When you like or love someone, it's sometimes okay to wait patiently, provided that there's still time and space available, especially if the other person is truly someone worth it, like Xuan Yuanhan's waiting when he was only in his early twenties.

Sometimes, especially when it's a premeditated scheme from the start, whoever falls in love first will be the one whose life, no matter how long, will be filled with love that turns them into a demon or a zombie, plunging them into a lifetime of suffering.

Days passed by, the weather grew colder and colder, and before we knew it, winter had arrived.

Yi Shangyun had already stabilized Yu Niang's condition, and was just waiting for her mother-in-law and Ling'er to accompany her day and night to slowly find and recover her lost memories. This matter could only be entrusted to her closest relatives so that they could help her recover as soon as possible.

Having completed the task assigned to her by Xuan Yuan Yue, she returned from the Qin Prince's residence to the Imperial Pharmacy to continue her duties.

With the protection of the noble Princess Xuanyuan Yue, Yi Shangyun's life in the palace was mostly not too difficult.

Unbeknownst to her, Xuan Yuan Yue had already stopped treating her as an ordinary servant.

On this day, the once vibrant greenery and blooming flowers were nowhere to be found in the magnificent palace. In Xuan Yuan Yue's Feng Hua Palace, the servants had just finished sweeping up the fallen leaves, leaving the tree branches almost bare and desolate.

Outside the window, the rare warm winter sunlight shone through the window lattice onto the words that Xuan Yuan Yue had just written on her desk. Looking out through the exquisitely carved window lattices from the study, one could see a different view than the outside, like a series of paintings framed and hung on the wall.

Xuan Yuan Yue's calligraphy skills were indeed extraordinary. Yi Shang Yun and Ding Xiang, who had come early to bring her winter tonic soup, were standing beside her, admiring her newly completed masterpiece together.

"Princess, your calligraphy is becoming more and more spirited. Your style is nothing like the usual delicate and feminine style of young ladies. Your calligraphy is pure, unrestrained, and full of inspiration," Yi Shangyun said as she watched from the side. She had already noticed that the content written on the white, dense, and clearly textured raw Xuan paper revealed the thoughts of a young lady.

"Green are your robes, deep is my longing. Though I do not go to you, will you not send me a message? Green are your jade pendants, deep is my yearning. Though I do not go to you, will you not come to me? I look for you, I look for you, at the city gate. A day without seeing you is like three months."

Seeing that Xuan Yuan Yue was lost in thought, Yi Shang Yun hurriedly asked tentatively, "Does the princess have someone she likes?"

"I didn't, don't talk nonsense!" Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly hurriedly tidied herself up, a shy blush spreading across her face.

"Princess, which family's young master is he? Can this servant help find out?" A maidservant nearby asked tentatively.

“The princess is almost of marriageable age now, she’s grown up and it’s time for her to get married,” Yi Shangyun continued.

"Do you still remember the handsome young man we met on the way back from Butterfly Valley of Xiqin Academy?" Xuan Yuan Yue asked shyly in a low voice as she recalled.

"So it was that young master. Princess, but we don't even know his name. And... surely the princess's marriage isn't something she can decide for herself? Princess, are you really sure you want to do this? Have you thought about the consequences?"

The young palace maid asked with a worried expression, "Since ancient times, the children of the royal family have enjoyed the ultimate wealth and glory in the world, but they also have to bear the ultimate responsibilities. Who has ever been able to escape them?"

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Yue frowned and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Yes, how could I possibly decide this? Even the Qin Emperor, who is second only to the emperor in Western Qin, had to obey the imperial decree to marry and become a sacrifice to consolidate the Western Qin regime. How much more so for a mere princess like me?" After saying this, Xuan Yuan Yue sighed deeply.

As for Yi Shangyun, she fell silent and pondered, thinking, "Throughout history, whether rich or poor, how many people have loved each other but could not stay together? I am not the only one."

However, a moment later, when she gathered her thoughts and looked up at Xuan Yuan Yue's disappointed eyes again, she felt a pang of heartache for some reason.

He then boldly encouraged Xuan Yuan Yue, "Princess, nothing has happened yet, and everyone's future is unpredictable. Just like I was in the 21st century not long ago... Why should you worry unnecessarily and fret unnecessarily? If you don't strive for it yourself, you can't expect rewards from others, can you?"

The cloud on the clothes was moved by the scene and almost blurted out the truth that it was a 21st-century human.

Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly understood and looked into Yi Shang Yun's eyes firmly, saying, "Yes, Yun'er is right. Nothing has happened yet, and this princess should not give up."

Meanwhile, not far from the border of the Western Qin Kingdom, a grand procession of brides was slowly moving towards the Western Qin Kingdom, raising clouds of dust and dirt along the way.

The northwest wind was howling. They had been traveling for months and were finally about to reach the border of Western Qin.

This eye-catching procession was the wedding procession of Princess Yongle Mei Xiyuan of Dongning Kingdom, who was presented to Xiqin Kingdom by her father, Emperor Mei Xiaoran of Dongning Kingdom, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival to demonstrate the friendly relations between the two countries.

Emperor Jing of Western Qin then bestowed the princess upon his only prince, his only brother, Prince Xuanyuan Han. Because he was worried that if the Prince of Qin were to marry the daughter of a court official, he might win over the court officials and threaten his regime, he instead bestowed the princess, who was a tribute from the state, upon him.

