“Serve this prince some dishes,” Qi Qingchen said.

Yan Shiyao shot him a sideways glance. Serve what dishes?

She would finish her meal and return home.

Qi Qingchen leaned back against the sandalwood chair, his gaze drifting idly toward Yan Shiyao. “This prince’s injury has not yet healed. Imperial Physician Quan can vouch for that.”

Yan Shiyao took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. “Third Your Highness, when do you think you might recover? When would this subject’s daughter be permitted to leave?”

Qi Qingchen elegantly picked up a morsel of food with his chopsticks, as though speaking offhandedly. “Yan Shiyao, if you were to suddenly learn that you had been betrothed, what would you do?”

“That won’t happen. Father would never betroth me off so suddenly.”

That much she still trusted her father on. And there was Mother too — Mother would never carelessly betroth her away either.

Qi Qingchen: “……”

“Third Your Highness, your injury has already healed. Could you not find it in your heart to let me return home?”

“Stay two more days. Return home after two days,” Qi Qingchen said, tilting his head to one side — and found himself looking directly at the girl’s face as she leaned over. Taking the opportunity, he pressed a quick kiss to the side of her cheek.

If Yan Shiyao did not return home, the Chancellor could only first accept the imperial edict on her behalf. Two days from now — counting today — roughly three days would have passed since His Imperial Majesty issued the decree.

Once three days had passed, no matter what the Chancellor said, His Imperial Majesty would no longer rescind the edict, even if Yan Shiyao objected.

Yan Shiyao, who had been reaching for the pork loin, dropped her wooden chopsticks and snatched up her teacup, flinging its contents at Qi Qingchen.

“Yan Shiyao!” Qi Qingchen grabbed hold of her sleeve and wiped the droplets of water from his face with it.

“Qi Qingchen!! Who gave you permission to wipe your face on my sleeve?” Yan Shiyao looked at her sleeve with disgust, muttering as she bolted for the door. “So annoying — now I have to go bathe and change clothes.”

Qi Qingchen fumed. “Does she dislike this prince that much??”

Wu’an took a handkerchief from one of the maids and held it out to Qi Qingchen. “Your Highness, perhaps the eldest young miss of the Yan Family was simply joking with you. This subordinate once saw the Third Princess and her Prince Consort behave the same way at the palace.”

“Joking?” Qi Qingchen casually wiped his face. “She jokes with this prince like this every single time?”

Wu’an bowed his head and fell silent.

……

After bathing, Yan Shiyao tried to leave the estate, only to be stopped by the guards posted outside. She made her way back to Qi Qingchen’s bedchamber, grumbling and scolding the entire way.

These past few days, Qi Qingchen had not arranged a separate bedchamber for her, saying that she had come to the estate to care for him while he was injured, and that staying in a different chamber would be inconvenient. She had not argued with him — it was not as though she was actually going to take care of him anyway.

The soft couch in his chamber was quite comfortable, and she had stopped asking Qi Qingchen to arrange a separate room for her — he never listened anyway.

She pushed open the palace doors and caught sight of Qi Qingchen sitting in the sandalwood chair, one maid kneading his shoulders while another knelt before him, scooping water to wash his feet.

Yan Shiyao looked away, lay down on the soft couch, and resigned herself. Fine — two days was two days. She could endure it!

“Eldest Young Miss Yan, would you like one as well?”

A maid who had brought over a fresh basin of warm water knelt beside the couch and asked in a gentle voice.

Although the eldest young miss had declined every time before, the rules still required them to ask.

The eldest young miss was very likely to become their future Third Imperial Prince’s consort — they needed to treat her with proper respect.

“No need,” Yan Shiyao replied.

The maid gave a small nod, took the wooden basin, and withdrew.

The palace doors were pulled shut, leaving only Qi Qingchen and Yan Shiyao alone in the room.

“Yan Shiyao, come here and knead this prince’s shoulders.”

Yan Shiyao lay on the soft couch and pretended not to hear.

“Yan Shiyao? This prince told you to come here and knead his shoulders!” Qi Qingchen raised his voice.

Yan Shiyao clenched her fist, shot upright from the couch, and stomped over to Qi Qingchen, her face puffed with indignation. “Fine! Knead your shoulders! Knead them!!”

So annoying!!!

Seeing Yan Shiyao’s furious expression, Qi Qingchen spoke preemptively. “Imperial Physician Quan says this prince must not be agitated. You are not allowed to make this prince angry.”

