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

Liu Qiaoer's behavior is really weird.

It seems crazy, but also not crazy.

Shen Wei smiled and flipped through the account book sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs: "Noble Lady Liu is hoping that I will fall out of favor. She seems to be sure that I will fall from my high position."

Cai Lian said, "The master and the emperor are on equal terms, and Lady Liu's plan will surely fail."

Shen Wei turned a page in the account book: "Things in the world are unpredictable, so don't make rash comments."

Over the years, the Shen family's influence has been expanding.

Shen Mieyue's prestige in the army became higher and higher, and he was followed by the soldiers; Shen Xiuming was an honest official and often helped new officials. He had a very good reputation among the people and had considerable influence in the officialdom.

Shen Wei sent her youngest son to Liangzhou in the hope that he would gradually gain control of the military power and allow her eldest brother to gradually retire.

After all, since ancient times, few generals who were so successful that they frightened their rulers had a good ending.

Even though Li Yuanjing now values ​​Li Chengtai and paves the way for him everywhere, in the imperial power, the relationship between the monarch and his subjects comes first, and then between father and son.

There are many cases in history where emperors killed their own children. The heroic Emperor Wu of Han killed the crown prince and Empress Wei in his later years; the diligent Emperor Xuanzong of Tang also killed three sons in one day.

Shen Wei rubbed her brows, hoping that there would never be a day when father and son would turn against each other.

Shen Wei continued to look through the account book.

Leyou's lively voice came from outside the house: "Mother! Look what I have in my hand!"

The branches of flowers swayed, and the bright summer sun shone in. Le You ran in like a gust of wind, happily next to Shen Wei, and put a small wooden cage on the table.

In the wooden cage, there is a small calico cat, furry and curled up in a ball, sleeping quietly in the wooden cage.

Le You told Shen Wei: "Today I went to the market and saw this cat meowing on the eaves. Liang Huaichuan climbed up the eaves and brought the cat down. Mother, I want to keep this cat, is that okay?"

Shen Wei happily said: "If you want to raise it, raise it. If you want to do anything, do it."

Le You held Shen Wei's arm and said, "Mother is so kind."

After a pause, Le You tilted his head and looked at Shen Wei's face. Shen Wei smiled and said, "Why are you looking at me?"

Le You muttered, "I feel like the Queen Mother doesn't seem very happy."

In the eyes of the world, the current Queen Shen of Daqing should be the happiest and most noble woman in Daqing. Shen Wei has both sons and daughters, and is as equal to the emperor as ever. She is respected by the concubines in the harem and is well-known among the people.

Leyou used to think that his mother lived a happy life.

But as Leyou grew up day by day, she vaguely realized that her mother seemed always unhappy, as if she was wearing a smiling mask to hide her true self.

Shen Wei touched her daughter's hair and smiled faintly: "You are so young, you always like to let your imagination run wild."

Le You: "Okay, then I will go back to the Cining Palace first and come to have dinner with my mother tonight."

Leyou left happily carrying the wooden cage containing the cat.

Shen Wei picked up the account book and continued to read it.

...

...

Summer goes and winter comes, and soon it will be the New Year.

This year's spring imperial examination was actually presided over by the eighth prince Li Chengtai! The court immediately set off an uproar, and all the civil and military officials had their own thoughts, vaguely sensing the direction of the future court situation.

Li Chengtai was mature beyond his years and with the assistance of the imperial tutor, he presided over this year's spring imperial examination very well and basically nothing went wrong.

Li Yuanjing was greatly relieved. Soon after the Spring Examination, the emperor issued an edict to appoint the eighth prince Li Chengtai as the crown prince and move him into the East Palace. Li Yuanjing also gave Li Chengtai hundreds of tiger guards and asked him to train his own trusted army.

Even though her son was named the Crown Prince, Shen Wei still felt wary.

Li Chengtai is a young tiger, while Li Yuanjing is a tiger in his prime. According to Li Yuanjing's current physical condition, he will have to be emperor for at least a dozen years before giving up the throne to the crown prince.

