“This is quite embarrassing to discuss with the Commander,” Murong Yi smiled.

Di Yiwei was momentarily stunned before realizing what he meant. She wasn’t embarrassed either, holding her pipe and taking a leisurely puff before saying, “In all matters, think more for the Crown Princess.”

Murong Yi’s smile faded, and he said coolly, “No need for such instructions.”

Di Yiwei said no more, walking back to her original position with clicking steps. Hearing Murong Yi instructing them to take a stroll around Chengqian Palace, with many troublesome matters and plenty of vigor in his voice, she couldn’t help shaking her head, thinking perhaps she had seen wrong.

The eunuchs listening to Murong Yi’s instructions felt their heads growing as large as buckets. The leader said with a bitter face, “Young Master, the Crown Princess instructed us to bring you directly to Ruixiang Palace without delay…”

Murong Yi leaned against the palanquin and glanced at him, causing the man to fall silent immediately.

Until a palace maid approached gracefully, people bowing to her from afar, some laughing and saying, “Sister A’li, you’re dressed so elegantly today.”

Others said, “Sister A’li, how do you have time to come out personally?”

All along the way, she received flattery.

Everyone knew that A’li Fu was a senior palace maid in Ruixiang Palace, second only to Chi Xue and Dan Shuang. Originally a little girl picked up by Chi Xue, when Chi Xue and Dan Shuang accompanied the Crown Princess away from Ruixiang Palace, Xiao Chongzi managed the outer halls while she supervised the inner halls, much favored by the Crown Princess.

In fact, all the palace servants in Ruixiang Palace had followed the Crown Princess for over ten years, with very few being demoted or punished. Everyone was highly favored, and everyone considered themselves the Crown Princess’s treasured possessions.

Murong Yi leaned against the backrest, watching the particularly well-dressed palace maid walking toward him, suddenly having an illusion.

As if a legitimate wife from afar was meeting a favored concubine who had come to usurp her position and demonstrate her power.

He mentally spat in disgust.

And began contemplating: if this girl really dared to provoke him, should he throw her out or go whine to Tie Ci?

He had always heard that the girls in A’ci’s palace were very favored, each one arrogant due to their favor. Would he now fall into a battlefield of fighting against heaven, earth, and countless little vixens?

Would they be rough-handed and speak coldly?

Would they put sand in his food and spit in his soup?

Would they poison him to ruin his looks, push him into water, throw away his handkerchiefs, and find him one lover after another?

And how should he tearfully complain to Tie Ci to appear both magnanimous and wronged?

Perhaps he could learn from Rong Pu?

Having just finished battling the mastermind behind the colossal Xiao Family, he was enthusiastically contemplating how to fight a bunch of little girls with an average age under seventeen, feeling no guilt and enjoying it immensely.

While he was thinking, A’li Fu had already approached and bowed properly, leaving no room for fault.

And she resolved the earlier dilemma with one sentence: “Reporting to the Young Master, there’s no grand court assembly today, so there’s no one at Chengqian Palace.”

Murong Yi: “…Oh.”

A’li Fu: “Young Master, His Highness is waiting anxiously.”

Murong Yi: “…Let’s go then.”

A’li Fu smiled: “Thank you, Young Master.”

She swayed her slender waist and led the way.

The eunuchs lowered the curtain and quickly lifted the palanquin, carrying him toward Ruixiang Palace at three times their usual speed, fearing that any delay might cause more trouble.

The imagined scene of competing for favor and hair-pulling didn’t occur, leaving Murong Yi unsure whether to be happy or disappointed.

Because he suddenly felt that the attitude this girl displayed was more like a legitimate wife not bothering to compete with a concubine who had traveled far.

Soon facts proved his intuition was still sharp as ever.

As A’li Fu led the way ahead, a eunuch beside her whispered, “Sister A’li, I’ve never seen you be so polite to anyone.”

A’li Fu said, “That’s right. Who have we people from Ruixiang Palace ever bothered with?”

“Then sister, your respectfulness today, could it be because…”

“Because of what? It’s just that His Highness likes him, so we accommodate him. Supporting anyone is the same – it’s for His Highness’s sake, not for his.” A’li Fu said, “Flowing water brings small vixens, but Ruixiang Palace is iron-clad. Why compete with him? How many days can he stay favored? We are the ones who can truly accompany His Highness for life! Understand?”

“Understood!”

In the palanquin, Murong Yi propped his head up and smiled.

…

Tie Ci calculated the time – Murong Yi should arrive soon – so she put down the memorials, picked up her cloak, and walked toward the palace entrance.

