It wasn’t for any other reason — Fafa simply dreaded being cursed out.

By concealing this sliver of her memory, everything would come back to her once she returned home. By then Fafa would have already departed from her mind and wouldn’t have to hear the scolding.

【Fafa, you…!!!】

Fafa: 【…】

It had told itself — to avoid the scolding, it was better to just let her forget.

Zhaozheng Hall.

Ye Chen reported to Xuan Yanyu every detail of what he had uncovered, without leaving out a single word.

“You’re telling me — Ningning suddenly left the palace, went to the medical clinic, and then returned to the residence — and stood outside the gates, refusing to come in?” Xuan Yanyu’s eyes gradually darkened.

“Yes, Your Highness. In that time, the Crown Princess did not go anywhere else.”

“Why would Ningning suddenly leave the palace and go to a medical clinic — and why that specific clinic on the east side of the main street??” The man’s brow creased slightly.

Ye Chen scratched his head. “Your Highness, you could ask the Crown Princess herself — this subordinate doesn’t know either.”

Xuan Yanyu’s gaze settled heavy and still on the teacup. “And Yan Shiyao — how is she?”

“Your Highness, the eldest Miss Yan is not well.” Ye Chen’s expression grew grave. “For reasons unknown, the treatment is showing no improvement.”

Ye’an cut in flatly, “If the treatment’s showing no improvement, that just means the physician diagnosed it wrong. Otherwise, how could it not improve?”

Ye Chen: “…”

The moment Ye’an opened his mouth, it made him look terribly dim.

Xuan Yanyu drew out a sheet of writing paper, set down a few lines, and handed it to Ye Chen. “See to it.”

Ye Chen took the paper, glanced at it, suppressed his shock, and gave a nod. Then he added, “Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence in the palace — he has an important matter to discuss with you.”

The man’s emotionless gaze turned toward Ye Chen. “How important?”

Ningning’s current state troubled him. Leaving her side was not something he could do lightly.

“Your Highness, it must be quite important — otherwise, His Majesty would not have said so,” Ye Chen said earnestly.

Xuan Yanyu and Ye’an: “…”

Xuan Yanyu hesitated for a moment, pressed his fingers to his brow, and said in a low voice, “Go and tell my imperial father that this Prince is unwell, and that whatever the matter is, it can be discussed another day.”

He had gone through the recent memorials — nothing of consequence, all minor affairs.

“Your Highness, if you claim to be unwell, His Majesty may very likely come to the Crown Prince’s residence to see you himself,” Ye Chen said weakly.

“…” Xuan Yanyu waved an irritable hand. “This Prince will enter the palace later this evening.”

Ye Chen exhaled a very quiet sigh, then remembered something else. “Your Highness, Aci has arrived in Xuanzhao.”

Yesterday’s submitted register had carried Aci’s name, and he had made a point of confirming it — it was indeed the same Aci they had met back in Qilan.

Xuan Yanyu’s throat shifted. “Who arranged his credentials?”

“Your Highness, he had no credentials arranged. He is Xuanzhao-born and, upon arriving, went directly to the Grand Marshal’s residence. This subordinate suspects he may have originally been part of a general’s household.”

After a brief pause, Ye Chen broke into a grin. “Your Highness, he once falsely accused you — and now he’s come to Xuanzhao. Shall this subordinate…”

“Leave him be.” The man cut him off, his tone flat.

Ye Chen gave a reluctant “Oh.”

“Crown Prince.” A knock came at the hall doors — Yan Yunning’s voice from outside. “I’m coming in.”

Before Xuan Yanyu could speak, Ye’an obligingly pulled the doors open. Once Yan Yunning had stepped inside, he took Ye Chen — who was standing there without moving — by the arm and drew him outside.

“You’ve been crying again?” Seeing the girl’s eyes still red-rimmed, Xuan Yanyu stepped forward, wrapped an arm around her waist, and drew her against him, murmuring gently, “Tell this Prince what’s going on.”

Yan Yunning herself felt a little strange — she couldn’t quite say why.

Fafa probed softly: 【Master, you…】

【What?】 Yan Yunning frowned.

Fafa: 【…】

This is a disaster.

It had blocked too much. She had even forgotten that she was about to go home.

