Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow slightly and casually caught it, then without the slightest hesitation slipped it onto his other thumb, which had no ring.

Prince Xuan was so infuriated he lost his composure and rolled his eyes.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.” Palace Attendant Feng stepped forward to soothe him. “Your Majesty, the little Imperial grandson has not yet been born — how can you afford to let yourself be angered into illness?”

The tension in Prince Xuan’s brow eased, and a great deal of his fury dissipated in an instant.

He even found the sight of Yan Yunning and Xuan Yanyu a little more agreeable.

“Hmph!” Prince Xuan stepped toward Xuan Yanyu, took back his jade thumb ring, shook out his dragon robe, and turned the corner toward the Imperial Study.

“Why are you here waiting for this Palace? Shouldn’t you have slept a little longer?” The moment Prince Xuan departed, the man’s lips curved into a faint smile as he looked at Yan Yunning.

“Xuan Yanyu?” Yan Yunning smiled ambiguously. “Can you think of why I did not sleep longer?”

After all the commotion he had caused, how could she possibly have fallen back asleep?

“Next time this Palace will try a different way to wake you up, for breakfast…”

“Xuan Yanyu!!” Yan Yunning glared at him indignantly.

The man’s lips curled into a mischievous grin. “Why are you calling for this Palace?”

Yan Yunning let out a breath and with an air of magnanimity said, “Fine, I won’t take this up with you this time. But if you disturb me again next time, I’ll drive you out of the sleeping chamber…”

The final word dissolved into a kiss that fell without warning.

Radiant light spilled across the long corridor. Yan Yunning lifted her chin, and Xuan Yanyu steadied her waist with one hand, head bent slightly — even the beautiful shadows they cast on the ground were suffused with a golden glow.

A moment later, the man caught his breath, hearing the girl’s muffled complaint: “Xuan Yanyu, I’m hungry.”

“?” Xuan Yanyu’s breath hitched.

Meeting the man’s heated gaze, Yan Yunning said pitifully, “I’m so hungry. Your Highness the Crown Prince, will you accompany me to eat?”

She was afraid that if she said it too late, she’d be dragged back into the sleeping chamber!

“Mm.” The man steadied his breathing, took her hand in his, and led her toward Taiyi Hall.

Yan Yunning stole a glance at Xuan Yanyu — and met his upturned eyes. As she calmly withdrew her gaze, the man’s low, slightly husky voice drifted to her ear: “Only this Palace would be deceived by you, and be willing to be.”

Yan Yunning: “……!!”

He could even tell she had already eaten breakfast?

“If you were to deceive anyone else after leaving this Palace, they would certainly beat you for it, Yan Yunning — did you hear me?” The man rapped his knuckles on her forehead.

Yan Yunning: “……”

He still hadn’t let go of what she’d said yesterday about helplessly following the evening breeze to drift far away?

“Didn’t hear me?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince!” Yan Yunning said with cheerful self-assurance. “What you said is wrong. I’m so pretty — who would ever beat me?”

“Tsk.” Xuan Yanyu let out a surprised laugh.

Yan Yunning: “……?”

“It seems someone has forgotten that Chu Wantang once wanted to apply family punishment to her,” Xuan Yanyu said languidly.

Yan Yunning: “……”

“You didn’t even deceive Chu Wantang, and she still wanted to beat you — if you were to actually deceive someone else, tsk, tsk, tsk……” The man shook his head with a light laugh.

“That’s only because Chu Wantang and I spent too little time together!!” Yan Yunning said cheekily. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, you don’t know — back in the day, there was a man I encountered. He couldn’t stand the sight of me at first, not in the least. My A’Jie cried, and he wanted me to go and comfort her — isn’t that unreasonable? And on top of that……”

“And on top of that, what? Mm?” Xuan Yanyu smiled with an air of indulgent tolerance.

Yan Yunning cleared her throat. “In short, in the end he couldn’t do without me.”

“Oh~” The man nodded as though he understood perfectly. “So what you mean is, if Chu Wantang spent more time with you, she wouldn’t beat you anymore?”

Yan Yunning gave a little nod of her head.

