Xuan Yanyu’s brow furrowed briefly. “Let us wait and see.”

Yan Yunning nodded and picked up a plum, popping it into her mouth. Her face scrunched up at the sourness.

The man took the plum that Yan Yunning had bitten into, turned his head, and instructed Xiaoyue, “Bring something sweet instead. From now on, do not give the Crown Princess sour things like this as snacks.”

Even her candied hawthorns had to be the sweet kind — and these plums looked even sourer than candied hawthorns. How could she possibly eat them?

“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Xiaoyue curtsied in acknowledgment.

“No need, I think they are quite good.” Yan Yunning squinted with a smile and reached for another plum.

“You still want to eat them when they are this sour?” Xuan Yanyu watched helplessly as Yan Yunning shuddered from the sourness, her other hand clutching his sleeve tightly.

Yan Yunning recovered after quite some time and said, “Mm.”

The girl’s lovely eyes, glistening with unshed tears brought on by the sourness, blinked up at him with a soft, dewy gaze. Xuan Yanyu’s breath caught, and he murmured softly, “Ningjing…”

Yan Yunning suddenly shot to her feet, leaving behind only the words, “I am going to see the Empress,” and sprinted out of the main hall.

Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue hurried out after her.

“?” Xuan Yanyu glanced sideways at the other maidservants waiting in the room. “What is she going to see the Empress about?”

“Your Highness, this servant does not know.”

“…” The man did not look up. He tapped the armrest of the sandalwood chair lightly, the curve at the corner of his lips carrying an unreadable meaning. She was running from him?

——

The fleeing Yan Yunning ran right into Yan Shiyao, who had recovered from her injuries and was on her way out of the palace. Yan Shiyao called out to her, bringing her to a stop.

“Ningjing, I have not had the chance to tell you — Concubine Lu is well. Somehow she ended up at the Grand Protector’s estate, and Elder Sister has seen her there. Would you like to come with me to the Grand Protector’s estate to visit?”

Yan Yunning thought of Yu Zhi and pressed her lips together. It was still the afternoon with nothing to do, so she nodded.

She casually stopped a passing maidservant carrying a wooden bucket and had her go to the Crown Prince’s residence to let Xuan Yanyu know she was going to the Grand Protector’s estate and would be back before the evening meal.

Truth be told, she felt no particular sense of closeness toward Yu Zhi — perhaps because they had only met once.

Fafa muttered, [Did you not say that someone pulled you into this, wrote you a rather ill-fated script, and arranged a complicated backstory for you? So by your own logic, you yourself have no actual connection to Yu Zhi — naturally you would feel no closeness toward her.]

Yan Yunning gritted her teeth with irritation. [So I guessed correctly — is that right?!]

Fafa went quiet. Yan Yunning drew in a sharp breath. No matter. She had come to this world and met Xuan Yanyu, A’Ci, Elder Brother Mu, Sister Wen, her maternal grandfather, her maternal grandmother… It was not for nothing.

Yan Yunning ran through the people she had come to know in this world, comforting herself.

In the next instant, Yan Yunning felt her head grow rather dizzy.

“Ningjing?” Yan Shiyao saw a drop of blood welling from the tip of the girl’s nose and was startled.

Knowing that Concubine Lu was well was hardly enough cause for such agitation, surely?

“My nose is bleeding again.” Yan Yunning murmured to herself. She wiped it casually with her handkerchief, then smiled at Yan Shiyao with a slightly embarrassed look.

“It is nothing, Elder Sister. Let us go. I also need to return to the palace earlier, otherwise Xuan Yanyu will nag again.”

Yan Shiyao asked with concern, “Are you truly all right? Should we find a physician to take a look?”

“No need. It is fine — see, the bleeding has already stopped.” Yan Yunning looped her arm through Yan Shiyao’s, narrowing her eyes in a smile. “It is probably just the weather.”

Though her mouth said otherwise, Yan Yunning’s heart was quietly unsettled. She shook her slightly dizzy head, pushed away the jumbled thoughts, kept her expression bright, and headed to the Grand Protector’s estate with Yan Shiyao.

The moment Yan Yunning and Yan Shiyao stepped out of the Xuanwang Palace, Noble Consort Pei received word of it.