Without a word, Yan Shiyao walked around behind him and began “kneading” his shoulders — by digging her fingers in with a crushing grip.

“Yan Shiyao!” Qi Qingchen turned his head to glare at her.

Yan Shiyao said nothing, obediently continuing her “shoulder massage.”

Qi Qingchen gritted his teeth. “Go — go rest. This prince no longer needs you to knead.”

Yan Shiyao smiled at him, then, without a word, walked back to the soft couch and lay back down.

Qi Qingchen rubbed his aching shoulder, yanked the brocade quilt over himself, and lay down on the bed in a sullen mood.

……

The moment the two days were up, Yan Shiyao left without so much as a word to Qi Qingchen and hurried out of the Third Prince’s estate. Seeing Yan Shiyao heading back to the Chancellor’s residence, Qi Qingchen — who had not even touched his morning meal — followed her out the door right after.

All along the way, Yan Shiyao heard the street vendors on both sides of the road talking about how the Third Imperial Prince’s consort was so devoted to the Third Prince that, before even marrying into the household, she tended to the injured Third Prince day after day. What a lovesick heart, they all said.

Since when did Qi Qingchen have a Princess Consort?

No wait — tending to the injured Third Prince day after day — were they talking about her??

What on earth were they all babbling about?

Had Qi Qingchen not said that no one inside his estate would let it get out?

Yan Shiyao walked up to a stall selling hairpins and, smiling, asked, “Has the Third Prince not yet taken a formal consort? Why is everyone saying the Third Prince’s consort is caring for him? If the Third Prince were to hear this, wouldn’t it damage Third Your Highness’s reputation?”

“Miss, His Imperial Majesty Qi has already issued the edict — the Chancellor’s eldest daughter is to be wed to the Third Prince by year’s end. Everyone in the capital knows. How do you not know about this?”

The vendor looked Yan Shiyao over. Her clothing appeared lavish — she seemed like a noble daughter from some distinguished household. How could she be unaware?

Yan Shiyao was so furious her head felt ready to explode. She no longer headed toward the Chancellor’s residence; she turned back around and made for the Third Prince’s estate.

Third Prince’s Estate.

When Yan Shiyao arrived, she found only Jiang Jin, whose expression was dark — Qi Qingchen was nowhere in sight.

“Where is Qi Qingchen?” Yan Shiyao’s expression was even darker than Jiang Jin’s.

“In reply to the Princess Consort, His Highness has gone to pay his respects to His Majesty,” a maid quickly answered.

They had also only learned that morning that the eldest young miss of the Yan Family had been bestowed by His Imperial Majesty Qi in an edict to their master.

Even though the Princess Consort had not yet married into the household, His Imperial Majesty Qi had already issued the decree and the date had been set — changing the form of address now was entirely proper.

Even the betrothal gifts for the eldest young miss had been personally delivered to the Chancellor’s residence by the head eunuch at His Imperial Majesty Qi’s side, giving the Chancellor’s household every honor — which showed just how pleased His Imperial Majesty was with this match.

Moreover, over these past few days, His Highness had been indulging the eldest young miss in every regard.

Jiang Jin shot the maid a sharp glare. Already learning to curry favor with Yan Shiyao, was she?

“Call me Eldest Young Miss Yan,” Yan Shiyao said through her teeth.

Qi Qingchen, that despicable man!!

She was filled with regret — if she had known, she would have let Qi Qingchen throw Xuan Yanyu into the prefectural office!

Now that Xuan Yanyu’s identity was out in the open, wouldn’t he simply go and settle down in Xuanzhao?

That was far better than being married to Qi Qingchen as his formal consort!!

“Eldest Young Miss Yan,” the maid said, following Yan Shiyao’s instruction and addressing her accordingly.

Yan Shiyao spent some time calming herself down, then sat in the sandalwood chair to wait for Qi Qingchen.

Several maids, with good eyes and quick wits, stepped forward — pouring tea, kneading her shoulders, and murmuring pleasant words.

Jiang Jin watched from the side, so infuriated that her stomach clenched in waves of pain.

Yan Shiyao could not be bothered to say another word to any of these maids and kept her face completely composed throughout.

“Eldest Young Miss Yan, have some fruit,” a maid said, smiling as she held a peeled lychee up to Yan Shiyao’s lips.