Lady Shen walked into her daughter's courtyard and saw Jiuzhu playing in the snow under a tree, her head and body covered in white snow.
Seeing her mother approach, Jiuzhu looked up and grinned, causing the snow on her head to fall in clumps. "Mother," she called out.
"It's snowing so heavily. What are you doing crouching outside?" Lady Shen hurried over, brushing the snow off Jiuzhu's hair and clothes with a concerned expression. "Aren't you cold?"
"Not at all," Jiuzhu sniffled, her nose red from the cold. "It's fun."
"This snow is freezing cold. What's so..." Lady Shen paused mid-sentence, her words trailing off. She pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped Jiuzhu's frostbitten fingers. "Playing alone isn't much fun. Let me join you."
She had forgotten that winters in Lingzhou rarely brought heavy snowfall. The snow that people in the Capital City had long grown tired of was a rare and wondrous sight for Jiuzhu.
"Chunfen, fetch a thick cloak for the young lady," Lady Shen instructed, bending down to crouch beside Jiuzhu. "When I was a child, the snowmen I built were the prettiest among all my sisters."
"Really?" Jiuzhu's eyes widened with excitement. "Mother, build one for me!"
"Just wait," Lady Shen replied, removing the jade bracelet from her wrist and starting to pile up snow.
Jiuzhu helped by shoveling snow and gathering stones, her footprints scattered across the snowy ground. Lady Shen looked up, watching her daughter's lively figure with a tender smile.
"Mother," Jiuzhu ran over to Lady Shen, her palms red from the cold, holding a few dark stones. "These can be the snowman's eyes."
Eight small stones, damp from the warmth of her hands.
"Good idea," Lady Shen said, taking the stones and placing them as eyes on the four snowmen.
"Mother," Jiuzhu crouched beside Lady Shen, her hands cupping her cheeks as she asked curiously, "Does Brother look more like you or Father?"
"He takes after your maternal grandfather," Lady Shen thought for a moment. "But his personality is just like your father's. He'll be so happy to see you when he returns to the Capital City."
"Father mentioned that the Emperor has issued a transfer order, calling Brother back to the Capital City," Jiuzhu wiped the snowflakes off Lady Shen's shoulder with a handkerchief. "I wonder if the snow will make his journey difficult."
"It won't be that quick," Lady Shen smiled. "He has to wait for the new official appointed by the court to take over his position before he can leave. Even if he travels quickly, it will likely be after the New Year, so there's no need to worry about him."
Since Jiuzhu returned to the Capital City, Ming Jiyuan had often sent letters and gifts, each filled with concern for her.
"I hope Brother can come back soon," Jiuzhu plucked a plum blossom and placed it on the snowman representing Ming Jiyuan.
Lady Shen smiled, handing her a warm hand warmer. "The snow will continue for two more days. Let's go have breakfast now."
Noticing the snow accumulating in Lady Shen's hair, Jiuzhu quickly nodded. "Alright."
"Where have you two been?" Ming Jingzhou looked up from the dining table as his wife and daughter entered, covered in snow. He immediately called for the maids to help them remove their cloaks. "Go to the kitchen and bring two bowls of ginger soup for the Lady and the young lady."
"No need to make such a fuss," Lady Shen said, pulling Jiuzhu to sit down and instructing the servants to serve the meal. "We were just building snowmen."
"Why didn't you call me to join?" Ming Jingzhou ladled two bowls of hot soup and placed them in front of his wife and daughter. "Warm yourselves up first."
"Today is your day off. Isn't it better to let you sleep in?" Lady Shen took a few sips of the soup before turning to Jiuzhu. "After breakfast, change into the winter clothes the seamstress made for you recently."
"Alright," Jiuzhu agreed immediately. Wearing new clothes would be more appropriate when visiting His Highness. "Mother, I'd like to go out later."
"It's snowing so heavily. Where are you going?" Lady Shen glanced at the intensifying snowfall outside the window.
"I want to visit the Chen Prince's Mansion," Jiuzhu explained, not wanting her parents to worry. "Just for a short while."
Once the maids had brought the food and ginger soup, Lady Shen gestured for the servants to leave the dining room before speaking. "Jiuzhu, I've never really asked you before. What do you think of Prince Chen?"
"His Highness is wonderful," Jiuzhu replied, gulping down most of the ginger soup. The strange spiciness made her frown slightly. "Why do you ask, Mother?"
"I'm just a little surprised that you like Prince Chen so much," Lady Shen reached out, gently wiping Jiuzhu's mouth with a handkerchief. "Before your engagement, you had never met him. How did you come to know him?"
The hand wiping her mouth was gentle and warm. Jiuzhu lowered her head, staring at the bowl of ginger soup. "I... met His Highness a long time ago."
Lady Shen and Ming Jingzhou stared at their daughter in shock. "What did you say?"
Seeing her parents' stunned expressions, Jiuzhu recalled the words Imperial Consort Su and Prince Chen had said to her when they left that day.
"When someone is willing to harm even a child like you, it means you've unknowingly stumbled upon a secret you weren't even aware of."
"My son saving you was fate, but for him, it was just a small act of kindness. However, if you don't want to be caught up in future troubles, you must never speak of this again. There are no walls that don't leak secrets. Only by making your would-be killers believe you are dead can you truly find peace. Some secrets, once spoken, bring disaster."
"As a child, your duty is to live well and grow up healthy. That is the best way to repay this kindness."
"If you ever have the chance to go to the Capital City, remember this: it is a place without secrets. Even if you don't understand, just remember these words."
