Chapter 101 Change of mind If he still has a little bit of me in his heart
The morning light slanted into the hall through the carved window lattices, scattering golden light all over the room.
There was still some residual incense in the incense burner, and wisps of smoke were slowly floating and swirling in the air, filling the room with silence.
Shen Xingwan's tiredness from a sleepless night finally came over her like a tide after Wei Zilin left.
It was as if someone had pulled out all my bones, even my fingertips felt sore and weak, and the string in my heart that had been stretched for so long finally broke quietly.
She hugged herself tightly, and finally fell into a deep sleep, no longer thinking about anything, no longer looking at anything.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already bright daylight.
The sound of palace servants' soft footsteps outside the window reached her ears clearly. The palace was warm and cozy, with veils swaying, and it seemed that even the air was filled with lazy fatigue.
As soon as she turned over, she heard the sound of footsteps outside the curtain.
Several young palace maids in light-colored palace costumes filed in, holding face towels or copper basins in their hands. They lined up beside the bed with deft movements, leaned over and bowed, and said softly, "Madam, are you awake? I will help you wash up."
Shen Xingwan leaned on the soft pillow, her eyelashes motionless and her expression cold.
She was too lazy to pay attention to them.
Knowing that I was powerless to resist, I could only let them control me.
The young palace maids put down the copper basin, brought warm water, and cleansed her face with a soft towel. Their movements were gentle and skillful, with cautious awe and a little bit of subtle prying.
Wash your face with clean water, let the fragrance surround your temples, and apply fragrant lotion on your face.
Shen Xingwan sat in front of the dressing table, looking at her slightly haggard face reflected in the bronze mirror.
The little palace maids were busy and quiet beside her. Some were lifting her long black hair, while others were combing her hair with scented lotion. Everything was quiet and orderly.
One of the younger palace maids was particularly skilled.
Her fingertips were as slender as green onions, and her movements were deft and delicate. She gently tied Shen Xingwan's hanging black hair into a flowing bun.
After her hair was combed, she took out a golden pearl flower from the makeup box beside her and pinned it in her hair.
The pearl flower is made of red gold and inlaid with kingfisher feathers. It is skillfully shaped into a butterfly with its wings spread out, ready to fly. The wings are inlaid with fine rubies, and the tail is hung with several gold chains. The slightest movement emits streams of light, which is extremely gorgeous.
As soon as the butterfly bead flower appeared, it immediately sparkled in the sunlight, making it almost impossible to open your eyes.
Shen Xingwan looked at the pearl flower and her heart moved slightly.
Through the bronze mirror, she looked calmly at the palace maid who was pinning flowers for her.
Just at this moment, the little palace maid seemed to sense something, raised her eyes slightly, and looked at her deeply.
The glance was extremely quick, the eyes were clear, hiding a very deep emotion, like a trace of water sliding across the mirror, and then quickly disappearing silently.
Shen Xingwan's heart trembled slightly.
She didn't know if it was an illusion or a coincidence, but her intuition told her that it was definitely not the gaze of an ordinary palace maid.
She pondered for a moment, then said softly, "I'm not used to so many people serving me. You all can go down, and I'll leave this one to comb my hair."
Her voice was gentle, but she brooked no argument.
Several young palace maids looked at each other, clearly feeling a little hesitant, and no one dared to make a decision on their own.
But they did not dare to refuse directly. They saw yesterday that this lady was very important in the prince's heart. If they were not careful, they might get into trouble.
Someone said carefully: "Madam, this..."
Shen Xingwan's eyebrows darkened, and his tone became colder: "Why? You guarded the door so tightly, are you afraid that I will grow wings and fly away?"
Although her tone was soft, it had a kind of coldness that was intimidating without being angry, like the thin layer of ice covering the surface of the lake when the spring chill comes; the water is still and silent, but it is still chilling.
Several young palace maids looked embarrassed, their faces turned red, and they lowered their heads and dared not say a word.
