A sudden sharp pain flared in Li Jinghuan’s temples, interrupting his thoughts.

The pain came out of nowhere, as if someone were jabbing a thick, sharp spike directly into his flesh.

Li Jinghuan had never suffered from headaches before, but this one nearly knocked him unconscious.

He bent over, clutching his forehead, when suddenly, a flash of fire lit up his eyes like lightning.

This time, he clearly saw the outline of the burning palace in the flames.

The plaque above the blazing beams read, “Jinkui Library.”

Amid the thick, rising black smoke, a slender figure wandered near the door, trapped and unable to escape.

Li Jinghuan recognized that figure instantly—it was unmistakably familiar. In a panic, he shouted.

“Save her! Save Ashue!”

“Your Highness!” Li Jian heard the low cry from the inner chamber and hurried inside.

Li Jinghuan snapped awake at the sound, looking around to see he was still in the Eastern Palace.

All was calm; there was no fire and no sign of Zanying trapped anywhere.

Yet his face was as pale as a sheet of rice paper, and his headache persisted.

Sweat the size of beans dotted his forehead, soaking him as though he had just been doused in cold water.

He had never experienced anything like that, so why did it feel more real than any memory?

For a moment, he even thought he could smell the scent of burning wood.

What shocked Li Jinghuan the most was that he had called out Fu Zhuangxue’s name.

That was clearly Aying—how could he, even in a dream, call out someone else’s name and not try to save her?

Li Jinghuan’s voice trembled. “Go to the Jinkui Library in the Western Courtyard—check if there’s a fire.”

Li Jian was confused, but seeing the prince’s severe and earnest expression, he immediately complied.

It took him the time of two cups of tea to go and return.

The Jinkui Library in the Western Courtyard housed bamboo scrolls and paper books, regularly patrolled by eunuchs to prevent fires.

Li Jian carefully inspected every section of the library—front courtyard, rear courtyard, and every building in between—but found nothing amiss.

He returned to report back to the Eastern Palace.

“Your Highness, I went and checked; the library is perfectly—”

Li Jian entered the bedchamber, but the prince was nowhere to be seen.

He glanced around in bewilderment.

As his gaze dropped, he suddenly saw a figure in black lying curled up at the foot of the bed, hunched over, clutching his head tightly with both hands.

Sweat drenched his back, and he was groaning in pain.

In just a short moment, the Crown Prince’s headache had escalated, striking him like a bolt of lightning.

……

Meanwhile, in the Xishan Palace, Zanying yawned leisurely.

After two days of recuperation, the young girl, now recovered from her cold, wore a light silver silk shawl patterned with water ripples as she strolled along the veranda with Chunjin.

Surrounded by the bright summer scenery, she felt utterly at ease, her lips curving into a sweet smile.

“Only three days left.”

After taking medicine for two days, Zanying felt her legs growing weak.

She walked slowly along the shaded corridor, her mind still preoccupied with the matter of repaying the debt to the palace.

Turning her slightly slimmer face, she asked Chun Jin, “Has there been any news outside these past two days?”

Chun Jin, remembering the instructions from the steward, shook her head and replied, “None.”

“Are you hiding something from me?” Zanying’s voice was still a bit soft from her recent illness. “Has no one from the palace come?”

Zanying had not learned much else in the palace, but she had become very adept at understanding the Empress moods.

She knew that the Empress known for her scheming and skill at appearances, would never willingly give up something she had claimed as her own.

She would not be at ease until the very last moment.

How could she not take some action?

If she herself did not make a move, it was likely the Fu family would be used.

Seeing that Zanying had figured it out, Chun Jin had no choice but to explain, “The second madam of the Fu family came by, wanting to see you. She came once yesterday and again early this morning. Steward Du was not welcoming to the Fu family and turned them away.”

Zanying frowned slightly at this news.

Seeing her reaction was neither anger nor sympathy, Chun Jin was a bit puzzled. “Didn’t you say that day that you didn’t want to see anyone from the Fu family?”

Zanying walked to the end of the corridor and leaned against the beautiful railing of the pavilion, gazing at the koi fish and lotus flowers in the pond below.

After a moment, she said, “You don’t know. The second madam of the Fu family, Mrs. Sun, once raised three children with Fu Xiao. The first two, a young master and a young miss, did not survive. Later, they had another son, who was well-raised. However, when he was in his teens, he insisted on leaving the capital to study abroad, and he never returned. Because of this, Mrs. Sun is not favored by the old lady of the Fu family, and it seems that her life has been quite difficult over the years.”

