Brother endured it all alone. He had been ill, and she hadn’t even known. After Brother was gone, there was no one left who loved her.
Crown Prince Brother bestowed her the title of Imperial Princess, and she hadn’t felt joy. The night of the bestowal she had cried until morning. She knew it was because Brother had feared she would be bullied by their stepmother and stepsister, and had asked Crown Prince Brother on her behalf.
Brother had always put her first. She missed him so, so much…
She hadn’t gotten to see Brother take a wife. Hadn’t gotten to see little nephews and nieces. And then he was gone.
Crown Prince Brother refused to dine with her, so she couldn’t even deceive herself into imagining Brother was there beside her.
“My Lady, even if you persuade His Highness the Crown Prince to dine with you, the young master is no longer here.” Xiao Ying closed her fingers tightly around her hand, urging her gently with a pained heart. “My Lady, please don’t provoke His Highness the Crown Prince any further. If you do, our life in the household will be very difficult. Be good — let’s go back to Xuan Zhao, all right?”
She understood her lady’s grief. The young master had already been at the Crown Prince’s side by the time their lady was old enough to understand the world. Wherever Crown Prince Brother was, the young master was there too — right up until the young master passed.
“Xiao Ying.” Ling Mianjian’s head hung low. “I miss Brother so much. Crown Prince Brother is the only other person who remembers him. He’s the only one I can talk to about Brother…”
The girl hugged herself and sank to the ground, her cries muffled and quiet.
“My Lady, it’s plain to see that Yan Yunning has misunderstood — that His Highness the Crown Prince has been dining with you regularly — and is angry with His Highness because of it. And His Highness clearly cares very much that she would misunderstand.” Xiao Ying crouched down and patted her back gently. “My Lady, His Highness will not dine with you. Let’s go back to Xuan Zhao.”
He never would before. He certainly won’t now.
Ling Mianjian curled up on the ground, her nose stinging.
Xiao Ying said softly, “My Lady, the young master is already gone. If Yan Yunning is unhappy with His Highness bestowing you the title of Imperial Princess, what will become of us?”
Without that title, they had no standing in the household at all. The Madam only doted on her own children and had no warmth for their Lady.
But because their Lady’s title had been personally bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince — and because His Highness occasionally visited the household to look in on her — the Madam didn’t dare mistreat their Lady.
Without that title, the Madam might not even bother summoning a physician for her at all. What would they do then?
“It hurts so much, Xiao Ying. I feel so awful.” Ling Mianjian, eyes brimming with tears, threw her arms around Xiao Ying.
Not only did she want to sit with Crown Prince Brother and talk about her brother — she liked Crown Prince Brother. Very much, very much. But looking the way she did, always sickly and frail, how could she ever enter the Crown Prince’s household? She would only be a source of trouble.
The girl back there was both beautiful and healthy. Crown Prince Brother looked at her with such evident adoration.
If she and her brother had both been healthy, if Brother were still at Crown Prince Brother’s side, she would certainly have tried her best to become Crown Prince Brother’s woman. But now she couldn’t…
“My Lady.” Xiao Ying let out a long sigh.
……
On the other side, Yan Yunning had learned the full story from Fafa.
[So Ling Mianjian wasn’t really asking Xuan Yanyu to dine with her out of any real intention — it’s because every time Xuan Yanyu dined with her, Ling Cheng was there too, and she misses her brother. She just wanted Xuan Yanyu to sit with her and talk about her brother?] Yan Yunning took a bite of the grape the man had peeled for her.
Fafa: [More or less. She does have some feelings mixed in as well. She wants Xuan Yanyu to keep her company at a meal partly because she wants to see more of him. She knows her health is bad, so she keeps those feelings to herself.]
Fafa: [In the original story, Ling Mianjian passed away from illness in the second year after Xuan Yanyu made Yan Shiyao his Consort. It’s rather sad.]
Yan Yunning swallowed the grape. The man automatically held out his palm to catch the seeds she spat out.
[Does Xuan Yanyu know about Ling Mianjian’s feelings?]
Fafa: [He doesn’t, I don’t think. Master, if you set his feelings aside — given Xuan Yanyu’s nature, if he had developed any feelings for Ling Mianjian, she would have been taken into the Crown Prince’s residence or kept by his side long ago. He would never have allowed her to stay in that household where she might be bullied by a stepmother and stepsister.]
