A Concubine’s Competitive Life in the Prince’s Household
Chapter 210

The night was deep as Li Yuanjing stepped into Yongning Palace.

Under the eaves shrouded in darkness, lanterns glowed brightly, and the warm yellow candlelight spilled from within. Though the spring night carried a slight chill, Yongning Palace remained cozy.

Just as it always had been.

Shen Wei came forward with her attendants to greet him.

Li Yuanjing looked over and saw Shen Wei stepping out happily from the room, fresh from her bath. Her hair, dried and loosely tied with a green silk ribbon, swayed as she moved. She walked so quickly that the hem of her pale dress fluttered gracefully in the breeze.

Simple and pure, like a lotus emerging from clear water.

"Your Highness—" Shen Wei called out joyfully, only to pause as if realizing her mistake.

She stopped in her tracks, a hint of embarrassment coloring her beautiful face as she corrected herself softly, "Your Majesty."

Her voice was light and tender.

Li Yuanjing extended his hand, and Shen Wei placed hers into his broad palm.

Their fingers intertwined, just as they had countless times in the past at Prince Yan's Mansion—when he returned under the cover of night, and she waited for him at the door with delight.

Li Yuanjing loved holding Shen Wei's hand; it was always warm and soft. Together, they walked through the lush courtyard toward the inner chambers.

The crescent moon hung high in the night sky, dotted with stars. Glancing at the exquisitely beautiful woman beside him, a sudden inspiration struck Li Yuanjing—he finally knew what title to bestow upon Shen Wei.

The delay in granting her an imperial consort's title had not been due to forgetfulness, but because he could not decide which word would suffice.

Titles like "Virtuous," "Kind," or "Noble" were too ordinary.

For months, he had pondered over a single-character title, unable to find one worthy of his Weiwei.

But tonight, he had his answer.

...

Inside the chamber, a faint fragrance lingered in the air.

On the desk lay an unfinished piece of Shen Wei's calligraphy. Li Yuanjing picked up the rice paper and saw that she had been writing "Spring Banquet."

Her handwriting was neat and showed remarkable improvement—and bore a striking resemblance to his own.

The corners of his lips curled as he teased, "Copying my handwriting?"

Shen Wei flushed, stammering in denial, "N-no... I wasn’t..."

Warmth blossomed in Li Yuanjing's chest. In his mind, a tender scene unfolded: [In the Donghua Mountain retreat, Shen Wei carefully unfolded his letters and traced each character, her every stroke a testament to her longing for him.]

If she did not love him, why would she painstakingly imitate his script?

Shen Wei guided Li Yuanjing to sit on the soft divan and brought him tea herself. "Since you’ve already dined with the Empress Dowager, I prepared hawthorn tea for you."

The translucent white jade cup held warm tea, its reddish hue from the thinly sliced hawthorn berries.

But Li Yuanjing set the cup aside. With one long arm, he pulled Shen Wei into his embrace.

His voice was husky, his dark eyes intense. "Let me look at you."

The maidservants inside quickly lowered their heads and slipped out, drawing the long beaded curtain behind them. The pearls clinked softly as they fell into place.

Holding Shen Wei, the hollowness in Li Yuanjing's heart seemed to fill. His gaze traced every inch of her delicate, radiant face.

Shen Wei’s cheeks warmed under his scrutiny, but she too studied him intently. Her fair fingers brushed his cheek, and her eyes reddened. "You’ve lost weight, Your Majesty... These past three years must have been difficult."

A new emperor’s ascension, political upheaval, reforms, internal strife, and external threats—Li Yuanjing had faced countless challenges.

Yet in three years, he had firmly grasped the reins of power. Stubborn old ministers no longer dared oppose him, and talented new officials found their place.

With the Yue Kingdom’s civil war ended and the border crisis temporarily resolved, Li Yuanjing was free from constraints, ready to realize his ambitions and usher in his own era.

"I’m not tired anymore," Li Yuanjing murmured, nuzzling her fingers, a smile flickering in his dark eyes.

Being emperor was no easy task—exalted yet exhausting, with burdens known to none. Only his Weiwei would ask if he was weary, her heart aching for him, her tears falling for him.

The gilded bronze incense burner filled the room with a soothing fragrance. Shen Wei gazed at him with deep affection, unable to look away, her nose tingling. "These three years... I missed you so much."

Her voice cracked as she lowered her head, a tear slipping down and landing precisely on the back of his hand.

She had orchestrated tonight’s emotions perfectly—the distant glimpse at the palace gates by day, the nostalgic reunion under the eaves, the unfinished calligraphy on the desk, each character a silent confession of longing. And now, nestled in his arms, she voiced her yearning in a trembling whisper.

Her ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍performance was flawless, the emotions building layer by layer until they overflowed.

Li Yuanjing was deeply moved, his heart struck as if by a heavy blow, a bittersweet ache spreading through him. "Weiwei."

The young emperor held his beloved tightly, his embrace fervent and tender.

...

Outside, the night was dark. Cai Ping and Cai Lian stood guard at the chamber doors.

Cai Ping whispered excitedly, clutching Cai Lian’s arm, "Dearest sister, I missed you so much! After waiting and waiting, you and our mistress are finally back."

The past three years in the palace had been dull for her.

Now, serving Shen Wei again as the head maid of Yongning Palace, with higher wages and bonuses, and working alongside Cai Lian, life finally held promise.

Cai Lian poked Cai Ping’s forehead. "No time for catching up now. After attending to our mistress, we’ll share a drink tomorrow—oh, is the hot water in the kitchen ready?"

Cai Ping grinned. "Long prepared. After three years apart, His Majesty and our mistress will likely need it more than once tonight."

...

In the warm, comfortable bed, Shen Wei had also assumed that multiple rounds of hot water would be called for.

Yet to her surprise, Li Yuanjing simply lay beside her, talking the night away without laying a hand on her!

They shared the quilt, nothing more.

Shen Wei regaled him with tales of Donghua Mountain—Le You catching frogs, Chengtai and Chengyou climbing trees.

Li Yuanjing, in turn, told her about stubborn ministers, the struggles of implementing reforms, and one official’s notoriously foul feet.

Words he could never speak to others, he poured out to Shen Wei. Only with her did he feel at ease, as if he had truly come home.

And so, they whispered under the covers until late into the night. When drowsiness finally overtook Shen Wei, she decided to test the waters—leaning in, she pressed her warm lips to his.

Li Yuanjing responded instantly.

His arms encircled her slender waist as he kissed her gently.

Heat surged between them, and Shen Wei reached to untie his robes. She had trained daily on Donghua Mountain and was more than ready to withstand his storm of passion.

Let the tempest rage—

But he caught her hand, his smile affectionate as he kissed her once more. "It’s late. Rest now."

Though he yearned for her after three years apart, he knew Shen Wei must be exhausted from the journey. He would not let his desire overwhelm her tonight.

The benevolent emperor decided to spare Shen Wei for the night, choosing to wait a few more days before indulging.

Even Li Yuanjing himself hadn’t noticed how much more respect and leniency he had been showing her.

Unaware of the emperor’s thoughts, Shen Wei quietly retracted her claws and obediently nestled back into her soft pillow.

The lights in the room were extinguished, and the cool, silvery moonlight spilled through the window lattice. Shen Wei heard the steady rhythm of breathing beside her.

Li Yuanjing had actually fallen asleep!

Shen Wei had deliberately napped during the day and meticulously bathed in the evening, leaving herself fragrant and pristine—only for Li Yuanjing to not lay a finger on her.

Her mind churned with turmoil, and a bold suspicion surfaced—Could it be that His Majesty was... incapable?