After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Jinzhu ran into the Imperial Medical Academy and bumped into an imperial physician who was coming out.

Both of them were knocked to the ground by the other.

"Ouch, who is it!" The imperial physician cried out in pain as he got up from the ground.

Jinzhu grabbed the imperial physician's arm anxiously and said, "Imperial Physician, my prince is ill. Please take a look at him."

"No, no, I don't have time right now." The imperial physician shook her off and walked out.

Jinzhu grabbed his arm again, "No! You have to take a look at my princess. She fell into the water and was exposed to the cold wind. She was injured before, you can't just ignore her."

The imperial physician said impatiently, "Oh dear! This is just a common cold! Just have your apprentice write a prescription and get some medicine."

"But you haven't taken my pulse yet!"

"No need to take his pulse, is such a small matter worth going for? I need to go see His Majesty now, and I can't afford to delay anyone."

The imperial physician shook off her hand and quickly left.

The imperial physician entered Xiao Shengxi's bedchamber, and Eunuch Liu led him to an inner room.

Through the gauze curtain, the imperial physician had just taken the pulse when, as if he had discovered something bad, he tremblingly released his hand and knelt down.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, you've been worrying too much lately. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to regulate your body," the imperial physician said nervously.

"I know my own body. So tell me, how much time do I have left?"

"Based on the current situation, there is only a little over a month left!"

"The woman's essence is no longer of use. Your Majesty need not drink it any longer."

"More than a month has passed!" Xiao Shengxi sighed, realizing that he only had a few days left.

He wasn't afraid of death, but when it actually came, he felt a pang of reluctance.

"There's only a month or so left. What a pity..."

Xiao Shengxi waved his hand at him, signaling the imperial physician to step back.

"His Majesty!"

Eunuch Liu knelt on the ground and wiped away his tears.

"It's a pity that the Crown Prince is not yet up to the task, and I can't help him for much longer."

"Does Your Majesty wish to invite the Crown Prince?"

Xiao Shengxi rubbed his head. "Summon the Crown Princess."

"Yes!"

-

Cao Yuan was alone in her palace.

Cao Yuan lay on the bed, her face as pale as paper, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, soaking her disheveled hair. Her eyes were tightly closed, but she kept muttering to herself, calling Chu Yan's name over and over again.

After a struggle, Cao Yuan slowly opened her heavy eyelids. She could vaguely see a figure walking towards her.

"I don't believe you! You're lying to me! You're lying!"

Cao Yuan shook her head vigorously, shouting in frustration.

"It's so cold..." Cao Yuan couldn't help but shiver.

She seemed to be caught in a nightmare, in which she fell into an ice cave and struggled inside. Just when she was about to give up, a pair of hands grabbed her and swam her toward the light.

"Ah Yuan, Ah Yuan?"

Chu Yan pulled her into his arms.

"Cold, so cold!" Cao Yuan grabbed his collar in her drowsy state.

Chu Yan wrapped the blanket around her and said, "It's alright, you'll feel better after taking the medicine."

After a restless night, Cao Yuan finally woke up.

"Jinzhu!" Cao Yuan struggled to sit up in bed.

"Your Highness, how are you? Get up and drink your medicine! You need to take this medicine for three days!"

Jinzhu brought the medicine to her.

Cao Yuan hesitated to answer, seemingly looking around as if searching for something.

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Please take your medicine."

"You took care of me all night?"

"Yes!"

Jinzhu changed the subject, "You scared me to death yesterday! You went to a banquet and suddenly your clothes were covered in icicles. I went to find the imperial physician for you, but he said His Majesty was also ill. I could only get some medicine for a cold. Is there anything else that's bothering you? Do you need to see the imperial physician again?"

No. Are you taking care of me all by yourself?

"Of course not. You had a high fever, and I and several other nannies took you to the hot springs and gave you medicine. How could I have done that by myself!"

Cao Yuan didn't think too much about it.

"Drink your medicine now!"

Cao Yuan drank the medicine in one gulp.

Cao Yuan lay back down on the bed. Jin Zhu was about to leave when Cao Yuan grabbed her hand again. "Was anyone else here last night?"

"Huh? No!"

Could it be that she was hallucinating?

That's right, how could he possibly come to see her?

"Your Highness, please rest well."

As Cao Yuan lay down on the bed and turned over, just as she was about to put her hand under her face, a piece of gold thread was hanging from her fingernail.

-

In the cold palace.

Only Cao Chun was building a snowman in the yard.

She huddled beside the tall, adorable snowman like a frightened little animal. The biting wind cut like a knife across her delicate skin, and she couldn't help but shiver. She clenched her hands tightly together, desperately rubbing her fingers, which were already red from the cold and almost numb.

She opened her mouth and exhaled a warm breath, trying to warm herself up a little, but the faint warmth instantly dissipated into the cold air. "So cold..." she murmured to herself, her voice so soft that only she could hear it.

Turning her head, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of her without warning. Startled, her body trembled violently, and she instinctively wanted to back away. Then, she curiously raised her head, her clear, watery eyes staring directly at the uninvited guest before her.

Xiao Jingfeng squatted down and approached her with a smile. "Princess, the New Year is almost here. Do you want to go home? I heard that the New Year celebrations in Wei are especially lively."

"Yes, I want to go home!" Cao Chun nodded vigorously.

"go home!"

"When can I go home!"

Cao Chun smiled innocently at him.

"Does the princess still recognize the woman who came to see you last time?" Xiao Jingfeng gently patted her head.

Cao Chun thought for a moment and nodded vigorously, "She called me Imperial Sister. I am the elder sister!"

"In a few days, it will be the end of the year. I will release you, and you can go back after you kill her."

"Kill her? If we kill her, we can go back?" Cao Chun repeated.

"She didn't come here specifically to see you; she just wanted to get close to someone in the Crown Prince's palace."

"The Eastern Palace! The Eastern Palace!" Cao Chun panicked upon hearing the name of the Eastern Palace.

"We must not approach the Eastern Palace! We must not!"

“You can only go home when she dies. Look, in all these days, has she only come to see you once? If she really considered you her elder sister, how come she hasn’t come even once in all these years? She’ll be leaving soon, without you.”

"Only by killing her can you go home."

Xiao Jingfeng handed her a dagger, saying, "Only the two of us know about this. Princess, you must seize this opportunity."

Cao Chun shakily reached out and grasped Xiao Jingfeng's dagger.

Brother, let's see how you choose this time. I don't believe you can keep your secrets.

This throne will be mine sooner or later.