“Yes.” Xuan Yanyu gripped her arm and pulled her into his lap. Yan Yunning’s grip on the soup was unsteady, and some of it spilled.

Ye’an looked at the soup stain on the memorial, and his brow gave a single twitch.

“Xuan Yanyu, you really are quite good at causing trouble.” Yan Yunning set down the soup bowl and carefully picked up the memorial that had been splattered with soup. She drew in a sharp breath. “What do we do?”

“It’s fine.” The man was completely unconcerned.

“So this is what you meant by ‘harming’ this Consort?” Yan Yunning dabbed at the soup stain with a handkerchief — the damage was not severe, only a little smudged.

“Indeed, Crown Princess. You had best clean it up properly, otherwise His Majesty may be so displeased that he punishes you.” Xuan Yanyu leaned close to her ear and said in a lowered voice.

“Move away.” Yan Yunning rubbed her ear.

“If you regard this Palace with such contempt, this Palace will not put in a good word for you.” The man leaned back against the sandalwood chair and offered his suggestion. “If you beg this Palace, this Palace will perhaps help you — though only perhaps.”

Yan Yunning gave him a punch and smiled brightly. “Get lost!”

“Hiss……” Xuan Yanyu covered his abdomen and threw himself into the performance. “If you injure this Palace, His Majesty will certainly not spare you, you……”

“Shut your mouth. Say one more word and see what happens.” Yan Yunning picked up the handkerchief she had just used to wipe the memorial and pressed it over Xuan Yanyu’s mouth. She looped it around his face and tied it in a firm knot behind his head.

Then she dipped the brush in ink and placed it in his hand. “Read carefully, and once you’ve finished, say whatever nonsense you like.”

Xuan Yanyu pulled the handkerchief down. Yan Yunning, anticipating it, placed her index finger to his lips. “No talking. Review your memorials.”

At this rate his neglect of court affairs would turn him into a tyrant before long.

“Here.” Yan Yunning took a stack of memorials. “Can you do it within one hour?”

“You can go to the Zhaodao Hall, or I’ll step out — your choice.” Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow and added.

The man pressed his lips together and said nothing.

“Put in a little effort, Your Highness. I’m worried you’ll be a bad influence on our child.”

“Yan Yunning? Is your heart right now filled to the brim with the child?” The man held up his fingers with a small gap between them. “And you’ve only left this Palace the tiniest sliver of space?”

“Wrong, Your Highness.” Yan Yunning closed the gap between his fingers until not the slightest opening remained. “Not even a tiny sliver was left for you. However, if you beg this Consort, she may give you just a little — but only perhaps.”

Xuan Yanyu: “……?”

“All right, be a good boy and review your memorials~” Yan Yunning moved to stand up, but Xuan Yanyu encircled her and opened a memorial, glancing at it with a teasing smile. “Together.”

Yan Yunning closed her eyes and said, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, be careful — one day I’ll surpass you and take your seat.”

The man grew interested. “Try it. Open your eyes — look at the memorial submitted by the Minister of Justice.”

Yan Yunning looked at the memorial in Xuan Yanyu’s hand. The general meaning concerned affairs between Qilan and Xuanzhao.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, is Xuanzhao planning to take Qilan?”

“Yes, the groundwork has already been laid. This Palace made you a promise to let you walk with your head held high in Qilan — how could this Palace go back on that?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, how kind of you to still remember that I wanted to walk freely in Qilan.” Yan Yunning said with a sweet laugh.

“……” Xuan Yanyu gazed at Yan Yunning with a deep and intent look, smoothed the stray hairs at her brow, and asked casually, “Ningning, do you have any good suggestions?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, you could find ways to stoke conflict between Qilan and its neighboring states. That way, Qilan will naturally have to deal with them, which will drain some of their silver and soldiers.”

“By then, Your Highness the Crown Prince can seize the opportunity to take Qilan — the odds of success will be greater.”

