These past few days, Anke has been living a very comfortable life. No wonder everyone wants to be rich; the lives of the rich are truly unimaginable, and there's nothing they can't do.

Xingxing made a sweet soup for Anke from the small kitchen and brought it over. Watching the princess nestled lazily on her soft couch, a book in her hands, the palace maids moved with utmost gentleness, the air filled with the scent of pineapple incense.

Xingxing, carrying a bowl of sweet soup, walked smilingly to Anke's side. "Princess, autumn is dry, so I've made you some sweet soup. Please try it."

Anke then shifted her gaze from the book to Xingxing's face. Looking at the smile on Xingxing's face, Anke sensed something was amiss, but her hand instinctively took the sweet soup from her. "So, what news did you find out this time?" she asked, stirring the soup with a spoon.

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from the princess." Xingxing scratched her head sheepishly.

"For you to show that expression, you must have found out some information. We grew up together, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we're familiar with each other." An Ke scooped up a spoonful of sweet soup and slowly put it into her mouth. The sweetness of the pear instantly flooded An Ke's esophagus.

"I heard that Ali Khoja of the Hui people is coming with a princess. Princess, do you think this princess is also coming here for a marriage alliance?" Xingxing shared excitedly, but in her opinion, this princess was definitely different from Princess Saiya.

“It’s a marriage alliance, I suppose,” An Ke said slowly, except that her marriage partner was the Emperor. “However, the Hui people behind her are different from the Mongols behind Saiya. Saiya could freely choose her marriage partner based on her own Mongolian background, so I guess she was forced to come.”

"Huh?" Xingxing was shocked, but she was sensible and didn't ask.

An Ke narrowed her eyes. Was Hanxiang coming? Oh well, it wasn't her business. She just hoped that Hanxiang wouldn't be as immature as she was in the drama.

Wanting both ways is truly annoying. The Hui people want to rely on the Qing Dynasty, and Hanxiang wants the Qing Dynasty to protect its people. She also wants to be with Mengdan forever—how can there be such a good deal?

The Empress Dowager also heard about this, but merely smiled faintly and ignored it. In her view, Princess Hanxiang was nothing more than a "gift" presented to the Qing Dynasty by the emperor. A woman couldn't stir up any trouble and was not worth fearing.

The Empress lived a very leisurely life, spending her time admiring flowers, reciting scriptures, or cultivating a mother-son bond with the Twelfth Prince. The harem was unusually quiet.

What troubled the Empress was that even though she stopped bothering Shufangzhai, the Emperor was visiting her Kunning Palace more often than before. Especially after Prince Rui and his wife returned to the capital, the Emperor frequently entered and exited Kunning Palace.

The Emperor didn't know why he wanted to come to Kunning Palace. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the loving life of his younger brother and sister-in-law that day. He couldn't help but think of his own wife, and considering how well she had managed the harem over the years, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty towards her.

*

The news of the Hui people's impending arrival spread like wildfire throughout the city. Everyone on the streets knew they were coming. They all gathered around to watch, after all, the grand entrance of the Mongol prince had already been the talk of the town for days. Now, with the arrival of Hui people, who were all accustomed to living in the capital and rarely traveled far, they had never seen anyone outside of Beijing, except for merchant caravans.

Everyone was curious, even Liu Qing and Liu Hong from Huibinlou came out to join the fun, and Xiao Jian was also in the crowd. But this time he hadn't checked into Huibinlou yet, because he hadn't seen Xiao Yanzi; they just couldn't find an opportunity to meet her.

But he also kept a close eye on the Huibinlou restaurant. When he learned that it was thanks to Xiao Yanzi that it was built, Xiao Jian wasn't surprised at all. After all, she was his sister, and both of them shared a sense of chivalry and loyalty.

However, at this moment, Xiao Jian noticed another group of people. They were dressed in the same clothes as the Hui people, but they did not follow the main Hui group. Instead, they seemed to be sneaking around.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Ali Hezhuo visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He rode up to Hanxiang's carriage and said, "Hanxiang, we're almost at the palace. Remember what your father told you."

Hanxiang uttered a long string of words, meaning she knew what to do. Her face was pale, her expression somewhat numb, like a puppet being manipulated. She had resigned herself to fate!

