Charcoal burned in the room, making it very warm.

Chu Changsheng sat on the couch, reading the Three Character Classic to herself, occasionally reading aloud, occasionally letting her mind wander.

Yun Chu was embroidering a sachet. This was a pattern Tingxue had drawn—she had chosen an auspicious cloud design, mainly because it was simple.

But she had never specifically studied needlework, so even the simplest needlework wasn’t easy. After embroidering for half a shichen, she stopped and put it away. She would continue tomorrow.

Tingxue put away the basket of needlework supplies and carried it back to her own room, secretly also embroidering a sachet.

She thought that if what Miss embroidered truly couldn’t be presented, then she would use the one she embroidered as a substitute, leaving just the last two stitches for Miss to make it look authentic.

“Sister Tingxue?”

Chengxu’s voice came from the doorway, and then Chengxu’s head poked inside.

His head came in, but the person didn’t enter. He stood outside the door and said, “Sister Tingxue is embroidering a sachet. Do you have an extra one? Give me one.”

Tingxue put away her embroidery. “Does Minister Cheng have some matter?”

Chengxu pulled out a paper package he had been warming in his sleeve. “Our prince didn’t have time today and probably won’t be able to return. He specifically had me buy delicious roast duck on the street, especially for Miss Yun.”

Tingxue quickly took the item. “Thank you for your trouble, Minister Cheng.”

Chengxu continued rummaging in his sleeve and pulled out a small paper package. “The roast duck shop also has a type of sausage, roasted over charcoal fire, especially delicious. The shopkeeper gave this to me when he saw me buy the roast duck. I didn’t finish it, so I brought it back for Sister Tingxue to try.”

Tingxue: “…”

He couldn’t finish eating it and didn’t want to waste it, so he brought it back for her?

This…

“Thank you for Minister Cheng’s kind intention.” Tingxue pulled at the corners of her lips. “I’ve never liked eating these things. Does Minister Cheng have other business? If not, I’ll go deliver the roast duck to the kitchen.”

Chengxu rubbed his head.

How did he feel like Tingxue had suddenly become unhappy?

This sausage was really especially delicious. He had specifically saved some to bring back for Tingxue, thinking she would be happy. In the end, his goodwill was misplaced.

Tingxue went to the kitchen and had the cook slice the roast duck into pieces, then brought it up for Yun Chu. “This is what His Highness instructed Minister Cheng to bring back for Miss.”

The roast duck was golden in color with an enticing aroma. Yun Chu couldn’t help eating several bites.

She discovered that she seemed to have gained weight during this period, probably because she often ate these things, forcibly eating her way to a layer of flesh.

As she was eating, she noticed Tingxue was spacing out. “How do I feel like you have something on your mind?”

Tingxue quickly shook her head. “No, this servant has nothing on her mind.”

“Is that so?” Yun Chu looked thoughtful. “A few days ago Tingshuang wrote a letter saying she’s with child. She’ll soon be a mother. Your lifelong matter still has no resolution. I happen to be returning to the Yun Family. Come with me, and I’ll have my mother arrange meetings for you.”

“No—no need!” Tingxue’s head and hands shook together. “This servant temporarily doesn’t want to marry yet.”

Yun Chu smiled imperceptibly.

It seemed Tingxue’s marriage didn’t need her to worry about it.

She just didn’t know which man had made Tingxue so distracted.

The foreign envoys’ arrival in the capital made the entire city lively.

Yun Chu wasn’t someone who loved excitement. It happened to be cold, so she stayed at home with Changsheng every day.

With the year’s end approaching, matters like the various shops settling accounts were enough to keep her busy. Also, the two children were about to turn five years old, so she had to prepare in advance.

In the midst of this busyness, an invitation arrived from the palace.

The palace person who came to deliver the invitation smiled and said, “Lady Yun, the palace is holding a grand banquet for the foreign envoys, inviting all the ladies and young misses of the capital to attend the palace feast.”

