Chapter 347
**Chapter 345: Suspicion**
Shen Wei felt a twinge of surprise.
But she didn’t dwell on it. Li Yuanjing was sometimes so busy that he hardly had time to join her for a meal.
Time slipped by quietly, the sun tilted, and night fell. The exquisite and delicious dinner from the imperial kitchen was delivered to Yongning Palace. Shen Wei, her stomach growling, waited and waited, but Li Yuanjing didn’t return.
She sent Cai Ping to Chang'an Palace to inquire. Half an hour later, Cai Ping rushed back to tell Shen Wei, “My lady, the Emperor is having dinner tonight with several officials from the Ministry of War. He asked you to rest early; he won’t be coming tonight.”
A strange emotion surged within Shen Wei.
Since returning from the farming ceremony, Li Yuanjing seemed to have become increasingly odd. Shen Wei scratched her head, genuinely puzzled.
She could only attribute it to Li Yuanjing being preoccupied with the Lu family affairs, stretched too thin.
With Li Yuanjing absent from Yongning Palace, Shen Wei found herself quite at ease, relishing a table full of delicacies. After dinner, she took a leisurely stroll and returned to her study to review the spring profits from her shop.
As the moon rose high, Shen Wei lay alone on her soft, comfortable bed, rolling around contentedly before hugging her pillow and drifting into sweet dreams.
...
...
Shen Wei had thought that once Li Yuanjing finished with state affairs, he would have time to rest at Yongning Palace.
However, three days passed.
Li Yuanjing hadn’t even set foot in Yongning Palace, nor had he summoned Shen Wei to join him for a meal. He hadn’t even checked on the little vegetable garden he had carefully tended.
During the day, Li Yuanjing discussed the details of the Lu family with his ministers, and at night, he slept alone in Xuanming Hall.
Shen Wei realized the seriousness of the situation. She had accompanied Li Yuanjing for many years, yet they had never gone three days without seeing each other.
“Has the aristocracy fallen? Is the Emperor planning to take action against the Shen family?” In the study of Yongning Palace, Shen Wei held a brush in her hand, her heart filled with worries about the future.
The aristocracy had been falling one after another, while the Shen family was rising to prominence.
Shen Wei was a favored concubine with children, her brother a general commanding a hundred thousand troops, and her younger brother a rising star in the court. The commoners, represented by Yang Xuanji, had close ties with the Shen family.
In the court, the Shen family’s prestige was growing stronger.
Li Yuanjing had begun to distance himself from Shen Wei these past few days; perhaps he was planning to deal with the Shen family. The brush fell with a thud onto the rice paper, and Shen Wei dared not think further. She quickly stood up, “Cai Ping, change my clothes! I’m going to Chang'an Palace!”
She needed to gauge Li Yuanjing’s intentions.
Cai Ping rushed into the room and opened the wardrobe. “My lady, the Neiwufu sent over a beautifully embroidered peach blossom skirt today. The embroidery is exquisite. Would you like to wear it?”
Shen Wei pondered for a moment. “Yes, wear that one. And give me a weary look for my makeup.”
New clothes for the Emperor, a weary face to show sorrow.
The palanquin of the favored concubine passed through the long palace path, arriving at Chang'an Palace, where the Emperor handled state affairs. Upon seeing Shen Wei, Gong De Shun hurried over to bow. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Shen Wei stepped down from the palanquin and quietly asked De Shun, “What’s wrong with the Emperor lately?”
De Shun looked equally perplexed. “My lady, I truly don’t know. The Emperor has mentioned several times that he would come to Yongning Palace after finishing state affairs, but for some reason, he always changes his mind.”
The Emperor’s thoughts were always hard to decipher.
Despite serving in the palace for many years, De Shun still couldn’t grasp the Emperor’s temperament.
De Shun said, “Please wait a moment, Your Highness. The Emperor is currently resting and having tea. I’ll go in and deliver your message.”
Shen Wei waited in front of Chang'an Palace.
The spring sun shone brightly, and on either side of the palace, two peach trees were in full bloom. Shen Wei’s pollen allergy hadn’t fully healed, and the faint scent of flowers made her nose itch again.
