The weather was getting colder and colder. The wind in the air carried a biting chill, and winter was just around the corner.
On this day, many palace servants came to the Queen's Palace, bringing the coal needed for winter. The Queen's Palace used the finest smokeless golden-thread coal. It was said that when this coal was burned, there would be no smoke in the palace, and it would leave a faint scent of wood.
This kind of coal fire was only for the most noble people. The other palaces were not fortunate enough to use it.
When the servants entered the bedroom, they looked at each other in bewilderment. They didn't know how to use the stove hanging on the wall for heating. They just stood there, not knowing what to do.
Seeing this, Dongfang Yi just lowered her head and smiled twice. Then she dismissed them and personally put the coal into the fireplace and lit it.
Soon, the palace became warm. The smoke from the burning coal drifted out through the chimney. Donghua moved a chair and placed it in front of the fireplace, gesturing for Dongfang Yi to sit down.
Dongfang Yi let out a heavy sigh.
"Alas. It's a pity that I don't know where Mr. Shen has gone. I still wanted him to make another reclining chair for me," she said.
There was a hint of regret in her expression. Since she met Mr. Shen last time, she hadn't seen him in the palace again. He seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Hearing the woman in front of her still talking about Mr. Shen, Donghua couldn't help but complain silently in her heart. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, can't you tell that the Emperor is jealous because you're so close to Mr. Shen?! No one would disappear without a trace in the palace. It must be the Emperor who secretly sent him away.
Thinking of this, she let out a sigh and then said, "Your Majesty, if you still want some strange things, you can draw the pictures for me. I'll go out of the palace in a few days and have them made for you."
When Dongfang Yi heard that there was such a good thing as going out of the palace, her heart skipped a beat. There was also a glimmer of expectation in her expression.
Donghua naturally saw what she was thinking. So she firmly replied, "Your Majesty, you can't go with me. The Emperor has specifically ordered this!"
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi hung her head and looked dejected. She knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Donghua felt a bit sorry for the woman in front of her. But she had important matters to attend to when going out of the palace this time, and there might be some dangers. If the Queen followed her, it would be even more dangerous. How could she risk the Queen's life?
Thinking of this, her resolve became even stronger.
"Your Majesty, just draw the blueprints of what you want. I'll take them out and have them made," she continued.
Dongfang Yi could only nod blankly and began to look forward to the first snowfall. After the first snow, there would be the autumn hunt, and she could go out of the palace to have some fun.
Thinking of this, her uneasiness eased a bit.
The next day, Donghua went out of the palace. Dongfang Yi gave her the blueprint of a reclining chair and also drew a set of mahjong.
But her drawing skills were really poor. It took her a lot of effort to make Donghua understand. She thought it would be very difficult to find a suitable craftsman.
This made Dongfang Yi think of the time when she was in the Duoyu Inn outside the palace. At that time, she ran all over Nanwu City just to get the most satisfactory items made. Now, it seemed like a dream.
As for the young man Situ Qing in her memory, she didn't know what he looked like now. She had refused him firmly back then for his own good.
She knew it was an impossible relationship, so why give him hope? It was better to be disappointed now than to be in despair after knowing everything.
On the other side, in a hidden inn in the East Gate outside the palace.
There were two people sitting there, a man and a woman. The man had a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, and the mist in them seemed to lead people to a fairyland. The woman sitting opposite him also had a peerless beauty. Her cold and elegant face made people want to be trapped in it at first sight.
There was no one around them. Only the innkeeper was calculating something at the front desk. Suddenly, he looked up and said, "Sir, where are you going next?"
The man called "sir" was naturally Situ Qing, and the woman opposite him was Bai Huan. This inn was their temporary shelter in the East Gate, but they couldn't stay here for long. If he guessed correctly, He Lianqi's people would come to investigate soon.
A few days ago, they had just killed the eldest prince Shun of the Southern Neighboring Country at the Nanwu City Gate. They deliberately spared the life of the second prince Ye and blamed everything on He Lianqi.
Presumably, the Southern Neighboring Country must hate He Lianqi to the bone by now. And this was exactly the result Situ Qing wanted. The more chaotic the world was, the more chances he had to take advantage of the situation.
As for Bai Huan, why did she reappear? She should have died in the palace dungeon.
In fact, she had never died. She had faked everything back then. She had taken a fake-death drug in the dungeon. The drug could block all her breath and acupoints for a day, making her look like she was dead. But she would recover after a day.
However, Bai Yi was seriously injured. He lost one of his arms. His right arm, which he was most proud of for making poisons, was cut off by He Lianqi with a single sword. Now he was in seclusion in Nanwu.
Bai Huan had learned not only medicine. In other words, her poison skills were even better than her brother Bai Yi's.
Mr. Bai of the Poison Valley did say that a disciple couldn't practice two kinds of skills. But after what happened to Ye, for some reason, he changed the rule. Since then, Bai Huan began to practice poison skills, but no one knew about it.
It was this that made He Lianqi overlook her, and finally she managed to escape.
After everything was settled, she went to find Situ Qing. Just in time, Situ Qing was preparing for a huge plan, so she joined in.
At this moment, Situ Qing had a charming smile on his lips. He was completely calm. He seemed to be able to imagine He Lianqi crawling at his feet and begging for mercy in the near future.
"We'll set off tonight and head for the West Gate!" he said.
Hearing this, Bai Huan was also shocked. She didn't expect the next destination to be the West Gate. After all, their base was in Nanwu.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but hesitate and asked, "Aren't we going back to Nanwu?"
Situ Qing sneered. There was a reason for him to go to the West Gate. He wouldn't pin all his hopes on the people of the Southern Neighboring Country. He also needed to open up more paths for himself. If he remembered correctly, the army sent by the younger brother of the Emperor of the Eastern Sheng was currently renovating the imperial mausoleum in a hidden place where the West Gate and Nanwu met.
And the leader of that army was Nangong Liuyun. He wasn't a loyal subject. With a little temptation, he would be led by the nose.
Thinking of this, the smile on his lips became even deeper.