The emperor turned a blind eye to the familiar sights.
“You didn’t see it,” Wan Zhen’er spat out the melon seed shells, her tone carrying a hint of exaggerated mockery, “our heartless emperor actually became a romantic in just a few days.”
Zhiwei followed Wan Zhen'er into the room arranged for her. The charcoal fire was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy. Wan Zhen'er dismissed the palace servants, then casually reclined on the soft couch, crossed her legs, and started cracking melon seeds.
"Ever since that lady in Kunning Palace passed away, His Majesty has been wearing a gloomy face for many days. He hasn't even entered the harem. We thought he was deeply in love and couldn't bear the pain, but what happened? A few days ago in the Imperial Garden, he ran into that Lady Liu talking to herself while looking at a few frozen butterflies. He stood there listening for a while, and after listening to something, he rolled onto the dragon bed and chatted with her."
Wan Zhen'er, imitating Liu Cai Nu's tone, said in a soft voice, "Oh dear, it's so cold, why are you butterflies still out here? Quickly find a place to hide. Learn from me, I know that following His Majesty is the warmest."
Zhiwei held a cup of hot tea and listened quietly to Wan Zhen'er's monologue.
Wan Zhen'er continued, "That little girl blinked her innocent eyes and said, 'His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, with a majestic dragon aura. What is there to be afraid of? It's those who are so proper and restrained that they don't even dare to smile that make people's hearts tremble.'" Wan Zhen'er chuckled, "I don't know the specifics, but it was something like that. In any case, that woman gained the Emperor's favor that very night, and for several days afterward, his favor remained undiminished. Now she's even more extraordinary; he's even letting her ride 'Black Lightning'."
After one person finished singing, Wan Zhen'er turned to look at Zhiwei's reaction. Zhiwei was sipping tea with her eyes lowered like an old woman, even having the leisure to count the tea leaves floating in the tea soup.
"Hey, give me some response!" Wan Zhen'er said reproachfully.
Zhiwei smiled and offered her support.
She thought to herself that riding a motorcycle was nothing special; she had done it when she was young and reckless, so it wasn't anything unusual.
But seeing Zhu Liji's undisguised deep affection was something she had never seen before. Thinking of this, Zhiwei couldn't help but feel absurdly amused. Life is truly full of surprises. You can see anything when you live long enough. What's so surprising about an iron tree blooming? Even a forty-year-old man is having a pure love affair.
While toying with her teacup, Zhiwei maintained her composure and said calmly, "It's always a good thing for us servants when His Majesty is happy."
"When the master is in a good mood, the servants can also have a peaceful year."
These words were sincere, but upon hearing them, Wan Zhen'er suddenly sat up straight with a jolt, her eyes blazing as she stared intently into Zhiwei's eyes, as if trying to find something on her face.
Zhiwei felt uncomfortable under her gaze and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"
Wan Zhen'er tilted her head, looked over Zhiwei's head, and after reading it, casually pushed it away, muttering to herself, "It's really so..." Wan Zhen'er didn't say anything more about "it's really so." She reached out and patted Zhiwei's shoulder, her tone slightly probing, "Your reaction is not right."
Zhiwei frowned even more: "What is it now?"
Wan Zhen'er shrugged, her tone carrying a hint of disappointment or understanding: "It's nothing. I thought you would be more frustrated."
"What does this have to do with me?" Zhiwei put down her teacup, her voice calm and unwavering. "It is His Majesty's freedom to favor whomever he wishes."
"But you, Consort, have managed to sit still even after your favor has been divided." Since the late Empress passed away, Wan Zhen'er's obsession has lessened considerably, and she has become closer to her again. Zhiwei is certain that she is in a good mood and won't hold it against her, which is why she spoke so freely.
Wan Zhen'er, as expected, ignored the slight disrespect in Zhiwei's words, clicked her tongue, leaned back on the soft couch, picked up her wine cup and took a sip: "I could have sat there, but unfortunately the Liu family is the one who is favored, which is a bit troublesome."
Zhiwei raised his eyes.
Wan Zhen'er lowered her voice slightly: "The Liu family and our Wan family are both aristocratic families. They appear to be on good terms, but they've had their share of rivalry behind the scenes. In recent years, the Liu family has declined, and none of the younger generation has proven capable. Just as the Liu family was weakening, a member of a collateral branch stepped forward. He was a martial artist by training and quite diligent, but unfortunately, he died in the battle in Siam a few years ago while trying to gain merit..."
“Coincidentally, this warrior is Liu Meiren’s brother, whom she relied on for survival. Even more coincidentally, the commander of the battle in which this warrior died was my brother.” Wan Zhen’er shook her head. “It’s hard to guarantee that she won’t hold our Wan family accountable for this.”
Zhiwei: "So you're worried that she'll hold a grudge against the Wan family?"
"Whatever happens to the Wan family is fine with me!" Wan Zhen'er didn't care about the family that used her as a pawn. There weren't many people she cared about, except for the dead and one living person.
"The relationships between powerful families are intricate and intertwined. They may all appear to be subjects, but in reality, their fortunes are intertwined. Which woman in the harem doesn't have a family behind her? Their fortunes are intertwined; one's rise is the other's, and one's fall is the other's." Wan Zhen'er paused, her voice turning cold. "If that Liu family girl behaves herself, then all will be well. But if she tries to use the Emperor's favor to whisper in his ear, or dares to drag my brother down with her..."