After all, they were Hui people coming to pay homage to the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty should have adopted the same attitude. However, the ceremony was different from the one held when the Mongol princes came to Beijing.

After all, the Mongols were an independent country, and their military strength was considerable, so they needed to intermarry and cooperate with each other. But the Hui people had no such need, since they came to rely on the Qing Dynasty.

To save face, the Emperor held a small but respectable welcoming ceremony and prepared a banquet that evening.

"Ali Khoja greets Your Majesty." Ali Khoja immediately performed a Hui Muslim greeting, but he did not introduce his daughter behind him. Hanxiang also followed her father in greeting, and then numbly followed behind him.

The emperor didn't pay much attention to the princess, since her face was veiled and he couldn't see her clearly, so he didn't take her seriously.

"Very well, Ali and Zhuo have come from afar. I have prepared a banquet to entertain you tonight." The Emperor simply patted Ali on the shoulder and told him about the banquet he had prepared, then said nothing more. The two then headed towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The two had important business to discuss, so Hanxiang didn't go inside. Instead, she went to the inn next door, and upon entering, she was greeted by a strong Qing Dynasty style.

Hanxiang wasn't really interested in appreciating the style, but Jin and Yinlingzi were observing it carefully.

The thought of being separated from her lover and trapped in this palace filled Hanxiang with an unprecedented sense of darkness. Yet, she also thought of herself as a princess of the Hui people, whose men, women, and children all needed the protection of the Qing Dynasty.

As a princess, raised by the entire nation, she had a duty to protect her Hui people. However, this burden was too heavy, and Hanxiang helplessly covered her head with her hands. The thought of performing a dance for the emperor that night filled her with shame and indignation.

She had just secretly glanced at the emperor from behind her father. Although he was quite old, he looked even more robust than her father. He was also very handsome. If she didn't have her lover in her heart, the emperor might not be a bad choice.

What should she do? Although she had met Meng Dan once before coming to Beijing and advised him to let her go, forget her, and find someone who truly loves him, how could she bear to forget her childhood sweetheart, Meng Dan, who had been with her for so many years?

It felt like she was being pulled between two hands, one side love, the other responsibility. Hanxiang felt like she was about to collapse, and she buried her face in her hands in front of the dressing table and cried silently.

*

Shufangzhai

"Really? Father Emperor really wants me to attend tonight's banquet?" Ziwei found it hard to believe. Ever since they confessed that secret, the Emperor hadn't been as furious as she had imagined, but his attitude towards them was completely different, and their relationship had become distant.

During this time, Ziwei stayed quietly in Shufangzhai, diligently learning the rules. She never went out on her own initiative. She never expected that her father, the Emperor, would remember her and send someone to inform her. How could she not be moved? Whatever the reason, the fact that her father hadn't forgotten her made her extremely happy.

"Yes, Princess, you should prepare well and then go to the banquet by the night pool." Yes, it was a young eunuch who came to deliver the message.

Thinking about tonight's banquet, the Emperor wanted his children to come and join in the fun, as he hadn't hosted a large family banquet in a long time. Then he thought of Ziwei at Shufangzhai, and sent someone to inquire about her recent situation. He learned that she had been diligently studying palace rules at Shufangzhai.

The Emperor was finally relieved and decided to let her go out for a walk this time.

No sooner had she seen the little eunuch out than she heard a noise coming from the doorway. It turned out that Little Swallow had returned.

The palace maids and eunuchs who originally served Xiao Yanzi did not know that Xiao Yanzi was not the emperor's daughter. They thought that their princess had done something wrong. When they finally saw Xiao Yanzi, they hurriedly surrounded her and chattered about how concerned she was.

"Princess, how are you? Why haven't I seen you return to Shufangzhai? Where have you been all this time?" Little Mosquito kept chattering beside her.

The little bug and the little stool even exaggeratedly wiped away tears.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Mingyue and Caixia were the first to notice that something was wrong with Xiaoyanzi. They just thought their princess was acting strangely and didn't say anything. The two looked at each other and Caixia asked the question first.

Jin Suo looked at the group of palace maids and eunuchs who quickly surrounded her, and thought about how they always refused to serve her. It seemed as if they didn't recognize who was the master of Shufangzhai.

