In the days leading up to Lunar New Year's Eve, Yinreng appeared anxious and restless almost every day.

Even Hongxi, who had been accompanying him in reviewing memorials, sensed something was amiss. He sat quietly on the cushion and played, not daring to make a sound except for internal monologues.

I wonder what's going on with Uncle Nine.

Yinreng was also eager to know the situation over there, as three days had passed since their last communication.

Judging by the dates, the snowstorm should be starting in the next day or two.

Hongxi sat on the cushion looking out the window. Although he couldn't see anything, his worried gaze filled Yinreng's heart with comfort.

At such a young age, he has the world in his heart, instead of using his second life to engage in power struggles and personal gain.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the Ninth Prince."

He Yuzhu knew that Yinzhen had been sent out by his master to do something important, and now that he had received the urgent letter from the other party, he naturally dared not neglect it.

Upon hearing this, Yinreng practically jumped up from his chair and rushed out, snatching the letter from He Yuzhu's hand and quickly opening it.

The first line of text that caught his eye sent chills down his spine.

Your Highness the Crown Prince: Suzhou was hit by a sudden heavy snowfall yesterday.

Yinreng suppressed his emotions and read the letter from beginning to end. Only after learning that Yintang had already made arrangements for the supply of materials and disaster relief with local officials did he breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm curious what Uncle Nine said in his letter. Is it related to the snow disaster?

Hongxi's thoughts made Yinreng pause. He waved He Yuzhu away and held the letter with a thoughtful expression.

"I never expected that a place like Suzhou would suddenly experience such heavy snow. Luckily, Lao Jiu is there."

As expected, a snowstorm struck. This snowstorm came suddenly, and given the local officials' lack of experience, it's highly likely that after the disaster is brought under control, a wave of epidemics will follow.

Yinreng had indeed thought about the plague, but he couldn't come up with a good solution.

"What should we do if an epidemic breaks out after the disaster?"

[My father actually thought the same thing as me; we're truly on the same wavelength.]

Yinreng: There's no need for telepathy; just tell me the solution.

[How did the previous emperor, Grandfather, resolve the plague? Right, I think he sent Zhang Tingyu to Suzhou, and Zhang Tingyu, along with local officials, ultimately solved the problem.]

Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief.

He picked up Hongxi, who looked worried, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"You are truly my good son."

Just as Yinreng finished speaking, he heard Guarjia's voice outside the door and said, "Please come in, Crown Princess."

Before long, Lady Guarjia came in carrying a food box. When she saw Yinreng holding his youngest son with a big smile, the tense look on her face relaxed a bit.

"I have seen that Your Highness has been unusually busy these past few days, so I dare not come and disturb you."

Lady Guarjia placed the food box on the table, then took out two small bowls from it, handing the larger one to Yinreng, saying, "Your Highness, please try this. It's a warming soup that I made."

After saying that, she hugged Hongxi into her arms, picked up a small bowl of sweet soup, and said with a smile, "Hongxi, shall I feed you sweet soup?"

Hongxi danced with joy, sputtering out the word "good" intermittently.

My mother's sweet soup was the best, but unfortunately, she passed away early in my previous life, so I only had it a few times before I never had it again.

Yinreng paused in his soup-drinking motion, glanced at Guarjia unconsciously, but ultimately said nothing.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. How are the preparations for the grand banquet in the palace going?"

While feeding her soup, Lady Guarjia smiled and said, "This time, the old ancestor is in charge, and I and Consort Wenxi are jointly in charge. Everything, from the song and dance performances to the food arrangements, has been prepared."

Yinreng finished the soup in his bowl before saying, "Cancel all the song and dance performances at the palace banquet."

Guarjia turned around to look at him in shock.

"I just received a message from Lao Jiu: a sudden heavy snowfall in Suzhou may cause a snow disaster. Tomorrow's palace banquet will only consist of eating; no singing or dancing performances are allowed."

Guarjia immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly put down the soup bowl in her hand. "Your Highness, shouldn't we talk to the Ancestor about this?"

Yinreng nodded. "Go and tell the women in the inner palace that I have summoned the court officials to Yuqing Palace for a meeting."

Just then, the sound of light, soft footsteps came from outside.

Lady Guarjia picked up the child and bowed to Yinreng, saying, "This concubine will take the little prince back first."

After leaving the study, Lady Guarjia handed Hongxi over to the wet nurse and then hurriedly took Wenying to Cining Palace.

Tomorrow's palace banquet will not only be attended by the imperial concubines and princes, but also by members of the imperial family, officials of the third rank and above, and their families.

If the arrangements for the palace banquet are not handled properly, it could tarnish the Crown Prince's reputation.

Inside the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who was listening to a young palace maid chanting sutras, was filled with doubt upon hearing that the Crown Princess had arrived.

Seeing her hurried pace, he frowned even more.

"Guarjia, as the Crown Princess, you must always be mindful of your words and actions, and never panic."

Before Guarjia could apologize, she said urgently, "Grand Ancestor, there has been a snow disaster in Suzhou."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was taken aback, clearly not understanding what this meant.

Guarjia hurriedly explained, "His Highness the Crown Prince just received a letter from the Ninth Prince, saying that Suzhou was hit by a sudden heavy snowfall, and the disaster is said to be quite serious."

Empress Xiaozhuang fell backward, but fortunately Su Mala Gu caught her with quick reflexes.

"Grandmother, you must hold on!"

Lady Guarjia stepped forward and looked at Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang with concern. “Grandmother, this snow disaster came suddenly. His Highness the Crown Prince means that there will be no song and dance performances at the palace banquet tomorrow.”

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!