“But if the neighboring states are no match for Qilan’s strength, how do you make them dare to provoke Qilan?” The man smiled and leaned closer to her.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, you can offer them benefits — promise them things they care about.”

“What else?” The man wound a lock of Yan Yunning’s hair around his finger, his gaze growing increasingly bright as it rested on her.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, you could also undermine the Qilan people’s image of the Qilan Emperor. Then you can sever Qilan’s connections with its surrounding neighbors and gradually wear Qilan down. You could also sabotage Qilan’s production — but that would harm the common people of Qilan, so I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Meeting the man’s eyes, which were full of smiles, Yan Yunning pursed her lips. “That’s all I can think of for now. Give me time to go back and think more carefully, and I’ll tell you.”

“How would you undermine the Qilan people’s image of the Qilan Emperor?” The man raised an eyebrow to ask.

“Can’t you spread some false rumors?” Yan Yunning tapped his forehead.

“Think about it — once the people’s hearts are lost, you don’t even need to take Qilan yourself. Take Qilan’s six ministry heads, the regional governors, and the like — do you think not one of them harbors ambitions for that seat?”

“But the Qilan Emperor isn’t foolish — he naturally won’t allow them to rise up. And wouldn’t that create chaos? And wouldn’t that be the moment you step in?!”

“What if they don’t take the bait?” Xuan Yanyu took Yan Yunning’s hand, feeling as though he had stumbled upon a treasure.

Their ideas aligned remarkably.

Yan Yunning clasped his wrist in return and said with a curving smile, “They will. You can selectively make some of those false rumors come true. Isn’t Xuanzhao’s Imperial Guard still stationed in Qilan? Have them disguise themselves as common people and stir things up — there will always be those who believe it. And once it starts, it will slowly come to encompass everything.”

“Ningning.” Xuan Yanyu’s eyes broke into a full smile. “How is it that you have such a sharp mind?”

“?” Yan Yunning gave him a speechless look and pushed him aside. “Review your memorials properly. I’m leaving — come find me when you’re done.”

What a baffling thing to say. Wouldn’t it be perfectly fine to simply call her clever? What did he mean by “such a sharp mind?” It made it sound as though she normally had no mind at all!

“Very well.” The man waved for Ye Chen and Ye’an to gather up the memorials, intending to move to Zhaodao Hall.

“Stay put at your little side table and review them properly — moving around is a waste of time.” Yan Yunning gestured for Ye Chen and Ye’an to set the memorials back down.

He had only just moved them over and reviewed one, and now he wanted to move them all the way back.

Ye’an obediently set down the memorials in his hands. Ye Chen pressed his lips together — His Highness hadn’t yet spoken; should he set them down too?

“Understood, Crown Princess.” Xuan Yanyu said with a pleased and cheerful air, taking the memorials and setting them squarely before him.

Yan Yunning couldn’t help smiling. How obedient.

——

More than a month later, Yan Yunning, who had never been particularly fond of eating, had grown even less inclined after occasional bouts of morning sickness.

She was thinner than she had been a month ago. Yan Yunning looked at her belly — still as flat as before she was pregnant — and let out a sigh.

It had only been two months and more. When would the baby finally start to show?

“Crown Princess.” Ye Chen stepped into the chamber with the look of someone who had lost all will to live.

“Ye Chen, did His Highness the Crown Prince send you to fetch charcoal?” Qiuci stared at Ye Chen’s soot-blackened face and asked.

Ye Chen’s eyes brightened slightly, and he spared no praise. “Qiuci, you really are sharp — being at the Crown Princess’s side is different; it’s made you clever.”

Yan Yunning’s brow arched in amusement. “Oh? And what you mean is that you haven’t grown sharper — and that’s purely because of who you serve at Xuan Yanyu’s side?”

“Crown Princess, that was not this subordinate’s meaning.” Ye Chen stepped forward and poured a cup of water for Yan Yunning with a grin.