Qi Qingchen’s brow furrowed a degree deeper. He gave Wu’an a low, steady order. “Have someone bring Mu Xi in. Once dinner is finished, she is to leave with Yan Shiyao. Tell her she came to find Yan Shiyao — understood?”

“Understood, Your Highness.” Wu’an bowed and withdrew from the dining hall.

“Your Highness.” A spark of joy rose in Jiang Jin’s heart.

His Highness had not abandoned her.

“Third Your Highness, Mu Xi and I do not get along — if you say she came to find me, isn’t that talking nonsense?” Yan Shiyao paused, then shifted her gaze to Jiang Jin and smiled. “Secondary Consort Jin, are you truly innocent? I merely said a few words, and you ordered your maidservant to beat me.”

If she hadn’t suddenly seen through Qi Qingchen’s use of her, his taunts, his mockery, and felt her mind snap to clarity, she would surely be in a dreadful state right now.

Jiang Jin had ordered a maidservant to go and claim that she had pushed Jiang Jin over. If she had been just a moment later, with Jiang Jin collapsed on the ground, there would have been no way to clear her name. Fortunately, she had acted while Jiang Jin was still unprepared and injured herself first.

Jiang Jin said nothing, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief.

“You had your maidservant beat her?” A cold glint passed through Qi Qingchen’s eyes.

How had it been done? Beaten her into this level of madness.

Jiang Jin’s face went pale. “Your Highness, this concubine did not.”

Yan Shiyao rolled a small piece of pastry between her fingertips. “She did.”

“Your Highness, Yan Shiyao came to find this concubine holding your personal jade pendant.” Jiang Jin’s voice trembled.

Without the pendant, she would not have been consumed by jealousy and dragged her to the inner hall.

Yan Shiyao crushed the pastry in her hand. She had taken out the jade pendant solely to have Jiang Jin return it to Qi Qingchen, and had made an offhand remark that Jiang Jin should take good care of him.

She had not expected Jiang Jin to order a maidservant to beat her.

The vein in Qi Qingchen’s temple throbbed and throbbed. Truly maddening.

Yan Shiyao glanced at Qi Qingchen’s hand resting on Jiang Jin’s abdomen, then at Jiang Jin’s tear-filled eyes — the longer she looked, the angrier she became.

She rose to her feet, raised her arms, and upended the rosewood table. The dishes crashed to the floor in a thunderous clatter. The veins at Qi Qingchen’s temples stood out sharply.

“Yan Shiyao!” He looked down at the broth and vegetable leaves splattered across his robe, fury surging in his chest.

Mu Xi, standing at the hall entrance, stared wide-eyed. What has gotten into that troublesome woman?

Good heavens — given how carefree and unbothered she normally is, how furious must she have been to end up like this? The Third Prince and Secondary Consort Jin are really pushing her too far!

Just like what happened to her — she had only exchanged a few words with Secondary Consort Jin at the banquet that troublesome woman had ruined, and today Secondary Consort Jin had sent someone to summon her to the Third Prince’s Residence.

She had regretted it every step of the way here. She should never have gotten into conversation with Secondary Consort Jin in the first place.

“Third Your Highness, this subject-girl has other matters to attend to — she will take her leave.” Yan Shiyao gave Qi Qingchen a challenging look and bolted.

Qi Qingchen ground his teeth, fury flooding upward to his head.

“This subject-girl pays her respects to the Third Your Highness and the secondary consort.” Mu Xi steeled herself and shuffled forward a few steps.

“Get out with Yan Shiyao.” Qi Qingchen’s voice was barely able to contain his rage.

Mu Xi felt a flash of resentment at being yelled at.

His secondary consort had invited her here — and he was telling her to get out!

“This subject-girl takes her leave.” Swallowing her humiliation, she finished the curtsy and turned to go after Yan Shiyao.

Seeing that Yan Shiyao had already boarded a carriage, Mu Xi gathered her skirts and climbed up after her.

……

The Chancellor’s Residence.

Yan Yunning leaned against a tree trunk, tilted her head back, and sighed.

Ye Jian raised an eyebrow. “Second Young Miss Yan, if you have something troubling you, why not go and tell His Highness?”

Yan Yunning felt as though a stone were pressing down on her heart — dull and heavy.

“Second Young Miss Yan?” Ye Chen flicked a finger, and the grass stalk he had been chewing on fell to his feet.