She covered her mouth and nose and sneezed.
Before long, De Shun walked out with a look of regret. “Your Highness, the Emperor will be meeting with officials from the Ministry of Rites shortly. He asked you to return first.”
Shen Wei’s expression turned slightly cold.
She glanced at De Shun, who discreetly stepped aside. Shen Wei strode into Chang'an Palace.
De Shun cleared his throat and told the guards on duty in front of the hall, “Step back ten feet. The Emperor and the favored concubine are speaking; we shouldn’t listen in.”
...
Li Yuanjing was not in the main hall of Chang'an Palace; he was in a side hall drinking tea. As Shen Wei stepped inside, she caught sight of his stern profile.
Shen Wei lowered her eyes and softly called out, “Your Majesty.”
Li Yuanjing set down his celadon tea cup.
He said, “I still have state affairs—”
Shen Wei gently interrupted him, “Your Majesty, I’ve accompanied you for many years. How could I not notice your emotional changes? If I’ve done something wrong, please tell me directly. Don’t keep it buried in your heart, or I’ll be left to worry day and night.”
The side hall fell silent, and the crisp chirping of birds could be heard outside the window.
Li Yuanjing turned around, the sleeves of his black and gold dragon robe brushing against the table. His dark, ink-like eyes fixed on Shen Wei.
Today, Shen Wei had deliberately worn a splendid new outfit, clearly having put in effort to look her best, but the weariness and sadness in her eyes were impossible to conceal with makeup. In a palace full of beauties, Li Yuanjing had always felt that his Wei Wei was unique, stirring his heart for a long time.
But it wasn’t just him who was stirred.
Shen Wei spoke again, her eyes reddening, “Your Majesty…”
Her voice was soft and gentle, tinged with an unspoken grievance.
Li Yuanjing closed his eyes for a moment and then stood up, walking toward Shen Wei. He was tall, with long limbs built from years of martial training. He stopped in front of Shen Wei, casting a shadow over her.
Li Yuanjing’s long, defined fingers slowly brushed against Shen Wei’s fair chin. He asked, “Wei Wei, when did you have dealings with Yuan Li?”
Shen Wei froze in place.
Her face was filled with confusion and shock.
A torrent of expletives rolled through her mind.
She had thought that Li Yuanjing’s recent coldness was a prelude to taking action against the Shen family. Instead, he was merely feeling jealous, suspecting that Shen Wei had an affair with Li Yuanli.
“I have no dealings with the Prince of Heng,” Shen Wei replied truthfully.
She was speaking the truth.
She had only met Li Yuanli a few times; he was the only one who knew her true nature.
Shen Wei recalled the day of the farming ceremony when Li Yuanli had inexplicably approached her, his gaze strange and wild, even trying to take her back to Nanzhu.
She thought that guy was out of his mind!
Li Yuanjing had silently stewed in jealousy for days and finally couldn’t help but question, “If you are innocent, why did Yuan Li risk his life to save you?”
Shen Wei replied in bewilderment, “When did the Prince of Heng save me?”
A flash of realization struck Shen Wei.
In the river?
Could it be that the figure who jumped into the water to save her was Li Yuanli?
She had fallen into the river, shivering from the cold, her consciousness hazy. She vaguely sensed someone grabbing her hand and pulling her from the icy water.
She had thought it was Li Yuanjing who had jumped in to save her.
Now, hearing Li Yuanjing’s words, it seemed that the one who saved her that day was actually Li Yuanli...
“Someone, take the favored concubine back to the palace,” Li Yuanjing said, looking out the window, sending someone to escort Shen Wei out of Yongning Palace.
He needed time to think.
Perhaps Shen Wei and Li Yuanli truly had no dealings, but that thorn had already embedded itself in his heart, and it couldn’t be removed in the short term.
Shen Wei was his unique treasure; Li Yuanjing had never imagined that one day someone else would covet his treasure.
That feeling was unpleasant.
Shen Wei’s lips parted slightly, as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end, she chose silence.
She lowered her gaze. “I take my leave.”
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