Chapter 423
**Chapter 421: Departure**
Shen Wei comforted her, “Don’t think too much. You’re a skilled physician; just prescribe yourself a few doses, and you’ll be fine.”
Mo Xun was indeed a talented healer. As long as she was willing, she could surely cure herself and regain her health in no time.
Unfortunately, Mo Xun merely shook her head, lazily saying, “The medicine is too bitter; I don’t want to drink it.”
Having lived two lifetimes and seen the world’s splendor, Mo Xun truly had little to cling to.
She chatted idly with Shen Wei until a palace servant came to report that Lord Shen Xiuming had arrived.
The lake breeze was gentle as Shen Xiuming, dressed in a red official robe, stepped forward. He first bowed to Shen Wei, then turned his gaze to Mo Xun at the table. “The Yanjing winery has brewed a new fine wine, sweet and delicious. I’ve brought two jars as a gift for Miss Mo.”
As he spoke, Shen Xiuming presented the wine.
Mo Xun sat up straight, “Thank you, Lord Shen.”
The fine wine gurgled as it filled the cups.
Mo Xun took a sip and found it truly delightful. The wine was not intoxicating, carrying a rich fruity aroma, somewhat reminiscent of modern fruit wines.
She enjoyed it so much that she finished a whole jar in one go.
Shen Wei had the servants bring over chairs and invited Shen Xiuming to sit down. It was a rare day off for him, and Shen Wei asked, “The Ninth Prince Li Mi of Nanchu has ascended the throne. He’s ambitious; is the border between our two countries still peaceful?”
Shen Xiuming replied, “Sister, don’t worry. Everything is going smoothly at the Nanchu border. The new emperor is no ordinary man, but our new emperor is equally formidable.”
The political landscape was ever-changing.
Yet Shen Wei had no time to worry. Her era was slowly fading away; her children had grown up and were already shouldering the burdens of the previous generation. As dusk approached, Liao You and Shen Mingyue returned from their boating excursion.
Dinner featured grilled fish, delicious and satisfying.
Shen Wei ate until she was full, having drunk quite a bit, and felt dizzy and uncomfortable in her stomach. Li Yuanjing pulled her to the lakeside for a walk to aid digestion. Just as they enjoyed the cool evening breeze, Cai Ping rushed over to report, “My lady! Mo, Mo Taiyi is vomiting blood!”
Shen Wei froze, her foggy mind suddenly clear.
She hurried back.
Mo Xun had eaten little for dinner, and while resting in her room, she suddenly began to vomit blood, her condition deteriorating rapidly.
Shen Xiuming was taken aback and quickly sent for the imperial physician. The physician rushed in, checked Mo Xun’s pulse, and diagnosed her with “renal failure and excessive worry.”
He wrote a prescription.
Warm medicine was brought over, but after two sips, Mo Xun pushed the bitter concoction away in disgust. Shen Xiuming was at a loss and could only seek Shen Wei’s help, hoping she could persuade Mo Xun to drink the medicine.
The room was filled with the scent of medicine.
Shen Wei dismissed the servants and approached the bedside with the medicine bowl. Mo Xun leaned weakly against the headboard, her hair disheveled, her face pale as paper, looking even more haggard.
“Drink a little medicine; live a bit longer,” Shen Wei said gently. “In a while, we’ll head south. I’ve heard there’s a strange spring down there, the water thick and black. I think it might be oil, very valuable for research.”
Mo Xun shook her head.
With a sigh, she said, “Shen Wei, I know you want me to stay and keep you company... but I really don’t want to live anymore. Dying won’t take me back to the modern world, and living every day is a struggle thinking about Zhang He’an. I never imagined life could be this hard; it’s truly unbearable.”
“I wasn’t like this before. Maybe it’s age; I’ve become more sentimental.”
Mo Xun felt the pain of her torment.
In the past, with Zhang He’an by her side, they had chased each other, and life wasn’t so dull. But after regaining her memories, the weight of the past pressed down on her like a heavy mountain, making it hard to breathe.
Life felt tasteless, and the years stretched on.
