“Isn’t that so?” the man said innocently. “You were already asleep — what would you know?”
Yan Yunning: “……”
……
Having accompanied Xuan Yanyu in reviewing memorials for several days, Yan Yunning was growing restless.
“Crown Princess, would you like more?” Xiaoyue peeled another segment of tangerine, holding it at her fingertips.
“No more. Go ask whether His Highness the Crown Prince has finished his work.” Yan Yunning gently closed her eyes. Xiao Wan took a cushion and tucked it beneath her nape, then pulled a soft blanket over her.
“Wait a little longer.” The man at the main seat accepted a memorial passed by an attendant, his brow creasing slightly.
Most of the memorials submitted these past few days had been petitioning him to take secondary consorts.
Xiaoyue smiled over at Yan Yunning and teased, “Crown Princess, His Highness is less than two steps away from you — do you still need us to relay your words?”
His Highness the Crown Prince had ordered a soft couch to be added to the Zhaozheng Hall, and had also had refreshments and many of the Crown Princess’s personal belongings brought over. Aside from His Highness’s own imperial writing desk, everything else in the hall belonged to the Crown Princess.
Yan Yunning rolled onto her stomach atop the couch and looked at the man sitting not far away in the grand armchair — half-reclined against the silver-threaded dragon-patterned chair, his slender fingers stroking the surface of a memorial, languid yet faintly irritable.
Waves of fragrance drifted from the gilded incense burner. Yan Yunning sniffed lightly, and suddenly felt that this kind of life was rather wonderful.
He reviewed his memorials, and she kept him company. In the future, if they had children, she and the children would keep him company together.
Would it turn out the way she imagined?
Or would she suddenly be sent home at the very moment she was happiest…
“By my count of the days, the Imperial Father may return today. Once he is back, this Crown Prince will properly spend time with you.” Xuan Yanyu found a moment to glance over at Yan Yunning.
“Oh.” Yan Yunning came back to herself and nodded.
“So obedient today?”
The man held his writing brush and drew a cross over the Prime Minister’s submitted memorial — which read: Although the position of Primary Consort has been established, the Crown Prince’s residence still has no secondary consorts. This concerns the continuation of the Imperial bloodline. We humbly request His Majesty issue a decree to select secondary consorts for His Highness the Crown Prince.
What was there to continue? His Imperial Father still had only him as a single imperial son.
Daughters were so adorable — he wanted a daughter just like Yan Yunning.
Little did he know, the ministers had long since grown exasperated with the Prince of Xuan. In his view, whether princess or prince, all children were Xuanzhao’s treasures.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I am far more obedient than you. Unlike you, who claims to be well-behaved while being not the least bit so.” Yan Yunning took a bite of the pastry Xiao Wan had handed her.
The smile in Xuan Yanyu’s eyes brightened. “Do you not enjoy this Crown Prince spoiling you so? Yet this Crown Prince can feel that you are very happy.”
Yan Yunning bit her lip, and abruptly threw off the soft blanket and stood. “Xiao Wan, Xiaoyue — we are leaving.”
“Yes, Crown Princess.” The two maids stifled their laughter as they answered.
The curve of the man’s lips deepened. “Where does the Crown Princess intend to go? No longer keeping this Crown Prince company while he reviews memorials?”
“……” Yan Yunning paid him no mind, and walked out of Zhaozheng Hall with Xiao Wan and Xiaoyue.
“Compile the remaining memorials and send them to the Prince of Xuan’s palace. When the Imperial Father returns, let him review them himself.” Xuan Yanyu stretched lazily.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The attendants organized the unreviewed memorials according to Xuan Yanyu’s instructions.
“Your Highness, before His Majesty departed for Qilan, he instructed you to practice your swordwork at the appointed times as before, to attend the Imperial Tutor after morning court to study how to manage ruler-minister relations, then return to Zhaozheng Hall to review memorials, and after the midday meal to proceed to the Regent Ministers…”
Beneath the pressure of Xuan Yanyu’s gaze, the attendant dared not continue.
