Yan Shiyao was currently residing in the Grand Commandant’s manor. Surely Little Lemon would come one day to visit Yan Shiyao.
Or perhaps Yan Shiyao would go to see Little Lemon — she needed only to make herself visible before Yan Shiyao, and Little Lemon would come.
These past few days she had been keeping her distance from Yan Shiyao. Yan Shiyao was an honored guest of the Grand Commandant’s manor, and the two of them had yet to meet face to face.
But if she showed herself before Yan Shiyao, Ruijing would learn that she was unharmed. Would that not invite his resentment?
Chu Wantang had been targeting her. Ruijing could find no evidence. In the end, to give the Emperor of Qi an accounting, she would inevitably face punishment — and if Ruijing refused to comply, he would only offend the Emperor of Qi.
So when Aqiuci had come with the young lord to find her, she had petitioned the young lord, swallowed the elixir, and resolved to use the opportunity to drive a wedge between Little Lemon and His Highness the Crown Prince.
Aqiuci had caused Little Lemon to lose consciousness, and while Xuan Yanyu’s full attention was upon Little Lemon, she had been given the antidote and quietly smuggled out of the Prime Minister’s manor. She had returned to Xuanzhao with the intention of going back to the First Young Miss’s side — but she had never imagined the First Young Miss would be living in such a state.
If she showed herself to Yan Shiyao, would Yan Shiyao pass word of her presence to Chu Wantang? If so, would Chu Wantang relay it to the Emperor of Qi? And if the Emperor of Qi believed Ruijing had arranged for her to fake her death and used that as a way to send her to Xuanzhao to escape punishment — would that bring trouble down upon Ruijing?
Lu Jin’an’s heart grew somewhat uneasy. Likely not — Chu Wantang was no fool. If she told the Emperor of Qi and something happened to Ruijing, then she herself as the primary wife would be caught up in it too. So she probably would not go that far.
Yu Zhi reined in her tears, biting her lip until it bled. “Nanny Lu — I no longer dare to hope for a way out.”
The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment. What she truly regretted was not having listened to her father at the time. Her younger brother and sister had yet to be found — if she left, there would be no one left to search for them.
The Grand Commandant’s official title was not great, yet it was still more than she had. And there was one thing more: she wanted to live to see the Grand Commandant get what he deserved.
“First Young Miss.” Lu Jin’an clasped her hand and drew her trembling shoulders into an embrace. “First Young Miss — the Young Lord has been found. The Young Miss has also come to Xuanzhao — she is now Xuanzhao’s Crown Princess, and His Highness the Crown Prince dotes on her greatly.”
The First Young Miss had not been permitted to leave the manor, and no one had told her any of this.
“What… what?” Yu Zhi’s heart gave a violent start. Tears ran down her face unchecked, and she sobbed openly.
Seeing Yu Zhi no longer suppressing her cries, Lu Jin’an felt such heartache she could barely breathe.
“The Young Lord now goes by the name Mu Shiqing. He is the leader of Qingyu Stronghold in Qilan, and has taken a wife. Her name is Wen Wanyu. They even have a child together.”
“The Young Miss goes by the name Yan Yunning. Her childhood nickname is still Little Lemon. She is beautiful and endearing — with several features resembling the Madam.”
Lu Jin’an held her and gently patted her back.
“Good… that is good.” A thousand tangled thoughts converged at once. Yu Zhi wept with a grief that tore at her very soul.
Lu Jin’an soothed her with soft words for a while longer before hurrying out of the side room.
In the main hall.
The Grand Commandant and Su Rouqia received Yan Shiyao with warm, smiling faces.
“Yaoyao, are you satisfied with today’s dishes?” Su Rouqia’s voice was gentle and soft.
“They were fine.” Yan Shiyao smiled in reply.
“Miss Yan, while you are staying in this manor, please do not stand on ceremony. If there is anything you need, simply tell the maidservants.” The Grand Commandant said with a smile.
Though he did not know why His Highness the Crown Prince had arranged for Miss Yan to reside at the Grand Commandant’s manor, however one looked at it, it was his fortune.
Now all of Xuanzhao knew that the Second Young Miss of Qilan’s Prime Minister’s manor was their Crown Princess.
It seemed His Highness the Crown Prince intended to elevate him, and had therefore arranged Miss Yan’s stay at the Grand Commandant’s manor. He need only receive Miss Yan well and wait for His Highness to bestow rewards upon him.
Yan Shiyao raised her teacup, her gaze sincere. “I am sorry to have imposed upon the Grand Commandant.”