Shen Wei couldn’t persuade her, and Mo Xun tiredly lay back down to rest. Shen Wei left the room, where Shen Xiuming was still waiting at the door.
“Did she drink the medicine?” Shen Xiuming asked.
Shen Wei shook her head.
Frowning, Shen Xiuming couldn’t understand Mo Xun’s thoughts. “Bitter medicine is good for the body. She’s a healer; why won’t she drink it?”
Shen Wei patted his shoulder and told him, “Healers find it hard to heal themselves; everyone has their fate. It’s getting late; you should rest early.”
Shen Xiuming lowered his head.
Shen Wei walked away, and after some distance, she turned back to see Shen Xiuming still standing alone at the entrance of Mo Xun’s courtyard. The night breeze blew, and the moonlight fell, making him seem like a statue.
Shen Wei sighed inwardly.
He was a pitiful man.
Mo Xun’s condition worsened day by day. As summer faded into autumn, she could hardly swallow anything. One day, she came to find Shen Wei, saying she wanted to visit the Qiuliang Palace in the imperial palace.
Qiuliang Palace was a relic from a century ago, once the residence of the Nanchu Empress Li Qingxun, preserved over the years.
With autumn’s arrival, the tall silk tree in Qiuliang Palace had yellowing leaves, and the courtyard was filled with crumbling walls, a scene of desolation.
As Mo Xun stepped into Qiuliang Palace, the chilly autumn wind brushed her face, stirring up the dry leaves on the ground. She looked up, the sunlight glaring; the once grand silk tree now stood with only its bare branches.
Mo Xun sighed, “Shen Wei, a century ago, when the laboratory exploded, I opened my eyes again to find myself in this palace, with only a broken instrument by my side... Who would have thought, after a hundred years, I could return here.”
She was too weak.
Shen Wei supported her arm, “Do you want me to accompany you inside for a bit?”
Mo Xun didn’t want to go inside; she sat down on a stone bench under the silk tree. “It’s too cold inside. The sun is nice today; let’s soak up some rays.”
The palace servants waited outside.
Mo Xun sat on the stone bench, her eyes half-closed, feeling the warmth of the autumn sun on her skin. Her vision blurred, and memories of the past floated before her, fragmented, as if they had happened just yesterday.
Seeing the weather turning cooler, Shen Wei had someone bring a cloak.
Just as Shen Wei was about to drape it over Mo Xun, she noticed Mo Xun holding a silk leaf, her eyes closing for a long time.
A gentle breeze rustled the remaining dry leaves on the silk tree, and one by one, the yellow leaves fell.
Mo Xun was gone.
Following Mo Xun’s wishes, Shen Wei chose a suitable burial site on Nanshan for her final resting place.
The funeral was simple, with Shen Xiuming personally overseeing the arrangements. After the ceremony, he kept vigil at Mo Xun’s grave for seven days before returning to the court, busy as ever, with no one noticing his sorrow.
...
At Luoyue Lake Imperial Villa.
Since Shen Wei returned from Nanshan, Li Yuanjing noticed that his Wei Wei seemed a bit downcast. At night, Shen Wei tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, staring at the bed curtains.
Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but say, “Wei Wei, the deceased has passed. I will always be here for you.”
Shen Wei looked very sad.
Li Yuanjing felt confused. Ever since he abdicated, he and Shen Wei had been together day and night, and he gradually sensed that Shen Wei seemed to be hiding more secrets.
He didn’t know how to approach it; even sharing a bed, he still couldn’t glimpse the depths of Shen Wei’s heart.
“Ah.” Shen Wei sighed.
She turned over, her gaze meeting Li Yuanjing’s. “Mo Xun was from my hometown. It’s a pity I can only bury her in Nanshan.”
Li Yuanjing was puzzled, “Hometown—Mo Xun was also from Qingguo?”
She didn’t answer but changed the subject, saying gloomily, “Let’s rest for now.”
She couldn’t tell Li Yuanjing that with Mo Xun’s death, her only connection to that world had been completely severed.
From then on, Shen Wei was left to wander this world alone, never to return to her hometown.
...
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