trying to explain: “My lady, it was Miss Lu who deliberately knocked over the teacup.”
Liu Ruyan replied, disappointed, “Are you still lying? Miss Lu is of a calm disposition; how could she intentionally make things difficult for you? It was clearly your distraction that caused the spill, and yet you still try to argue.”
Since entering the palace, Liu Ruyan had often been melancholic and lenient with her servants. The maids in Yuxiu Palace were neither harshly treated nor particularly favored by her.
Xue Mei was a personal maid chosen by Liu Ruyan herself, and she had previously been very efficient in her duties. However, recently her attitude had become increasingly perfunctory, and she even dared to retort Liu Ruyan at times.
Liu Ruyan was dissatisfied, feeling that her authority had been undermined.
Liu Ruyan’s voice turned cold as she said calmly, “I have been too lenient with you, making you forget your place as a servant. You will kneel under the red plum tree for one hour and reflect on your actions.”
Xue Mei’s heart sank.
Kneeling in the snow for an hour would be unbearable, even for someone as strong as her; her legs would surely give out. Xue Mei fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face: “My lady, I... I know I was wrong.”
Liu Ruyan replied indifferently, “If you know you were wrong, then kneel. An hour is not too long.”
The cold wind howled, causing the charcoal fire in the pavilion to crackle with bright red sparks.
Xue Mei’s heart plummeted; she looked at the blanket of white snow, her heart nearly frozen in despair.
At twenty-five, palace maids could leave the palace. Xue Mei thought she might not even make it to spring.
...
...
Night fell.
After dinner, Li Yuanjing eagerly pulled Shen Wei to play Go with him. Shen Wei had no interest in the game and repeatedly refused, but in the end, Li Yuanjing pressed her down onto the couch and set up the board.
The room was warm, filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms from the bronze incense burner. Shen Wei blatantly stole pieces and altered the game, but still lost two rounds miserably.
She slammed down her piece, declaring she didn’t want to play anymore.
Li Yuanjing chuckled, “Playing Go requires a calm mind.”
Shen Wei retorted confidently, “In this freezing weather, how can one’s mind be calm?”
Just then, footsteps were heard outside, and Cai Lian entered to report to Shen Wei: “My lady, Princess Nan Zhi requests an audience; it seems urgent.”
Shen Wei seized the opportunity to abandon the game and immediately said, “Let her in.”
Soon, a tearful Li Nan Zhi entered, snow clinging to her clothes.
Her eyes were red from crying, and she was covered in dirt from a fall. Upon seeing Shen Wei, she rushed over, sobbing, “Your Highness, save me! Please help Aunt Xue Mei; she... she’s in critical condition.”
Shen Wei handed Li Nan Zhi a warm hot water bottle and said patiently, “Don’t cry. What happened?”
Li Nan Zhi, not noticing the Emperor was also in the room, explained the situation through her sobs.
She had returned from Cining Palace to Yuxiu Palace today but hadn’t seen Aunt Xue Mei. After inquiring with the maids, she learned that Xue Mei had been punished to kneel in the snow. The cold had made Xue Mei dizzy, and in a moment of weakness, she had said something that angered Liu Ruyan, provoking her wrath.
Xue Mei had collapsed in the snow, nearly frozen.
Xue Mei was brought back to Yuxiu Palace, unconscious and with increasingly weak breaths. To make matters worse, Liu Ruyan had ordered that no physician be summoned for Xue Mei.
Li Nan Zhi had deep feelings for Xue Mei; during countless nights without maternal love, it was Xue Mei who had kept her company.
Li Nan Zhi couldn’t bear to see Xue Mei die, and after fruitless pleas to Liu Ruyan, she had braved the snow to seek Shen Wei’s help.
“Your Highness, please save Aunt Xue Mei. She has been so good to me; she can’t die...” Li Nan Zhi cried, her tears flowing freely.
Shen Wei wiped her tears and said gently, “Don’t cry, dear child. I will help you.”
Shen Wei instructed Cai Lian: “Go to the Imperial Medical Institute immediately and ask Doctor Mo to come to Yuxiu Palace. If Mei Fei tries to stop you, ignore her.”
Cai Lian had a good relationship with Xue Mei, so she immediately dashed out into the snow to fetch the physician.
That night, the snow began to fall again. Shen Wei wrapped Li Nan Zhi in a thick cloak and had two maids personally escort her back to Yuxiu Palace.
After finishing her tasks, Shen Wei turned around to find Li Yuanjing still studying the Go board; of course, he had overheard Shen Wei and Li Nan Zhi’s conversation.
Li Yuanjing set down his pieces: “Come over and play another game with me.”
Shen Wei found an excuse to decline: “It’s getting late. I’ll visit Yuxiu Palace tomorrow. Would Your Majesty mind resting with me tonight?”
“A mere servant, why go through so much trouble?” Li Yuanjing asked, his tone slightly puzzled.
Shen Wei sat back on the couch and patiently explained, “My mother once told me that in the Kingdom of Qing, there are countless humble commoners. They may be weak and insignificant, yet they can form a nation.”
Li Yuanjing raised an eyebrow.
Feeling drowsy, Shen Wei pulled Li Yuanjing into the boudoir to rest. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep. Li Yuanjing held her close, deep in thought.
Outside, the snow fell silently, and the red plums in the courtyard glowed like fresh blood. The night was not entirely peaceful, but it passed slowly.
...
...
The next day, the snow stopped, and the sky cleared.
After finishing her palace duties, Shen Wei invited Zhang Miaoyu to accompany her to Yuxiu Palace to visit Li Nan Zhi and check on the condition of the maid named Xue Mei.
The entrance to Yuxiu Palace was piled high with snow. Zhang Miaoyu, not paying attention, nearly tripped over the thick snow at the door. She frowned and scolded the palace maids: “Why haven’t you cleared the snow in front of the door?”
The maids trembled in fear: “Replying to the lady, it’s not that we are negligent! It’s just that our mistress said the snow under the eaves is beautiful and forbade us from cleaning it.”
Zhang Miaoyu rolled her eyes in exasperation, muttering, “Pretentious.”
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