On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

It was already dark when Liu Jing came out of the Prince's mansion.

In winter, the sun is short; it's still bright when you go out, but by the time you come back, it's pitch black.

There were few people on Zhuque Avenue, and a few streetlights swayed in the wind, illuminating the road surface in alternating light and shadow.

Ultimately, winters were too difficult for people in ancient times. Coal mining was limited and expensive, so even well-off families couldn't afford to burn coal 24 hours a day.

This has led to people being reluctant to go out and preferring to stay in bed during the winter.

Liu Jing wrapped her somewhat tattered coat tighter around herself and walked toward Xuanwu Gate with her head down.

Once upon a time, she was the apple of the Prime Minister's eye, a pampered young lady, always surrounded by attendants when she went out.

Forget about tattered coats; even a cloak made of fox fur wouldn't be presentable. It has to be made of mink.

Friends in Northeast China surely know that the warmest thing in winter isn't a down jacket, but a mink coat.

However, when Lin Yi ransacked the house, all the good fur coats were taken away, and these tattered coats were bought at the market with the family's remaining money.

It's truly lamentable that the daughter of a high-ranking official has fallen into such a state of destitution.

The guards from the Shenji Battalion had changed shifts. The centurion who had known her before was no longer there; now there was a young officer in his early twenties, holding a roster in his hand.

Seeing her take out her waist tag, he took it and looked at it, asking, "Who are you?"

"My name is Liu Jing, and my father is Liu Wentao."

"So you are Lord Liu's daughter, I apologize for my rudeness." The young officer quickly clasped his hands in greeting, then said, "But palace rules are strict, so you cannot enter."

Why?

"Because of the strict palace rules."

"You..." Liu Jing was speechless, left with no choice but to take a piece of loose silver from her belt and hand it to him. "Is this enough?"

The young officer immediately took the silver and said, "Replying to Miss, although the palace rules are strict, they are nothing in front of you. Please go ahead."

"snort."

Liu Jing snorted and went inside.

That's outrageous! Those filthy soldiers are really going too far!

You need money to go out, and you need money to come back!

Where would I get so much money to bribe them?

Upon entering the palace, she did not return to the side hall where she lived with her family, but instead went to the small duty room next to the imperial kitchen.

There was an old eunuch in charge of distributing food. She had asked someone to deliver messages twice before, each time with a small gift.

A packet of coarse tea and a few copper coins.

It wasn't anything valuable, but these days the eunuchs in the palace weren't having an easy time either, especially after the Shenji Battalion took over the city's defenses, all their previous lucrative income disappeared.

When the old eunuch saw her arrive, he poked half his head out from under the door.

"Oh, Miss Liu has arrived."

"Eunuch Zhao, has my father eaten today?"

The old eunuch shook his head: "It was sent over, left untouched on the table, and is probably cold by now."

Liu Jing's heart sank.

Her father, Liu Wentao, has barely eaten anything for three days in a row.

It wasn't that there was no food; the Shenji Battalion distributed rations to everyone in the palace according to regulations, consisting of coarse flour buns and pickled vegetables.

Although it's not exactly good stuff, at least it won't starve you.

The problem is that Liu Wentao doesn't eat it.

"What has he been doing these past two days?"

"Same as always, sitting by the window, lost in thought. Occasionally he mutters to himself, but his voice is too soft to hear. Miss Liu, you really need to talk to your father; if this continues, he'll become a useless person."

Liu Jing nodded and took out a few copper coins from her sleeve and stuffed them into his hand.

The old eunuch declined twice, but eventually accepted it and retreated back to his duty room.

Liu Jing walked along the palace path toward the side hall.

She had walked this road many times since entering the palace. The red walls on both sides were covered with a layer of dust, and no one had cleaned them.

In the past, the eunuchs and maids in the palace were busy in groups, but now they are either being dismissed or registered, and there is often not a single person in the remote palace streets.

She pushed open the door to the side hall.