If the prince serves as the crown prince for too long, his power will expand, affecting the emperor's status and interests, causing endless troubles.

Shen Wei was secretly worried.

She thought of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Shen Wei sometimes even thought that she was following the path of Empress Wei Zifu. Empress Wei Zifu of the Han Dynasty was a singer who became an empress. Her brother was General Wei Qing, and her son was crowned as the crown prince. She was also deeply loved by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

But what about the ending?

Emperor Wu of Han became senile in his later years and killed his own son. Wei Zifu also ended up tragically committing suicide.

Since ancient times, wise rulers were wise and powerful when they were young, but they became foolish when they got old. Emperor Wu of Han was foolish in his later years, and Emperor Minghuang of Tang was extravagant in his later years. Who knows if Li Yuanjing would also become foolish and kill his wife and children when he got old.

"Oh." Shen Wei sighed softly.

An old man who refuses to die is a thief. She has to think of a way to hint Li Yuanjing to give up his throne as soon as possible.

"Master, the Queen Mother is calling you over." Caiping came into the room to report.

Shen Wei immediately changed her clothes and went to the Cining Palace.

The children grew up day by day and each pursued their own career. The Cining Palace was much quieter now, and only Leyou remained with the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother sat in the pavilion basking in the sun. She waved to Shen Wei and said in a friendly manner, "You've come just in time. I have something to discuss with you."

Shen Wei sat down: "Queen Mother, please speak."

The Queen Mother said, "Jiangnan is like spring all year round, and the scenery is extremely beautiful. I have already bought a house in Jiangnan, and I plan to go south in a few days and live there for a long time."

Shen Wei felt her heart aching with envy.

She also wanted to go to Jiangnan to enjoy herself.

She understood that the Queen Mother was preparing to retire completely.

The court was stable, the Qing Kingdom had a successor, and everything was going smoothly. The Queen Mother had been worrying about her country for most of her life and wanted to spend her remaining years in Jiangnan.

The Queen Mother smiled and patted Shen Wei's hand: "I am very relieved to leave the harem to you. If you encounter any difficulties, just write to me. Even if the sky falls, I will support you."

Shen Wei felt a sour feeling in her nose.

The Queen Mother was really good to her.

In the past, the Queen Mother favored Shen Wei because she wanted Shen Wei to be a "good wife" to support Li Yuanjing and raise the prince. Later, after spending a long time together, the Queen Mother gradually treated Shen Wei as her own daughter.

Even though the Queen Mother knew that Shen Wei was scheming and calculating, she did not rebuke her. As a woman, the Queen Mother knew the hardships of women.

Shen Wei leaned on the Queen Mother's lap and said sullenly, "Thank you, Mother, for your care over the years."

...

Two days later, the Queen Mother left Yanjing City under the pretext of "going to Jiangnan to visit the sick Ninth Prince".

Shen Wei manages the harem as usual. The current days are peaceful and the court is stable.

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

It was early spring, but the nights were still cold. In the bedroom of Yongning Palace, the heat in the hibiscus tent faded away, and Shen Wei's whole body ached. She rested her head on the pillow, ready to fall asleep.

Li Yuanjing was satisfied, and he put his arm around Shen Wei's waist affectionately, his voice still lazy and hoarse: "Weiwei, I plan to go south to inspect military affairs, you come with me."

The sleepiness in Shen Wei's mind suddenly disappeared.

She opened her eyes: "Southern Tour?"

Li Yuanjing smiled and said, "I see that you are bored in the palace every day, so I will take you to the south to relax and visit the queen mother."

Shen Wei lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then shook her head helplessly: "I would like to throw away all the trivial matters and accompany the emperor on his southern tour. But there are many trivial matters in the harem, and Leyou's coming-of-age ceremony is coming up next year, so how can I avoid it?"

Li Yuanjing was slightly disappointed.

