Don't be a salted fish, the daily life of the concubine in the palace

Shen Wei rode in a sedan chair and arrived at Kunning Palace with great fanfare. Today's Kunning Palace no longer has the glory it once had. The leaves of the sycamore trees at the entrance have turned yellow, and it seems that they have been infested by insects.

Shen Wei got out of the sedan chair.

The maids and eunuchs guarding Kunning Palace hurried out to greet them. Cailian and Caiping followed Shen Wei into the palace with supplements and medicines.

As soon as she stepped into the yard, a strong and pungent smell of incense and candles from the Buddhist shrine hit her in the face. The fragrance was so strong that it made her dizzy, and Shen Wei covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

"Where is the Queen?" Cai Lian asked the palace maid in Kunning Palace.

The maid replied tremblingly, "In the side hall, worshipping Buddha."

Shen Wei walked towards the side hall.

It was a bright day, but the light in the side hall was dim. The compassionate Bodhisattva statue was looming in the smoke of incense and candles, and the queen was kneeling on the cushion, muttering to herself.

Hearing the noise at the door, the queen thought it was a palace maid and said in an unhappy tone: "I have told you many times that you are not allowed to disturb me while I am worshipping Buddha."

It was quiet outside the Buddhist temple.

The queen heard the familiar and disgusting voice, which said in a clear and lazy voice: "The queen is well."

The queen was shocked and the Buddhist scripture in her hand fell to the ground. She turned her head in surprise and saw Shen Wei standing at the entrance of the Buddhist hall.

The light inside the temple was dim, but outside was bright, with the sun shining in. The Queen knelt in the dark, while Shen Wei stood in the light, and the incense in the niche burned slowly.

Shen Wei smiled and said, "It's been a while since we last met. The Queen seems to have lost weight. She should take good care of herself. Remember to take the medicine sent by the Imperial Hospital on time."

The surroundings were dead silent. In the Queen's eyes, Shen Wei's bright smile looked like a ghost crawling out of hell.

The queen stared at Shen Wei's face.

Over the years, Shen Wei's appearance has not changed at all. Shen Wei is still ambitious and cruel.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to see me make fun of myself? It's all because of you that I've been in such trouble!" The queen stood up unsteadily. She had been kneeling for so long that her legs were numb. She looked so embarrassed when she stood up that no maid was willing to get close to her.

Shen Wei raised her eyebrows: "Queen, you have wronged me. It was you who poisoned me and murdered the Queen Mother. You are reaping what you sow."

Shen Wei only added fuel to the fire and trapped the queen in Kunning Palace.

The queen gritted her teeth, wishing she could pounce on Shen Wei and tear her face to pieces. She screamed, "Why, are you here to show off to me? Your son got Yang Xuanji's instruction, and you're here to show off to me?"

Shen Wei shook her head silently.

She didn't come here to show off, she came to the queen to gain merit.

If Shen Wei wants to establish a reputation as a virtuous person, "caring for the queen" is a good way to do so.

"Your Majesty, you are ill. I am really worried about you, so I specially sent you some nourishing herbs." Shen Wei said slowly, "From now on, I will ask the imperial physician to take your pulse every two days. It is hot in summer, and it is really stuffy for you to live alone in Kunning Palace. I will personally bring you a cool mat and a porcelain pillow in a few days."

The queen was stunned.

Behind Shen Wei, Cailian, Caiping and two young eunuchs had already brought the things in.

There were precious deer antlers, cool summer fabrics, and some soothing medicines. Shen Wei smiled and said, "The weather is getting hotter, and the temple is stuffy. Queen, you are ill, you should go back to bed and have a good rest."

The Queen was full of doubts. She really couldn't figure out Shen Wei's intention. The Queen said coldly: "I don't want to see you. Take these things away! I don't need them!"

Shen Wei raised her eyebrows: "I am thinking about your health."

The queen was so angry that her teeth were itching.

Shen Wei did not force the queen to go back to bed to rest. Shen Wei retreated to the outside of the courtyard, where two young eunuchs had already brought a rattan chair. The sun was shining brightly, casting a shadow under the sycamore tree.

Shen Wei sat leisurely on the rattan chair, took the account book handed over by Cai Lian, and slowly looked through it.

He completely treated Kunning Palace as his own home.

The queen stood blankly at the door of the Buddhist temple. Looking at Shen Wei's leisurely and comfortable appearance, the queen was completely confused.

An hour later, Shen Wei finally stood up and slowly left Kunning Palace. Of the precious medicinal herbs given to the queen, Shen Wei asked Cai Lian and Cai Ping to take the most expensive ones back. The rest were given to the queen.

"I don't need your junk, take it away!" The queen gritted her teeth in anger.

Shen Wei glanced at the cloth and herbs and said generously, "If Queen doesn't want them, I will give them to the palace maids who serve you."

Cai Lian and Cai Ping acted quickly and distributed the remaining items to several palace maids and eunuchs in Kunning Palace.

Everyone kowtowed repeatedly, expressing their gratitude.

Even the little bit that came from between the masters' fingers was considered a luxury and expensive for ordinary palace maids and eunuchs.

After Shen Wei finished her merits, she turned around and walked out of Kunning Palace. As soon as she stepped out of the gate of Kunning Palace, Shen Wei immediately put on a worried face and returned to Yongning Palace with a heavy heart.

In the next few days, Shen Wei went to Kunning Palace and sat for an hour every two days.

For a time, the whole harem knew that Concubine Chen was concerned about the sick queen and took care of her meticulously. But the queen did not appreciate it and always responded with harsh words. Concubine Chen put aside her past grudges and still went to Kunning Palace to deliver soup and medicine regardless of weather conditions.

That night, candles were lit brightly in the bedroom of Yongning Palace.

When Li Yuanjing heard that Shen Wei often went to Kunning Palace, he was puzzled and asked Shen Wei: "I have placed the queen under house arrest, why do you still visit her so often?"

The queen was insane, and Li Yuanjing planned to depose her after a while and uproot the entire Tan Tai family.

Shen Wei rested her head on the soft pillow, playing with a strand of Li Yuanjing's hair with her fingers, and did not hide it: "I was just acting."

Li Yuanjing's voice rose at the end: "Put on a show?"

Shen Wei grabbed Li Yuanjing's hair and poured out her words, "A few days ago, rumors spread throughout the palace, saying that Chengtai had angered Yang Xuanji to the point of illness, and some people even criticized me for being immoral and having no way of educating my children. I thought that if I could behave more virtuously, no one outside would talk about Chengtai and the emperor."

"I went to take care of the Queen every two days to show my virtue as a concubine. But don't worry, Your Majesty. I only went to sit in the courtyard of Kunning Palace for a while and did not disturb the Queen's worship of Buddha. This trick is called "covering the sky and crossing the sea" in the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Your Majesty once taught me this trick when I was teaching me to read."

Li Yuanjing: "..."

Li Yuanjing remembered that there was a time when he liked to teach Shen Wei to read and also read the Art of War with Shen Wei.

Unexpectedly, Shen Wei put her knowledge into practice.

Shen Wei seemed to feel embarrassed. She glanced at Li Yuanjing who was standing close to her, and said with embarrassment: "Your Majesty, do you think I am hypocritical and vicious? I can't help it. The Queen poisoned me, and I can't take care of her sincerely."

She told Li Yuanjing all her little calculations without reservation.

Sincerity has been a killer skill since ancient times.

Li Yuanjing raised the corners of his lips and held Shen Wei's slender waist: "You just need to be sincere to me."