The room was dark; Liu Wentao hadn't lit any lamps or burned any charcoal.

The side hall was so cold that you could see your breath steaming in the cold air. Liu Jing shivered as soon as she entered, then groped around in the dark to find the tinderbox and lit the oil lamp on the table.

As soon as the light came on, I saw my father, Liu Wentao, sitting under the window, his back against the wall and his hands on his knees.

His eyes were open, but he wasn't looking at her; instead, he was looking out the window.

"Father, have you eaten?"

Liu Wentao did not answer.

Liu Jing went over, picked up the bowl of cold, thick noodle soup from the table, and touched the side of the bowl with the back of her hand; it was icy.

"Let me heat it up for you."

"No need," Liu Wentao finally spoke. "Where did you come from?"

Liu Jing put down the bowl and sat on the low stool opposite him.

"I went out for a while."

"Did you go to the Prince's residence?"

"Mm." Liu Jing nodded.

Liu Wentao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did you see him?"

"No."

The room fell silent, and the flame of the oil lamp was slightly swayed by the wind that seeped in through the crack in the door.

Liu Wentao slowly turned his head to look at her.

He had lost even more weight than last month, with prominent cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a layer of bluish-gray stubble on his chin.

He is fifty-two years old this year and has served as prime minister for twenty years. In the past, when he stood up in the court, all the civil and military officials had to give him some face.

At that time, his official robes were those of a first-rank official, a purple robe, a jade belt with gold fish motifs, and he walked with a swagger.

He's wearing an old robe issued by the palace, and the cuffs are torn and no one can mend them.

No wonder, when Liu Wentao entered the palace that day, he decided to keep a low profile and stay behind the scenes to watch the tigers fight.

Moreover, it was precisely at that time that the loyalist army was marching into Beijing, so Lin Yi's chances of winning were slim.

But who knew it would develop like this?

"Don't go there anymore."

Liu Jing did not respond.

"Lin Yi won't see you. If he wanted to see the Liu family, he would have done so already. The fact that he hasn't shown up yet means he doesn't intend to."

"Father, I didn't go to beg him to let us go."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"My younger brother can't stay at the Imperial Academy anymore. The teacher won't review his essays, and none of his classmates talk to him... He's only sixteen; he has a bright future ahead of him."

Liu Wentao's lips twitched.

Looking at her aging father, Liu Jing felt a tightness in her chest.

Of course she knew what her father was thinking. The Liu family had come to this point not because of Lin Yi, but because of himself.

If we hadn't opposed the Lin family back then, hadn't written the proclamation against the traitors, and hadn't taken the lead in organizing officials to donate money to raise funds for the army, perhaps the situation would be quite different now.

But it's no use thinking about these things now.

Lin Yi confiscated the money, leaving the family of over a hundred trapped in the palace, eating coarse flour buns and living in neglected side halls.

Alas, in the end, it's all just the cruel twist of fate.

Liu Jing got up and picked up the bowl of cold dumpling soup again.

"I'll go heat it up. Dad, just eat a few bites. If your brother comes back and sees you haven't eaten, he'll start crying again."

Liu Wentao neither said it was good nor bad.

Liu Jing carried the bowl out of the house and walked along the corridor toward the imperial kitchen.

They stopped halfway and stood against a pillar for a while.

No, we have to find a way, otherwise Father won't be able to hold on much longer if things continue like this.

I didn't see Lin Yi when I went to the Prince's Mansion today, but the steward was very polite and said that the Prince was not at the mansion today and I should come back another day.

Whether Lin Yi is in the mansion or not is not important; what matters is whether he lets you in.

If they don't let you in, it's no use coming a hundred times.

But my brother's matter can't be delayed any longer.

Liu Mingming was only sixteen years old and was naturally introverted. After being isolated at the Imperial College for more than a month, he didn't even like to talk anymore when he came back.

A few days ago, she secretly read what her younger brother had written. On a piece of paper, the word "death" was written repeatedly.

No, I absolutely cannot let anything happen to my brother.