"It's not hard work. We've come to pay homage to the Qing Dynasty and experience its customs and culture." Mu Feng spoke tactfully, maintaining a very proper attitude, implying that they were just here to observe the situation and not to cause trouble.

No one takes what you say seriously on the surface, but you must show the right attitude. After all, everyone knows what kind of person the other person really is.

The emperor also put on a fake smile, first saying a lot of polite words, and then introducing his outstanding sons to them.

An Ke had no desire to join the commotion in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony today, so she didn't go to watch. Only the Emperor's sons were present. Leading the group was naturally Yongqi, dressed in red, standing tall and imposing, his expression unchanged, his gaze unwavering, calm and composed.

"Your sons are all very outstanding." Mu Feng also offered a dry compliment, after all, he had never even praised his own brothers, let alone others, so it felt a bit strange.

In contrast, the little prince Musa behind Mu Feng was peeking around, looking here and there. The Emperor secretly made a mental note of the little prince, but did not show it on his face. He still arranged for them to enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony, since the Qing Dynasty always held a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony when people came to pay homage.

Mu Feng, on the other hand, followed calmly to the right rear of the Emperor, neither arrogant nor impatient, unlike the volatile and unpredictable Burmese King. On the contrary, the little prince Musa was just like him.

The Emperor gave Li Yu a wink, and Li Yu immediately understood. He secretly took two steps back and quietly slipped out of the crowd. Now that the Emperor was leading them towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony, naturally no one would notice a eunuch like him.

Li Yu was heading towards Lord Fuheng when he whispered something to him. Fuheng nodded gravely and said, "Don't worry." Li Yu nodded and quickly returned to the Emperor's side.

Then they chatted for a while, since they were considered juniors. Mu Feng didn't seem impatient; instead, he calmly and politely engaged the Emperor in a game of cat and mouse. Mu Sha, on the other hand, was quite restless, as if some insects were crawling all over her.

Mu Feng coughed lightly, and seeing that Mu Sha was completely ignoring him, he gave her another sharp rebuke, which finally brought Mu Sha back to her senses.

"I wonder what Prince Musa was looking at just now?" the Emperor asked, feigning a kind expression.

Musa knew she had just lost her composure. How could she be so careless and look around so much when she was on someone else's turf? But what was done was done, and Musa could only try her best to turn things around. "Musa has never been to the Qing Dynasty before. Looking at such a magnificent palace, she was momentarily stunned."

The Emperor, of course, didn't believe Musa's words. After all, his gaze hadn't been fixed on the palace's structure; he'd been looking outside. What was this Burmese prince up to?

Musa: ...You Qing people are too good at making things up. I was just a little bored sitting there and wanted to go out for some fresh air.

The Emperor thought that he might be able to use Musa as a breakthrough to truly understand their purpose in coming to the Qing Dynasty. With this in mind, the Emperor immediately forced a smile on his face, "The plum blossoms in my Imperial Garden are in bloom, which is very pleasing to the eye. If the little prince is feeling a bit bored here, he might as well go and have a look at the Imperial Garden."

Musa really didn't want to sit with them and listen to their gossip. When she heard the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty say such a thing, Musa stood up, thanked the Emperor, and then walked out of the hall with great interest.

Li Yu was an old servant who had served the emperor closely. After the emperor finished speaking the first half of a sentence, Li Yu could almost always tell what the emperor was going to say next.

He immediately gave a wink to the eunuch below, who promptly understood and followed.

The Emperor was still chatting with Mu Feng here. Mu Feng had witnessed the whole scene just now. He also hoped that his father's eyes were not only on Mu Sha, but also on him or his brothers, but he absolutely could not allow Mu Sha to have any trouble in this palace.

The envoy's heart had been in his throat ever since the princess walked out of the palace, and his palms were sweating involuntarily. Seeing the prince's confident demeanor, the minister did not know whether he should relax or what to do.

*

Imperial Garden

Anke, Qing'er, and Xinrong had already surrounded a pavilion in the Imperial Garden with curtains. Inside the pavilion, there was a brazier, and the stone table and benches were covered with fluffy cushions. Tea sets and some snacks were also laid out on the stone table. Outside the pavilion, the wind was biting cold, but inside, spring was in full bloom.