Fu Zeting, the one who went abroad to study, used to be called “Second Brother” by Zanying, but now their relationship was distant.

Speaking of the Fu family, she now sounded like an outsider, casually twirling her fan. “Is there anything else?”

Chun Jin hesitated before quietly saying, “Also, the Prince of Huai County has been waiting at the foot of the mountain since yesterday. He probably hasn’t left yet.”

“The Prince of Huai County?” Zanying was a bit surprised.

He was the grandson of Empress Dowager Xi.

Could it be that the palace had sent him as an emissary?

Then she thought of something and her brow furrowed, “Is the Empress Dowager unwell?”

Chun Jin nodded. “They say that after you left the palace, Empress Dowager Xi became confused. She refused to eat or drink when she couldn’t see you. Now she is bedridden, claiming that her breathing is shallow and irregular.”

“This is serious. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Zanying stood up immediately.

After a moment of hesitation, she decided to return to her chamber to change into a more appropriate dress for receiving guests.

As she was halfway down the corridor, a deep, calm voice came from below the terrace, “Where are you rushing off to?”

Zanying turned to see the man in a light robe with a relaxed belt, her brows softening as fragments of light appeared in her dark eyes.

Especially when she saw the icy dessert he was holding, her eyes, like crescent moons touched with rouge, curved into a sweet smile as she called out, “Little Uncle.”

Without waiting for her to come over, Wei Yu leaped up the steps with three strides.

He wasn’t wearing any perfume, and the warm breeze carried a faint metallic scent from his clothes, which was not unpleasant.

Zanying’s gaze was fixed on the tiny, glistening droplets on the outside of the glass dish.

Wei Yu’s eyes softened slightly, dispelling the sharpness of his gaze, and handed the ice dessert to Chunjin, instructing, “Eat it only when it has melted. You’re allowed to have only half.”

He then looked at Zanying’s condition and asked if she felt better today and what she had for breakfast.

Chunjin answered each question.

Zanying glanced at him, then back at the ice dessert.

Even before she tasted it, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

It wasn’t just because of her craving. During her illness, Little Uncle had been bringing her an ice dessert every day to cheer her up.

From the Western Market to the palace, it took a swift horse ride to ensure the ice didn’t melt.

Even though it was okay to eat it melted, he had never brought it to her that way.

Every time he brought the ice dessert, it still had droplets of water on the glass, making her feel the refreshing chill.

Watching the crystal-clear dessert slowly melt, she imagined what it would taste like, and the anticipation itself was a comforting solace.

This small delight, which was probably only understood by girls, made her wonder how Little Uncle could be so perceptive.

It reminded her of the past when she would meticulously prepare pastries for others, eagerly anticipating their reactions while rarely considering her own.

Not realizing the lack at the time, she now saw that someone cared for her in a similar way.

Yet, she had never shared her own cooking with Little Uncle, Uncle Du, or Sister Ren, but only with others.

She lowered her head and blinked. “I won’t eat it tomorrow. Little Uncle, don’t go to the Western Market to buy it.”

As a grand marshal commanding thousands of troops and an elder, making such trips for her—even though it was an occasional indulgence due to her illness—was more than she felt she deserved.

Wei Yu’s gaze turned momentarily cold. “If you want to eat it, then eat it. It’s all bought by the subordinates.”

Zanying pointed with her delicate white fingertip at Wei Yu’s boots.

For just a bowl of dessert, he had traveled back and forth, and the dust had stained his boots.

She knew that the things he brought her were not handled by others.

After a moment of silence, Wei Yu smiled. “Who said my little girl isn’t clever?”

Zanying felt embarrassed by the praise and quickly changed the topic. “Little Uncle, I’m going to see Prince Hui of Huijun now. After our talk, the ice dessert will be just right to eat.”

She seemed to know that Wei Yu would disapprove and, without waiting for his response, continued, “I know there might be palace intrigues involved. I’m aware of my own limits. Regardless of the reason, I can’t return to the palace. But if something has truly happened, I can’t just ignore it and not investigate. I’ll check with Prince Hui first and see what he thinks.”

Grandma Consort Xi was a good person and had treated her well.

In her previous life, when she was moved to Luozhi Palace, she remembered that the two people who truly came to visit her were the wife of Prince Hui and the third daughter of the Wang family.

Although they were ultimately blocked by Empress Yu, their intentions were genuine.

They hadn’t been able to help her much, but they had never wronged her.