“If you ever dare to leave this Palace, this Palace will plaster your portrait all over the city, and on the portrait it will read: whoever sees this woman, beat her soundly, and silver will be rewarded. What do you think of that?” Xuan Yanyu said with insufferable provocation.

Yan Yunning’s mouth twitched. “Xuan Xixi, what a vicious heart you have!!”

“So, are you going to leave this Palace?” The man’s lips curved into a smile.

Yan Yunning pinched his cheek and said through gritted teeth, “Would I dare? What would I do with the whole city chasing after me to beat me?”

Xuan Yanyu’s smile slowly deepened.

“Xuan Xixi, you’re only saying that. You couldn’t bear to actually beat me.”

The man said in utter disbelief, “Yan Yunning, you… you actually know this Palace’s true feelings? You……”

“Xuan Yanyu, let me take you to see the Imperial Physician. If you’re unwell, we should seek treatment — we can’t let it go on.” Yan Yunning said with a laugh, looping her arm through his.

“You even know this Palace is unwell?” Xuan Yanyu said with a deepening smile. “Could you teach this Palace how you figured that out?”

“No.” Yan Yunning gave him a look.

“This Palace insists on learning.” The man bent down and scooped her up in his arms, then turned and strode at a swift pace toward the sleeping chamber.

“…… I’m hungry, I want to eat!!” Yan Yunning widened her eyes.

“This Palace knows you’re hungry.”

Silly girl — he was only carrying her back to the sleeping chamber. It wasn’t as though she were truly hungry, so what was the point of going to Taiyi Hall?

Yan Yunning: “……?”

Back in the sleeping chamber, Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue, following Xuan Yanyu’s instructions, brought out a simple spread of dishes.

“Crown Princess.” The man leaned toward her, the corners of his eyes tilted upward. “You’ve gone so long without eating that now you don’t want to eat after all?”

“Go and finish reviewing your memorials!!” Yan Yunning pushed him aside, lifted the swallow’s nest and shredded chicken soup — rich and fragrant — and took a small sip.

Xuan Yanyu lounged lazily in the sandalwood chair. Ye’an crouched beside him, unrolled a memorial, and held it up properly before Xuan Yanyu’s eyes.

The man swept an unhurried glance over it, raised his hand slightly, and Ye Chen placed the brush in his palm.

When one memorial was finished and Ye’an had set it aside, he poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xuan Yanyu, who took a light sip before beginning to review the second.

Yan Yunning watched in speechless exasperation. “Xuan Yanyu, go take a look at any shopkeeper or clerk and see if any of them work the way you do. This is also work — can you not at least look like someone doing their work?”

Xuan Yanyu raised his eyes slightly. “All right.”

The man took the memorial from Ye’an’s hands and placed it on his small side table. It was a small side table because Xuan Yanyu had insisted on accompanying Yan Yunning for the meal, so Yan Yunning had someone add a small table beside the main dining table for him.

“I thought His Highness the Crown Prince was going to say — ‘No, no~'” Yan Yunning shook her head back and forth and wagged one finger from side to side.

Xuan Yanyu raised his eyelids, his bright eyes shimmering. “Come here.”

“No, I’m busy drinking soup.” Yan Yunning refused.

“Come here.” The man said again with a low laugh.

“No, no~”

Xuan Yanyu’s eyes widened. “Yan Yunning?”

“Why are you calling for this Consort?” Yan Yunning shot him a sidelong glance.

The corner of Xuan Yanyu’s eye twitched slightly. He twirled the brush in his hand and smiled languidly. “Who told you to mimic this Palace?”

Yan Yunning toyed with her soup spoon and tilted her head to look at him. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, you really shouldn’t speak nonsense. I never mimicked you.”

Xuan Yanyu propped his cheek in one hand with casual ease and reached out to poke the back of Yan Yunning’s hand.

“What do you want?”

“Come here.” The man curved his lips, his large hand curling toward her in a beckoning gesture.

“Hmm?” Yan Yunning fixed Xuan Yanyu with a suspicious stare. “Are you trying to harm this Consort?”