I traveled through the Cretaceous period and farmed with the ever-changing dog egg.

In the month since she returned, that person had never appeared in the vicinity again. Lin Chaoyan spent her days wandering around sparsely populated areas, accompanying Ying Zheng to review memorials, and having heart-to-heart talks and exchanging feelings every few nights.

He is currently enjoying the plum blossoms with six surveillance cameras, and two more are providing covert protection. There are four palace maids and two eunuchs. All of them are bodyguards trained and cultivated by Ying Zheng since childhood; even the three highest-ranking ladies in the palace do not receive this treatment.

"Young lady, you are not yet of rank, so it is not appropriate for you to have a direct confrontation with those ladies and beauties." Lin Chaoyan was so angry at the unpleasant words that she was about to step forward and hit the beauty.

As a result, Yu Rong and her men dragged him away.

"But! They talked about me like this behind my back, and they insulted my whole family without using any swear words..." They really have a sharp tongue, they insulted people without using any swear words, and they even dragged their parents, brothers and sisters into it.

“It’s not that I’m asking you to overlook this, Miss, but it’s not appropriate for you to act in this way right now. Once the Imperial Preceptor returns, you will be the Queen, and dealing with her will be a simple matter of a word. There’s no need for you to dirty your hands.” Yu Rong was always gentle and extremely patient.

"This is so frustrating. I don't want to be queen, I don't want to stay here and fight in the palace..."

Isn't it good to love and cherish each other? It's difficult! They have it tough too. Without favor, even the palace servants can trample on them.

"If you are truly angry, Miss, I am willing to share your burden. Please do not say such things, for it will chill the King's heart..." A hint of ruthlessness flashed across Yu Rong's gentle eyes.

"Understood! Be careful with your words and actions..." Lin Chaoyan walked aimlessly, waving the red plum branch in her hand.

Just then, a cry of alarm came from not far away, and a palace maid, her face pale, ran over in a panic.

"What happened?" she asked the palace servant, puzzled.

The young palace maid was clearly terrified. She didn't answer Lin Chaoyan's question and instead ran past her.

Yu Rong stopped the young eunuch behind her, who was also quite frightened, from asking questions, but she still couldn't give a complete answer.

"Why are they all so scared? Let's go take a look." Could they have seen a ghost in broad daylight?

"Miss, you'd better not go. I'll go check and then get back to you, lest you get some bad luck." After saying that, Yu Rong quickly walked over.

Lin Chaoyan disobeyed and took two steps forward, only to find a well in front of her.

"Miss, don't go. Look how frightened they are. There's probably nothing good in there." Several palace servants and eunuchs immediately stepped forward to stop Lin Chaoyan and tried their best to persuade her to stay away.

"Fine! I won't go..." She didn't need to go anyway; the deathly aura emanating from the well had already told her the truth—it was nothing more than someone's corpse inside.

As expected, Yu Rong walked over with a sullen face, but quickly composed herself, preparing to coax her little darling away.

"Yu Rong, who is inside? Will anyone care?" There must be something fishy about this kind of death.

Yu Rong was shocked for a moment, then helped Lin Chaoyan leave. "Someone will handle it, Miss, let's go back! If you don't have dinner on time, the King will nag you again."

"My lady, you're finally back! I was so worried! The King is waiting for you to have dinner together." Zhao Gao quickly took off his snow-covered fox fur coat and helped Lin Chaoyan inside.

Upon entering the hall, everyone except Yu Rong and Zhao Gao tactfully withdrew.

"Where did Ayan go today? She even forgot to have dinner with me." Ying Zheng took a wet handkerchief and washed her hands.

"Just strolling around the plum garden..." Where else could you go? In the dead of winter, there's not much to see besides the plum garden. And besides, you can't see this, you can't touch that...

"Your Majesty, I will have someone serve the meal right away..."

Ying Zheng nodded and pulled Lin Chaoyan to sit down.

No matter how busy he was, Ying Zheng would always make time to have lunch and dinner with Lin Chaoyan. If he couldn't find the time, he would instruct Zhao Gao to make sure she finished her meal and then report back to him.

She picked up a shrimp and put it in her bowl, intending to peel one for Ying Zheng, but Yu took it away. "A-Zheng is busy with national affairs every day, he doesn't need to wait for me."

...Hey sis, do you have to be this dedicated?

"Yes, otherwise we'll have even less time together." As he spoke, he fed her the shrimp that Zhao Gao had prepared. "Ayan, try it."

Why are there shrimp in winter? She reached out to take the spoon from Ying Zheng's hand but was refused. Under his sticky, tender gaze, she could only accept being fed.

"How does it taste? Does Ayan like it?" Lately, he has been getting busier and busier, and the two of them have less and less time together. Every time he comes back, she has already gone to bed, and when he leaves, she is still asleep.

Ying Zheng worried that the feelings he had worked so hard to win over would fade over time.

"Delicious!! Zheng, you should try some too..." It's strange that there are river shrimp in winter in ancient times. Lin Chaoyan put the shrimp that Yu Rong had peeled to Ying Zheng's mouth.