“Miss Yan, please think nothing of it.” The Grand Commandant raised his wine cup and clinked it gently against hers.
Yan Shiyao smiled lightly and drank her tea.
“Yaoyao, try the date paste pastries and the wish cakes. They are gifts from His Highness the Crown Prince to the ministers — each day a different variety. Today’s are date paste pastries and wish cakes.” Su Rouqia placed two pieces of each onto Yan Shiyao’s dining plate.
Yan Shiyao lowered her eyes to look at the golden-crusted date paste pastries and the wish cakes dusted with rose petals in her plate, and paused for a long moment.
Early to bear precious children, may all wishes be fulfilled. The gifted pastries all carried auspicious meaning — according to custom, such gifts would only be bestowed after the Crown Prince’s grand wedding. Yet Xuan Yanyu was bestowing them now.
Ningning was flourishing — did that mean she herself was lesser?
Why was it that in the future she had foreseen, when she was Crown Princess, none of these gifts had been given? No grain distributed to the people, no rewards bestowed upon the subjects, no grand celebration held in the capital lasting half a month. She had not even received a betrothal gift — Xuan Yanyu had simply brought her to Xuanzhao.
Why were some of the fragments she had seen true, and others false? The investiture of Ningning as Crown Princess had not appeared in the fragments — so why did the visions sometimes prove true and sometimes false?
“Yaoyao?” Noticing that Yan Shiyao’s expression had stiffened slightly, Su Rouqia called out softly.
Yan Shiyao gathered her thoughts, pinched a date paste pastry, and took a bite. “Delicious. The gifts from His Highness the Crown Prince are truly fine.”
The Grand Commandant laughed heartily. “But of course — they are all made by the master chefs of the imperial kitchen. No pastry shop in the capital could compare.”
Whenever a particularly skilled pastry maker came to light, word would reach His Majesty’s ears, and the person would be selected into the Prince of Xuan’s Palace. At morning court recently, he had heard it said that the finest cooks in the palace had been summoned by His Highness the Crown Prince to the Crown Prince’s manor. This had left His Majesty with no outlet for his temper, and they had faced scolding at court every day. His Highness had not made such a summons before, but had done so after taking a Crown Princess — which, without needing to be said, was for the Crown Princess’s sake. One could well imagine how greatly the Crown Princess was favored.
Yan Shiyao ate the date paste pastry with a heart full of conflicting feelings. As for the wish cake — she found she simply could not bring herself to eat it. Something heavy pressed against her chest.
“I am going to check on Madam.” In front of outsiders, the Grand Commandant maintained his performance admirably.
Su Rouqia glared at him with displeasure. The Grand Commandant gave her a reassuring look and, carrying the wish cake, made his way to Yu Zhi’s side room.
In the side room, Yu Zhi was taking small sips from a bowl of thin, watery congee. When the Grand Commandant pushed the door open, she said nothing.
“A gift from His Highness the Crown Prince — go ahead and eat.” The man set the delicate wish cake down before Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi’s eyes shifted slightly, her gaze falling upon the pastry. In the icy cold of their estranged relations, this was the one time she did not refuse the food he had brought.
Watching Yu Zhi take the pastry and eat, the Grand Commandant found himself a seat and let out a long sigh. “Zhizhi — His Highness the Crown Prince has already designated his Crown Princess. Even if your younger sister were found, it would be to no avail.”
Yu Zhi scooped up a spoonful of the thin, watery congee and ate it alongside the pastry without a word.
“Zhizhi, you should know — how greatly His Highness the Crown Prince dotes on the Crown Princess. You — you would do well not to harbor any illusions that once your younger sister returns, she might displace the Crown Princess. That is simply impossible.”
“It is a fine thing that His Highness dotes on the Crown Princess. My younger sister would have no quarrel with the Crown Princess.” Yu Zhi swallowed the pastry in her mouth and smiled with exceptional gentleness.
The Grand Commandant narrowed his eyes. Gaunt as Yu Zhi had become, it still could not conceal her beauty and refinement. Stray wisps of hair clung to her cheek, making her face appear even smaller. When those gentle eyes turned toward him, the warmth in them cooled.
He was not entirely without feeling for her. It was only that his feeling was not deep enough. In Xuanzhao, the title of Grand Commandant was a hollow one — its authority meager. Su Rouqia’s father was the Censor-in-Chief. Su Rouqia was unwilling to have Yu Zhi occupy a place in his heart, and so he had no choice but to comply.