Bone-chilling cold waves wrapped around goose-feather-sized snowflakes, suddenly sweeping through the Capital City in the pitch-black deep night.

At Earl Cheng’an’s mansion, Old Madam Wei took a deep breath, rubbing her aching knees while shaking the copper bell beside her pillow.

Tonight, it was the senior maid Fei Cui’s turn to keep watch. Her cotton quilt was even thinner than the cold-sensitive old madam’s. At this moment, she was unconsciously curling up her body and hugging her legs for warmth. Hearing the bell, Fei Cui immediately opened her eyes, threw off the quilt, got up, dressed, and lit the lamp—all in one fluid motion. Within the time it takes to drink two or three sips of tea, Fei Cui had already run to the old madam’s bedside.

“Old Madam, are you feeling unwell somewhere?” Lifting half the bed curtain, Fei Cui asked with concern.

Old Madam Wei shook her head, glanced toward the window, and speculated in a low voice: “Late spring cold snap—the wind must have picked up. Go get another quilt to cover me, and boil some hot water to fill the warming bottles. My legs hurt terribly; I’m afraid I won’t sleep well tonight.”

Having served Old Madam Wei for many years, Fei Cui was very experienced in handling such situations. She nimbly opened the trunk and took out a thick cotton quilt that had been put away not long ago, spreading it tightly over the old madam’s bed. Then she found four identical purple copper warming bottles and carried them to the kitchen.

Pushing open the door, several snowflakes drifted toward her face.

The light from inside the room spilled out, revealing snow on the ground already a finger’s width thick.

Fei Cui was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Snow in spring—she had never seen such a thing in all her years.

Carrying the warming bottles filled with water back, Fei Cui bent down to tuck them beside the old madam’s legs: “Old Madam, it’s snowing outside!”

Old Madam Wei was equally surprised. Snow in mid to late February wasn’t strange, but what kind of snow falls in March? Those peach and plum blossoms about to bloom would surely suffer.

The warm bottles eased the pain in her knees. Old Madam Wei sighed comfortably and said to Fei Cui, who was arranging the bed curtains: “Go check the back courtyard. Fourth Lady is surrounded only by young maids who don’t know how to care for people. Even if they freeze awake, they’d rather huddle in their quilts. They’re not afraid of cold, but Fourth Lady is delicate. Go add another quilt for her, and use warming bottles if needed.”

Fei Cui smiled and agreed.

Donning the old robe gifted by Old Madam Wei, Fei Cui carried a lantern in one hand and a pot of hot water in the other, hurrying along the corridor to the small gate of the back courtyard. She had the key to this area. Opening the door and looking inside, the old madam’s worries were justified—the back courtyard was completely quiet, with both Fourth Lady and the night-watch maid still asleep.

Fei Cui went straight to the window of the side room of the main house and gently tapped the window.

Bitao was startled awake by this sound, but fortunately, Fei Cui immediately explained her purpose.

The room door opened, and Fei Cui entered with the water pot, quietly asking Bitao: “The young lady hasn’t woken up, has she? Quickly go add another quilt for the young lady, and bring two warming bottles—I’ve already boiled the water.”

Bitao blew on her palms, picked up the lotus-shaped candleholder, and went to the inner room, shivering.

Fei Cui thought for a moment and followed, wanting to see with her own eyes whether Fourth Lady was suffering from the cold so she could properly report back to the old madam.

Wei Rao wasn’t sleeping soundly—she was so cold, her body already curled to its limit.

Hearing some faint sounds in her daze, Wei Rao turned over and saw light behind the screen. She called out in confusion: “Bitao?”

Bitao immediately responded, standing by the trunk containing quilts and explaining: “Young Lady, it’s snowing outside. Old Madam was worried you’d be cold, so she sent Sister Fei Cui over and told me to add another quilt for you.”

Wei Rao exclaimed in surprise: “It’s snowing?”

