“Will it affect Father?” Yan Yunning pressed her lips together.

“It will. Chu Wantang and A’Fu would be put to death, and it would also have an adverse effect on the Chancellor’s career.” Xuan Yanyu brushed aside the loose strands of hair that had fallen across the girl’s forehead.

The small head resting on the man’s arm shook from side to side. “Should we… not say anything then?”

But was that the right thing to do??

“Forget it — I’ll still tell Father. As for whether Father wants to have them executed, that’s Father’s affair.” Yan Yunning closed her eyes.

She didn’t want to think about it anymore. She’d tell him when Father came back.

The night grew deep. Once he was certain Yan Yunning was sound asleep, Xuan Yanyu braced his arms on either side of her, leaned down, and pressed a gentle kiss to the girl’s soft lips.

He then crept quietly out from under the brocade quilt, picked up his robe and put it on, and carefully opened the door and slipped outside.

Ye Chen outside the door let out a yawn and looked over at Ye Jian. “Should we go prepare hot water for His Highness?”

Ye Jian pressed his lips together. “Shouldn’t be necessary.”

He hadn’t heard any movement.

“Why not?” Ye Chen rubbed his nose.

Ye Jian shot him a sideways glance.

“Your Highness.”

“Your Highness.” Spotting Xuan Yanyu emerge, Ye Chen immediately snapped to attention.

Xuan Yanyu tossed a dagger to Ye Chen. His dark pupils were cold and still. “Go and remove it. Remember — make A’Fu believe it was Chu Wantang who did it.”

“Understood.” Ye Chen pocketed the dagger, turned, and withdrew.

“Your Highness.” Ye Jian hesitated, then spoke haltingly. “Earlier today, Miss Pei came with the Princess Imperial’s personal maidservant looking for you — I sent them away.”

“Mm. First thing tomorrow morning, go to the inn and tell them to return to Xuanzhao.” Xuan Yanyu finished speaking and stepped back into the chamber.

Ye Jian watched his master open the door with such painstaking care, and his brow furrowed. He had a feeling that in future, when Second Miss Yan married into the Xuan Wang Palace, she wouldn’t be the one waiting on His Highness — His Highness would cheerfully be the one waiting on her.

Second Miss Yan marrying His Highness would actually be quite fine. She was easy to get along with and wouldn’t put on airs with them.

However, the Xuan King had only given His Highness two years to bring the First Miss Yan back to Xuanzhao, and more than a year had already passed.

There was less than a year left. The way His Highness looked, he’d clearly taken a liking to Second Miss Yan — that was going to be a real headache.

……

Tangyuan Pavilion.

Chu Wantang woke from the cold. Her body was stiff and aching all over, and her throat burned with pain.

She slowly opened her eyes. The room was pitch black. Not even a maid keeping night watch.

“Someone come.” The moment she spoke, her voice came out hoarse.

This state of things… Chu Wantang jolted with a start. She tried to sit up — and sure enough, every movement ached.

Where was Nanny Liu? Where were the maids?

How had she ended up…

Still lying on the floor?

Chu Wantang stared blankly up at the ceiling beams. What now? What was she supposed to do now? Who had done this?

Yan Yunning — she had gone to Yan Yunning’s chamber, and this was what came of it.

Chu Wantang’s eyes blazed red, her jaw clenched tight. From the moment the master of the house had told her to take Yan Yunning in as her own, she had hated her with a bone-deep fury.

After all, the child was just a child. If the master had simply let Yan Yunning become a concubine-born daughter rather than insisting she be formally adopted and given the status of a legitimate daughter, she might have been able to stomach it — but the master had insisted she adopt her and grant her full legitimate status.

Deep down, she knew perfectly well that Yan Yunning’s status as legitimate daughter was nothing but an empty title — she had never even allocated her a monthly allowance.

The husband she had selected for Yan Yunning, the master had turned around and given to her Yaoyao instead — and then he’d said that if Yan Yunning were to marry, it would have to be a match better than Yaoyao’s. Even the Third Prince had come to propose to Yan Yunning. On what grounds?

How could she possibly compare to Yaoyao?

Unwanted, unloved — how dare she compare herself to Yaoyao.

