The protagonist chased the villain, and Tiandao screamed in anger

The prince was busy checking the accounts and had been staying in the government office for several days.

After Lord Jiang was tried, all matters concerning the accounts fell on You Mu's shoulders. He was so busy that he didn't go back to the East Palace to look after the affairs for a long time.

Lou Jian's injuries had improved a little, but her complexion was still sickly and she had little appetite. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the long-lost sunlight outside the window during the snowy season.

"Here, eat something. How can the disease be cured without eating?" Half a piece of roasted sweet potato was handed to me. It was just dug out from the fire. The skin was roasted black, but the inside was orange-red. The sweet aroma mixed with hot air filled my nose.

Lou Jian reached out to take it, wondering why Qingzan had a special liking for this roasted food even though she clearly had no shortage of food.

As if she had sensed Lou Jian's thoughts, Qing Zan squatted by the fire without any airs, looking at the medicine pot while eating the hot sweet potato. As she ate, she said, "I only like this taste."

"When I first came here, it was cold everywhere and there was nothing good to eat. This was the only good thing to fill my stomach." The elder sister told her that one should not forget one's roots. In fact, she did not quite understand the meaning of this, but it should be to let her know that even if she has eaten a lot of fish and meat, she should not forget her love for sweet potatoes.

Although Qingzan's words were always unclear, Lou Jian understood them. He suddenly felt that the sweet potato in his mouth tasted bad, but he couldn't help but tilt his head and ask:

"...Where is His Highness?"

"Your Highness," Qing Zan immediately became interested when the Highness was mentioned. She smiled and tried to recall, but the smile gradually faded and turned into sadness: "Your Highness is even more unresponsive than you. He refuses to eat and is very ill... for a long time..."

In fact, Qingzan had forgotten a lot of the bad memories, but people's feelings and emotions would always resurface with memories. She squatted with her knees hugged and put the sweet sweet potato in her hand aside.

The room was silent. Then, Qingzan, who was lost in thought, suddenly remembered something that she had forgotten. She stood up suddenly and urged Lou Jian to get up:

"Oh, by the way, His Highness asked me to take you to see Shushu. I almost forgot!"

"...Shu Shu?" Lou Jian recalled that Qing Zan had mentioned this name when he followed him before, but he didn't pay attention to it at that time.

"Hurry up..."

Qingzan urged, put out the fire, put on her coat, and was about to leave with Lou Jian.

The sunlight jumped out of the clouds, and the snow on the road melted slightly, but in melting snow weather, the temperature was even lower, and the breath we exhaled seemed to condense in the air.

On the way, the palace servants who were in charge of cleaning also put on thick winter clothes to keep warm.

As Lou Jian watched, she couldn't help but recall the thin clothes the prince often wore at that time, and his unusual body temperature...

Following Qingzan's footsteps, Lou Jian unexpectedly saw a familiar garden scene, which was the backyard he accidentally entered last time.

In the yard, the young eunuchs were working together to make snowballs into the shapes of animals. The little girl, who was held in the woman's arms, pointed at the young eunuchs who were deliberately making themselves look ugly and giggled.

"Womanly!"

Qingzan walked forward a few steps and waved at the little girl.

Seeing the person coming, the girl laughed even more happily, babbling in unclear words, such as "zhanzhan" and "zhanzhan", then left the woman's arms and took small steps towards this side.

"Run slower... be careful not to fall..." Qingzan hurriedly took a few steps forward, opened her arms and hugged the girl tightly, but she was scolding her.

As they got closer, Lou Jian could see the girl's face clearly...

The eyebrows and eyes, which had not yet fully grown, were 40% similar, so Lou Jian recognized the other person's identity almost instantly.

This is...his eldest sister's child.

He stood there stiffly, at a loss for a moment, until the cold wind blew and ruffled his hair, until the little girl glanced over and saw half of his face, and uttered a babyish "ya".

Lou Jian quickly turned sideways and covered her burned left face with her hand, fearing that her horrific face would frighten the young children.

But the little girl did not look frightened. She blinked her eyes and looked seriously at the person who suddenly appeared for a long time. After thinking for a while with her little head that did not have much cognition, she happily opened her arms towards Lou Jian.

"Shushu wants you to hug her!" Qingzan reminded from the side.

His arms were a little stiff, so Lou Jian bent down and carefully picked up the girl, worried that if he used too much force he would hurt the child, or that if he moved too loosely he would drop the baby.

Even though she picked him up in such an awkward manner, Lou Jian was still worried about her face...

Perhaps blood ties are beyond comprehension.

At first sight, Shushu had a great liking for this strange man. She nestled peacefully in his arms, blinking her round eyes again and again, staring at Lou Jian.

"...Your name is...Shushu."

Lou Jian asked in a slow voice, recalling that when he was young, he had listened to the other person's heartbeat through her belly with his elder sister's permission.

What was the young Lou Jian thinking at that time?

He was curious about how a woman's fragile body could give birth to a life.

Now, this little life, this life that the family has placed infinite hope on, is held in his arms.

Family affection suppressed the pain. Lou Jian looked at the smiling face of the child in her arms, and the emptiness in her heart was filled with a touch of warmth.

The little girl nestled in Lou Jian's arms, her legs swinging like a swing. In a short period of time, she developed a lot of dependence on this person she had never met before.

Liu Mei was worried that the child would catch a cold if he stayed outside for too long, so she took the kid's clothes from the house and put them on the child to keep him out of the wind.

Qingzan was teasing the child with the hairpin on her head, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Shushu and I came here together. At that time, Shushu was skinny, like a kitten, and always disobedient and crying. She would only behave herself in your Highness' arms."

Lou Jian couldn't help but imagine Qing Zan's situation according to her description. In such a difficult situation, how could she avoid other people's sight and secretly raise a newborn child?

Bitterness inevitably arose in his heart. Seeing the child in his arms open his arms, Lou Jian reached out to hold the lotus-like little hands, but he heard the child pass him and call out to the back:

"Daddy..."

A pair of hands passed through her side and took the child away.

There was still a strip of cloth wrapped around her slender hand, and Lou Jian's eyelashes twitched. That was the wound left by...last time.

The little girl who was originally clinging to his arms called out "Daddy" sweetly when she saw the man coming, forgetting her previous affection for Lou Jian.

After not seeing each other for many days, Lou Jian's hanging arms moved slightly, and his fingertips trembled. She turned sideways and saw that the prince was still wearing single clothes.

Perhaps because of the busy days, she looked a little tired. But when she held the child, the coldness on her face disappeared, her eyebrows and eyes softened, and she looked very gentle.

The prince picked up the child and walked past him without even glancing at him.

Qingzan and another woman bowed together and followed behind, step by step.

The space seemed to be separated, as if their existence was not known to them. Just watching the prince distance himself from her, Lou Jian felt a dull pain in her chest.

He didn't dare to follow in because he didn't know whether...the prince would allow him to enter.

"Did you eat well?" You Mu asked after testing the child's weight. He carried Shushu back to the room, poured a cup of warm tea with one hand, and handed it to the child to moisten his throat.

“…Yes, yes…Daddy…come…” Shushu’s words were not complete, she just grabbed You Mu’s robe with her little hands, as if complaining that You Mu had not come for a long time.

Standing at the door, Lou Jian listened to the conversation coming through the window, and a trace of sourness rose in his throat.