During the day, the embroidery room had just distributed light, thin dresses for the various household members to prepare for early summer, and now it was snowing?

Wei Rao wanted to go look.

She lifted the bed curtain and just poked her head out when Fei Cui, who had been watching this side, quickly ran over, pressed her shoulders, and pushed her back into the quilt: “My dear young lady, it’s freezing outside. You absolutely mustn’t let yourself get cold.”

Forced to lie back in the quilt, Wei Rao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “How cold could it possibly be?”

Fei Cui patted her thick jacket: “Old Madam made me wear this—what do you think about how cold it is?”

Wei Rao examined the jacket and had to say: “Then find me a jacket too. Once I’m properly dressed, I’ll go look at the snow.”

Fei Cui knew Fourth Lady had strong opinions—when she wanted to do something, sometimes even the old madam couldn’t dissuade her. Helplessly, she reminded Bitao to bring another jacket.

“I’m so thirsty. Sister, could you pour me a bowl of tea?” Wei Rao licked her lips, looking at Fei Cui coquettishly.

A vivacious beauty with skin like fresh snow, bright eyes, and white teeth—forget about acting coquettish, even if she were imperious and demanding, Fei Cui would willingly serve her.

There was a copper pot on the tea table. Fei Cui tested the water temperature—ice cold. So she only poured half a bowl of tea, went outside to add some hot water, and when she returned, saw that Bitao was already spreading the new cotton quilt for the Fourth Lady.

Fei Cui stood by the bed holding the tea bowl, her gaze naturally falling on the Fourth Lady’s face on the quilt.

Only one candle was lit in the room, dim and shadowy. With such cold weather, it gave one a sense of desolation. But seeing Fourth Lady, Fei Cui forgot all about bleakness and desolation, completely immersed in Fourth Lady’s beauty.

Fourth Lady’s beauty was like peonies blooming wildly in the courtyard—whatever color they might be, all were extremely gorgeous, enchanting, and alluring. Even if criticized by scholars as vulgar and lacking refinement, they would still release their beauty as they pleased, nakedly seducing you. Even the most aloof and self-controlled men, seeing such beauty, would lose their souls and become like foolish posts in the courtyard, staring dazedly at those peonies.

Wherever Fourth Lady was present, even the dimmest and most shabby places would burst with radiant light.

No wonder Old Madam Wei loved the Fourth Lady most. Even though Fourth Lady’s birth mother was unwilling to remain a widow for Second Master and abandoned her daughter to seek freedom, hurting the old madam’s heart and damaging Earl Cheng’an mansion’s reputation, the old madam still treasured Fourth Lady like her precious darling, always keeping her in her courtyard, caring for everything, protecting her in every way.

The quilt was ready, and Bitao stepped back while Fei Cui approached with the tea.

Wei Rao sat up and received the tea bowl with both hands, lowering her head to sip.

Bright red tender lips touching the white porcelain bowl, long curly eyelashes drooping like little fans, jade hands holding the bowl as slender as scallions, revealing a section of snow-white wrist below the loose sleeves… Once Fei Cui looked, no matter where her gaze fell, everything was pleasing to the eye.

It’s said that keeping company with green lamps and ancient Buddhas will unconsciously imbue one with a Buddhist nature. Fei Cui thought that if she could serve Fourth Lady every day, she might also absorb some of Fourth Lady’s beautiful charm and become more beautiful than she currently was.

Wei Rao had no idea what Fei Cui was thinking. After drinking tea, she put on a thick cloak and moved to the window.

Large flakes of snow were falling in profusion, making even this pitch-black night somewhat brighter.

Wei Rao rubbed her hands together, her beautiful brows suddenly furrowing as she murmured to herself: “Why does it have to snow tonight of all nights? Tomorrow is my grandmother’s sixtieth birthday. With this snow, the Capital City will surely spread gossip again.” Snow at this time wouldn’t herald a good harvest—it would probably delay spring planting and cause crop reduction.

