Before long, it was already bright daylight. Yi Shangyun prepared to say goodbye to Xuan Yuanhan and then return to the Yi residence.

When Granny Zhang, Ling'er's grandmother, and little Ling'er escorted her to the archway of the courtyard, Ling'er peeked out with her little head and looked outside again...

"What is our little Ling'er looking at?" Yi Shangyun saw this, smiled, bent down and squatted down to wipe Ling'er's red nose, and asked affectionately.

Ling'er mysteriously beckoned her with her little finger, signaling her to come closer. Yi Shangyun then took her little hand, smiled at her, and then leaned her elfin ears closer to her.

Ling'er then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Sister Yun, I just saw His Highness Prince Qin outside. When you came in, he was following behind you, watching you. I wonder if he's still there?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun was greatly surprised. After a slight hesitation, she immediately stood up and walked to the archway to look outside. But apart from the winter scenery throughout the garden, she saw nothing at all.

After a while, she turned around with a puzzled look, then smiled at Ling'er and said, "Ling'er, be good. In about ten days, your sister will come here to keep you company, okay?"

Ling'er asked in surprise, "Is what Sister Yun said true? In just over ten days, Ling'er will be able to see Sister Yun every day?"

Yi Shangyun touched her rosy cheeks and nodded with a smile.

Ling'er turned around instantly, beaming with joy and a touch of pride, and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, did you hear that? Sister Yun'er is coming to visit Ling'er soon! Ling'er feels so happy and excited!"

Grandma Ling'er and Granny Zhang also seemed to be looking forward to it, their faces full of kind and comfortable smiles.

After saying this, Yi Shangyun smiled and bid farewell to everyone, then walked back towards Lin Yuexuan, glancing around as if searching for something...

In the Western Qin Imperial Palace, Mei Xiyuan also got up early, which was rare for her, to dress up and tidy her appearance.

Afterwards, he accompanied the Empress Dowager and the Empress to breakfast, and is now preparing to bid farewell to leave the palace and return to the Prince of Qin's residence.

Seeing Mei Xiyuan get up to leave, Crown Prince Xuanyuan Hao, who had just finished breakfast, hurriedly pleaded with the Empress, "Mother, at the palace banquet last night, I didn't even have a chance to ask Uncle Qin for a New Year's red envelope before he rushed off. Today, I would like to accompany Aunt Qin to the Qin Prince's residence to ask for it back. I wonder if Mother would grant my request?"

The Empress said to him with loving affection, "What a greedy fellow! Didn't your Aunt Qin give you double last night? Isn't that enough?"

Xuanyuan Han disagreed, defending himself, "Your Majesty, you are mistaken. How can you say that I am greedy? Giving red envelopes during the New Year is an ancient custom of our Western Qin Kingdom. When the younger generation pays New Year's visits, the elders give red envelopes to wish the younger generation good luck and blessings for the whole year to come. How can the good wishes contained in these envelopes be replaced? And who would complain about having too many?"

Seeing her sharp tongue and eloquent speech, the Empress could only shake her head. After a moment's thought, she slowly said to Mei Xiyuan beside her with a slightly apologetic tone, "Then I'll have to trouble Princess Qin to take care of the Crown Prince!"

Just as Mei Xiyuan was about to speak with a smile, Xuanyuan Hao glanced at Xuanyuan Yue, who was sitting silently beside her, and continued, "Mother, what about my elder sister?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue was taken aback and suddenly looked up at Xuan Yuan Hao. Xuan Yuan Hao winked at her, seemingly hinting at something. Then she turned her gaze to the Empress, as if she also had some expectations in her heart.

The Empress looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Your elder sister is already of marriageable age, so let's skip her."

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Hao hurriedly retorted, "Mother's words are even more unreasonable. Although my elder sister is about to get married, she is not yet married. That is precisely why this last New Year's red envelope is even more meaningful to her."

The Empress pondered for a moment, then realized that what Xuan Yuanhao said seemed to make sense. If these New Year's red envelopes could truly gather blessings from all corners of the world and bring good fortune, then Xuan Yuan Yue, who would soon be married off to the Kingdom of Dongning, would need them more than anyone else.

Just as the Empress was deep in thought, Mei Xiyuan finally spoke up and said happily, "Sister-in-law, let the Crown Prince and the Princess go together. This way, the Prince of Qin's residence will have an extra bit of liveliness and celebration during the New Year."

So the Empress agreed and instructed, "Since Princess Qin doesn't mind your noise and disturbance, then you may go with Princess Qin. Just remember, you must not cause any trouble outside the palace."

Upon hearing the Empress's agreement, the siblings exchanged a smile, rose at the same time, bowed, and said happily, "Thank you for your kindness, Mother. Your children will certainly follow your teachings and never cause trouble."

After saying this, he and Mei Xiyuan bid farewell to the Empress and left the palace, heading east towards the Prince of Qin's residence.

As the Empress watched her two children leave with joy, a sense of helplessness and melancholy arose in her heart. She shook her head and sighed, "The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is nearing dusk."

...

Inside the Lin Yue Pavilion of the Qin Prince's Mansion, Yi Shangyun sat on the edge of the couch, frowning and looking suspicious. He placed his hands on his knees, examining the scene while wondering to himself.

