What His Highness the Crown Prince sent was naturally of the finest quality.

Not only paints, but also brushes, ink, and drawing paper—everything needed for painting is available.

Especially ink and paper.

More than a hundred sheets of Yuezhou paper were brought over; this paper is specifically used for painting.

The annual output is not high because it requires a special plant.

Today, it is exclusively for royal painting.

Giving her over a hundred sheets of paper at once is quite generous. A single sheet of paper like that could fetch ten taels of silver outside.

It's genuinely expensive.

Since Yan Nangui has obtained something good, he is naturally willing to put in the effort.

So this time, she slowly began to draft a large one.

The background is a palace banquet, and since the Crown Prince is so generous, the first person to be painted is naturally His Highness the Crown Prince wearing a dragon robe.

Although the three-clawed dragon robe was not his ultimate dream, he would let the Crown Prince enjoy it for now.

Time flies when Yan Nangui starts painting seriously.

When she felt it was a bit dark and she couldn't see clearly, she looked up and found that it had started snowing outside.

Even through the curtains on the window, you could tell that the snow was quite heavy.

"My lady, would you like to rest for a while? Or shall I light a lamp for you?" Luo Kui asked.

"No need, let's not paint it for now. This painting can't be finished in one go." It's a painting with a very large composition, and it still needs coloring and other things.

There's no rush, so I'll just leave it here for now.

If she doesn't move, no one else will.

"My lady, something has happened in the palace. They say that... Attendant Zhou has passed away," Su Ye said.

Yan Nangui clicked his tongue: "So fast? It didn't die a natural death, did it?"

“This servant doesn’t know, I only heard that he died suddenly,” Su Ye said.

Yan Nangui nodded, understanding the situation.

Those who are suddenly demoted like this usually die suddenly in the end.

But this one was also wronged.

She still remembers looking at the old emperor with gratitude and emotion when the Eighth Prince was released.

But once something happens, His Majesty doesn't care whether she lives or dies.

To die now, bearing a criminal charge, is also a disgrace.

The snow outside was falling heavier and heavier, like goose feathers.

At the Seventh Prince's residence, Shu Yufeng received the news, and he felt as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer.

He hadn't recovered yet; all he could think about was finding a way to save his mother.

They keep telling her to leave the cold palace. And it's only been a few days...

This time, Cheng Yuluo didn't wait to be invited; she came on her own initiative.

When they saw her arrive in the front yard, they naturally didn't dare to stop her.

"Your Highness."

Shu Yufeng looked at her: "A'Luo, you've come? My mother is dead. She's dead."

“Your Highness, you still have to go to the palace to attend to matters; now is not the time for sorrow.” A’Luo’s heart ached. “Let me help you change your clothes.”

"A-Luo, tell me, how could she die? Although she only cared about profit, she still loved me all these years. How could she suddenly die?" Shu Yufeng asked blankly.

Tears streamed down A Luo's face. She waved for someone to prepare clothes while taking his hand and saying, "You still need to come to the palace to see the Empress's funeral arrangements. Please accept my condolences."

Shu Yufeng gripped her hand tightly for a while, then said, "Let's change."

With red eyes, A Luo helped him change into a set of plain clothes.

When Shu Yufeng left the mansion, he didn't even think about his principal wife, Ning Shi.

In the main courtyard, Madam Ning heard about these things, but she had no choice but to go along.

I can only follow behind.

The Eighth Prince and his wife also entered the palace immediately.

The awkward thing is that Zhou died after being demoted, so she naturally couldn't go to the palace she had previously lived in.

However, the two princes could not go to the Cold Palace at will, because there were still the concubines from the late emperor's time there.

Therefore, everyone must first meet His Majesty in the Beichen Hall.

When the Seventh Prince met the Eighth Prince, he didn't say a word. Instead, the Eighth Prince looked at him anxiously for a long time, and in the end, he only paid his respects and dared not say anything more.

Shu Zhongjing did not go to see his two sons, but only sent a message telling them to visit them, but to avoid them.

After the seventh prince kowtowed, he got up and left.

The snow was heavy, and his figure looked terribly thin from behind. The eunuchs serving him looked at him and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Once upon a time, the Seventh Prince was so favored.

I have never been so careful when entering and leaving Beichen Palace as I am today.

It's a pity that those good days are gone forever.

The only ones who can still be at ease in front of His Majesty are the eleventh and twelfth princes.

Even the second prince, though still considered favored, was being watched closely because of his age and growing ambition.

Although he was convicted, Zhou Shiyu's body was still taken care of.

She changed her clothes and visibly tidied her face.

Just by looking at her lip color, you could tell she died an unnatural death.

The lips were almost black, and there were still traces of blood on the ears.

The servants were all replaced when we first arrived here, and now there is basically no one to serve us personally.

It's obvious that it's impossible to find out how she was poisoned.

Having enjoyed the emperor's favor for many years and raised two sons, it's no surprise that Zhou had made many enemies.

But who died at this crucial moment? Was it an enemy?

Or were we used as pawns?

The seventh prince knelt there without saying a word, while the eighth prince wept uncontrollably.

Previously, the Eighth Prince only felt that his mother was biased, but once his mother passed away, he was terrified.

His older brother no longer paid him any attention, and his father had never liked him.

In this vast world, it seemed he had lost all support.

Hearing his younger brother's mournful weeping, the seventh prince felt as if a string had suddenly snapped in his mind.

He thought about too many things, but in the end, only one thing remained: it shouldn't be like this.

He shouldn't be like this.

His mother was poisoned. Who was it? Who told him to confront the Empress? Or perhaps Consort Zhen?

The seventh prince thought he wouldn't fall for the trap.

He's dead... It's better that he's dead.

From then on, he was free of all worries.

He slowly kowtowed, then stood up: "Does Your Majesty have any decrees?"

The old eunuch hurriedly said, "His Majesty said that she should be buried according to the standards for a fifth-rank beauty, and it would be inappropriate to keep her in the palace indefinitely."

"Your subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your great kindness." The Seventh Prince knelt down facing the direction of the Beichen Palace and kowtowed three times.

Hearing this, Shu Zhongjing felt much better.

“Zhou Shi is pitiful. The seventh prince is pitiful too. Tell him that I am heartbroken and do not wish to see him. We shall meet again when I am better. Tell him not to grieve too much and that his health is of utmost importance.”

"Yes," Eunuch Xiang hurriedly replied, "Now it's clear that the Seventh Prince is very attached to you."

Shu Zhongjing nodded.

In fact, nowadays, only the Seventh Prince is someone that Eunuch Xiang dares to talk about, since a disfigured person can't really do much.

This is the person least likely to arouse His Majesty's suspicion.

In the end, Consort Zhou was sent to the imperial concubine's mausoleum, while the Seventh Prince received some rewards.

As for the Eighth Prince, he was completely disregarded by Shu Zhongjing and naturally received nothing.

After burying Consort Zhou, the Seventh Prince requested to remain secluded and reflect on his actions.

He only said that he had many shortcomings and needed to reflect on them.