Yan Yunning swallowed, and before she could speak, Yan Shiyao gently interjected, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, it was around the sixth quarter of the hour of Si.”

Yan Yunning: “?”

The sixth quarter of Si — roughly half past ten. The time for the morning meal had long since passed. It would practically be time for the midday meal soon!!

The proper hour for the morning meal was around the second quarter of Mao, approximately half past six. This was also part of why she was reluctant to stay long in the Xuan royal palace — she could barely wake up, and yet she was already expected to attend the morning meal!!

Xuan Yanyu stared at Yan Yunning without speaking. Yan Yunning looked up at him cautiously and said with utter lack of backbone, “No — you had only left about an hour or so, and I was already up having my morning meal.”

Xuan Yanyu had asked her to eat the morning meal before eight o’clock at the latest. She had promised readily, then proceeded to sleep blissfully until half past ten…

The medical official had told her to maintain a regular diet, to ensure the health of both herself and the child in her womb. Since returning to the Crown Prince’s manor from the Xuan royal palace — this was the third day — and not once had the morning meal been at a regular time.

The first two days she had concealed it well, having instructed everyone not to dare tell Xuan Yanyu. And today it had simply slipped out…

“Is that so?” The man smiled in a way that sent a chill down the spine. He turned his gaze to the doorway and said in a low, steady voice, “Come in.”

Yan Shiyao pressed her lips together. Had she said the wrong thing??

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Xiao Wan and Xiao Yue walked into the hall with trepidation.

“At what hours has Ningning been having her morning meal these past few days?” Xuan Yanyu fixed his gaze on Yan Yunning, the look in his eyes very gentle — yet his tone was very cold.

Yan Yunning looked up at him with a pitiful expression and murmured, “Xuan Yanyu, you don’t trust me… you still have to ask others about it. You don’t believe a word I say…”

She had instructed them not to tell Xuan Yanyu — but now that Xuan Yanyu was asking directly, they did not dare conceal anything from him.

If word of this reached Xuan Wang and the Empress concerning the child in her womb, she would be summoned back to the Xuan royal palace for a long stay without a doubt.

The girl pouted, looking thoroughly aggrieved. Xuan Yanyu relented. “There won’t be a next time.”

“What next time? I’ve been eating perfectly properly and obediently, exactly in accordance with the medical official’s instructions, at perfectly reasonable times.” Yan Yunning said stubbornly.

The man placed one hand on his hip and lowered his gaze to look at her with an idle, sidelong glance, his handsome face setting into sternness.

“Shall this prince expose you?”

In his heart, truthfully, the child did not matter to him quite as much as all this suggested — yet his position demanded that he have a child.

More than the child, what he truly cared about was her health. Imperial Physician Wen had said that her body was originally weak, prone to nosebleeds — now that she was with child, she needed to rest and be properly cared for all the more.

“No next time — absolutely no next time.” Yan Yunning’s voice came out soft and low, her beautiful eyes blinking as she looked up at him obediently.

“Weren’t you rather spirited just a moment ago?” Xuan Yanyu gave her a sidelong glance.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please don’t take it out on Ningning — she still carries your child. Forgive her just this once.” Yan Shiyao inserted herself weakly.

Xiao Wan pressed her lips together. It wasn’t entirely Yan Shiyao’s fault for speaking up — the Crown Prince hadn’t even been planning to take it out on the Crown Princess, and now she had said another word.

She truly couldn’t tell whether it was thoughtless or deliberate.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, for the child’s sake, please forgive Ningning.” Yan Shiyao spoke again, her voice soft and gentle.

Yan Yunning held on to Xuan Yanyu’s arm and turned to look at Yan Shiyao, who gave her a wink.

Yan Yunning: “?”

“Crown Princess, Crown Prince, is it time for the midday meal?” a maidservant entered the hall and curtsied.

“Yes.” Xuan Yanyu took Yan Yunning’s hand and raised an eyebrow lightly. “Come on. Go have the meal, properly.”

“Ningning.” Yan Shiyao called out, biting her lip.

Yan Yunning glanced back at her and said evenly, “Would you like to join us?”

“Yes.” Yan Shiyao smiled faintly.

