The twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month.
Chang'an City.
The hustle and bustle of the markets had not diminished in the slightest due to the overwhelming snowstorm.
The painted towers and festive gates of the East Market were already adorned with brand new Peach Talismans, and large red lanterns hung high, making the falling snow seem to carry a hint of warmth.
The sound of firecrackers rose and fell, and children in thick cotton jackets chased and played at the mouth of the alley, holding Candy Gourds and humming nursery rhymes.
Whether they were royal descendants or common peddlers.
As the year drew to a close, everyone was swept up in this wave of joy.
Jiang Residence.
A few days ago, the news spread that Jiang Xun's wrongful case had been cleared, his official position restored, and he had been granted the title of Grand Tutor.
The threshold of the residence was almost worn down by colleagues coming to offer congratulations, and the line of gift-givers stretched from the beginning to the end of the alley.
But as the excitement passed, the entrance of the Jiang Residence appeared somewhat desolate.
Those in the imperial court were extremely skilled at reading people.
The current Grand Princess Zhaoyue of Great Tang had not returned to the Jiang Residence since coming back to the capital.
Everyone was secretly speculating about Your Highness's intentions.
Inside the rear garden.
Several Winter Plum Blossoms were blooming vibrantly, their subtle fragrance drifting in the air.
Jiang Xun was wearing a thick cotton robe made of blue cloth, his hands tucked into his sleeves, standing beneath the covered walkway.
His figure was thin, and the white hair at his temples seemed to have increased slightly in the frost and wind of the past few days.
Even though his official position had been restored, there was no hint of joy on his face.
His eyes merely stared blankly at the swirling snow.
An extremely faint sound of footsteps came from behind him.
An old man with a hunched figure rushed over, holding a Hand Warmer.
This was the Old Steward of the Jiang Residence. He had served Jiang Xun for most of his life and had watched Jiang Yuechu grow up.
The Old Steward approached, not daring to speak loudly, and called out softly.
"Master."
Jiang Xun's body trembled slightly, as if he had been pulled back from distant thoughts.
"Mhm."
"It's freezing cold. You've only just recovered a little. The Imperial Physician said you need rest and recuperation. How can you stand here exposed to the wind?"
As he spoke, he handed over the Hand Warmer.
"If you catch a cold, later... if Your Highness finds out, she will surely blame this Old Servant for not taking good care of you."
Hearing the two words, Your Highness.
Jiang Xun let out a long sigh: "Tell me... are these plum blossoms blooming beautifully?"
Butler Fu was stunned. He looked up at the Red Plums covering the tree and offered a placating smile.
"Beautiful, of course they are beautiful. This is just like that poem says: 'The sharp edge of a sword comes from grinding, and the fragrance of the plum blossom comes from bitter cold.' It reflects your current situation, Master—sweetness after suffering. It is a wonderful omen."
"Bitter cold..."
Jiang Xun murmured softly.
"I heard that girl came back yesterday?"
The Old Steward was startled, then understood immediately.
His Master was missing his daughter.
That made sense.
The daughter he had raised for sixteen years suddenly soared high and became a Phoenix, turning into the noble and esteemed Grand Princess.
Although being recognized by her birth family was a monumental joy.
In his heart, he inevitably felt empty.
Especially since, after so much time, only the rewards from the palace had been sent to the residence.
But the person herself was rumored to have gone to the Region of Longyou.
She hadn't even sent a single word in a family letter.
No wonder the Master was so anxious and worried.
"Master, you worry too much. Your Highness is now the Grand Princess, but I hear she also holds a position in the Demon Suppression Division... She didn't come to see you before perhaps because of urgent official business. Now that she has returned to the capital, she will surely come back in a few days..."
Jiang Xun did not respond, only lowering his eyelids, concealing the depth of his gaze.
Seeing this, the Old Steward stepped half a pace closer: "Master, allow this Old Servant to say something presumptuous."
"While the grace of birth is great, it cannot surpass the grace of raising!"
"Your Highness is a person who values loyalty and righteousness. This Old Servant has been observing people for decades; I couldn't be mistaken."
"Please relax, Master. Once the matters in the palace are settled, Your Highness will definitely come back to see you immediately. When that happens, she will still call you Father!"
Listening to this heartfelt comfort, Jiang Xun finally managed a wry smile.
"You only know part of the story, not the whole."
"If the matters of this world were truly as simple as you say, that would be wonderful."
"If only..."
Before Jiang Xun finished speaking, his lips trembled several times.
In the end, he didn't utter the rest of the sentence.
Butler Fu was completely confused and was about to speak again to persuade him.
Suddenly.
A flurry of hurried and panicked footsteps came from the covered walkway in the front courtyard.
A young Servant Boy in blue clothes rushed in, gasping for breath and stumbling.
His feet slipped, and he nearly tumbled in the snow.
