While Shen Wei and Prince Yan were deeply engrossed in their affectionate and sweet moments, Zhang Yue's situation had taken a turn for the worse.
Instead of executing her directly, Prince Yan had ordered her to be beaten with twenty lashes daily. Zhang Yue lay weak and frail in the firewood shed, her strength dwindling by the day. Parched and disoriented, she murmured,
"Water... water..."
Her voice was desperate and faint.
After a long while, the shed door creaked open, and two slender figures entered. Zhang Yue struggled to open her eyes and saw her maids, Fang Er and Cui Er. Fang Er was holding a bowl of water.
Zhang Yue felt a surge of relief. Despite her dire circumstances, her maids had remembered her kindness and secretly come to bring her water.
Her throat dry and hoarse, she croaked, "Water... Fang Er, give me water..."
Fang Er knelt down, holding the bowl of clean water, and asked softly, "Mistress, do you want water?"
Zhang Yue replied weakly, "Yes... good Fang Er, please give me water..."
But in the next moment, Fang Er splashed the water onto Zhang Yue's face.
Fang Er then slapped Zhang Yue hard across the face and spat, "Ever since I came to the Rose Garden, you’ve beaten and scolded me daily, withheld my wages, and forced me to do vile deeds! Cui Er and I will come to see you every day. When you die, I’ll personally send your body to the mass grave for the wild dogs to feast on!"
All the pent-up anger from years of mistreatment erupted that night.
Fang Er viciously kicked Zhang Yue twice and spat on her. Together, Fang Er and Cui Er kicked and hit her until Zhang Yue curled up in pain, instinctively protecting her stomach.
After a while, Fang Er and Cui Er left.
Zhang Yue lay dazed in the haystack, unsure how much time had passed before the shed door opened again.
Someone sneaked in and poured a healing potion into Zhang Yue's mouth.
When Zhang Yue opened her eyes, she saw a familiar face and tears streamed down her cheeks. "You... you came... I’ve fallen so low, yet only you remember me... I regret it now. I should have married you back then..."
The man’s eyes were filled with complex emotions.
In the end, he gently held Zhang Yue in his arms.
...
Since reconciling with Prince Yan, Shen Wei had enjoyed even greater favor.
The prince spent most of his nights in the Glazed Pavilion, and their bond grew stronger.
As early summer approached, Prince Yan was often away on official duties during the day, so Shen Wei didn’t stay cooped up in the Glazed Pavilion. After her morning exercises, she would stroll through the palace’s rear garden, enjoying the scenery and fishing.
The palace’s rear garden had a large lotus pond filled with delicate lotus flowers and fish swimming among them. Shen Wei had Cai Lian fetch her fishing gear, and she sat by the pavilion near the pond, fishing.
While fishing, she nibbled on candied fruits, savoring the cool breeze blowing across her face.
"Mistress, Concubine Liu is here," Cai Ping whispered as a reminder.
Shen Wei set down the candied fruits and bowed slightly as Concubine Liu passed by.
Concubine Liu paused.
She looked at Shen Wei’s radiant face, her eyes filled with envy. Shen Wei, now favored by the prince, naturally dressed extravagantly. She wore a silver-embroidered gown with layers of shimmering fabric that gleamed in the light.
Shen Wei’s cheeks were rosy, and she exuded vitality, like a flower in full bloom.
Concubine Liu glanced down at her own plain cotton dress and the simple pearl hairpin in her hair.
Sometimes, when she looked in the mirror, she saw her dull, tired eyes staring back.
"Are you fishing?" Concubine Liu asked.
Shen Wei smiled gently. "The prince has recently taken a liking to fish, so I thought I’d catch a big one for him myself."
Concubine Liu’s lips curled in disdain.
Poor Shen Wei, completely fooled by the prince’s false love. Someday, she would learn just how heartless men in the royal family could be.
Shaking her head secretly, Concubine Liu left the garden with her maid.
Shen Wei returned to the pavilion and continued fishing lazily. The cool breeze by the lotus pond and the fragrance of the lotus leaves made her drowsy. Just as she was about to doze off, Cai Ping whispered again, "Mistress, Concubine Liu is here."
Shen Wei opened her eyes. "What’s going on in the palace today? Both of them are out and about?"
From what Shen Wei knew, both Liu Qiao'er and Liu Ruyan were homebodies who rarely left their quarters unless absolutely necessary.
What was going on today? Shen Wei had run into both of them.
Cai Ping explained, "The princess seems to have some business. She’s summoned the concubines to Kunyu Courtyard."
Shen Wei raised an eyebrow. So, it was a leadership meeting.
Suppressing her curiosity, Shen Wei walked over and bowed to Concubine Liu. Despite the summer heat, Concubine Liu wore a cold, snow-white gown with a pale green plum blossom hairpin in her hair.
Liu Ruyan stopped and glanced at Shen Wei’s beautiful face, suddenly saying with pity, "Shen Wei, you must be suffering deeply inside."
Shen Wei was baffled. "Huh?"
Am I suffering?
I didn’t notice.
Liu Ruyan shook her head gently, her voice soft. "Walking on thin ice every day, giving up your own preferences and your own life for the prince’s meager affection..."
Shen Wei was speechless.
In her heart, Shen Wei felt her life was quite good. Her greatest passion was making money, and she had a sizable stash in her private treasury. She enjoyed gourmet meals daily and wore luxurious silks.
She lived in a spacious mansion and had a handsome, skilled man to keep her company at night.
What’s not to like?
Liu Ruyan sighed with pity. "We’re both pitiful... Life is like dandelion fluff in the wind, moments of joy and sorrow scattered and fleeting."
After reciting this melancholic verse, Liu Ruyan’s nose reddened, and tears slid down her thin cheeks.
She left in sorrow.
Her maid, Xue Mei, hurried after her, occasionally glancing back at the lotus pond pavilion.
There, Shen Wei lay on a chaise lounge, a long fishing rod by her feet and a plate of delicious pastries by her side. Eating snacks and fishing, Shen Wei looked completely at ease, with no trace of misery.
Xue Mei truly didn’t understand why her mistress always thought Shen Wei was pitiful...
Xue Mei then glanced at Shen Wei’s two maids, Cai Lian and Cai Ping. Both were glowing with health, their faces round and their clothes made of fine fabric, adorned with pearl hairpins.
When the mistress was favored, even the maids lived well. It was said that Shen Wei was extremely generous, often rewarding her servants with silver. All the palace servants dreamed of working in the Glazed Pavilion.
Xue Mei looked down at her own thin wrists, covered in mosquito bites and red marks...
Wuwu, she was the truly pitiful one.
Shen Wei continued fishing, but before any fish bit, Granny Liu from the princess’s quarters hurried over. "Mistress Shen, the princess requests your presence."
