Anning was a frequent visitor to the royal court during the autumn and winter seasons this year. The Empress Dowager was very fond of Anning, and her fondness became even more apparent after Anning brought her an embroidery of a Bodhisattva. Emperor Pingle was a filial emperor. With the Empress Dowager favoring Anning, and Anning being a simple peasant woman who posed no threat, Emperor Pingle naturally was also happy to give Anning some recognition. He awarded her the title of first-rank wife, in light of Anning’s role in offering the landscape painting. Hereinafter, with the imperial decree further raising her status, the Empress Dowager found even more reason to summon Anning. The Empress Dowager entered the palace at the age of thirteen or fourteen and had been there for over thirty years. Life in the palace was dull and flavorless, and she found little joy in her everyday routine. But ever since Anning came into her life, the Empress Dowager’s days became interesting. Anning had a knack for winning favor; there was truly no one she couldn’t impress. Knowing the Empress Dowager was keen on novelty, Anning would always find new things to amuse her. She brought playing cards, mahjong, and many other entertaining items. Additionally, Anning would often tell the Empress Dowager stories during her visits. First came the short tales, then came the serialized novels. Anning had once been a literary master and another time, an online novelist—a peerless supreme figure in the online literary world. As such, her storytelling deeply captivated everyone. Not only did people in the Empress Dowager Palace listen, but even the wives and concubines of Emperor Pingle became mesmerized. Come winter, Anning was even more popular in the harem than Emperor Pingle. Of course, Anning’s popularity brought her many tangible benefits. For instance, whenever she returned from the palace, she would receive gifts from various halls, and the Xu Family found their dealings in the Capital much easier. Likewise, Zhou Xun’s days at the Hanlin Academy had improved. During the snowy days of winter, the Empress Dowager grew tired of eating meat and longed for fresh vegetables as part of her diet. Anning, during one of her visits, suggested growing some vegetables in heated greenhouses. The Empress Dowager took note of the method and allocated some land in the harem to build a greenhouse. And sure enough, they soon enjoyed fresh vegetables. This pleased not only the Empress Dowager and the concubines, but also made Emperor Pingle fond of Anning. After all, who doesn’t yearn for the pleasures of taste? As the winter solstice approached, Prince Su began to visit the Xu Family frequently. He was there to see Anning every time. Naturally, he never spent time alone with Anning; an elder or Old Madam would always accompany them, and Prince Su would discuss fashion with Anning, also seeking her advice on embroidery. At first, the elders were quite apprehensive in Prince Su’s presence. But eventually, they grew used to it. The old couple had never imagined that a Prince would take pleasure in making clothing. One day, upon seeing Prince Su swiftly embroider a magnolia flower, their world view was completely overturned. Therefore, neither of them ever suspected Prince Su of harboring any special feelings towards Anning, nor did they prevent their closeness. After all, in their eyes, Prince Su didn’t treat Anning as a woman but as a master artisan. This perception of the old couple also influenced the rest of the household, and no one noticed Prince Su’s gazes towards Anning becoming increasingly intense and revealing. On this day, as the heavy snow cleared up, Anning told Old Madam that she wished to go out for a walk. Old Madam thought that Anning had been cooped up at home for a while and, with the nice weather, should go out for some fresh air, so she allowed Anning to go out and enjoy herself. There were many places to go within the Capital: various theaters, storytelling at tea houses, and many different sorts of entertainment venues. Anning left home alone, first stopping by a tea house for a while, and then went into a theater. As soon as she entered, she was grabbed by someone. Anning turned her head and saw Prince Su, and she couldn’t help but smile, "Your Highness is also here to watch the play?" Prince Su examined Anning from head to toe, his gaze gentle, "Hmm, I didn’t expect to run into Madam Xu. I have a private box here; please, Madam Xu, come over and sit." Anning nodded and agreed. As she walked, she thought about Prince Su. Having replaced the original character for so long, Anning had never encountered Xiao Yuan. She thought that she would not see him again in this lifetime, but unexpectedly, she met Xiao Yuan in the Empress Dowager Palace. However, the identities of the two were too sensitive, which doomed them to a relationship with fate but no destiny in this life. Once they were inside the private box, Prince Su had many snacks and dried fruits brought up. He personally poured a cup of tea for Anning: "Madam Xu, it’s rare for you to come out and relax." Anning smiled and took a sip of tea, "There’s too much going on at home, my parents are old and can’t work as hard, my children are still young, I inevitably need to take on more responsibilities." Prince Su gazed at Anning for a long time, "It must be very hard." Prince Su had heard a lot about Anning from the Empress Dowager. He knew that she had previously lived a difficult life. Born not long before her mother passed away, she had to scrape by under her step-mother’s control, and although she had a loving relationship with her husband, she was widowed at a young age. As a weak woman, she had to support her family, respect the elderly above and nurture the young below, besides dealing with many trivial household matters, splitting herself into pieces wouldn’t even suffice. Yet, she bit down hard and managed to survive. Dıscover more novels at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽 Thinking of Anning’s past days, Prince Su felt immense pity for her. These days, Prince Su visited the Xu Family frequently and gained a deeper understanding of Anning. He got to know Anning’s character and her talents, and his respect and fondness for her grew even more. "What hardships? I’m doing very well." Anning spoke with a light and breezy smile. Yet, Prince Su felt even more distressed for her. "How about letting me share some of your burdens?" He blurted out these words, and upon saying them, he felt it was a good idea. Prince Su’s Princess had passed away years ago, and since then, he had not remarried. People outside spoke of Prince Su’s deep and profound love for the late Princess, depicting him as a hopelessly devoted lover, but the truth was, he had no intention of marrying again. The late Princess was not well-liked; in her few years of marriage to Prince Su, she extinguished all of his passion, leading Prince Su to start keeping his distance from women. Had it not been for meeting Anning, Prince Su likely would never marry again in his lifetime. Prince Su gazed at Anning eagerly. He hoped that Anning would agree. But, Anning responded with a smile and a shake of her head, "Your Highness is too kind, but I dare not accept such an honor." Prince Su was greatly disappointed, "Am I not good enough?" "Your Highness is very good, but due to our respective statuses, I must beg to be excused from compliance." At this moment, the grand play began on stage, and Anning started to watch intently. Prince Su sat beside her, staring at Anning’s exceptionally soft side profile. For a moment, he was also entranced. "I will treat you well." Anning did not give Prince Su even a glance, "When my husband passed away, I resolved to remain faithful to him for the rest of my life. Therefore, no matter how good Your Highness is, I will not break my vow." Prince Su gave a bitter smile, "May I still visit your home for guidance?" Anning nodded, "Yes, you may." She didn’t watch the entire play and soon got up to leave, leaving Prince Su sitting there, lost in thought.