She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and called out weakly.

“Elder Sister, you’re awake?” Yan Yunning handed the little one to Xuan Yanyu and ran over to the bedside.

Xuan Yanyu looked at the small figure now in his arms, then the next second passed him off to Ye’an behind him.

He had no habit of holding children.

Jiang Yanche pursed his lips. He still didn’t like him…

“Ningning, are you alright?” Yan Shiyao propped herself up, looking at her anxiously.

“I’m fine. I was only afraid of being blamed by Xiaoshi, so I staged that whole scene.” Yan Yunning touched her nose guiltily. “Elder Sister, didn’t you see me drinking pomegranate juice?”

“You…” Yan Shiyao tapped her on the forehead. “I had my eyes shut at the time — I was thinking about whether Father might have offended someone, which led Xiaoshi to target us.”

“Ningning, do you think Xiaoshi might be Father’s daughter?”

Yan Yunning clicked her tongue. “That’s not possible. Xiaoshi looks just like Elder Brother Mu — and Elder Brother Mu can’t possibly be Father’s son.”

Yan Shiyao rubbed her temples. “Then why is she targeting us?”

Not their father’s child from outside, yet targeting her and Ningning for no apparent reason — it was completely baffling.

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together. She had asked Fafa, and Fafa said this storyline had never appeared in the plot.

They could only observe further for now.

“Sister Yaoyao, I’m coming in~” Xiaoshi’s soft, sweet voice drifted in from outside the door. Without waiting for Yan Shiyao to respond, she pushed the door open and walked in.

“Brother, Sister Ningning, Sister Yaoyao.” A’Shi called out obediently to each of them.

Getting no response, Xiaoshi called out once more.

“Hello, Sister.” Nestled in Ye’an’s arms, the little one, afraid of leaving her awkward, politely answered.

Xiaoshi paid no attention to the little one and looked at Yan Shiyao with reddened eyes. “Sister Yaoyao, why won’t you acknowledge me? I already told Brother not to blame you for making me fall into the water.”

Yan Yunning shot out of the door.

Xiaoshi was jostled by her and swayed, then conveniently tumbled down to sit on the floor.

“?” Though he didn’t quite understand, Xuan Yanyu rose and followed her out.

Yan Shiyao stared at Xiaoshi sitting on the floor, her scalp going numb.

Yan Yunning ran all the way to Mu Shiqing’s guest room, pushed the door open, and said directly, “Elder Brother Mu, have you finished investigating Xiaoshi? Once you have, please take her and leave as soon as possible.”

She couldn’t hold herself back much longer!

Mu Shiqing’s voice carried an indulgent warmth. “So eager to send Brother away?”

Xiaoshi’s identity was too forced — her manners were so impeccably proper that they seemed fabricated.

“Please go. Elder Sister Wen is still waiting for you.” Yan Yunning began to usher him out. “Take your sister and leave quickly — my elder sister and I cannot survive any more of her framing.”

Mu Shiqing raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I’ll go with you to the Chancellor’s residence, meet the Chancellor, and congratulate him on taking a secondary wife while I’m at it.”

He wanted to use a roundabout approach to find out whether Ningning was truly the Chancellor’s biological daughter.

“No need for congratulations — just leave.”

“Chief Mu, Second Young Miss.” A maidservant pushed open the wooden door, fidgeting nervously. “Miss Xiaoshi has fainted in the First Young Miss’s guest room.”

Yan Yunning felt the world go dark before her eyes. Is she sick in the head!!

……

On the other side, Xuan Zhaonan and Ye Jian had not found Aci in Chaxi Town, and the two of them had settled in at a farmhouse.

“Ranran, Little Jian, I’ve got the room ready — come eat!” A woman called out to them warmly.

“Fifth Princess, since we didn’t find Aci, let’s go back to the Palace of Prince Xuan. If His Highness the Crown Prince finds out…”

“Enough — didn’t I say we’ll just beg Ningning if it comes to that?” Xuan Zhaonan cut him off in a low voice.

“Don’t keep Elder Sister Yu waiting — let’s go eat first. Tomorrow we’ll continue looking for Aci. And when we find him, you’ll tie him up and bring him back to Xuanzhao for me.”

Ye Jian: “…”

He prayed they wouldn’t run into Aci.

