“Send them all back to the palace tonight.” The Xuan Wang added.

Xuan Yanyu pretended not to hear.

The Xuan Wang raised a brow slightly. “If you do not return them to Us, then you shall stay in the palace and make pastries for Us.”

Xuan Yanyu tilted his head, the tips of his brows lifting. “Imperial Father, are you serious? Then you must give your son an imperial edict of immunity from death — otherwise, if something goes wrong after you eat the pastries your son makes, what then?”

The Xuan Wang tugged at his lips. “Can you not draft one yourself?”

Xuan Yanyu: “……”

“From this day forth, you shall remain in the palace. The position of Head Supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen is yours to occupy, with the specific duty of making pastries for Us.” The Xuan Wang’s face regained its smile.

Xuan Yanyu: “……”

“The position of Head Supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen is something others struggle for over a decade and still cannot attain. It is only because you are Our imperial son that We have elevated you to it. You ought to be secretly delighted.”

The Xuan Wang adopted the air of someone who had bestowed a great favor upon Xuan Yanyu. “Otherwise, a person like you — even after twenty-some years of effort, you would never reach the position of Head Supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen!”

Xuan Yanyu: “……???”

He could not reach it even after twenty years?!

“Out of regard for the fact that you are Our imperial son, We will also pay you a somewhat higher stipend.” The Xuan Wang raised his teacup with great contentment and sipped his tea at his leisure.

Xuan Yanyu pressed his lips together. “……”

“Why not report for duty right now?” The Xuan Wang’s eyes brimmed with laughter he could no longer suppress. He turned to Chief Eunuch Feng and said, “Go and inform the Imperial Kitchen that His Highness the Crown Prince assumes the position of Head Supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen effective this moment.”

Chief Eunuch Feng pressed the corners of his mouth together, unable to quite make out what His Majesty intended. Having the Crown Prince report for duty in the Imperial Kitchen was out of the question, and yet His Majesty was asking him to go and inform them.

“Ahem.” Xuan Yanyu curved his lips in a light laugh. “Imperial Father, if you send your son to the Imperial Kitchen, do you intend to starve the entire Xuan Wang Palace to death?”

The Xuan Wang shot him a look. “You are only responsible for making pastries for Us. We are not asking you to prepare meals for anyone else — how would the entire Xuan Wang Palace starve to death?!”

As if he would ever be willing to have Yanyu cook for other people!

“Because your son is afraid that in the process of making pastries, he might accidentally burn the Imperial Kitchen down.” Xuan Yanyu sipped his tea with an air of perfect ease. “Imperial Father had best ask someone else.”

“Go, go, go — out of the palace, leave the palace at once.”

Everyone he had hired had been transferred to the Crown Prince’s Residence by this wretch, who refused to live in the palace himself and had taken away all his chefs to make pastries and food for his Crown Princess. The unfilial son!

How could he be so utterly disappointing?!

How was it that he had only Yanyu as his one imperial son?!

“Your son takes his leave.” Xuan Yanyu took Yan Yunning’s hand. After Yan Yunning had performed her farewell salute, the two departed the great hall together.

Without hurrying back to the residence, Xuan Yanyu held Yan Yunning’s hand as they strolled along the long street.

The sun was gradually sinking toward the west, night ready to spread across the sky. The small vendors lining both sides of the street had begun packing up their stalls. A child, tottering with each step, followed his busy father, gnawing on a steamed bun.

The mother walked behind the child, afraid he might fall.

A breeze drifted by softly. One or two tender green leaves drifted down from the trees. Yan Yunning caught one with an outstretched hand, curving her lips into a smile. “Xuan Xixi, will we be like them someday?”

Xuan Yanyu stopped walking and looked toward the scene not far away. The child had been scooped into the man’s arms and was being coaxed with gentle words. The woman sat beside them, watching them with a face full of warm amusement.

“This Highness is not accustomed to holding children.” The man said slowly. “Especially ones like him, with snot all over their face.”

“……” Yan Yunning said, at a loss. “You never cried as a child? When you cried, you never had snot? The snot never ended up on your face?!”

“This Highness has never been fond of crying since childhood.”

From the time he could understand things, he had been made to study this and practice that, with no idle time to cry. Because of that, he also detested watching others burst into tears at the slightest thing.

