“Your Highness the Crown Prince, this old servant came to Xuanzhao because this old servant was originally a Xuanzhao person. This old servant was once a maidservant in the service of the General’s Lady. After being framed by Chu Wantang, this old servant feared punishment from His Majesty the Qi Emperor and found a way to slip away and come to Xuanzhao.” Lu Jin’an spoke in half-truths, omitting as much as she revealed.

The man lifted an eyelid and slowly turned the jade thumb ring on his finger. His cool, measured gaze swept toward Lu Jin’an. “You found a way to slip away — so why arrange it so that others would believe this prince had something to do with your supposed ‘death’?”

Lu Jin’an couldn’t help but grip the sleeve of her robe tightly. “Your Highness, this was a misunderstanding.”

Xuan Yanyu gave a cold laugh. His voice dropped. “I understand you have a daughter. Where is your daughter now?”

Lu Jin’an closed her eyes briefly. The figure kneeling on the ground swayed slightly. “Your Highness, you already know, don’t you?”

His ability to ask such a question meant he had already guessed at the events of those years.

There was no longer any point in fabricating further lies.

“Why did you disguise Ningning as your daughter and send her to Qilan?” Xuan Yanyu turned the teacup slowly in his fingers, his expression tired and remote.

So Imperial Father had also guessed — that Lu Jin’an’s so-called “daughter” was not Lu Jin’an’s daughter at all, but the daughter of General Yu.

It was simply that Imperial Father had found Yan Shiyao, who carried the royal jade token, rather than Ningning, who had been living with her maternal grandparents.

Ye Chen’s face was a picture of open bewilderment, his mind thoroughly lost — he had not understood a single thing being said.

“Your Highness, without the General, the Lady was gravely ill as well, and the young master of that time was incapable of amounting to anything. If Little Ningning were to marry you and enter the Palace of the Prince of Xuan, the Lady feared she would have no family to back her up and would be treated poorly.” Lu Jin’an laid out her conjecture.

It was the only explanation she could conceive of.

“Your Highness, as you yourself know — in the Palace of the Prince of Xuan, without the Prince’s favor and without family to support her, what fate befalls a woman? The Lady only wished for Little Ningning’s wellbeing.”

The man laughed, sudden and quiet. “So then, you fabricated your own death in order to drive a wedge between this prince and Ningning?”

“Yes.” Meeting those dark, opaque eyes, Lu Jin’an felt the hair rise on her scalp, a chill crawling up her spine.

“You may rise.” Xuan Yanyu flicked his sleeve and stood.

Yu Zhi moved to support Lu Jin’an, and the two rose unsteadily.

Xuan Yanyu glanced at Xiao Cheng lying on the bed, his lips turning purple, and offered a thoughtful suggestion. “Should a physician not be fetched for the Grand Commandant?”

“I thank Your Highness for his concern. My husband falls into these states quite frequently over these past few days — he comes around after a short while.” Yu Zhi smiled.

The man raised an eyebrow and moved toward the door.

“Your Highness — when might you bring the Crown Princess to the Grand Commandant’s residence? Or… might this subject be permitted to visit the Crown Prince’s residence?” Yu Zhi gripped Lu Jin’an’s hand tightly, barely concealing her anxiety.

“That depends on what the Crown Princess wishes. Once this prince has consulted with the Crown Princess, Ye Chen will send word to you.” The man did not look back as he spoke. With that, he stepped out of the side chamber and was gone.

Hearing that it still depended on Yan Yunning’s wishes — that Xuan Yanyu had not simply made the decision on Yan Yunning’s behalf — Lu Jin’an finally let out a slow breath of relief, entirely at ease.

——

Outside the gate.

Yan Shiyao planted herself in front of Xuan Yanyu, her eyes misted with unshed tears. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, I want to see Ningning.”

She would see Ningning and speak to her about the marriage matter between herself and Qi Qingchen — as for the promise she had made to Qi Qingchen about asking Ningning to petition Xuan Yanyu to release him back to Qilan, that could wait for later.

“Miss Yan, the Crown Princess was kept at the palace by Her Majesty Empress Xuan. Even His Highness the Crown Prince cannot see her right now — you certainly cannot.” Ye’an, getting ahead of Xuan Yanyu’s temper, spoke with a smile.

Yan Shiyao ignored him and tilted her head up to look directly at Xuan Yanyu, her voice softening into a plea. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, I beg you.”