"Eight years ago, I went to Lingzhou City with my master to buy some things. I saw Imperial Consort Su and Prince Chen giving money to beggars, both old and young," Jiuzhu whispered, clutching the bowl. "Back then, I thought Imperial Consort Su looked like a fairy descending from heaven, and Prince Chen was like a celestial child. It wasn't until the day Imperial Consort Su summoned me to the palace that I realized the fairy and the celestial child I had seen years ago were Her Majesty and Prince Chen."
"Eight years ago..." Ming Jingzhou recalled that eight years ago, the Emperor had indeed traveled south and stayed in Lingzhou for a few days, accompanied by Imperial Consort Su and her son.
If only he had accompanied the Emperor on that trip and met Jiuzhu in Lingzhou City back then. He could have brought her home sooner and spared her the pain of separation.
"So our Jiuzhu has had a fondness for beautiful people since she was little," Lady Shen said with a gentle smile. "When you go out later, remember to take the hand warmer. Don't catch a cold."
"Thank you, Mother," Jiuzhu nodded happily. "I'll take good care of myself."
Lady Shen looked at her daughter, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
"My lady," Ming Jingzhou poured a cup of hot tea for Lady Shen after they returned to the main hall. "The snow is so heavy outside. Are you really letting our daughter go out?"
"As long as she's happy, nothing else matters," Lady Shen held the teacup, her voice soft. "I'd rather she enter the Prince's Mansion with beautiful expectations than be disappointed too soon."
"Life is short. Every day of happiness is a blessing."
"You're right, my lady," Ming Jingzhou bowed slightly. "I'll follow your lead."
The streets were blanketed in white, and few pedestrians were out. Thus, when two carriages met, it was particularly noticeable.
Jiuzhu lifted the curtain of her carriage and found herself face-to-face with Sun Caiyao, who had also lifted hers.
"Miss Sun," Jiuzhu greeted with a sweet smile, pleased to see someone she knew.
"Miss... Miss Ming," Sun Caiyao's hand holding the curtain trembled slightly at the sight of Jiuzhu. "It's snowing so heavily. Where are you headed?"
"I'm visiting the Chen Prince's Mansion," Jiuzhu replied without hesitation. "And you, Miss Sun?"
"I'm going to the outskirts to offer incense."
Jiuzhu noticed that Sun Caiyao's cheeks were unusually pale, though she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from powder. Still, braving such weather to offer incense in the outskirts was truly devout.
It seemed that not only did the imperial ladies in the palace hold a deep reverence for the heavens, but the noble ladies of the Capital City were no less devoted.
"The roads are slippery with all this snow. Please be careful, Miss Sun," Jiuzhu waved her hand, signaling her coachman to move aside and let Sun Caiyao's carriage pass.
"No, no," Sun Caiyao seemed startled, quickly declining. "Please, Miss Ming, you go ahead."
Now, whenever she saw Jiuzhu, Sun Caiyao felt a chill run down her spine, too afraid to offend her in the slightest.
Surprised by Sun Caiyao's reaction, Jiuzhu was momentarily puzzled. Sun Caiyao was in a hurry to offer incense in the outskirts. What was wrong with letting her go first?
While she was lost in thought, the Sun family's carriage had already moved aside.
"Miss Ming, please." The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, slapped against Sun Caiyao's face as she forced a smile toward Jiuzhu.
"Then... I'll go ahead?" Jiuzhu faintly sensed that this Miss Sun seemed a bit afraid of her.
"Thank you, Miss Sun." Lowering the carriage curtain, Jiuzhu touched her own face. Had she done something so terrible to Sun Caiyao that the other girl was this frightened of her?
Forget it. Many people in the Capital City acted in strange ways. As a normal person, she couldn't bother to dwell on it.
Watching the carriage carrying Ming Jiuzhu disappear into the distance, Sun Caiyao finally realized her hand, still gripping the carriage curtain, had gone numb from the cold.
"Miss Sun." Zheng Zhen, wrapped in a thick cloak, emerged from a nearby shop. "With Consort Su backing her, even you have to avoid crossing paths with Jiuzhu?"
Sun Caiyao tucked her hand warmer into her sleeves. "What do you mean by that, Miss Zheng?"
Zheng Zhen sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "In the Capital City these days, how many people dare to make Jiuzhu yield the right of way?"
Seeing Zheng Zhen's venomous expression, Sun Caiyao recalled the recent incident where the Pingyuan Marquisate had been reprimanded by Consort Su.
No wonder Zheng Zhen was so bitter. Few people could make the future Princess Chen yield the road, and not everyone was as foolish as the Pingyuan Marquisate. As for Zheng Zhen's feelings toward her cousin, Prince Qi, Sun Caiyao saw through them clearly.
No woman would appreciate another woman who harbored feelings for her fiancé. Such a blatant attempt at sowing discord wouldn't fool even a fool.
"Miss Zheng, you do have a sense of humor," Sun Caiyao said with a smile. "Jiuzhu initially offered to let me go first, but I voluntarily yielded to her carriage. What's the issue with that?"
"It's simply a matter of returning courtesy with courtesy," Sun Caiyao added lightly. "Don't you agree, Miss Zheng?"
Zheng Zhen pondered for a moment. "Are you mocking me?"
Sun Caiyao continued to smile. "Miss Zheng, you have quite the imagination."
"I am Prince Qi's cousin. How dare you mock me?" Zheng Zhen snapped, her face flushing with anger. "If you have the guts to mock me, then why yield to Jiuzhu's carriage?"
Sun Caiyao spoke calmly, "Jiuzhu is innocent, kind, beautiful, and utterly endearing. I only wish we were sisters. Letting her go ahead was my pleasure. Why would I make her yield?"
What kind of nonsense was this fool spouting? Who in their right mind would dare offend Consort Su, who was deeply favored by the Emperor, and Prince Chen?
Moreover, someone as ruthless as Jiuzhu was best left alone.
