The weather is getting hotter and hotter.

After Lin Mama's legs improved, she began to personally prepare refreshing drinks for Shen Yunjiao every day and deliver them to her.

When she brought a plate of chilled peaches into the room today, Shen Yunjiao was sitting by the window, teasing the birds.

"Girl, come and eat some peaches to cool off in the summer heat."

Chilled peaches are drizzled with osmanthus syrup and then placed in ice. The taste is sweet and sour, and very refreshing.

Shen Yunjiao sighed with satisfaction, "Granny's cooking is really good."

She sat down, leaning on the table, and casually asked, "Have you sent it to Father and Brother?"

"The master and young master have been so busy these past few days that they haven't been home."

Shen Yunjiao suddenly remembered that on the day she returned to the manor, when the three of them were having dinner, Shen Zhizhang had said that the father and son would be busy preparing for the upcoming autumn examinations in the next few days.

Thinking that the court had been calm and peaceful these past few days, and that everything seemed to be the same as before, Shen Yunjiao finally felt a little more at ease.

If only life could be this peaceful and serene all the time.

"Miss, someone from the palace has delivered an invitation!" Fu Xia opened the door and came in, holding a gold-embossed crimson envelope.

When Shen Yunjiao saw Fu Xia, she gently called her over.

"Granny Lin, has Lin Kai's marriage been finalized?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Xia blushed with embarrassment.

Granny Lin was taken aback at first, then quickly replied, "No! That boy is young and impetuous. I was thinking that if Fuxia is willing, I would take Fuxia as my daughter-in-law."

Fu Xia was born into the Shen family and lost both her parents at a young age. She also made her own decisions about her marriage.

She glanced shyly at Shen Yunjiao, "If you agree, I will."

“Of course I would,” Shen Yunjiao said with a smile.

Lin Mama's face immediately lit up with joy. "That's wonderful! Don't worry, Miss, I will treat Fuxia as my own daughter from now on!"

After saying that, she couldn't help but pull Fu Xia's hand into her warm palm, and she liked Fu Xia more and more the more she looked at her.

Shen Yunjiao couldn't help but chuckle, "She's already being treated like a treasure before she's even married. Fuxia is so lucky. Granny, hurry up and choose an auspicious day. I'll provide a generous dowry so Fuxia can have a grand wedding."

As they were chatting happily, Shen Yunjiao opened the invitation and saw that it was from Xiao Anle asking her to come to the mansion.

Shen Yunjiao got up to reach for the small black jar in the hidden compartment of the dressing table, and then said to Granny Lin, "Granny, have the servants prepare a carriage, I'm going out later."

Shen Yunjiao first went to the Shen family garden and picked out two smooth, round stones, about the size of a palm. After putting them into her cloth bag, she leisurely headed to the princess's residence.

It was an hour later when she finally met Xiao Anle.

When she arrived at the Qinghui Palace of the Princess's Mansion, Xiao Anle was sitting behind the tea table brewing tea.

She was so preoccupied that she didn't even notice the water in the tea stove was about to overflow.

Just as Shen Yunjiao stepped across the threshold, the princess inside happened to look up at her.

She put down her utensils with delight and stood up to greet her, "Yun Jiao is here. It's hot outside, please come in quickly. I've already brewed a pot of West Lake Longjing tea for you, Yun Jiao, please have a taste."

Shen Yunjiao smiled and said, after taking off her cloak and handing it to the eunuch, she knelt down in front of the tea table facing Xiao Anle.

"The princess has lost even more weight today."

Xiao Anle sighed softly, his eyes filled with sorrow. "The Northern Hu delegation will arrive in the capital tomorrow, and my father has ordered me to go to the palace to welcome the Northern Hu prince."

"Shen Yunjiao, you told me before that you had a way to make me sick to avoid this divorce. Have you found a way?"

Shen Yunjiao came here specifically to discuss this matter.

She pulled a black jar from her bosom, opened the lid, and poured out a red pill.

Shen Yunjiao took a sip of the tea from the teacup in front of her, threw the medicine into her mouth, and drank it all in one gulp.

Xiao Anle looked at her in surprise: "Yun Jiao, what are you doing?"

"Princess, don't worry," Shen Yunjiao comforted her.

In no time, Shen Yunjiao's body became burning hot, her forehead began to be covered in fine sweat, and her cheeks turned as red as a sunset.

"Anle, this is a pill I've been developing these past few days, called the Fever Pill. It contains dozens of medicinal herbs, including Xanthium sibiricum and Evodia rutaecarpa. Once taken, this pill will begin to dissipate heat within the body. If you want to feign illness, take one pill at a time; one pill will maintain its effect for half an hour."

"This pill is so miraculous?" Xiao Anle was dumbfounded. She took the medicine jar from Shen Yunjiao's hand, her face showing some hesitation. "But if the imperial physician comes to take my pulse and finds that it was caused by the medicine, Father will definitely be furious. What should we do then?"

Shen Yunjiao took out two pebbles from her bag and smiled at Xiao Anle, saying, "I've also made preparations. When the imperial physician takes your pulse, you secretly place these two stones on your arm and press them down hard. This will make your pulse very erratic, as if there are evil forces clashing with your body. In this way, if you secretly spread the news that you have a strange illness, His Majesty will definitely not be able to force you to go on a marriage alliance."

Xiao Anle breathed a sigh of relief and said to Shen Yunjiao from the bottom of her heart, "Yunjiao, thank goodness for you."

"There's no need for thanks between friends. If Your Highness insists on thanking me, please have someone bring me some refreshing drinks. What are you drinking tea on such a hot day?" Shen Yunjiao was panting from the heat and kept fanning herself with a round fan.

Xiao Anle finally smiled happily. She ordered someone to bring over an ice chest and a fan, and also had a large bowl of chilled plum juice served.

While Shen Yunjiao was drinking her plum juice, Xiao Anle asked her how she had been lately.

"After the divorce, do you plan to find someone else?"

This world is a difficult and unpredictable place. Even if a prime minister's daughter never marries, she will definitely be the subject of gossip and criticism.

Xiao Anle said earnestly to Shen Yunjiao, "I'll help you find a new husband."

"No, no, no!" Shen Yunjiao quickly waved her hand. "I just jumped out of one fire pit, and I don't want to jump into another one."

Xiao Anle looked at the woman in front of him. She had a beautiful face, a free and easy personality, and superb medical skills.

What kind of man could be worthy of such an extraordinary woman as Shen Yunjiao?

A person's image immediately flashed into Xiao Anle's mind.

She paused for a moment, took a small sip of her tea, and after thinking for a while, finally asked, "Yun Jiao, what do you think of my imperial brother?"