Xuan Yanyu looked at her with dark, brooding eyes. He had already asked — since she was unwilling, then things could only be done his way.
“Your Highness, Miss Yan the Second, Young Master Pei and Miss Pei have arrived.” From outside the palace door came Ye Chen’s voice.
Xuan Yanyu set the documents aside. “Show them in.”
Yan Yunning raised the ends of her brows. [Fafa, who are these people? Give me an introduction.]
Fafa: [Pei Shunian, a young master of the Prime Minister’s household in the Kingdom of Xuanzhao. In the novel, he fancies himself on close terms with Xuan Yanyu on account of having studied together in the imperial schoolroom.]
Fafa: [Pei Shutong, the beloved daughter of the Prime Minister’s household. In the novel, she was mentioned in passing in the author’s epilogue as Xuan Yanyu’s most favored consort.]
[Xuan Yanyu’s most favored consort? How favored??] Yan Yunning shot a sidelong glance at Xuan Yanyu out of the corner of her eye.
Fafa: [Unknown how favored Xuan Yanyu was toward her. The novel only mentions that after Qi Qingchen conquered Xuanzhao, he took revenge on Noble Consort Pei — who had spent years abusing Yan Shiyao while relying on Xuan Yanyu’s favor.]
Yan Yunning’s gaze drifted toward Xuan Yanyu. Her clear eyes met the man’s ink-dark pupils. He slowly raised his eyelids, and his gaze fell on her with warmth.
Yan Yunning pressed her lips together and lowered her head.
“A’Yu.” Pei Shunian walked into the hall and immediately spotted Yan Yunning sitting at Xuan Yanyu’s side.
Exquisitely beautiful — and at first glance more attractive than his younger sister. This was a disaster. How was his sister supposed to compete with her?
“Shutong pays respects to the Crown Prince.” Pei Shutong’s eyes curved into a smile as she spoke in a soft and delicate voice.
Xuan Yanyu gave a cool nod.
Yan Yunning rested both hands against her face, glanced sideways at Xuan Yanyu, then swept her eyes over to Pei Shutong.
Back and forth, several times.
Xuan Yanyu could not help reaching out to ruffle her smooth hair, and in passing cast a glance toward Pei Shunian. “What brings you two here today?”
Pei Shutong suppressed the irritation rising in her chest.
She detested seeing any other woman in His Highness’s eyes.
Pei Shunian kept his gaze fixed squarely on Xuan Yanyu’s hand and blanked for a moment before replying, “Shutong heard you had returned and wanted to come see you.”
Even if she could not compete, it was no matter. With the relationship between him and A’Yu, A’Yu would not treat Shutong poorly in the future.
Xuan Yanyu’s expression carried a faint air of indifference. “What is there to see about this prince?”
“…” Pei Shunian’s mouth twitched. “A’Yu, we haven’t seen each other in a year. When I heard you were back, of course I had to come see you.”
Pei Shutong blinked her bright, limpid eyes and smiled. “Your Highness, what my brother means is — might it be that Shutong and her brother have come at an inopportune time and are disturbing you?”
“How could you possibly disturb him? Isn’t he unoccupied right now anyway,” Pei Shunian answered before Xuan Yanyu could.
If A’Yu were truly occupied, why would he still have a woman by his side? Being with a woman was not handling anything of importance — how could they possibly disturb him?
Xuan Yanyu radiated a faint, bone-chilling pressure. “How do you know this prince has no business to attend to?”
Pei Shunian gave a conciliatory laugh. “A’Yu, if you had matters to handle, why would you have a woman keeping you company?”
Xuan Yanyu’s expression cooled.
Yan Yunning raised a brow. See — speak to Xuan Yanyu in an interrogating tone and he will get angry any moment now.
Pei Shutong gave a slight curtsy, keeping a sweet smile on her face. “Your Highness, please don’t trouble yourself over my brother — you know as well as anyone that he has always spoken this way.”
She had asked her brother to bring her to see His Highness, not to come here and offend him.
“Brother, go back to the residence first. I have something to say to His Highness,” Pei Shutong then turned to Pei Shunian and gestured with her eyes.
Pei Shunian gave a helpless nod.
