“I don’t know how. Your Highness had better ask my sister to teach you — and while you’re at it, return my sister’s little bells.” Yan Yunning smiled falsely.

“Have A’Yao teach this Palace?” Xuan Yanyu laced his hands behind his head and leaned back, his voice carrying a smile. “Let us not trouble A’Yao.”

“But my sister would be very glad to teach you, and you seem very willing to learn,” Yan Yunning said, casually putting the pastry he had bitten into her own mouth.

Xuan Yanyu caught the movement from the corner of his eye and quietly curved his lips. “This Palace simply does not wish to trouble A’Yao.”

“Your Highness, if you do not wish to trouble A’Yao, then simply do not learn at all.” Yan Yunning, without drawing attention to it, wiped the pastry crumbs from her hand onto the man’s brocade robe.

Ye Chen nudged Ye Jian with his foot and tilted his head, signaling him to look.

Ye Jian cast him a sidelong glance.

Xuan Yanyu caught her wrist and gave it a tug. Yan Yunning was caught off guard and tumbled onto him, their noses colliding.

The girl let out a muffled groan of pain, and a slow trickle of blood ran from her nose, dripping onto the man’s face.

“Xuan Yanyu, what are you doing?” Yan Yunning pursed her lips, tears clinging to her lashes. “That really hurts.”

Xuan Yanyu felt a sharp clench in his chest. He carefully wiped the blood from her face with his sleeve, his handsome features clouded with remorse.

Tears rolled down the girl’s face and she looked utterly aggrieved. Xuan Yanyu watched her, and an ache began to spread through him.

“Xuan Yanyu, you’ve made me bleed from my nose. Can I please be excused from kneading your shoulders?” Yan Yunning sniffled.

Her arms were so sore.

The man said “Mm” in a dry, hoarse voice.

Yan Yunning let out a small sniffly sob. “And can I also be excused from serving as your handmaid?”

“No.” Xuan Yanyu turned his head, avoiding the girl’s tear-filled gaze, and said in a low voice, “This Palace does not lack for silver at present, nor does this Palace require you to repay it. Therefore, you may only work off the silver you owe this Palace by serving as a handmaid.”

Yan Yunning lowered her lashes and cried harder. “Xuan Yanyu, you made me bleed from my nose — that counts as a workplace injury. I haven’t even asked you to compensate me for it, and yet you keep pushing your advantage.”

The man’s eyes held a playful gleam. “Yan Yunning, who exactly is the one pushing their advantage?”

The girl pointed at her nose, her eyes blurry with tears. “Then compensate me in silver.”

Xuan Yanyu burst out laughing in exasperation. “Yan Yunning…”

Before the man could finish, Yan Yunning suddenly said, “Xuan Xixiy, can you please wipe the blood off your face? It looks terrible.”

That breathtaking face smeared with blood took on a wild, untamed quality that was even harder to look away from than before.

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow and deliberately lowered his voice. “Yan Yunning, what nerve — daring to say to this Palace’s face that this Palace looks terrible? But on account of A’Yao, this Palace will let it pass this time.”

Yan Yunning wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Then I shall go thank A’Yao.”

Afraid Xuan Yanyu would refuse, she quickly got to her feet, turned, and bolted.

Xuan Yanyu: “……”

Running all the way back to the courtyard, Yan Yunning found Qiuci and Chunyi in a frantic fluster trying to keep a small infant from fussing, her sister standing nearby with a creased brow, visibly irritated as she watched them. Yan Yunning’s mind went momentarily blank.

Where on earth had this child come from??

“Ningning.” Yan Shiyao looked up, caught sight of Yan Yunning’s red-rimmed eyes, and narrowed her own. “Why have you been crying? Who upset you?”

“It’s nothing, I bumped my nose.” Yan Yunning pointed at Yi’an. “A’Jie, whose child is this?”

Yan Shiyao took her aside and explained everything in detail.

“The Prefect’s grandchild?” Yan Yunning’s brow furrowed. “A’Jie, send him back. If the child comes to any harm in the Prime Minister’s residence, how will Father account for it to the Prefect?”