"Master! Master!"
"E-Eldest Young Miss..."
"No! It's Her Highness the Grand Princess!"
"Your Highness... Your Highness has returned to the residence!"
Jiang Xun looked stunned.
Returned?
Truly returned?
Butler Fu, however, was overjoyed and quickly supported his Master's arm.
"Master! Did you hear that? Your Highness is back! What did this Old Servant tell you? Your Highness cares about this family!"
Jiang Xun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
He straightened his clothes and reached up to smooth the messy hair at his temples.
"Let's go."
The front hall.
The vermillion gate was wide open, and the cold wind, carrying snow, swirled into the hall.
Jiang Yuechu stood below the main platform of the hall.
She was not wearing the complex and luxurious Palace Attire, but a simple Moon-White Silk Robe.
Looking at the familiar hall.
Sixteen years.
This body had lived here for sixteen years.
Every blue brick, every beam, was perfectly clear in the depths of her memory.
Yet, standing here now.
She felt utterly unfamiliar with it.
Jiang Yuechu lowered her eyes.
Was this... the so-called feeling of Growing Timider the Closer One Gets to Home?
Just as she was thinking.
She saw Jiang Xun rushing over, accompanied by a group of servants.
Their eyes met.
Jiang Xun looked at the familiar yet strange young woman before him.
It was clearly the same face.
But the aura surrounding her, and the hint of indifference and arrogance deep in her eyes... she was no longer the girl who used to cry because she couldn't recite her lessons.
Jiang Xun's lips trembled twice, but reason ultimately prevailed.
He lifted his robes, his knees softened, and he prepared to kneel.
"This Old Minister... Jiang Xun..."
"Greets Her Highness Grand Princess Zhaoyue..."
Before his knees touched the ground.
Jiang Yuechu stepped forward, reached out, and gently supported the old man's arm.
Where her fingertips made contact.
She could clearly feel the thin body trembling.
"Father."
Jiang Xun's body shook violently. He suddenly raised his head, disbelief in his eyes.
After a long moment.
"Ay..."
"Ay..."
Jiang Xun responded twice, completely flustered.
"It's good that you're back... It's good that you're back..."
"It's cold outside, quick... quick, come inside and sit down."
...The charcoal fire in the hall burned fiercely.
Jiang Yuechu, however, felt the room was somewhat empty.
She swept her sleeve and sat down, avoiding the main seat that symbolized honor.
Instead, she sat on the wooden chair on the left side, as she usually did.
"Sit."
Jiang Yuechu pointed to the chair opposite her.
Jiang Xun's body stiffened. After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously moved over.
He didn't dare to sit fully, only lightly resting half of his rear on the edge of the chair.
Jiang Yuechu saw this and sighed inwardly.
The grace of sixteen years of raising her was undeniable, and the lingering emotions were also genuine.
But with the title of Sovereign and Subject weighing down on them.
Coupled with the secrets that had yet to be revealed.
A thick barrier ultimately stood between the two of them.
"Father."
"For this matter, your daughter returned late."
"I was preoccupied with various affairs earlier and couldn't return to the residence immediately to visit, letting you suffer alarm."
Jiang Xun quickly shook his head, "Not late, not late."
"Your Highness... Nickname, you are destined for great things. To remember this family, and to remember to come back and see this Old Minister, that is enough, that is enough."
"Are the household expenses sufficient?"
"They are sufficient. The palace provided many rewards."
"Is your body still well? What did the Imperial Physician say?"
"All good, all good. Just some superficial injuries; resting will heal them."
The conversation stopped there, with nothing further to say.
Jiang Yuechu looked at the gray-haired old man before her.
The strict father in her memory who would sternly scold her with a Ruler when she couldn't recite her lessons, the loving father who would secretly buy her Candied Hawthorns during the Lantern Festival... all seemed to blur at this moment.
Jiang Yuechu lowered her eyes and suddenly spoke: "Father."
"Do you not have anything you wish to say to your daughter?"
The reason she was determined to return to the Jiang Residence.
Firstly, it was indeed to fulfill a duty for the original owner of this body.
Secondly... she was genuinely curious why Jiang Xun, after being thrown into the Imperial Prison, refused to reveal the truth of that year no matter what.
Since the Dragon-patterned Jade Pendant was Consort Ming's personal item... and since Jiang Xun was almost certainly present at the scene that year.
Then he must know everything.
But why wouldn't he speak?
Was it that he couldn't speak?
Or... that he dared not speak?
Hearing this.
The old man's lips trembled violently.
In his cloudy eyes, fear, struggle, and guilt flashed... Finally.
All those emotions turned into a single heavy sigh.
Jiang Xun slowly lowered his head, avoiding Jiang Yuechu's gaze.
He said nothing.
Or rather.
He dared not say anything.