In the inner palace pavilion, Xiao Jingzhao walked to the corridor and looked down the mountain.

The scenery before us was obscured by surging clouds and mist, and the distant, undulating mountains appeared and disappeared, like a sleeping beauty covered with a thin veil.

A morning breeze blew, her dark hair danced in the air, her robes fluttered, and from afar she looked like a celestial being descended to earth.

"Your Majesty, the morning dew is heavy; it would be better to move inside the pavilion."

Seeing that there were already a few dewdrops on Xiao Jingzhao's hair, Eunuch Ma bowed and advised him.

"This bit of cold wind is nothing compared to the frozen landscape of the border regions. This is already considered excellent weather."

Xiao Jingzhao knew that Eunuch Ma was worried about his health.

After getting up this morning, he practiced his skills for a while before coming to the attic.

This location offers a wide view and allows you to see the sunrise.

His regret was that it was not convenient to invite Yue Niang over to have breakfast and watch the sunrise together at this time.

At that moment, light footsteps came from the stairs, and Xiao Jingzhao turned around and went inside.

The visitor was Xiang Song.

"Master, Miss Cui has returned to the capital with the guards who escorted Liu Baokun. Will today's activities proceed as scheduled?"

Xiao Jingzhao narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, "As expected of the daughter of the Right Prime Minister, her mind is indeed sharper than that of ordinary people."

"The excuse given to the princess was that she had caught a cold and needed to go home to rest," Xiang Song continued to report.

"Tch! Who would believe that? Are the imperial physicians I brought not as effective as those from the Prime Minister's residence?" Xiao Jingzhao scoffed.

"The princess wanted to summon the imperial physician to prescribe medicine for her, but she refused, saying that she was used to the physician in her household. So the princess did not try to stop her and let her leave."

Cui Yudie's words weren't particularly flawed; some people believe that medicine can cure those with a predestined connection.

Some doctors have mediocre medical skills, yet some people find their prescriptions effective; this makes sense.

Xiao Jingzhao nodded slightly, "If we continue today, and cancel the event without a reason, wouldn't that confirm some people's suspicions?"

"Your Majesty, this servant will go and prepare breakfast." Eunuch Ma, with great tact, bowed and withdrew.

He figured it out: the emperor liked to enjoy the view from the pavilion.

A rosy glow had already appeared on the horizon. The Emperor would eat his meal while watching the sunrise, and he would surely eat an extra bowl.

At this time, Jiang Shuyue and Du Yutong were invited by the princess to dine in a pavilion in Bixia Courtyard.

"Sister Jiang, eat more. We'll go watch them ride horses, shoot arrows, and hunt rabbits later. The food here isn't as delicious as what you have at your residence, so you still need to eat well."

"Miss Du, please don't be so polite."

Princess Yonghe picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a small steamed bun in each of their bowls.

Du Yutong's eyes lit up. "We caught a wild rabbit today, does that mean we can have barbecue tonight?"

"That depends on whether you catch anything. Wild rabbits are hard to find in winter. People who don't know how to hunt won't even be able to find a rabbit's burrow."

Royal families generally do not have the habit of winter hunting, and mostly choose to hunt in the crisp autumn air.

At that time, all the animals were active in the mountains, and it was also the time when they were at their fattest.

Yonghe knew perfectly well that the target of this hunt was not an animal.

She was going all out to help her brother marry Sui Sui's mother as soon as possible.

Seeing Du Yutong's obvious disappointment, Jiang Shuyue said, "It doesn't matter if there are no rabbits, there will be plenty of pheasants."

After breakfast, Yonghe gave all the girls some instructions.

You can go to the plum garden to enjoy the snow and flowers, or go to the pine forest to admire the scenery and paint.

Yesterday's incident of Liu Baokun rescuing a damsel in distress has prompted many young women to secretly instruct their maids to be extra vigilant and prevent a similar incident from happening again.

Everyone knew perfectly well that You Xian'er was most likely destined to be apart from the Emperor.

However, You Xian'er didn't think so. She had already found out that the place where the Emperor led his men to hunt was in a mountain hollow next to the pine forest.

As the first rays of sunlight fell upon the earth, the girls emerged one after another from Bixia Courtyard.

The sound of hooves approached, and the emperor, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, rode a chestnut horse toward the pine forest.

The morning light fell on his handsome profile, and the girls stared at him, mesmerized.

He was tall and slender, with a dashing and heroic air. The aura he exuded was noble and extraordinary, with an imposing and inviolable presence.

Following him was a group of guards, including several sons of military officers.

They were all dressed in smart clothes, and as far as the eye could see, they were a group of handsome young men in fine clothes and riding spirited horses.

"Miss Wu, aren't you going to the plum garden?"

You Xian'er watched the Emperor's figure disappear among the pines and cypresses. As she took a step, she inadvertently turned her head and saw that Wu Shiyin had also turned around and followed.

Wu Shiyin smiled and said, "We've already seen the plum garden, so it would be better to go see the pine forest. We'll have some brush and ink later, so we can paint a picture to take back to Grandmother."

"Miss, look." Muli glanced outside and whispered.

You Xian'er looked up and saw that all the girls who were heading towards the plum garden were turning back and walking towards the pine forest.

"They're all just a bunch of half-hearted nonsense."

You Xian'er spat and followed.

Watching everyone leave, Qiuju asked Jiang Shuyue, "Miss, shall we go?"

Jiang Shuyue pulled her cloak tighter and asked Du Yutong, "Where would you like to go, little Yutong?"

Du Yutong took Jiang Shuyue's arm and said, "Wherever Sister Yue'er goes, I will go."

She didn't want to enter the palace, so there was no need for her to get close to the emperor.

Breathing in the fresh mountain air, Jiang Shuyue's professional instincts kicked in again.

She said, "I want to take a walk in the woods and see if I can pick some medicinal herbs."

Although she has a lot of medicinal herbs in her space, there are also some varieties that are available here but not in her space.

A doctor will never have too many medicinal herbs.

"Miss, please wait for me a moment." Qiuju turned and ran away.

A moment later, Qiuju brought over a basket and a shovel, the kind of small shovel used for planting flowers in the garden.

Jiang Shuyue smiled without saying a word. She didn't want to discourage Qiu Ju. There was snow on the mountain and the ground was frozen solid. Even a hoe would be useless, let alone a shovel.

"Sister Yue'er, there are wild animals on the mountain. We should head towards the pine forest," Du Yutong reminded them.

"That's right, we can't go too far."

If Jiang Shuyue encounters danger, she can hide in her spatial dimension, but the safety of others cannot be guaranteed.

After leaving Bixia Courtyard, the group followed the hoofprints.

The group arrived at a spot in the pine forest where there was less snow and found some Polygonum multiflorum vines.

Qiuju took out a shovel but found no use for it.

"Don't bother with that. We can pick some herbs' leaves instead."

Qiuju had no choice but to put away the shovel.

After walking for a while, the group finally found some medicinal herbs.

There are Quisqualis indica, Amomum villosum, and Crataegus pinnatifida.

"Sister Moon, listen, the sound of the horses neighing seems to be getting farther and farther away from us."

Du Yutong's reminder made Jiang Shuyue suddenly realize that they had gone too far.

Birds hopped and skipped on the branches.

The dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell to the ground, and all that met the eye was lush greenery.

Jiang Shuyue listened intently, and the noise that had been in her ears just a moment ago vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, startled birds took flight in the forest.

Jiang Shuyue's face showed terror, and she whispered, "Run back quickly!"