When heaven doesn’t favor them, people naturally find a scapegoat to blame.

Wei Rao lost interest, instructed Fei Cui to walk carefully on her way back, turned around, and lay back on the bed.

As Fei Cui left the inner room, she heard a light sigh from within the bed curtains.

She remained composed, nodded to Bitao, and returned to the front courtyard with her lantern.

“How are things over there?” Old Madam Wei was still waiting for news.

Fei Cui smiled: “I added quilts and warming bottles for the Fourth Lady. Fourth Lady even got up to admire the snow for a while.”

Old Madam Wei shook her head, her expression complex: “She has the mood to look at snow now, but when she realizes tomorrow morning, she’ll have plenty to worry about.”

Fei Cui couldn’t respond to this—if she did, and the conversation went deep, the old madam would have an even harder time sleeping tonight.

“Tomorrow’s troubles are for tomorrow. Please rest now.” Fei Cui bent down and tucked the old madam’s quilt again.

Old Madam Wei nodded and closed her eyes to sleep.

Fei Cui extinguished the candle and quietly retreated to the side room.

The quilt that had been warm from sleeping was now completely cold. Fei Cui placed the old madam’s thick jacket over the quilt, rubbed her hands and feet, and couldn’t fall asleep for a while.

Listening to the faint sound of falling snow outside the window, Fei Cui’s mind conjured up Fourth Lady again, like a peony spirit.

If Fourth Lady was a little peony spirit, then Fourth Lady’s mother, Xiao Zhou Shi, was a big peony spirit, and Fourth Lady’s grandmother was an old peony spirit.

Speaking of which, the old peony spirit was the most formidable. In her youth, she served as a wet nurse to Emperor Yuanjia, devotedly caring for him for over ten years. While having unclear entanglements with the previous emperor, she simultaneously earned Emperor Yuanjia’s respect and filial devotion. The bond between wet nurse and nursling supposedly even surpassed that with the Empress Dowager.

Later, when the Empress Dowager couldn’t tolerate her, Emperor Yuanjia granted her the noble title “Shou’an Jun” and sent her out of the palace to live in comfort, making Fourth Lady’s grandmother the only woman among all the officials’ wives in the Capital City to receive a female noble title after the new emperor’s ascension.

Due to her entanglements with the previous emperor and offending the Empress Dowager, Shou’an Jun’s reputation wasn’t good. She could have reformed, but Shou’an Jun refused. When her eldest daughter, Da Zhou Shi, ‘s marriage wasn’t satisfactory, she encouraged Da Zhou Shi to divorce and then married her off to a wealthy merchant as his principal wife. A few years later, when Xiao Zhou Shi’s husband died, Shou’an Jun again supported Xiao Zhou Shi’s return home. She even took advantage of Emperor Yuanjia’s visit to her estate to introduce Xiao Zhou Shi to the emperor.

Noble families all prized women’s chastity, but the behavior of Shou’an Jun and her daughters was simply unchaste!

Because of these elders, even their own Fourth Lady was branded with the stigma of being “fickle and unchaste.” Those people had already decided that Fourth Lady either wouldn’t marry, or if she did marry someday, she would follow the example of Da and Xiao Zhou Shi—either easily divorce or return home to remarry after her husband’s death.

Poor Old Madam Wei’s good intentions—how much effort she spent trying to restore Fourth Lady’s reputation, yet it was completely useless. Fourth Lady had already reached marriageable age, and to this day, not a single family was willing to come propose marriage to Fourth Lady.

Fourth Lady was also broad-minded. With such a grandmother, aunt, and birth mother, it would be best never to associate with them for life, keeping herself completely clean and separate. But Fourth Lady just liked to gather around Shou’an Jun, as if she had fallen into a pitch-black dye vat, making her reputation as a legitimate daughter of the Wei family increasingly tarnished!