“Crown Princess.”

“Crown Princess.”

The guards posted at the gate bowed respectfully.

“Mm.” Yan Yunning responded with perfect composure.

“It is so late, Crown Princess — where are you going?” one of the guards asked, unable to conceal his concern.

“Oh, the Empress Dowager sent a carriage to escort me into the palace. You need not worry. Xuan Yanyu is aware of this.” Yan Yunning held the guard’s gaze with an expression of candid sincerity.

“Crown Princess, the Queen is summoning you into the palace this late at night?” The guard glanced into the estate grounds. Apart from Yan Yunning, no one else had come out with her. “Crown Princess, why have you not brought a maidservant along?”

“The palace has its own maidservants,” Yan Yunning replied without so much as a flicker of expression. “I left Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue here.”

“Crown Princess, please wait a moment. This subordinate will go and seek His Highness the Crown Prince’s instruction.” The guard offered a respectful bow.

Yan Yunning’s expression cooled at once. “Why? Are you saying you do not trust what this Consort has told you? If you insist on consulting Xuan Yanyu and waste precious time, how shall this Consort explain herself to the Empress Dowager?”

“This subordinate would not dare.” The guard dropped to his knees with a thud. “Crown Princess, you have not brought a single attendant with you. Please allow this subordinate to escort you to the palace.”

Ever since the incident involving Yan Shiyao, Ye’an had instructed all of them that under no circumstances was the Crown Princess to come to harm again. The hour was already very late, and the Crown Princess was about to leave the estate unaccompanied.

Moreover, the Queen’s carriage was nowhere to be seen at the gates of the Crown Prince’s estate. If he allowed the Crown Princess to leave, the consequences would be more than he could bear.

“Here.” Yan Yunning produced Xuan Yanyu’s jade pendant and held it up before the guard’s eyes. “Your Crown Prince has given his permission.”

So saying, she handed the jade pendant to the guard and said with a quiet laugh, “What are you all so worried about? It isn’t as though this Consort is running away.”

The guard accepted the jade pendant with visible unease. “This subordinate would not dare suggest such a thing.”

How could he possibly accuse the Crown Princess of running away?

“Rise. This Consort will return by midday tomorrow. Xuan Yanyu knew you all might stop me from leaving, which is why he gave me his jade pendant. When he attends morning court tomorrow, simply return it to him.” Yan Yunning smiled with the unhurried ease of someone telling nothing but the truth.

In reality, she had taken the jade pendant herself without Xuan Yanyu’s knowledge.

The guard hesitated as he rose, then said deferentially, “Then this subordinate will at least see you to your carriage.”

Yan Yunning smiled gently. “There is no need. Guard the Crown Prince’s estate well. This is not the first time this Consort has entered the palace.”

“Cro— Crown Princess, where is the Queen’s carriage?” the guard asked again, still unable to set his mind at ease.

Yan Yunning curved her lips. “I mentioned it to the Empress Dowager when I left the palace earlier today — the carriage is waiting at the pastry shop not far from the Crown Prince’s estate. This Consort is going to pick up a few pastries to eat along the way.”

The guard was silent for a moment before bowing. “This subordinate respectfully sees off the Crown Princess.”

“Mm.” Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow and strolled unhurriedly out of the estate.

After Yan Yunning had gone, the two guards could not shake the feeling that something was not right. To begin with, the Crown Princess had never once left the estate without a maidservant in tow.

Furthermore, ever since the Crown Princess had fallen pregnant, His Majesty had given express orders that she must never be left unattended.

Then there was the matter of the Queen’s carriage supposedly sent to escort the Crown Princess into the palace — strangely, it was not parked at the gates of the Crown Prince’s estate. And the notion of the Crown Princess going to buy pastries was equally odd. What pastry could the Crown Prince’s estate possibly not have? And yet the Crown Princess had to go out and buy some herself?

As these doubts gathered in his mind, one of the guards said, “I am going to inform His Highness the Crown Prince right now.”

With that, he turned and ran into the estate at a brisk pace.

Condensed Fullness Pavilion.