Xuan Yanyu’s brow knitted. His expression turned cold. “Step aside.”

Yan Shiyao’s body gave a slight tremble. What kind of attitude was that? She had already humbled herself to beg him like this, and he still wouldn’t allow her to see her own sister?

Reading the unmistakable impatience in Xuan Yanyu’s expression, Ye’an spoke again with a smile. “Miss Yan, you may meet with the Crown Princess in a couple of days.”

If not for the fact that the gate of the Grand Commandant’s residence had been scorched into this sorry state with one half of the gate entirely collapsed, leaving them no easy path to walk, they would not have had to waste this time standing here with Yan Shiyao.

Yan Shiyao clearly did not believe Ye’an’s words. Seizing a moment when Xuan Yanyu’s attention wavered, she lunged forward and grabbed hold of his sleeve.

Her hand accidentally grazed the back of the man’s hand. Before she could so much as begin making her scene, in the space of a blink, she was sent flying by a kick.

A sharp, violent pain tore through her abdomen. Yan Shiyao vomited a mouthful of blood, and tears streamed down her face. Her lower back slammed into the hard ground. The pain had her curling into herself, sobbing uncontrollably — not a trace remaining of the composed, refined bearing that a proper upbringing in a noble household was supposed to produce.

Ye Chen swallowed.

His Highness hadn’t held back, had he?

That looked excruciating just to witness.

A tug at his clothing brought Ye Chen’s eyes downward. He stared as his master pressed the back of his hand against Ye Chen’s robe and wiped it back and forth. “……?”

“Yaoyao?” Qi Qingchen, who had been watching from a distance, came running over in a panic.

Yan Shiyao dared not move a single inch — every movement sent fresh agony through her.

“This prince will take you to see a physician.” Qi Qingchen said carefully lifting her into his arms and running at full speed toward the main street.

……

At this moment, in the Palace of the Prince of Xuan, Yan Yunning had just finished listening to Empress Xuan explain various intrigues and strategies of the palace, when Fafa’s electronic voice shrilled to life in her mind: 【Master, the female lead is about to be done for! The female lead is about to be done for!!】

“Pfft!” Yan Yunning choked on a mouthful of water. 【What happened? Why is my elder sister about to be done for? Where is she right now? Was she assassinated?!】

Fafa: 【East side of the main street, the first medical clinic on the left.】

Yan Yunning quickly instructed Xiaoyue to inform Empress Xuan that she had urgent business and needed to leave the palace. Then, with Xiao Wan in tow, she broke into a run toward the palace gates.

Fafa: 【Master, if Yan Shiyao cannot be saved, you will also be done for along with her!!】

Yan Yunning stumbled. 【What?!】

“Crown Princess, careful!” Xiao Wan was startled by Yan Yunning.

Fafa: 【Or rather — not done for in that sense, Master. If Yan Shiyao is done for, you can go home.】

Yan Yunning slowed her pace. 【What did you say? You told me you didn’t know how I could go home.】

Fafa: 【Master, but I know now. When the female lead is done for, you can go home. Do you want to go home?】

Hadn’t it told her from the very beginning?

Maybe when the female lead was done for, you could go home — just remove the “maybe” and wasn’t that it?!

It had never anticipated that the female lead would end up at death’s door. It wasn’t written in the plot, so it had only told her there was a possibility that dying would send her home.

If the female lead died, or if she herself died, she could go home.

Even though she had transmigrated into this novel world because of Xuan Yanyu, the root of it still lay with Yan Shiyao.

Yan Yunning narrowed her eyes. 【You told me once before that if Xuan Yanyu married my elder sister, I could go home — and then you turned around and told me that was just a guess. I have no reason to trust you.】

Fafa: 【Master, trust me. This time it’s guaranteed! This is a real opportunity!!】

Yan Yunning pressed her fingers together. 【Then… then what should I do?】

Fafa: 【Master, you only need to wait. Wait for the physician to fail to treat Yan Shiyao. You don’t need to do anything at all.】

【How do you know the physician won’t be able to treat my elder sister?】Yan Yunning’s gaze shifted slightly.

Fafa: 【Master, because the medical clinic on the east side of the main street doesn’t have the skill for it! Dispensing medicine is about the best they can manage — cervical spine injuries are beyond their capability. Their level is simply too limited!!】