Particularly Yan Shiyao — whenever anything happened, instead of thinking of how to resolve it, she simply wept. He had been tolerating Yan Shiyao for quite some time.

Always “Yanyu-gege, Yanyu-gege” — what was one to do?

“So when our child cries like that little one in the future, you simply will not soothe him? Just let the child keep crying?!”

Xuan Yanyu frowned and looked again at the child. The little one licked his philtrum and smacked his lips together. Xuan Yanyu’s frown deepened. “Yes. Have a maidservant soothe him.”

Not throwing the child out would already be quite magnanimous. Expecting him to do the soothing? Impossible.

“Can you not take a lesson from your Imperial Father?!” Yan Yunning stared at him wide-eyed, rose up on her toes, and tapped his forehead with her finger.

The man’s eyes curved up at the outer corners. “Cannot manage it.”

Yan Yunning: “……”

“Your Highness, Crown Princess — look, ahead there, beneath the awning of the teahouse — is that not Eldest Miss Yan and Qi Qingchen?” Ye Chen, catching sight of the familiar figures ahead, could not help but speak up.

Xuan Yanyu raised a brow, his gaze settling on Yan Shiyao and Qi Qingchen. They appeared to be getting along quite well.

As for Yan Shiyao and Qi Qingchen, who apparently appeared to be getting along quite well — the two were glaring daggers at each other.

“Qi Qingchen, how did you end up in Xuanzhao as well? Did you come here for me?!” Yan Shiyao’s brow furrowed slightly.

She had not yet managed to see His Majesty the Xuan Wang, and now Qi Qingchen had chased her all the way to Xuanzhao?

How had he even gotten to Xuanzhao?!

And there were two guards following behind him — judging by their attire, they were guards of Xuanzhao.

This was the first time she had seen him since His Majesty the Qi Emperor issued that imperial decree.

“You are reading too much into it.” Qi Qingchen averted his gaze.

He too had not expected Yan Shiyao to be in Xuanzhao. Running into her today was an accident. Before he could even react, she had dragged him into the teahouse.

“Then let us say I read too much into it. What is the matter with this marriage arrangement? Why would His Majesty the Qi Emperor issue a decree betrothing the two of us?” Yan Shiyao fixed her gaze on him.

“No idea.” Qi Qingchen said flatly.

“No idea?” Yan Shiyao’s voice turned decidedly cold. “No idea, yet why have you been avoiding me?!”

“This Highness has not been avoiding you. This Highness had matters to attend to. You simply misunderstood.” Qi Qingchen’s voice remained calm and composed.

His expression was so unruffled that it truly appeared as though Yan Shiyao had genuinely misunderstood.

“Qi Qingchen! You are lying — it is plainly obvious that you have been deliberately avoiding me!!” A look of revulsion came into Yan Shiyao’s eyes.

Qi Qingchen, whose mood had already been terrible, felt the look of revulsion in Yan Shiyao’s eyes like a weight pressing on his chest so heavily he could barely breathe.

To this day, his Imperial Father had still not explained anything to the Xuan Wang, had not restricted him from leaving the inn — yet every time he set foot outside, two Xuanzhao guards followed him. Not a shred of freedom.

He had said it correctly: Xuanzhao, and Xuan Yanyu, were despicable!

And the Xuan Wang!! Even more so!!!

“Go back to Qilan and tell His Majesty the Qi Emperor to dissolve the engagement. I am not marrying you!” Yan Shiyao said irritably.

“Impossible.” Qi Qingchen gave a contemptuous smile. “Yan Shiyao, if you are unwilling to marry, then figure it out yourself. This Highness will not go and speak to Imperial Father.”

“You……” Yan Shiyao could not hold back. She flung the tea in her cup squarely onto Qi Qingchen’s face.

The tea was somewhat hot. The face of the tea-splashed Qi Qingchen flushed red.

Qi Qingchen did not react as he usually would. He went silent, used his sleeve to wipe the tea from his face, and lowered his head without a word.

This manner of his left Yan Shiyao flustered and uncertain.

After a brief pause, Yan Shiyao said slowly, “I did not know the tea had not yet cooled down.”

Qi Qingchen also made no sound.

His mind was entirely occupied with the thought — had his Imperial Father abandoned him……

Had his Imperial Father no longer wanted him……

His Imperial Father was unlike the Xuan Wang. He had many candidates for the heir apparent. One fewer would not make a difference.