A snowy night.

Heavy snow fell rustling down. The great hall was covered in a thick layer of snow—when one stepped down, it went past the ankles.

Inside the hall, braziers burned, forming a stark contrast with the icy world outside.

A thin and weak youth lay on the couch, stubbornly pursing his lips.

“Rui’er, drink it.”

Empress Dowager Feng sighed.

Seeing that the youth still remained unmoved, her voice gradually turned cold: “If that’s the case, then I can only force it down. Come.”

Two burly nannies stepped forward and forcibly lifted Chu Rui from the couch.

“No, I won’t drink it.” Chu Rui clenched his teeth tightly. “This is human blood, a human life. I won’t drink it. I’d rather die myself!”

“You…!” The Empress Dowager’s expression darkened. “You’ve disappointed me so much!”

Having said this, the old lady personally took action, gripping Chu Rui’s jaw and directly pouring down a bowl of dark red blood.

“Urgh—”

Chu Rui leaned over the edge of the bed, wishing he could vomit out his internal organs.

“Block his mouth, don’t let him vomit!”

The Empress Dowager’s voice was gloomy to the extreme.

Just then, a young maiden ran in from outside the hall, knelt beside the couch, and pleaded: “Empress Dowager, let me try. I’ll persuade Rui’er. He listens to me, his eldest sister, the most…”

The Empress Dowager coldly stood up and left with a flick of her sleeves.

The several nannies and palace servants in the hall tactfully withdrew.

“Rui’er, why must you, why must you do this?” Chu Zhixia took a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the corners of Chu Rui’s lips. “This heart’s blood—you’ve been drinking it since childhood. After so many years, you should be used to it by now.”

“But I didn’t know before that this was heart’s blood!” Tears burst from Chu Rui’s eyes. “The Empress Dowager told me it was medicine mixed from the heart’s blood of various animals. That’s why I was willing to drink it all these years…”

It wasn’t until three days ago, when he accidentally stumbled into the underground secret chamber of Kangning Palace, that he learned the truth—what he had been drinking was the heart’s blood of young maidens.

So many young maidens in the bloom of youth, many girls about his age, had been captured and made into his medicinal catalyst.

His broken body should have died long ago. How could he let those flower-like young maidens lose their lives for him…

He swore in his heart that he would never drink the medicine again. He would rather die like this.

“Do you know how much sin the Empress Dowager has borne to find heart’s blood for you? The Empress Dowager is doing this for your own good.” Chu Zhixia took a pouch from her waist, opened it and extracted a small porcelain bottle, saying softly, “I know you’re unwilling to drink human blood, so I found a little something to drink it in your place.”

Chu Rui looked curiously and saw that from the small porcelain bottle crawled two black insects. The insects were very small, even smaller than grains of rice.

“These are venomous insects that live on human blood.” A smile appeared on Chu Zhixia’s face. “If you swallow these two insects, from now on when you drink the heart’s blood, it will actually be them drinking it. This way, you shouldn’t resist anymore, right?”

“Elder sister, you still don’t understand.” After a long silence, Chu Rui said, “I won’t drink heart’s blood because I don’t want to add more killing and sin. If people still have to die, what’s the difference between me drinking it and the venomous insects drinking it?”

He reached his fingers into his throat and vomited out all of the bowl of blood medicine that had just been forced down.

Chu Zhixia put away the two small insects and said softly: “I’ll leave these two little things with you for now. When you think it through, swallow them. If you can raise the venomous insects to maturity, they’ll become your greatest trump card in the future. Well, it’s getting late. Sleep.”

The snow stopped after falling for a while.

Chu Rui couldn’t sleep. He put on a robe, walked to the entrance of the great hall, sat down, and quietly admired the snow.

The palace servants came to persuade him several times, but couldn’t move him, so they could only give up.

Day broke and a new day began. For Chu Rui, daytime and nighttime had no great difference—he always lay down recuperating from illness.

Since childhood, he had a weak body and was always drinking medicine and receiving acupuncture, lying down day and night. He was always wondering—a person like him, why not die early? What meaning was there in living…

“Your Highness.” A palace maid walked in and said in a low voice, “Today is New Year’s Eve. The eunuch from His Majesty’s side has come to inquire whether Your Highness can attend the New Year’s Eve banquet?”

Chu Rui shook his head: “I won’t go.”

Over all these years, he rarely went to crowded places because his body didn’t allow it.

“Rui’er, go.” Chu Zhixia walked in, her face full of smiles. “Staying in the hall every day, aren’t you afraid of suffocating? Go together with your elder sister.”

Chu Rui was somewhat surprised.

Ever since Father and Mother Consort passed away one after another, elder sister had never attended any palace banquets again.

Because whenever she saw the person sitting on the dragon throne, elder sister would think of Father. That position should have belonged to their father.

He couldn’t help but say: “Elder sister?”

Chu Zhixia’s cheeks suddenly flushed crimson.

Chu Rui immediately understood: “Big Brother Lu has returned to the capital?”

“Mm.” Chu Zhixia said in a small voice, “Uncle Lu was transferred back to the capital, and he came back to the capital with him. I inquired and learned that he’ll be attending tonight’s palace banquet.”

“That’s wonderful.” Chu Rui also became happy. “Big Brother Lu and elder sister have a marriage agreement. He’ll surely propose marriage at the palace banquet. That’s wonderful—elder sister can finally leave this cold imperial palace.”

Chu Zhixia’s smile originally carried shyness, but then worry climbed onto her face: “If I leave, Rui’er, what will you do?”

“Has elder sister forgotten? I’m Prince Zhuang.” Chu Rui said with a smile, “If I want to leave the imperial palace, I can leave anytime… Elder sister’s outfit is too plain. Let me help elder sister dress up again.”

He suddenly became spirited and followed Chu Zhixia to her boudoir, selecting a crimson outfit for her and redoing her hair and makeup…

Before long, evening arrived, and the sister and brother followed Empress Dowager Feng to the great hall where the banquet was being held.

This palace banquet allowed officials of third rank and above to bring their family members. Many people came, and the hall was very lively.

Chu Rui immediately spotted Big Brother Lu, Lu Hao, standing in the crowd.

Lord Lu of the Lu family had served as Governor-General in Jiangnan for the past few years and had only been transferred to the capital a few months ago. He was now a first-rank official highly valued by the Emperor.

And the Lu family’s eldest legitimate son, Lu Hao, was twenty-two years old this year, refined and elegant. Naturally, he had become the future son-in-law that noble ladies of the capital had their eyes on. At this moment, many people surrounded Lu Hao, talking to him.

But some noble ladies also knew about events from over ten years ago and said in low voices: “Back then, the former Crown Prince had arranged a marriage agreement between Young Master Lu and his own eldest legitimate daughter.”

“The former Crown Prince’s eldest legitimate daughter? Princess Fukang? I haven’t heard news of this princess for many years. I’d almost forgotten about this person.”

“Princess Fukang and Prince Zhuang both live in the palace. Indeed, we haven’t heard news of these two for a long time. I wonder if that marriage arrangement still counts?”

“The Lu family’s fortunes have risen now. Young Master Lu is already a fifth-rank official in court at only twenty-two years old, with a bright future ahead. But Princess Fukang’s status…”

Although she had the status of a princess, as the eldest legitimate daughter of the former Crown Prince, her birth was truly awkward and easily aroused the Emperor’s suspicion. Therefore, to the present nobles with decent family backgrounds, Princess Fukang was not a good match.