Shen Wei's nose felt sour.
The Queen Mother was really good to her.
In the past, the Queen Mother favored Shen Wei because she wanted Shen Wei to be a "good wife" who supported and assisted Li Yuanjing and raised the prince. Later, after spending more time together, the Queen Mother gradually treated Shen Wei as her own daughter.
Even though the Queen Mother had always known that Shen Wei was scheming and calculating, she never reprimanded her. As a woman herself, the Queen Mother knows the hardships women go through.
Shen Wei leaned on the Queen Mother's lap and said sullenly, "Thank you, Mother, for your care over the years."
...
Two days later, the Queen Mother left Yanjing City under the pretext of "going to Jiangnan to visit the sick Ninth Prince".
Shen Wei managed the harem as usual, and the current days were peaceful and the court was stable.
In the blink of an eye, another year has passed.
In early spring, the nights are still cold. In the bedroom of Yongning Palace, the heat in the hibiscus tent faded away, and Shen Wei felt sore all over, her head resting on the pillow, ready to fall asleep.
Li Yuanjing was satisfied, and he held Shen Wei's waist intimately, his voice still lazy and hoarse: "Weiwei, I plan to go south to inspect military affairs, you come with me."
The sleepiness in Shen Wei's mind suddenly disappeared.
She opened her eyes: "Southern Tour?"
Li Yuanjing smiled and said, "I see that you are bored in the palace every day, so I will take you to the south to relax and visit the queen mother."
Chen Wei lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then shook her head helplessly: "I would like to throw away all the trivial matters and accompany the emperor on his southern tour. But there are many trivial matters in the harem, and Leyou's coming-of-age ceremony is coming up next year, so how can I avoid it?"
Li Yuanjing was slightly disappointed.
Since Li Chengtai became the crown prince, Li Yuanjing's burden has been lightened a lot. He wanted to take Shen Wei to travel south to experience the life of ordinary people.
Unfortunately, Shen Wei has many trivial matters on her shoulders.
Li Yuanjing sighed, lowered his head and kissed Shen Wei on the forehead: "Well, I'll bring you some new and interesting things from the south."
Chen Wei leaned in Li Yuanjing's arms, lowering her eyes in deep thought.
The emperor's southern tour may be an opportunity...
So Shen Wei deliberately said in a yearning tone: "The Queen Mother wrote to me a few years ago, saying that the water in Jiangnan is green, the willows on the riverbank outside the city are swaying, and the birds are singing more beautifully than in Yanjing City. I often think that if I can go and see it in the future, I will die without regrets..."
The melancholy tone was like a thin knife cutting into Li Yuanjing's heart. He whispered, "Don't say anything like dying without regrets."
Shen Wei forced a smile: "I just said it casually, Your Majesty, don't take it seriously."
The night is dark.
Shen Wei deliberately planted the seed of "no regrets in death" in Li Yuanjing's heart, leaned against Li Yuanjing, and fell into a deep sleep.
Li Yuanjing was inexplicably uneasy. The howling night wind made the window frames creak, and Li Yuanjing could not fall asleep.
Not long after, Li Yuanjing left Yanjing City and took a boat to tour the south. He toured the Southern states inspecting water and military affairs.
The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is beautiful, just as Shen Wei said, it is green and beautiful everywhere. But after Li Yuanjing looked at it for a long time, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, it became boring.
Li Yuanjing began to miss Shen Wei.
In the past, if Li Yuanjing went out for a few days, Chen Wei would definitely send palace maids to take care of him and give him some personal items. But this time it was really strange. Li Yuanjing had been patrolling in the south for many days, but he didn't receive the items sent by Shen Wei.
Li Yuanjing sent a letter to Shen Wei, to which Shen Wei replied, but the content was too simple and even a little perfunctory.
Li Yuanjing had a bad feeling.
Two months later, Li Yuanjing returned to Yanjing City. Along the way, Li Yuanjing was eager to return home. The emperor's guard of honor galloped along the official road and stopped at the post station at dusk.
Li Yuanjing rested at the post station. Outside the courtyard wall of the post station was a field of pink roses, swaying in the golden sunset. Li Yuanjing stood by the upstairs window, lowering his eyes to admire the clusters of bright and beautiful roses.
Suddenly, he saw a white-haired old man who looked like a cook walk to the rose bush, gently pick a rose flower, and carefully remove the thorns.
"Old woman, look what I brought you." The white-haired old man walked to the kitchen of the inn, holding flowers.
The white-haired cook who was chopping vegetables put down her knife and said, "Oh, you're picking flowers again! Don't let the nobleman at the post station see you. I heard that the nobleman who is stopping here today is a very important nobleman."
The white-haired old man smiled and said, "We don't steal, rob or do bad things, and you won't blame us. Come, I'll give you a flower."
The white-haired old man took out the rose.
Skillfully pinned on the cook's head.
The two smiled at each other, and the plain and warm happiness slowly overflowed. Li Yuanjing stood at the window sill, saw the roses in the old cook's hair, and thought of Chen Wei in the palace.
When he and Weiwei grow old in the future, I imagine it will be a warm and cozy scene like this.
By the time Li Yuanjing reached middle age, he had firmly held a high position, witnessed the prosperity of the world, and enjoyed enough of the imperial power and wealth. After half of his life, Li Yuanjing yearns for a peaceful and ordinary life.
As the sun rose and the moon set, Li Yuanjing's guard of honor returned to the imperial city, and Crown Prince Li Chengtai personally welcomed them.
Li Yuanjing looked around and didn't see Shen Wei. He asked Li Chengtai, "Where is your mother?"
Li Chengtai's usually calm and composed face showed some sadness that could not be concealed: "My mother is in Yongning Palace. She has been ill recently."
Li Yuanjing's face darkened.
Is Weiwei sick?
He didn't even know!
Li Chengtai told him: "Father, it was the Queen Mother who didn't allow me to make it public. She was afraid that you would worry."
Li Yuanjing quickly rushed to Yongning Palace. Yongning Palace remains the same as before, with beautiful lanterns hanging from the eaves, a few peach tree branches sticking out from the edge of the wall, and bronze bells under the eaves ringing slightly in the wind.
The yard was full of vitality. During the days when Li Yuanjing was away, Shen Wei sent palace servants to take care of the vegetables in the vegetable garden. There were no weeds and each vegetable was crisp.
Chen Wei was in the study, arranging palace affairs for Cai Lian, Cai Ping, Rong Mama and others. Leyou's coming-of-age ceremony is scheduled for early summer. Chen Wei attaches great importance to her child's coming-of-age ceremony and started preparing for it last year.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