Yan Yunning looked away and took Xuan Yanyu’s arm, saying quietly, “I just felt she was behaving oddly today, which is why I politely asked if she wanted to join us.”

Xuan Yanyu glanced at her sideways. “The Crown Prince’s manor is yours as much as mine — whoever you want to keep for a meal, keep them. You need not say a word to this prince about it.”

Stepping past the threshold, the glaring sunlight fell across the man’s face, making his features look all the more strikingly handsome and finely cut.

Yan Yunning’s heart beat faster, without her permission.

Yan Shiyao watched the smile on Yan Yunning’s profile, and an inexplicable irritation rose in her chest. Loathing. Hatred.

Why could she still smile like that?

Yan Shiyao shook her head. She must not think this way. She must not…

Qishan Hall.

Yan Shiyao sat beside Yan Yunning and took it upon herself to serve her food in Xiao Wan’s place, smiling as she placed dishes into Yan Yunning’s bowl.

Yan Yunning had just had her morning meal not long ago and was not yet hungry. She rested her cheek on her hand and looked at Xuan Yanyu, an endless sight she never tired of.

The man ladled red date and silkie chicken soup into a bowl and set it before Yan Yunning, his eyes filled with warmth. “If you can’t eat, at least drink some soup.”

Xiao Wan stepped forward and moved aside the dishes Yan Shiyao had served, taking the bowl of red date and silkie chicken soup and placing it in front of Yan Yunning.

Yan Yunning stirred the soup with her spoon a couple of times, and from the corner of her eye noticed the man’s elegant fingers picking out fish bones.

“Drink it all. No leaving any.” Xuan Yanyu turned his head and fed her the deboned fish.

“Mm…” Yan Yunning glanced down at the porcelain bowl. It was only half full.

He must have known she had only just finished her morning meal and hadn’t ladled her too much.

She drank two spoonfuls, then slowly nudged the porcelain bowl toward Xuan Yanyu with a sweet smile. “I can’t drink any more. Your Highness the Crown Prince, you drink it.”

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow and fed her another piece of fish.

Yan Yunning smiled at the corners of her lips. “I don’t want any more.”

The man picked up a shrimp with his chopsticks and held it to her lips, coaxing in a low voice, “One more bite.”

“Ningning.”

Just as Yan Yunning swallowed the shrimp, Yan Shiyao caught her eye with a warm smile.

“What is it…”

Before she could finish speaking, Yan Yunning looked down and saw the red date and silkie chicken soup being offered to her lips. She shook her head slightly at Xuan Yanyu.

He raised an eyebrow. Yan Yunning gave up and drank a mouthful.

Yan Shiyao tightened her fist, feeling profoundly mocked by what she was witnessing.

Xuan Yanyu flicked a faint, cool glance at Yan Shiyao. Yan Shiyao hastily lowered her head.

After a few seconds of silence, Yan Shiyao could not help herself. “Ningning, do you know that mother has been imprisoned in the Qilan Tribunal?”

Word had spread outside that the Chancellor of Xuanzhao had been placed under house arrest, and the Chancellor of Qilan had been locked in the Tribunal — though he was subsequently released, the Chancellor’s wife was still being held. When the Chancellor was released, he was gravely injured. One could only imagine how much worse it was for his wife.

Upon hearing this, Yan Shiyao had made further inquiries and learned that her father had misspoken when advising the Qilan Emperor, causing Qilan to suffer significant financial losses as a result — and her mother had been imprisoned in the Tribunal because of it. Her older brother had also had his official post and title stripped by the Qilan Emperor.

There was now no one left in Qilan who could help their mother…

Their mother was suffering in the Tribunal, and who knew what state she was in now. And yet Ningning sat here laughing and smiling with her husband — this was also the reason Yan Shiyao had suddenly hated her just now.

Having a meal, and she needed her husband to feed her — had she ever stopped to think that while she sat here eating fine food, their mother in the Tribunal might not even be able to get a hot meal??

Even if their mother had never cared for her, had never paid her the least attention for over twenty years — that was still her mother!!

At the very least, her mother had given her life!!

She worried so much about their mother she couldn’t eat, yet Ningning seemed to regard it as nothing at all.