Yun Chu knew that as someone personally enfeoffed as a court lady by the Emperor, she couldn’t avoid these palace banquets.

However, after the incident with Gongsun Ning last time, presumably no one would dare arbitrarily arrange marriages anymore.

Every five years, envoys from the nations surrounding the Great Jin Dynasty would come at year’s end to pay respects to the court—it was quite a grand occasion.

The Great Jin Dynasty also gave sufficient face, arranging for the Crown Prince, Prince Gongxi, Prince Pingxi, the Fifth Prince, and the Sixth Prince to jointly receive them.

Yun Chu took a carriage to the palace.

It had snowed continuously for two days. The rooftops were covered with thick layers of snow, and the long palace road had been cleaned especially thoroughly by the young eunuchs.

She brought Qiutong and followed a young eunuch toward the great hall where the banquet would be held.

The time was still early. When Yun Chu entered, she didn’t see anyone familiar.

So she stood in the courtyard admiring the snow.

The snow fell on the branches and froze into ice—extraordinarily beautiful.

“Miss Yun.”

A voice sounded behind her.

Yun Chu turned around and saw Prince Zhuang with his deathly pale complexion.

She quickly stepped back and bowed. “I pay my respects to Your Highness.”

Chu Rui’s voice also carried weakness. “I’ve long since ceased to be any prince.”

“Your Highness.” Yun Chu changed her form of address and said politely, “Although the snow has stopped, the wind outside is strong. Your Highness should go inside.”

Chu Rui’s face showed a bitter smile. “After that incident, I’ve never been able to apologize to you in person. Cough, cough, cough… I hope it’s not too late now.”

Bringing up that matter, Yun Chu’s expression paused for a moment. She spoke slowly and asked, “Is Your Highness still taking medicine now?”

“You said to abandon what you detest, so I gave up being enfeoffed as a prince and receiving land. Naturally, I also no longer use human heart’s blood as a medicine catalyst.” Chu Rui’s face showed a faint smile. “After abandoning those things, my whole person felt lighter… Cough, cough, cough!”

He covered his chest and suddenly began coughing violently.

His face was extremely pale.

Yun Chu pressed her lips together.

Although she sympathized with Prince Zhuang for suffering the torment of illness since birth, she sympathized more with those young women who had lost their lives because of it.

“Imperial Brother Rui.”

A clear voice sounded nearby. Yun Chu saw Chu Yi walking over.

When Chu Yi had just entered this great hall, he saw Yun Chu and Chu Rui standing so close together, seemingly admiring the scenery, also seemingly talking.

Such close proximity produced a thread of crisis in him.

So he quickly walked over and imperceptibly positioned himself between Yun Chu and Chu Rui, separating the space between the two people.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Chu Rui was still coughing. He covered his lips and suddenly coughed up blood.

Yun Chu’s brows furrowed. “Your Highness is unwell. Please go inside quickly.”

Several palace people came forward from behind, supporting Chu Rui and helping him walk toward the great hall.

He would walk two steps, then cough a few times, his body bending downward. Just looking at his back, one could tell he was in extreme pain.

Yun Chu sighed.

In such a condition, instead of properly recuperating, why come to attend a banquet?

She turned her head. “Who exactly said heart’s blood could cure illness?”

Using heart’s blood as a medicine catalyst to save lives always felt absurd.

“It was the Imperial Preceptor.” Chu Yi spoke. “The Empress Dowager believes the Imperial Preceptor’s words without the slightest doubt.”

Mockery appeared at the corners of Yun Chu’s mouth.

This was precisely why she wanted to replace the Imperial Preceptor.

Fortunately, she hadn’t chosen the wrong person. Ding Yiyuan already had a reputation among the meritorious aristocratic families. Next was to introduce him before the Emperor—she just needed to wait for the right opportunity.

The appointed time gradually arrived, and more and more people slowly filled the great hall.