She was the only one he ever took advantage of — why couldn’t he go take advantage of his second or third imperial sisters?

Were they not also his imperial sisters!!

“Mother, hurry up and give the silver to Crown Prince Uncle — Crown Prince Uncle already promised to send pastries home with Momo.” The little one grumbled and muttered, “Father said that when you take things from people, you have to pay with silver.”

Xuanzhao Yang, who had reached her absolute limit, stepped forward and pinched Xuan Yanyu’s ear. “Xuan Yanyu, am I your only imperial elder sister?”

“If you won’t give it, then don’t.” Xuan Yanyu extended a single finger and flicked Xuanzhao Yang’s hand away, the corner of his mouth curving into a faint smile. “Tomorrow this palace will mention to the Emperor that you pinched this palace’s ear.”

Yan Yunning: “……”

Past the age of telling tales and still telling tales!!

“Crown Prince Uncle, Momo will speak to the Imperial Grandfather for you — Mother is bullying you.” Xu Mochen’s small hands rubbed Xuan Yanyu’s ear for him.

Xuanzhao Yang exhaled sharply. Did he even need to deliberately bring it up to his imperial grandfather??

His Crown Prince Uncle could say it offhandedly and the imperial grandfather would already be furious.

“Fine, fine, take it.” Xuanzhao Yang gritted her teeth and flung the coin pouch at Xuan Yanyu. She would go to their Imperial Mother tomorrow and get double the amount back.

“Thank you, Imperial Elder Sister.” Xuan Yanyu weighed the coin pouch in his hand with satisfaction.

Xuanzhao Yang rolled her eyes. From this day forward she would never set foot in his Crown Prince’s estate again — even if she happened to pass by it, she would take a detour around it!!

The hour had grown quite late. Having been relieved of her silver, Xuanzhao Yang did not linger, and took Xu Mochen back to the Princess’ estate.

Mu Heng also departed from the estate along with Xuanzhao Yang.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Princess Imperial is going to be driven to her grave by you.” Yan Yunning blinked, smiling as she spoke.

“No matter — after all these years, she should have long since grown accustomed to it.” The man lifted his bowl of congee and drank from it at an unhurried pace.

Yan Yunning turned toward him and circled both arms around Xuan Yanyu’s neck. She pressed the tip of her nose against his chin. “Walk me back to the bedchamber. You can finish eating afterward.”

She was too lazy to walk.

“Beg this palace.” The corner of Xuan Yanyu’s mouth curved upward.

Yan Yunning tapped her fingertip against his cheek, her voice honeyed. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, walk me back to the bedchamber — won’t you?”

The man’s throat bobbed slowly, twice. He shook his head at a leisurely pace.

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together briefly. “Xuan Yanyu, you won’t walk me?”

“This is your manner of begging this palace?” Xuan Yanyu let out a soft, indignant sound.

Yan Yunning gave him a sidelong look. She was simply too lazy to walk — it wasn’t that she couldn’t walk. Suit himself!!

She would go back and bolt the bedchamber door. He could go wherever he pleased!!

The man watched her with keen amusement, waiting for her to speak again.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, enjoy your meal.” With that, Yan Yunning seized Xiao Wan with one hand and Xiaoyue with the other, and strode briskly out of the Qishan Hall.

Xuan Yanyu furrowed his brow. Why walk so fast??

One more word from her and he would have walked her back.

The man rose and made his way toward the bedchamber without the slightest urgency.

The bedchamber was ablaze with lamplight, its door shut tight. Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue stood flanking the entrance on either side. Xuan Yanyu stepped forward and pushed against the door — it didn’t budge.

“Your High— Your Highness, the Crown Princess asks that you… that you sleep in the side chamber.” Xiao Wan said, steeling herself.

Ye Chen burst out laughing. He’d told His Highness not to give in to the Crown Princess’s every whim — and now he couldn’t even get into the main bedchamber, could he!!

“This palace is shut out at the door, and you dare to be this happy about it?” Xuan Yanyu’s voice was unhurried and indifferent.

“No, Your Highness.” Ye Chen waved his hands frantically. “Your Highness, I am not happy at all. Your Highness has been turned away at your own door by the Crown Princess — how could I possibly take pleasure in your misfortune?”

Xuan Yanyu turned his head and fixed him with a gaze caught between a smile and not. “Get out!!”

Ye Chen: “……”

“Ningning?” Xuan Yanyu withdrew his gaze and rapped lightly against the bedchamber door.

