“Why are you avoiding me?” Mu Xi couldn’t help but pout.

Yan Yunning’s eyes curved into a pretty crescent shape. “And you are?”

“Mu Xi.” Mu Xi said in an overbearing tone. “Troublemaker’s little sister — the Troublemaker followed Noble Consort Jin to the rear hall.”

Just a moment ago, Noble Consort Jin had been about to come to the banquet together with her, but then the Troublemaker had produced Third Prince’s jade pendant, and Noble Consort Jin took her to the rear hall.

Yan Yunning’s mouth twitched. “My name is Yan Yunning.”

Troublemaker’s little sister, indeed!

Mu Xi leaned close to her face, lowering her voice a few notches. “The Troublemaker pulled out Third Prince’s jade pendant right in front of Noble Consort Jin — isn’t she an idiot?”

Wasn’t that just deliberately provoking Noble Consort Jin’s displeasure?

Yan Yunning turned to look at her and saw that the girl’s eyes held obvious schadenfreude.

“Do you know how Third Prince came to give his jade pendant to the Troublemaker?” Mu Xi asked curiously.

When the Troublemaker produced the jade pendant, Noble Consort Jin had even clenched her fists.

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together. Her guess was that it was most likely something given to her during the period when Qi Qingchen was in a foolish, dazed state.

“Hey, now that you’ve been brought back home, don’t you find the Troublemaker terribly annoying?”

After Mu Xi asked the question, Yan Yunning cast a languid sidelong glance at her.

“Afraid to say?” Mu Xi pursed her lips. “Or too embarrassed to say?”

Yan Yunning: “……”

Mu Xi watched her with great interest. “Do you know there’s a man of striking bearing and outstanding looks around the Troublemaker?”

Yan Yunning’s brows shifted slightly. “You mean Xuan Yanyu?”

“Right, him. I heard the Troublemaker call him ‘Yu-gege.'” Mu Xi raised her proud chin. “That man must be blind — to actually fancy the Troublemaker. Who knows what hidden qualities he could possibly see in her.”

Last time she had hidden in the shadows and watched as the men she’d hired were beaten down by him and another man, who then hoisted the Troublemaker onto his back and walked away.

What was there about the Troublemaker worth protecting??

Yan Yunning rested her chin in her hand. “Miss Mu, blind he certainly isn’t — but his temper is rather terrible.”

Just this morning he had been completely indifferent toward her.

Mu Xi looked at her with sympathy. “Don’t tell me he’s been bullying you?”

She couldn’t stand the Troublemaker and must have gotten a scolding from the one surnamed Xuan — that’s why earlier, when she’d asked her whether she found the Troublemaker annoying, she hadn’t dared to answer.

Yan Yunning touched her lips and gave a small nod.

“Stay far away from the both of them from now on.” Mu Xi’s expression softened with warmth. “And if he bullies you again, go tell the Troublemaker.”

Even if the Troublemaker was a little foolish, her heart wasn’t bad.

Yan Yunning: “……”

“You’re quite pitiful, really.” Mu Xi looked at her, her eyes growing even gentler.

Discarded by her own parents to be raised by others, then brought back home only to encounter a sister like the Troublemaker, and on top of that, getting bullied by the one surnamed Xuan.

Yan Yunning blinked innocently.

Mu Xi picked up her wooden chopsticks and selected what she considered the tastiest dishes, filling Yan Yunning’s bowl to the brim.

“Yanyan, eat more. Who knows — that Troublemaker sister of yours might cause some scene any moment now, and the banquet will break up early.”

For some reason, whenever Yan Shiyao was present at a banquet, it was nearly impossible for things to stay peaceful and quiet.

Yan Yunning’s eyelids twitched wildly. “……!!!”

She had a feeling that what Mu Xi said was entirely spot on!

“Ningning, where is Yaoyao?” Yan Ruijing, unable to set his mind at ease, found a moment to come over.

Yan Yunning said, “Miss Mu says A’Jie and Noble Consort Jin went to the rear hall.”

Yan Ruijing frowned. Why was she wandering off again?

“Something’s wrong, something’s wrong — the Noble Consort has fallen!” A maidservant announced this deliberately at the top of her lungs, as though afraid the guests wouldn’t hear.

Yan Ruijing’s expression shifted slightly. He had attended upon the Emperor and knew full well how much His Majesty valued the Third Prince’s eldest son.

Yan Yunning’s eyelids gave a small flutter.

Mu Xi pressed her lips together. She knew it.

