Chapter 63

Since Lu Qi Huai took office as the Deputy Governor, Liu Mengxian had been calling Shen Wei to the palace once a month. The first reason was to show the outside world, and the second was to maintain relations with the Rongguo Duke’s residence. However, as time passed, Liu Mengxian realized that although Shen Wei was young and didn’t speak much when they met, she always spoke with great reason, making it quite pleasant to listen to.

Though there were many people in the palace, everyone had grown accustomed to speaking according to their company — “speak to people as people, speak to ghosts as ghosts…”

Shen Wei, in contrast, was rare and exceptional.

Therefore, by now, Liu Mengxian treated Shen Wei with a few more friendly gestures whenever she summoned her.

Today happened to be the 8th day of the month, which was the day Shen Wei had scheduled to meet Liu Mengxian. The carriage was already waiting by the shadow wall. After Shen Wei paid her respects to Old Madam Xie, Shui Bi supported her as they walked out. However, as they reached the yard, Wang Shi’s voice came from behind: “Big sister-in-law truly has good fortune. You’re usually so quiet at home, yet now you have both the Empress and the Princess of Changping favoring you. Your methods are really impressive.”

At first, Wang Shi thought that Shen Wei, who stayed at home every day, was like a clay idol, uninterested in external affairs. Who could have expected that this woman’s methods were far more capable than before?

In just a short period, not only had she earned the favor of Princess Changping, but the Empress had also taken a liking to her. Now, whenever the women gathered, they all spoke about how lucky Shen Wei was.

Indeed, she also had a capable son.

With the protection of Princess Changping and the Empress, who in Bianliang City could have better luck than her?

Wang Shi thought back to how, after Lu Qi Xuan gained the favor of King Jin, she had also received some praise and flattery in the city. But after so long, Lu Qi Xuan still remained a man in white, while Madam Zhuang from the palace had been punished, and the Crown Prince had been praised by the Emperor for his previous work.

The flattery had gradually faded away.

Hearing Wang Shi’s words, Shen Wei’s expression didn’t change. She simply stopped and turned her head to look at Wang Shi, noticing the unmasked jealousy in her gaze. Shen Wei then spoke indifferently: “Second sister-in-law, if you spend your days obsessing over others, aren’t you afraid it will make you feel worse?”

After she spoke, seeing the anger rise in Wang Shi’s eyes, Shen Wei dusted off her sleeves and added, “If I were second sister-in-law, I would focus more on my family. Yesterday, mother had a bad night and felt hot again. If you care, you should be more filial.”

As she said this, her gaze unconsciously turned toward the room behind them.

Since Lu Qi Xuan had been with King Jin, Old Madam Xie had continued her usual ways, but Shen Wei could still sense a lingering displeasure in the old woman. Meanwhile, Wang Shi continued to speak of Lu Qi Xuan and Zhao Zheng, almost as if trying to make Old Madam Xie think that Lu Qi Xuan was inferior to Lu Qi Huai.

Perhaps it was true that outsiders could see things more clearly…

She noticed that whenever Wang Shi spoke about Lu Qi Huai and Zhao Zheng, Old Madam Xie’s attitude seemed unusual, and even the old servant Wei Mamma beside her acted differently.

There must be some secret hidden with Old Madam Xie, possibly related to Lu Qi Huai. Shen Wei had suspected this during the spring hunt, but despite her recent observations and her memory of the book The Power Ministers, she couldn’t find any concrete evidence.

Autumn Huan, standing beside her, had no idea what she was thinking. Seeing her lost in thought, she lowered her voice and said, “Madam, we should be leaving.”

Shen Wei came back to her senses upon hearing the words. She stopped looking at Wang Shi and allowed Autumn Huan to support her as they headed out. Among all her maids, the ones Shen Wei was most accustomed to were Shui Bi and Autumn Huan.

However, she never took Shui Bi with her when going to the palace. Although Shui Bi had martial skills and could handle many situations, the palace was filled with experts, and with so many eyes watching, it could cause trouble if they noticed anything unusual about Shui Bi.

Thus, whenever she went to the palace, she always took Autumn Huan.

Though Autumn Huan was not as meticulous as Shui Bi, she was clever and quick to learn, making her a useful assistant.

The carriage was waiting as usual at the palace road, and the palace servant who had come to greet her was the same one from before.