Xiao Chongzi followed, glancing at the mountain of memorials and thinking of how the Crown Princess managed countless affairs daily, even rushing to the toilet, feeling truly sorry for the Crown Princess’s precious time. He couldn’t help advising, “Your Highness, the palanquin is slow and will take some time to arrive. Your time is precious…”

Tie Ci smiled, “No matter.”

Xiao Chongzi continued, “This servant could wait at the entrance for you…”

“You cannot replace me,” Tie Ci interrupted him. “No matter who in this Ruixiang Palace, when it comes to his matters, none can replace me.”

Xiao Chongzi immediately fell silent.

Tie Ci looked back at the interior of Ruixiang Palace, where the palace servants were poking their heads out curiously. After thinking for a moment, she said to Chi Xue, “Pass down the order: Young Master Murong will temporarily reside in Ruixiang Palace. All palace servants must treat him as they would treat me. Understand?”

Chi Xue acknowledged and immediately went to relay the order.

Xiao Chongzi also hurriedly withdrew.

Tie Ci hugged her cloak and stood at the palace entrance, gazing at the continuous goose-feather snow.

The imperial palace was usually magnificent and luxurious, but when it snowed, with wind rolling golden bells, snow filling the heavy galleries, flying eaves covered in white, and vast whiteness everywhere, it appeared particularly desolate and lonely, as if heaven and earth were infinite while humans were like ants.

Tie Ci stood under the eaves, waiting for a sudden clump of snow to fall into her neck, just like when it snowed in Hanli Khan Desert last year.

However, she never received what she was waiting for.

Murong Yi didn’t, as she had imagined, grow impatient with the slow palanquin and secretly come to Ruixiang Palace first to stuff snow down her neck.

Her lips curved upward, but her heart was slowly sinking.

Until a procession appeared ahead, with A’li Fu walking at the front.

Everyone in the procession immediately saw Tie Ci personally standing in the wind and snow, waiting.

Everyone was shocked.

In this world, there were almost no people left who could make the Crown Princess wait in wind and snow.

Except for His Majesty, but in such weather, Tie Ci wouldn’t let him come – she would go to Chongming Palace herself.

The palanquin stopped at the entrance. Before A’li Fu could lift the curtain, Tie Ci had already descended the steps and reached out to lift it herself.

When the curtain opened just a crack, she could already see Murong Yi, who was propping up his chin and had fallen into an exhausted sleep during this short journey.

But Murong Yi woke very quickly. As soon as the curtain moved, he opened his eyes and simultaneously extended his hand.

Two snow-white hands touched.

The next moment, Murong Yi suddenly exerted force, just as Tie Ci was also exerting force to pull him out, creating an immediate deadlock.

A’li Fu: “…”

What, was this the fashionable greeting between lovers now – tug of war?

The next instant, Tie Ci laughed and released her force.

With a whoosh, she was pulled into the warm palanquin.

The excessive force caused the palanquin to stumble in place.

Tie Ci crashed into Murong Yi’s embrace.

Warm and burning like a furnace.

Murong Yi’s even hotter lips had already eagerly descended.

Tie Ci slightly lifted her face to meet him, but Murong Yi stopped just half an inch from her lips, then slowly turned his head aside.

Tie Ci suddenly raised her hand, turned his face back, and pressed his lips against her own.

Spring curtains warm and fragrant, steamy with heat, flying snow beyond the curtains, intimate entanglement within.

The narrow space brought their bodies closer together, sharing each other’s breath and body warmth. Her arms embraced his back, eagerly exploring his slightly protruding spine, while his lips lingered repeatedly from her forehead and cheeks to her lips.

The warm palanquin trembled slightly.

Everyone kept their heads down, staring at the ground.

A’li Fu felt the heat on her face could melt all the fresh snow on the ground.

Although no sounds emerged, she felt as if she had witnessed all the romance of the mortal world.

Only the sound of falling snow remained between heaven and earth.

As if after a long time, Tie Ci pressed her forehead against Murong Yi’s, sensing for a moment before sighing softly.

“You have a fever…” she said.

Murong Yi hummed and said, “It’s nothing.”

Tie Ci stood up and led him out of the warm palanquin, smiling, “Please, my lady, step down from the carriage.”

Murong Yi laughed, “Eh, where are the braziers?”

The two entered the palace hand in hand, with everyone standing on both sides to welcome them, their expressions respectful.

Seeing Tie Ci supporting him toward the side hall, Murong Yi stopped and said, “Why am I not staying in your bedchamber?”

Tie Ci said, “That place is big and empty, not warm.”