He murmured to himself, "Since waking up this morning, it seems that my legs have really lost the soreness and weakness they used to have. Could it be that Manager Xue has really encountered a profound and unfathomable master who has even more superb medical skills than the Third Young Master?"

Just then, Xuan Yuanhan walked in, dressed in a black outfit, his dark hair tied up, and his hands behind his back.

As soon as I entered, I saw that she looked absent-minded and lost in thought, so I deliberately stood at the door and hummed in a low voice.

Upon hearing the sound, Yi Shangyun quickly came to her senses and looked over. She then stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, Prince Qin."

Xuan Yuanhan seemed to instinctively want to reach out and help her up, but then hesitated for a moment, as if considering something, and ultimately couldn't bring himself to do so. He simply turned and stared ahead as usual, coldly saying, "Get up."

Perhaps, only with his attitude and distance would she feel as natural as before, and not so repulsed or embarrassed by him.

Anyway, she had completely forgotten what happened last night, whether it should have happened or not.

Xuanyuan Han: "Your leg..."

The inscription on his robe read: "Your Highness..."

After a moment of silence, they suddenly spoke up at the same time.

Xuanyuan Han: "You go first..."

The inscription on the robe reads: "Your Highness, please speak first..."

After calming down a bit, they both seemed to have mustered up the courage to speak again, only to bump into each other once more...

Finally, without pausing for breath, Yi Shangyun finished speaking in one breath, saying everything she had prepared: "Your Highness, Yun'er's leg... seems to have fully healed. That hermit's miraculous medicine seems to be truly effective. From this morning until now, Yun'er's leg has not felt sore or weak at all, and she should be able to do any movement without worry."

As she spoke, she became somewhat carried away with her joy and pride, and in front of Xuan Yuanhan, she tried to do a very standard squat with her feet slightly turned out, arms outstretched, palms down, and her center of gravity lowered.

Xuan Yuanhan was momentarily stunned by her strange behavior, his eyes wide as he watched her move steadily up and down. He thought to himself, "It seems that Young Master Yi's medical skills are indeed remarkable. In any case, the perilous trip to Cold Wasteland Mountain was not in vain."

As he was pondering this, perhaps due to the large movement or perhaps because he was still recovering from a serious illness, Yi Shangyun stumbled and took two quick steps back as he squatted down and stood up again, before falling heavily backward.

Just as her head was about to hit the edge of the bed, before she could even cry out, Xuan Yuanhan swiftly flew over and reached out a large hand to tightly embrace her slender waist. She then landed steadily in his broad and warm embrace, their eyes meeting for a long time.

Yi Shangyun was still in shock when Xuan Yuanhan suddenly said in a deep voice, "Have you really forgotten what happened under the snow pine tree last night?"

Yi Shangyun then came to her senses and quickly pushed him away. With her head down and eyes darting away, she replied softly, "What did Your Highness say about the snow pine tree? Yun'er doesn't understand what Your Highness is talking about."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan walked closer to her with his hands behind his back, quickly drawing her to the edge of the bed. He then extended a strong arm and braced himself against the bed frame behind her, encircling her tightly. He slowly leaned down, staring intently into her eyes, so close that they could hear each other's pounding heartbeats.

Half a day later, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly spoke up, "I hope you have truly forgotten. If one day I find out that you were lying on purpose, I will punish you even more severely!"

After saying this, he suddenly stood up and released her, but she became like a frightened bird, not daring to breathe loudly. She could only lower her head and pretend not to notice, trying her best to shrink herself into the corner and not move.

The room fell silent; neither of them uttered a sound.

It took Yi Shangyun a while to come to her senses. She then said cautiously, "Your Highness, Yun'er wants to go home. Since leaving home last night, Yun'er has not yet wished her parents a Happy New Year."

After a moment of silence, Xuan Yuanhan said coldly, "I will send you back!"

Yi Shangyun blurted out hastily, "There's no need to trouble Your Highness, Yun'er can go back by herself."

"Oh? So you're planning to walk from the Qin King's Mansion in the far east of Western Qin back to the Yi Mansion in the west of the city? Do you have any money on you? Or do you think there will be a coachman on the streets on the first day of the Lunar New Year who can take you back?" Xuan Yuanhan said to her with a light laugh and disdain.

Yi Shangyun then realized that the two of them had been so close last night that he had already discovered that he had rushed out the door without a single penny on him because of his father Yi Shangkun's angry rebuke and urging.

So, she revealed a guilty expression, buried her head, and pursed her soft, red lips.

At this moment, Xuanyuan Han strolled out of the hall.

As Yi Shangyun watched him leave, she anxiously craned her neck to look at his back, one hand tightly gripping the sash of the red and white plum blossom cloak she wore, while the other hand unconsciously wrapped it around her neck again and again.

She thought to herself, "This is so embarrassing! I just refused to listen to reason and now I'm being forced to drink the punishment." Now, seeing him leave without a word, should she risk going back to beg him again? Or... should she continue to stay in the Prince Qin's mansion, living in fear and being toyed with by him time and time again?

Just as she was lost in thought, Xuan Yuanhan, who had already reached the entrance of the bedchamber, suddenly stopped and called out to her, "If you want to go home, why aren't you following me?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun looked up abruptly, her face filled with joy, and quickly ran forward to follow him, walking outside together.