In the forty-fourth year of Kangxi's reign, the spring cold had not subsided, and Xiao Linran was trapped in the cold courtyard of Prince Yong's Mansion. The leaky roof and brown rice porridge so thin that no one could be seen were her daily routine when she first arrived. But she refused to give in. She exchanged her "comfort points" for vegetable seeds and planted glimmers of light among the weeds. In order to replace roof repair materials, she braved the cold to brew ginger tea and sent it to Yinzhen's study. For the first time, she saw the concern that could not be hidden in the eyes of this cold-faced prince.
Occasionally looking through old accounts in the warehouse, she noticed clues: the Ministry of Internal Affairs had just sent Yun brocade, but the account book added "purchased ten pieces"; the concubine had no new jewelry, but "purchased a hundred taels of jewelry" was clearly visible. Fingertips brushed the old and new ink marks, and she saw through the conspiracy to alter the account books, and even dug out a secret letter under the old locust tree that the Eight Lords Party colluded with the housekeeper - it turned out that the shortfall was to frame the former Fujin roommate, and the Jiangnan Salt Service also had something fishy to do.
From the vegetable garden of Lengyuan to the palace warehouse, from dealing with Li Gege's difficulties to exposing Nian's concubine's instigation, Xiao Linran used his account as a blade to solve the mystery step by step. Yinzhen also went from the initial alienation to the later side-by-side: sending date mud cakes to warm her stomach, repairing the roof to keep her safe, and checking the Jiangnan Salt Service to clear obstacles for her. The two gradually develop trust in the undercurrent of power and intrigue. The fragrance of ginger tea in the cold courtyard, the ink marks on the account books, and the newly laid green tiles on the roof all become witnesses of each other's protection.
This is not only a battle to catch the mole and find out the shortcomings, but also a period of staying together from a leaky house and a cold courtyard to a mutual understanding. Xiao Linran broke through the fate of "cannon fodder" with her tenacity, and Yinzhen softened his cold-faced edge with gentleness. Finally, in the storm of Yong Mansion, he found the warmth and strength of "holding hands to break the situation".