"This snow is just in time. Enjoying the plum blossoms in the snow is truly a unique experience." Qing'er held a teacup in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the scenery outside.

"Yes, the first snow came exceptionally early this year." Anke warmed her hands in front of the brazier, as it was still a bit cold when she came in from outside. Xingxing had prepared hot water bottles for Anke, but she forgot because of something else.

I was in a hurry to leave and forgot to bring it. I didn't realize it at first, but as soon as I entered the pavilion, I felt my hands getting cold.

Looking at the first snowfall so early compared to previous years, Anke felt uneasy, hoping that nothing bad would happen.

"As the old saying goes, a timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest. This year's first snow has come so early; it's sure to be a bountiful year," Xinrong said happily. After all, food is the most important thing for people, and good weather naturally means a good harvest. The Emperor naturally wants to see the people have enough to eat and wear.

These days, Yongqi always looks worried. He says that there is a food shortage in some parts of Lingnan, and many people have starved to death. The imperial court is thinking of sending grain to provide disaster relief. Yongqi has been busy with all this, and he has become quite thin these past few days.

"I hope so," An Ke said, looking at the white expanse of ground outside, a touch of melancholy creeping into her heart. But she quickly composed herself, not letting Qing'er and Xinrong notice. "The plum blossoms are in full bloom now, which reminds me of a line from Lu You's poem: 'Scattered into mud and crushed into dust, only the fragrance remains.'"

Qing'er savored Lu You's poem, "Such noble plum blossoms, it would be a pity not to paint them."

Anke suddenly realized, "Yes, if we could paint such a beautiful scene, it would be worth it for us to come out and enjoy it."

Lan Shui, who was by Xin Rong's side, volunteered to go back to the palace to fetch a drawing board and charcoal pencils for the princess. Before she left, Xin Rong gave Lan Shui her hot water bottle and told her to be careful on the way and watch her step.

After all, some of the snow on the frozen road had already frozen into ice. (The rest of the palace had been cleaned up early in the morning, but An'an's side hall in Cining Palace was cleaned up. An'an felt sorry for the eunuchs who got up early to clean, so she said she wanted to keep the snow so they could have a snowball fight, and specially exempted them from getting up in the freezing cold to clean.)

The snow on the side halls of Cining Palace is now solidified; it's practically a ski slope by now.

When Lan Shui went to retrieve her things, she happened to brush past the young prince from Myanmar. Although Lan Shui didn't recognize him, she still bowed slightly to him, nodded, and quickly walked away with her head down.

Musa was somewhat curious about the little palace maid from earlier, but seeing her hurried appearance, she didn't say anything to stop her.

Musa gazed at the snow-covered Imperial Garden before her, and was somewhat amazed. The red plum blossoms dotted the white world, as if bringing a touch of freshness and tenacious vitality.

Musa couldn't wait to admire the plum blossoms in the distance. Fortunately, the snow on the ground had already been cleared away, so she wouldn't slip. Musa strode towards the plum garden.

On the way to the plum garden, Musa spotted a building draped in curtains. She stopped, curious. Could this be a custom of the Qing Dynasty? How strange, why would such a perfectly good building be surrounded by curtains?

Although Musa was somewhat curious, she didn't want to ask these Qing people. Just as she was about to leave, a eunuch came out from inside and hurried towards the outside of the Imperial Garden.

Musa immediately understood. It must be because of the cold weather that the pavilion was surrounded. Since a eunuch came out from inside, there must be someone inside.

Although Musa was eager to find out, she remembered that she was now a man, and that the Imperial Garden was located next to the Qing Emperor's harem. The only person who could surround this pavilion must be one of the concubines in the Emperor's harem.

Thinking of this, Musa decided to hold back and go see her plum blossoms as planned. In order not to disturb the people in the pavilion, Musa deliberately walked very quietly.

When the little eunuch following Musa saw the fenced-off pavilion again, he knew that the person inside must be Princess Yong'an. Just as he was thinking that he must make sure they didn't run into each other, he saw that the little prince had already walked away.

