A’Chen paused, then continued, “With Lu A’Po gone, there is no one left to stand in the way of you and Little Lemon. Your Highness the Crown Prince — am I right?”

Xuan Yanyu showed no restraint whatsoever and drove his fist into A’Chen. He seized him by the collar and scrutinized him. “Yan Yunning’s collapse had something to do with you, and you had a hand in Lu A’Po’s situation as well.”

Had it not been for Imperial Physician Wen, Yan Yunning would have remained unconscious for at least several more days. All of this was far too suspicious — it felt as though everything was directed squarely at him.

Lu Jin’an had first told him she would never permit him and Yan Yunning to be together. Then A’Chen had told him what Lu Jin’an liked to eat so that he could go and win her over. After that came Lu Jin’an’s collapse, followed by Yan Yunning’s.

Once he learned Yan Yunning had fainted, he would naturally be too anxious to think of anything else — and so they had seized that window to spirit Lu Jin’an away.

Lu Jin’an was perfectly fine.

A’Chen endured the dull ache in his chest. “Your Highness, I would never hurt Little Lemon.”

The man’s cool gaze slid over him. “This Palace will investigate. If this Palace finds out the truth, this Palace will not let you off.”

“Xuan Yanyu.” Yan Yunning swallowed. “Release A’Chen first.”

Xuan Yanyu turned his head slowly to look at her. “This has nothing to do with me, Yan Yunning.”

“I know, I know. Release A’Chen first.”

The man gave a low, humorless laugh. “You still don’t believe me, do you? You’re just humoring me to get me to let A’Chen go.”

“Are you letting him go or not?” Yan Yunning tried to pry his fingers loose.

Xuan Yanyu smiled at her. “Yan Yunning, he slandered this Palace. How could this Palace possibly let him go?”

The handkerchief in Yan Yunning’s hand fell to the floor. She pressed both palms to her temples. “Xuan Xixi, my head hurts terribly.”

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow. “Still performing?”

Yan Yunning swayed. Xuan Yanyu flung A’Chen aside in an instant, his long arm hooking around her waist. “Is it actually bad?”

“Mm.” Yan Yunning clutched his collar. “My head hurts.”

A’Chen, shoved away with considerable force and without any warning, hit the ground. He grimaced and picked himself up on his own.

Xuan Yanyu bent down and lifted Yan Yunning into his arms. “Let’s have Imperial Physician Wen take your pulse. If you’re deceiving this Palace…”

If she was deceiving him, what could he do about it, really?

Yan Yunning curled up in his arms and said nothing.

Yan Yunning had been unconscious for several days, and Imperial Physician Wen had been at the estate throughout that time. Xuan Yanyu carried her directly to the side chamber and kicked the wooden door open with his foot.

“Your… Your Highness, what has happened to Second Miss Yan again?” Imperial Physician Wen was visibly exasperated.

“Take her pulse. She has a headache.” Xuan Yanyu went and sat down in the wooden chair.

He looked down and pushed up her sleeve, exposing her wrist. Then, recalling that Yan Yunning’s handkerchief had dropped in the main hall, he used his own sleeve and laid it over the young woman’s wrist instead. “What are you staring at?” he urged. “Can’t you be any faster?”

Imperial Physician Wen’s mouth twitched. His Highness’s robes were made from the finest brocade — soft in texture. What was he supposed to read through that?

There was no need to test his medical skill to this degree. He simply could not read it.

Xuan Yanyu’s gaze drifted toward Imperial Physician Wen.

Imperial Physician Wen pressed his lips together. He placed his fingers on his liege’s robe, then looked up and studied Yan Yunning for two seconds. Her complexion was rosy and luminous, and she appeared to be in fine spirits — nothing serious, most likely.

“Your Highness, this old servant will prescribe a remedy. Once Second Miss Yan takes it, she will be perfectly well.” Imperial Physician Wen withdrew his hand.

Yan Yunning closed her eyes, her cheek nestled against Xuan Yanyu’s chest, as if she had fallen asleep in an instant.

The supposed head of the Imperial Medical Bureau — was he even competent? She wasn’t ill, and he was prescribing medicine anyway?