She had wanted Yan Yunning to be compliant, so she’d staged things with A’Fu — but she hadn’t expected that wretched girl to turn it all around and destroy her like this.

Then don’t blame her for sending A’Fu to do it in earnest.

Chu Wantang slowly rose to her feet, pulled the thin quilt around herself, and waited until dawn, when a maid knocked on the door and came inside.

“Madam.” The maid dipped into a curtsy.

“Where did you all disappear to last night?” Chu Wantang’s gaze was dark and heavy.

“Madam, last night you had someone inform us that you had retired early and did not wish to be disturbed.” The maid knelt on the ground, her voice slightly trembling.

Last night A’Fu had come with Nanny Liu to pass along Madam’s instructions — there could be no mistake.

Chu Wantang gripped her fist tight and pressed her lips together, a flame of fury igniting in her chest.

“Uwu……” Nanny Liu came stumbling in, and threw her arms around Chu Wantang, weeping.

She couldn’t speak — she was heartbroken for Madam.

Last night she had woken to find A’Fu doing that to Madam…

She had tried to stop it. A’Fu threatened her, said he’d tell the master.

How could the master ever find out about something like this?

She could only shut her eyes and cover her ears, until A’Fu was finished and pulled her along to inform the maids.

She hadn’t known what to do. She couldn’t face Madam. She hadn’t dared come in until dawn finally broke.

Chu Wantang’s pupils trembled slightly. Nanny Liu was crying this terribly — could it be that she knew who it was? That she had seen?

“Go prepare water. I want to bathe.” Chu Wantang glanced sidelong at the maid.

“Yes, Madam.”

……

Behind the folding screen, Chu Wantang rested both hands on the rim of the bathing tub, her eyes filled with hatred.

Nanny Liu had dismissed the maids to wait outside and attended to Chu Wantang’s bath herself.

The marks on Madam’s body could not be seen by others.

“A — A — ” Nanny Liu struggled to speak.

“Nanny Liu.” Chu Wantang’s eyes quivered. “A’Fu? Was it A’Fu?”

Indeed — no manservant could enter the inner quarters without her permission, so it had to be A’Fu.

Nanny Liu nodded.

Her poor Madam.

“Nanny Liu, go summon A’Fu to Tangyuan Pavilion.” Chu Wantang closed her eyes.

Nanny Liu nodded, and took up a square kerchief to carefully dry her hair.

On the other side of the estate, Yan Yunning was still lingering in bed. Qiuci stole a glance at Xuan Yanyu, who was leaning back against a wooden chair, lazily turning a teacup in his hand.

“Second Miss, it’s getting late — please get up.” Qiuci was feeling quite worn down.

She had been calling for her several times already.

She had gone out to buy rouge at Madam’s request, and when she returned early the next morning to Second Miss’s chamber, she found the bedding untouched. She’d panicked and gone searching everywhere — until she ran into Ye Jian, who told her the Second Miss was in Young Master Xuan’s chamber.

She had been completely stunned.

Her Miss was in Young Master Xuan’s chamber?

In Young Master Xuan’s chamber??

Yan Yunning grabbed the brocade quilt and pulled it over her head.

“Second Miss.” Qiuci tugged the quilt away with one hand, the other holding Yan Yunning’s clothes.

No matter how she tried, she couldn’t make sense of how the Second Miss had ended up spending the night with Young Master Xuan.

“Qiuci, noon — come wake me at noon.” Yan Yunning waved a small hand outward, gesturing for her to leave.

Qiuci bit her lip and whispered, “Second Miss, could you not go back to your own chamber to sleep until noon?”

Yan Yunning cracked one eye open. “No.”

Xuan Yanyu’s room was safe.

Qiuci’s eye twitched. Her voice dropped to the lowest possible volume. “Second Miss, what if someone sees?”

Which young lady was like her own Miss?

Stubbornly refusing to leave a single man’s chamber.

She really was exhausted. She’d already been here the time it takes to drink a full cup of tea, and still hadn’t managed to get Miss out of bed.

“Leave.” Xuan Yanyu stood up and looked down at Qiuci, who was crouching on the floor.

Qiuci’s eyes lit up slightly. “Second Miss, Young Master Xuan told us to leave — please get up quickly.”