Wind and rain, dryness and wetness, sunlight, and temperature are all at a turning point; the bleakness of late autumn is finally beginning to change towards winter. The light is dim, dark clouds seem to gather and drift towards the capital, the handle of the Big Dipper moves to the northwest, and the solar term of Beginning of Winter has arrived.

Autumn harvest and winter storage. Winter is the season when all things in the world fall into slumber. On the day of Lidong (the beginning of winter), snow falls from the sky to the ground, sprinkling on the green tiles and white walls, and covering the withered trees.

Jiang Yan leaned slightly to Shu Yun's side to help her put on her jacket, carefully fastening the buttons. His beautiful eyes were focused intently on his actions, as if it were something extremely important.

The orange-red light from the stove shone on Shu Yun's fair face, reflecting off the camellias at the corners of her eyes, creating a dazzling and radiant scene.

Shu Yun sat on the futon, her back leaning lazily against the soft cushion that Jiang Yan had sent to bring. A strand of her thickly tied-up long hair fell down and draped over her shoulder.

She was somewhat helpless. As a goddess, she was not afraid of the summer heat and winter cold of the mortal world. However, she could not reveal any flaws, so she was forced to wear a thick coat and Jiang Yan even stuffed a small hand warmer into her hand.

Her gaze fell upon Jiang Yan, who was fastening the last button of his hand. His hands were long and pale, with delicate, slender fingers that did not have prominent knuckles.

Shu Yun suddenly spoke up, "Your hands are quite beautiful."

Jiang Yan had just finished fastening the last button when she heard her words. She looked up at her with a smile and said, "Thank you for the compliment."

The person who had been bending down to fasten the buttons looked up and was at eye level with her, and Shu Yun realized that the distance between them was a bit too close.

Jiang Yan's flawless, jade-like face came into view, and her long, soft eyelashes were clearly visible.

She frowned slightly, turned her head away from him, and leaned her body to move further away.

Jiang Yan seemed unaware, straightening up beside her, tall and elegant, "The wine is warmed, would you like some?"

The wine was warmed on a clay stove in front of him, with flames licking the bottom, and the heat slowly seeped into the wine, causing small bubbles to rise on the surface of the newly brewed rice wine.

Newly brewed wine with green ant-like hues, a small red clay stove with a burning fire.

Light snowflakes drifted down outside the pavilion, accompanied by the howling of a cold winter wind, but the people inside seemed oblivious, enjoying their warm wine.

Shu Yun developed a fondness for this mortal world, which was full of restrictions.

She nodded, watching with some anticipation as Jiang Yan poured her a cup of hot wine and placed it in front of her.

In winter, when the temperature is low, wisps of steam rise from the cups filled with hot wine.

"Let it cool down a bit before you drink it." Jiang Yan poured himself a cup and then sat down next to Shu Yun.

Of course she knew she should drink it cold; in fact, she could have easily lowered the temperature of the wine with a flick of her finger if she wanted to, but she didn't.

Firstly, she was afraid Jiang Yan would notice something amiss; secondly, it was because this was the first time she had experienced mortal life so closely and realistically.

She wanted to wait for the hot wine ladled out after the soup boiled to cool naturally, and then, like everyone else in the mortal world, hold the cup in her hands and sip it slowly.

Shu Yun held the hand warmer, her gaze falling on the swirling snow outside the pavilion, lost in thought.

Both of them possessed unparalleled beauty, and sitting side by side like this was already a beautiful picture.

Ke Min and Gu Yu, who were attending to each other, couldn't help but glance at the two people in the pavilion from time to time. The aloof and beautiful woman leaned lazily against the wall, while the indifferent and handsome man silently watched her with his head turned to the side. No matter how you looked at them, they seemed like a perfect match made in heaven.

Ke Min sighed inwardly. Although his master kept saying that he had no intention of being with Miss Wan Yang, his actions were completely inconsistent with his words.

Miss Wan Yang doesn't seem to have any feelings for her master. To put it bluntly, Ke Min always felt that Miss Wan Yang was much more enthusiastic towards the family cook than towards her master. She didn't show any shyness towards her sweetheart, which meant that her master was not Miss Wan Yang's sweetheart at all.

Yet the two acted intimately and naturally, without any sense of restraint regarding the separation of men and women. Apart from the master's close attendants who knew what was going on, all the other servants assumed that Miss Wan Yang was already the master's woman.

The two had been seen entering and leaving together on several occasions, and the neighbors and people on the street had come to believe that they were a young married couple.

If things continue like this, and Miss Yang meets someone she likes, her reputation might...

Forget it, what is he thinking? He just needs to carry out the orders given by the Lord. Everyone else should not be considered by him.

"Wan Yang..."

Jiang Yan called her softly, calling her Wan Yang, but in his heart he was thinking of her other name.

The surrounding environment was too comfortable, and Shu Yun felt a little drowsy, but she forced herself to stay awake and wait for that sip of wine.

She lazily rolled her eyes and gave a soft "hmm" in response.

The white jade on Jiang Yan's forehead ribbon took on a warm hue from the firelight. "In the battle at the front, Lan Dynasty is weak, and it's only a matter of time before Chu Kingdom attacks the capital. Many aristocratic families have already prepared their escape routes. What about you?"

When the topic came up, Shu Yun became more clear-headed. "The three kingdoms are vying for control of Suizao. Once the outcome is clear and the Lan Dynasty is destroyed, I will take Feng Ziyi and go to join them."

Upon hearing her reply, Jiang Yan felt as if something was shattering within him, yet it kept reassembling itself against his will. He felt a dull, sharp pain in his chest.

Fengzi translated it again.

With the fall of a nation and the outbreak of war, she was constantly thinking about Feng Ziyi. But what about him?

Did she ever think of him even slightly? Did she worry about where he would go in the future? Did she fret about his safety...?

Shu Yun seemed to have thought of something else, "What about you? Have you prepared a way out for yourself? If not, do you want to come with us?"

When she asked him, Jiang Yan's fingers curled slightly under his cloak. "I don't get along with Feng Ziyi."

The person beside him had long, dark eyelashes that cast a shadow under their eyes, and spoke in a low, dejected tone.

Shu Yun stared at him for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, with me here, how could you two possibly start fighting?"

Jiang Yan twitched her lips. Little did she know that he and Feng Ziyi had already dealt each other a fatal blow long before she even appeared.

It goes without saying who she was waiting for to leave after the fall of the Lan Dynasty. Who else could she care about so much besides the blindly loyal Feng Ziyi?

Lin Fei wrote a letter a few days ago, saying that taking over Suizhou and Zaozhuang is just around the corner.

For him, setting off for Suizao now is the most reasonable arrangement. After Lin Fei takes Suizao, there will definitely be many more battles to fight. He should go there now to oversee both Suizao and Suizao.

But he left. After both Lanchao and Chu lost Suizao, the King of Chu naturally could not offend both countries at the same time, and would inevitably bypass Suizao to attack Lanchao.

Without Sui Zao, he naturally wouldn't be kind enough to help Lan Chao. Blood was flowing like rivers under the Chu cavalry, and it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't go on a killing spree in the capital. Who would guarantee her safety then? With the useless people under Feng Ziyi's command?

Jiang Yan smiled, her dimples appearing and disappearing. "Of course I'm willing to be with you all."