Wan Zhen'er didn't finish her sentence, but the fierce glint in her eyes said it all.
Zhiwei remained silent, not responding. Just then, Shao Yang's voice rang out from outside the room: "Master, Eunuch Ping has arrived, saying His Majesty summons you."
Zhiwei stood up, about to say goodbye to Wan Zhen'er, when Wan Zhen'er grabbed her hand: "You'll help me, won't you?"
"There are really not many old friends left." Wan Zhen'er said softly, whether to herself or to someone else, it was unclear.
Zhiwei stared at her for a long time, and finally just patted her hand: "Take care, and be careful."
Everyone has their own path. She was already on the right track, as was Wan Zhen'er. Zhiwei turned around and followed Pinghai to the main hall of the palace.
——
Inside the palace, Zhu Liji was having his meal at the dining table, with Consort Liu sitting close beside him.
The palace servants lowered their heads in tacit agreement, ignoring what Zhu Liji had done.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Zhu Liji, with his sleeves rolled up, was personally holding a small silver hammer and a crab-peeling needle, intently peeling a plump crab for Liu Meiren. Although his movements were not very skilled, he was extremely patient.
"Your Majesty, dipping crab meat in this ginger vinegar is the best way to ward off the cold," Consort Liu gently reminded him. Zhu Liji readily complied, dipped the crab meat in the vinegar, and fed it to her lips.
Liu Meiren ate it with a smile, her eyes and brows radiating sweetness.
Seeing Zhiwei enter, Zhu Liji put down his tools and raised his hand. Zhiwei, with her sharp eyes, noticed that his fingertips were slightly red from the effort, so she silently stepped forward, took the crab-eating set without a word, and skillfully continued peeling crabs.
Having lived in Lingnan for a long time, she had eaten quite a lot of sea crabs. Although she had injured her hand, she was still more agile than others.
The crab meat was intact, the crab shell was clean, and Zhiwei presented a perfect dish.
Before Zhu Liji could speak, Consort Liu looked curiously at Zhiwei's nimble hands and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, your palace maid is so efficient, peeling them so quickly and well."
Zhiwei lowered her head and smiled gently: "Your Majesty flatters me. It's just a matter of practice makes perfect."
Zhu Liji glanced at Zhiwei, and without any attempt to conceal it, put his arm around Liu Meiren's shoulder in front of her: "That's all she's good for. She's one of the old men around me, and she's quite skilled at making incense and preparing meals."
"If my beloved concubine needs anything in the future, just ask her."
Consort Liu nestled in Zhu Liji's arms for a long time. Seeing that the snow outside the window had stopped, she quickly got up and ran out of the palace like a child.
"Your Majesty, look! The snow outside has stopped. Why don't you accompany me for a ride later?" Consort Liu turned her head, her dimples shallow, her eyes bright and clear, and she spoke without any restraint.
With the innocent and carefree spirit of a young girl, she seemed to be conversing not with an emperor, but with an ordinary young man.
Zhu Liji gazed at her figure, a rare tenderness appearing in his eyes.
"Alright, whatever you say." He agreed with a smile, turned to pick up the snow fox cloak, and as he stood up, he pointed to the large bowl of crabs on the table and casually gave Zhiwei his instructions:
"You personally clean these crabs and remove the meat. I will inspect them when I return."
"This servant obeys." Zhiwei lowered her head in response.
Zhu Liji glanced at her again.
"His Majesty?"
When Consort Liu called out, he stepped forward. The emperor and consort left hand in hand, leaving only Zhiwei alone in the hall.
Zhiwei pouted and watched the two of them leave. After a moment, she stopped smiling, sat down silently at the table, picked up her tools, and began to process the cold crabs one by one.
Time passed slowly, and her injured right wrist began to ache faintly, gradually turning red. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, but her hands did not stop moving; instead, she quickened her pace.
"Who is Master angry with?" Shao Yang appeared behind Zhiwei without her noticing. Perhaps due to exhaustion, or perhaps surprise, Zhiwei's consciousness wavered, and her hand slipped slightly. The delicate yet hard crab claw suddenly snapped shut, unexpectedly clamping down hard on her left index finger—
A sharp pain shot through him, and bright red blood gushed out instantly, quickly spreading into a small patch of crimson on the white porcelain plate containing the crab meat.
"Master, are you alright?" Amidst Shao Yang's exclamation, Zhiwei quickly released the crab claw, the pain in her fingertip shooting up her nerves.
Compared to the pain in her fingertips, the sight of blood dripping into the golden crab roe, its crimson glaringly bright, was even more jarring to Zhiwei. Just as she was trying to figure out how to deal with that filth, footsteps sounded at the palace entrance.
Zhu Liji returned alone, emanating a chill from his body. His gaze swept over her bleeding fingertips and the crab roe in the dish stained with blood. Zhiwei subconsciously curled her fingers, her other hand already reaching for the handkerchief in her sleeve, trying to pick out the blood-stained part of the crab meat.
“Enough,” Zhu Liji said, his tone unreadable. “With my beauty stained with dirty blood, what can she eat? Go and accept your punishment.”
"Yes." Zhiwei answered readily. As she turned around, another drop of blood fell from her fingertip, hitting the plate and splashing a tiny red mark.
With no one around, Zhu Liji stared at the plate of snow crab for a long time. He picked up a mouthful of blood-red crab meat with his chopsticks, licked the blood residue from his lips, and found a sweet and fresh taste on his tongue. It was quite delicious.
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