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

...

Prince Yan is still in the Eastern Palace.

After two days of investigation, Prince Yan and officials from the Ministry of Justice finally learned the origin of the real culprit from the two assassins who were captured alive.

The people who assassinated King Yan came from the State of Yue. This group of people colluded with a mysterious force from the State of Qing and intended to kill King Yan and the Crown Prince.

However, it is currently unclear whether the power of Qing Kingdom is related to King Heng.

At the lunch table, the prince sighed, exhausted: "Except for the imperial concubine and Prince Heng, I really can't think of anyone who wants to kill us brothers."

As he was speaking, the prince had another violent coughing fit, with a fishy-sweet taste in his throat.

The Prince of Yan quickly patted the Crown Prince's back and handed him a cup of tea: "Brother, let me handle the assassin's matter. You should take care of yourself first."

The prince's illness became more and more serious. He coughed every night and his condition was barely stabilized by the medicine from the Imperial Hospital.

The King of Yan was very worried and had been sending people to look for Dr. Mo. However, the whereabouts of this miraculous doctor were elusive. It was said that he had appeared in Yue State some time ago, but disappeared soon after.

The prince drank some tea to moisten his throat, and his violent coughing eased temporarily. He said nonchalantly, "It's just a minor illness, nothing serious, let's continue with our meal."

The lunch at the Prince's residence was naturally exquisite. The maidservant came forward and added two spoonfuls of fish soup to the Prince's bowl. The Prince liked to eat crucian carp soup with rice. He was about to eat it when the King of Yan suddenly said, "Brother, soup with rice is not good for the stomach. You should eat less of it in the future."

The prince looked at the King of Yan in disbelief: "Yuan Jing, you didn't know about [soup and rice hurt the stomach] before, where did you hear that?"

The Prince of Yan rode horses and shot arrows all year round, and had fought in the frontier when he was young, so he was considered a rough man. Later, when he assisted the Crown Prince in handling official affairs, the Prince of Yan reluctantly acquired some of the habits of a scholar.

But eating is still rough sometimes.

King Yan said, "Weiwei told me. She said that soaking rice in soup will increase the burden on the spleen and stomach, and it is easy to cause stomach problems."

At the dinner table, Shen Wei would always tell Prince Yan some dining habits, and Prince Yan was influenced subtly.

Shen Wei mainly hopes that Prince Yan can live longer, develop scientific eating habits, and not die early from stomach problems.

The prince thought of Shen Wei, who was roasting delicious meat, and couldn't help laughing and said, "Your concubine is really affectionate. When you went hunting in Dongshan, she went to the wild mountains to look for you regardless of the obstruction. Since you love her, don't let her get hurt and protect her well."

The King of Yan said, "She lives in the palace, under my watch, nothing will happen to her."

The Prince of Yan's palace and backyard were as calm as a pool of stagnant water. There was no life in the room, and there were few quarrels between his wives and concubines in recent years.

Shen Wei is in favor. Apart from that newcomer who fails to see the situation clearly and deliberately makes trouble, I think the princess and concubines will not target Shen Wei.

The prince put down his bowl and chopsticks, thinking of the distant past: "Yuan Jing, don't underestimate the viciousness of the women in the harem. Wasn't my relationship with the Crown Princess the best example?"

There are many concubines in the Eastern Palace, but the prince only favors the gentle and dignified Crown Princess.

The prince thought that the Crown Princess had a high status and the women in the harem would not dare to attack her. But a few years ago, the Crown Princess finally got pregnant, but she gave birth to a daughter prematurely at eight months.

The Crown Princess's body was damaged and it would be difficult for her to get pregnant again. Her daughter was born with a deficiency and has been weak and sickly since childhood.

The prince felt something was wrong and sent someone to investigate secretly. It was discovered that the three concubines had joined forces to deliberately cause the crown princess to give birth prematurely! They even bribed the midwife to kill the crown princess.

That was also the first time that the prince truly realized how cruel the struggle of women was. The concubines who seemed to be well-educated and well-mannered were so ugly that they would do anything to win favor.

The prince reminded meaningfully: "Yuan Jing, remember my words, you can know a person's face but not his heart."

King Yan lowered his eyes and nodded slowly.

...

After leaving the East Palace, the Prince of Yan rode his horse back to the palace. Along the way, the Prince of Yan was thinking about the words of the Crown Prince.