“What happened? How did the Noble Consort fall?” someone asked.

The maidservant glanced in Yan Ruijing’s direction. “It was… it was the First Miss of the Yan family.”

Yan Yunning lowered her gaze, yet she could feel the stares of those around them falling on their group.

……

Rear Hall.

Jiang Jin cradled her abdomen and watched with a smile as Yan Shiyao lay disheveled on the floor.

Yan Shiyao trembled and raised her head, suppressing the expression of pain on her face. After a long moment of composing herself, she lifted her hand and touched the blood on her forehead.

“First Miss Yan, I’m truly sorry — I accidentally knocked you down.” Zhu Qing covered her mouth with a handkerchief, unable to hide the mockery in her voice.

Her forehead had struck the floor hard — wouldn’t that knock her senseless?

Yan Shiyao curled the corner of her lips and, pressing her hand against the floor, slowly stood up. She grabbed Zhu Qing’s arm and with a sharp “crack,” delivered a resounding slap across her face.

In her other hand, she gripped the jade pendant and hurled it violently against the floor.

The jade pendant shattered instantly into pieces. Jiang Jin stared at her in disbelief. “That is His Highness’s personal jade pendant — are you tired of living?”

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching from outside the hall, Yan Shiyao reached over to the round table and seized the sharp blade used to pare fruit, gripping it in her hand and plunging it into her own chest.

Jiang Jin’s eyes went wide. She staggered, not yet having managed to deliberately throw herself to the ground —

“Bang.” The hall door was kicked open.

Qi Qingchen swarmed in along with a crowd of women guests.

“I’m sorry… Noble Consort… Shiyao only wanted to return His Highness’s jade pendant…” Yan Shiyao knelt on the floor, smiling a wretched smile.

“A’Jie.” Yan Yunning rushed forward. “What happened to you?”

Yan Shiyao’s face was deathly pale. “Ningning, it is A’Jie’s fault — I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have…”

The guests murmured among themselves. From the look of things, the First Miss Yan had been mistreated by Noble Consort Jin.

“Everyone get out.” Qi Qingchen barked in a low voice.

The guests’ expressions tightened, and they hastily retreated.

Qi Qingchen fixed his gaze on Jiang Jin with slightly cold eyes. She actually dared bring trouble to his door!

Jiang Jin’s face took on an aggrieved look.

From the corner of his eye, Qi Qingchen caught sight of the shattered jade pendant on the floor, and his expression grew even darker.

“A’Jie, I’ll go find Elder Brother and we can leave.” Yan Yunning, seeing the blood seeping through Yan Shiyao’s chest, felt her eyelids flickering continuously.

“Ningning.” Yan Shiyao clutched her hand, her eyes somewhat blank and hollow. “Ningning, don’t… don’t go… don’t…”

“A’Jie.” Yan Yunning called out to her.

“Don’t go… you can’t go…” Yan Shiyao’s breathing grew faint.

“A’Jie, A’Jie?” Yan Yunning’s eyes turned red.

“Wu’an, go fetch the Imperial Physician.” Qi Qingchen glanced at Wu’an, who was standing dumbly to one side.

Wu’an nodded and dashed out of the hall.

Qi Qingchen crouched down and lifted the unconscious Yan Shiyao into his arms. The girl instinctively nestled deeper into his embrace.

A subtle flicker crossed the depths of Qi Qingchen’s cool eyes.

……

Yan Shiyao slept for two days before regaining consciousness. Upon learning of the incident, the Emperor sent over medicinal herbs to restore her health and bestowed upon her a hundred acres of fertile land, a hundred bolts of Shu brocade, and dispatched an Imperial Physician to the Prime Minister’s residence. Jiang Jin was also confined to quarters as punishment — forbidden to step outside the Third Prince’s estate by so much as a single step.

The purpose of all this was to suppress word of what had happened to Yan Shiyao at the Third Prince’s estate that day, and to appease the Prime Minister’s fury.

Yan Ruijing still felt deeply aggrieved. His daughter had been harmed like this — did he actually care about those gifts and rewards?

“Enough — this is the Emperor we’re talking about. What can we do?” Lu Jin’an tried to soothe him.

Yan Ruijing let out a harrumph. “Jin’an, why do you think Jiang Jin would harm Yaoyao?”

Lu Jin’an let out a sigh. “Ruijing, why would Jiang Jin hurt Yaoyao at her own household’s banquet?”

What was the purpose of doing such a thing?