From now on, waking up in the morning, he would never again argue with Ye Jian over the washroom.

After leaving the inn, Ye Jian drifted aimlessly to the Chancellor’s manor to find Yan Yunning.

When Yan Yunning saw him, she was taken aback. Not only were there boot prints on his clothes, but the back of his hand was dripping blood.

“What happened to you?”

“Second Young Miss Yan, please keep a close watch on His Highness these next few days — don’t let him leave your side.” Ye Jian implored.

Only Second Young Miss Yan could keep His Highness in check. If His Highness wasn’t watched, he would absolutely go to the prefectural yamen to find Mucong. That would inevitably stir up trouble.

“What’s going on? What happened to you? Were you bullied?” Yan Yunning bent down and used the handkerchief in her hand to wipe the blood from the back of his hand.

“Second Young Miss Yan.” Ye Jian stepped back a pace, his heart feeling heavy and congested.

She didn’t need to show concern for him.

“Was it Xuan Yanyu who hit you?”

Other than Xuan Yanyu, it seemed no one else could leave him looking like this — his eyes so red they looked a fright.

“Second Young Miss Yan, I’m sorry.” Ye Jian bowed at the waist.

Yan Yunning’s brow twitched faintly. Sorry for what?

“Second Young Miss Yan, I’m going back to Xuanzhao. From now on, please don’t quarrel with His Highness anymore. Every time you and His Highness have a falling out, His Highness suffers through it, unable to eat. And please — don’t hurt His Highness again. If you do, you won’t survive it either.” Ye Jian’s voice caught slightly.

“What did you do? Were you driven away by Xuan Xixi?”

Ye Jian lowered his head and said nothing.

“If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. But even if you have to go back to Xuanzhao, you should tend to your wounds first — otherwise you’ll collapse from blood loss before you even get there.”

Yan Yunning called for Qiuci and had her fetch some gauze and ointment.

“Young Master Ye Jian, who hurt you like this?” Qiuci dampened a square cloth with water and carefully dabbed at his wound.

Ye Jian’s expression was downcast. No matter how they asked, he wouldn’t say a word.

The little maid stared at the wound on the back of his hand and muttered indignantly, “Tell Young Master Xuan — let Young Master Xuan and Young Master Ye Chen go and teach whoever did this a lesson. We can’t just take a beating and let it go.”

Ye Jian’s throat seized up. His breathing became unsteady.

“It must hurt terribly.” Qiuci carefully wound the gauze around his hand.

“Have some water.” Yan Yunning held out a cup and offered it to Ye Jian. “Have a little.”

“Second Young Miss Yan, I’m sorry.” Ye Jian’s voice was very hoarse.

Seeing Second Young Miss Yan show him concern made his heart ache painfully.

But if something had happened to the eldest young miss, neither he nor Ye Chen would have been spared by Prince Xuan. At least this way, His Highness wouldn’t involve Ye Chen.

He just didn’t know what would become of Second Young Miss Yan……

“Why are you apologizing to my young miss?” Qiuci didn’t understand.

“Second Young Miss Yan, I should go.” Ye Jian bent at the waist in a bow.

Yan Yunning frowned slightly. Though he worked hard to suppress it, she still caught the sound of Ye Jian stifling a sob.

A quarter of an hour after Ye Jian left, Yan Shiyao was brought back to the Chancellor’s manor.

Once Chu Wantang had left Yaozhi Courtyard, Yan Yunning stepped inside.

In the side chamber, Yan Zhiyi was reprimanding Yan Shiyao. “Yan Shiyao, can’t you stay in the manor without going out? Would it kill you to stay home quietly?”

Yan Shiyao hung her head and didn’t dare respond.

“In the future when you go out, take Ningning with you less often.” Yan Zhiyi pressed his fingers firmly against his brow.

In court today, the prefect had raised a grievance and quarreled with the Secretariat official until both their faces turned red. Yan Zhiyi had initially been watching the spectacle with amusement.

Who would have known that the very next moment, the Secretariat official would drag him and his father into it — and only then did they learn that Yaoyao and Ningning had both been injured too.

The whole thing had started because Yaoyao had taken the prefect’s grandson away with her. It was nothing short of reckless.

“Brother, I had originally meant to drop off the child and then spend a few days at your villa with Ningning. I never… never thought it would……” Yan Shiyao’s voice trailed off lower and lower.

