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

Shen Wei's tone seemed to see through the world: "My health is not important. With the love of the emperor, the care of the children, the peace and prosperity of the country, and no worries about food and clothing, this palace has no regrets in this life. Life and death are determined by fate, so don't take it too seriously."

Cai Lian choked up and said, "Master, you are good to everyone except yourself..."

Shen Wei smiled and said, "Okay, go down and rest first."

Cai Lian left.

Shen Wei returned to the bedroom and leaned against Li Yuanjing very gently. Li Yuanjing closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He heard Shen Wei muttering to herself: "It would be great if I could go to Jiangnan."

The voice sounded melancholy and helpless.

She held Li Yuanjing's hand lovingly and fell asleep.

Li Yuanjing couldn't sleep and was restless. Shen Wei was trapped in the harem for him and her child. Shen Wei longed for the distant Jiangnan, but she knew it was just a dream, so she could only suppress her secret desire in her heart and not let anyone know.

The person in his arms had fallen asleep, and Li Yuanjing opened his eyes in the darkness. His bony fingers slowly stroked Shen Wei's hair.

He thought of the white-haired old man and old woman in the post station. If Shen Wei continued to work hard at the palace, she might not live long enough to wear flowers on her white hair.

"Weiwei..." Li Yuanjing murmured.

Having slept in the same bed with Shen Wei for many years, he anticipated that he would abdicate the throne to his son in his later years, and leave the palace with Shen Wei to spend his old age in peace.

But Li Yuanjing never thought that Shen Wei might leave him halfway through his life.

Li Yuanjing tossed and turned in bed.

In the corner that he couldn't see, the corners of the lips of the "sleeping" Shen Wei curled up quietly.

Shen Wei wants to retire early and live a comfortable life, but only if Li Yuanjing takes the initiative to give up his position.

Shen Wei made two plans.

On the one hand, she used herself as bait, pretending to be overworked and dying, and provoked Li Yuanjing from time to time. If she could arouse Li Yuanjing's determination and make him abdicate voluntarily, that would be the best result.

If Li Yuanjing remains unshakable, then Shen Wei will have to resort to risky tactics and make the worst choice...

-

-

It's the beginning of summer in a blink of an eye.

Leyou turned fifteen. As the most beloved daughter of the Emperor of Qing, her coming-of-age ceremony was held with great ceremony.

Li Yuanjing was reluctant to leave.

The girl left the palace and lived independently. Li Yuanjing gave Leyou a mansion near the imperial city and personally assigned a group of palace maids and guards to serve her. Fearing that Leyou did not have enough money, he opened a private treasury and sent Leyou a lot of gold, silver and treasures.

With his daughter out of the palace, his son busy with his career, and the empress dowager far away in Jiangnan, Li Yuanjing suddenly felt that the entire harem was empty. Fortunately, his Weiwei stayed with him for a long time.

When it got dark, Li Yuanjing walked into Yongning Palace as usual.

Shen Wei hadn't slept yet, and was counting the equipment to be sent to the princess's mansion with the palace maid.

Shen Wei ordered: "Send all these golden nanmu trees to the princess's residence. They will be useful to Leyou in the future."

The palace servants followed Shen Wei's instructions and went to the storeroom to count the items. Li Yuanjing opened the curtain and entered the room. Shen Wei was still looking through the account books of the storeroom items.

Li Yuanjing leaned over to take a look and said, "Sandalwood is used as coffin? Leyou hasn't even decided on his wedding yet, it's too early to make coffin."

When a princess gets married, she will often have a long and beautiful wedding dress, with a red bed leading the way and a coffin at the back. Leyou is not married yet, so now is not the right time to make a red bed and a coffin.

Shen Wei took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "It's not made for Leyou. I asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to customize a coffin according to my body size."

Li Yuanjing frowned.

Shen Wei actually wants to make a coffin for herself!

Li Yuanjing's face turned cold, and he held Shen Wei's hand: "Weiwei, you are just weak, you will be fine if you take good care of yourself. Don't always think about life and death."

