So this was the emperor's true favor.
Lu Xuan stood in the courtyard of the Xuanming Hall, the sky overcast and gray, while chrysanthemums bloomed in abundance. In the past, this very courtyard had been filled with roses—now, every last one had been uprooted.
Not a single rose remained in the entire imperial harem.
Lu Xuan turned her head and asked her maid, Little Qin, "I recall that Consort Shen despises roses, don't I?"
Little Qin nodded. "This servant has inquired—it is indeed so."
Lu Xuan let out a bitter laugh, her nose tingling with unshed tears. "I see."
Shen Wei had once loved roses, so the emperor had filled the palace with them. The moment Shen Wei grew to loathe them, he ordered every last one torn from the earth. When Shen Wei favored crabapple blossoms and autumn chrysanthemums, those flowers flourished in their place...
