Time passed slowly, but Yi Shangyun's body remained burning hot, and she showed no signs of consciousness or reaction. She must be in great pain; if this continued, she might not be able to hold on.

In an instant, Xuan Yuanhan could no longer contain himself. For the first time in his life, he was so anxious and flustered. He got up, his brows furrowed, one hand behind his back, his fists clenched tightly, and went to the window.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw the heavy snow falling in the night sky. He quickly looked down and saw that the ground was only covered with a thin layer of snow, so thin that it would be impossible to leave a footprint.

Feeling a little frustrated, I inadvertently glanced at some dark corners in the courtyard, where some snow had not yet melted and shimmered with tiny white lights under the dim candlelight.

At that moment, an idea came to him.

At the command of "Guards!", a guard quickly entered the bedchamber.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" he asked respectfully, bowing to him in secret.

"Find two people to place the bath tub outside Lin Yuexuan Palace. Also, find more people to collect snow and ice from various places and pour it all into the bath tub. Hurry!" Xuan Yuanhan ordered urgently.

Although the guard had doubts, he dared not ask any more questions. He simply accepted the order and hurriedly withdrew to carry it out.

In a short while, a bathtub filled with a mixture of snow and ice appeared at Lin Yuexuan's door.

In the night sky, goose-feather snowflakes danced and swirled. They seemed to only ever want to be graceful, pristine dancers, never wanting to fall to the ground and become mud, yet ultimately, they were helplessly swept down and mixed into the soil, eventually turning into mud.

Xuanyuan Han sat on the edge of the couch, taking one last, reluctant look at Yi Shangyun, who was lying on his couch, unconscious and suddenly suffering from a high fever. He then got up and quickly removed his thick brocade robe and undergarments, leaving him only in a thin white undergarment.

Then, she opened the door of Lin Yuexuan's palace and walked out alone.

As soon as he stepped outside, a biting northwest wind blew gusts of icy snow onto him, but he stood straight in the freezing cold without hesitation, walking resolutely towards the bathtub filled with snow and ice by the door.

At this moment, Lu Tianjiao, who was hiding in the shadows of the corridor not far away, was startled and muttered to himself, "What is Brother Han doing? Why is he dressed so lightly? Could it be... that he just did that kind of thing with that slut Yi Shangyun..."

Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth in hatred, gripping the railing of the corridor tightly with one hand as if she wanted to crush it.

Just as he came to his senses, he saw Xuan Yuanhan step into the bathtub that had just been filled with snow and ice by the door.

"Han..." Lu Tianjiao was shocked from the shadows and almost cried out. She immediately covered her mouth, shook her head frantically, and looked at him with a pained expression, wondering what he was up to.

Xuan Yuanhan stepped into the bathtub and sat down inside, spreading his arms wide. He looked up at the snowflakes falling from the night sky, but his heart and eyes were filled with the smiles and gestures of Yi Shangyun and the boundless tenderness she had given him that night—her softness, her allure, and her warmth.

Completely disregarding the piles of ice and snow surrounding him, he only hoped that the temperature of the ice and snow would quickly penetrate his body, making him cold enough to dispel the sudden high fever on Yi Shangyun's body.

After a long while, he felt that this was the right amount of cold, so he hurriedly got up and quickly entered the bedchamber. He came to his warm and comfortable bedside, gently helped Yi Shangyun up, and then tightly embraced her in his cold arms, letting her greedily absorb the chill from his body.

And Yi Shangyun indeed liked this coldness. Soon, her face was no longer so red, and gradually returned to a normal color.

He was overjoyed, relieved that the method had actually worked. A short while later, he rose again, left his bedchamber, stepped into the ice bath, and repeated the same actions over and over…

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" At this moment, Cheng Liang had just returned from the Yi residence with a message. Upon entering, he was shocked by the scene before him.

However, Xuanyuan Han paid no attention to him, fearing that if he stopped, the fever that the person lying on his bed in the palace had finally managed to subside might rise again.

He couldn't tolerate such a thing happening again, so he went into the bedchamber on his own, eager to give Yi Shangyun the warmth she desperately needed.

Cheng Liang, unaware of the situation, hurriedly followed to the window and peeked out.

Then, he turned away angrily, his deep eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched, and he slammed his fist into a banana tree by the corridor where Lu Tianjiao was standing, cursing, "Damn it!"

He felt sorry for his master, and also annoyed that he couldn't help at all at this moment, feeling utterly powerless...

"Ah!" A few snowflakes, clinging to the branches of a banana tree by the eaves of the corridor, were knocked down by Cheng Liang's heavy fist, landing squarely on Lu Tianjiao's head. In the stillness of the night, Lu Tianjiao instinctively cried out in fright.

"Who's there? Come out!" Cheng Liangyi was startled by her scream.

"It's me, General Cheng," Lu Tianjiao said timidly as he slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Miss Lu? What are you doing here?" Cheng Liang looked around, wondering why Lu Tianjiao was sneaking around in this dark corner all by herself.

