The pristine white gauze curtains shrouded the luxurious bed in a misty haze, yet they could not compare to the person on the bed with skin as smooth and cold as jade.

Her snow-white skin seemed to glow with a hazy, luminous light, its texture like that of a precious jade gemstone, meticulously polished over millions of years. Long, waist-length silver hair cascaded over her pale face, giving her an eerily inhuman appearance. Only the faint crimson on her lips, as if she had taken medicine, and the barely perceptible rise and fall of her chest proved that the person before her was not a tragically beautiful work of art that had already died, but a fragile, pitiful, precious, and cherished individual.

Emperor Kangxi felt that he had seen too few women in the past to imagine what a truly peerless beauty was like, but now he had seen with his own eyes a beauty that was intolerable to the world: his daughter, Dunke.

"Is that Dunke?"

Behind Kangxi, Crown Prince Yinreng couldn't help but mutter, "How could someone look like this..."

Yes, how could it grow up like this?

Kangxi gently touched Qingyin's delicate eyebrows, which seemed to be bearing the pain of her illness. A rare feeling of tenderness rose in his heart. This was his daughter, the daughter who was about to be taken away by illness.

She's too thin, her face is so small, not even as big as one of his palms. Has she not been eating well? Kangxi felt a surge of anger, but it wasn't directed at Qingyin; it was directed at her foster mother, Consort Yi, who had been taking care of her.

Kangxi carefully tucked the thin blanket around Qingyin, his movements so gentle as if he were afraid of waking her. He watched her for a while before reluctantly and quietly leaving.

"Is this how you take care of Dunke?!"

"Your Majesty, Princess Dunke has always been frail. I truly had no idea that she had become so weak!"

Kangxi glared angrily at Consort Yi, who was still trying to shift the blame onto Dunke's frail health. His gaze grew colder and colder. The Crown Prince, who should have pleaded for Consort Yi to appease his Ninth Brother's earning power, couldn't bring himself to speak, remembering his vulnerable sister lying on the sickbed.

Consort Yi was indeed too negligent and deserves some punishment. Anyway, because of Ninth Brother, Father Emperor won't go too far.

“Consort Yi is immoral, behaves improperly, and mistreats the princess. She is demoted to Consort Yi and confined to her quarters for six months.”

“Princess Dunke is of good character and pure nature. I am delighted to see her. I will move her to the Qianqing Palace and raise her myself.”

Consort Yi was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground. She was just a princess, how could the Emperor... how could he...

When Qingyin woke up, she found herself in a different place. The furnishings in the room were undoubtedly much more magnificent and luxurious than those in Changchun Palace. In addition, there were intricate dragon patterns and various strange treasures carved on the walls and stone pillars. Qingyin guessed where she was.

"Yinyin, the Emperor has brought you to the Qianqing Palace." The system's words confirmed Qingyin's guess.

His current state is truly heartbreaking, so I immediately asked my elderly father to take him in and care for him.

"Master, give me a cure for a terminal illness so that Kangxi will do whatever I say. One pill to feign illness isn't enough; I need to give him a strong dose."

"Okay, Yinyin, 300 points."

"Deduct it."

"Okay!"

Qingyin looked at the plump, candy-like pill that appeared in her hand and swallowed it directly.

"Master, these pills of yours are like a test for graduate students! They're even peach-flavored, not bad!"

"Of course, Yinyin, let me tell you, the world of pills is in a frenzy right now. Those pills that used to taste like medicine are long gone!"

Their conversation was quickly interrupted by Yinxiang, whose clothes were disheveled, who arrived at the scene. Qingyin felt as if she were in a daze when she was embraced by a humanoid figure that looked like a hot furnace.

"Dunke, sister, it was my fault, it's my fault, you clearly..." Yinxiang choked as he spoke, tears streaming down his chiseled face and soaking Qingyin's clothes.

"Brother, it's okay," Qingyin patted him gently, as if she were giving her brother another hug on behalf of the little girl.

The original owner of this body and her brother Yinxiang were truly introverted people paired together. They clearly loved each other, yet stubbornly refused to express it. Yinxiang was five years older than Dunke, and because of their mother, he visited very infrequently, but the material gifts he sent were always substantial, and he would give her gifts within his means every year. Unfortunately, the sensitive Dunke lacked intense, companionship-based love, which Yinxiang failed to provide.

Yinxiang cried out for the second time in his sister's arms. The first time was when his sister was young and lying weakly in bed with a fever. This time, however, it was a matter of life and death. He looked at Qingyin's silver hair and her fragile face with a blur. He was filled with self-blame again. If he hadn't been so stubborn and selfish in blaming his mother's affairs on Dunke, how could Dunke have ended up like this!

Qingyin gently took Yinxiang's hand, drawing his emotions back to the present.

"Brother, I want to drink the milk tea you make."

"Okay," Yinxiang replied to Qingyin, his eyes reddening, as he tried to control his emotions.

Behind a screen by his bedside, Emperor Kangxi spoke of disqualification. He said Yinxiang was unqualified, but how could he, as her father, be any better? He only realized this when his daughter was critically ill…

Compared to the solemn atmosphere in the Qianqing Palace, the other people in the harem were greatly puzzled. Princess Dunke was seriously ill, yet the Emperor directly took her to the Qianqing Palace. This was even more outrageous than the severe punishment given to Consort Yi. Everyone was puzzled and secretly sent people to inquire about it.

Unlike the timid concubines, the Empress Dowager, one of the three powerful figures in the palace, had no doubts. She brought the curious Empress Dowager to the Qianqing Palace the very next day.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, greetings to the Empress Dowager."

"Yes, get up."

Liang Jiugong had no worries about the two powerful figures. He had been left by the Emperor to look after Princess Dunke for the past two days and had seen her true face. Even her enemies would not harm her, let alone her great-grandmother and grandmother.

The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised that the Emperor had actually kept Liang Jiugong by Dunke's side; he must be of considerable importance. She exchanged a glance with the Empress Dowager before signaling Liang Jiugong to lead them to see Dunke.

Upon entering the hall, the rare and fragrant ambergris incense of the Qianqing Palace was now permeated with a strong, bittersweet medicinal smell. The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and continued walking inside, where the medicinal smell became even stronger.

Her gaze was quickly drawn to Qingyin, who was obediently drinking her medicine. A thin little girl with a full head of silver hair, her skin so white it was almost translucent, and her pale face, all revealed that the girl's vitality was being cruelly taken away. The Empress Dowager's heart, which had been cold for half her life, couldn't help but beat when she saw her pitiful granddaughter.

No wonder, no wonder Xuan Ye wanted to bring her out and raise her himself!