The young eunuch secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then followed him discreetly. Even after the little prince returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he didn't notice anything unusual about him.

Li Yu was somewhat puzzled by the eunuch's reply, but he knew he couldn't rush things. Since he didn't find anything amiss, he waved his hand and sent the eunuch back to his post.

Anke naturally knew that someone had been outside. After Anke's modifications, the curtains still allowed a faint view of the outside scenery. Not to mention, when the little eunuch left through the curtains, he opened a crack, and Anke had already noticed the person who came.

Seeing the foreign clothing he was wearing, An Ke knew he was probably from Myanmar. However, An Ke held back for the first time. After all, Qing'er and Xin Rong were not bold people. An Ke calmly picked up a cup of flower tea and slowly brought it to her lips, while keeping an eye on the commotion outside.

Seeing the figure disappear, An Ke felt relieved. However, a lingering doubt remained: why would the Emperor so easily allow the Burmese to enter the Imperial Garden? And why didn't he send someone to keep an eye on them?

When did they become so careless? Only then did An Ke see the little eunuch sneaking behind the Burmese. An Ke was relieved. It turned out that her uncle was not so foolish after all.

Your Majesty: Is this how irresponsible I am in your eyes?

Anke: How could that be? I'm just afraid that you might be confused for a moment and forget their wolfish ambitions, and I'm even more afraid that you might be careless and underestimate them.

They enjoyed the scenery in the pavilion for a long time, and discussed some poems about plum blossoms, until all the charcoal in the brazier burned out. Only then did they leave the pavilion, their enthusiasm waning, and return to Cining Palace to change their clothes.

If it weren't for the banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony tonight, they would have loved to stay in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility and enjoy playing in the snow to their hearts' content, whether it was building snowmen or having a snowball fight, they would have made the most of this snowfall.

"I've heard that the eldest prince is still unmarried?" The emperor looked at Mu Feng with a smile, as if he were a kind elder who cared for his juniors.

"Yes, Mu Feng has no time for such personal matters and therefore has not married." Mu Feng said calmly, but inwardly he was quite worried. What did the Qing Emperor mean by this?

Mu Feng wasn't foolish enough to believe that the Qing Emperor genuinely cared for him. After all, even his father didn't like him, so why would the Qing Emperor, who had so many sons to spare, show concern for him? Mu Feng absolutely refused to believe that there was no ulterior motive behind it.

Mu Feng concealed the sarcasm in his eyes, his expression remaining perfectly calm. However, the delegation behind him was in an uproar. What did this eldest prince mean? The king wanted him to marry Princess Yong'an of the Qing Dynasty, why wasn't he mentioning it?

Everyone has their own agenda, and the delegation was no exception. After all, the delegation was divided into several groups, including his people, the Third Prince's people, and Musa's people.

Different interests lead to different disputes. It must be said that his father really made a good plan. As long as these ministers are not of one mind, then he will not have the final say in everything. In other words, everything that happens here will be recounted to him by the envoy.

As Mu Feng had expected, a more senior person stepped forward from the delegation. He first bowed respectfully to the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and then said frankly, "Our King has heard that Princess Yong'an of the Qing Dynasty is exceptionally talented and beautiful, and is still unmarried. Therefore, His Majesty has specially entrusted me to ask for Princess Yong'an's hand in marriage on behalf of the Crown Prince."

The emperor's smile remained unchanged, but the ring on his hand spun faster and faster.

Prince Rui, who had been lost in thought, immediately turned his deathly gaze upon the envoy upon hearing his words. He wanted to marry his daughter? No way!

Prince Rui was also relieved that his elder brother had already arranged a marriage between An'an and Ertai, and now that An'ke was already engaged, she naturally would not agree to the marriage proposal from Burma.

Prince Rui: You want to marry my daughter? Should I send my army to scout ahead first?

Voltaire, currently holding an official position, didn't want to participate in their welcoming ceremony, but he had no choice but to come. He was originally just there to make up the numbers, but after hearing the words of this delegation...

Ertai felt an itch in his teeth and hands, and wished he could draw his sword and kill him right now.

Envoy: Why do I feel a chill down my spine?

Prince Rui & Ertai (death stare): What do you think?