“Oh, General Cheng, tonight is New Year’s Eve, but His Highness and Princess Consort have both gone to the palace. Tianjiao is all alone in her room, feeling bored and lonely. Taking advantage of the snow falling tonight, I thought I’d come out for a stroll and see the snowy scenery of the Prince’s Mansion at night. Before I knew it, I had wandered here. Tianjiao will go back now…” Lu Tianjiao was discovered by Cheng Liang and, fearing that he would alert Xuan Yuanhan and be exposed, hurriedly tried to slip away.

"Stop!" Just then, Xuan Yuanhan, who had already heard the noise, came out of the bedroom and stopped her.

Lu Tianjiao was still in shock when she heard the voice and had to turn around. She had a bad feeling and was uneasy, but she suddenly pretended to be surprised and said, "Brother Han, when did you come back? The maid in Shaohua Pavilion just said that there was news from the palace that Brother Han and Sister Mei will stay in the palace tonight to keep the Empress Dowager company on New Year's Eve."

Having seen countless people, Xuan Yuanhan was not about to be fooled by her petty tricks. He didn't bother with any more words and warned her directly, "If you dare to leak even a single word about what happened tonight, don't blame me for not showing consideration for your father."

When Xuan Yuanhan entered the courtyard, he noticed Lu Tianjiao hiding in the shadows by the archway. However, he was too busy taking care of Yi Shangyun to confront her immediately.

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao knew that she had already been discovered, so she stopped hiding and asked frankly, "Brother Han, Tianjiao just wants to know, is the person in Lin Yuexuan now... Yi Shangyun?"

Xuanyuan Han had changed back into a dry and warm white brocade robe and was standing tall and straight at the entrance of Lin Yuexuan, guarding his beloved woman who was sleeping soundly inside the hall like a deity.

Although he didn't answer her directly, the unprecedented contentment and unwavering yet gentle look in his eyes, along with his silence, were enough to prove that her guess was absolutely correct.

Immediately, Lu Tianjiao asked with a mournful look in her eyes, "Why, why does it have to be her? Brother Han, you know perfectly well what Tianjiao feels for you..."

"Impossible, I already have a queen." Before Lu Tianjiao could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Xuan Yuanhan with ruthlessness and firmness.

Lu Tianjiao snorted coldly and said with a bitter smile, "So, Tianjiao doesn't even have the right to say those words to Brother Han... When Brother Han said he already has a princess, was he referring to Princess Yongle of Dongning Kingdom? But you don't like her at all. You didn't even personally welcome her into the house or kick down the sedan chair door. On your wedding night, she was left alone in her room. Besides... you haven't even consummated your marriage yet."

"So what?" Xuan Yuanhan said indifferently, though he wasn't actually referring to Mei Xiyuan. He might never have considered the true choice for Princess Qin before, but now, it was undeniable that she was the only one fit.

In a flash, Lu Tianjiao realized that Xuan Yuanhan was deliberately changing the subject, so he turned back and asked again, "And what about Yi Shangyun? It's the middle of the night, she's an unmarried woman, not one of your wives or concubines. Why is she in your bedchamber, and why was she dressed like that just now, Brother Han..."

As Lu Tianjiao spoke, he became somewhat embarrassed to speak. Cheng Liang was about to explain when Xuan Yuanhan stopped him.

Xuan Yuanhan neither wanted to nor cared to waste any more words on her, and coldly said, "These are all my own affairs, and it is none of your business. You just need to remember what I just said... Also, I don't care what your intentions are in being with that Princess Dongning, but I absolutely will not allow you to do anything to harm Yi Shangyun, otherwise... you will bear the consequences."

When Xuanyuan Han said this, the cold light in his eyes seemed to be able to unleash a sword.

Of course he knew that with Lu Tianjiao's aloof personality, how could he be willing to serve a spoiled princess like Mei Xiyuan? He only agreed to her request because he didn't want Mei Xiyuan to bother him every few days.

However, this did not mean that he would allow Lu Tianjiao and her to act recklessly under his nose at the Prince Qin's residence. Yi Shangyun would soon be entering the Prince Qin's residence, and he should remind and warn her in advance, hoping that she would behave herself and not do anything to disappoint or embarrass her father, Lu Xian.

"Brother Han, for a lowly servant, a useless and ugly woman whom my brother rejected, you are still so stubborn. Humph... One day, Tianjiao will prove that in this world, only I am the one who truly cares for Brother Han." Lu Tianjiao finished speaking with red eyes, feeling ashamed and angry, and then turned and left.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang felt a little puzzled, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Xuanyuan Han remained expressionless and cold, showing no sign of anything amiss.

He had never cared about her, nor did he care about her joys and sorrows. His kind advice was only because he remembered the hardships Lu Xian had endured raising the two siblings alone for so many years. He didn't want her to one day walk her own path to ruin.