The two of them ate a sickeningly sweet meal, constantly feeding each other.

"Does Qin also produce a lot of fish and shrimp? How come there are shrimp in winter?" She only knew that the Chu region was located in what is now the Yangtze River basin, with a humid climate and fertile land, so the Chu diet was mainly based on aquatic products. She really didn't know about Qin.

"It's just some simple food! Nothing special." He had specially arranged for it to be transported all the way to Lin Chaoyan, but he didn't intend to tell her because he was afraid she would feel burdened or overthink things.

"Come, try the Eight Treasures Soup..."

"It's so delicious!! What's in it?" Her taste buds were satisfied the moment it entered her mouth.

"These eight delicacies include bear paws, deer meat, leopard fetus, elephant tendons, rhinoceros horns, python skin, and other rare and exotic animals' meat and internal organs..." Lin Chaoyan had already lost interest in what Zhao Gao said after that.

"I'd be locked up for life for this!" She suddenly lost interest; in modern times, she'd probably be executed.

"It doesn't taste good, I don't want to drink it!" She was afraid that her liking it would waste more manpower and resources, and at the same time, more rare and exotic animals would be persecuted.

"Alright~ then I won't drink it..." He put down the bowl of Eight Treasures Soup.

Ying Zheng held her as they sat on the edge of the bed. Lin Chaoyan leaned against his chest, gazing at the magnificent palace before them. She wondered what that person was thinking, what he was planning, and why he hadn't appeared yet.

"What is Ayan thinking about?"

Seeing her staring blankly at the ceiling, he felt a pang of guilt, realizing that he had neglected her during this time due to his busy schedule with state affairs. Not only had she not entered the harem, but he had only been able to hold her as a bedmate at most. Indeed, it had been quite some time since he had been able to properly cherish her.

"I'll be back early tonight..." After saying that, he cupped her little face and kissed her for a while before reluctantly leaving.

"Be good and wait for me to come back..." He left, leaving behind a sentence that left Lin Chaoyan completely confused.

…What?? …This guy is really…waiting for you my ass.

"Mother..."

Little Radish has now grown into a young adult, his once tender face now showing signs of maturity.

Hearing "Grandma's" call, Lin Chaoyan's heart softened. She brushed the snow off him and pulled him into the hall. "Xu'er, you're here! Have you had dinner yet?..."

This adopted son is truly filial; he visits Lin Chaoyan's home morning and evening more punctually than an alarm clock. Every day, he tells Lin Chaoyan about the interesting things that happen to him.

"Mother, today the teacher said that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen..." the little guy eagerly expressed his understanding.

Seeing how clingy he was, Lin Chaoyan knew that the child must have been wronged.

"My Xu'er is so clever! How have you been getting along with your younger brothers lately?" She pulled the little guy over to check on him. The child was so sensible that he wouldn't tell her unless his parents noticed something was wrong.

Judging from the bruises on his arm, he must have fallen quite hard.

"Xu'er, can you tell your mother what happened?" Since she calls me mother, I have to take responsibility.

“I’m fine, it was just a little argument about our studies. Mother, don’t worry…” His mother was the best mother in the world, and his father hadn’t lied to him.

Seeing that the child was unwilling to talk, Lin Chaoyan didn't press him further. She patted his head and led him into the courtyard. "Come on, Mother will teach Xu'er kung fu. Next time, we'll beat up those who bully you. Xu'er, you must remember to repay evil with kindness, otherwise how will you repay kindness? You can't always give in, otherwise those people will only think you're weak and incompetent and become even more ruthless. I won't offend others unless they offend me. If they offend me, I will retaliate." She didn't want the child she raised to be a bookworm who only knew how to talk.

He gazed at Lin Chaoyan for a long time, feeling a warm light emanating from his mother. Then, "Hmm..."

Inside the Zhangtai Palace, Yu Rong was reporting to Ying Zheng about Lin Chaoyan's experiences that day.

"Beauty Chu, Lady Zhao... The weather has turned cold recently, and the two beauties, who are already weak, have suddenly fallen ill and damaged their voices..." Since he can't control what they say, he'll control it.

"promise…"

"Who served that palace maid who died in the well?" She was timid; if she really saw her, she would definitely have nightmares. In Ying Zheng's eyes, Lin Chaoyan was a delicate flower who needed his protection at all times.

"Your Majesty, it was a palace maid who originally served Consort Zheng. It is said that she committed an act of disobedience and was punished by Lady Qi. In despair, she jumped into the well..." She recounted everything she had found out, leaving the details to the king to decide whether to investigate further.

"Give her a lesson. My harem is not a place for her to abuse her power and commit evil deeds. As for Zheng Rou? Keep a close eye on her, lest she escape and alarm Ayan." In the palace, it's always a matter of stepping on the weak and praising the strong, and everyone kicks someone when they're down. He needs to deal with those with wicked intentions slowly and deliberately.

"promise…"