Making an enemy of him, and then still having to help His Highness ascend the throne — if the Third Prince could not take the throne, the eldest young miss of the Yan family, as his principal wife, would suffer right alongside him.

Yan Ruijing shut his eyes briefly.

Was this not the Third Prince forcing his hand?

“Father, Mother.” Chunyi pushed open the wooden door, and Yan Shiyao stepped over the threshold inside.

“Has the… Third Prince His Highness left?” Yan Shiyao asked the moment she entered.

“This subordinate pays respects to the eldest young miss. His Highness left just a moment ago.” Wu’an jumped in first.

“Where did he go? Take me to see him.” Yan Shiyao grabbed his sleeve. “Come on, take me to see him.”

She had managed to get hold of Wu’an. She refused to believe she still couldn’t get to him.

Wu’an faltered slightly. “Eldest young miss, His Highness has given this subordinate a task that has yet to be completed. If you wish to find His Highness, please go on your own, young miss.”

“What task? Go find the Third… Third Prince. Quickly.” Yan Shiyao gripped his sleeve and would not release it.

“Yaoyao, let go of Guard Wu.” Chu Wantang stepped forward and took Yan Shiyao’s wrist, lowering her voice. “Yaoyao, what does this look like? What if the Third Prince were to see this?”

“Mother, the Third Prince is avoiding me. He won’t see me — naturally I must find a way to see him.” Yan Shiyao squeezed out a tear.

“Mother, I don’t even know what I’ve done to offend the Third Prince. I’ve been so fortunate to catch sight of Guard Wu — of course I want him to bring me to see the Third Prince.”

Wu’an’s eyelid twitched. His Highness was refusing to see the eldest young miss, and the eldest young miss didn’t understand why?

“Yes, of course she should let Guard Wu take her to see the Third Prince. Yaoyao, go quickly — the Third Prince only left a moment ago. Let Guard Wu take you right away.” Yan Ruijing’s face broke into eager delight.

“Hurry, let’s go.” With Yan Ruijing’s blessing, Yan Shiyao pulled Wu’an by the arm and dragged him toward the door.

Wu’an dared not shake her hand away and could only let himself be pulled along by his sleeve as he followed her out.

Wu’an walked out with Yan Shiyao. Yan Ruijing let out a long breath of relief.

At that same time, in Qingyu Stronghold.

Wen Wanyu had one hand twisted around Mu Shiqing’s ear and the other resting on her abdomen. “Mu Shiqing! What is your relationship with that man?”

“A’Yu, I have no idea.” Mu Shiqing said, full of grievance.

How was he supposed to know? The man showed up and the moment he laid eyes on him, he had burst into tears and flung himself into his arms, sobbing without letting go no matter how much he tried to push him away.

Saying he had searched for him everywhere, asking why he had never come to find him — just as A’Yu happened to walk in and see it. There was no way to explain it.

What on earth had this man walked into? He was being used!

Aci thumped himself on the chest and exhaled sharply. So the young master had fallen so low as this — married off as a captive husband into a stronghold. What a humbling existence.

“No idea? No idea how he was clinging to you and wouldn’t let go?” Wen Wanyu rubbed his ear.

She had gripped a bit too hard. His ear had gone red from the pulling.

Mu Shiqing glanced over at Aci, whose eyes were reddened, and felt a strange sense of familiarity looking at him. Could it be there was really something between the two of them?

No — absolutely not.

He was not that kind of person!

“Young Master, it’s me, Aci. How is it that you only remember little Lemon and don’t remember me at all?” Aci said, pouting.

“Aci? Aci?” Mu Shiqing’s mind stuttered to a halt.

Aci, I’m telling you — if you ever sneak into the privy again to steal the paper just to torment me, I will lock you inside the privy myself!

Mu Shiqing shook his head. This Aci was not a good person!

What decent person steals privy paper?

“Young Master, do you remember me now? I went with you to look for little Lemon. We ran into mountain bandits and were both hurt.”

Aci stepped forward and balled his right hand into a fist, rotating it like a spinning top. Mu Shiqing had an ominous premonition.

In the next instant, Aci’s fist landed on his right cheek.

By pure muscle memory, Mu Shiqing’s leg shot out and kicked him flying.

