His rage was impossible to suppress — if anything had happened to his imperial grandchild, he would not spare Yan Shiyao regardless of the fact that she had once helped Yanyu and Xuanzhao. Yan Shiyao would have to answer for his imperial grandchild with her life.
He had waited so many years for this — if his imperial grandchild were lost because of Yan Shiyao, he would not even spare the entire household of the Grand Commandant.
“Your Majesty, please calm yourself.” Eunuch Feng carefully handed Prince Xuan a cup of tea.
Prince Xuan exhaled, “Convey Our oral decree: strip Yan Shiyao of her princess title, reclaim her residence, and banish her back to Qilan.”
He was sparing her life — and he was doing so only on account of her having helped Yanyu through his ordeal, compounded by the fact that the Grand Commandant’s wife had shielded Ningning from harm. Otherwise, even if his imperial grandchild had come to no harm, he would not have let Yan Shiyao off.
“As you command.” Eunuch Feng was just about to go transmit the decree when a guard’s voice rang out from beyond the palace doors: “Your Majesty, Princess Youle requests an audience.”
The privilege of moving freely in and out of Prince Xuan’s Palace was something Prince Xuan had extended to Yan Shiyao — after all, Prince Xuan had declared that Yan Shiyao was to receive the same treatment as a princess.
Prince Xuan tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk, a cool and thin smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Summon her.”
He rather wanted to see what Yan Shiyao had to say for herself at a time like this.
Yan Shiyao lifted the imperial curtain with trepidation, then fell to her knees with a thud. “Shiyao pays respects to Prince Xuan.”
The reason she had come to the palace was partly to avoid Xuan Yanyu. She had caused Ningning to fall, and she didn’t know whether Ningning was all right. Prince Xuan watched over Ningning fiercely — perhaps he would spare her.
She admitted that she sometimes acted without thinking, but she had never, at heart, intended to harm anyone. Accidentally pushing Ningning over was wrong of her — but what choice did she have? What was she supposed to do?
Was she supposed to keep acting like a loving sister to Ningning after watching her refuse to lift a finger for their mother?
She couldn’t do that…
She had no choice. If Ningning were in her position, what would Ningning do?
Ningning absolutely would not carry on as if nothing had happened and keep laughing and talking with her as sisters!
In the situation she was in today, no matter who was placed in that position, no one could possibly continue to interact with a younger sister without any trace of estrangement.
Mother, even if she had made mistakes, was still the mother who had doted on her from childhood — of course she would do everything she could to save Mother from the imperial prison.
Prince Xuan’s gaze remained cold and sunken as he flipped through a memorial, saying nothing.
Yan Shiyao’s heart was unsettled. She sniffled and began to sob.
Prince Xuan’s brow creased in a frown, and he bellowed low, “Eunuch Feng, have you not yet gone to transmit the decree stripping Princess Youle of her title?”
“This servant goes at once.” Eunuch Feng was jolted with fright.
Yan Shiyao’s sobs cut off abruptly. Her ears rang, and her mind was filled with nothing but the thought — the title of Xuanzhao princess, gone.
The Chancellor’s residence had also been searched and seized by imperial edict of the Qilan Emperor. She and Mother and Father — how were they to live from now on?
Father and Mother were getting on in years. Was she supposed to go out and work to earn money for them?
No — there was still the bridal dowry and betrothal gifts from Ningning’s wedding; Prince Xuan had given a great deal, and the Qilan Emperor would likely not dare seize those. Before she found a means of income, she could draw on those for now — and one day she would return everything to Ningning.
“Your Majesty, Shiyao has come to confess her wrongs. Shiyao did not intentionally push Ningning.” Yan Shiyao defended herself.
She truly had not done it on purpose. Perhaps Ningning, like Consort Wu that other time, had deliberately fallen — just to prevent her from coming to ask her to save Mother again.
She had only shaken her hand away — how could Ningning have fallen because of that?
“Not intentional?” Prince Xuan let out a cold laugh. “Did you not know that Ningning is with child? And now you tell Us that it wasn’t intentional — are you afraid We will punish you, and so you are making excuses for yourself?”
“When you shook Ningning’s hand away, did you consider that a pregnant woman might fall? Or is it that deep down, you wanted Ningning to take a tumble?”
Every detail of what had happened had been reported to him by the guards, word for word. He had no intention of believing Yan Shiyao was innocent.
Her coming to apologize now was purely because the consequences had come back to affect herself.
Even if she kept reassuring herself inwardly that she was innocent, on some unconscious level she had hoped for Ningning to miscarry — otherwise she would not have shaken Ningning’s hand away.
“No — Your Majesty, Shiyao never thought of making Ningning fall. Shiyao does not even know why Ningning ended up falling.”