Yan Shiyao’s pupils contracted. That was true — if something happened to the child, it would bring no end of trouble.

“Ningning, come with me and return him.”

Yan Yunning shook her head. “A’Jie, I don’t want to go.”

“Ningning, keep me company. We’ll drop him off, then stop by to see your brother — shall we stay at your brother’s villa for a few days?” Yan Shiyao coaxed.

All the better to keep her away from Xuan Yanyu for a while.

Yan Yunning bit her lip. “A’Jie, I…”

Yan Shiyao cut her off with a smile. “Ningning, let’s go.”

Yan Yunning’s brow creased, her eyelid twitching with an inexplicable unease. Surely nothing would go wrong?

“Chunyi, carry him and return him to the villa.” Yan Shiyao took Yan Yunning’s hand and led her toward the door.

Chunyi carried Yi’an and followed behind the two sisters, slipping out of the Prime Minister’s residence through the back gate.

The moment their carriage arrived at the villa, they heard the sound of a man’s low and uncontrolled roar and a girl’s desperate, sobbing cries.

Yan Yunning’s brow furrowed.

“Chunyi, watch over him here and come down later. Ningning and I will go in first and take a look.” Yan Shiyao instructed.

Chunyi replied, “Yes, First Young Miss.”

Inside the villa, fury surged in Mu Rong’s eyes as he thrust his long sword into Mu Cheng’s arm. “Where did you take my An’an?”

Mu Cheng’s face had gone chalk-white, her teeth chattering with pain. She had not expected Mu Rong to have lost his mind like this — the moment he arrived at the villa and saw her, he had guessed that she was the one who had hidden the child.

“Speak.” The man twisted the blade, his gaze turning vicious.

“He… he’s all right.” Mu Cheng struggled to suppress her trembling.

“Where is he!” Mu Rong’s eyes were bloodshot red. “Where is he? What have you done to him?”

This was all Xiao Yi had left him. Nothing could happen to the child.

Otherwise, he would not let Mu Cheng off.

“Cheng Cheng.” Yan Shiyao walked into the room, took one look at the wild-eyed Mu Rong, and stumbled back a step in fright.

Yan Yunning felt a chill crawl across her scalp. This had become a real problem.

“Yaoyao… have the child… brought back.” Mu Cheng’s voice was barely a whisper.

She had been wounded this badly by Mu Rong. Surely her sister would believe her now.

Mu Rong’s gaze shifted to Yan Shiyao, and a bone-chilling smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You took my An’an away? Hmm?”

Yan Shiyao swallowed, and before she could say a word, Mu Rong, sword in hand, drove it toward her without a moment’s hesitation.

The new wound opened directly on top of the old dagger wound that had only just healed. Yan Shiyao’s body convulsed once and she collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Mu Cheng also crumpled to the floor, clutching the wound on her arm with both hands, drenched in a cold sweat from the pain, unable to hold back a wretched scream.

Mu Rong pulled the sword free. His blood-veined eyes turned toward Yan Yunning.

“Big… big brother, your… your An’an is right outside. I’ll go carry him in for you.” Yan Yunning stepped quietly backward.

Mu Rong clearly did not believe her. His fingers had gone white around the hilt. “Move again, and see what happens,” he said coldly.

Yan Yunning’s feet stopped dead. She did not dare draw a full breath.

“Who gave any of you permission to take my An’an away?” Mu Rong raised his long sword and thrust it at Yan Yunning. Yan Yunning’s heart lurched violently — there was no time to think. She raised her arm to deflect his sword.

Taking advantage of his momentary shock, Yan Yunning didn’t spare a glance for Yan Shiyao lying on the floor. She turned and ran.

“Why are you running?” She ran straight into Xuan Yanyu, who was rushing toward her from the opposite direction. At the sight of him, Yan Yunning let out a breath of relief.

Suppressing the numbing throb of pain in the arm hidden beneath her sleeve, she said, “Xuan Yanyu, my sister has fainted. There’s a madman inside. Be careful, you and Ye Chen and Ye Jian — get my sister out.”