Xuan Yuan Yue hadn't slept all night, and now she finally let out a deep breath. She muttered to herself, "Yun'er, just hold on a little longer, your savior is coming soon..."

In the early hours of the morning, amidst the freezing snow, the young palace maid, under Xuan Yuan Yue's orders, braved the wind and snow, running all the way to the Qiankun Palace. At the palace gates, civil and military officials were waiting for the time to begin court.

She spotted the savior that Xuan Yuan Yue had mentioned—King Xuan Yuan Han of Qin—among the crowd. This savior was naturally radiant, shining brightly wherever he went.

However, upon closer inspection, the young palace maid discovered that Prince Xuanyuan Han of Qin had not come to court alone today; Princess Mei Xiyuan of Qin had also accompanied him to the palace.

At this moment, all the ministers were gathered together, exchanging pleasantries with the esteemed King of Qin.

With only half an hour left before the court session, it would be too late to report if she didn't go soon. So, the young palace maid took a deep breath and hurriedly ran forward to bow to Xuan Yuanhan, saying, "This servant, Jinlan, a maid from Fenghua Palace, greets Your Highness Prince Qin and Your Highness Princess Qin."

"A palace maid from Fenghua Palace? What brings you here to see me so early?" Xuan Yuanhan asked, his face still serious and icy, though somewhat puzzled.

"This humble servant dares to ask Your Highness, may I speak with you in private?" The little palace maid said timidly, glancing at Xuan Yuanhan before lowering her eyes and revealing a look of anxiety.

"You audacious servant, who do you think you are to be so disrespectful to His Highness Prince Qin?" Mei Xiyuan stepped forward and angrily rebuked the little palace maid, who was so frightened that she buried her head even deeper.

Xuanyuan Han saw this and reached out to stop Mei Xiyuan's angry curses. Then he moved a few steps to a secluded spot. The little palace maid immediately followed him and repeated Xuanyuan Yue's words verbatim.

"What? Where is he now?" Xuan Yuanhan suddenly asked angrily, his brows furrowed.

"Your Highness, the maid Yi Yao is still kneeling at the entrance of Feng Hua Palace, Princess..." The little palace maid hurriedly reported upon seeing Xuan Yuan Han's angry expression, but before she could finish speaking, Xuan Yuan Han had already turned around and rushed off towards Feng Hua Palace.

Mei Xiyuan saw someone behind him urgently calling "Your Highness," but Xuan Yuanhan did not turn around. Not knowing what had happened, she hurriedly went forward to follow.

Although the heavy snow had lessened considerably by midnight, the winter night was still bitterly cold. Yi Shangyun's cotton-padded coat, already worn, was now soaked through inch by inch by the melted snow from her body heat. She knelt there, gritting her teeth and shivering.

Two strings of thin ice beads hung from her long eyelashes, and with the slightest movement of her eyes, they would make a rustling sound as they collided with each other.

At this moment, she was cold and hungry. She huddled up, her arms crossed, tightly hugging her already thin body. She couldn't find a warm place at all, and she was already swaying slightly with her eyes closed.

She had tried various methods; during this time, she had gripped the so-called magical artifact, the seven-colored jade bracelet with gold threads, countless times, but it had not reacted at all.

If it weren't for the fact that it was the only memento and motivation Wei Mingxuan had left her, she thought she would really want to destroy it ruthlessly, even if it were worth a fortune.

But the thought of Wei Mingxuan told her that she couldn't destroy it; she had to grit her teeth and desperately protect it. She had to live, hold on, and wait...

Finally, she was completely exhausted and weary. She could no longer even sway and stagger. Her consciousness was gradually fading, and she could no longer even continue her thoughts.

Then, his arms, which had been wrapped around himself, slowly fell to his sides, and he tilted slightly as he slumped heavily onto the thick snow...

Suddenly, a large and powerful hand reached out from the sky and caught her body as she fell halfway down. Then, another large hand quickly wrapped her up and lifted her up in a horizontal embrace.

Xuan Yuanhan frowned deeply, his face full of tenderness as he gazed at the pale-faced woman in his arms. When he touched her icy body, he realized that her old palace robes were almost completely soaked with snow. His eyebrows instantly furrowed in anger, and he strode into Fenghua Palace, carrying her straight towards the main hall.

Mei Xiyuan, who had finally caught up, was utterly astonished by what she saw. He was embracing another woman so tenderly and affectionately right in front of her, and looking at her with such loving and caring eyes.

This woman was merely a lowly pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy, a person of such humble status, yet she received the favor of such a noble man.

At this moment, she finally understood the meaning of Lu Tianjiao's words, and became even more determined to do what she planned to do after entering the palace today.

"Greetings, Your Highness, the Prince of Qin!" The servants of Fenghua Palace hurriedly knelt and bowed deeply to Xuanyuan Han as he entered.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue, who had been waiting anxiously as if sitting on pins and needles, immediately stepped out in surprise. When she saw Xuan Yuan Han carrying the unconscious Yi Shang Yun in, she immediately ordered someone to prepare a bed in the side hall and then helped to place Yi Shang Yun on the warm bed.

"You, quickly summon the imperial physician."

"You, quickly go and get some dry clothes for Yun'er to change into."

"And you, quickly go and bring some strong, hot ginger soup for Yun'er to drink first."

......

Xuan Yuan Yue hurriedly made arrangements for the palace maids, who all accepted the orders and began to carry out their tasks diligently.

Xuan Yuanhan sat on the edge of the bed, tightly holding Yun's hands, which were frozen stiff, as if to give her all the warmth he had. He frowned, his face full of worry. Xuan Yuanyue looked at the two of them, feeling guilty.

