The early winter wind swept away the withered leaves in the courtyard.

Tingxue and Tingfeng held the little girl’s hands as they picked up pretty leaves in the courtyard.

The little girl collected the leaves and placed them on the table, then picked up a brush to paint on them.

Yun Chu rested her chin in her hand.

Because Changsheng’s health was poor, all those serving her were adults—she didn’t have a single girl her own age.

Now that Changsheng was slowly emerging from her enclosed world, she would start needing friends. Perhaps she should buy a young maidservant to be Changsheng’s playmate.

Just as she was contemplating this, Tingfeng entered and said: “Miss, this servant went out to buy candy earlier and heard that the young Madam Zou—the very Madam Zou we encountered at the hot spring estate yesterday—she actually hanged herself.”

Yun Chu couldn’t hide her shock: “Dead?”

“The capital is in an uproar. They say the Zou family’s legitimate eldest son isn’t of Zou family blood at all. Madam Zou strangled her own daughter and forcibly adopted a peasant woman’s son. All these years, the Zou family has been raising someone else’s child.” Tingfeng shook her head. “I heard that the Zou family learned of this matter last night. Early this morning, they summoned Madam Zou’s natal family, gave her a divorce letter, and her natal family also refused to acknowledge this daughter. With neither her husband’s family nor her natal family wanting her, Madam Zou hanged herself at the Zou family gate…”

Yun Chu’s fingers froze.

This matter had occurred a full seven or eight years earlier than in her previous life.

Now the Zou family’s eldest son wasn’t even ten years old yet—there was simply no way he could protect Madam Zou. It was no wonder she had hanged herself.

Yet in her previous life, when this matter was exposed, the Zou family’s eldest son had already become a recommended scholar, considered a promising young gentleman in the capital, and was even engaged to marry a daughter from a first-rank family. With his protection, Madam Zou had not been divorced by the Zou family…

She hadn’t arranged for anyone to send word to the Zou family.

How could the Zou family so coincidentally have received the news last night?

Yun Chu tapped her fingers on the tabletop.

The only person who could have done this was Prince Pingxi.

She needed to rely on her previous life’s prophetic perspective to know some secrets that would occur in the future.

Yet Prince Pingxi had only needed one night to investigate it.

Now, because of her rebirth, she had changed one small matter after another, causing many major events to deviate from their original course.

Her bit of foreknowledge was slowly losing its advantage.

If she wanted Ding Yiyuan to assume the position of State Preceptor and sit firmly in that position, there was still far too much she needed to do.

After Yun Chu finished her morning meal, the little girl held her hand and spoke: “I, I want… Father…”

“Changsheng wants to see Father, is that right?” Yun Chu touched her little face. “You sit here while Mother puts on your shoes first.”

While putting shoes on her daughter, she had Tingfeng go ahead to give advance notice.

This way, when the little girl went over, she wouldn’t be frightened into tears by seeing her father covered in blood.

Once Tingfeng returned, Yun Chu picked up the child, passed through the doorway, and walked to Chu Yi’s bedroom door.

Steward Cheng immediately pushed open the door and reported: “Your Highness, Miss Yun and the County Princess have arrived.”

Yun Chu looked inside.

It was now broad daylight, and the warm early winter sun shone in, falling on the man. His complexion looked much better than it had last night.

He wore a dark black robe that showed no sign whatsoever of the injury beneath.

The little girl climbed down from Yun Chu’s arms and ran inside with pattering steps. Just as before, she threw herself onto Chu Yi.

“Hiss—”

Chu Yi’s chest was pressed upon, and he gasped in pain.

“Changsheng…” Yun Chu hurried to pull the little girl up. She sat on the small stool by the bed and placed the little girl on her lap. “Your father isn’t feeling well. He can’t hold you right now. Is it alright to just keep him company like this?”

Chu Changsheng could sense that Father wasn’t comfortable.

Usually, Father stood tall and could pick her up at any time.

But now, Father lay in bed, unable to move at all. He looked so pitiful.

The little girl’s eyes welled with tears as she turned and walked outside.

Not knowing what she was doing, Yun Chu quickly followed. She saw the little girl ask a maidservant for a small bowl, then squat in the courtyard flower bed and dig up a piece of black soil. She plucked two leaves, pulled off a chrysanthemum, caught a small flying insect, and found a small stone to crush and mix everything together.

Yun Chu watched in complete bewilderment.

Then she saw the little girl pick up the dirty little bowl, run with pattering steps to Chu Yi’s bedside, produce a spoon from who knows where, scoop up a bit of the unidentifiable substance from the bowl, and hold it to Chu Yi’s lips: “Father, eat, eat medicine.”

Chu Yi finally understood why the elderly all said daughters were like little padded jackets.

To have such a good daughter—he truly didn’t know what virtue from how many lifetimes had earned him this blessing.

He thought to himself, no matter how ridiculous this medicine looked, it would surely taste sweet in his mouth.

Just as sweet as the medicine Yun Chu had fed him last night.

Chu Yi opened his mouth.

The little girl happily fed it into his mouth.

“Don’t eat it.”

Yun Chu quickly stopped them.

She truly didn’t want to discourage Changsheng’s filial devotion.

She had thought Chu Yi was just pretending to cooperate.

She hadn’t expected this man to actually open his mouth and eat it.

These things wouldn’t poison him to death, but would definitely cause diarrhea. He was already injured—his condition might worsen further.

Chu Changsheng pouted a bit aggrievedly at being stopped by her mother.

“Changsheng, this isn’t medicine—it’s, it’s a snack.” Yun Chu racked her brain. “Your father can only eat snacks once he’s better.”

Just then, Steward Cheng had someone bring in the medicine.

The little girl immediately forgot about that bowl of unidentifiable substance and happily wanted to feed Father his medicine.

Her hand had just touched the edge of the bowl when she quickly pulled it back from the heat, looking pitifully at Yun Chu.

Yun Chu blew on her fingers, quite helpless: “You watch. Mother will feed him.”

The little girl broke into a smile, her little hands clapping excitedly.

Yun Chu steeled herself, blew on the medicine, and held it to the man’s lips.

The man’s lips were very thin, their line sharp as a blade, carrying an innate severity, but now they looked quite gentle.

Chu Yi parted his lips to drink the warm medicine and said: “Thank you.”

While Yun Chu was feeding the medicine, the little girl ran back to the courtyard to pick up fallen leaves.

Only the two of them remained.

Actually, this room wasn’t small—it could even be said to be quite large—yet Yun Chu inexplicably felt it was somewhat cramped.

She spoke to make conversation: “The matter with the Zou family—was that Your Highness’s doing?”

“That Madam Zou has always enjoyed elevating the high and trampling the low, but she shouldn’t have trampled on you… shouldn’t have bullied Yu’er.” Chu Yi’s voice was low. “She killed her own newborn daughter and should have paid with her life. Living all these extra years was letting her off easy.”

Yun Chu’s fingers paused, then she continued feeding the medicine.

After finishing the bowl of medicine, she had just stood up when Steward Cheng entered: “Your Highness, the Xie family’s page boy has been found.”

Yun Chu’s gaze darkened.

Five years ago, after she married into the Xie family, during the first half month, she could still see a page boy by Xie Jingyu’s side. Later, he inexplicably disappeared.

Her relationship with Xie Jingyu was distant, so naturally she hadn’t inquired further.

She hadn’t expected that this page boy had actually been involved in the events of that wedding night five years ago…