On the same night, the lights in Qixue Pavilion remained lit.
Liu Ruyan carried a lantern as she walked through the lush garden, heading toward a secluded corner of the courtyard. Her maid, Xue Mei, followed behind her with an expressionless face, her spirit already numb.
“Look, the flowers are blooming,” Liu Ruyan said, gazing at the two night-blooming cereus flowers in the corner. Under the moonlight, the two pristine white flowers slowly opened, their beauty flawless.
Liu Ruyan stared at the flowers, entranced, and a wave of sorrow washed over her. “Life is like these cereus flowers—blooming for a moment, yet mourning for half a lifetime... Look at Zhang Yue, whose life was just like this flower.”
The news of Zhang Yue’s scheme to frame Shen Wei had already reached Liu Ruyan’s ears. She couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Zhang Yue.
Xue Mei mechanically replied, “Yes, yes, yes.”
She was exhausted!
In winter, when the plum blossoms bloomed, Liu Ruyan would venture out on snowy nights to admire the flowers beneath the plum trees.
In summer, when the cereus flowers bloomed, she would brave the swarms of mosquitoes to admire them in the corner of the courtyard.
“I remember a long time ago, Prince Yan accompanied me to admire the cereus flowers at night,” Liu Ruyan murmured, a hint of bitterness crossing her lips.
Xue Mei nodded numbly. “Yes.”
Back in the days when Prince Yan and Liu Ruyan were deeply in love, they had once admired the cereus flowers together.
Liu Ruyan had been captivated by the flower’s pure beauty, but Prince Yan had casually remarked, “After the cereus withers, we can pluck it and send it to the kitchen to make a bowl of cereus and pork rib soup.”
Liu Ruyan had been so upset that she cried and refused to speak to Prince Yan for half a month.
After that, Prince Yan never accompanied her to admire the cereus flowers again.
“Mistress, there’s news from the Eastern Palace. Young Mistress Li Nanzhi misses you,” Xue Mei said, swatting a mosquito on the back of her hand as she relayed the message.
In Prince Yan’s Mansion, the Princess Consort had two sons and a daughter, while Consort Liu had a pair of twins. Liu Ruyan had a frail daughter named Li Nanzhi, who was now six years old.
Liu Ruyan had raised Li Nanzhi for four years.
She loved taking her daughter out to admire the snow and plum blossoms, but the harsh winter weather often caused the child to fall ill with fevers.
Prince Yan eventually decided to have the Princess Consort raise Li Nanzhi, but the child’s condition didn’t improve under her neglect. In the end, Prince Yan sent Li Nanzhi to the Eastern Palace, where the Crown Princess, who adored children, took her in.
Despite her young age, Li Nanzhi had not forgotten her birth mother and often longed to see Liu Ruyan again.
Liu Ruyan gazed at the two white cereus flowers, her eyes calm. “The Crown Princess has raised Nanzhi well. She will forget about me, her birth mother, eventually.”
Xue Mei tried to explain, “...Young Mistress truly has never forgotten you.”
Liu Ruyan shook her head faintly. “A six-year-old child doesn’t understand what longing truly means.”
Xue Mei: Speechless!
Though young, Li Nanzhi had always been deeply attached to Liu Ruyan. On the day she was sent away from the mansion, the four-year-old girl had cried her heart out, clutching Liu Ruyan’s sleeve and refusing to let go.
But at the time, Liu Ruyan was in the midst of a cold war with Prince Yan. She had simply watched as her daughter was taken away, offering no resistance.
In the two years since, Liu Ruyan had not once visited the Eastern Palace to see her daughter.
As the cereus flowers began to wither, a look of melancholy crossed Liu Ruyan’s eyes. “Flowers bloom and wither at their appointed times. The same is true for mothers and daughters, husbands and wives... Xue Mei, the flowers have withered. Let’s go back.”
Xue Mei scratched her arm, covered in mosquito bites. “...Yes.”
Another day, another wish to switch mistresses.
...
...
The next day, Prince Yan left Liuli Pavilion in high spirits, heading to the morning court session. Shen Wei, her waist aching, slowly got up and took a couple of leisurely laps around the courtyard.
“Cai Lian, inform the Internal Affairs Office to get me a sturdier bed,” Shen Wei said as she ate her breakfast after her run.
