He truly indulged her to this extent?

Fafa: [Mistress, are you looking to get yourself eliminated early??]

Yan Yunning: [??]

Before Pei Shutong had finished speaking, Xuan Yanyu took Yan Yunning’s hand away from his mouth and held it in his own. He said in an even tone, “Don’t come to the Crown Prince’s Residence another day either.”

The mist gathering in Pei Shutong’s eyes deepened. She had only said “another day” because she could not bear watching His Highness be so intimate with that girl — she had fully intended to call again. But His Highness was telling her not to come to the Crown Prince’s Residence another day…

“Ye Chen, Ye Jian — did you not hear?” Xuan Yanyu was displeased.

Were they going to stand there like fools and wait for him to personally see Pei Shutong and the others out?

Ye Chen scratched his head. He had heard — it simply meant that the next time Miss Pei tried to come, she was not to be let through the gate.

Ye Jian came to his senses and looked toward Pei Shutong. “Miss Pei, are you still not leaving?”

Have you no shame? Being turned away by His Highness time and again.

Pei Shutong bit down hard on her lip. Teardrops slid down from the corners of her eyes. She lifted her mist-blurred gaze toward Xuan Yanyu with a pitiful, pleading look.

Ye Jian’s brow tightened. Any other man might have felt his heart soften, but their prince despised tears most of all.

“Miss Pei, please leave quickly.” Ye Jian said urgently. Bound by propriety, he could hardly take her by the arm and drag her out.

Pei Shutong’s sobs caught in her throat, tears flowing freely. “Your Highness.”

“Shutong, stop crying. A’Yu will let you come again another day. Stop crying,” Pei Shunian said, seizing the moment to add.

“Get out.” Xuan Yanyu ran out of patience, and the fury in his voice could no longer be contained.

Yan Yunning was startled out of her skin. She patted her own chest and blurted out, “Xuan Yanyu, what are you shouting for?”

Xuan Yanyu’s intensity deflated slightly. “Did I frighten you?”

“Mm.” The girl’s voice was soft and sweetly mellow.

The man pulled her arm toward him and gathered her into his embrace, patting her gently on the back.

Yan Yunning breathed in the faint fragrance that lingered on Xuan Yanyu’s person, and her heartbeat stumbled out of rhythm.

She quietly buried her face against Xuan Yanyu’s chest, silently willing everyone else to hurry up and leave. She was embarrassed — she could not bring herself to look at anyone right now.

Pei Shutong stared as Xuan Yanyu murmured softly to soothe Yan Yunning. She would have given anything to stride forward and tear her away from Xuan Yanyu’s arms and teach her a lesson.

“Miss Pei, still watching?” Ye Jian raised his brow.

He did not understand — her expression had gone so dark with fury, so why did she insist on staring?

Pei Shutong gave Ye Jian a cold sidelong glance, then shifted her gaze to Pei Shunian. “Brother, let us not disturb His Highness any further. Let us return to the residence first.”

“All right.” Pei Shunian nodded.

He would have a word with A’Yu privately another day — ask him not to let Shutong be humiliated like this again.

…

Kingdom of Qilan — The Prime Minister’s Residence.

Today the Prime Minister’s Residence was unusually abuzz. Crowds of maidservants and manservants waited outside the study.

Inside the study, Qi Qingchen played idly with a teacup between his fingers, a faintly displeased look on his face. “The Prime Minister is unwilling?”

Yan Ruijing rose from his wooden chair and bowed with cupped hands. “Third Highness, Ningning is willful and difficult. She truly is unworthy of Your Highness.”

Qi Qingchen smiled lightly. “This prince does not mind — in fact, this prince finds it charming.”

Yan Ruijing gave a cold snort inwardly.

His side consort was already with child. If she used the child in her belly to behave with arrogance, sending Ningning into that household now would mean she was simply walking into mistreatment.

“Prime Minister, proposing a match is an honor none should refuse.” The corner of Qi Qingchen’s mouth curved.

“Third Highness, it is not that this subject is unwilling — it is truly that Ningning is not fit to bear the title of Third Prince Consort.”

Qi Qingchen’s brow furrowed slightly and his gaze grew cool. “This prince says she is fit, so she is fit. Is the Prime Minister finding roundabout ways to refuse this prince?”