Prince Yan likes Shen Wei very much now, so he is naturally willing to protect her.

The wives and concubines in the backyard of the palace, including the princess, were all focused on their two children, while Liu Ruyan and other concubines never went out of the house.

King Yan believed that Shen Wei was in a safe situation and no one would attack her.

After returning to the palace, Prince Yan stepped over the threshold and subconsciously glanced under the eaves. In the past, Shen Wei would have been waiting for his return under the eaves.

But today, the bright sunshine shines down, and the eaves are empty.

What about people?

"Did you oversleep during your nap and forget the time?" King Yan smiled helplessly and walked towards the Glazed Pavilion. He wanted to see what had delayed Shen Wei.

The Liuli Pavilion was quiet in the afternoon. The two eunuchs, Jixiang and Deshun, were watering the vegetable garden, while Cailian and Caiping were cleaning the white jade mat. Looking towards the lotus pond pavilion, Shen Wei was not in sight.

It's such a hot day, would you take a nap in a stuffy room?

Prince Yan raised his hand to stop the maids and eunuchs from making any noise, and walked lightly to the bedroom in the Liuli Pavilion.

In summer, the clever Shen Wei decorated the bedroom very neatly and replaced all the curtains with lush green pearl curtains, which looked pleasing to the eye.

On the table, there were cut lotus flowers in a vase, and the whole bedroom was filled with the elegant fragrance of flowers. However, King Yan found that the lotus flowers on the table had withered, and they were obviously yesterday's lotus flowers.

Strange, Shen Wei changes the flowers every day, why did she forget today?

Prince Yan came to the bedside where Shen Wei was curled up, covered in a thin mint green silk blanket.

She seemed to be asleep.

Prince Yan smiled quietly, as if he had forgotten the time during his nap. He did not disturb her, but reached out to cover Shen Wei with the mint green silk blanket.

His eyes inadvertently swept across Shen Wei's wrist, and King Yan's pupils shrank suddenly. He saw two distinct red marks on Shen Wei's fair wrist.

"Prince, you're back." Shen Wei was awakened. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, and her beautiful eyes slowly opened, with red bloodshot eyes that had not dissipated.

Prince Yan held Shen Wei's wrist and said in a low voice, "Why is your wrist red?"

Shen Wei's eyes flashed with panic, and she stuttered, "I went to Baihu Temple to pray this morning, and I might have been scratched by the leaves. Your Majesty, I asked for a peace charm for you."

Shen Wei deliberately changed the subject abruptly.

Prince Yan's handsome eyes flickered.

Shen Wei had already taken out a sachet from the bedside, which contained the amulet she had prayed for.

Shen Wei tried to force out a smile: "Your Highness, the White Tiger Temple's amulet is the most effective. If Your Highness wears it with him, he will definitely not encounter assassins in the future."

King Yan held the sachet and looked at the red mark on Shen Wei's wrist. He had practiced martial arts for many years, so he could tell that the red mark was left by the rope.

Just as Prince Yan was about to ask in detail, Nanny Liu's voice came from outside the room: "Your Highness, the princess wants to see you."

Hearing Madam Liu's voice, Shen Wei's frail body trembled with fear. This slight tremor naturally caught the eyes of King Yan.

Prince Yan was puzzled. Why would Weiwei be afraid of a servant?

Shen Wei had already lowered her head silently, unconsciously rubbing the red marks on her wrist. Shen Wei's timid look reminded King Yan of a tabby cat he had raised when he was young.

The kitten was found ten days after it was lost, with signs of abuse on its body. The King of Yan investigated for a long time but could not find out who had hurt his beloved cat.

Until one day, the brat Heng Wang came to visit. When the tabby cat saw Heng Wang, he trembled with fear.

Shen Wei now looks very much like the little tabby cat that Prince Yan raised when he was young.

"Weiwei, accompany me to the main house." King Yan held Shen Wei's hand.

Holding hands, King Yan noticed that there was a light sweat on Shen Wei's palms.

Shen Wei and Prince Yan walked to the main house in the center of the Glazed Pavilion, where the princess was already waiting. Behind the princess, maids were escorting two people who were tied up.

The Prince of Yan sat at the main seat, and the maid respectfully served him tea. The Prince of Yan picked up the teacup, glanced at the two people who were tied up, and raised his eyebrows slightly:

"Who are these two people?"