Thinking of this, he said to the old man beside him, "Grand Tutor, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I've made up my mind. I'll definitely leave the capital after the New Year."
The Grand Tutor knew it was useless to say more after hearing this. He just sighed and fell silent.
The heavy snow lasted for two days before gradually stopping.
That night, the snow had completely stopped. The whole sky was illuminated by the snow as bright as day. Dongfang Yi just couldn't fall asleep, so she wrapped herself in clothes and walked out.
The creaking sound of her feet stepping on the snow was extremely pleasant. In this quiet but not dark night, she softly hummed a tune she used to like very much.
"Edelweiss, edelweiss..."
As she was singing, Donghua rubbed her eyes and walked out. After seeing the person standing in the snow, she asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, what are you doing here?!"
When Dongfang Yi saw her coming, she seemed to think of something. She waved and motioned for her to come over.
The two squatted on the snow together.
"Do you know how to build a snowman?" she asked.
Donghua scratched her head and asked in confusion, "What is building a snowman?"
Dongfang Yi was completely speechless after hearing this. They didn't even know what building a snowman was here. She had wanted to build one on the first snowfall, but unfortunately, the snow was not heavy and there wasn't much snow accumulation at that time. It was simply impossible to build one. But now the snow was deep enough to reach her ankles.
She didn't explain and just started ordering Donghua, "Go roll a snowball first."
Although Donghua didn't understand what they were going to do, seeing the excited look on the woman in front of her, she could only nod in agreement. She jumped and ran to the side to roll a snowball.
Dongfang Yi also went to roll a snowball. In less than a quarter of an hour, two snowballs, one big and one small, were placed in front of them. The two of them worked together to put the small snowball on top of the big one.
She went back to the palace and took some things like cloth strips and walked out. She wrapped the snowballs with them, and then said, "Go to the small kitchen and get a carrot and two grapes."
Donghua followed the order and came and went. When she came back, she found that their snowman already had branches as hands and really looked a bit lively.
Dongfang Yi inserted the grapes and the carrot as the eyes and mouth on the snowman. A complete snowman was just made like this.
"It's really a snowman!" Donghua exclaimed loudly, with a hint of small surprise in her tone.
She raised her eyebrows and looked at the woman in front of her. She thought that she, a person who had traveled through time from the modern era, must seem like a fairy to them. So she reached out and touched Donghua's face. Donghua shivered from the cold. The two of them started to play around the snowman.
This was the scene Helian Qi saw just as he stepped into the Queen's palace. He had just finished dealing with official business and found that the snow had stopped, so he came to see Dongfang Yi. He originally thought that she must have gone to bed early at this late hour, but unexpectedly, he could still see her playing with the servant.
"Ahem..." He pretended to cough to remind the two of them.
The two who were playing heard the sound and immediately turned their heads. Donghua quickly bowed when she saw that it was the Emperor. Dongfang Yi ran over in surprise and said, "Why did you come!"
She didn't expect to see him come here so late.
"I didn't expect you weren't in bed yet," the man in front of her said, raising his eyebrows playfully, as if saying that she was playful.
Dongfang Yi also felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it was so late and she was still making a ruckus here. It was really unreasonable. But then she said with a smile, "Come and take a look quickly. Donghua and I built a snowman!"
"Oh? What is a snowman?" Helian Qi asked with a raised eyebrow in confusion.
So she trotted over and showed him the snowman she and Donghua had just built. Then she said, "Ta-da, this is it!"
Her smiling face made Helian Qi's heart soften. He didn't even realize what she was saying. He could only see her smile that seemed to be able to melt everything.
So as if bewitched, he walked over.
Donghua saw their situation and left silently sensibly. There were only the two of them left on the snow.
The snow illuminated Dongfang Yi's face, making her look even more dazzling. Helian Qi walked over and stroked her face. What his hand touched was cold.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
Then he held her hands. Those hands were as cold as ice, which made him frown immediately. He couldn't help but feel a bit resentful that she didn't know how to take good care of herself. What if she caught a cold?
"I'm not cold, not cold!" Dongfang Yi still smiled brightly without a care in the world as if she didn't care about anything.
Helian Qi immediately put her hands in front of his mouth and blew hot air, trying to warm her hands. It made her heart feel warm. Then she said, "Let's go into the room quickly. I still have hot sweet potatoes. Have you had dinner?"
After saying that, she led him towards the palace.
Helian Qi really hadn't eaten much at night. Now his stomach was empty. So he nodded heavily.
As soon as they entered the palace, the hot air rushed towards them. Immediately, all the cold air on their bodies dissipated. They almost started to sweat.
They took off the thick cloaks they were wrapped in and then walked over and sat down by the fireplace. Dongfang Yi carefully took out a sweet potato from the fireplace and handed it over, saying, "Try it quickly. It's especially delicious!"
Helian Qi looked at the black thing in front of him. There was a hint of hesitation on his face, but his hand still took it.
Seeing his hesitant look, Dongfang Yi started to ask, "Why don't you eat it? It's really delicious!"
The man who was asked the question was really struggling in his heart. He had never eaten such a thing before, so he couldn't help but feel a bit panicked. But seeing the expectant look on the woman in front of him, he peeled the sweet potato and took a bite.
"Um..."
The soft, glutinous and sweet taste in his mouth was beyond his expectation. This black and extremely ugly-looking thing could be so delicious.
"It's delicious," he said.
This sweet potato seemed to open his appetite. In a short while, he swallowed it all.
Dongfang Yi looked at the man in front of her who was eating happily. He looked like a child who had eaten candy for the first time. It made her heart soften. Her affection for him increased a bit more.
So she hooked her lips and said with a smile, "You're really like a child!"
Hearing this, Helian Qi's face froze. He raised his head, his eyes shining brightly.
No one had ever said that he was like a child. Even when he was a child, others said he was like a mature little old man. But now the woman in front of him had discovered his unknown childlike innocence.