The princess felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave. She looked at her husband in disbelief, unable to believe that such heartless words came out of his mouth.
"Your Highness, I have worked so hard for my children and even if I occasionally fail in my duty, you cannot treat me like this!" The princess was shocked.
The disgust in Prince Yan's eyes grew even stronger. He didn't want to listen to the princess anymore and left in anger.
The princess' knees weakened and she staggered and fell to the ground.
She frantically grabbed at Madam Liu's arm, as if grasping at a lifeline: "Madam Liu, the prince...he is going to divorce me for those lowly concubines?"
The princess thought she was dreaming.
Madam Liu helped the princess into the house and comforted her, "My lady, the prince was just speaking in anger. You are from the Tantai family, you are of noble status and you have two sons. Your position is unshakable and the prince will not divorce you."
The princess felt as if her heart was being stabbed with needles and her mind was buzzing and blank.
She racked her brains and muttered to herself, "Someone must have complained to the prince...Yes, it must be Yao'er! I just scolded her a few words, and she actually complained to the prince, so the prince took his anger out on me. This stinky girl, I shouldn't have given birth to her!"
The princess' tears fell, and the Buddhist beads in her hand fell into the snow with a plop, a thousand emotions surging in her heart.
Madam Liu still maintained her rationality. She advised the princess: "My Lord, the most urgent thing is to provide charcoal fire for the concubines in the backyard to survive the winter. If someone dies, the prince will probably vent his anger on you again."
The princess rubbed her brows and said, "Call the rich steward here. I want to ask him what job he is doing!"
...
...
The snow kept falling non-stop in the middle of the night.
Snowflakes fell on the umbrella, accumulating into a thin layer. Under the umbrella, King Yan was exhausted both physically and mentally.
His mind was now filled with thoughts of the snow disaster that had hit the people in the north, the frost and snow that had harmed mulberry crops, and the court's initial success in providing disaster relief; next, he was thinking of Liu Ruyan's unreasonable behavior and the princess's dereliction of duty.
My head hurts like crazy.
Until the eunuch holding the umbrella for him reminded him: "Your Highness, we have arrived at the Liuli Pavilion."
Prince Yan looked up subconsciously.
On a cold and snowy night, the door of the Glazed Pavilion was open and two warm carp lanterns were hung on the eaves. Under the warm yellow light, Shen Wei, wearing a thick fox fur cloak and holding a hot water bottle in her hands, stood at the door and looked out.
Seeing Prince Yan returning from the snow, Shen Wei showed a warm smile on her face: "Prince, you are back."
It was very cold, but Chen Wei was the only one who was warm.
Her soft and soothing voice fell into King Yan's ears, and most of the fatigue accumulated in King Yan's body dissipated.
Prince Yan's eyes were moved.
He suddenly understood the kind of life he wanted: he would support himself outside, worry about state affairs, and consolidate his position in the Qing Dynasty's court. After returning home, there was a woman who loved him waiting for him. He no longer had to worry about the trivial matters in the backyard. At night, the couple talked to each other and slept soundly.
It was obviously a simple yearning, but he had been waiting for many years and still couldn't get it.
"Your Highness, your hands are so cold." Shen Wei stepped forward and put the hot water bottle in her hand into Prince Yan's hand, then patted the snow on Prince Yan's shoulders. Finally, she naturally took Prince Yan's cold hand and led him back to the Glazed Pavilion.
The house is warm.
Shen Wei wanted to take off the wet cloak for King Yan, but King Yan held her hand and said, "I will do it myself."
Shen Wei, with a big belly, braved the cold wind and snow and waited for him to return under the eaves. King Yan was very touched and didn't want Shen Wei to take the trouble to help him change his clothes.
After changing into pajamas and soaking their feet in hot water, they lay down on the bed fully clothed.
The weather was cold in winter, so Chen Wei made the bed soft and warm, and put a hot water bottle into the quilt in advance. When Shen Wei and King Yan lay down in it, the quilt was also warm.
The room is filled with sleep-inducing incense, which smells elegant and pleasant.
Shen Wei was extremely sleepy and wished she could sleep till dawn, but the King of Yan was still asleep and she couldn't sleep first no matter how sleepy she was.
Shen Wei held Prince Yan's hand and asked with concern, "Your Highness, is Concubine Liu's illness very serious? You are so worried that you can't sleep."
King Yan shook his head, thinking of the messy backyard: "Weiwei, my heart is not at peace."
Shen Wei had many eyes and ears in the palace, and she also learned from Cai Ping about what happened to Prince Yan and the princess in Qixue Pavilion.
But she pretended not to know and whispered: "Did the prince encounter any trouble in the court? It's a pity that I don't understand politics and can't help the prince..."
King Yan sighed, and the depression in his heart eased a little: "It's just a small matter. You are pregnant, don't worry about it."
Chen Wei said sincerely: "Then wait until I give birth to the child, and then I will help the prince to share his worries."
In fact, Shen Wei understood King Yan’s psychology. Prince Yan worked hard at court during the day, fighting openly and secretly with Prince Heng's clan. He also had to be wary of potential assassinations when he went out. When the King of Yan returned home after dark, he naturally hoped to eat hot meals, sleep in a warm and comfortable bed, say a few soothing words to the person beside him, and finally fall into a good sleep.
But when the Prince of Yan returned home, he saw: the princess and the old nanny were arguing over the child; Liu Ruyan was in a tantrum and needed him to coax her; the charcoal fire in the backyard was insufficient in winter, and the concubine froze to death; his daughter burst into tears after being scolded by the princess; his two biological sons hid when they saw him...
The King of Yan was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Shen Wei secretly thought that after she gave birth to the child safely and raised her status, she would gradually take away the housekeeper's power from the princess. The princess can't manage the palace well, but Shen Wei can.
She promised to serve Prince Yan comfortably and allow him to return home without being disturbed by trivial matters. The smoother the Prince of Yan's life became, the more he depended on her, and the more benefits she could get from the Prince of Yan.
Prince Yan is Shen Wei's gold and silver mountain. As long as she has Prince Yan's protection, Shen Wei will have a life of wealth and glory.
Shen Wei deliberately rubbed the hand of Prince Yan: "If the prince doesn't sleep, then the concubine and the child in my belly won't sleep either, and will stay up all night with the prince."
King Yan laughed out loud and pinched Shen Wei's increasingly round face with his slender fingers.
Prince Yan liked Chen Wei very much. With Chen Wei by his side, he felt completely relaxed.
Although Shen Wei was pregnant, King Yan had not been completely satisfied for a long time. But sleeping on the same bed with Shen Wei, listening to Shen Wei's soft and lively voice, and smelling her faint fragrance, King Yan got more spiritual satisfaction.
Chen Wei is his sweetheart and the "home" that he can no longer give up.
It got dark and the snow stopped.
The King of Yan fell asleep.
Shen Wei snuggled in his arms, her eyelids slowly closed, and she soon fell asleep.
...
...
Liu Ruyan had been overly worried since she caught a cold, and her health had not improved. She was originally frail, and became even weaker after the serious illness. She would start panting and coughing after walking for a while, and had to take a lot of medicine every day.
As for the unfavored concubines in the palace's rear house, they also received enough charcoal and barely survived the cold winter.
The spring breeze blew away the remaining snow on the branches, the dead trees began to sprout, the days became warmer, and spring was coming.
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