A piece of Japanese incense

In the twenty-sixth year of Zhaoding, on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, the eve of the Lantern Festival, Zhi Yihe gently opened the car window. The lights in the streets and alleys were just coming on. The lanterns were twinkling like stars falling to the ground, dancing in the wind, and creating a warm halo, illuminating the way for the pedestrians returning home.

This year marks the tenth year since Nanyin came into this world. The years have passed like a dream, as if it were a lifetime ago.

As Zhi Yihe, ever since she learned that her father was suspected of tampering with the government, she has been carefully examining her father and trying to communicate with him to explore his true inner thoughts.

However, her father always avoided talking about it, which made Zhi Yihe feel frustrated. She knew very well that her father was unwilling to let her face these things, and she could not change her father's determination.

Yihe then secretly investigated her father's behavior, trying to find clues. At the same time, she tried to communicate with her grandparents, reminding them to beware of her father's words and deeds, and she would do her best to protect them.

She tried to repair the relationship between father and daughter, and find a trace of warmth in this thin family relationship. I hope her father, before doing something outrageous, can think of their relationship, not hurt her grandmother and grandfather, and let them enjoy their old age.

In recent years, the health of Zhi Yihe's grandmother has been deteriorating, like a machine that has been worn out by the years, and each part is gradually aging. When she returned home this time, her grandmother had to use crutches to support her body.

Grandfather also became hunched over, but his hands were still as strong and resilient as ever. Whenever Yi and Mu Xiu returned home from leaving the palace, grandfather would hold her hand tightly, lead her out of the carriage, and lead her into the dining hall to eat.

Mother and Aunt Hong have been busy on the eve of the Spring Festival. The wedding ceremony and the New Year's Day ceremony are imminent, and Yunhe needs to carefully select and check every detail, including the venue, clothing, ritual objects, music...

Because tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, Zhi Yihe left the palace early today. He saw Yu Yi and Yu Tuan still bickering. Zhi Yihe closed the window helplessly and put the letter in his hand on the table.

"Miss, do you know what His Highness Xu wrote in the letter?" Yu Yi asked.

Zhi Yihe replied calmly, "He invited me to have a meal at Wei Ding Xuan tomorrow."

"We see each other every day, what's the point of writing a letter! It's rare for the girl to leave the palace, and she should accompany the master and the mistress tomorrow. How can she have the leisure to go out for dinner!" Yu Tuan chattered incessantly, talking quickly.

"Look, young lady! This Yutuan has been moody since she separated from Guard Zhou! She'll say something to anyone she catches!"

"You're just bringing up things that are not relevant to you! I told you not to mention him anymore!" Yu Tuan clenched his fist and hit Yu Yi.

Zhi Yihe was already accustomed to this. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and sorted out her thoughts so that she could return home in the best condition.

In fact, she was really tired today. As soon as she stepped out of the study during the day, she was summoned to the East Palace by the Crown Princess. She was warned that her private dealings with the Crown Prince were against the palace rules, and advised her to be self-aware and keep a distance from the Crown Prince.

In the past two years, Aban has been secretly building up his own power. They also returned to the long-abandoned Zhangxian Temple, eager to find the clues left for them by Steward Wang, but to no avail.

Ever since Zhi Yihe learned that the Crown Princess had been forcing Princess Tingzhu to take bitter poison when Feng Zhiyu was still alive, she had developed a strong aversion to the Crown Princess.

She couldn't understand how a mother could be so obsessed with believing that her son's physical discomfort was caused by her daughter absorbing his nutrients, and she would rather see her daughter becoming weaker and weaker than let her be responsible for her brother's life.

Although she has not yet found any connection between the Crown Princess and the strange case of eating babies, she sees Princess Tingzhu and Aban being forced to do all kinds of things they don't like every day. As a friend, Zhiyihe cannot just stand by and watch.

Although she has not yet found any clues that can reveal the connection between the Crown Princess and the strange case of baby-eating, she witnessed Princess Tingzhu and Aban being forced to do things they had no interest in every day. As a close friend, Zhi Yihe naturally would not sit idly by.

Today, there was something else on her mind that made her feel very worried.

That is - her father really planned to arrange a marriage for her and her cousin Jinqi after her coming-of-age ceremony...

Although unexpected events occurred, everything seemed to be developing according to the trajectory in her dream.

Since she fell into a coma that time, she put the box of golden lantern seeds under her pillow every day, but she never had that dream again...

In the past two years, Zhi Yihe was convinced that in her interactions with Feng Zhixu, Feng Zhixu was very different from the deep, cunning, scheming and black-bellied man in her dreams!

Perhaps it was because of his mother's tenacity in carrying heavy burdens for a long time and always being by his side, he never had any thoughts of fighting for the throne, seizing the throne, or seeking revenge. He just enjoyed life to the fullest every day, eating, drinking, and having fun, and he also longed to travel around the world with his mother.

However, in contrast is Feng Zhiyan. Although his father Prince Yun has gone to his fiefdom Kaoting, Feng Zhiyan always stays in the imperial capital for various reasons. Yesterday was Concubine Xin's birthday, and tomorrow he is in poor health. Even an outsider like Zhiyi can notice the subtlety between them.

However, the emperor's heart is unpredictable. Perhaps in the old emperor's heart, he still longs for the warmth of his children and grandchildren, so day after day, the prince and his wife are allowed to stay in the palace. Now, the prince's wife is pregnant again, and she has been staying in the palace for a long time on the grounds of keeping the baby safe.

Seeing that the Crown Prince's wife's belly was getting bigger and bigger, the Crown Princess felt that she was falling behind, and her worry and sense of urgency were growing day by day. At this moment, she wished that Aban could meet all the ladies of the right age from famous families in one day.

Thinking back to the time when Fang Juexia had tried her best to become the Crown Prince's consort, she didn't expect that it was Ye Shi's biological sister, Ye Zhao, the legitimate daughter of Earl Rong'an, who married Feng Zhiyan.

As for Ye Shi, after Zhi Yihe stepped on her finger and broke it, she went home to recuperate and soon got married. Zhi Yihe didn't pay much attention to her.

The only exception was Princess Qi, who was not only neglected, but also lost her study companion, and no one remembered her, except Zhi Yihe, who accompanied her to and from school.

Zhi Yihe got along very well with Princess Qi and Princess Tingzhu, except for Princess Yan.

Princess Yan and Zhi Yihe can't be said to be enemies, but they are almost irreconcilable.

Whenever Zhi Yihe passed a note in class or cheated in an exam, Princess Yan would catch him without a doubt.

Zhi Yihe thought that perhaps Princess Yan targeted her because she drove away the two tutors who had accompanied Princess Yan for many years. Anyway, Zhi Yihe did not take it to heart and continued to spend his days in the palace, living a leisurely life.