Long Yingtong clenched her teeth in silence, her eyes full of trust and comfort as she looked at Yang Mengchen.

Yang Mengchen concentrated on twisting the needle. First, the moment did not allow her to be distracted, and second, she dared not look into Long Yingtong's eyes, fearing she would not be able to restrain her tears.

The pain that seeped from the bones, and the pain produced during the acupuncture, was unbearable even for the most stoic of men, yet Long Yingtong, so young, persevered with gritted teeth. Mengchen felt a mix of heartache and admiration.

After an incense stick had burned down, Yang Mengchen removed the Black Needle and gently wiped the cold sweat from Long Yingtong's forehead with a handkerchief, "Yingtong, do you feel a little better now?"

'I feel much better, thank you, Sister Mengchen.' Long Yingtong gestured with her hand, her pale face lifting into a sweet, grateful smile as some color returned to it.

"From tomorrow on, you should stay with sister. This way, I can continue to administer acupuncture, and before long, Yingtong won't have to endure such pain."

Long Yingtong nodded with a smile.

As Yang Mengchen gently rolled up Long Yingtong's sleeves, she saw the intermingled fresh and old bloody marks and bruises on her fair arms. The tears Mengchen had been holding back finally escaped her eyes. She hurriedly turned around, wiping away her tears quickly as she reached for the antiseptic medicine. By the time she faced Long Yingtong again, there were no signs of her earlier distress.

Yang Mengchen fed Long Yingtong a pill, then tenderly applied the antiseptic medicine to the wounds, carefully bandaging them. She poured warm water for Yingtong, wiped her face and body, put clean underwear on her, tucked her in, then took off her own shoes and lay beside her. She patted the blanket with her bare hands and hummed a soft song.

Soon, Long Yingtong closed her eyes and peacefully fell asleep, as if she was dreaming of something wonderful; a sweet smile remained on her lips.

Getting out of bed carefully, Yang Mengchen put her shoes back on and left the room silently, closing the door gently. She glanced at Long Xuanmo before heading to the top floor.

"Prince, what exactly happened?"

Gazing at the bright moon in the dark night sky, Yang Mengchen's expression was as cold as frost, her entire being like unmelting snow atop rugged mountain peaks.

Standing beside Yang Mengchen, Long Xuanmo looked up at the moon, his eyes shrouded in gloom and deep self-reproach.

"Three years ago, on a snowy night, Yingtong sneaked out of her chamber alone. By the time the attending Palace Maids realized, it was already early the next morning;

Later, Father Emperor and Mother Empress found Yingtong in the Cold Palace, lying in the snow, turned into a statue of ice;

After the Imperial Physicians' all-out treatment, her life was saved, and with careful recuperation over several years, she could recover her health. However, the cold had severely damaged her vocal cords, and it was feared she might never be able to speak again;

The interrogation of the Palace Maids concluded unanimously that Yingtong had been enamored with the snowy scenery during the day, so she had slipped out of her chamber at night, alone;

Father Emperor, enraged, commanded the death by beating of all Palace Maids who neglected their duties in her chamber;

It was thought the matter would end there, but rumors suddenly began to spread within the palace. The reason was that the late Emperor's most beloved Concubine Shu had died in that Cold Palace. Her restless spirit, it was said, still lingered, and now Yingtong had inexplicably fainted in the Cold Palace - the work of Concubine Shu's haunting spirit, they said, and Yingtong was cursed with ill-omen;

Despite an investigation, the source of the rumors could not be found. Father Emperor could only issue a decree to severely punish those spreading false rumors and drew a strict command against the Palace Maids – another word, and there would be consequences;

Nevertheless, the rumors spread outside the palace, many court officials petitioning Father Emperor, either to execute Yingtong immediately or send her to the Royal Monastery to become a nun for life, lest she bring calamity to Dong Chu;

The saying goes, "no law can be enforced when all transgress;

Father Emperor could not punish the officials and was even less willing to send Yingtong to the Royal Monastery or execute her. Faced with the officials' aggressive demands, Father Emperor was almost driven mad with worry;

Upon learning of this at the border, I returned home immediately by fast horse and sent a letter to my master. My master is well-respected and held in high esteem by the citizens of Dong Chu, and with the help of Old Hai and a group of officials, the situation was finally defused. In the end, Yingtong stayed in Mother Empress's chamber without taking a step out for three years;

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