Yan Yunning pursed her lips.

“Tell me, go on, go on.” A’Ci patted her on the head.

Yan Yunning leaned close to his ear and whispered, “A’Fu betrayed Father!!”

A’Ci: “……”

“My elder sister said he was carried out of Tangyuan Pavilion this morning — what a sorry state he was in.” Yan Yunning clicked her tongue.

A’Ci: “……”

“A’Ci, go quickly and find our maternal grandfather and grandmother. Don’t stay in the Chancellor’s estate anymore.” Yan Yunning reached into her pouch and pulled out the incense and antidote, pressing them into A’Ci’s hands. “If you run into danger, take one antidote tablet. Light the incense and anyone nearby will faint — just like what happened to me yesterday. Take these.”

“Keep them for yourself.” A’Ci’s eyes curved with a smile. “Little Lemon, right now I don’t need——”

“Take them!” Yan Yunning lifted her chin, one hand planted on her hip. “Are you taking them or not? If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone about the time you……”

A’Ci shot to his feet in a panic and clapped a hand over her mouth. His voice carried a hint of helplessness. “I’ll take them.”

He hadn’t done many respectable things in the past — same as Qi Qingchen.

Yan Yunning pulled his hand away from her mouth. “A’Ci, hurry up and pack your things and go.”

A’Ci dropped his gaze and thought it over. The way things stood now, it was probably better for Little Lemon to stay close to Xuan Yanyu — Xuan Yanyu could protect her. He might as well take this chance to go and find the Young Master.

Once he found the Young Master, he’d use the incense Little Lemon had given him to whisk her away from Xuan Yanyu’s side.

Yan Yunning walked over to the wardrobe, intending to help pack his bundle.

A’Ci’s brow twitched. “Little Lemon, I’ll do it myself.”

He’d tossed his undergarments into the wardrobe earlier without thinking.

“A’Ci, go to the dining hall and get some food ready.” Yan Yunning thought of something else and reached into her pouch, pulling out a coin purse. “A’Ci, take this — you’ll need it for a carriage on the road.”

A’Ci stood blocking the wardrobe, not making a sound.

Yan Yunning smiled a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “A’Ci, what are you hiding in your wardrobe?”

A’Ci: “……”

Yan Yunning tilted her head, leaning in close to him, her eyes curving into little crescents. “A’Ci, don’t tell me you’re hiding a young lady in there?”

A’Ci’s face flushed red. He grabbed her by the arm and pushed her out of the chamber.

If he didn’t get her out, she really would dig through the entire wardrobe.

“A’Ci, is there really something in there?” Yan Yunning gripped the door handle with both hands and tugged with all her might, eyes blinking with curiosity. “What are you hiding?”

A’Ci bent down close to her ear, teeth gritted. “Undergarments!”

“Ah… hahahaha — I should, um, go check the dining hall……” Yan Yunning turned bright red and spun on her heel and fled.

Halfway there, she turned around and came back. “A — A’Ci.”

A’Ci was embarrassedly stuffing the clothing into his bundle.

“That… the silver.” Yan Yunning set the coin purse on the round table and turned right back around and walked out of the chamber.

A’Ci closed his eyes. Fine — after all the awkward things Little Lemon had already witnessed before, one more time didn’t make much difference.

“Miss — Second Miss!” Qiuci came running with a bowl of medicinal soup in hand, catching up to Yan Yunning.

“Qiuci, what’s that you’re holding?” Yan Yunning gave it a curious look. “It’s all dark and murky — it looks awful to drink.”

Qiuci coaxed patiently. “Miss, awful as it tastes, you still have to drink it.”

“Then you drink it. I’m going to the dining hall.” Yan Yunning pinched the tip of her nose and took a step back.

Qiuci grabbed her by the arm and murmured hesitantly. “Miss, it’s for you to drink.”

Yan Yunning tilted her head with a puzzled look. The little maidservant had a look on her face as though she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite bring herself to.

“I’m not sick. I’m not drinking it.” Yan Yunning said flatly.

“Miss, I know you’re not sick.” Qiuci squeezed her eyes shut and said, “This is… it’s a… a contraceptive decoction.”

Yan Yunning: “?”