Yan Shiyao offered a lame justification: “At the time, Shiyao was so frightened by the guard pressing his sword to her neck that she involuntarily pushed Ningning.”
“Your Majesty, it truly was involuntary. Shiyao has never once wanted to harm Ningning — never…”
Yan Shiyao hung her head low, her body trembling faintly, tears falling uncontrollably onto the floor beneath her.
She had only wanted Ningning to save Mother. If Ningning had not been so cold-hearted, so utterly indifferent toward Mother, she wouldn’t have… wouldn’t have arranged such a scheme.
Ningning had said Mother sent Afu to harm her — but Ningning had come out of it unharmed, hadn’t she? Was Mother not even allowed one mistake?
If Ningning had just rescued Mother, they could all settle down in Xuanzhao and live well together as a family — wouldn’t that have been good?
“Ye Chen and Ye’an, subordinates, request an audience with His Majesty.” A clear, resonant voice came from beyond the palace doors. Hearing the familiar voice, Yan Shiyao shrank in fright.
The two of them appearing at this moment — it went without saying — was on Xuan Yanyu’s orders. Could it be that something had happened to the child in Ningning’s womb?
Prince Xuan half-reclined on the golden imperial throne, exhaled a breath, and after a long pause said in a heavy voice, “Let them in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” A maid walked to the palace doors, drew back the imperial curtain, and looked toward Ye Chen and Ye’an. “Two guards, please enter.”
Yan Shiyao’s eyelids twitched violently, her heart in a state of frantic unease.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Ye Chen and Ye’an completed their respectful salutes, then stated their purpose: “Your Majesty, His Highness has instructed us to bring Yan Shiyao back to the Crown Prince’s Residence.”
The decree had not yet been widely proclaimed, yet Ye’an referred to Yan Shiyao directly by name — which made Xuan Yanyu’s stance perfectly clear.
Prince Xuan’s brow slowly furrowed. “We have already decreed the stripping of Yan Shiyao’s princess title and her banishment back to Qilan.”
“Your Majesty.” Ye Chen and Ye’an dropped to one knee and repeated, “His Highness the Crown Prince has commanded us to bring back Yan Shiyao.”
If His Highness were not at this moment staying at the Crown Princess’s side, he would have entered the palace himself long ago.
Prince Xuan pressed his lips together slightly. “We shall spare Yan Shiyao’s life — and in the future, We will no longer interfere in the matter of Yanyu having a secondary consort.”
Ye Chen and Ye’an exchanged a glance.
“We give Our word — We will not go back on it,” Prince Xuan added.
“This subordinate will relay the message to His Highness the Crown Prince.” Ye’an raised his head slightly. “Your Majesty, may this subordinate now take Yan Shiyao away?”
Prince Xuan waved his hand.
Yan Shiyao dared not make a sound and allowed Ye Chen and Ye’an to take her to the Crown Prince’s Residence.
Being spared her life was enough. If she made any more trouble, she feared Prince Xuan would grow so aggravated that he’d change his mind.
——
Meanwhile, at the Crown Prince’s Residence, inside Qishan Hall.
Qiuci rubbed her aching neck, wearing the despondent look of someone who had been thoroughly played for a fool.
His Highness the Crown Prince had already been reduced to such a pitiful state, and she had still believed Yan Shiyao’s story. How had she been so taken in?
Yu Zhi, sitting beside Qiuci, was also smiling to herself.
“I don’t want any more.” Yan Yunning pushed away the bowl of bird’s nest congee Xuan Yanyu had held out to her. Xuan Yanyu swept a glance over the table and let one corner of his mouth lift. “You don’t want it? If you won’t eat it, I’ll feed you myself.”
She hadn’t eaten much of the dishes on the table either, and now she was saying she was done.
Yan Yunning shot him a sideways glance, then took the bowl from his hand and drank it in small sips. She was genuinely afraid that Xuan Yanyu would feed her in front of Qiuci and Elder Sister Yu Zhi — just thinking about it made her cringe.
“Crown Prince, how do you intend to deal with Yan Shiyao?” Qiuci asked curiously.
Xuan Yanyu tilted his head slightly, the killing intent in his eyes wholly undisguised.
The corner of Qiuci’s eye twitched a few times. Xuan Yanyu’s gaze was too sharp and cutting — she involuntarily averted her eyes and found she could not look at him directly.
Yan Yunning’s expression grew complicated as she stirred the bird’s nest congee. Had it not been for Elder Sister Yu Zhi today, the child in her womb would most likely have come to harm. She had been caught off guard when she was shoved to the ground — in the early months of pregnancy, that could very easily have led to a miscarriage.
Yan Shiyao had always been recklessly impulsive — she hadn’t expected her to so suddenly give her a shove.