She coughed lightly at them, "What are you all doing gathered here? Have you finished your work? Mingyue and Caixia, is the princess's dress for the banquet tonight ready? Xiaoyanzi, now that you're back, you can serve the princess." Jin Suo spoke to the group of palace maids and eunuchs with an imperious tone in the first half of her sentence, and although her tone softened a bit in the second half, she still couldn't hide the pride in her voice.

Yes, Jin Suo knew the whole story. After all, she and Ziwei were like sisters, supporting each other from Jinan to Beijing. So, while Xiao Yanzi initially had no intention of taking over her mistress's position, Jin Suo still couldn't swallow her anger.

Now, everyone's back to where they are. I'm at the same level as her, so there's no need for me to be polite to her.

Xiao Yanzi felt that this trip to the Cold Palace was a nightmare of her life. At first, she was beaten with a cane and thrown in, and Xiao Yanzi thought that at most the environment inside was just a bit bad, but she did not expect that the people inside were all crazy.

She finally managed to fall asleep that night, but a woman barged in, acting like a madwoman, yanked off her blankets, and started yelling and screaming on her bed. Because of her injuries, she couldn't use her martial arts skills and was thrown out. She endured a perforated eardrum all night before barely managing to sleep.

The next day, a group of lunatics came, dragged her out of bed, and placed her on a table outside. The cold wind blew on her injured buttocks, causing her to shiver.

Forget about healing; for the first few days, the wound was infected, and I also had a fever, making me feel completely disoriented. Adding to that, the food was either spoiled, rotten, or contained small pebbles.

Although life outside the palace was poor, and sometimes the food was even bad, it had never been like this before, let alone after entering the palace where she ate lavish meals every day. Now, such simple vegetable dishes were simply not worthy of Xiao Yanzi's attention.

But to survive, no matter how hard it was to swallow, Xiao Yanzi would force herself to eat her share. The porridge was just too sore and difficult to swallow; plain water was much more comfortable. Whenever she finished making the water, the group of madmen would rush to snatch it from her and push her to the ground.

She would often be caught off guard and pinned to the ground by the group of lunatics, her hands frequently scraped raw by the pebbles on the ground.

She couldn't sleep at night, and during the day she had to be on guard against them. She couldn't even eat properly. Xiao Yanzi felt like she was about to collapse. If it weren't for her good physical condition, she probably wouldn't have made it through.

No sooner had she recovered than she immediately banged on the door, demanding that the guards in the Cold Palace let her out. The guards, in turn, looked at her as if she were a bacterium.

She then realized she hadn't washed for days. Her clothes were dirty and tattered, and she smelled faintly of sourness. She was a girl, and she had a sense of shame. With great difficulty, she found a clean set of clothes in her bundle. She filled a basin with water, grabbed a handkerchief, and hastily wiped herself down. Still groggy, she put on the clothes.

Only after leaving the Cold Palace did Xiao Yanzi realize that time had never seemed long before, but during her time in the Cold Palace, she truly felt that the nights were long and the cold was intense.

Ziwei heard the noise and came out of the door. She frowned slightly, about to scold them and tell them to be quiet, but then she saw Xiaoyanzi standing there with tears in her eyes.

The bond between the sisters compelled Ziwei to rush towards Xiaoyanzi the moment she saw her. The moment she pulled Xiaoyanzi into her arms, Ziwei was met with a strong, pungent, sour odor that assaulted her senses.

Little Swallow was still holding Ziwei tightly, crying in Ziwei's arms about the hardships she had endured these past days.

Ziwei stepped back with a hint of disgust, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief in embarrassment. "Little Swallow, why don't you wash up first?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi's face suddenly turned red; she had forgotten that she hadn't taken a bath for so many days.

They hadn't thought anything of it at first, but after hearing what Ziwei said, Mingyue and Caixia instantly realized that the sour smell they had just smelled wasn't from Xiaozhuozi and Xiaodengzi, but from Huanzhugege.

Mingyue and Caixia could only hurry up and fetch bath water for Xiaoyanzi, which was Xiaoyanzi's first bath in a long time.

She felt so comfortable that she wanted to stay in the bath forever. Although Mingyue and Caixia were no longer by her side to serve her, she wasn't alone and couldn't take a bath.

After soaking for a while, Xiao Yanzi reluctantly got out of the bathtub and changed into a brand new palace maid's outfit.