Since His Majesty’s departure, His Highness had gone straight from morning court back to Zhaozheng Hall to review memorials, without a trace of the diligent studying he had done before.
His Highness had not always been like this. In the past, he had been occupied every day without a free moment.
Though His Highness was favored, he had never neglected a single thing he was meant to learn or endure. The Empress of Xuan had once said that when His Highness was young, practicing swordwork had left his hands covered in blisters so severe that he could not even hold chopsticks at mealtimes. His Majesty had even issued a decree that anyone who dared to go easy on His Highness would be beheaded in accordance with Xuanzhao’s laws. His Highness had defeated one batch of training masters, and His Majesty would bring in another. His Highness had never once complained, rising early each day to study — so why, since his return from Qilan, had he become so negligent?
How was he to report this to His Majesty?
“Your Highness, your subordinates are entering.” Two knocks fell on the hall doors, and from outside came the voices of Ye’an and Ye Chen.
“Mm.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to the palace.” Ye Chen pushed the door open and announced.
Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow slightly. “The Emperor of Qi did not agree?”
Ye Chen shook his head. “He did not. The Emperor of Qi said nothing further, only that he has sent Qi Qingchen to accompany His Majesty to Xuanzhao.”
Xuan Yanyu frowned and strode out. “Bring the memorials. We go to the palace.”
……
The Prince of Xuan’s Palace — Imperial Study.
Xuan Yanyu took the memorials from Ye Chen and tossed them carelessly onto the imperial desk.
“My son, I have brought you back a trouble. See if you can spare a few days to humor him?” Prince Xuan hastily added, “If you are dissatisfied, you may beat him. Your father has long prepared a countermeasure.”
“If you knew he was trouble, why bring him back?” Xuan Yanyu circled the imperial desk and seated himself upon the golden throne.
“You little brat — what kind of attitude is that to show your father?” Prince Xuan gave his shoulder a not-very-forceful pat. “Why bring him back? It is all because of you. The Emperor of Qi did not take issue with Xuanzhao’s disrespect toward him and simply approved the betrothal to the Yan girl directly.”
“The Emperor of Qi proposed to have his son come to Xuanzhao to study and exchange knowledge with you. Your father refused him — would that not be making it plain that we look down on his Qilan?”
Xuan Yanyu twirled the memorial between his fingers and smiled brilliantly. “Has the Imperial Father not always looked down on Qilan?”
“What did you learn from the Imperial Tutor — have you forgotten all of it? Looking down on them is one thing, but on the surface you must remain cordial, never arrogant. Qilan’s strength is nothing to dismiss.”
“Compared to Xuanzhao, they fall far short.” Xuan Yanyu said plainly.
“Get up.” Prince Xuan grabbed Xuan Yanyu by the collar and hauled him off the golden throne, then sat upon it himself. “From the time you were small, how did your father instruct you? You must not be arrogant!”
Qilan did indeed lag far behind Xuanzhao — but he could not let this little brat grow too complacent; that would invite trouble.
“Understood.” Xuan Yanyu had no desire to argue further with Prince Xuan on the matter.
“Then can my son obediently go and humor the Prince of Qilan for a few days?” Prince Xuan rubbed his temples.
“No. I have no time.” Xuan Yanyu calmly reached over and took the pastries that Chief Eunuch Feng had prepared for Prince Xuan.
They looked rather good. Yan Yunning would probably enjoy them.
“What do you mean you have no time? Did your father not promise you — following the two-year period originally agreed upon for your trip to Qilan — that you could continue taking things easy? That after your grand wedding early next year you would assume the throne? There are still more than ten months of free time ahead of you. How can you have no time?”
“No time is no time.” Xuan Yanyu said with complete seriousness. “Imperial Father, your son is very busy.”
Prince Xuan pinched his own philtrum. Chief Eunuch Feng was so startled that he rushed forward to pat his back soothingly, and mustered the courage to say, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, please speak less. What shall we do if His Majesty’s health suffers?”
“Put Our Majesty’s pastries down this instant.”