From small pickled vegetables and preserved vegetables, there are more than ten kinds, such as pickled cucumbers, pickled radishes, pickled mustard greens, and eight-treasure pickles. From large meat dishes, there are more than twenty kinds, such as braised beef, braised duck necks, braised pork hocks, crispy pork, steamed venison, and pan-fried yellow croaker.

Sun Huohuo's mouth watered as he ate the two steamed buns, his mouth greasy with oil, and then he went to find Guan Guan.

Yun Duoduo was completely dumbfounded as she watched Sun Huohuo's smooth and effortless actions.

"Erhuo, you're really not holding back?!"

"But you've been eating and drinking your fill, and you're only giving Guan Guan two steamed buns? That's really unfair!"

"Duo'er, Guanguan doesn't like to eat greasy meat and fish; she prefers this kind of simple food."

Okay, so in your mind, simplicity is like a big, white steamed bun.

The three little children quickly arrived at Guan Guan's courtyard.

Zhuzhu was delighted to see them arrive. "Princess, please have a seat!"

She moved a small stool over and placed it next to Yun Duoduo.

Yun Duoduo smiled and nodded to Zhuzhu. Sun Huohuo took the two big white steamed buns out of his pocket and put them in Guan Guan's hands. Jin Zhuangzhuang climbed to a flowerpot and began digging for insects inside.

"Guan Guan, are you feeling any better?" Yun Duoduo placed her hand on Guan Guan's wrist and felt that his pulse had returned to normal.

"I feel much better now, there's nothing that bothers me."

"Okay, that's good." Yun Duoduo nodded.

"Guan Guan, what kind of person was your maternal grandfather, ah, no, your maternal grandfather?" Yun Duoduo didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

“My maternal grandfather was very good to me. In the past, whenever anyone bullied me, my maternal grandfather would kick them out.” Guan Guan opened his mouth and took a bite of the steamed bun.

Zhuzhu told her that she couldn't eat anything or take any medicine that the servants brought her. So far, she had only drunk some porridge that Zhuzhu brought over.

"However, a while ago, my eldest uncle said that my maternal grandfather was not in good health and that he should go to the Taoist temple in the mountains to cultivate in seclusion. He asked the Taoist priests to pray for my maternal grandfather every day. I haven't seen my maternal grandfather for a long time."

Yun Duoduo looked at Guan Guan with surprise. [So, Guan Guan is unaware of Grand Secretary Guan's current predicament.]

However, Guan Guan, though she looks young, is intelligent. Didn't she notice anything amiss?

"Guan Guan, your uncle said that Grand Secretary Guan is not in good health. Has a doctor been invited?" Yun Duoduo asked.

"We consulted many doctors, but my grandfather's health still did not improve."

“That day, when my maternal grandfather got into the carriage to go to the Taoist temple, I went to see him off. He could barely speak properly.”

[Good, Guan Wude went to all this trouble to put on such a show; he's probably fooled everyone in the manor.]

No wonder there are no bad rumors circulating about the Guan residence.

Pretending to send the person away first, then locking them in an abandoned courtyard where no one would go—what a clever tactic.

"Why did your maternal grandfather suddenly become so ill?" Yun Duoduo continued to ask.

“My maternal grandfather was old and had some old ailments. Later, he caught a cold, and his illness came on suddenly. Many doctors came, but none of them could cure him. His illness got worse and worse.”

"Later, I couldn't even eat anymore," Guan Guan said, bursting into tears.

"Guan Guan, please don't cry." Sun Huohuo looked at Guan Guan, who was crying uncontrollably, and felt a little helpless. He handed her a handkerchief so that she could wipe her tears.

Yun Duoduo sighed inwardly. For Guan Guan, her maternal grandfather was her support, the only person besides her father who loved and cared for her. But now, she had to watch helplessly as her grandfather's health deteriorated.

"Do you know..."

Yun Duoduo stopped mid-sentence.

She originally wanted to tell Guan Guan about Guan Ge Lao's situation, to tell her that her maternal grandfather was now being imprisoned in a cold and damp wooden hut.

However, after opening her mouth and hesitating for a moment, she decided not to say anything. Before she could cure Grand Secretary Guan's illness, she could not let any news slip out, otherwise, it would alert the enemy and cause unnecessary trouble.

"Know what?" Guan Guan looked at her suspiciously.

"nothing……"

...

Inside the royal palace of Northern Liang, snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Miao Nanyan walked out of the main hall, looking at the snowflakes outside with a sense of unease.

She shook her head, as if trying to shake off all the worries in her mind.

"Sigh, life is so boring." She looked up at the sky, but couldn't see a single cloud.

Lately, the image of her falling into Baili Yingfeng's arms keeps replaying in her mind.

His chest was very firm, and although she didn't like this man, she felt inexplicably safe and secure in his embrace.

"Your Highness, the King has sent over some clothes." At the entrance of Yiqin Palace, a guard stood respectfully, holding a box.

"Why is Your Majesty suddenly being so considerate?" Yun Jin walked to the door with a smile and brought the box in.

"Yun Jin, don't talk nonsense!" Miao Nanyan was afraid that if these words reached Baili Yingfeng's ears, that cold and ruthless king might just take Yun Jin's life.

"Oh, yes, Your Majesty," Yun Jin said awkwardly, her head bowed.

Since arriving in Beiliang, Miao Nanyan has only had one or two sets of clothes. These days, it has been snowing constantly, and her clothes never dry properly, making them very uncomfortable to wear.

The guard who brought the clothes hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and finally spoke up, "Your Highness, uh, we all saw how hard Your Highness worked treating the King a while ago. Uh, there's a hot spring in the back mountain. It's not cold at all, it's very comfortable. Your Highness can go and soak in it; it's good for your health!"

After saying that, the guard blushed, covered his mouth with a big smile, and ran away.

Miao Nanyan watched the guard leave and smiled faintly.

She often soaked in hot springs when she was in Hongxiu, but she never expected that there would be hot springs in the back mountains near the palace.

...

At night, the moon hangs high in the sky.

After finishing her meal, Miao Nanyan prepared to go to the back mountain to soak in the hot springs.

"Your Highness, why don't we wait until the weather is warmer before we go? I'm worried you'll catch a cold!"

"It's alright." When she was in Hongxiu, she had also soaked in hot springs in winter and did not feel very cold. Miao Nanyan took the ginger soup handed to her by Xiangling and drank it all in one gulp.

"You don't need to come with me, I'll go by myself."

Miao Nanyan, carrying the clothes she needed to change, left her main hall by the moonlight.

Upon arriving near the hot spring, she carefully checked that no one was around before removing the cloth strip from her hair bun, letting her hair down, and taking off her clothes, leaving only a thin undergarment, before entering the hot spring.

A light veil shrouded the hot spring, with clouds and mist appearing and disappearing, sometimes near, sometimes far.

She felt the warm spring water gradually engulf her body, closed her eyes contentedly, and savored this rare tranquility.

"Ah, so comfortable," Miao Nanyan murmured softly. "I'll bring some flower petals next time."

"Who's there?!" a cold male voice rang out.