The Prince of Qin was already past twenty and knew he could not choose his own marriage, nor did he have any intention of being romantically involved. If Emperor Jing did not grant him a marriage, the court officials would likely accuse the emperor of deliberately mistreating his brother, the Prince of Qin.

Therefore, this was undoubtedly a foolproof plan for Emperor Jing, who was naturally suspicious and power-hungry.

"Princess, I've heard that the King of Western Qin is of high rank and great power, calm and reserved, resourceful and noble," a maidservant said happily to her esteemed mistress.

“Of course, I have long heard that the King of Qin of Western Qin is a handsome and capable man, and the only younger brother of the Emperor of Western Qin. My father will certainly not mistreat me,” Mei Xiyuan said with a smug and proud expression.

“But, Princess… I’ve heard that the King of Qin is a very cold man,” the maid said, seemingly with some doubt.

"Hmph, even if he's cold as ice, with my talent and gentle nature, do you think I can't melt his millennia-old icy exterior?" Mei Xiyuan said with a face full of confidence.

"Of course, who else in the world could be as gentle, virtuous, dignified, beautiful, and intelligent as our Princess Yongle?" the maid flattered.

"However, Princess, now that we've come to Western Qin, please don't forget the task the King entrusted to you," the maidservant hurriedly reminded her.

"I know what I'm doing, there's no need to worry," Mei Xiyuan said confidently, her beautiful brows furrowing as she spoke.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, "Brother should have arrived in Western Qin a month ago, right?"

The maid replied, "Yes, His Highness has made all the arrangements and is just waiting for the princess's wedding before starting the planned events."

“Yes, my brother has been resourceful and calm since childhood. With his help, we will surely achieve twice the results with half the effort.” Mei Xiyuan has admired her brother since she was a child.

"Princess, please rest assured. You only need to focus on preparing for the wedding," the maid reminded her.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace of the Western Qin Kingdom, King Xuanyuan Han of Qin also entered the palace today.

"Your Highness, Princess Dongning will be arriving in Xiqin soon. The post station has been arranged. The wedding is scheduled for before New Year's Eve. Your Highness should begin preparations." Cheng Liang received the news from the palace. At that moment, he was accompanying Xuan Yuanhan to the palace to attend the wedding.

Xuanyuan Han didn't speak, but his eyes widened slightly before he quickly regained his composure and continued walking, thinking to himself, "What was bound to happen has finally happened."

Suddenly, a young female medicine girl, in her haste, failed to see Xuan Yuanhan walking in the corridor. She was so focused on looking down that she carelessly bumped into him, nearly knocking herself over.

Only then did she look up and see that it was the King of Qin. She immediately took two steps back and stopped in her panic, kneeling down. "Your Highness, please forgive me. I did not mean to do it."

"You audacious servant, what brings you in such a hurry to offend His Highness the Prince of Qin? Don't you value your life?" Upon seeing this, the deputy general Cheng Liang stepped forward and sternly questioned him.

"Your Highness, I am a pharmacist from the Imperial Pharmacy, named Dingxiang. My good friend Yi Shangyun, who works with me in the Imperial Pharmacy, was framed by the head pharmacist. I was on my way to Fenghua Palace to ask Princess Yue to come to my rescue when I accidentally bumped into His Highness Prince Qin. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness," Dingxiang replied, kneeling with her head bowed and her voice trembling with fear.

Upon hearing Yi Shangyun's name, Xuanyuan Han immediately frowned and asked, "What exactly happened? Explain it to me clearly."

Dingxiang was hesitant, unsure whether His Highness the Prince of Qin would help her or side with the Great Medicine Girl and her group. After all, they were the most insignificant and overlooked lives in the palace, while the Great Medicine Girl had a prestigious family background. How could the Prince of Qin possibly believe what she was saying?

Just as she was hesitating, torn between telling the truth, a thunderous rebuke rang out: "Speak up now, do you want to die?" The speaker was none other than Deputy General Cheng Liang.

His master had clearly heard the name Yi Shangyun and was determined to take charge of the matter, while this clueless girl was still hesitating.

Dingxiang was startled and immediately blurted out the whole story in one breath: "Yun'er has a very precious seven-colored jade bracelet with gold threads. She kept it safe and sound, but it's all my fault. I'm the one who harmed Yun'er. I was just curious and asked her to take it out for a look. Who knew that the Great Medicine Maiden would see it? The Great Medicine Maiden insisted that Yun'er was unfaithful and must have secretly pledged her life to a man, and this bracelet was their token of love. If a woman in the palace is found to have secretly pledged her life to another, it's no laughing matter. So the Great Medicine Maiden became greedy and wanted to keep the bracelet for herself. She used it to blackmail Yun'er into handing it over to her, or she would hand Yun'er over to the head of the academy. Yun'er refused to give it up, and now she has been locked up in the small woodshed by the Great Medicine Maiden for a day and a night... Something must have happened to Yun'er, so I must rush to Fenghua Palace to ask Princess Yue to save Yun'er. Princess Yue has always treated Yun'er very well, and she can definitely save Yun'er."

"Where are you imprisoned? Lead the way for me!" Xuan Yuanhan couldn't wait for Dingxiang to finish speaking. His face was already full of anger, and his brows were furrowed even more. Cheng Liang was also shocked to see his master so enraged.

Dingxiang immediately got up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and quickly led the way.

......