Since Li Chengtai became the crown prince, Li Yuanjing's burden has been lightened a lot. He wants to take Shen Wei to travel south to experience the life of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, Shen Wei has a lot of trivial things on her shoulders.

Li Yuanjing sighed, lowered his head and kissed Shen Wei on the forehead: "Well, I'll bring you some new and interesting things from the south."

Shen Wei leaned in Li Yuanjing's arms, lowering her eyes in deep thought.

The emperor's southern tour may be an opportunity...

So Shen Wei deliberately said in a yearning tone: "The Queen Mother wrote to me a few years ago, saying that the water in Jiangnan is green, the willows on the riverbank outside the city are swaying, and the birds are singing more beautifully than in Yanjing City. I often think that if I can go and see it in the future, I will die without regrets..."

The tone of regret was like a thin knife cutting into Li Yuanjing's heart. He whispered, "Don't say that you have no regrets in death."

Shen Wei forced a smile: "I just said it casually, Your Majesty, don't take it seriously."

Deep night.

Shen Wei deliberately planted the seed of "no regrets in death" in Li Yuanjing's heart, leaned against Li Yuanjing, and fell into a deep sleep.

Li Yuanjing was inexplicably uneasy. The howling night wind made the window frames creak, and Li Yuanjing could not fall asleep.

Soon after, Li Yuanjing left Yanjing City and took a boat to tour the south. He inspected water affairs and military affairs in various southern states.

The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is beautiful, just as Shen Wei said, it is green and beautiful everywhere. But after Li Yuanjing looked at it for a long time, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, it became boring.

Li Yuanjing began to miss Shen Wei.

In the past, if Li Yuanjing was away for a few days, Shen Wei would definitely send palace maids to take care of him and send him some personal items. But this time it was really strange that Li Yuanjing had been patrolling in the south for many days and did not receive anything sent by Shen Wei.

Li Yuanjing sent a letter to Shen Wei, to which Shen Wei replied, but the content was too simple, even a little perfunctory.

Li Yuanjing had a bad feeling.

Two months later, Li Yuanjing returned to Yanjing. Along the way, Li Yuanjing was eager to return. The emperor's guard of honor rushed along the official road and stopped at the post station at dusk.

Li Yuanjing stopped at the post station. Outside the post station's courtyard wall, pink roses were in full bloom, swaying in the golden sunset. Li Yuanjing stood by the upstairs window, lowering his eyes to admire the clusters of bright and beautiful roses.

Suddenly, he saw a white-haired old man who looked like a cook walk to the rose bush, gently pick a rose flower, and carefully remove the thorns.

"Old woman, look what I brought you." The white-haired old man walked to the kitchen of the inn, holding flowers.

The white-haired cook who was chopping vegetables put down her knife and said, "Oh, you're picking flowers again! Don't let the nobleman at the post station see you. I heard that the nobleman who is stopping here today is a very important nobleman."

The white-haired old man smiled and said, "We don't steal, rob or do bad things, and you won't blame us. Come, I'll give you a flower."

The white-haired old man took out the rose.

Skillfully pinned on the cook's head.

The two smiled at each other, and the plain and warm happiness slowly spread. Li Yuanjing stood by the window, saw the roses in the old cook's hair, and thought of Shen Wei in the palace.

When he and Weiwei grow old in the future, I imagine it will be a warm and cozy scene like this.

Li Yuanjing was middle-aged, firmly in a high position, had seen the prosperity of the world, and had enjoyed enough of the imperial power and wealth. After half a lifetime, Li Yuanjing yearned for a peaceful and ordinary life.

As the sun rose and the moon set, Li Yuanjing's guard of honor returned to the imperial city, and Crown Prince Li Chengtai personally welcomed them.

Li Yuanjing looked around and didn't see Shen Wei. He asked Li Chengtai, "Where is your mother?"

Li Chengtai's usually calm and composed face showed some sadness that could not be concealed: "My mother is in Yongning Palace. She has been ill recently."

Li Yuanjing's face darkened.

Is Weiwei sick?

He didn't even know!

