In mid-October, a light snow began to fall over Yunzhou.
The large official ship that had traveled south slowly passed Jiangan Wharf through snowflakes dancing over the river, and Cloud Peace City, which they had left many days ago, came into view once more.
Although Ye Jingtang feared neither cold nor heat, Third Madam thought he was cold, so he had still draped himself in a black sable cloak and stood at the bow, gazing over the river landscape.
Not far behind him, Yunli stood on the pedals of a little dragon-headed cart, while Niao Niao sat inside as they roamed the broad deck.
The cart had been Huaiyan's childhood toy, made by Xiaoshan Fort and kept at her home in Jiangzhou. Because Huaiyan dearly wanted a baby, she had sent a letter home when they traveled south to Guancheng this time, and the Qin Family had delivered it to them along the way.
Huaiyan had originally meant to save it for her own child, but when the already pregnant Ice Lump saw such a large toy for babies and toddlers, her eyes had lit up. Too embarrassed to ask the three imperial women, mother and daughters, for it, she had sent Yunli to borrow it to play with, while secretly studying it in hopes of making one herself.
But although the dragon-headed cart looked simple, its internal construction was exceptionally intricate. Ice Lump had no way of figuring it out. Even after studying it with Ning'er for several days, she had failed to grasp its workings. In the end, Qinghe, who excelled at mechanisms and hidden weapons, had taken on the task and spent this time building carts behind closed doors, preparing to make a custom one for everyone.
Ning'er, Qingzhi, Silly, and the other women who wanted children