The winter in the Capital City had been enveloped in one snowstorm after another since the season's commencement.
This year's winter seemed especially cold, surpassing previous years by more than a single degree.
Before he reached the age of ten, Xiao Zhen suffered much hardship; he was the overlooked, pitiable child within the palace walls. Even the well-known eunuchs and palace maids lived better lives than him. Facing routine neglect, he went without sufficient food or warmth, and being disregarded was the norm. Neither the Empress Dowager nor the Emperor favored him. It would be considered fortunate if the concubines didn't bully him. As servants were known to curry favor with the powerful and trample upon the weak, he frequently fell victim to their abuse.
Thus, before he encountered Ling Hua, to speak frankly, his constitution was genuinely frail, and everything he received, from food to clothing to necessities, was of the poorest quality inflicted upon him harshly.
