Chapter 385
**Chapter 383: Joyful Travels**
Shen Wei felt utterly miserable. Dizziness washed over her, and an inexplicable nausea churned in her stomach, turning her face as pale as a sheet.
With her stomach in turmoil, Shen Wei leaned over the edge of the bed, retching, her complexion ghostly.
Li Yuanjing, witnessing this, abandoned any thought of arguing with her and immediately summoned the imperial physician.
Before long, the female physician stationed at the royal estate hurried in, her medicine box slung over her shoulder. Shen Wei was drenched in cold sweat, nearly collapsing, and Li Yuanjing's heart raced with panic, a sharp pain gnawing at him.
Just a short while ago, Shen Wei had been vibrant and full of life. Now, in the blink of an eye, she had become this way. Li Yuanjing was a bundle of nerves, torn between worry and self-reproach.
Could it be that last night’s revelry had gone too far?
After carefully checking Shen Wei's pulse, the physician wore a puzzled expression. "Your Majesty, the Empress's pulse is erratic, and her qi and blood seem deficient. Just two days ago, when I checked her for peace of mind, her pulse was steady and strong... This is truly strange."
In just two days, her pulse had changed so drastically.
Even the most skilled physician had never encountered such an oddity.
Shen Wei, dizzy and unsteady, could only lie back down, soon drifting into a deep sleep. Li Yuanjing had no mind for anything else, remaining by her side, holding her hand.
Her once warm hand had turned cold again.
A chilling cold that sent shivers down his spine.
By noon, Shen Wei miraculously awoke. Strangely, her cheeks had regained their color, and the dizziness had vanished completely.
With a hearty appetite, she devoured a large lunch.
The physician returned to check on her and found her pulse had returned to normal.
"Remarkable, truly remarkable," the physician remarked.
Shen Wei was baffled as well.
She had always maintained her health through regular exercise and never indulged in overeating. How could she have suddenly experienced such dizziness?
She couldn’t help but wonder if she had contracted some bizarre illness.
Days passed, and Shen Wei remained in good spirits, eating well and full of energy. The sudden bout of dizziness had not returned.
She finally felt at ease.
And continued to enjoy life.
Li Yuanjing, however, was still shaken. Fearing another incident, he insisted on accompanying Shen Wei to rest every night. He secretly dispatched people to seek out renowned doctors. After much consideration, he concluded that the legendary healer Mo Xun, known for his unparalleled skills, was the best choice, but he had been missing for many years.
Li Yuanjing contacted Li Chengtai, asking him to write a letter to the Emperor of Yue, uniting their efforts to find Mo Xun.
Time slipped by quietly, and the end of summer approached. Shen Wei prepared to head south to visit her reclusive mother.
Instead of taking the official road, she chose a more common route. Shen Wei traveled leisurely, stopping to sightsee along the way, resting for two days at each place she visited, exploring the local streets and alleys.
About a month later, Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing arrived in a small county called Yu County. Close to Jiangnan, it was relatively prosperous and famous for a delicacy called "wuzao gao" (black date cake).
During the day, Shen Wei tried a box of wuzao gao, finding it sweet and tangy, delightfully soft and chewy. She loved it. Cai Lian, always attentive to Shen Wei's preferences, went with Cai Ping to buy more pastries for her.
As night fell, after having dinner, Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing noticed Cai Lian and Cai Ping rushing back in a flurry.
Cai Lian, breathless, exclaimed, "Your Majesty, my lord, something terrible has happened! Princess Leyou is missing!"
Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing were both taken aback.
Leyou? Isn’t she in the princess's residence in Yanjing? How could she have disappeared?
In the small courtyard where they were temporarily staying, Cai Lian recounted the events. It turned out that a few days ago, when Shen Wei suddenly fainted, the news somehow reached Leyou. Worried about Shen Wei, Leyou had secretly left Yanjing, following the trail of Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing to Yu County.
While out on the street at dusk, Cai Lian and Cai Ping, who were buying pastries, ran into Leyou, who was disguised as a boy. Cai Lian was both surprised and delighted, but seeing the princess alone, she feared for her safety and wanted to take Leyou back to Shen Wei.
Leyou, eager to see Shen Wei, followed Cai Lian back. However, as they passed through an alley, Cai Lian turned around, and Leyou had vanished.
"This girl is simply reckless!" Li Yuanjing's face darkened, and he immediately dispatched the Tiger Guards to investigate.
Shen Wei was anxious, unable to sleep well that night.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Cai Lian came in with good news—Princess Leyou had been found.
The early autumn air was chilly, and the morning breeze swept into the courtyard. Leyou appeared like a dirty little stray cat, her hair a tangled mess, her hands and feet caked in mud, wrapped in a thick leather cloak.
Her fair face bore traces of dirt.
Knowing she had erred, Leyou stole a glance at Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing in the room, forcing a sheepish smile. "I greet you, Mother, and Father."
Li Yuanjing's expression darkened. "What a mess!"
Leyou shrank back, mumbling, "A few days ago, when Mother suddenly fainted, I was very worried and thought to come visit. I didn’t know you both had gone to Jiangnan, so I decided to follow..."
"Father, Leyou knows she was wrong."
Her apology was sincere.
Shen Wei summoned the physician, who examined Leyou and confirmed that she was fine. Only then did Shen Wei feel a bit relieved.
Leaning back in her chair, Shen Wei took a couple of sips from the hot tea Li Yuanjing handed her, her tone firm yet calm as she questioned Leyou, "Now tell me, why did you go missing yesterday?"
Leyou stood up straight, recounting her tale.
It turned out that while secretly following Shen Wei's entourage, she had passed through a county and saved a girl being bullied by a local tyrant, inadvertently offending a group of ruffians. Yesterday, upon arriving in Yu County, she encountered those same bullies in an alley.
Leyou had taken off running.
The ruffians pursued her relentlessly.
Cunningly, Leyou had hidden in the mountains, spending the night there. Only when dawn broke did she dare to sneak down and return to the courtyard to find Shen Wei.
"How can there be such scoundrels in this land?" Li Yuanjing fumed, raising his hand to send the Tiger Guards to deal with those who had bullied Leyou.
Then, turning to Shen Wei, he added, "Weiwei, the territory of Qing is vast. If you insist on wandering alone, the dangers you face will be no less than those Leyou encountered."
Li Yuanjing was still displeased with Shen Wei's desire to "wander alone."
He wanted her to understand the harsh realities of the world.
Shen Wei, however, paid no heed, her curious gaze sweeping over Leyou, landing on the thick cloak she wore. Shen Wei set down her teacup. "You spent a night alone in the mountains, so where did that cloak come from?"
Leyou stammered, "Um... I found it."
Shen Wei replied, "Shark leather is only found in the military. What luck you have to stumble upon a soldier's cloak."
Leyou sheepishly touched her nose, a hint of embarrassment crossing her cheeks.
Shen Wei's expression darkened. "You might as well confess!"
Leyou shrank her neck, not daring to lie in front of her mother. She lowered her head, stammering, "Um, um, Mother... this cloak belongs to Liang Huai Chuan. He searched for me all night and found me in a cave, so he gave it to me."
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