Chapter 356
**Chapter 354: Boomerang**
Li Yuanjing felt a loud buzz in his head, as if something had exploded in his mind. A chill ran through him.
The usually calm and composed Li Yuanjing felt his fingers tremble slightly, and his throat was parched. He struggled to regain his composure. “Is… is it serious?”
Deshun wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly replied, “Concubine Chen is not seriously injured; her arm was scratched. The female assassin committed suicide on the spot. Concubine Chen has returned to Yongning Palace and is summoning the imperial physicians.”
Li Yuanjing hurried towards Yongning Palace, his strides long and purposeful. Deshun followed closely behind, recounting the details of the assassination attempt on Concubine Chen.
**Today, Shen Wei had gone to Anguo Temple early in the morning to pray and burn incense. After enjoying a vegetarian meal at the temple, she visited the orphans in the back courtyard and distributed porridge at the temple gate. Before returning, she took a moment to admire the spring scenery on the back mountain. On her way back, everything seemed calm. Remembering she needed to buy some incense powder for Zhang Miaoyu, she sent a palace maid to make the purchase, and the procession paused briefly on the official road.**
**At that moment, a begging nun approached on the road. Shen Wei, kind-hearted, personally offered her some pastries. To her surprise, the nun turned out to be Xie Fanghua, the daughter of the disgraced Xie family! Previously, Xie Fanghua had clashed with Shen Wei in the palace and was forced to become a nun. After the fall of the Xie family, filled with resentment, she plotted this assassination.**
**Fortunately, Shen Wei only suffered a minor scratch on her arm. Xie Fanghua was apprehended by the accompanying palace attendants, and in a fit of madness, she shouted, “If I can drag the concubine down with me, it’s worth it!” With that, she took her own life. Shen Wei’s arm was lightly injured, and she simply bandaged it with a piece of white cloth before returning to the palace.**
...
Li Yuanjing dashed towards Yongning Palace, his pace quickening. Little Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou also ran ahead, eager to see how Shen Wei was faring.
The scenery at Yongning Palace remained unchanged. As the emperor arrived, the palace attendants hurriedly paid their respects. Li Yuanjing strode into the familiar courtyard, unable to contain his urgency as he entered the main hall.
Inside, the light was bright, and a white jade vase on the table held fresh willow branches. Shen Wei leaned against the concubine couch, her face unusually pale from the shock, her lips devoid of color.
Her right arm bore some bloodstains, the sleeve torn by a sharp blade. The wound was shallow, bleeding only a little, and it was simply wrapped in cloth.
“Your Majesty?” Shen Wei looked up at Li Yuanjing, her pale lips moving slightly.
Li Yuanjing’s expression darkened.
His gaze swept over Shen Wei, examining the hastily bandaged wound. Thank goodness, it was only a minor injury.
The heavy stone that had hung in Li Yuanjing’s heart fell away. Just as he was about to ask more, Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou rushed over.
“Mother!”
Li Chengyou’s eyes were brimming with tears. “When I grow up, I’ll definitely protect you with a sword, sob sob sob.”
Shen Wei smiled gently, ruffling her sons’ hair. “I’m fine, just a little scrape on my arm. The physician will re-bandage it later, and it will heal by tomorrow.”
Seeing that Shen Wei was not seriously hurt, Li Yuanjing called over the palace attendants, his voice stern. “How could the guards let the concubine be attacked on the official road?”
The attendants, frightened, knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, the concubine did not bring the guards on this trip, fearing it would disturb the common people along the way.”
Shen Wei had kept a low profile during her visit to Anguo Temple, avoiding any grand display.
Li Yuanjing furrowed his brow and turned to Shen Wei. “From now on, whenever you leave the palace, you must take the guards and the Tiger Guards with you.”
Shen Wei’s expression turned cold, her eyes slightly downcast. “If I were to die outside today, it would suit your wishes perfectly.”