The worry buried in Li Yuanjing's heart grew like weeds day by day.

Shen Wei smiled calmly, "I am just taking precautions. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will live a long life."

Li Yuanjing felt a dull pain in his heart.

Perhaps what you think about during the day you dream about at night. Tonight Li Yuanjing had a terrible nightmare.

In the dream, the entire palace was empty, with no one in sight. Li Yuanjing, wearing a dragon robe, walked anxiously along the long palace road, and the next moment he arrived at the gate of Yongning Palace.

The Yongning Palace was hung with white banners and had become a mourning hall. Leyou and several children wore white mourning bands and knelt in front of the coffin, crying.

Shen Wei's name was written on the plaque in the mourning hall. In the sandalwood coffin, Shen Wei, wearing the queen's auspicious dress, had stopped breathing, her face peaceful.

"Vivi!"

Li Yuanjing woke up from a nightmare, covered in cold sweat. He subconsciously touched Shen Wei beside him, but the pillow was empty. Shen Wei, who was sleeping beside him, was nowhere to be found.

Li Yuanjing was shocked.

"Somebody come!"

Li Yuanjing didn't even bother to put on his shoes and socks, he lifted the bed curtain and walked out. Shen Wei at the door heard the noise and walked in puzzledly: "Your Majesty?"

Shen Wei still had the unfinished tea in her hand.

The light from the palace lanterns was dim, Shen Wei's long hair was scattered on her shoulders, and she was shrouded in a layer of light yellow light. Her eyebrows and eyes were still clear and beautiful, like an ancient painting.

Li Yuanjing strode forward and held Shen Wei in his arms.

The teacup fell to the ground.

A faint scent of tea filled the air. In this ordinary late night, Li Yuanjing made a decision. He wanted to grow old with Shen Wei.

And Shen Wei also discovered one thing - Li Yuanjing's feelings for her were deeper than she expected.

...

...

In the next two years, Li Yuanjing did a lot of things.

He began to sort out the internal affairs, sorted out the officials in the court, big and small, promoted many new officials, and appointed Shen Xiuming as the Minister of the Chancellery to assist the crown prince.

In diplomacy with Yue, Donglin and Nanchu, he stationed elite troops and generals on the borders and deployed military defenses. He also sent General Shen Mieyue to destroy the desert barbarian tribes that had been disturbing the borders for many years.

All the affairs of the harem were handed over to Zhang Miaoyu and the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, so Shen Wei could focus on "recruiting her health".

After years of careful instruction from Li Yuanjing, Li Chengtai had already begun to develop into a young emperor when he was sixteen. Late at night, Li Yuanjing called him to the Chang'an Palace.

Chang'an Palace was brightly lit, and darkness enveloped the ancient palace. Emperors of Qing Dynasty had handled government affairs here.

Li Chengtai was wearing the crown prince's uniform. He was already very tall, with handsome and deep features. When he looked into Li Yuanjing's eyes, he did not show any sign of timidity.

Li Chengtai asked, "Father, you summoned me so late at night, is it for the imperial examination next year?"

Li Yuanjing shook his head and said in an examining tone: "Tell me about the way to be a king."

Li Chengtai replied: "The way to be a king is to save the people first. To keep the world safe, one must first correct oneself. If one's own self is not correct, the upper order will be orderly while the lower order will be chaotic."

Li Yuanjing nodded with satisfaction.

In the past two years, Li Yuanjing began to let the crown prince act as regent. Li Chengtai lived up to expectations and was born to be an emperor.

The glazed palace lanterns illuminated the inner hall of Chang'an Palace, and the desk was piled with memorials. Li Yuanjing picked up a memorial and told Li Chengtai: "Many years ago, I was still the King of Yan. If it weren't for my elder brother's illness and my third brother's ambition, I wouldn't have taken this position."

Li Yuanjing was a military man.

For the sake of his deceased brother the Crown Prince and for the people of the world, he tried hard to become a wise ruler.