“Go and find a few vagrants. Give them a generous amount of silver, and have them properly accompany the Crown Princess. Afterward, leave the Crown Princess on the main street.”

After a brief pause, Noble Consort Pei curved her lips into a smile and added, “Remember — conceal your identities well. This consort must not be traceable.”

“Your Highness, this servant understands.” The maidservant acknowledged and withdrew.

Noble Consort Pei plucked a grape with great satisfaction. She had not brought a single attendant or guard — this time, the Crown Princess would have no way of escape.

She refused to believe the Crown Prince would still want a Crown Princess like that. He would not — even an ordinary man would be repulsed by it, let alone the Crown Prince.

Besides, once something like this happened, His Majesty would absolutely not permit the future Empress of Xuanzhao to be Yan Yunning.

A quarter of an hour later, Noble Consort Pei had just settled in to take a brief rest when Eunuch Feng arrived at the bedchamber with a beaming smile.

“This servant pays respects to Noble Consort.”

“Rise.” Noble Consort Pei smiled. “Does His Majesty have instructions?”

“Indeed he does. His Majesty requests that Noble Consort visit Lady Wu’s chambers to dine with her. His Majesty will also join somewhat later.” Eunuch Feng relayed the imperial will.

Noble Consort Pei asked with curiosity, “Did His Majesty say why?”

Eunuch Feng glanced around at those present, his face wreathed in smiles, and said, “Noble Consort, His Majesty’s intention is that since you have done well in raising the Ninth Princess, once Lady Wu delivers the prince, he shall be raised under your care as well.”

“His Majesty said that from now on, you should spend more time with Lady Wu. When the time comes, His Majesty will use your closeness with Lady Wu as the reason to directly transfer the prince into your household — otherwise, His Majesty fears the other consorts would be displeased.”

Noble Consort Pei was momentarily stunned. As the meaning sank in, the joy at the corners of her eyes was impossible to suppress. “His Majesty truly said this?”

Eunuch Feng nodded, his voice carrying the distinctive high pitch of a eunuch. “Noble Consort, would this servant dare deceive you?”

“Of course not, of course not.” Noble Consort Pei took some silver from the maidservant beside her and pressed it into Eunuch Feng’s hands. “Please do not refuse, Eunuch.”

Eunuch Feng accepted it with a cheerful nod. “Then this servant will not stand on ceremony with the Noble Consort. Noble Consort should make ready and go to Lady Wu’s chambers to await His Majesty.”

“Very well.” Noble Consort Pei smiled and inclined her head.

“Then this servant takes his leave.” Eunuch Feng said.

Noble Consort Pei glanced at the maidservant beside her. “Go and see Eunuch Feng out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The maidservant curtsied and followed Eunuch Feng out of the bedchamber.

Noble Consort Pei made herself ready and set off for Lady Wu’s chambers without a moment’s delay.

——

Grand Protector’s Estate.

Yan Yunning had been pulled aside by Lu Jin’an for a long string of questions, and had been held in Yu Zhi’s embrace through a bout of weeping. She had also just learned that Mu Shiqing was, unbelievably, truly her elder brother. She stood where she was now, at a loss for what to do.

“Sister, your medicine.” Su Rouija’s voice broke through the stifled sounds in the room. Yan Shiyao, Xiao Wan, and Xiaoyue, who had been kept outside by A’Ci, all filed in after Su Rouija.

Yu Zhi’s maidservant Xiao Wu took the medicinal broth from Su Rouija’s hands and poured it into the flower pot.

Su Rouija quietly ground her back teeth. Yu Zhi was unwell, and she had been sent to decoct the medicine — yet every time she brought it, Yu Zhi’s maidservant poured it out.

Yu Zhi would only drink medicine decocted by her own maidservant. This was clearly done to torment her — every time she spent an hour or two decocting the medicine, watched over every moment by a maidservant so she did not dare slack, and then there was that one called A’Ci.

She had no idea where Yu Zhi had hired her from, but any time Su Rouija failed to comply with Yu Zhi’s instructions, A’Ci would come and deal with her.

Once, she had even been driven to the point of deliberately disrobing, hoping that A’Ci might take pity on her. The result was quite the opposite.