"Yue'er greets Imperial Aunt." At this moment, Mei Xiyuan also came in upon hearing the voice. As soon as she entered, she saw the scene in front of her that made her insanely jealous, but she still suppressed the anger in her heart and nodded and smiled at Xuan Yuan Yue.

"Your Highness, it's almost time for the morning court session," Mei Xiyuan reminded him as she entered. However, Xuanyuan Han's eyes remained fixed on the person on the couch, motionless and silent.

The room was completely silent...

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard the palace maids preparing to help Yi Shangyun change her clothes. Only then did he reluctantly tuck her hand into the warm blankets, slowly rise, and walk to Xuan Yuan Yue's side, saying expressionlessly, "From now on, even if it costs you your life, you must protect her."

Xuanyuan Yue was shocked. She quickly looked up at Xuanyuan Han, but only saw from the side that Xuanyuan Han's eyes were full of coldness, determination, firmness and anger.

"Yes, Yue'er will remember your teachings, Imperial Uncle. Yun'er's success today is all thanks to Yue'er. Yue'er will never let her down in this life," Xuan Yuan Yue replied firmly with tears in her eyes. This time, Yi Shang Yun risked her life to negotiate with Emperor Jing and help her achieve her goal.

To others, Yi Shangyun's words before the palace today were merely to prevent Xuan Yuan Yue from marrying into the extremely impoverished Northern Lie Kingdom; but in reality, Yi Shangyun knew deeply that Xuan Yuan Yue already had someone she loved, and now to ask her to betray her love, given Xuan Yuan Yue's personality, who knows what she would do when pushed to the limit.

Emperor Jing made this decision unilaterally, and everyone knew that they could not persuade him, nor could they.

Throughout history, the happiness of royal children has never been in their own hands. While enjoying wealth and luxury beyond the reach of ordinary people, they also have to endure suffering far beyond that of ordinary people.

Yi Shangyun hopes that Xuan Yuan Yue can achieve the happiness she desires and is willing to help her achieve it. So, risking the emperor's wrath, she tries to awaken the last remaining shred of pity for Xuan Yuan Yue in the emperor's heart.

Even though she had angered him and was punished today, at least he wouldn't continue to be so aggressive, pushing Xuan Yuan Yue into a helpless and isolated situation. He would at least give her a chance to breathe. After all, she was only a 15-year-old child and couldn't calmly accept this sudden change in her life.

As it turned out, Yi Shangyun's gamble paid off today, because Emperor Jing was indeed angered by her, and he stopped pressuring Xuan Yuan Yue. Most fortunately, Xuan Yuan Han arrived, arriving at the perfect moment when she could no longer hold on.

Xuan Yuanhan stared intently into Xuan Yuanyue's eyes, finished speaking, and walked out of Fenghua Palace toward Qiankun Palace.

Xuanyuan Yue wiped away her tears and went over to sit on the couch where Yun was lying, saying, "Yun'er, why are you so foolish?" As soon as she said this, she wanted to cry again, and her eyes filled with tears.

"How dare you, a mere medicine girl, speak such words to the Emperor?"

"Are you really courting death?"

"If anything were to happen to you, how would I explain it to him?" Xuan Yuan Yue said, glancing at Mei Xi Yuan who was still standing to the side.

"Aunt, please sit down. I'm so sorry, Yue'er's condition here today is really..." Mei Xiyuan interrupted Xuan Yuan Yue.

“Princess, please don’t be so polite. I wonder what happened at Fenghua Palace. Why don’t you tell me? Perhaps your aunt can help you,” Mei Xiyuan said with concern.

After Xuan Yuan Yue's retelling, Mei Xi Yuan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. It seems this little medicine girl is indeed a loyal servant."

Xuan Yuan Yue hurriedly defended herself, "Aunt, Yue'er has never regarded Yun'er as a servant."

Mei Xiyuan, however, remained calm and serious, saying, "Yue'er, you are mistaken. In this deep palace, a master is a master, and a servant is a servant. No matter how much you like her, she is still just a maid. Servility and obsequiousness are the duties they should always remember, reminding them never to overstep their bounds. Otherwise, how can this palace be governed when masters and servants are neither properly observed?"

Xuan Yuan Yue was speechless. No matter how many reasons Mei Xi Yuan gave, she could not change her feelings for Yi Shang Yun.

Moreover, she knew that Xuan Yuanhan also had feelings for Yi Shangyun. Although she did not know what would happen, she knew from Xuan Yuanhan's harsh words to her just now that Yi Shangyun was very important to her uncle, even more important than her own life.

Not only does he have to protect Yi Shangyun, but now Xuan Yuan Yue himself also owes Yi Shangyun a debt, and Xuan Yuan Han actually orders Xuan Yuan Yue to repay her with his life.

While the two were talking, the palace maid had already changed Yi Shangyun into clean clothes and fed her a rich, hot ginger soup. The imperial physician had also finished his careful diagnosis and came to report.

"Your Highness, the maid's frostbite seems quite severe. In the near future, she must mainly eat light, hot soups and avoid getting too close to the charcoal fire for warmth. She must take her medicine on time and apply the ointment prepared by this old minister to her knees regularly. She must also keep her body warm, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable," the imperial physician solemnly instructed.

"Is it possible to recover completely?" Xuan Yuan Yue asked anxiously.

"It's hard for this old minister to say. Patients' constitutions are all different, and their recovery will naturally vary. However, kneeling for so long in this freezing weather, I'm afraid that when the wind and rain come and the cold and dampness hit, the woman in the medicine will suffer greatly in her legs." The imperial physician paused for a moment, but still finished speaking.

"You must use the best medicine in the palace to cure her, otherwise..." Xuan Yuan Yue didn't even dare to think about what Xuan Yuan Han would think if he found out.

Just then, someone rushed in from outside and overheard every word the imperial physician said...