At night, the cold wind howled through the cold palace, and all was silent.

Chu Changning leaned against the bed, her eyes blank. She smelled that strange smell again and couldn't help but leave the palace and walk to the pond to take a look.

She held the stick and pushed it in hard, the strange stench growing stronger. Suddenly, the stick hit something hard.

A bad feeling rose in Chu Changning's heart. He took the fishing tool and probed downwards, and a corpse floated to the surface.

She paused for a moment, then let go.

With a splash, the body fell into the lake.

The Cold Palace was completely dark, without a single ray of light.

Chu Changning turned around and strode back to the palace.

It's not unusual for someone to die in the palace; that person might even be someone who lived in this very hall.

She sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, and couldn't help but think of Ayu again.

In the cannibalistic harem, there is no mother, Ayu---

She took a deep breath, leaned against the bedpost, closed her eyes, and only came to her senses when she heard footsteps outside.

Who would come to the abandoned palace in the middle of the night?

She gathered her clothes, wrapped the cloak tightly around herself, and then quietly walked towards the palace gate with a stick.

Two soft knocks sounded on the door outside the hall, and Shuangyue's low voice came through.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty sent me to bring you clothes."

Chu Changning paused slightly, then walked over and opened the door.

Under the moonlight, her face was pale, and her long, dark eyelashes framed a pair of watery eyes that were devoid of any color. Her tall figure was covered by a white robe, making her look frail and weak.

Shuangyue was taken aback. She was a secret guard and was not usually in the palace. She would only come out when ordered by her superiors to keep an eye on the lady.

Unexpectedly, after only a few months, the lady has become so thin.

She quickly handed over the items on the tray.

"This is the antidote, Your Majesty, please take it as soon as possible."

Chu Changning took the tray, glanced at the imperial physician following behind her, and said calmly.

"You guys go back first."

Shuangyue hurriedly said, "Let the imperial physician examine Her Majesty's health."

"No need."

After saying this, Chu Changning closed the door and returned to the palace.

She walked to the table, opened the porcelain bottle, and thinking about her own body, wondering if it would still work, she took a deep breath and drank it all down in one gulp.

Unable to hear the sounds from inside the palace, Shuangyue sighed and had no choice but to leave with the imperial physician.

Chu Changning has been confined to this cold palace. During the day, a young palace maid named Qiuhe will come to serve her and help her with chores. This young maid is not the same one who came before.

Curious about where the little palace maid had gone, she asked a few questions, which startled Qiuhe, who quickly shut up and didn't ask any more.

Although the Cold Palace was remote, the people from the Inner Palace suddenly brought a lot of things and cleaned the palace gardens. Palace lanterns were hung all around, making it quiet and elegant.

Chu Changning told the people in the inner palace about the body, and they immediately retrieved it, saying they wanted to move her to a different palace, but she refused.

During the day, she would sit in the courtyard basking in the sun, where there were luminous pearls sent by the palace officials. At night, she would read books.

The people from the Imperial Hospital came to examine her several more times and said that her pulse was deep and weak, indicating that cold evil had invaded her body, the poison had weakened her body, and her internal organs had been damaged. Although the poison had been detoxified, her body was still very weak and needed proper recuperation.

Chu Changning didn't want them to examine her again; if the Imperial Medical Academy people came again, she wouldn't examine her much.

When news of her lack of cooperation reached Yan Beimo's ears, he angrily retorted.

"If she doesn't cooperate, tie her up."

The war in the north was chaotic everywhere. The fighting in Yanzhou was fierce, and many countries in the north were destroyed. Apart from the various warlords, only Beiliang and Beidu were left fighting.

Yan Beimo ordered troops to attack Yumen Pass, and reinforced the border with 100,000 soldiers. He himself was going to the northern frontier with Chu Changning.

Chu Changning didn't know why he was going to the Northern Frontier, but he was forcibly shoved into the carriage and had no way to resist.

She was weak and ignored him.

Yan Beimo didn't take the initiative to talk to her either, and the two ignored each other on the way, basically in a cold war.

It was night when they arrived at the Liangzhou Palace. Inside, there was singing and dancing. Yan Beimo sat high on the main seat, with Liangzhou officials sitting on either side of him.

Chu Changning looked at the women dancing below the hall in silence.

Did the daughters of local officials dance in public like concubines in order to curry favor with those in power?

She glanced at the man beside her, saw him staring at the commotion on His Highness's behalf, then looked away, intending to return to the palace to rest.

But as soon as she stood up, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and forcefully pressed her back into the chair.

She was too exhausted to argue with him, so she shook her hand.

Yan Beimo held her hand tightly, glancing sideways, and said, "Sit down."

The north is now on the verge of unification, and the sudden arrival of the Great Qi Emperor in Liangzhou has caused many northern gentry to try to curry favor with him.

Many women from prominent families were also present today, all looking at the emperor on the throne with shyness and timidity.

Chu Changning was very sleepy and said softly, "I'm really tired and want to sleep."

Hearing her soft voice, Yan Beimo's slightly stern face softened, and he said in a stiff tone, "Didn't you say you didn't want to talk to me?"

"---"

Chu Changning recalled her experience in the Cold Palace and lowered her eyes in silence.

The adults below were reporting on the battle situation in the north. Yan Bei Mo glanced at her and saw that she was tired, so he gestured for Shuang Yue to take her back to rest.

After Chu Changning came out of the hall, he breathed a sigh of relief as he enjoyed the cool breeze outside.

She returned to the palace where she was assigned to stay, washed up, and went straight to sleep.

The war in the north was complicated, and Yan Beimo was very busy. When they came out, they brought Xiaobai with them. Chu Changning had been unwell recently, so he said he wanted to go to the horse farm to ride a horse for a while.

Shuangyue didn't dare to stop her, thinking that the palace wasn't far away, so she let her go.

Chu Changning rode his horse across the arena, breathing in the fresh air, and his mood improved considerably.

She spent the whole afternoon playing at the racecourse, and it wasn't until nightfall, when Shuangyue came to urge her, that she slowly led her horse back home.

Liangzhou is located in the Beiling area, close to Yanzhou.

On the way back to the palace, she asked Shuangyue about Ayu. Shuangyue liked Chu Changning from the bottom of her heart and secretly told her the truth.

Upon learning that Ayu was in Jiankang, Chu Changning felt a sense of relief, and the pent-up frustration in his heart dissipated.

While he was in the Cold Palace, his mental state was extremely poor due to the poisoning, and his health deteriorated day by day.

Now that I'm out and about, I look much better.

Just as Shuangyue was about to say something, a strange bell sound suddenly rang out, blurring her vision instantly. She quickly drew her knife.

"Your Majesty---"

The assassin suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There weren't many guards around, so they quickly showed themselves to stop him.

However, the newcomers were clearly prepared and blocked them all.

A magnificent horse galloped over, scooped Chu Changning up in its arms, and sped towards the city gate.

Chu Changning turned around in shock, and the first thing he saw was the golden cone hanging on the ear. The boy's aura was overwhelming. He leaned down and smiled wickedly.

"A-Wan, we meet again."