Fafa could already picture it — she would come back and curse it out for three solid days.

“Crown Prince, I had a nightmare.” Unable to recall anything no matter how she tried, Yan Yunning fabricated an excuse.

The man rested his chin lightly against the top of her head and asked nothing further. Her mood had been off for the past two days, and he hadn’t dared press too hard. He assumed it most likely had something to do with Yan Shiyao’s injury.

The girl’s brow curved into a smile. Her fingertip twirled at Xuan Yanyu’s loose hair, then she tilted her head up and pressed a light kiss to the side of his face. “Crown Prince,” she said softly, “grant me one small request.”

“Go ahead.” The man lowered his head until the tip of his nose brushed hers.

“Let me spend a few days at the Grand Marshal’s residence — would that be all right?”

She had nothing to do now during the days, and she wanted to spend a little time with Lady Lu and her elder sister.

“No!”

Fafa: 【No!!】

In just a few days she would be going home — what was she going to the Grand Marshal’s residence for?

Xuan Yanyu and Fafa spoke at exactly the same moment.

Yan Yunning ignored Fafa and gave Xuan Yanyu a pout. “You told me to speak up, so I did — how can you still say no?”

“Not for several days — that would be improper. You may go for half a day.”

“Half a day it is, then.” Yan Yunning rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.

She would ask whether Lady Lu would be willing to come to the Crown Prince’s residence. If she was not, she would not press her.

Seeing that Yan Yunning’s mood had clearly returned to something like her usual self, Xuan Yanyu leaned down and told her quietly, “Ningning, my imperial father has something to discuss with this Prince. This Prince will go for a short while and then come back — is that all right?”

Hearing the note of inquiry in his voice, Yan Yunning let out a soft laugh. “Crown Prince, if I said it wasn’t all right, would you truly not go?”

“Mm. This Prince promised to stay with you today — this Prince cannot go back on his word.”

Yan Yunning’s breath caught, and she looked up. Her eyes met his, and without meaning to, a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

Xuan Yanyu dipped his head and pressed a light kiss to the corner of her lips, his voice tender. “If you say it’s not all right, then this Prince won’t go.”

“Don’t be silly — the Emperor himself wants to discuss something with you. Go quickly.”

The man curved the corner of his mouth. “Come into the palace with this Prince.”

“I’ll wait for you at the residence,” Yan Yunning said helplessly.

“No.” Xuan Yanyu pinched the tip of her nose, his smile indulgent. “This Prince is afraid that if you can’t find this Prince, you’ll cry again — and this Prince will have to think up ways to coax you back into a good mood.”

Yan Yunning’s face flushed. Even now she couldn’t quite work out why, the moment she had stepped out of that shop and not seen Xuan Yanyu, she had cried until she couldn’t stop.

It wasn’t as though he could disappear into thin air — she could have simply looked around nearby.

How had she ended up crouching in the middle of the street weeping?

Having lost the argument with Xuan Yanyu, Yan Yunning accompanied him into the Palace of Prince Xuan.

Once inside, Yan Yunning went to the bedchamber of the Princess of Xuan, while Xuan Yanyu proceeded to the Imperial Study.

Imperial Study.

The Prince of Xuan sat on the gilded imperial throne, his expression dark, the memorial in his hand crumpled nearly out of shape.

“Imperial Father.” Seeing the Prince of Xuan’s expression, Xuan Yanyu behaved himself considerably.

“Xuan Yanyu. Do you have any idea — you are the Crown Prince of Xuanzhao?” Unable to bring himself to strike the boy after all, the Prince of Xuan hurled the memorial to the floor at his feet instead.

The man bent and picked it up, and had a fairly good sense of why he had been summoned.

The incident of him and Ningning crouching in the middle of the main street had most likely already reached his father’s ears. His imperial father always kept close watch on his affairs — it was no surprise that the patrolling guards had spotted him and reported back.

“In this Emperor’s view, Yan Yunning is a source of calamity — a calamity for Xuanzhao.” The Prince of Xuan’s eyes had gone red with fury.

Time and again exceptions had been made for Yan Yunning. And now it had come to this — the Crown Prince, whose station was second to none, crouching in the street with his Crown Princess for all the common people to see. It was an absolute disgrace.

What did it look like?!