Li Yuanjing was taken aback. “Don’t say such things!”
How could he allow Shen Wei to die?
The atmosphere in the main hall grew tense, the two children looking confused. Li Yuanjing instructed the attendants to take the boys back to Cining Palace, leaving only Shen Wei and himself in the spacious room.
Shen Wei’s delicate face was as pale as paper, ignoring Li Yuanjing as she sipped her tea, her eyes filled with grievance.
After a month of cold war, it was their first time alone together.
Li Yuanjing recalled what the Empress Dowager had told him today—“In the royal family, true feelings are hard to come by.”
Being in the royal family, Li Yuanjing had never truly considered the emotions of the women in the inner palace. When he was in a good mood, he would indulge them; when he was not, he would ignore them.
A man’s ambitions lie beyond the home; matters of state are far more important than the trivialities of the harem.
The concubines, to put it bluntly, were merely tools for the royal family to continue their lineage, instruments for the emperor to maintain the status quo.
Shen Wei was the woman he cherished the most.
Li Yuanjing had never imagined that one day he would care so deeply about Shen Wei’s feelings, that he would be so troubled by their estrangement. After a month of silence, he had suffered greatly.
He began to realize that Shen Wei was different, that she was unique.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yuanjing walked over to Shen Wei, taking her hand in his broad palm, his voice low. “Weiwei, I was wrong.”
Shen Wei raised her gaze slightly, her eyes still red.
Since there was no one else around, Li Yuanjing continued to apologize. “That day, I was confused and lost control of my emotions. I won’t misunderstand you again.”
This was the first time he had taken the initiative to admit his mistake, sincerely and from the heart.
As the Emperor of the Da Qing Empire, Li Yuanjing had gradually become accustomed to wearing a mask, his emotions always serving a purpose, a tool for manipulating power.
Li Yuanjing spoke earnestly. “Weiwei, trust me.”
He had never placed himself in such a humble position before.
He thought Shen Wei would surely forgive him. After all, throughout history, couples argue but always reconcile; there are no lasting conflicts between spouses.
Shen Wei tilted her head slightly, studying the emperor before her. Her pale lips parted. “Your Majesty, you don’t truly like me, do you? You only see me as a plaything for your amusement.”
Li Yuanjing exclaimed, “How can you think that? I’ve never seen you as a mere toy!”
He had even taken the initiative to apologize.
Did she still doubt his sincerity?
Shen Wei’s eyes slowly filled with tears, her large eyes brimming with grievance and disappointment. “That day, when I fell into the river, I was unconscious. I always thought it was you who saved me, but it was actually Prince Heng who jumped in to rescue me... You never cared about me at all!”
Li Yuanjing was stunned.
He had been angry that “Prince Heng coveted Shen Wei,” while Shen Wei was upset that “the emperor didn’t save her.”
Li Yuanjing tried to explain, “The river was swift. I was struggling with Yuanli at the time and fell on the deck. Yuanli was at the edge of the boat, making it easier for him to jump in and save you! Besides, if no one was steering the boat, it would drift away, and how could I pull you back on board?”
If both of them had jumped into the river, the boat would have floated away. The distance to the shore was far, and by the time they swam there, they would have been exhausted.
Shen Wei retorted angrily, “A stranger like Prince Heng was willing to risk his life to save me! You and I have shared a bed for years, and yet you’re not as devoted as a stranger!”
Li Yuanjing felt a headache coming on, trying to reason with Shen Wei. “Weiwei, don’t be unreasonable.”
But sometimes, women are inherently illogical.
Shen Wei shot back, “You once questioned whether I had an affair with Prince Heng. Were you not being unreasonable then?”
Li Yuanjing: ...
At that moment, Li Yuanjing finally understood Shen Wei’s feelings. Being unjustly accused of insincerity would hurt anyone.
The boomerang had come back to hit him, and only then did he understand what it meant to “feel someone else’s pain.”
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