Cold wind kept blowing in from outside the window.

It also brought in several withered yellow tree leaves.

Those leaves had already been chewed full of holes by insects.

Mottled and visible!

A small leaf landed right on the back of Jing Xuan’s hand.

Cool!

Light!

After watching quietly for a while, she pinched the leaf on the back of her hand between her fingertips.

Examining it carefully.

The small leaf was very flat. The fine veins on it could still be seen clearly. When her fingertips rubbed over it, she could clearly feel the uneven texture.

It didn’t feel grating at all!

Rather, it was very comfortable.

The corners of Jing Xuan’s mouth couldn’t help but curve slightly upward.

Her smile was very beautiful.

She extended her hand out from inside the window and gently loosened her fingertips.

That light leaf dropped down, then blown by the wind, floated at an angle to the ground in the distance.

There was still a puddle on the ground.

The leaf floated on top of it.

Stirring up circles of ripples.

She watched intently like this, yet her eyes were very calm.

Coming to Huyi—it had already been over a year!

In this year-plus, she seemed to have forgotten many things.

Some things… she didn’t want to remember, things that made people sad!

But today, she still remembered what Ji Yunshu had said to her that day when she married and left Da Lin, in that pavilion on the misty, drizzly mountain path.

“Live well.”

Those four words were still deeply branded in her heart to this day.

Never forgotten!

It was also because of these words that she put down that dagger she had intended to use to kill herself.

Then she married into Huyi and struggled to survive until today.

Yes, struggled to survive!

Although she was the Third Princess Consort envied by everyone in Huyi, everyone in the Prince’s Manor knew she only had a title.

Because her husband had only met her twice.

Once at the wedding!

Once at a palace banquet!

Since then, she was essentially living as a widow.

She had also become a laughingstock in the Prince’s Manor.

But this kind of life was exactly what she wanted. Being able to stay quietly in this courtyard, being a Princess Consort subjected to coldness—it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Others said she suffered and even pitied her.

But she was happy to be at ease.

Of course, during this year-plus, she had also learned about some recent developments in Da Lin from the mouths of the maids around her.

Who would have known that after her imperial brother and mother consort died, so many things had happened in Da Lin? Fortunately, Da Lin had now restored peace. All the turmoil had passed.

Power was like that.

It could fulfill a person!

It could also destroy a person!

She sighed deeply, raising her gaze to the distant sky.

Today’s sky was very overcast.

Not a trace of warmth.

At this moment—

“Princess Consort.”

The serving maid entered the room and called to her.

She turned her head to look. “What is it?”

“Princess Consort, the flower seeds you requested last time have been delivered. They’re outside. Should we bring them inside? Or just leave them outside?”

Those were flowers she had previously ordered a maid to purchase outside the manor.

Those flowers were mostly varieties from Da Lin!

Besides embroidering characters in her room, she also liked planting flowers. Almost every few days she would take flowers to plant in the garden.

These hobbies had already become her habits.

She looked at the weather and said, “Take the things. We’ll go to the garden.”

She had the maid take the flower-planting tools!

The maid said, “Princess Consort, the weather isn’t very good today. Why don’t we go another day?”

“Let’s go today. I’ve been cooped up in this room for so long, I want to go out for a walk.”

“Very well, this servant will go prepare now.”

She hurried off to prepare the flower-planting tools!

Jing Xuan just casually threw on an outer coat and went to the garden.

The corridor to the garden normally didn’t pass by where the Third Prince stayed, so Jing Xuan wasn’t at all worried about seeing him.

In fact, she didn’t even remember very clearly what the Third Prince looked like.

More accurately, after all this time, she had long forgotten completely!

Was her husband fat or thin?

Tall or short?

Ugly or handsome?

Was his temperament dull or cheerful?

…

She didn’t know any of these things.

However, this time, for some reason, as she passed through the corridor on her way to the garden, she ran into the Third Prince and Gong Shilin walking toward her.

Those two were walking while saying something to each other.

Both had grave expressions.

The moment she saw them, Jing Xuan immediately turned around and said to the maid beside her, “Let’s go back.”

The maid also reacted, her body stiffening.

Everyone had just prepared to leave.

Who would have thought—

“Stop!”

The Third Prince’s voice rang out.

Very stern.

Upon hearing it, Jing Xuan immediately stopped in her tracks.

But she still faced away from the person behind her.

Although she didn’t turn back, she could imagine the Third Prince’s expression at this moment—certainly very displeased.

Because on the night of their wedding day, he had personally told her that from then on, she was not allowed to wander around the manor, and even more so could not seek him out without his permission. So Jing Xuan always calculated the times he left and returned to the manor, even calculating clearly where he would pass through, all to avoid running into him.

But today was just such a coincidence!

The Third Prince walked over with a cold expression, looking at the back of the woman before him.

Then he demanded, “Who told you to come here?”

You could hear how unhappy he was.

Jing Xuan’s palms tightened. She turned slightly to the side but kept her head lowered, never looking at him.

Bowing slightly, she said, “This subject wife will leave immediately.”

Her voice was so pleasant.

The Third Prince asked, “Leave? Leave to where?”

“Return to my room.”

“Then where were you going?”

“To the garden.”

“To do what?”

“Plant flowers.”

It was as if a master were interrogating a servant.

Jing Xuan still kept her head lowered, not looking directly at him.

The Third Prince’s eyes tightened. He ordered, “Raise your head immediately.”

He didn’t like looking at people this way!

As the saying goes, when under someone’s roof, one must bow one’s head!

Jing Xuan didn’t dare disobey, so she obediently raised her head, meeting the gaze of the man before her.

It was so cold.

So unfamiliar.

This was also the first time Jing Xuan looked at her husband so earnestly.

The Third Prince had an imposing bearing. His features were very defined—he was a very handsome man.

Although the people of Huyi were barbarians, most of their appearances were even more outstanding than those of Da Lin people.

Of course, this was limited to those in the imperial family!

Because most of the common people of Huyi looked similar to Da Lin people!

However, the Third Prince’s eyes carried some of the arrogance of imperial family members.

He stared at the woman before him. This was also the first time he had looked at his Princess Consort like this.

He had to admit, this woman was very beautiful.

And very refined.

The people of Da Lin’s imperial family had fairly good appearances.

But beautiful was beautiful—the Third Prince still said sternly, “Remember this: from now on, don’t walk this way again. Understand?”

Jing Xuan: “Yes.”

“But when you see me, you’re not allowed to just leave without greeting me.”

“Yes.”

“Go then.”

“Yes!”

Jing Xuan responded with three consecutive “yes”es.