“Wouldn’t it be less empty and warmer with me added?”

“The side hall is good. I’ve already had the Ministry of Works send people to build a revolving wall. Then you can just push the wall to come to me – how interesting. Haven’t you heard that a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a stolen lover?”

The palace servants: “…”

So His Highness actually had such lowbrow tastes.

This explanation clearly pleased Murong Yi, and he finally agreed to stay in the side hall.

The Chief Medical Officer had already brought all the physicians on duty to wait in the side hall. From the corner of their eyes, they watched the pair of beauties enter hand in hand, thinking on one hand that no wonder he was so favored – truly a handsome man and talented woman. But then again, without such looks, how could he make the Crown Princess disregard his identity as a prince from an enemy nation? On the other hand, they thought that the Crown Princess had always acted wisely and cherished her reputation, but now for this person she completely ignored public opinion and disregarded her good name – one could imagine there would definitely be huge waves in the court ahead.

But they only dared to think about it.

A group of people lined up to take Murong Yi’s pulse. After the diagnosis, the conclusion was indeed the same as before – excessive depletion requiring quiet recuperation.

Tie Ci had them write prescriptions, personally reviewed them, then ordered the storeroom opened to select the best tonics for brewing.

Murong Yi wrapped in fox fur and leaning against the soft couch, lazily watching her deliberate over prescriptions, examine tonics, and busily rush about. He couldn’t help but smile and said, “I want to bathe.”

Tie Ci then ordered her own bathing pool to be cleaned and filled with water, preparing suitable medicinal materials for a medicinal bath.

When everything was ready, she told Murong Yi to go soak, but Murong Yi pulled her along, saying, “You come accompany me.”

Tie Ci glanced at the crowd who kept their heads down but had their ears perked up, for the first time feeling that Ruixiang Palace had too many people.

Murong Yi added, “If you don’t go, I’m afraid they’ll peek at me.”

Everyone: …Do you have no shame?

“Besides, if you don’t go, someone has to serve me while bathing, right? Are you willing to let them see me naked?”

Everyone: …We don’t want to see, thank you.

Tie Ci waved her hand, and her harem immediately scattered in all directions.

Stay away from this shameless person!

Tie Ci had no choice but to accompany Murong Yi into the bathhouse. Murong Yi undressed behind a screen, keeping only his pants on as he entered the swimming pool-sized bath.

The pool of hot water emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. Tie Ci removed her outer robe and sat by the pool edge, rolling up her sleeves. “Do you want me to help scrub your back?”

“Yes.”

Tie Ci then sat sideways by the pool edge and picked up a ladle.

At first glance, she saw his back, much thinner than when they were at the academy. His shoulder blades protruded slightly from his pale skin, showing distinct and delicate contours.

He had pinned up his long hair, and water droplets rolled down his slender neck. Her fingers followed the traces where the water drops had flowed, from his back to his neck to his collarbones. Her fingertips lightly rested in the hollow of his collarbone, and she immediately knew he had indeed lost weight.

She sighed softly and compassionately.

Murong Yi moved slightly, and her fingers smoothly slid down, sweeping along his chest downward. Not knowing what she touched, her fingertips paused, and he chuckled softly.

Turning around, he pulled with his arm.

With a splash, she was pulled into the water.

She laughed as well, unsurprised. She whispered, “You’re sick, can you manage?”

Murong Yi pressed her head against his chest, letting her hear the resonance from his chest cavity when he spoke, “A man cannot say he can’t.”

His usually gorgeous voice sounded even more magnificent like satin in the slightly echoing bathhouse.

Medicine packets and some dried flower petals floated on the water surface. The steam carried crisp fragrances, hazily dispersing, with pale bodies looming in the mist.

Silk trousers, deep robes, and undergarments slowly floated up from the bottom, entangling and floating with those colorful dried flowers like colored clouds.

Beneath the clouds, waves rose and waters stirred, wind rolled and seas moved. Fish-like figures undulated gracefully, with thunder rumbling for thousands of miles, lightning plowing through countless fields. When golden wind met jade dew in their encounter, there was the meeting of spirits and flesh, the fusion of water and milk.

Rippling waves, flower petals drifting silently east and west with the water.

Occasionally waves would rise and splash, hot water carrying dried flowers splashing onto the white jade platform. The mirror by the pool, originally fogged over by the steam, suddenly brightened when splashed by the waves, revealing snow-white bodies emerging from the water depths in an embrace, flashing by.

Outside the palace, snowflakes fell even more densely, looking from afar like a jade river hanging upside down.

A procession in bright yellow color wound its way through the snowy ground.