Chapter 379
**Chapter 377: Sleeping Until the Sun is High**
Shen Wei was utterly drunk, her head spinning as she slumped against Li Yuanjing's chest. She tilted her head back, her gaze hazy as she looked up at him. "Your Majesty?"
Then, as if lost in her own thoughts, she murmured, "So it’s Your Majesty... oh no, I mean, the Retired Emperor..."
Li Yuanjing held her waist to keep her from falling. A warm feeling surged in his heart as he softly said, "You don’t need to call me Retired Emperor anymore. Just call me Yuanjing."
Shen Wei, still dazed from the alcohol, seemed not to understand.
Li Yuanjing coaxed her gently, "Weiwei, call me Yuanjing."
In her drunken stupor, Shen Wei instinctively replied, "Yuanjing..."
In that instant, Li Yuanjing felt an overwhelming warmth flood his heart, leaving him in a state of blissful agitation that was hard to express. Besides his late father and brother, and his mother who was still recuperating in Jiangnan, Shen Wei was the fourth person to call him by his name.
That feeling was subtle yet profoundly happy.
Li Yuanjing felt enveloped in a thick blanket of happiness.
"Try calling me again," he urged, still not satisfied, patiently encouraging Shen Wei to say his name once more.
Shen Wei smiled, her delicate, fair hand lifting slightly to pat Li Yuanjing's face. "Yuanjing, Yuanjing, hahaha..."
As she spoke, Shen Wei began to laugh.
With a dazed expression, she hiccupped and declared, "If that's the case, you shouldn’t call me Weiwei either. What a terrible name! It sounds like a cat’s name..."
Li Yuanjing found Shen Wei, in her drunken state, to be a different kind of lively and adorable than usual. He smiled, "What should I call you then?"
Shen Wei tilted her head in thought for a moment, then raised a finger and waved it in front of Li Yuanjing. "Call me—Shen Zong! That’s what everyone calls me."
Li Yuanjing was left bewildered.
Shen Zong?
What a strange title!
Just as he was about to ask for clarification, Shen Wei's head lolled to the side, and she fell asleep against him. Li Yuanjing chuckled silently, noticing the time was late. He ordered someone to prepare a hangover soup, then carried Shen Wei back to the lakeside royal villa to rest.
The night deepened, the moonlight shimmering like water, and the royal villa was quiet, with the faint sound of water from the Falling Moon Lake in the background. Inside the sleeping chamber, Shen Wei lay peacefully on the bed, her sleeping face serene.
The candlelight flickered softly as Li Yuanjing gazed at Shen Wei's sleeping visage. Having navigated the tumultuous seas of life, from being a prince to the supreme ruler, he had once thought his life would be consumed by power and court intrigues—
But he was fortunate; he had Shen Wei.
"Weiwei," Li Yuanjing murmured, wrapping his arms around her, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
...
Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing's retirement life began in the shimmering summer by the lake.
In Li Yuanjing's mind, he envisioned a life where he and Shen Wei would continue to share harmonious days, hand in hand by the lakeside, gardening together, and exploring the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. After some time, they would travel to Jiangnan and other places in the Kingdom of Qing to enjoy the scenery.
However...
Li Yuanjing gradually sensed something was amiss.
First of all, Shen Wei had become "lazy." This was evident in her habit of sleeping until the sun was high in the sky, yawning and dragging herself out of bed! She skipped breakfast and sometimes didn’t even bother to put on makeup, preferring to walk barefoot by the lake and enjoy the breeze.
In the royal family, all princes and princesses were taught from a young age to rise at the crack of dawn and not indulge in sleep.
For years, Li Yuanjing had developed the good habit of waking early.
But after Shen Wei retired, she had taken to sleeping in every day! This was nothing like the old Shen Wei—who used to rise almost at the same time as Li Yuanjing!
"My lord, you really sleep too long every day... The Retired Emperor is starting to get suspicious," Caiping murmured as she helped Shen Wei get up, her voice low.
Shen Wei splashed her face with cold water to wake herself up.
Wiping her face dry, she yawned and said, "I’ve waited twenty years to sleep in, so of course, I’m going to enjoy it now."
Now that she was retired, why should she care about waking up early?
When she served Li Yuanjing, Shen Wei hardly got enough sleep. Li Yuanjing, being a martial artist, was full of energy in bed, often leaving her feeling exhausted and restless.
In the early mornings, before dawn, when Li Yuanjing had to attend court, Shen Wei would force herself to endure her discomfort just to have breakfast with him and see him off.
After enduring for so many years, she finally didn’t have to anymore, and naturally, she wanted to follow her true nature.
Caiping retrieved Shen Wei's handkerchief, her brows slightly furrowed. "My lord, if this continues, the Retired Emperor might see through you..."
Shen Wei stretched her limbs, unconcerned. "Let him see through me. He can’t do anything to me now."
...
...
With Shen Wei sleeping in every day, Li Yuanjing began to worry that something was wrong with her health.
Back when Shen Wei was "poisoned," she also slept all day, lacking energy. Li Yuanjing was extremely worried and hurriedly summoned the imperial physician to examine her.
The physician took Shen Wei's pulse.
After a thorough examination, the physician stroked his beard. Li Yuanjing frowned slightly and asked, "What’s the situation?"
The physician praised, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's pulse is steady and strong, her health is robust, comparable to that of a woman in her twenties. There’s nothing seriously wrong."
Li Yuanjing was taken aback.
He asked, "If she’s healthy, why does she sleep until the sun is high every day?"
The physician replied, "Well... I’m not sure about that."
Li Yuanjing turned to Shen Wei.
With a calm expression, she answered, "I’m not sick. I just sleep until I wake up naturally because I love to sleep."
Li Yuanjing: ...
The physician quickly packed his medicine box and hurried away.
After the physician left, Shen Wei slowly got up and said to Li Yuanjing, "You go ahead with your business. I’m going to the lakeside to row a boat and gather lotus pods. I won’t be back for lunch, so don’t wait for me."
With that, Shen Wei cheerfully called to Cailian and Caiping, "Is the boat ready?"
Cailian replied, "Yes, my lady, it’s all set."
Shen Wei smiled brightly, quickly changing into a simple outfit worn by lotus gatherers, revealing her fair arms, and slipped on a pair of straw sandals, excitedly preparing to board the boat.
Li Yuanjing watched, dumbfounded.
He stepped forward, grasping Shen Wei's arm, his gaze sweeping over her attire, his brows knitting together. "Weiwei, you are still the Empress Dowager of Da Qing. How can you dress like this?"
Shen Wei beamed, "I’m just pretending to be an ordinary woman gathering lotus pods. The common folk won’t recognize me."
Li Yuanjing felt a pang of discomfort.
Shen Wei was exceptionally beautiful, well-preserved, and her face, in her thirties, showed no signs of age. Dressed as a common lotus gatherer, she sparkled like a pearl, her aura impossible to conceal.
If she went out looking like this, she would surely attract the attention of other boatmen.
Li Yuanjing's expression darkened. "No nonsense, go back and change your clothes."
In the past, Shen Wei would have listened to him and obediently gone back to change.
But this time, Shen Wei merely glanced at Li Yuanjing, unfazed, and turned to call Cailian and Caiping to row the boat. She nimbly stepped onto the long-tail boat, which rocked slightly, the refreshing lake breeze tousling her hair, and the summer sun casting a warm glow on her face.
Shen Wei smiled brightly. "Let’s go deeper into the lotus flowers!"
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