Xuan Yanyu paused, a faint arch in his brow. Would she dare try this again next time?

“Prepare two extra doses — three in total. More doses and she won’t be prone to dizziness in future.” The man spoke lightly.

Imperial Physician Wen nodded. “Understood, Your Highness.”

He would go and find some tonics to put into a few doses.

Hearing this, Yan Yunning — eyes already closed — decided she had no intention of opening them again.

After Imperial Physician Wen withdrew from the chamber, Xuan Yanyu lowered his gaze and gently hooked a finger around the edge of Yan Yunning’s ear. “Your Lu A’Niang should be fine. This Palace simply doesn’t know why A’Chen would do this.”

Yan Yunning’s lashes stirred slightly. She had guessed this much herself — A’Chen cutting Xuan Xixi off mid-sentence had been far too telling.

But how had he managed to fool the physician her father had called in?

And how had he gotten Lu A’Niang out of the estate?

And why had Lu A’Niang agreed to let A’Chen do this?

When she had gone to see Lu A’Niang, Lu A’Niang had been deeply unhappy with her father. She had said she had done nothing wrong, yet her father had yielded to Qilan’s authority and locked her in the ancestral hall, then failed for so long to find any evidence. She had been very disappointed in him.

Lu A’Niang had not wanted to be framed by Chu Wantang again, nor to be locked in the ancestral hall without cause.

Was that the reason?

She herself had also told Lu A’Niang that the child Chu Wantang had miscarried was not necessarily her father’s. Lu A’Niang had said there was no evidence either way, and that now A’Jie was the Third Prince’s consort, bringing it up rashly would only give Chu Wantang an opening to turn it back on them.

“This Palace did not lie. It was A’Chen who told this Palace that yam porridge was her favorite.” Xuan Yanyu pinched the young woman’s nose. “Yan Yunning, this Palace would never deceive you. So why do you trust A’Chen and refuse to trust this Palace?”

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together slightly, then opened her eyes. “Xuan Xixi, I trust you.”

She had never, not for a single moment, suspected Xuan Xixi had anything to do with Lu A’Niang’s supposed death.

Even if A’Chen’s performance had seemed flawless, she would never have doubted Xuan Xixi. He would never do something like that.

The man arched his brow with a smile. “Awake? Good — drink the medicine before you sleep.”

“?” Yan Yunning’s eyelids suddenly grew heavy again, and she slowly closed them once more.

She would treat that just now as sleepwalking.

Xuan Yanyu smiled with quiet amusement, then leaned down and pressed a remarkably gentle kiss to her lips.

Yan Yunning continued to pretend to be asleep.

The man’s throat moved. The hand resting at the young woman’s waist slowly tightened.

“Mm…” Yan Yunning pushed him away and turned her head to rest against his chest, eyes still closed, still pretending to sleep.

“Still pretending?” Xuan Yanyu licked his lips. “Keep it up and you’ll have to finish every drop of that medicine.”

Yan Yunning’s eyes blinked slightly. If she stopped pretending, did that mean she wouldn’t have to drink it?

She cracked one eye open for a peek — and met the man’s dark, laughing gaze. She let out two awkward little laughs.

“Xuan Xixi…”

“Not pretending won’t spare you from finishing it either.” The man replied without a trace of urgency.

Yan Yunning tugged on his collar, a smile dancing in her eyes. “Xuan Xixi, if I drink the medicine, can you stop making things difficult for A’Chen?”

Xuan Yanyu gave a low, husky laugh. “He slandered this Palace. How could this Palace possibly let it go?”

Yan Yunning’s smile faded. “He… perhaps he had his reasons.”

“His reasons? Reasons to separate you from this Palace?” The man scoffed.

“Xuan Xixi, could you go along with me on this?” Yan Yunning pinched his earlobe.

Xuan Yanyu lowered his head and answered slowly, “No.”

“Yes, you can.” Yan Yunning rested her head softly against his chest. “Xuan Xixi, go along with me just this once. I’ve already told you — if you’re still angry after that, then you’re just being petty.”

“Petty? You want this Palace to go along with what, exactly?”

Yan Yunning toyed with the jade pendant at his waist, her voice unhurried and languid. “Just follow A’Chen’s lead.”