Su Ruodan bit her lower lip until it bled, but she refused to utter a sound.

"The bones are quite hard."

"Go and get some salt water."

The old woman sneered and turned to the servants.

In the freezing cold, a bucket of salted ice water was poured over someone's head.

"ah--!!"

Su Ruodan finally screamed in agony, her whole body convulsing. Her wounds felt like they were being pierced by thousands of needles, and the pain almost made her faint.

"I'm asking you this one last time, do you plead guilty or not?!"

The head maid grabbed her hair,

Su Ruodan raised her head, her vision blurred by blood.

She suddenly laughed sadly.

"I admit it..."

She weakly confessed to this fabricated crime; otherwise, she feared she would die if she were beaten any longer.

"Good! Everyone heard that if Madam Ruo confessed! The master said that if she confesses, she will be executed."

The old woman released her grip with satisfaction, took the poison from the maid beside her, and had someone pry open Su Ruodan's mouth and force it down her throat.

Unable to resist, the medicine went down her throat and she coughed up a mouthful of blood, her head drooping limply.

The servant checked her breathing and his expression changed: "She's...she's not breathing..."

The head maid frowned as she glanced at the battered body lying in the snow, then waved her hand impatiently: "Throw it into the mass grave."

The snow fell heavier and heavier, gradually covering the bloodstains on the ground.

No one noticed Su Ruodan's death.

*

The winter sun, thin as a cicada's wing, gently covered the plum branches still covered in snow.

Red plum blossoms reflected in the snow, their subtle fragrance wafting in the air; the entire garden is as tranquil as a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Yin Jiuxiao supported Zixi as they walked very slowly.

Zi Xi's belly was already showing, and even the heavy fox fur couldn't hide her round curves.

She would take a break after every few steps, and Yin Jiuxiao would stop as well, subtly supporting her lower back with his fingertips, afraid that she would get tired.

"Your Majesty, you are too nervous."

“I’ve practiced martial arts since I was a child, I’m not made of porcelain.”

Zi Xi sighed and reached out to brush away the fallen plum blossoms from his shoulder.

Yin Jiuxiao frowned: "The imperial physician said the roads are slippery in the snow."

"But I want to admire the plum blossoms. Look at that red plum tree, it's blooming so beautifully."

She tugged at his sleeve, her eyes sparkling.

For children in the south, how often would they see snow if they didn't move to the north?

If she had a cell phone, she would have loved to take pictures from every angle.

Yin Jiuxiao looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw an old plum tree with gnarled branches and blood-red blossoms, so beautiful they were breathtaking.

"Hmm, not as good-looking as you."

He said it casually, but his gaze remained fixed on her face.

Zi Xi's ears burned, and she deliberately turned her face away: "Why are you looking at me when you're looking at the flowers?"

Yin Jiuxiao suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You are more beautiful than the flowers."

"...!"

Just as Zi Xi was about to scold him, the baby in her womb suddenly kicked, and she cried out and clutched her stomach.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

Yin Jiuxiao's expression changed instantly.

"no……"

"Touch it, and the little guy kicks you."

Zi Xi smiled and took his hand, gently pressing it against her stomach.

A slight movement came from his palm, and Yin Jiuxiao was stunned. His cold and stern expression softened little by little.

"Making a fuss, just like you."

He hummed softly.

"It's just like you, so domineering."

Zi Xi chuckled:

A breeze swept through the plum grove, blowing down a red plum petal that landed right on Zi Xi's hair.

Yin Jiuxiao reached out and brushed it away, then pulled her closer to his chest.

Are you cold?

"It's not cold."

"Shall we go back to the palace then?"

"Let's walk a little further."

The emperor and empress walked away, their figures receding into the distance, leaving two sets of footprints side by side on the snow.

The fragrance of plum blossoms fills my sleeves; life is peaceful and serene.

This was the rest of Yin Jiuxiao's life, which he had never imagined.