The man set down his teacup and said lazily, “What is it?”
Yan Yunning gave a light cough. “Why would Qi Qingchen come looking for you?”
Xuan Yanyu crooked a finger at her, and Yan Yunning leaned her ear close. The man smiled faintly and pinched her earlobe. “Would you like some silver?”
Without a second thought, Yan Yunning said, “Did you scheme against Qi Qingchen again?”
“…” Xuan Yanyu clicked his tongue. “You don’t want it?”
“I want it, I want it, I want it.” Yan Yunning smiled so wide her eyes curved into crescents.
Oh my~
Qi Qingchen really is quite pitiful when up against Xuan Yanyu!
The man raised his slender fingers and languidly tapped the corner of his own lips, his eyes and brows filled with an alluring smile.
Yan Yunning pretended not to understand. “Thirsty?”
Xuan Yanyu lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.
“I understand.” Yan Yunning poured a cup of water and held it to his lips, stifling a laugh. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, have some water.”
“Yan Yunning, you really are…”
Before he could finish, the young woman leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
Ye Chen looked up at the ceiling. Yan Yunning belatedly realized there were two other people in the room. She looked up and caught Ye’an’s eyes where he stood to Xuan Yanyu’s side — Ye’an hurriedly averted his gaze toward the window.
Flustered, Yan Yunning fled from the room without even setting down the water cup in her hand.
Xuan Yanyu: “…”
The man touched his lips. Why did she run again?
It wasn’t as if it was the first time??
Outside, Yan Yunning stared at the hand clutching the water cup, even her fingertips flushed red.
So embarrassing!
She hadn’t even finished talking with Xuan Yanyu!!
“Ningning, I’ve been looking for you for a while.” Pei Qingyan walked over and naturally took the cup from Yan Yunning’s hand, sipping a small mouthful.
Yan Yunning was mildly surprised. “Young Master Pei, you didn’t leave with my brother?”
“I’ll leave together with you.” The young man bent down and tapped the tip of her nose with his finger.
Yan Yunning frowned. “Your injuries are healed? You stayed behind to get beaten up??”
Pei Qingyan glanced around and said with a perfectly straight face, “I observed carefully — Xuan Yanyu hasn’t been in his guest room these past few days.”
Originally he’d planned to go cause trouble for him under cover of darkness, but he hadn’t been in his guest room at all these past few days.
Yan Yunning looked at him. “How would you know?”
Pei Qingyan cleared his throat. “I went looking for him — he hasn’t been in his guest room a single night.”
Yan Yunning looked at him, her tone carrying a pointed edge. “He’s been in my guest room every night.”
Pei Qingyan’s expression visibly froze.
“Young Master Pei, you shouldn’t…”
“Ningning!” Pei Qingyan looked at her meaningfully. “Does your brother know?”
Yan Yunning met his eyes and said nothing.
“If I were Yan Zhiyi, you’d be the death of me.” The young man’s voice carried no warmth. With that, he placed the water cup back into Yan Yunning’s hands, turned and walked a few steps forward, then paused. “Yan Yunning, I hope you won’t regret this in the future.”
“I won’t.”
Pei Qingyan’s fingers curled slightly. He turned his head and looked at her — it was nothing, there were plenty of women far prettier than her, he had simply taken a fancy to her pretty face, that was all.
The young man turned away. The fist clenched within his sleeve gradually loosened. He swallowed back the words still rising in his throat and strode away.
……
Xuanzhao Nation — The Palace of Prince Xuan.
A woman with slender, decorated fingernails lifted Ye Jian’s chin, laughing softly. “Someone from beside His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“In reply to my mistress, this servant has long since been removed from His Highness the Crown Prince’s side.” Ye Jian’s voice was hoarse.
Noble Consort Wu pressed her lips together and smiled. “How did you come to offend His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Over these past few days, Ye Jian had been shuffled from post to post. No noble consort dared take him in for fear of offending the Crown Prince, so she had reluctantly agreed to keep him — after all, having served at the Crown Prince’s side, he surely knew a great deal about His Majesty’s habits.
