CHAPTER 1284: CHAPTER 1262: HEAVY SNOW

Commandery Princess Yunfeng didn’t understand, so she stood there, dumbfounded.

The Princess Consort of Yizhou had to explain in pieces, "Right now, no one can touch Manbao—neither the Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, nor the Crown Princess will allow it. Even the Dowager Empress wouldn’t agree."

"Why?"

"The Crown Prince is also the Dowager Empress’s own grandson, and he’s her eldest legitimate grandson. He’s the backbone of the nation, do you understand?" The Princess Consort of Yizhou couldn’t hold back her temper and slapped the table as she spoke, "Even those ministers at court wouldn’t wish harm upon Manbao. Otherwise, why do you think they’ve been putting pressure on the Dowager Empress while remaining completely inactive outside?"

"They want to use the Dowager Empress and us as pawns. The Dowager Empress sees it clearly—how could you still insist on rushing in blindly?"

Commandery Princess Yunfeng clasped her cheek and asked, "So Father’s grudge just ends like this?"

The Princess Consort of Yizhou wiped away her tears and said, "No, it doesn’t end. But do you want to also sacrifice your brother’s life? They are trying to use you as pawns. And who knows what monsters are lurking behind the scenes? Can’t you be more sensible?"

Commandery Princess Yunfeng’s face turned pale. She pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing.

The Princess Consort of Yizhou softened her tone and said, "Yunfeng, your father made a mistake. Moving forward, you and Xinqing will have to rely on the Dowager Empress. If she is well, we will be too. So don’t bother her with such matters."

She went on, "You and Xinqing are the grandchildren of the Dowager Empress, and so is the Crown Prince."

Though the Princess Consort of Yizhou harbored resentment toward Manbao and Bai Shan, she had long realized that things weren’t what they used to be. No matter how bitter she felt, there was nothing she could do to them.

She even had to steer clear of them to some extent. Who knows when the Emperor or the Crown Prince might recall the matter of the Prince’s rebellion and hold them accountable again?

Commandery Princess Yunfeng burst into tears of frustration, but there was nothing she could do.

Currently, they were still residing in the Dowager Empress’s palace to care for her during her illness.

Their activities were restricted to the Dowager Empress’s residence alone. Not only had her mother, the Princess Consort, been forbidden to leave, but even the Dowager Empress herself prohibited them from going out. Even if she wanted to act, there was nothing she could do.

The palace was quiet, with no signs of unrest. Manbao adjusted the Crown Prince’s treatment plan, shifting from daily acupuncture to sessions every other day, with slight modifications to the techniques.

With Manbao’s tightly-packed schedule finally cleared up a bit, they happened to have a holiday.

Liu Huan invited them to his home to roast venison. Apart from them, he also invited Feng Zongping and a few others.

Manbao had never eaten venison before, and neither had Bai Shan or Bai Erlang. The three were so excited before bed that Manbao even asked Keke whether the encyclopedia contained entries about deer.

Of course, it didn’t, but the encyclopedia did include ancient images passed down through history under the deer entry.

Manbao stared at the pictures and swallowed, then asked, "Can deer meat be included in the encyclopedia?"

Keke replied, "...No, host. The organisms you collect must be alive."

Manbao said, "Fine."

The three were brimming with anticipation and stayed in their warm beds a little longer the next morning. After getting dressed, they cracked the window slightly to air out the room and saw a pristine whiteness outside.

Manbao froze for a moment, then flung the window open to see the courtyard covered in a thick layer of snow. Even though it was still early, the sunlight reflecting off the snow made everything look incredibly bright.

She stood stunned for a second before letting out an "Oh wow!" and darted out of her room.

Bai Shan was awake, too. He had also seen the snow in the courtyard and was equally thrilled. The two dashed into the snow-covered yard, which looked like it had been heavily snowing all night. When they stepped into it, the snow almost reached the tops of their shoes.

It was the first time the two had seen snow so thick. The capital had already experienced its first snowfall, but it was light. They had assumed the snow here would be similar to what they had seen as children in Qili Village. But now...

Manbao immediately scooped up a handful of snow, icy cold in her hands. She exclaimed excitedly while clumsily forming it into a ball before hurling it at Bai Shan.

Bai Shan got hit on the head. Not to be outdone, he reached down to form his own snowball to throw back. Laughing loudly, the two began pelting each other with snowballs in the yard.

Bai Erlang, disturbed by the noise, got dressed and came outside. No sooner had he stepped out than two snowballs hit him squarely in the face. Startled, his sleepiness vanished, and he stood there bewildered, watching the two frantically forming snowballs.

Finally, as they looked up, he snapped out of it. Letting out a shout, he turned his back to avoid another incoming snowball that scattered across his back. Then he rushed into the yard to join them, scooping snow to retaliate...

The three immediately engaged in a chaotic snowball fight. Mr. Zhuang, who was disturbed by the commotion, didn’t intervene to stop them. Even Xiang Mingxue had pushed his covers aside to watch them, smiling despite himself.

Only when they had exhausted themselves did Mr. Zhuang say, "All right, go wash up quickly. Be careful not to wet your clothes and catch a cold."

The three suddenly realized they hadn’t washed their faces or combed their hair yet.

After tidying up, they enthusiastically grabbed brooms to sweep the snow.

It was their first time sweeping snow, so they ended up clearing not only the courtyard and garden but also the snow in the alley outside.

If Daji hadn’t reminded them about their appointment time with Liu Huan, they might have happily kept sweeping all the way to the main street.

Covered in a light sweat, the three deliberately stomped through the snow piled by the walls, enjoying the crunch beneath their feet as they headed home. They changed into clean clothes before making their way to Liu’s residence.

Yin Huo and the others had arrived around the same time, just about to enter the gates when they noticed the Bai family’s carriage and stopped to wait.

The group entered together.

Liu Huan came out to greet them. Since only his close friends had come, he led them straight to his courtyard. "My grandfather is at home, but he said the garden is ours today. We can do whatever we want, as long as we don’t tear the house down."

Feng Zongping asked, "Didn’t your elder brother go to Yizhou? Where did the venison come from?"

Liu Huan grinned smugly, "Brother Li and the others sent it. Although my elder brother isn’t in the capital, they know I love venison. So after catching a deer, they specially sent me half a rack. Perfect timing for us to roast it in the garden."

Yi Ziyang laughed, "Lucky timing, too. Last night’s heavy snowfall will make for a great backdrop as we enjoy the meat."

Manbao turned to Yin Huo and said, "You can’t eat too much."

Having anticipated this, Yin Huo nodded, "I know. I’ll just have a little and watch you all eat the rest."

The servants had set up a stand in the pavilion and lit the charcoal fire. The group arranged themselves around the brazier, warm despite the chill.

The snow on the garden paths had been swept away, but the rest of the snow remained untouched, creating a serene blanket of white. It was exceptionally beautiful.

Unable to resist, Manbao exclaimed, "It’s so picturesque! If only the flowers were in full bloom right now, with all the colorful blossoms peeking through the snow—it’d be even more breathtaking."

The group: "...It’s the dead of winter. Where would you find flowers in full bloom?"

The servants brought out the marinated venison, and Liu Huan wanted to roast it himself. Bai Shan eyed him skeptically, "Do you even know how to roast meat?"

"Not really, but roasting is all about the fun, isn’t it?"

"No way," Manbao protested. "I want the servants to roast it. This is my first time eating venison. If you ruin the meat, it’d be such a waste!"

Bai Shan and Bai Erlang nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly!"

They were always honest about their lack of skill.