Fafa: [Just like with you, Master — wasn’t it Xuan Yanyu who insisted on bringing you along when he went to Qingyu Stronghold? You didn’t want to go, so he left Ye Jian behind to guard you. Though even that didn’t exactly work out.]
Yan Yunning: [……]
“May This Palace go deal with Xiao Shi now?” Xuan Yanyu pinched a peeled grape between his fingers and fed it to her.
Yan Yunning played dumb. “Why are you looking for Xiao Shi?”
The man fixed his gaze on the wound on her forehead, his expression displeased.
Yan Yunning started making things up. “You’re slamming my door because I wouldn’t let you go after Xiao Shi, aren’t you?”
“?” Xuan Yanyu narrowed his eyes. “Yan Yunning — don’t try to change the subject. This Palace doesn’t care what the reason is. Your injury cannot go unanswered.”
“Then go ahead.” Yan Yunning said carelessly.
Xuan Yanyu pressed further. “Then This Palace will go. Wait here for This Palace to come back and keep you company.”
Yan Yunning shook her head.
The man slowly furrowed his brow. “Why are you protecting her?”
Yan Yunning stepped up onto the wooden chair. She bent forward slightly, both arms draping around his neck, and smiled with a tilt of her lips. “I’m not. I just don’t want you to leave.”
“Yan Yunning — have you forgotten that you were the one who kicked This Palace out? Don’t make excuses.” Xuan Yanyu lifted her with one arm, settled her into his lap, and patted lightly below her waist. “Tell me. Why are you protecting her?”
“Xuan Yanyu!!”
“Are you going to tell me or not?” The man gave another two light pats.
Yan Yunning bit her lip. “The injury was an accident.”
“An accident? If Xiao Shi hadn’t taken you out, would this accident have happened??” The man let out a low, dismissive sound.
“What do you want to do about it?” Yan Yunning pinched his lips between her fingertips and looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.
Xuan Yanyu: […?]
“I’m hungry. Let’s eat. We can talk about Xiao Shi after.” Yan Yunning smiled with narrowed eyes.
Xuan Yanyu stared at her. A soft scoff escaped through his nose. Hadn’t they just finished eating a moment ago?
“All right?”
“Crown Prince, nod your head.”
“Let’s eat, I’m so hungry.”
After a moment of silence, the man finally relented.
……
Third Prince’s Residence.
Several days had passed. Qi Qingchen’s injuries showed no sign of improvement — in fact they had worsened.
Jiang Jin sat on the edge of the bed with reddened eyes, handkerchief in hand, dabbing at Qi Qingchen’s forehead.
Yan Shiyao’s brow furrowed tightly. Imperial Physician Wen’s medicinal ointment should not have been ineffective. So why was Qi Qingchen getting worse and worse?
Qi Qingchen coughed twice. “Tell Yan Shiyao to come.”
Yan Shiyao could feel no joy whatsoever. She had been tormented by Qi Qingchen these past few days. Giving up now felt wrong after all the time she’d already put in — yet if she didn’t give up, Qi Qingchen’s condition kept deteriorating!!
Jiang Jin’s hand stilled on the handkerchief. She said in a gentle voice, “Your Highness, there is no need to trouble Miss Yan. Allow this concubine to attend to you.”
Yan Shiyao raised an eyebrow and settled comfortably into the sandalwood chair, picking up her tea to drink at her leisure.
She had observed over the past few days that Jiang Jin would not obediently withdraw within a single cup of tea’s time. She could sit for a while.
Qi Qingchen waved her hand aside. “Go back to your chambers. This Palace only needs Yan Shiyao here.”
Jiang Jin swallowed down the bitterness, her voice trembling. “Your Highness, Miss Yan has already been staying in the residence for several days now. With this concubine here, please let Miss Yan return to the Chief Minister’s residence.”
From the moment His Highness brought Yan Shiyao back, the two of them had been sharing a bedchamber every night. His Highness was the Third Prince, and might one day succeed to Qi Emperor’s throne. No matter how unwilling she was, there was nothing she could do.