Thinking of the Crown Prince's inhuman and violent appearance, and looking at the arrogance of the lady in front of them, they finally dared not say anything more. They could only bow lowly, retreat as they were told, and tiptoe out of the palace gate.
The door closed with a creaky sound, and the hall returned to silence again.
Shen Xingwan sat in front of the dressing table, her eyes slowly sweeping across the little palace maid in the mirror who was looking down, her eyes dim.
She lightly picked up the butterfly hairpin with her fingertips, and her fingertips slid across the fine gold chain at the tail of the butterfly's wing. With a slight sound, the pearl light slowly swayed, like a dragonfly flapping its wings, about to take flight.
She stared at the lifelike butterfly quietly, and asked intentionally, yet casually, "Where did this butterfly bead flower come from?"
The young palace maid was arranging her hair. She paused for a moment after hearing this, then leaned forward and bowed, answering respectfully, "Your Majesty, it was Princess Guang'an who sneaked in on purpose."
"The princess said that you will definitely recognize this pearl flower."
Shen Xingwan's heart trembled, and his fingertips paused imperceptibly.
Of course she recognized this pearl flower, how could she not recognize it?
This butterfly pearl flower, made of red gold and inlaid with kingfisher feathers and gems, was a gift she personally selected for Princess Guang'an's birthday a few years ago.
At that time, Princess Guang'an had just come of age. The two were of similar age. They sat side by side at the palace banquet, holding hands and laughing, as if it was just yesterday.
Shen Xingwan gently stroked the butterfly's wings with her fingertips, her eyes slightly focused.
She slowly raised her eyes and looked at the court maid in the bronze mirror. Her tone was light, but her eyes were extremely sharp: "Are you the princess' man?"
The little maid did not respond immediately, but looked up and met her gaze.
Those eyes were no longer cautious and reserved as before, but became very calm and composed.
She smiled slightly and said, "To be precise, I am the person that Concubine De has placed beside His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Shen Xingwan's pupils trembled slightly, and then she lowered her eyes to hide the turmoil in her eyes, "Empress Defei... can she still take care of the Crown Prince's affairs now?"
The young palace maid whispered, "Although the queen has not been involved in government affairs for a long time, she has been in the harem for many years and can still do a lot."
She paused, then added in a low voice, as if deliberately testing: "The Queen said that if you want to protect yourself, you should listen to me more in the future."
Shen Xingwan remained calm and slowly put the butterfly hairpin back to her temples. The butterfly fluttered its wings and the light floated.
Her voice trembled slightly, and she suppressed her anxiety and asked, "How is Yan Jinghuan now? Do you know?"
The reluctance in the eyes of the little palace maid flashed away, and then she whispered: "Your Majesty, you don't know that there was a sudden change in the palace last night, and many major events happened."
"Last night, the Queen Mother held a banquet to summon all officials, ostensibly to mourn the late emperor, but in reality she was using the opportunity to force the officials to express their opinions and support the crown prince to succeed the throne."
"The prince has been secretly planning for a long time. He has previously secretly promised high positions and generous salaries. Many people are wavering and are waiting to see which way the wind will blow."
"And His Royal Highness the Regent..." She paused, lowered her head and said, "His Royal Highness announced in public in the court that the late emperor had left a secret decree before his death, intending to pass the throne to the fourteenth prince, causing an uproar in the court."
"The Queen Mother pretended to be furious, saying that the country was in mourning and that all matters should be put on hold and that no internal strife should be tolerated. But within one night, the residences of those ministers who did not express support for the Crown Prince were ransacked."
"The lighter ones will be exiled, and the more serious ones... will be beheaded along with their families."
When Shen Xingwan heard this, he quietly curled his fingers into his sleeves, his back felt cold, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"The regent is surrounded by a large number of imperial guards and has been placed under house arrest. He is not allowed to leave. The imperial seal has fallen into the hands of the crown prince, and he is also in control of the imperial guards' orders."
