Father had left, Hongyu had left, Xuan Mo had left, and now, Aunt Yun had left.

　　Finally, all those who loved her had left, leaving her alone thousands of miles away from home. Perhaps she would never feel the warmth of the sun again, and never smell the slightly salty smell of the sea.

　　She felt an intense urge to cry, but her eyes were completely dry. An intense heartache overwhelmed her as her throat suddenly tasted a sweet liquid coming out from within. Yet, she continued to stand there just like that. It was only when the entire front of her clothes turned red did Wenyuan take notice and started shrieking in horror, and only when the crows flew far away did she fall limply to the ground. In the vast snow, she felt like she saw the younger Aunt Yun again, looking at her gently as she cooed her name.

　　After Aunt Yun had passed on, Nalan Hongye was like a withering lotus as she got weaker with every passing day.

　　The weather turned colder, the wind ruthlessly swept across the entire continent. The imperial doctors would make countless trips to her residence daily, as all kinds of rare medicine started to stream into Dongnan Palace, yet nothing seemed to work.

　　That noon, the snow finally subsided. It was a radiant afternoon as Wenyuan organized a snow fight for the younger servants in the courtyard as Nalan Hongye finally caught a breath of fresh air outside of her room. Wearing a thick robe made out of wolf fur, she sat on the soft chair. With the joyous cheers spreading throughout the palace, even the gloomy mood seemed to have been lifted a bit.

　　Suddenly, a light voice could be heard. Nalan Hongye turned her attention away, only to see Doctor Wang and Doctor Lu discussing something. It seemed like they did not see her, and spoke rather loudly.

　　Doctor Wang was an official from Song and now was already over 70. She could see that his brows were interlocked in a deep frown. Even though they were louder than usual, she could only catch a few words due to the distance between them. Something along the lines of ‘completely exhausted’, ‘overthinking’, ‘completely worn out’, ‘medicine ineffective’…

　　“What are you discussing, Doctors?”

　　With the soft questions, the two doctors finally raised their heads as they finally saw Wenyuan glaring at them through the door, with Nalan Hongye sitting at the side looking calm, as though she had been listening on for a while.

　　The two of them immediately jumped to the ground and started to apologize.

　　Nalan Hongye did not speak much, and merely turned around and continue to watch the servants’ snowball fight. It was as though she had not heard the conversation just now.

　　During dinner, Wenyuan chatted with her and realized that she was in a rather good mood, and took the opportunity to comfort her by telling her not to take those doctors too seriously. Scolding them, Wenyuan said that they were already old and had started to become senile. Nalan Hongye listened to her while smiling, before drinking the medicine, then went to sleep early.

　　The very next day, there was a new batch of doctors. Nalan Hongye did not oppose the change, and obediently listened to the doctors to take care of her health. Even though she did not seem to have recovered, her situation did not get worse. The doctors were all rather happy and claimed that once the winter was over, her situation would definitely improve.

　　Hearing that, the servants were overjoyed, and it so happened that the lantern festival was soon. Wenyuan led the other subordinates in the palace to decorate the entire Dongnan Palace. With all kinds of decorations hanging, it was like preparing for marriage. Nalan Hongye naturally knew what they were up to, but she did not prevent them from doing so, and merely watched on from her bed, rarely speaking.

　　Yet, just a few days later the weather suddenly turned cold. With the cold wind howling, water would freeze before hitting the ground. With that, Nalan Hongye’s sickness took a turn for the worse.

　　With the snowstorm continuing, Nalan Hongye leaned on the bed as she listened for the sounds outside. As though she was in deep thought, she asked, “Perhaps it will be impossible to carry on with the lantern festival this year.”

　　Her voice was exceedingly hoarse, carrying with it the sense of defeat. Wenyuan was completely worried, yet she dared not to let Nalan Hongye see her concern, and as such Wenyuan quickly replied with a smile, “With such a heavy rain, any lantern would immediately be blown away. I doubt it will be still celebrated.”

　　Nalan Hongye nodded as Wenyuan continued to speak, “Lady, you should take a nap. Do you still taste the bitterness from the medicine? Do you desire something sweet?”

　　Nalan Hongye shook her head, and just as Wenyuan was about to continue with something, they were suddenly greeted with three sounds of whips. With that, Wenyuan’s face lit up as she turned and said, “My Lady, it is the Emperor!” As she said that, she brought people out to welcome the Emperor.

　　Before long, the doors to the palace opened layer by layer. Wearing a dull gold blouse, Yan Xun walked in. As he walked, he took off his black robe and handed it to the servant beside him.

　　He looked the same always, with his handsome eyebrows, straight nose, thin lips, and his deep eyes that could never be properly interpreted. Sitting by Nalan Hongye’s bed, he took the warm towel from Wenyuan and wiped his face and hands before asking, “How are you feeling?”

　　Leaning on the bed, Nalan Hongye lightly nodded, wearing her usual peaceful smile. “Sorry to have bothered you, Your Majesty. I am feeling much better.”

　　He nodded, and continued asking, “Have you been eating the medicine prescribed by the doctors regularly?”

　　Nalan Hongye said, “I have.”

　　He sank into contemplation for a short while, and asked again, “I remembered that you are afraid of the cold. Do you find that this palace is warm enough?”

　　Nalan Hongye’s eyes had a glint of emotion but were fleeting enough to be impossible to sense. Lifting her thin face, she replied, “Your Majesty, you need not worry. Everything is well here.”

　　With that, the palace sank into silence, as quiet as the lake in a windless autumn. With the howling wind outside, the two of them just sat there, both of them not knowing how to break this awkward silence.

　　“Alright, Empress, please rest well. I will…”

　　“Emperor, have you consumed lunch?” a crisp voice interjected.