Shen Wei had met her a few times and knew her name was Ming Yan. She was a second-rank palace maid serving Liu Mengxian. Seeing Ming Yan approach, Shen Wei smiled and reached out to support her first, saying with a smile, “Alright, Ming Yan, get up. The Empress is still waiting, and we don’t want to delay any further.”

Ming Yan, hearing the words, thanked Shen Wei. She had met Shen Wei several times and knew that the Empress had taken a liking to the Rongguo Duke’s wife. Although she quickly complied with Shen Wei’s words, her attitude remained respectful. With her head slightly lowered, she humbly led Shen Wei toward the Weiyang Palace.

Before they reached Weiyang Palace, however, Shen Wei encountered a familiar face — it was Huo Feiguang.

From a distance, Shen Wei saw Huo Feiguang walking out of Weiyang Palace, still dressed in red. Her face was slightly stern, her brows cold, and her aura was also a bit chilling.

This was the first time Shen Wei had seen Huo Feiguang like this.

Huo Feiguang noticed Shen Wei as well. She glanced at Shen Wei and then nodded silently. Apart from that, she didn’t say a word but continued walking ahead in silence.

After Huo Feiguang left—

Mingyan straightened up. She first glanced at the figure of Huo Feiguang as he departed, then lowered her voice to speak to Shen Wei. “The Princess of Changping must have upset Her Majesty again. When you go in later, be careful with your words, so as not to provoke the Queen.”

Shen Wei frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Mingyan noticed the expression on Shen Wei’s face and looked around before whispering again, “Her Majesty has always been keen on the marriage between the Crown Prince and the Princess. But despite mentioning it several times privately, the Princess has never agreed…” She paused for a moment and then added, “The Princess of Changping is also a difficult person to talk to. Every time she leaves, Her Majesty gets angry.”

Today, it was also the turn of the wife of the Duke of Rong…

In the past, the Queen had tried many times to summon the Princess into the palace but was always cleverly declined. But today, as the Princess of Changping came to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, the Queen, upon hearing this, eagerly sent for her.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei had a better understanding of the situation. She didn’t say more, simply adjusting her expression, thanking Mingyan again before heading inside.

When the palace servants announced her arrival, Shen Wei instructed Qiuhuan to wait outside, then entered alone.

Inside the Weiyang Palace, everything was as it had been, with no noticeable changes. Only the area in front of Liu Mengxian’s seat was a bit damp, likely from when someone had knocked over a cup earlier, leaving traces that had just been cleaned up.

Shen Wei observed this without showing much reaction, continuing to walk. When she reached Liu Mengxian, she greeted her as usual, speaking softly, “This humble servant greets Her Majesty the Queen.”

Liu Mengxian’s expression was indeed somewhat displeased. She hadn’t expected Huo Feiguang to be so disrespectful. In the past, he had always refused to come no matter how much she invited him, but today, when she had finally managed to meet him, after speaking kindly and courteously, he had refused her without a second thought.

He was truly relying on the power behind him, knowing she wouldn’t dare do anything to him. That made him even more brazen!

Thinking of this, Liu Mengxian’s face grew darker. If it hadn’t been for Shen Wei kneeling in front of her today, she would have sent the person away without hesitation.

But because it was Shen Wei, she had to treat her properly.

Taking a deep breath to calm the anger inside, Liu Mengxian softened her voice and said, “Alright, there’s no need for such formalities. Please rise.”

As soon as she said this, someone stepped forward to help Shen Wei stand.

Shen Wei thanked the person and sat down. A maid came forward with tea. Shen Wei held the cup in her hands but didn’t drink. Instead, she carefully observed Liu Mengxian’s expression and asked tentatively, “Earlier, when I entered, I saw the Princess of Changping. Did she upset you?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Mengxian’s hand froze around her teacup, but her expression remained unchanged. She smiled and took a sip of tea before replying gently, “The little girl is young. It’s normal for her to say the wrong things sometimes. But as elders, should we really be upset with the younger generation?” Her words were quite gracious, and anyone who heard them would praise her, were it not for the hint of darkness in her eyes.

Shen Wei didn’t say much in response but still wore a visible expression of hesitation.

Liu Mengxian noticed this and placed her teacup down. She then asked, “Do you have something you want to say to me?”