The little maid raised her head and said the last sentence slowly: "Now all the court officials are silent. Those who obey the prince will live, and those who disobey will die. Although the regent is not injured, he has been isolated outside the court. His Royal Highness the prince is only one step away from the throne, the coronation ceremony."
After the words were spoken, silence fell in the hall.
Shen Xingwan was struck by lightning.
She felt as if she was thrown from a great height into an icy lake, and there was an indescribable panic in the chaos.
She staggered two steps and fell back into the chair, her lips pale as she murmured, "How could...how could this be?"
She knew very well that the political situation was treacherous, but she never imagined it had become so evil.
Overnight, blood flowed like a river, and life and death depended on the tilt of power.
"Then...what about Princess Guang'an and Consort De?"
The little maid sighed, "General Shen Yunchao sent a message to the princess, saying that the spies have been wiped out and he is leading his troops back to the capital to provide assistance."
"But the news leaked out accidentally, and the Queen Mother took the lead and ordered the Imperial Guards to stop them. Princess Guang'an and Empress Defei have already tried to contact the forces of their mother's clan, hoping to delay the Imperial Guards' journey and wait for General Shen's army to come back for assistance."
Shen Xingwan was slightly shocked when he heard this.
She slowly closed her eyes, trying to calm the waves in her heart.
After a long time, she slowly opened her eyes. There was no longer panic in her eyes, but they were calm and clear.
"...In that case,"
She whispered to herself, her fingertips slowly rubbing across her palms, "We haven't reached the end of our rope yet."
She lowered her eyes and looked at her flat abdomen, her expression becoming more determined.
"As long as there are still people who have not surrendered, and as long as there are still soldiers who have not dispersed." She slowly stood up, "We must never admit defeat."
Shen Xingwan walked slowly to the window and leaned lightly against the carved lattice.
The sun was clear outside, and the palace eaves in the distance were layered and misty. She looked for a long time, but her eyes did not fall on anything specific, she was just lost in thought.
After a long while, she seemed to wake up from a dream and asked softly:
"What can I... do?"
The little palace maid stood behind her. When she heard her question, her eyes moved slightly and she consoled her softly, "Your Highness Princess knows that the queen is imprisoned. She is helpless. This time she sent the pearl flower to the queen. She only hopes that the queen will do her best to protect herself and not act rashly."
"The current political situation is dangerous and a storm is about to come. Her Royal Highness the Princess and Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort are secretly plotting. The most important thing for Her Majesty to do now is... to protect herself and wait for the right opportunity."
"Wait for the right time..."
Shen Xingwan repeated these three words softly, with a bitter smile on her face, "But in this cannibalistic palace, when has there ever been a chance for a prisoner to be taken prisoner?"
She looked back at the little palace maid, her eyes flickering, "...If everyone just waits for the right opportunity, then where will the people who can really turn the situation around come from?"
As she spoke, she slowly walked back to the dressing table and sat down. She raised her hand to pick up the butterfly bead flower with red gold and kingfisher feathers. With a light flick of her fingertips, the pair of wings trembled as if they were about to take off.
Shen Xingwan stared at it, and suddenly a ray of light flashed across his eyes.
"...I can't just sit there and wait for this to happen."
She spoke softly, but her tone suddenly became decisive and sharp.
The little palace maid was startled: "Madam?"
She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, unable to come back to her senses for a long time. She just held the pearl flower in her palm, and slowly, a faint arc appeared at the corner of her mouth, "I thought that Wei Zilin just wanted to use me to contain the Regent Palace."
"But last night...if he didn't have some sincerity in his heart, why would he give in again and again?"
She raised her head, her eyes burning.
"He still has feelings."
Shen Xingwan's voice was low and slow, but it was like a heavy hammer, awakening the last hesitation in her heart, "If he still has a little bit of me in his heart, how can I not use him for my own benefit?"
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