Li Chengtai told him: "Father, it was the Queen Mother who didn't allow you to make it public. She was afraid that you would worry."

Li Yuanjing hurried to Yongning Palace. Yongning Palace was the same as before, with beautiful palace lanterns hanging from the eaves, a few peach tree branches sticking out from the edge of the wall, and bronze bells under the eaves ringing slightly in the wind.

The yard was full of vitality. During the days when Li Yuanjing was away, Shen Wei sent palace servants to take care of the vegetables in the vegetable garden. There were no weeds and each vegetable was crisp.

Shen Wei was in the study, arranging palace affairs for Cai Lian, Cai Ping, Rong Mama and others. Le You's coming-of-age ceremony was scheduled for early summer. Shen Wei attached great importance to her child's coming-of-age ceremony and began preparations last year.

"Your Majesty?" Shen Wei was slightly surprised when she saw Li Yuanjing walking into the study.

Cai Lian and others left tactfully.

In the bright study, only Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing were left. Shen Wei put down the brush in her hand and walked over calmly and happily as she did in the past: "Your Majesty, you have been tired from the journey. Please take a bath and change your clothes first."

Li Yuanjing did not change his clothes. He bent down slightly and looked at Shen Wei's eyebrows. Shen Wei seemed to be thinner, and her cheeks were pale, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

Li Yuanjing stretched out his arms and hugged Shen Wei.

A lot lighter.

"Are you hiding your illness?" Li Yuanjing felt uncomfortable.

Shen Wei took Li Yuanjing to sit down, smiling gently: "I caught a cold, and I got better after taking medicine for a few days. Your Majesty, you are inspecting in the south, how can I worry you?"

Li Yuanjing was still worried.

Call the imperial physician to take Shen Wei's pulse.

The imperial physician said that Shen Wei was overworked and had an old illness that had not yet healed, and needed to rest properly. Shen Wei had given birth to two sons, and her body functions were severely damaged; after returning to the palace, she was poisoned, and there was still a trace of toxins remaining in her body.

As I grow older, my old illnesses are slowly taking their toll on my body. If I continue to work so hard, I'm afraid I won't live long.

An indescribable pain passed through Li Yuanjing's heart.

...

night.

The peach blossoms in the yard were fragrant, and Shen Wei had someone cut two peach blossoms and put them in a vase on the bedside table. When she went to bed, the faint fragrance of the flowers filled the air, and she slept soundly.

When Li Yuanjing returned tonight, Shen Wei did not sleep. Instead, she pulled Li Yuanjing aside and kept asking him about the scenery in Jiangnan:

“The willow trees on the riverbank are so beautiful that the spring smoke makes you drunk. Are the willow trees on the riverbanks in the south of the Yangtze River really beautiful?”

"My mother wrote in a letter that there is a kind of dragon beard crisp in the south, which is intricately made and has a sweet aftertaste. It would be great if I could try it."

"I fished for perch in the river and made perch soup. It must taste great."

Shen Wei pulled Li Yuanjing aside and asked him all kinds of questions.

His words were filled with longing for the Jiangnan region.

Li Yuanjing held Shen Wei in his arms: "If you want to go, I will take you to Jiangnan next year."

As soon as the words fell, Li Yuanjing could clearly feel Shen Wei's body trembling. Shen Wei said sullenly, "Okay."

Li Yuanjing heard the melancholy in Shen Wei's tone.

It was late at night, and Li Yuanjing was half asleep and half awake when he suddenly heard a slight noise beside his pillow. Without opening his eyes, he heard Shen Wei quietly get up and walk to the outside of the bedroom.

Cai Lian brought in a bowl of medicine.

Shen Wei finished drinking the medicine.

Cai Lian said in a low voice: "Master, the imperial physician said that you should not work too hard. Leave the palace affairs to the servants and Empress Yufei, and you should have a good rest."

Shen Wei said: "Le You's coming-of-age ceremony is of great importance, and I must personally handle it."

Cai Lian was worried: "But your body..."