“I do have something on my mind, but…” Shen Wei spoke as she placed her teacup on the table. She glanced around before shutting her mouth again.

Liu Mengxian had interacted with Shen Wei enough to know what kind of person she was. If there wasn’t anything important, she wouldn’t behave this way. Seeing Shen Wei’s hesitation, Liu Mengxian waved her hand, dismissing the servants. Once they were alone, she spoke again. “Alright, speak your mind. There’s no need to hide anything from me.”

Shen Wei’s hesitation lessened slightly upon hearing this, though there was still some reluctance in her voice. “I dare to ask, Your Majesty, why do you favor the marriage between the Crown Prince and the Princess?”

As soon as she finished speaking—

Liu Mengxian’s previously smiling face darkened, and even her usually gentle eyes became sharp as she looked at Shen Wei. How could a foreign woman comment on the royal marriage? If it weren’t for the fact that Shen Wei was sitting before her, she would have scolded her by now. But despite this, Liu Mengxian spoke in a calm voice, “Shen, you have overstepped.”

This was the first time Liu Mengxian had used such a tone with Shen Wei.

Shen Wei’s face turned pale, and she immediately knelt down, her head lowered as her voice trembled. “This humble servant knows that I have overstepped, and I know this may upset Your Majesty. But I still must speak…” After this, she added, “Does Your Majesty still remember the incident with Consort Zhuang when His Majesty punished her?”

Liu Mengxian, hearing this, looked at Shen Wei with confusion. Why was she bringing up Consort Zhuang at this moment?

Everyone in the palace knew that Consort Zhuang had offended His Majesty, and the reason was clear—she had tried to arrange a marriage for Zhao Zhun with Yang Jiji’s daughter. This was common knowledge, so why was Shen Wei bringing it up now? Liu Mengxian suppressed her curiosity and looked at Shen Wei with a calm expression, replying, “Alright, rise.”

After she said this, she added, “Speak directly. Don’t beat around the bush…” Seeing Shen Wei’s hesitation, she sighed and added, “I pardon you.”

When Shen Wei heard Liu Mengxian’s final words, the hesitation on her face disappeared completely. She sat back down in the chair and continued speaking to Liu Mengxian: “The Empress Dowager made the Emperor unhappy because she tried to arrange the marriage of Miss Yang from the Yang family to Prince Jin, but has she ever considered why the Emperor was unhappy?”

At this point, she glanced at Liu Mengxian’s expression. Seeing that Liu Mengxian was deep in thought, she continued: “The Empress Dowager has favored the Princess for a long time, and the Emperor must be aware of it. Now that the Crown Prince has turned seventeen, it’s time for him to marry, but the Emperor… he hasn’t shown any indication.”

Liu Mengxian, as the head of the six palaces, might not have understood at first, but upon hearing Shen Wei mention Zhao Zhun, she began to understand.

She thought about the proposal to marry Huo Feiguang to the Crown Prince, a matter known by everyone in Bianliang, including the Emperor. However, whenever the Crown Prince’s marriage was brought up in front of the Emperor, he had never said anything.

In the past, she had thought the Emperor was reluctant to part with his niece, which was why he kept delaying it. But now, it seemed clear—the Emperor wasn’t reluctant at all. He simply didn’t want Huo Feiguang to marry the Crown Prince!

Liu Mengxian’s face paled suddenly, as if realizing the Emperor didn’t want to give Prince Jin any additional support, nor did he want the Huo family to become a force for the Crown Prince. She gripped the armrest tightly, her eyes confused, her red lips parted as she softly murmured, “But why?”

Her soft murmur…

Shen Wei naturally didn’t miss it. She remained sitting upright, her voice still soft: “Although I am just a woman of the inner household, I remember that the late Emperor once punished the former Crown Prince for the interference of external relatives in court matters…” After she said this, she noticed Liu Mengxian’s eyelashes tremble slightly, and she followed up with: “Actually, the Crown Prince no longer needs a marriage to secure outside forces. The Emperor is very supportive of him, and lately, he has praised him often. After all, the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince.”

Yes, the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince.

As long as the Crown Prince doesn’t make mistakes, that position will eventually belong to him. Why should she keep struggling and risk angering the Emperor?

Liu Mengxian, having understood the key, felt the confusion that had been on her face dissipate. She looked back at Shen Wei and said in a gentle tone, “Thank you for reminding me.” She had originally planned to wait until her birthday in a few days, when all the guests would be present, to bring up this matter with the Emperor.