The attendants helped the slightly unsteady man to the bed, removed his long boots, wiped his feet clean, and drew a light blanket over him.

They had just turned to leave when they heard Xuan Yanyu murmuring in a plaintive, dazed tone, “Ning… Ningning, why… enter the palace, tell the Imperial Father…”

The man kept repeating the same incomplete sentence in a low murmur. Seeing that he had no other needs, the attendants withdrew from the inner chamber.

“Is His Highness the Crown Prince here?” The gate guard called out urgently.

The attendant who had just stepped out of the inner chamber was startled. He dropped his voice. “Lower your voice — His Highness is resting.”

“Has the Crown Princess entered the palace? Is His Highness aware of it?”

“He is. His Highness has had rather too much to drink precisely because the Crown Princess has entered the palace.”

His Highness had been muttering to himself about why the Crown Princess had entered the palace — clearly because he was reluctant to let her go.

The gate guard let out a long breath of relief. So he had been overthinking things.

“Then look after His Highness well. I’ll return to my post.”

“Mm.”

The gate guard returned to his position, his mind finally at ease.

Meanwhile, the Yan Yunning who had left the Crown Prince’s estate was walking slowly along the darkened boulevard. The night wind had grown colder as it swept past her, and she hugged her arms close, a sense of desolation spreading quietly through her chest.

There were few pedestrians left on the long street — mostly patrolling guards. Within the city of Xuanzhao at night, there were even more guards than during the day. Yan Yunning walked with her head slightly bowed, not particularly worried about anything happening.

Fafa asked, puzzled, “Master, where are you going?”

Yan Yunning barely lifted her eyes. “Wherever would do.”

She just did not want to return to the Crown Prince’s estate…

She was tired of Xuan Yanyu always being angry.

Fafa said plainly, “Master, where can you even go? The entire city of Xuanzhao belongs to Xuan Yanyu — where could you possibly go that he wouldn’t find you?”

Yan Yunning’s steps faltered, and the light in her eyes dimmed. “Let him look.”

She was just being willful and refusing to go back.

Fafa: “…”

After walking for a while, Yan Yunning passed an inn and asked for a private room. She collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

She rolled over and looked out through the window at the dim glow outside, murmuring softly, “Fafa, if there comes a day when I can go home — can I take the baby with me?”

Fafa gave no answer. Yan Yunning pressed her hand gently to her still-flat stomach, veiling the dim sorrow in her eyes. Even if she brought the baby home, she would have no way of explaining things to her parents…

Perhaps leaving the baby with Xuan Yanyu was for the best…

Yan Yunning pulled the light blanket over herself, but her keen sense of smell immediately caught the musty odor of perspiration in the fabric. A wave of nausea rose before she could stop it.

Her face flushed a deep red. Unable to suppress the overwhelming sickness, she scrambled up and ran to the waste basket. Every bit of the dinner she had eaten came up.

Even after she finished retching, the dry heaves would not stop. She slid weakly to the floor, the coldness of the floorboards seeping into her, mingling with the convulsing of her stomach — and a faint, dull ache began to spread through her abdomen.

Fafa said in an anxious tone, “Master, get up first.”

Does Master not know she is with child?

Still throwing tantrums with Master!

Does Master not know that a pregnant woman’s moods can be erratic without rhyme or reason?

And Xuan Yanyu made Master so upset she fled the Crown Prince’s estate!

Yan Yunning wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, then trembled as she gripped the edge of the round table and slowly pushed herself to her feet.

“Master, let’s go back,” Fafa urged gently. “There is no one here to look after you.”

Yan Yunning lowered her lashes and said softly, “I’m not going back.”

Fafa: “But how will you stay here, Master?”

Yan Yunning glanced at the blanket on the bed, and her stomach lurched again.

She truly could not remain here…

Yan Yunning let out a slow breath, poured a cup of water, rinsed her mouth, and walked out of the inn.

The sky had grown fully dark. The long street was empty of any passersby. Yan Yunning stood where she was, feeling lost. Should she find another inn?

“Go back, Master. All inns are the same,” Fafa urged.