Yun didn't want to waste any energy on Xiao Shengyuan, so she completely forgot about him on her way back.

While holding a hot water bottle to warm the bed at night, I thought of Fu Junshi.

Liaodong is covered in ice and snow; I wonder if he's eaten and dressed well.

This person is always so busy that he forgets to eat and sleep. If no one reminds him, he won't even remember to eat a meal all day.

In the past, when she was by his side, she could offer him some advice.

Now all I can do is ramble on in letters, and I don't even know if he's listening.

As for clothing, she had over a hundred down jackets made and sent over, following Qingyin's instructions. He probably kept one for himself and didn't distribute them all to his subordinates, right?

She already had trouble sleeping on winter nights, and this worry made it even harder for her to fall asleep.

The warmed-up quilt cooled down quickly, so she boiled water again and poured it into the hot water bottle. She only fell asleep when she heard the second watch of the night striking outside.

She rarely dreamt of Fu Junshi, but he was shot through the chest by an enemy arrow and was calling out her name in pain.

She woke up with a start, her heart pounding.

Looking out the window, it was still pitch black; I guessed I had only slept for an hour.

But he just couldn't close his eyes.

This dream is very ominous.

She was especially uneasy when she thought that Fu Junshi hadn't sent a letter back for ten days—he usually sent a letter every three days.

After sitting stiffly in her bedroom until dawn, she washed up and changed her clothes, then had someone call Fu Weiyun to the main courtyard.

"Mother, why are you looking for me so early in the morning?"

"Has your father sent a message back?"

"not yet."

Yun sighed.

“I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that your father was injured. I was so worried. And he hasn’t replied to my letters for so long…”

"Mother, dreams are always the opposite of reality."

Fu Weiyun comforted him.

"Don't worry, Father has the miraculous medicine my sister gave me. Even if I get injured, I can recover."

However, the Yun family could not rest easy.

That arrow in my dream was incredibly dangerous.

Although Qingyin gave Fu Junshi the miraculous medicine, what if he gave it to someone else? He has never been secretive with his soldiers.

Seeing her worried expression, Fu Weiyun realized that he couldn't comfort her with just a few words, so he said, "If you're really worried, why don't you go to the temple and pray for your father's well-being?"

According to his sister, the monks in the temple are all spiritual masters, blessed by Buddhism, and are the best at comforting people.

Yun had the same idea, and replied, "Yes, I will go to Hanshan Temple to pay my respects after I have breakfast."

"I'll go with you."

“No,” Yun shook her head. “You still have to go to the palace.”

Fu Weiyun had just been appointed as the commander of the Imperial Guards, and except for national holidays, he had to be on duty in the palace.

Fu Weiyun smiled and said, "I can ask for leave."

Yun shook her head: "You're new here, and you're related to His Majesty. If you're only diligent and inconsistent, your subordinates will definitely be dissatisfied. I'll bring more people with me."

Fu Weiyun had no choice but to go along with her.

"Then please be careful, and call the guards anytime if anything happens."

"Uh-huh."

After having breakfast, Lady Yun, accompanied by her maids and guards, went to Hanshan Temple.

There weren't many worshippers at the temple. After offering incense and praying to Buddha, she drew a fortune stick and planned to find a master she knew to interpret it, and also to have her dream interpreted.

The young novice told her that the master was seeing other worshippers and she would have to wait.

Lady Yun then took her maid and followed him to the quiet hall reserved for female guests to wait.

After drinking about a cup of tea in the quiet hall, she heard the voice of a young novice monk coming from the quiet hall next door, which was reserved for men: "Please wait here for a moment, there are two other worshippers ahead of you."

"Thank you, young master."

The visitor said politely.

His voice was deep and gentle, exuding a refined and scholarly air.

Yun frowned instantly.

Not for any other reason than that the person next door is Xiao Shengyuan.

She had barely stepped into the meditation room when Xiao Shengyuan followed right behind her; this could not possibly be a coincidence.

Xiao Shengyuan was not a Buddhist, and she had never seen him go to a temple before.

This guy is shameless. For the sake of power and status, he's abandoned the aloofness and wisdom he's maintained for decades and is following her around like a madman.

It's truly shameful.

As she inwardly scorned him, she heard him ask, "Excuse me, little monk, how do I get to the purification room?"

The young novice replied, "Go left after leaving the meditation hall, and continue until you reach the end of the corridor."

"Thanks."

Footsteps were then heard.

Yun secretly wondered if it would be better to take this opportunity to leave, lest this person pester her.

But then she thought, Xiao Shengyuan is the one who's disgusting, so why should she avoid him whenever she sees him?

If anyone should be taking a detour, it should be Xiao Shengyuan.

If he dares to get ahead of her, she'll teach him a lesson.

So he stayed and calmly drank tea.

A moment later, footsteps sounded again, reaching the entrance of the quiet hall next door, but instead of stopping, they walked into the quiet hall where she was.

Yun sneered inwardly.

They really came for her.

However, she was still taken aback when she saw Xiao Shengyuan's appearance.

The man's hair was disheveled, his eyes were dark and bloodshot, and he looked even more haggard than she had, who had only slept for an hour the night before.

I was immediately filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Could this person really be looking for a master?

But Xiao Shengyuan's words shattered her suspicions.

He stared at her in a daze, murmuring, "Yinyin, what are you doing here? Am I still dreaming?"

As he spoke, he slapped himself hard across the face.

Yun Shi: "..."

It's such a waste that this person doesn't go into acting.

After slapping him, Xiao Shengyuan seemed to wake up from a dream and said, "Yinyin, what a coincidence! I didn't expect that we would meet again at the temple today, just yesterday."

Yun, suppressing her nausea, said, "Lord Xiao, this is the waiting room for female guests. Please leave immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Xiao Shengyuan looked hurt.

"Yinyin, please let me finish what I have to say."

Last night I dreamt that the three of us were sitting together eating glutinous rice balls, chatting and laughing.

Once I woke up, I couldn't fall back asleep.

Ever since you came back from the dead and appeared before me, I have regretted countless times that if I had been able to retain a shred of reason back then, and not been trapped in grief, and had stopped my mother from acting recklessly in time, would the scene in my dream have come true?

I know I've let you and your child down, but I hope you can give me a chance to make amends.

I will definitely be a good husband and a good father, and I won't let you down.

Looking at his infatuated appearance, Yun felt it was utterly absurd.

She ruthlessly exposed the man's hypocrisy: "Stop acting. If Yin'er wasn't about to become empress and you hadn't been demoted, you wouldn't have come to us at all."

Xiao Shengyuan's expression stiffened for a moment.

"Yinyin, do you have to misinterpret my feelings like this? I really miss you and hope you can come back to me."

Madam Yun scoffed: "Do you think you're some kind of hot commodity? You're old, still drowning in debt, your official position is precarious, and you have an old woman at home who's always causing trouble for your daughter-in-law. Even the second-marriage daughters of wealthy families wouldn't want you. And yet you have the nerve to come and show your love to me, a first-rank lady? I really don't know where you get such a big face."