“You!” Yan Zhiyi was so exasperated his head throbbed.

“Brother. A’Jie.” Yan Yunning spoke up. She had been standing there for quite a while now, and neither of them had noticed her.

“Ningning, is your wound all right?” Yan Shiyao asked anxiously.

“It’s fine now.”

Yan Zhiyi said with an amused air, “Fine now? Don’t go causing trouble along with your A’Jie in the future.”

Hearing this, Yan Shiyao felt a dull heaviness press against her chest.

“Let her rest and recover. Let’s step out.”

Yan Yunning silently fell into step behind Yan Zhiyi, and the two walked out of the room.

Yan Shiyao’s composure was beginning to crack. She hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, and the more she thought about it, the more Yan Shiyao felt the urge to cry.

Chunyi came in leading Qi Qingchen, and found Yan Shiyao sitting with tears brimming in her eyes, sobbing into the brocade quilt, looking utterly aggrieved.

“Eldest young miss, what’s wrong? Is the wound hurting?” Chunyi stepped forward quickly and patted her back in comfort.

“No.” Yan Shiyao sniffled.

“If it’s not that, then why are you crying?” Qi Qingchen shouldered Chunyi aside and sat down at the edge of the bed.

Chunyi stumbled, then after a brief pause tactfully withdrew from the room.

Yan Shiyao hung her head low, her shoulders shuddering with each sob.

Qi Qingchen cupped her face in his hands. Yan Shiyao kicked him in the leg. “Get out.”

Qi Qingchen wasn’t the least bit put out — he seemed already thoroughly accustomed to it.

“This palace will go teach Mucong a lesson for you.”

“Get out.” She was already in a foul mood, and seeing Qi Qingchen only made it worse.

“This palace came out of kindness to see you, and you’re chasing this palace away?” Qi Qingchen curved his lips in a smile. “Back when you had no shame and kept hovering around this palace day after day, this palace never once chased you away, did he?”

Yan Shiyao’s face flushed red. “When did you not chase me away? In Pingshi Town you chased me back to the Chancellor’s manor.”

“This palace only said that offhandedly.” Qi Qingchen caught the foot she launched at him again.

“Get out.” Yan Shiyao was growing genuinely irritated.

“This palace doesn’t feel like leaving yet.” Qi Qingchen said shamelessly.

“You……” Yan Shiyao, too angry to speak, yanked the brocade quilt over herself and burrowed inside, refusing to exchange another word with him.

Qi Qingchen: “…”

……

For several consecutive days, Yan Yunning saw neither Xuan Yanyu nor Ye Chen. She had gone to the inn to ask Imperial Physician Wen, but he too had no idea where Xuan Yanyu had gone.

Ye Jian had told her to keep watch over Xuan Yanyu, yet she didn’t even know where Xuan Yanyu was right now!

The young woman dipped her fingertip in tea and traced Xuan Yanyu’s name over and over on the round table.

Pei Qingyan lounged against a veranda pillar, nudging Yan Zhiyi beside him with his elbow and tilting his chin in her direction. “Is that the sister you just brought back?”

Yan Yunning rested her cheek in her hand, her fair fingertips tracing and writing on the round table. Her complexion was fair and clear, her waist light and slender, and even from the side her face alone was enough to stir something in a person’s heart.

“Mm.” Yan Zhiyi glanced at him. “These next few days, come looking for me less often if there’s nothing urgent.”

To keep Ningning and Yaoyao from getting into trouble again, he had brought Ningning to his villa. He was afraid that with Pei Qingyan around, Ningning would feel constrained.

Pei Qingyan curved the corner of his mouth into a roguish grin. “Brother, look at me——”

“Get lost!” Yan Zhiyi sent him sprawling to the ground with a single kick.

“Yan Zhiyi!” Pei Qingyan leapt to his feet and swore, “Who do you think you are?”

“Brother.” Hearing the commotion, Yan Yunning quietly wiped away the words on the round table with her handkerchief.

“Little sister.” Pei Qingyan darted over to stand in front of Yan Yunning, his smile growing wider by the moment.

Such a pretty little face — a perfect match for him.

Yan Yunning smiled and gave a small nod.

“Little sister, I am Pei Qingyan of the General’s Manor — good friends with your brother. Same as with Yaoyao, just call me brother.”