Shen Wei rode in a sedan chair and arrived at Kunning Palace with great fanfare. Today, the Kunning Palace has lost its former glory. The leaves of the sycamore trees at the entrance have turned yellow, and it is suspected that it has been infested by insects.
Shen Wei got out of the sedan chair.
The palace maids and eunuchs guarding Kunning Palace hurried out to greet them. Cai Lian and Cai Ping followed Shen Wei into the palace with supplements and medicines.
As soon as I stepped into the yard, a strong and pungent smell of incense and candles from the Buddhist shrine hit me in the face. The fragrance was so strong that it made people dizzy, and Shen Wei covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
"Where is the Queen?" Cai Lian asked the palace maid in Kunning Palace.
The maid replied tremblingly, "In the side hall, worshipping Buddha."
Shen Wei walked towards the side hall.
It was a bright day, but the light in the side hall was dim. The compassionate Bodhisattva statue was looming in the smoke of incense and candles. The queen knelt on the cushion, muttering to herself.
Hearing the noise at the door, the queen thought it was a palace maid and said in an unhappy tone: "I have told you many times that you are not allowed to disturb me while I am worshipping Buddha."
It was quiet outside the Buddhist temple.
The queen heard a voice that was familiar and hated to her, a clear and lazy voice: "The queen is well."
The queen was shocked and the Buddhist scripture in her hand fell to the ground. She turned her head in surprise and saw Shen Wei standing at the entrance of the Buddhist hall.
The light inside the Buddhist hall is dim, while the light outside the hall is bright, with sunlight shining in, alternating between bright and dark. The queen knelt in the dark, Shen Wei stood in the light, and the incense in the Buddhist shrine burned slowly.
Shen Wei smiled and said, "It's been a while since we last met. The Queen seems to have lost weight. She should take good care of herself. Remember to take the medicine sent by the Imperial Hospital on time."
The surroundings were dead silent, and in the eyes of the queen, Shen Wei's bright smile looked like a ghost crawling out of hell.
The queen stared at Shen Wei's face.
Over the years, Shen Wei's appearance has not changed at all. Shen Wei is still ambitious and vicious.
"What are you doing here? Come to laugh at me? It's all your fault. You've brought me to this point!" The queen stood up unsteadily. She had been kneeling for so long that her legs were numb. She looked very embarrassed when she stood up, and no palace maid was willing to approach her.
Chen Wei raised her eyebrows: "Queen, you have wronged me. It was you who poisoned me and murdered the Queen Mother. You are reaping what you sow."
Shen Wei just added fuel to the fire and trapped the queen in Kunning Palace.
The queen gritted her teeth, wishing she could pounce on Shen Wei and tear her face apart. She cursed shrilly, "Why, are you here to show off to me? Your son has been taught by Yang Xuanji, and you are here to show off to me?"
Shen Wei shook her head silently.
She didn't come here to show off, she came to the queen to gain merit.
If Shen Wei wants to establish a reputation as a virtuous person, "Caring Queen" is a good way to do it.
"Your Majesty, you are ill. I am really worried about you, so I specially sent you some nourishing herbs." Chen Wei said slowly, "From now on, I will ask the imperial physician to take your pulse every two days. It is hot in summer, and it is really stuffy for you to live alone in Kunning Palace. I will personally bring you a cool mat and a porcelain pillow in a few days."
The queen was stunned.
Behind Chen Wei, Cai Lian, Cai Ping and two young eunuchs had already brought in the things.
There are precious deer antlers, cool fabrics for summer, and some soothing decoctions. Chen Wei smiled and said, "The weather is getting hotter, and the temple is stuffy. Queen, you are ill, you should go back to bed and have a good rest."
The queen was full of doubts, she really couldn't figure out the purpose of Shen Wei's visit. The Queen said coldly: "I don't want to see you, take these things away! I don't need them!"
Shen Wei raised her eyebrows: "I am thinking about your health."
The queen was so angry that her teeth were itching.
Shen Wei didn't force the queen to go back to bed and rest. Shen Wei retreated to the outside of the courtyard, where two young eunuchs had already brought in a rattan chair. The sun was shining brightly, casting a shadow under the sycamore tree.
Chen Wei sat leisurely on the rattan chair, took the account book handed over by Cai Lian, and slowly looked through it.
He completely treated Kunning Palace as his own home.
The queen stood blankly at the door of the Buddhist temple. Seeing Shen Wei's leisurely and comfortable appearance, the queen was completely confused.
An hour later, Shen Wei finally stood up and slowly left Kunning Palace. Among the precious medicinal herbs given to the queen, the most expensive one, Chen Wei, was asked to be taken back by Cai Lian and Cai Ping. The rest will be given to the Queen.
"I don't need your junk, take it away!" The queen gritted her teeth in anger.
Shen Wei glanced at the fabrics and herbs, and said generously: "If Queen doesn't want them, I will give them to the palace servants who serve you."
Cai Lian and Cai Ping acted quickly and distributed the remaining items to several palace maids and eunuchs in Kunning Palace.
Everyone kowtowed repeatedly, expressing their gratitude.
Even the little bit that slipped through the fingers of their masters was a luxury and expensive for ordinary palace maids and eunuchs.
After Shen Wei finished her merits, she turned around and walked out of Kunning Palace. As soon as she stepped out of the gate of Kunning Palace, Shen Wei immediately put on a worried face and returned to Yongning Palace with a heavy heart.
In the next few days, Shen Wei went to Kunning Palace to sit for an hour every two days.
For a time, the entire harem knew that Concubine Chen was concerned about the sick Queen and took care of her meticulously. But the Queen did not appreciate it and always responded with harsh words. However, Concubine Chen did not bear grudges and still went to Kunning Palace to deliver soup and medicine regardless of weather conditions.
That night, candles were lit brightly in the bedroom of Yongning Palace.
When Li Yuanjing heard that Shen Wei often went to Kunning Palace, he was puzzled and asked Shen Wei: "I have placed the queen under house arrest, why do you often visit her?"
The queen was insane, and Li Yuanjing planned to depose her after a while and uproot the entire Tan Tai family.
Shen Wei rested her head on the soft pillow, playing with a strand of Li Yuanjing's hair with her fingers, and did not hide it: "I was just acting."
Li Yuanjing's voice rose at the end: "Put on a show?"
Chen Wei grabbed Li Yuanjing's hair and poured out her words, "A few days ago, rumors were rife in the palace, saying that Chengtai had made Yang Xuanji sick, and some people even criticized me for being immoral and having no way of educating my children. I thought that if I could behave more virtuously, no one outside would talk about Chengtai and the emperor."
"I went to take care of the Queen every two days to show my virtue. But don't worry, Your Majesty. I only went to sit in the courtyard of Kunning Palace for a while and did not disturb the Queen's worship of Buddha. This trick is called "covering the sky and crossing the sea" in the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Your Majesty once taught me this trick when I was reading."
Li Yuanjing: "..."
Li Yuanjing remembered that there was a time when he liked to teach Shen Wei to read and also read the Art of War with Shen Wei.
Unexpectedly, Shen Wei put her knowledge into practice.
Chen Wei seemed to feel embarrassed. She glanced at Li Yuanjing who was close to her, and said with embarrassment: "Your Majesty, do you think I am hypocritical and vicious? I can't help it. The Queen poisoned me. I can't take care of her sincerely."
She told Li Yuanjing all her little calculations without reservation.
Sincerity has been a killer skill since ancient times.
Li Yuanjing raised the corners of his lips and held Shen Wei's slender waist: "You just need to be sincere to me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