　　Both Nalan and Yan Xun were stunned as they turned to look, only to see that it was Wenyuan. This young lady had been scared stiff as her complexion was completely pale. Beads of cold sweat started to form on her forehead. It was clear that her clenched fists under her sleeves were trembling.

　　Yan Xun was rather surprised as he stole a glance at Nalan Hongye, before turning around. Rather than being angry, he nodded and replied, “No, I have not.”

　　“Then, why not have a meal with us, Your Majesty? Our cook is really skilled, and Empress enjoys the meals too. Emperor, you have never eaten here with us before.”

　　Yan Xun smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

　　Wenyuan was elated, so much so that she was rather lost as to what to do as she quickly said, “Then, this servant shall go and prepare.” With that said, she escaped.

　　Seeing that she had left, Nalan Hongye sighed helplessly. “This subordinate was unable to educate my servants. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

　　Yan Xun shook his head. “It’s alright. She is really loyal.”

　　How could Nalan Hongye not know Wenyuan’s thoughts? Wenyuan hoped that Yan Xun could spend more time with Nalan Hongye, and as such, she did not dwell on that topic any longer.

　　Yan Xun stood up and walked around casually in the large palace. Walking to the bookshelf, he casually took out a book. After flipping a bit, he put it back before taking one more book more. Nalan Hongye leaned on the bed as she fiddled with an accessory. With the sunlight shone in from the window outside, it drew a checkerboard of shadows. Even with the wind blowing ferociously outside, this room was in complete serenity.

　　“You really like the art of trade?” Yan Xun suddenly asked, holding in his hand a classic text of merchants

　　Lifting up her head, Nalan Hongye said, “This subordinate’s ancestors were once merchants too. With the developing commerce in the Song Empire, I like to examine this art when I am free.”

　　Yan Xun smiled and said, “That was so unexpected.”

　　“What was?”

　　Yan Xun shook his head, and replied, “Nothing. Only that I knew someone who likes this art too.”

　　Nalan Hongye smiled. “It must be King Xuan, right?”

　　Yan Xun was slightly surprised and asked, “How did Empress know?”

　　Nalan Hongye naturally replied, “I would naturally know, as he was my childhood friend. I may know more about him than I know about you, Your Majesty.”

　　Yan Xun smiled lightly, as though it was only natural. Not speaking much, he turned around to continue flipping through the books. Nalan Hongye seemed to be a tad happy, like a kid who managed to pull a prank. She smiled as she continued to play with the accessory.

　　Time slowly passed. After their marriage, this was the first time Yan Xun had a close inspection of Nalan Hongye’s bedroom. He finally realized that this Empress of his was not a normal person. Not only did she have good taste, she was learned and collected lots of books. Not only that, most of the books seemed to have been read before, unlike other ladies who merely collected books as decorations.

　　“Emperor, Empress, the meal is ready.”

　　Food was rapidly served. Due to the fact that Nalan was on medication, she needed to control her diet, so she was only served four small dishes. As for Yan Xun, there were over 60 dishes, completely filling up the entire table.

　　Seeing that, Yan Xun was slightly awkward, and could not help but to take a look at Nalan Hongye.

　　Nalan Hongye smiled and said, “Your Majesty rarely comes here, so the servants did not know which ones you prefer. They could only prepare more. Please do not blame them as they were really trying to please you.” This sentence was something that only Nalan Hongye could say without losing its meaning. If someone else said it, one would imagine it to be blaming Yan Xun for his absence.

　　Wenyuan stood at the side watching. Seeing how Yan Xun did not say much and started to eat, she felt as though she had accomplished a lot today. Normally, how could the Empress be so happy? As expected, an emotional problem needed an emotional cure. Who knew, if Emperor could come here more frequently, perhaps the Empress could be cured!

　　This meal was ever so slow. After eating, it was time to sleep. Yan Xun and Nalan Hongye made some small talk, and they were much more natural than before. After informing the servants to take better care of her, Yan Xun was about to leave when a loud tearing sound could be heard. Apparently, Yan Xun’s sleeves had caught on the corner of the table, resulting in a huge tear.

　　Yan Xun lifted his arm up, and casually inspected the damage. It did not bother him as he started to put on his robe.

　　Nalan Hongye interrupted, “Your Majesty, your clothes are torn.”

　　Yan Xun answered casually, “It’s alright”

　　“Wait.” Tugging on Yan Xun’s shirt, she looked carefully and said, “This is the silk of Tianci Province. With the rarity, Tianci province can only make a few clothes like this every year. This year there was only one. Now that it is torn, even if you bring to the embroidery department, no one would dare to patch this up.”

　　Yan Xun had never thought that mere clothes would have so much backstory, and could not help but to look at the clothes again, before saying, “It’s alright, even if it is damaged, it is fine.”

　　Nalan Hongye insisted, “Even if Emperor is not concerned, this subordinate still feels it is a waste. How many young girls will lose their eyesight from sewing this every year? Look, not only is this cloth embroidered on both sides, even on the inside of the material one can see those tiny words of blessings.”

　　Yan Xun looked carefully, and it was apparently so. He could not help but to exclaim, “What a spectacle indeed.”

　　“Wenyuan, bring the needle and thread.”

　　Yan Xun was taken aback as he asked, “Empress, what are you doing?”

　　“Since the embroidery department will most likely not dare to patch this up, this will likely be thrown away. Why not let me try? If I accidentally fail to patch this up, please do not blame me.”

　　Yan Xun was even more surprised. He asked, “Empress, you know how to do embroidery?”

　　Nalan Hongye raised her eyebrow. A faint glimpse of emotions could be seen in her eyes. Taking over the needle and thread, she began sewing. As she worked on the clothes, she said, “Take a seat, please. It will be over soon.”