At that time, even the Emperor would have to show her some face and agree to the marriage.

But even if she succeeded, what would happen afterward? Perhaps she would end up in the same situation as Empress Dowager Zhuang, or even worse.

Liu Mengxian couldn’t stop shuddering at the thought. However, when she looked at Shen Wei sitting across from her, she couldn’t help but frown slightly. She had always thought of this woman as clever and good at talking, but today’s words made her realize that this woman wasn’t just clever.

There were things she couldn’t figure out.

But this woman only needed a few sentences to make her see things clearly.

Shen Wei, sensing Liu Mengxian’s gaze, maintained her calm expression, though there was a hint of shyness from being complimented. She slightly lowered her eyelids and said, “I’m merely an observer. With Your Majesty’s intelligence, even without my reminders, you would have figured it out in a few days.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Mengxian smiled again.

Indeed, those involved are often confused, while outsiders can see things more clearly… She thought about it and gently patted Shen Wei’s hand, saying, “No matter what, I must thank you again…” After her first sentence, she added, “In a few days, it will be my birthday. You must come, and bring your eldest son with you. I want to see him.”

She smiled again as she said this: “Come to think of it, I haven’t thanked him yet.”

Shen Wei smiled in response.

—-

By the time Shen Wei returned, it was already the evening.

Liu Mengxian had prepared many gifts for her, even more than usual. If one paid attention, one would see that there were more this time than before. Even Ming Yan, who had previously led Shen Wei in, couldn’t help but comment, “The Empress treats you so well.” She was actually somewhat puzzled, as it was rare for the Empress to treat the Duke of Rong’s wife with such generosity. In the past, every time the Princess visited, the Empress would get very angry, and they, the servants, would be nervous, afraid of offending her.

But this time—

The Empress not only didn’t get angry, she was even kinder to the Duke of Rong’s wife than usual. It was really strange… But though she thought this, her expression didn’t show it, and she treated Shen Wei with even more respect.

Shen Wei, of course, noticed the change in the palace attendants’ attitude. She didn’t say anything but simply got into the carriage as usual, with Qiuhan assisting her.

The carriage arrived at the shadow wall of the Duke of Rong’s residence.

The servants waiting there couldn’t help but gossip when they saw what was in the carriage, saying, “The First Lady is really lucky to receive such favor from the Empress…” Shen Wei overheard the conversation but didn’t comment. She simply had Qiuhan direct the servants to take the gifts back, while the thousand-year-old ginseng was sent to Da Cheng Zhai.

—-

At Da Cheng Zhai.

As soon as Shen Wei arrived, Yi Nan came forward to greet her. After exchanging greetings, Yi Nan asked, “How is mother’s health?”

“She took her medicine and had a nap at noon. She’s feeling much better now…” Yi Nan smiled as she spoke, leading Shen Wei inside while adding, “She’s reading the Buddhist scriptures in there.”

Shen Wei nodded upon hearing this.

She held the brocade box as she entered, but when she saw the elderly woman sitting on the Rohan bed reading the scriptures, she paused. Wei Mama, who had been serving the old lady, saw Shen Wei first and smiled as she greeted her.

Old Madam Xie heard the sound and opened her eyes. She closed the Buddhist scripture in her hands and then gently spoke to the person before her: “You’re back.”

“I just returned and, concerned about your health, I came to see you…” Shen Wei said as she walked toward her. Upon reaching her, she gave a respectful greeting and then handed a brocade box to Wei Mamma. Following that, she added, “The Empress knows you’re not feeling well, so she specifically asked me to bring this ginseng to help restore your health. Are you feeling better now?”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Xie smiled again and said, “The Empress is truly being too kind…” Then she took Shen Wei’s hand and added, “It’s just that I haven’t rested properly, but it’s nothing serious. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Shen Wei, hearing this, took another look at her. Seeing that while Old Madam Xie appeared slightly tired, her complexion had improved significantly, Shen Wei didn’t say more. She was only reminded of Liu Mengxian’s earlier words and said, “In a few days, it will be Her Majesty’s birthday, and she wants us to go together.”

At this, she paused for a brief moment.

Then, looking at Old Madam Xie’s face, Shen Wei added, “Xuan Yue is also on the guest list.”