Why on earth would she need to drink a contraceptive decoction out of nowhere??

“Miss, Ye Chen made it very clear — Young Master Xuan may not necessarily marry you. If you were to get with child, it would all be over.” Qiuci’s face flushed red with anxiety.

She hadn’t kept proper watch over her Miss, and she wouldn’t escape punishment either — light punishment would be a beating with a plank, worse would be a thorough beating followed by being sold off, with no telling what sort of temperament the new master would have.

Better to settle things early so her heart could be at rest.

“……” Yan Yunning’s mouth twitched. “There won’t be a child. Don’t worry.”

Qiuci stared at her blankly. “Miss… Young Master Xuan didn’t……”

The little maidservant bit her lip, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

“Ahem.” Yan Yunning nearly lost her footing. “I don’t know, I have to go.”

Before she even reached the dining hall, she was stopped by Chunyi, the maidservant at Yan Shiyao’s side. “Second Miss, Madam requests your presence at Tangyuan Pavilion. She has something to say to you and the First Miss.”

Yan Yunning nodded and asked, “Has my elder sister gone over already?”

Chunyi replied, “The First Miss has already arrived.”

“Mm.” Yan Yunning gave a polite smile.

Good — as long as her elder sister was there. Chu Wantang wouldn’t make things difficult for her in front of her elder sister.

Tangyuan Pavilion.

Chu Wantang had her arms around Yan Shiyao, soothing her. “Yaoyao, what’s the matter with you? You’ve been crying and it breaks Mother’s heart.”

She had come in weeping and hadn’t stopped clinging to her — how was she supposed to bring up what she needed to say?

“Mother.” Yan Shiyao gripped her arm, voice breaking slightly. “I don’t know, Mother. I feel awful.”

A piercing pain shot through her arm where Yan Shiyao gripped it. Chu Wantang forced herself to stay composed, clenching her jaw. “Yaoyao, how could you not know?”

She shifted her arm slightly. Someone — she didn’t know who — had given her a beating, and ever since she’d sent that shameless A’Fu to Yan Yunning’s chamber, misfortune had rained down on her one thing after another.

She had wondered whether it was Yan Yunning who had someone beat her. But thinking it over, Yan Yunning didn’t have that kind of reach.

“Mother. Elder Sister.” Yan Yunning stepped into the room and greeted them with a smile and a bow.

Chu Wantang looked at her, the hatred in her eyes impossible to hide.

Yan Yunning steadied her emotions, and let her eyes redden slightly at the rims. “Mother, when I went back yesterday, I noticed a strange smell in my room, and the chamber door was standing open. I was frightened out of my wits at the time — but it was already so late, I didn’t dare disturb you, and I could only go rest in Qiuci’s room.”

“Mother, what on earth happened?”

The girl’s voice trembled, and she looked utterly terrified.

Whether Chu Wantang believed her or not, she would play the part. As for telling Father — she’d think about that more carefully. After all, Chu Wantang had borne Father a legitimate son and daughter, and a scandal of this kind wasn’t something Father would necessarily spread beyond the household.

If it didn’t spread, and Chu Wantang hadn’t done anything overtly outrageous, Father couldn’t divorce her — at most he’d give her the cold shoulder. But if Chu Wantang found out she was the one who had reported her, she would certainly not let her off easily.

She’d still have to be on guard against Chu Wantang day and night — too much trouble.

“You weren’t in your room yesterday afternoon?” Chu Wantang’s brow creased.

Yan Yunning shook her head. “Mother, yesterday I went to find Ye Chen, who serves at Young Master Xuan’s side.”

Displeasure flashed across Chu Wantang’s face. “What were you going to find him for? What kind of behavior is that?”

Yan Yunning blinked ever so carefully, squeezing a single tear from the corner of her eye. “Mother, I went to repay a debt. I owe Young Master Xuan some silver, and I went to find Ye Chen to repay it — but somehow he ended up keeping me there to clean his chamber.”

“Elder Sister knows about it too — I borrowed silver from Young Master Xuan.” Yan Yunning added with a small sniffle.

Chu Wantang looked over at Yan Shiyao and said gently, “Is that so, Yaoyao?”