Last night had been... eventful.
The bed had broken, and the bed curtains had been torn apart by Prince Yan.
Cai Lian stifled a laugh. “I’ll take care of it right away. This time, we’ll get the sturdiest bed possible.”
After Cai Lian left for the Internal Affairs Office, Shen Wei continued her breakfast at a leisurely pace.
She was currently preparing for pregnancy, so her breakfast table now included spinach, shrimp, beef, and kelp—foods rich in folic acid, calcium, and iron to nourish her body.
While Shen Wei was carefully selecting her meals for conception, she was also secretly making sure Prince Yan’s diet was optimized.
She instructed Cai Ping, “Prince Yan will be dining at Liuli Pavilion tonight. Go to the kitchen and have them prepare dishes using oysters, yellow catfish, goji berries, shrimp, pumpkin, lamb, and leeks.”
These ingredients were known to enhance a man’s vitality, especially oysters, which were rich in essential elements to improve the quality and energy of... well, Prince Yan’s contributions.
By secretly boosting Prince Yan’s health, Shen Wei ensured that any child she bore would be strong and healthy.
“Understood. I’ll get it done right away,” Cai Ping replied. Though she didn’t fully grasp the purpose of these ingredients, she was meticulous in carrying out Shen Wei’s every command.
After breakfast, Shen Wei took a stroll around the courtyard to aid digestion.
At the entrance of Liuli Pavilion stood two stern-faced guards in black. They were members of Prince Yan’s elite Tiger Guard, now assigned as permanent security for Liuli Pavilion.
Shen Wei smiled faintly.
Though she had suffered a bit during Zhang Yue’s false accusation of infidelity, the rewards had been substantial.
Zhang Yue was dead, and the Princess Consort no longer dared to target Shen Wei. Shen Wei’s brother, Shen Xiuming, had been reinvigorated and was now studying diligently. Prince Yan’s affection for her had deepened. She no longer needed the Princess Consort’s permission to leave the mansion, making it easier for her to conduct her business outside. And now, Liuli Pavilion had two highly skilled guards.
A bountiful harvest indeed!
This laid a solid foundation for her safety during her pregnancy.
“Has the Princess Consort gone to the palace today?” Shen Wei asked Nanny Rong as she sat by the pavilion.
Nanny Rong nodded. “Prince Yan ordered the Princess Consort to copy three volumes of Buddhist scriptures, which she delivered to the Empress’s palace today. By now, she should have arrived.”
Shen Wei pondered this. The Empress—Prince Yan and the Crown Prince’s mother, the most revered woman in the Great Qing Kingdom, and her nominal mother-in-law.
For Shen Wei to firmly establish herself in the mansion, she needed more than Prince Yan’s favor, the security of having children, and the support of her family. A good relationship with her mother-in-law was also crucial.
Building a strong bond with the Empress was an essential skill for any ambitious concubine. If Prince Yan ever turned his affections elsewhere, having the Empress’s support would ensure Shen Wei’s continued prominence in the mansion.
“Nanny Rong, tell me about the Empress. How is her relationship with the Princess Consort?” Shen Wei asked.
As a seasoned member of the mansion, Nanny Rong had a wealth of knowledge. She replied calmly, “The Empress comes from the prestigious Xie family and shares a loving relationship with the Emperor. She is strict in managing the palace and has maintained impeccable order in the harem.
In the past, the Empress was relatively lenient with the Princess Consort. However, in recent years, the Empress has often reprimanded her.”
Shen Wei asked, “Why does the Empress reprimand the Princess Consort?”
Nanny Rong thought for a moment. “Although the Princess Consort is Prince Yan’s lawful wife, she has neglected her duties as the mistress of the household in recent years.”
Shen Wei fell into deep thought. Her intuition told her there might be more to the story.
...
...
In the Kunning Palace of the Great Qing Kingdom’s imperial palace, the Princess Consort respectfully presented three volumes of Buddhist scriptures, placing them on the Empress’s desk. The Empress, now nearly fifty, had strands of white hair at her temples. Her once radiant beauty had been weathered by time, with fine wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes.
The Empress rubbed her temples, her face showing visible fatigue.
She didn’t bother to look at the scriptures. Instead, she took a sip of tea, her sharp gaze cutting through the Princess Consort like a blade. “Kneel.”