“Your Highness, this subject is terrified to do so,” Yan Ruijing said haltingly. “This subject has already privately arranged a match between Ningning and Yanyu. Ningning truly cannot become Your Highness’s Third Prince Consort.”

“Your Highness, Yanyu is someone this subject’s household…”

Qi Qingchen’s expression turned cold. “This prince is aware of who he is.”

He was just Xuan Yanyu. If he were Ningning, choosing between himself and Xuan Yanyu, he would still choose himself — not Xuan Yanyu.

“Since Your Highness is aware of Yanyu, surely you would not have the heart to separate him and Ningning.” Yan Ruijing stole cautious glances at Qi Qingchen’s expression.

Once Yanyu returned, he would have to ask him for help — to make sure he did not let anything slip in front of the Third Highness.

He wondered if Yanyu would agree.

If not, he would stuff some silver his way and see if that helped.

Qi Qingchen let out a scornful laugh. “Prime Minister, what if Ningning chose this prince and gave up Xuan Yanyu? You would not obstruct her then, I trust?”

Yan Ruijing gritted his teeth. “This subject would not, Third Highness.”

He still would not give up. If Ningning truly chose him, he would marry her off to Yanyu in advance. Yanyu had been in the household for over a year now, and he had come to appreciate him greatly — the only fault being that he spent all his time hovering around Yaoyao.

At that point he would make things clear to Yanyu, stuff him with a good sum of silver, and ask him to treat only Ningning well.

Once Ningning married him, he would arrange a fine residence for them in the capital, let them live in the capital, and with him keeping an eye on things nearby, Yanyu would not dare mistreat Ningning.

A father-in-law who provided both a residence and silver to his son-in-law was a rare thing in the capital. Any young man with half a brain would not turn that down — he ought to treat his Ningning like a blessing and dote on her every single day.

“Very well, Prime Minister. This prince will need to change how he addresses you before long.” Qi Qingchen slowly turned the jade ring on his thumb and rose from his seat.

Yan Ruijing gave a perfunctory smile. He wanted no part of it.

…

Kingdom of Xuanzhao.

Inside the Imperial Study, the Prince Xuan sat upright in his golden nanmu wood chair, expression faintly tense.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince’s calamity has been lifted.” The Imperial Diviner bowed.

“Lifted?” The hand resting on the wooden chair trembled slightly, and the hanging jade ornaments on his ceremonial crown swayed.

“Congratulations to Your Majesty. It has been lifted.”

“How was it suddenly lifted? Did the Master not tell me that it could only be resolved once he wed Shiyao?” Prince Xuan rose to his feet, overcome with agitation.

In the year Yuè’er was born, the Master had divined that he would face a great calamity — one that could not be evaded no matter what. Ten years after Yuè’er ascended the throne, Xuanzhao would fall, and Yuè’er would die.

At the time, he had thought that not making Yuè’er the Crown Prince might resolve things — but it seemed to be fated. He had only the one imperial son, the rest of his children being daughters. There was truly no way to avoid it, and he certainly could not simply hand Xuanzhao over to another.

Fortunately, in the year after Yuè’er’s birth — the same year the general’s wife gave birth to a daughter — the calamity showed a way out. The Master said that if Yuè’er were together with her, the calamity could be resolved.

He had immediately issued an imperial decree naming that little infant the Crown Princess and sent the imperial jade pendant to her family. But in the years that followed, so much had happened — the general’s wife had learned that her daughter was meant to avert Yuè’er’s calamity and secretly sent the child away.

And on her deathbed, she had forced him to swear before all his ministers that her daughter would never enter the imperial harem, and would never marry Yuè’er.

Later, through the imperial jade pendant, he had found that child — she was the young lady of the Yan family, Yan Shiyao.

And so he had sent Yuè’er to the Kingdom of Qilan to watch over her and bring her back to Xuanzhao as the beloved daughter of the Prime Minister’s household of Qilan, rather than as the daughter of a general’s household of Xuanzhao.

That way, no one would ever know that Yan Shiyao was truly the daughter of a general’s household. And Yuè’er’s calamity could be resolved.

This was why he had insisted that Yuè’er must marry her.