Ruyi and Jixiang accompanied her on both sides. After Yunyi finished playing the last note, Ruyi quickly handed her the white copper chased hand warmer with fishing, woodcutting, farming, and reading patterns that she held in her hands. “Princess, please warm your hands quickly.”

Jixiang rubbed her icy hands, saying, “Master, you’ve been playing outside for a long time. Please go into the hall quickly so you won’t catch cold.”

Ruyi continued, “Yes, this snow is getting heavier and heavier. It’s very cold.”

“I’m fine.” Yunyi remembered that when she was in Honghua Prefecture, Wu Laosan had once said that when he collected enough copper, he would personally make her a hand warmer. But unfortunately… things happened too suddenly, and he left before he could fulfill this promise.

Yunyi lowered her head to look at the hand warmer in her hands. Beautiful as it was, she couldn’t feel much warmth from it. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, “Jixiang, go find two iron pieces for me.”

Jixiang hadn’t expected Yunyi to make such a request and asked puzzledly, “Iron pieces? What does the Princess want to do with them?”

“Just go get them.” Seeing her say this, Jixiang had to comply. After a while, she came in carrying two copper pieces slightly larger than a palm, carved with fish playing among golden lotus patterns, saying with difficulty, “Master, this servant searched everywhere but couldn’t find the iron pieces you wanted. I only found these two copper pieces. Will these do?”

Yunyi was stunned, then lowered her head and laughed. Yes, how could she forget this was the Purple Forbidden Palace, where even using a piece of ice or charcoal required careful selection, and craftsmen were even ordered to carve flowers on them. How could such crude iron pieces be found here?

“Fine, these will do.” She took the two copper pieces from Jixiang’s hands, turned and walked inside. Ruyi and the other quickly followed, only to see Yunyi walk to the eternally burning copper beast-headed covered incense burner, use iron tongs to extract a piece of red-hot silver bone charcoal from it, and place it on one of the copper pieces.

Ruyi and the other watched with trepidation, fearing she might accidentally burn herself. Only after she put down the iron tongs did they breathe a sigh of relief, asking, “Princess, what are you trying to do?”

Yunyi didn’t answer her question, only ordering them to get an old garment from the cabinet that she didn’t usually wear. When Ruyi brought it, she found it was a brand-new goose-yellow silk dress. Puzzled, she said, “Didn’t you ask me to get an old garment?”

Ruyi nodded. “This is an old garment made last year. The Princess already wore it twice last year.”

With her reminder, Yunyi also remembered, shaking her head slightly. Worn twice and it was considered old – outside the palace, how many commoners wore the same garment for twenty years? Such “old clothes” were beyond their reach. “Tell the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau that they need not sew new clothes for me this winter.”

Ruyi and Jixiang exchanged glances and asked tentatively, “Is the Princess dissatisfied with the clothes the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau has been sending recently? Should this servant go speak with them?”

Yunyi smiled. “Every garment they make is exquisitely crafted. How could they not look good? I just feel that the previous clothes have only been worn once or twice and are still perfectly fine. There’s no need to waste more. It’s not too late to make new ones when they’re truly worn out.”

The two looked at Yunyi in surprise. Jixiang quickly said, “Princess, you used to never wear the same garment more than five times. How have you changed now?”

Yunyi laughingly touched her delicate nose. “If a person never changes, that would be strange. Having enough clothes to wear is sufficient – there’s no need for too many.”

Jixiang touched her round nose. “That may be true, but the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau makes dozens of outfits for you every month. They don’t lack those silks and fabrics, so why should you save for them?”

“Those fabrics are all painstakingly woven by the common people. What’s wrong with saving some?” While speaking, Yunyi had already wrapped the two copper pieces and the silver bone charcoal between them with the garment, gripping it tightly in her hands, saying happily, “Indeed, this is the warmest.”

Only then did Ruyi and the other understand what Yunyi wanted the two copper pieces for. Ruyi said uncomprehendingly, “If the Princess feels the hand warmer isn’t good, this servant can go exchange it for another. Why make such a dangerous thing?”

Yunyi rose and sat in a chair, smiling. “In my view, no hand warmer is better than this one.”

“Really?” Ruyi looked puzzledly at the crude “hand warmer” in Yunyi’s hands, unable to see what was so good about it as the Princess claimed. Speaking of which, since the Princess returned from outside the palace, she had changed somewhat. Although the Princess had always been good-natured, she was after all a pampered princess. Now she seemed more like a commoner.

While she was thinking, a palace servant entered and bowed. “Reporting to the Princess, Eunuch Wu from Zhaoyang Hall has arrived.”

“Please invite him in.” Not long after Yunyi’s words fell, a round-faced, smiling eunuch walked in. He bowed. “This servant Wu Fang pays respects to the Princess. May the Princess have ten thousand years of peace.”

“Eunuch Wu, please rise.” Yunyi spoke politely. Like Hong Li, this person was one of Xiao Shi’s confidants and also the chief eunuch of Zhaoyang Hall. He had also watched Yunyi grow up. When Yunyi first moved to Changsheng Hall, Xiao Shi had specifically ordered Wu Fang to come take care of her for a while, so Yunyi respected him greatly.

After expressing gratitude, Wu Fang smiled. “Now it’s near year’s end, precisely when plum blossoms are in full bloom. Her Majesty the Empress knows that Changsheng Hall has not planted plum trees, and you have been ordered by His Majesty to remain confined, unable to go out and appreciate the plums. So she specifically ordered this servant to bring several potted plum blossom arrangements, so the Princess can appreciate the beauty of plum blossoms without leaving her quarters.” After speaking, he clapped his hands lightly. Palace servants filed in, each carrying a pot of plum blossoms. Each pot had different forms and flower colors, but all were treasures among plum blossoms, naturally including yellow wintersweet.

Seeing that pot of yellow wintersweet, brilliant as gold and emanating a subtle, clear fragrance, Yunyi involuntarily walked closer. She remembered that on that day, Li Shimin had specifically sought out an identical pot of yellow wintersweet and had Chuyi bring it to her, but she had refused it.

How quickly time passed – it was the season when wintersweet bloomed again. She wondered… was he still well?

Wu Fang didn’t know her thoughts. Seeing her staring at that pot of yellow wintersweet, he smiled. “Does the Princess also like this pot best?”

“Also?” Under Yunyi’s puzzled gaze, Wu Fang said, “When the flower house first delivered them, Her Majesty said that among all the plum blossoms, this pot of yellow wintersweet was the most beautiful.”

“Yes, this pot suits my heart best.” After ordering Ruyi to place the yellow wintersweet beside her, Yunyi lowered her eyes. “Thank you, Eunuch Wu, for braving the snow to come.”

“The Princess is too kind. This is what this servant should do.” Speaking thus, Wu Fang showed a hesitant expression, wanting to speak but stopping. Yunyi said, “Does Eunuch Wu have something to say to me?”

Wu Fang said softly, “Princess, do you have some worry on your mind? Since you returned from Honghua Prefecture, this servant has rarely seen you smile.”

Yunyi shook her head. “I’m fine, just worried about Father Emperor. I heard that this month there was another uprising and rebellion, but unfortunately Father Emperor still won’t listen to my advice.”