Now, Li Yuanjing wants to hand over the burden on his shoulders to his son.

Li Yuanjing patted his son's shoulder and said, "I have already arranged the internal affairs and military affairs. Daqing will be handed over to you from now on."

Li Chengtai was not surprised.

He had seen his father's every move in the past two years and guessed that he wanted to abdicate. So Li Chengtai said calmly: "Father, rest assured, I will work hard and love the people, and usher in the prosperity of Daqing."

Li Yuanjing looked relieved.

Li Yuanjing thought of Li Chengtai's age again. He was only sixteen years old and still unmarried.

Many officials in the court were eager to send their daughters to the palace. The future of the Qing Kingdom's harem was bound to be full of blood and gore.

Li Yuanjing is an experienced person and knows that the harem is closely related to the previous dynasty. Li Chengtai is a young emperor, full of blood and energy, and may be blinded by women.

Therefore, Li Yuanjing warned Li Chengtai: "After you ascend the throne, new people will enter the harem. Remember, the country is always the most important. Don't indulge in women and don't let women blind your eyes."

Li Chengtai thought of his mother in Yongning Palace. Over the years, his father and mother had a very good relationship. When his mother was sick occasionally, his father would not even read the memorials and would go to visit and accompany her.

Li Chengtai asked: "Father, is it possible that in your heart, the Queen Mother is not as important as the country?"

In order to keep his son awake, Li Yuanjing vowed: "There is no true love in the royal family! The country comes first, and love between children comes second. Your mother loves me the most, but I only have the country in my heart."

Li Chengtai nodded as if he understood.

He asked casually: "Father, what if you are not the most important person in Mother's heart——"

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Yuanjing. Li Yuanjing glared at him and said, "You little brat, stop talking nonsense."

Shen Wei fell deeply in love with him when she was in Prince Yan's mansion. Over the years, the two have been in harmony and loving as ever.

Li Yuanjing fully believed that he occupied the most important position in Shen Wei's heart.

Being in the royal family, it is rare to receive complete and sincere love.

Li Yuanjing cherishes Shen Wei's love very much. The court is stable and there is a successor, so he is willing to accompany Shen Wei to Jiangnan and grow old together.

After three months.

Li Yuanjing issued an abdication edict on the grounds that "the emperor is ill and has difficulty managing state affairs."

As the old and new regimes took over, there was only a minor disturbance in the court, and the new emperor Li Chengtai ascended the throne smoothly.

After Li Chengtai ascended the throne, he named his younger brother Li Chengyou the King of Qin, and all his other brothers were named Princes of the Counties. He changed the reign title to "Yuanchang" and began to govern.

...

Yongning Palace.

The palace servants were busy packing their luggage. Shen Wei didn't want to live in the palace, so she planned to move to the royal villa at Luoyue Lake outside the city. After resting for a while, she would take a carriage to travel to Jiangnan.

"Master, Concubine Yu is here." Cai Lian came into the room to report.

After a while, Zhang Miaoyu ran in with a cheerful step.

Shen Wei saw that she was smiling and obviously had something happy, so she asked, "Sister Miaoyu, what's the happy news? Tell me about it, too."

Zhang Miaoyu laughed happily: "Nanzhi personally asked the new emperor to take me to the princess's mansion to live there in my old age this morning, and the new emperor agreed."

Zhang Miaoyu was very happy.

When she was in the Prince of Yan's mansion in her early years, she was secretly poisoned by the Prince of Yan's wife, which made her unable to get pregnant for the rest of her life. Zhang Miaoyu had no children in her life, so she kindly adopted Li Nanzhi, and unexpectedly she had a place to live for the rest of her life.

Living in the princess's mansion is more comfortable than living in the harem.

Zhang Miaoyu sat next to Shen Wei, and said with emotion: "I used to think that I would be trapped in the palace for the rest of my life, and become a lonely old concubine. Who would have thought that I could have a perfect and free second half of my life."

