My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

As the winter solstice arrives, the days begin to lengthen.

This year seems particularly cold; early winter is overcast, the north wind blows incessantly, and the cold seeps into the tents, chilling and desolate. (Note)

However, within the inner palace, golden doors and jade steps shone brightly in every courtyard.

The orchid grove is fragrant, a riot of flowers blooms, and beauties abound.

Seasonal feasts are a tradition of the Great Summer Palace, with banquets held in all four seasons, including today's Winter Solstice.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!" With a loud announcement, everyone rose to their feet and respectfully welcomed the Empress into the banquet hall.

The empress, dressed in palace attire, possessed a refined and elegant beauty, exuding the noble air cultivated from her long-standing high position.

Although it was a banquet, her clothes and jewelry were not particularly extravagant, as if she were treating it as a family dinner.

In contrast to her was the graceful and beautiful Consort Yun, whose beauty was like a lotus flower.

The other concubines were all veterans of the palace, and none of them were tactless enough to deliberately attract attention or annoy others at the seasonal banquet.

"Rise," the Empress said calmly, taking her seat. The others then followed suit and returned to their places.

Her gaze swept over the princes without lingering.

The emperor had long since stopped selecting concubines, and no new women entered the palace. There was little else to enjoy in the harem except for these children running around and entertaining them.

With her managing the six palaces, there was no reason to allow those scheming and plotting to go unchecked. Therefore, although the emperor did not have many concubines, he had quite a few children.

There are four princes who have grown up now and are quite competitive with each other.

The Empress had few children; she had never conceived again after a miscarriage in her early years. However, she did not care, and the Emperor would not use this to criticize her. Whether she had children or not, she was the mother of the nation.

Consort Yun had a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, the boy died young, leaving behind Jin'an, who was doted on by the emperor. Over the years, she had been much more well-behaved, staying by her daughter's side.

Therefore, none of the four princes had a clear advantage in terms of their mothers; it was almost a fair competition.

As long as the rivalry between the young men wasn't excessive, it didn't matter; the Empress wouldn't restrict them with any rules or regulations.

In her view, regardless of whether they are royal children or not, they should dare to fight and compete, and be able to win or lose.

But now that the Great Xia Dynasty is stable and the emperor is in his prime, what are these children, whose wings are not yet fully grown, in such a hurry? Or rather, what are the adults behind them in such a hurry for?

The Empress slowly said, "I just heard an interesting story. Governor Sun presented Your Majesty with a white tortoise, a symbol of good fortune."

Although the concubines were not familiar with the previous dynasty, Governor Sun had been a favorite of the emperor in recent years. He had risen from a minor county magistrate of the eighth rank to the position of governor of the first rank, a remarkable achievement. They had all heard some of his deeds.

One of the concubines bluntly said, "Your Majesty, wishing someone a long and healthy life is an auspicious omen."

The empress glanced at her, and the concubine lowered her head slightly and remained silent.

Seeing this, Consort Yun smiled sweetly and said, "It is indeed a good omen. I suppose Governor Sun must have put in a lot of effort to find such a gift. His Majesty will like it."

The Empress was slightly displeased and was about to speak when a burst of laughter came from outside the door, and a loud voice said, "My beloved consort is right, I am very pleased!"

The Empress hurriedly rose and led the palace ladies in bowing: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The emperor entered the hall, smiled, and reached out to help the empress to her feet, then helped Consort Yun to her feet, saying, "Get up, both of you."

Once the emperor was seated in the main seat, everyone else sat back down, finally able to sit comfortably.

The emperor played with the string of beads in his hand, narrowed his eyes and looked at the princes, and then said again, "I am very pleased with Governor Sun's kindness, and I have already rewarded him."

"Your Majesty is benevolent," the Empress said with a nonchalant compliment, observing the Emperor's expression and finding that he seemed genuinely unconcerned about the matter, which aroused her suspicion.

Could it be... that she's being too sensitive and overthinking things?

Consort Yun, sitting on the other side, gave her a smug look, which made the Empress tighten her grip.

Her intuition told her that her judgment on the auspicious omen was correct, but the problem was that Consort Yun seemed to know something that she did not.

She couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. Consort Yun was extremely beautiful and adept at guessing the emperor's intentions. Her methods were very sophisticated, while she could only sit on the throne and be a virtuous and kind empress, a role model for all people.

Although the emperor loved her and the concubines trusted her, and her life was so comfortable and peaceful that it was almost flawless, she still felt a sense of loss from time to time.

Princess Jin'an, sitting next to Consort Yun, smiled helplessly. She hadn't expected her mother to be like this, always finding an opportunity to sow discord between the Empress and Consort Yun.

Xu Ruoruo, sitting below, seemed to be deep in thought.

The situation of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion and the Yingguo Duke's Mansion after the snow appreciation banquet will not be mentioned.

Apart from the princess consort's visit to the palace to request an audience with the Empress Dowager once, the Qin Prince's Mansion has remained silent and has not taken any other actions. However, the Qin Prince often visits the palace to meet with the Empress Dowager and lobby and mediate on the matter of Chu Wenchen.

Rong Chun of the Duke of Qi's mansion suddenly seemed to be possessed, inquiring about magic everywhere. She even secretly went to the Pine Forest Cottage several times, but failed to enter.

Xu Ruoruo's family, the Duke of Liguo's mansion, was highly regarded in the capital city because it was the Empress's maternal family. Therefore, they were cautious and cautious in their actions, and did not devote any energy to Chu Lengyu. They were just waiting for the results of other people's tests.

Although the four kings and eight dukes appeared to be of the same blood to outsiders, the friendship between their ancestors had faded over the years, and they had long since gone their separate ways. They were merely maintaining a superficial alliance, relying on this empty title to keep the emperor wary of them and prevent him from taking action easily when any of them declined.

In the current situation, the Empress has no children, but her position as Empress is secure. The Duke of Liguo's family only needs to enjoy wealth and honor, and has no other ambitions.

However, upon hearing that the Duke of Zhenguo would be publicly executed the next day, Xu Ruoruo couldn't help but feel worried.

Although the couple had committed numerous crimes and were already on the verge of death, the emperor was even going to completely revoke their titles. Was he planning to break ties with the Four Kings and Eight Dukes?

Even with the Empress providing information within the palace, it seems no one knew why the Emperor suddenly decided to do this.

But now, she couldn't help but think of that girl in white, pure as snow. Was it because she needed to give her an explanation?

Xu Ruoruo wondered in a daze, do immortals and gods really exist in this world?

If Chu Lengyu is truly a celestial being descended to earth, then this world...

Looking at the bustling, lively court banquet with its clinking glasses and melodious music, she suddenly felt a sense of distance and unreality.

It seems that another unknown world is lurking in the shadows, revealing its sharp edge, about to pierce through this prosperous facade, while the people in it are living in a drunken stupor, unaware of it, or perhaps still deceiving themselves, unwilling to let go of their illusions.

After the Winter Solstice banquet, Xu Ruoruo, contrary to her usual behavior, did not leave the palace immediately. Instead, she took the initiative to find the Empress and said to her meaningfully, "Aunt, there is someone you should pay more attention to."

"Who?"

"Chu Lengyu".

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Note: Adapted from Du Fu's "After Arrival" and Zhang Heng's "Ode to the Western Capital".