“A’Yu, then I’ll leave Shutong in your hands. I—”
“Both of you, get out,” Xuan Yanyu said, leaning back in his seat and draping his arm with familiar ease over the back of Yan Yunning’s wooden chair.
“A’Yu, Shutong has something to say to you. If you send her out, how is she supposed to say it?” Pei Shunian frowned.
Xuan Yanyu’s lips curved very slightly. “But this prince has nothing to say to her. Ye Chen, Ye Jian — see the young master and Miss Pei out. And going forward, if there is nothing of importance, do not come to the Crown Prince’s Residence again.”
Ye Chen and Ye Jian, stationed at the palace door, heard the command and affixed professionally polite smiles to their faces. “Young Master Pei, Miss Pei, this way please.”
Pei Shutong was reluctant to go. “Your Highness, could you perhaps allow Shutong to stay—”
“No.” Xuan Yanyu said coldly. The hand draped over the back of the wooden chair, through the strands of hair, absently closed around the soft, pale nape of Yan Yunning’s neck.
“Xuan Yanyu!” Yan Yunning leapt up from the wooden chair.
A tingling, ticklish sensation — it made her want to scratch at it.
“Mm? What is it?” The man’s lips curved with a faint smile.
Yan Yunning did not bother concealing the look she rolled his way. “What were you just doing?”
He had the nerve to ask her what was wrong?
Xuan Yanyu laughed freely, wearing an expression of complete innocence. “What did I do?”
Yan Yunning raised her hand and patted him on the shoulder, grinning at him. “Xuan Yanyu, I—”
Before she could finish, Pei Shutong said plaintively, “Miss, how can you be so lacking in decorum? Is His Highness’s name something you may call freely?”
Foolish girl. Relying on His Highness’s favor now to act without restraint — if she ends up irritating His Highness, let’s see what she does then.
Yan Yunning raised a brow. “You have so much decorum — yet His Highness has already asked you to leave, and here you still stand. I may lack decorum, but if Xuan Yanyu asked me to leave, I would walk out immediately. I would not stand here clinging on like you.”
Ye Chen bent his head, struggling to hold back laughter.
Ye Jian gave him a look.
Catching Ye Jian’s eye, Ye Chen could not hold it in and laughed out loud.
Ye Jian: “…”
This was all well and good for someone attending on His Highness the Crown Prince — if Ye Chen were attending on His Majesty Prince Xuan instead, who knew if he would still be alive in one piece right now.
Yan Yunning stared at Ye Chen with a strange expression. Which line had made him laugh like that?
He had no decorum either!
Pei Shunian stood rooted to the spot. Would A’Yu really indulge her to this extent? If she took a disliking to Shutong in the future, would she use A’Yu’s favoritism to make Shutong suffer?
Pei Shutong’s nose gave a barely perceptible twitch. “Miss, was there any need for such extreme words? When did Shutong say she was clinging on and not leaving?”
Xuan Yanyu was about to speak when Yan Yunning darted out her hand and covered his mouth with a quick eye and a deft hand.
Let her handle this!
“Miss Pei says she is not clinging on and refusing to leave — so why are you still standing here?” Yan Yunning tilted her chin up and looked her over from head to toe with an unhurried gaze.
“Miss, my sister wasn’t wrong either. If the Emperor were to find out, it would only bring trouble for A’Yu.” Pei Shunian smiled and spoke up.
Calling His Royal Highness by his given name was an act of grave disrespect in and of itself.
Was there anything wrong with calling her ill-mannered?
Xuan Yanyu raised his eyelids lazily, his eyes turning cold. What kind of trouble could he not resolve?
“Bring trouble for Xuan Yanyu?” Yan Yunning laughed. “Xuan Yanyu is already the Crown Prince. If the trouble I stir up is something he cannot resolve, then what is the point of him being Crown Prince?”
Pei Shunian inhaled sharply.
Ye Jian glanced at Xuan Yanyu’s expression, then looked around the hall, already thinking of what excuse he could use to make a quick escape from the great hall.
Ye Chen nodded. He thought the Second Miss Yan had a point — what trouble could their prince not resolve?
Pei Shutong looked at the man who was simply sitting there letting Yan Yunning cover his mouth. His expression was completely calm, and he did not appear angry at all.