“Beg me.” Inside the room, Yan Yunning rolled lazily across the bed a few times.

Even if he begged, she wasn’t opening the door. How wonderful it was to have an entire bedchamber to herself.

“……” The corner of Xuan Yanyu’s eye twitched faintly.

So now it was his turn??

In the moment of his distraction, the light inside the room was blown out by Yan Yunning.

Xuan Yanyu pressed his lips together. He glanced left and right at Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue, who stood on either side.

The latter, catching on, covered their ears and fixed their gazes resolutely straight ahead.

Xuan Yanyu: “……”

Was that what he’d meant??

He was too lazy to even ask why they had let Yan Yunning bolt the door in the first place.

“Ningning? Open the door for this palace — won’t you?” The man’s voice took on a faintly aggrieved quality, as he sniffled in a put-upon manner.

His expression wore every appearance of wounded hurt, while inwardly he was thinking: should he just kick the door down?

“Your Highness, we have identified Lu Jin’an’s identity.” The timely arrival of Ye’an cut off Xuan Yanyu’s impulse to kick the bedchamber door open.

Xuan Yanyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Come to the Zhaozheng Hall and report in full.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Xuan Yanyu and Ye’an proceeded together to the Zhaozheng Hall, and both Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue let out a breath of relief.

Zhaozheng Hall.

Ye’an poured tea and set it before Xuan Yanyu. “Your Highness, Lu Jin’an was formerly the personal handmaiden of General Yu’s wife. At the time, Yan Ruijing — who had not yet become Chancellor — was injured and came to the General’s estate to recuperate. It was Lu Jin’an who attended to him.”

“Later, Lu Jin’an was found to be with child. The very moment she gave birth, she was driven out of the estate by the General’s wife. She then took the child in her arms and went to Qilan to seek out the newly appointed Chancellor.”

“Out of regard for the bond between mistress and servant, though Lu Jin’an had been expelled by the General’s wife, she still left the child behind and returned to Xuanzhao to care for the young master of the General’s estate. Your Highness — the Crown Princess’s mother is Lu Jin’an.”

Xuan Yanyu took a sip of tea. His pupils darkened slightly. “If Ningning is Lu Jin’an’s child and Yan Shiyao is the General’s daughter — then what became of Chu Wantang and Yan Ruijing’s child? Is it not possible that Lu Jin’an was never with child at all, and that Ningning is in fact the General’s daughter?”

Perhaps Yan Ruijing had simply been mistaken — he’d assumed Ningning was his daughter by Lu Jin’an.

Even if a personal handmaiden were to fall pregnant, it would not ordinarily warrant the mother and newborn child being driven out without mercy the very moment she gave birth. The far more likely explanation was that the child who had been expelled was the child Yu’s wife had “lost.”

He recalled that his father the Emperor had mentioned it once — that Yu’s wife had not wished for her daughter to enter the Xuanzhao Royal Palace. On her deathbed, the Emperor, having no choice, had made the promise before a full assembly of court officials.

He had also urged him repeatedly to never reveal Yan Shiyao’s true identity, lest the Emperor be seen to have broken his word before the court.

Those officials would certainly not let the matter rest and would stir up needless trouble.

What struck him as curious was that mere days after the Emperor had made that promise, his Crown Princess had gone missing.

If Ningning truly was the General’s daughter, then this secret could never be made public.

“The Crown Princess is General Yu’s daughter?” Ye’an’s eyes contracted.

Xuan Yanyu’s gaze deepened by several degrees. “This palace is only speculating. A simple verification will tell.”

Lu Jin’an being in the Grand Commandant’s estate was most likely on account of Yu Zhi. But if she truly had been driven out by Yu’s wife once before, just how foolish would Lu Jin’an have to be to go back to the Grand Commandant’s estate and endure Yu Zhi’s contempt all over again?

After all, Yu Zhi was the Grand Commandant’s principal wife, while Lu Jin’an was a handmaiden to one of the Grand Commandant’s concubines.

And then there was the matter of sending her own daughter to Qilan and then abandoning her there, only to go back to Xuanzhao to care for the young master of the General’s household — after having already been driven out, no less. Continuing to tend to the master’s family seemed far too implausible.

Ye’an said, “Your Highness, how do you intend to verify it?”

Xuan Yanyu’s lashes lowered slightly. His slender fingers tapped against the teacup. “The Emperor cannot know of this matter. If he wishes to investigate further, confound him — the truth must not reach him.”

Because of the matter of the secondary consort, the Emperor was already displeased with Ningning.