At the wooden table, the couple — Yuxi and Duan Yunxuan — were warmly hospitable.

“Ranran, judging by your clothes, you’ve come from Xuanzhao?” Yuxi smiled.

“That’s right, Elder Sister Yu. We’ve come to find someone.” The girl’s eyes curved happily. “Elder Sister Yu, have you heard of anyone called Aci around Chaxi Town?”

Ye Jian had taken her to Ningning’s maternal grandparents’ home, but no one was there — and there was no telling where Aci had gone.

“Xique and I only just moved to Chaxi Town — we’re not very familiar with the locals yet.” Duan Yunxuan picked out the fishbones and placed the fish flesh into Yuxi’s bowl.

“Ranran, ask around again tomorrow.” Yuxi passed a steamed bun to Xuan Zhaonan.

Xuan Zhaonan’s brow flickered with a slight frown, then she smiled and accepted it.

Yuxi’s eyes glinted subtly. She teased, “Little Jian, don’t just eat by yourself — a husband ought to look after his wife, you know.”

“That’s not… Elder Sister Yu, you’ve misunderstood.” Xuan Zhaonan flushed red to the tips of her ears.

“Look at me, talking nonsense — pretend you didn’t hear that.” Yuxi added some dishes to Xuan Zhaonan’s bowl, her smile gentle and warm. “Ranran, eat more.”

She had passed a steamed bun to Ranran with her hand, and the girl had instinctively frowned — most likely a wealthy young lady of noble standing. And the young man beside her was no husband either, but rather a manservant tasked with protecting her.

So Ranran must hold some rank back in Xuanzhao.

After finishing the meal, Duan Yunxuan returned to his room first. Exhausted, he pressed his fingers to his brow — and from the corner of his eye caught sight of characters written on the table: “gold vault.”

A loud ringing exploded in his head. A piercing, searing pain shot through him. He clutched his head and crumpled to the ground in agony.

“Axuan!” Yuxi, following close behind, hastily wiped the words from the table with her sleeve and wrapped her arms around the crouching Duan Yunxuan, soothing him. “It’s over now, it’s over.”

“Xi… Xique.” Duan Yunxuan fought through the searing pain blazing through his mind and forced the corners of his mouth into a smile. “Xique, I’m sorry, I still… I still…”

“It’s alright, it’s alright.” Yuxi pressed a kiss to his dark hair. “I don’t blame you.”

Duan Yunxuan held Yuxi tightly. Two years ago, his father had returned to their town after purchasing ore from Xuanzhao and had casually mentioned it to the neighbors a few times — that in the region of Xuanzhao bordering Qi Lan, there was a gold vault.

Who would have thought someone would overhear. That night, a group of black-robed figures came to their door and forced his father to reveal the exact location. His father told them the vault had long since been moved by the Crown Prince of Xuanzhao.

How could a gold vault so close to Xuanzhao possibly be accessible to outsiders?

His father had said he saw it with his own eyes — the Crown Prince of Xuanzhao had personally led men to move it into his own private treasury. The black-robed figures did not believe him, and they killed his father and mother.

He had been hiding in the shadows, and so barely escaped. In the past, he could not endure even hearing the words “gold vault” — it would drive him into madness. That had not eased until a year ago, when he met Xique.

In recent months the characters for “gold vault” had kept appearing on the table from time to time. Because of this, he had made Xique move with him several times already.

Each time those words appeared, the scene of that night — his father and mother being killed by the black-robed figures — would play over and over in his mind. He was on the verge of losing his sanity.

Over these two years he had investigated. The master commanding that group of black-robed figures was someone of the Qi Lan royal family. He wanted to seek revenge but had no means to do so.

A gold vault that even the King of Xuanzhao had not thought worth keeping — handed off directly for the Crown Prince to move into his private treasury — and yet it had somehow become a coveted prize for Qi Lan’s royalty, costing him his father and mother…

Duan Yunxuan closed his eyes, unwilling to think on it further. Yuxi patted his back gently to soothe him.

As the night grew deeper, Yuxi watched Duan Yunxuan fall into sleep and quietly slipped out of the room.

In the silent grove, Yuxi caught sight of a dark figure and curtsied respectfully. “This servant greets Your Highness.”

The man waved his hand dismissively, his tone indifferent. “How is things on Xiaoshi’s end?”