Li Nanzhi was a filial girl. Not only did she plan to bring Zhang Miaoyu to the princess's mansion, she also sent someone to ask Liu Ruyan.

But Liu Ruyan refused.

Liu Ruyan spent most of her life pursuing "true love", but in the end she had nothing. She seemed to have let it go and went to Anguo Temple early to spend the rest of her life with the ancient Buddha and the green lamp.

Zhang Miaoyu excitedly pulled Shen Wei's hand again: "Sister Shen Wei, will you live in Luoyue Lake in the future? Then we should visit each other often."

Shen Wei nodded happily: "Okay."

Zhang Miaoyu held her chin up and looked at Shen Wei with envy: "To be honest, I have always envied you. The emperor is so heartless that he is willing to abdicate for you."

Only in folk picture books can one find such beautiful and legendary stories.

But Zhang Miaoyu could understand Li Yuanjing.

Who wouldn’t love Shen Wei?

In the decaying palace, Shen Wei was so lively and beautiful. She was the warm sun, attracting moths from the dark corners to fly over.

...

...

In the Xiangyun Palace, the sycamore trees in the courtyard are withered and yellow, the beams are covered with layers of spider webs, and the whole palace is gloomy and desolate.

Liu Qiaoer sat in the cold little room, with a simple meal on the table. The wind howled in the yard, blowing the sycamore leaves everywhere and making the wooden windows creak.

Liu Qiaoer put down her bowl and chopsticks and looked out the window with lifeless eyes. Since being demoted to a noble, Liu Qiaoer seldom went out.

She had joined forces with the Liu family in the past in an attempt to divide the two princes. After the incident was exposed, Liu Qiaoer lived in fear every day, fearing that Shen Wei would secretly kill her.

Liu Qiaoer didn't dare to eat the food sent from the imperial kitchen. She had to let the cat eat it first to make sure the cat was not dead before she dared to put the food into her mouth.

Time passed day by day in her fear and trembling. Liu Qiaoer became more and more timid and cautious, full of suspicion all day long, and she aged rapidly, with her hair turning gray.

After Liu Qiaoer finished her simple lunch, the palace maid came in to take away the bowls and chopsticks. Liu Qiaoer couldn't help but ask her, "A few days ago, there was a lot of music outside. What happened in the palace?"

She stayed indoors all day and had no idea what was happening in the outside world.

The palace was extremely lively in the past few days. She wanted to go out and take a look, but she was afraid that Shen Wei would harm her, so she dared to hide in the palace.

The maid replied: "The new emperor's coronation ceremony is grand and solemn."

Liu Qiaoer's pupils shrank suddenly: "A new emperor ascended the throne? Did the emperor pass away? Impossible, the emperor is in his prime, how could he suddenly pass away! I understand, it must be Shen who murdered the emperor and supported her son to become the emperor!"

The maid couldn't bear to hear such treasonous remarks. She explained: "The emperor didn't die, he abdicated because of illness. The new emperor is the former eighth prince."

Liu Qiaoer opened her mouth slightly with a dull expression.

She murmured to herself, "The emperor is in his prime, how could he voluntarily abdicate! It must be Shen who did something! I want to see the emperor! I want to see the emperor!"

Liu Qiaoer rushed out of the palace like crazy.

She endured for many years, eating simple meals every day and enduring the torment of long nights.

She survived until Tan Tai's downfall and Concubine Lu Xuan's death, and thought she could see Shen fall into the quagmire - but reality hit her hard!

Shen Wei did not fall out of favor, and her son became emperor.

Liu Qiaoer's expression was distorted.

She planned for half her life, suffered for most of her life, but in the end, it was all in vain!

"Why is this happening? Why is this happening!" Liu Qiaoer screamed.

"Master, you can't go out! The third prince has been conferred the title of a prince. He will take you out of the palace and live in the prince's mansion to retire." The palace maid hurriedly stopped the crazy Liu Qiaoer.

Liu Qiaoer vomited a mouthful of blood and suddenly fainted on the ground.