“Shiqing, are you all right?” Wen Wanyu examined his face. No redness — no visible change.

“I’m fine.”

He hadn’t felt any pain.

Aci clutched his chest and sucked in a sharp breath. “Young Master, does this not prove you do remember? You used to kick me exactly like this.”

Mu Shiqing’s mouth twitched. What was wrong with this man — what did it have to do with whether he remembered or not? If someone hit him, was he supposed to not hit back?

“Shiqing, from what he’s saying, it sounds like he may have been one of your former subordinates?” Wen Wanyu said quietly.

“He is. Madam is correct.” Aci’s eyes lit up as he looked toward Mu Shiqing.

“You accompanied me to search for little Lemon? Little Lemon is my younger sister?” Mu Shiqing narrowed his eyes.

“Young Master, do you remember Grandma Lu? She was the one who looked after you. Grandma Lu said Yan Shiyao was your younger sister.”

Mu Shiqing’s mind gave a sudden, resounding clang. Yan… Yan Shiyao — his younger sister?

How could Yan Shiyao possibly be his younger sister?

“Young Master, you feel it’s impossible too, don’t you?” Just from that look on his face — like he’d swallowed a fly — it was perfectly clear.

Wen Wanyu’s brow also creased. How could it be Yan Shiyao?

If Yan Shiyao truly turned out to be Shiqing’s younger sister, with the animosity already between them — how were they ever supposed to get along in the future?

“Young Master, even though Grandma Lu said so, the truth is that little Lemon is your younger sister. Young Master, Grandma Lu has since married into the Prime Minister’s estate. I’ll help you sneak in so you can ask her yourself.”

“Little Lemon? Are you saying little Lemon is Ningning?” Wen Wanyu turned to study Aci.

“Yes.”

Noticing that Aci was still pressing his hand to his chest, Wen Wanyu asked, “Does it hurt very much?”

“It does.” Aci made a small sound of misery.

The young master had never kicked quite so hard before. Had he known, he would have dodged.

Mu Shiqing cleared his throat. “There’s a physician in the stronghold. Go have it looked at.”

“All right.” Aci answered with a pitiful whimper.

Five days later.

Grandma Lu Jin’an fell suddenly ill. Yan Ruijing, disregarding Chu Wantang’s objections, had her brought out of the ancestral hall.

One physician after another was called in, yet her condition showed not the slightest improvement. If anything, it continued to worsen.

“How could Grandma have fallen ill so suddenly?” Aci said, his brow furrowed.

Grandma Lu Jin’an’s breath on the bed was already very faint. Yan Yunning held her cooling hand and murmured softly, “Grandma Lu, don’t worry — it will be all right.”

Ye’an had already gone to fetch Imperial Physician Wen. It would be all right.

Grandma Lu Jin’an tilted her head up and smiled at Yan Yunning. “Little Lemon, don’t be sad…”

“Grandma, how could you have gotten so gravely ill all of a sudden? Were you not perfectly fine just two days ago?” Aci also crouched down beside the bed.

Grandma Lu Jin’an turned her head to one side and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Grandma Lu.” Yan Yunning reached for a handkerchief in a flurry, dabbing at the blood at the corner of her mouth.

Grandma Lu Jin’an only smiled at Yan Yunning, giving no response to Aci’s words.

“Yesterday morning, Madam ate the porridge the young Xuan master sent over, and by the afternoon she had begun to feel unwell. Could there be something wrong with that porridge?” The maidservant’s voice was shaking.

Yan Yunning’s brow furrowed deeply. The day she and Xuan Yanyu had just returned, she had gone to the ancestral hall to see Grandma Lu. While they were talking, Grandma Lu had suddenly brought up her and Xuan Yanyu and very solemnly forbade her from being with him.

Xuan Yanyu had been driven away by Grandma Lu’s words in a fury.

He had declared he wanted nothing more to do with Grandma Lu. So how could he suddenly be sending her porridge?

“What kind of porridge?” Aci wiped at his tears.

“I don’t know. Madam drank all of it, and the bowl and spoon have already been washed clean. Even if something was wrong with the porridge, there is nothing left to investigate.” The maidservant said through her tears.