Chapter 403
**Chapter 401: The Freedom She Desires**
Li Yuanli stepped into the hall.
Shen Wei glanced at him but chose to ignore him, continuing to enjoy her dinner. Li Yuanli was not offended; he sat across from her and began his meal as well.
After finishing her meal, Shen Wei felt uncomfortably full. Habitually, she walked into the courtyard to take a stroll and aid her digestion. The winter in Nanchu was not too cold, and the newly planted flowers and grasses filled the air with a delicate fragrance. The soft moonlight illuminated Chang Le Palace, making it bright and inviting.
In a daze, Shen Wei thought she had returned to the Daqing Imperial Palace.
She sighed silently. After twenty years of hard work, she had finally escaped the deep walls and grand courtyards that had trapped her, only to find herself living a life that felt all too familiar. It was frustrating.
“Did you often take walks under the moon with Li Yuanjing?” Li Yuanli had approached her at some point, walking alongside her.
Shen Wei shot him a glare, wishing she could stab him with a knife.
She simply could not understand when Li Yuanli had developed feelings for her. Their encounters had been few, and their conversations even fewer.
Yet, he had fixated on her.
It was absurd.
Shen Wei was about to brush him off and leave when Li Yuanli grabbed her arm. His expression darkened; he disliked Shen Wei's cold demeanor. “After playing the role for so many years beside Li Yuanjing, why not perform for me?”
Shen Wei retorted, “Do you really want me to play a part for you?”
The moonlight in the courtyard was bright, accentuating the brilliance of Shen Wei's eyes. Li Yuanli thought that if he hadn’t seen through Shen Wei’s selfish, cold, and hypocritical nature, he might have genuinely liked her pretense.
But he had glimpsed her extraordinary essence beneath the surface.
If Shen Wei were to comply with his every wish, throwing herself at him, Li Yuanli would only feel disappointment.
He released her wrist, realizing he preferred Shen Wei’s true self.
“Shen Wei,” he said earnestly, “I am different from my second brother. He likes the gentle and virtuous facade you put on. I, however, love your soul. I would gladly give you the best of everything in this world; I can offer you my one true love.”
“With me, you can be yourself, without having to go against your nature.”
His words were sincere.
He could dismiss the harem and focus solely on Shen Wei; Li Yuanli was capable of that.
Unfortunately, Shen Wei didn’t believe a word of it. Deep down, she was cold and guarded against everyone.
As the night breeze blew, Shen Wei calmly told Li Yuanli, “I don’t want love; I only want freedom and wealth.”
Li Yuanli fell silent.
After her walk, Shen Wei returned to her chamber to rest. She had worried that Li Yuanli might force himself on her, but after waiting and listening, she heard no sounds from outside.
Li Yuanli did not enter the room.
As the night deepened, Shen Wei’s fragile body could no longer resist sleep, and she quickly fell onto her bed, drifting off.
The palace lanterns dimmed, and Li Yuanli pushed the door open and stepped inside. He lit a lamp, the gentle glow illuminating the sleeping Shen Wei, who lay peacefully, her breathing steady.
Li Yuanli watched her like a beast lurking in the shadows, his dark eyes locked onto the prey he had long desired.
The feeling of having Shen Wei was wonderful.
He gazed at her for a long time.
Until he heard a noise from outside. Only then did he reluctantly pull his gaze away, glancing at Shen Wei’s sleeping face, and murmured, “If you desire freedom, I would abandon my empire to roam the world with you.”
Shen Wei remained asleep.
Li Yuanli took the lamp and stepped outside.
At the entrance of Chang Le Palace, the head eunuch bowed his head respectfully and informed Li Yuanli, “Your Majesty, the new emperor of the Qing Kingdom has sent the imperial edict. Additionally, scouts report that troops from Liangzhou are moving south, seemingly intending to reinforce the southern border of Nanchu.”
Li Yuanli raised an eyebrow and sneered, “Burn the edict.”
The head eunuch hesitated, “What about the border situation?”
Li Yuanli scoffed, “Nanchu is no soft persimmon. If Daqing wants war, then let it be war.”
No matter what, he would not hand Shen Wei over.
---
In the sleeping quarters of Chang Le Palace, hearing the footsteps fade away, Shen Wei slowly opened her eyes.
She retrieved the dagger hidden in her sleeve and pressed it under her pillow.
“Endless,” Shen Wei muttered to herself.
Lying on the bed, her sharp mind began to analyze the situation.
From an objective standpoint, Li Yuanli’s “true feelings” were indeed rare. If she rooted herself in Nanchu, she could reveal her true nature, effortlessly gaining wealth and power, even obtaining a limited sense of freedom.
Unfortunately, Shen Wei could not let go of the hard-earned career she had built in the Qing Kingdom.
She turned over and finally fell asleep.
---
In the Qing Kingdom, Yanjing City.
King Wu arrived for the first time at the rumored imperial city of the Qing Kingdom, nervously presenting his tribute and subtly requesting a reduction in the tribute from Donglin for the coming year.
For a small nation to make such a bold request was akin to dancing on the edge of a knife.
To his surprise, the new emperor of the Qing Kingdom did not impose any punishment. The new emperor was too busy managing state affairs to even meet with King Wu, merely allowing the Ministry of Rites to accept the tribute from Donglin.
After waiting several days, with his head still firmly on his shoulders, King Wu found it hard to believe.
The new emperor of the Qing Kingdom was so accommodating?
King Wu breathed a sigh of relief, but a sense of melancholy crept in. He had been on edge for days, only to find that the emperor of the Qing Kingdom didn’t take him seriously at all.
The struggles of a small nation were disheartening.
King Wu was in no hurry to return home.
He temporarily settled in the Donglin embassy in Yanjing City, and with nothing to do, he wandered the streets in search of the most beautiful woman in the Qing Kingdom.
With its rich culture and talented people, Yanjing City, as the capital of a great nation, was prosperous, orderly, and open-minded. The streets were filled with many beautiful women of all shapes and sizes.
King Wu fanned himself, sitting in a tavern, observing the Qing women on the street. He was dazzled: “No wonder it’s Daqing; every girl is so radiant, far more beautiful than the women from Donglin.”
There were many beautiful girls.
But after looking around, King Wu couldn’t decide who was the most beautiful. He couldn’t help but think of the abducted Yuan Xier, whose complexion was dark and whose features were only passably pretty.
Yet for some reason, Yuan Xier was more captivating than all the flower-like beauties on the street.
King Wu knocked his head in frustration, cursing himself, “I’ve been in Wuxian too long; my brain must be addled. No more thinking about Yuan Xier!”
To distract himself, he called over a waiter from the tavern, slipping him a copper coin. “Hey, who is the most beautiful woman in Yanjing City? Is she married?”
The waiter glanced at the shabby-looking foreign guest, who had the typical appearance of a playboy, his face lewd.
The waiter assumed he was a lecher.
Indignantly, the waiter returned the old copper coin. “Our laws in Daqing are strict; you’d best not overstep, sir.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
King Wu was left speechless. How could the forty-first prince of Donglin be looked down upon by a mere waiter? Furious, he shook his fan, about to declare his identity, when suddenly he froze—
“That silhouette! That figure is stunning!” King Wu’s eyes lit up. He saw a luxurious carriage passing by on the street, and as the breeze blew, the curtain lifted, revealing a slender shoulder of a woman.
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