“Do you think, if Xuan Xixi were to find his father a new consort, would Prince Xuan beat him?” Yan Yunning looked down, turning the gold bracelet on her wrist round and round.

Whether or not Prince Xuan would beat Xuan Xixi was one question — what was more likely was that Prince Xuan would be furious enough to kill her.

In the original story, Xuan Xixi married A’Jie. But if Xuan Xixi refused to follow Prince Xuan’s wishes and did not marry A’Jie — what would Prince Xuan do?

And if Prince Xuan truly pushed Xuan Xixi to the breaking point, would Xuan Xixi go ahead and do what he had said?

“He won’t.” Ye Chen shook his head without hesitation. “His Majesty couldn’t bear to.”

Yan Yunning: “……”

“What if he plans to arrange a new Princess Xuan for Prince Xuan?” Yan Yunning pressed her lips together.

“A new… new who??” Ye Chen’s face was full of astonishment. “Has His Highness lost his mind??”

Ye Jian looked at Yan Yunning with a grave expression. “Second Young Miss Yan — is that what His Highness told you?”

Because if it really came from His Highness, then there was a very real chance His Highness would actually do it.

Yan Yunning was silent for a long while before she asked, “Is there anything Xuan Xixi is especially fond of? Or has he ever had someone he cared for in the past?”

Ye Jian cleared his throat softly. “Second Young Miss Yan, His Highness has never had anyone he cared for. Back in Xuanzhao, he was occupied with state affairs every day — there was no spare time to spend with anyone.”

“Did he have any personal maidservants in attendance? Or a chamber companion?”

Ye Jian gave a slightly awkward cough. “Second Young Miss Yan, that… you really ought to ask His Highness directly.”

“There were, weren’t there?” Yan Yunning stated with certainty.

Ye Jian looked at her earnest expression and panicked slightly. He hurried to say, “No — His Highness had no maidservants in attendance and no chamber companion.”

“Second Young Miss Yan, why are you asking this?” Ye Chen could not help but speak up.

Yan Yunning said plainly, “I’m looking for a reason to pick a fight with Xuan Yanyu.”

A fight they wouldn’t make up from. She didn’t know how many more years she had here. She couldn’t stay by his side forever.

Better to do it now, before he fell out with Prince Xuan on her behalf — and then she suddenly left. What would Xuan Xixi do then?

Ye Jian: “……”

Ye Chen: “……”

Is she out of her mind?

Looking for a reason to fight with His Highness??

“Yanyan.” Qiuci led Mu Xi toward them.

“First Young Miss Mu.”

“Yanyan, just call me A’Xi.” Mu Xi pressed her lips together. “First Young Miss Mu is too distant.”

Yan Yunning smiled and was just about to respond when her vision began to blur, and a dizzy fog crept over her head.

Mu Xi furrowed her brow. “Yanyan, are you alright?”

Yan Yunning steadied herself and smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Good — I thought you were about to faint.” Mu Xi blinked and leaned a little closer. “Yanyan, your elder sister overturned the Third Prince’s table today.”

Yan Yunning fell into stunned silence.

Her elder sister had overturned Qi Qingchen’s table???

“My guess is the Third Prince and Secondary Consort Jin pushed her too far.” Mu Xi analyzed.

Yan Yunning’s gaze flickered. Being pushed too far still wouldn’t make her sister overturn Qi Qingchen’s table!!

“The troublesome one went straight to find her Yanyu-ge the moment she got back — she’s probably crying on his shoulder.” Mu Xi muttered under her breath. “I really do think Xuan Yanyu is blind. If he weren’t blind……”

Before Mu Xi could finish, Ye Chen had drawn his long sword and pressed it to her neck. He said in a low, warning voice, “Miss, mind your words. If you speak ill of our young master again, I will kill you.”

The blade grazed the skin. A bead of blood slowly seeped out. Mu Xi’s pupils contracted, her heart hammering wildly inside her chest.

“Second Young Miss.” Qiuci’s legs went weak with fright, and she cowered behind Yan Yunning.

“Ye Chen, put down your sword.” Yan Yunning shook her head.

Why did she feel so much like fainting today?

“Second Young Miss Yan, speaking ill of our young master — she deserves to die.” Ye Chen tightened his grip on the sword, and the blood trickled down the blade and dripped to the ground.

Mu Xi trembled at the shoulder from the pain, her hands going limp as she clenched the sleeves of her robe.