He had been such a notable figure beside the Crown Prince, and yet here he was, serving as an attendant under a Noble Consort. Unimaginable. And in only a matter of days, he had already grown noticeably gaunt.
Having lived in the Palace of Prince Xuan, she had come to understand clearly — without a master’s favor, one was at everyone’s mercy.
“In reply to my mistress, this servant cannot reveal anything concerning His Highness the Crown Prince’s affairs.” Ye Jian said expressionlessly.
Noble Consort Wu did not press him further. After all, as a merely-ranked consort, it was better she know little of the Crown Prince’s private matters.
“Massage my shoulders.” Noble Consort Wu reclined on the chaise and pointed to her shoulders.
Ye Jian, kneeling on the ground, rose at the command and began massaging Noble Consort Wu’s shoulders with measured pressure — neither too light nor too heavy.
Noble Consort Wu admired her fingernails painted with red lacquer. “Little Jian, what particular interests does His Majesty have?”
Ye Jian’s fingertips stilled for a moment. “Ye” was a surname bestowed by the Crown Prince — exclusive to guards of the Crown Prince’s residence. Having been expelled from the Crown Prince’s residence, no one dared call him Ye Jian anymore.
Here in the Palace of Prince Xuan he had been given all manner of names by various noble consorts, and today he had received yet another — “Little Jian.”
“This servant does not know.” Ye Jian kept his eyes downcast.
“You don’t know?” Noble Consort Wu’s expression turned fierce. Didn’t she risk offending the Crown Prince to bring him here — for what??
“My mistress, you surely know as well — His Majesty dotes upon His Highness the Crown Prince, and in all things defers to His Highness. This servant, serving at the Crown Prince’s side, could never observe any particular interests His Majesty might have. This servant only knows what interests His Highness the Crown Prince has.”
Noble Consort Wu irritably picked up her teacup and hurled it at him, scolding, “What use is it to this consort knowing the Crown Prince’s interests?”
Ye Jian dared not dodge, and the scalding tea struck him squarely. He shuddered.
“The Crown Prince has so many things he loathes — what if this consort accidentally offends him? Wouldn’t that make her just like you — finished?” Noble Consort Wu’s tone was ice cold.
Ye Jian had been head of the Crown Prince’s personal guards, and even he had been expelled from the Crown Prince’s residence. And then there was that Du Beauty from years ago — His Majesty had doted on her so.
Emboldened by that favor, whenever the Crown Prince came to the palace she would go to the Imperial Study to act coquettish before His Majesty, demanding to live in the palace hall His Majesty had built for the Crown Prince, attempting to steal His Majesty’s affection away from his son.
The first time, the Crown Prince had said nothing. The second time, she again seized on a visit from the Crown Prince to run to the Imperial Study clamoring to move in. His Majesty refused both times, but imposed no punishment either.
Yet from that point on, the Crown Prince stopped coming to the palace entirely — no matter how many messengers His Majesty sent, the Crown Prince declined them all.
His Majesty had promptly issued a decree punishing Du Beauty, had her cast into the Cold Palace, and personally went to the Crown Prince’s residence to coax his son.
If even the highly-favored Du Beauty had met such an end, what hope was there for one without favor — how could she afford to offend the Crown Prince?
The Palace of Prince Xuan was not short of consorts and concubines, but His Majesty had only one son.
When forced to choose between women and his son, His Majesty certainly knew which mattered more.
The Empress of Xuan truly had outstanding fortune — if only the Crown Prince had been born to some other consort, one word from the Crown Prince and the Empress of Xuan would surely have been replaced by his birth mother.
At that thought, Noble Consort Wu’s eyes brightened. If Ye Jian knew the Crown Prince’s preferences, and she used that to curry the Crown Prince’s favor, perhaps His Majesty would finally notice her?
But the Crown Prince was not in Xuanzhao, and she could not leave the palace. Even if the Crown Prince were in Xuanzhao, she was only a low-ranked consort — she would never be able to get near him!
Bearing the pain of the burn, Ye Jian said calmly, “My mistress, you need not worry about offending His Highness the Crown Prince — you will never cross paths with him.”