“Carry on, my son.” Prince Xuan smiled amiably and accepted the teacup Eunuch Feng handed him, savoring the tea in high spirits.

Xuan Yanyu’s eye twitched slightly. With Father playing like this, when would there ever be a winner or a loser?

Forget it — there was nothing else pressing anyway. He would keep him company in this little game.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Yan Yunning peeled a segment of mandarin orange and fed it to Xuan Yanyu.

The man smiled and ruffled her hair. Prince Xuan glanced sideways at Eunuch Feng, with the distinct feeling that the two of them were quite superfluous here.

“Your Majesty, would you like one as well?” Eunuch Feng, not understanding why Prince Xuan had looked at him that way, interpreted it to mean Prince Xuan also wanted a mandarin orange.

Xiao Wan immediately took a mandarin orange from the tray and passed it to Eunuch Feng.

Prince Xuan pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling that Eunuch Feng was not only superfluous but entirely too free with his assumptions.

“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Feng held a peeled segment of orange between his fingertips and extended it toward Prince Xuan’s lips.

“When did I say I wanted a mandarin orange?” Prince Xuan said through gritted teeth.

His Majesty displeased, Eunuch Feng was so startled he withdrew his hand. Had it not been that the Crown Princess had just fed the Crown Prince a segment of orange, and His Majesty immediately looked his way — was that not a sign that His Majesty wanted some as well?

Had he misjudged His Majesty’s intent?

Prince Xuan pressed his lips together, and looked up to see his beloved son, sitting across from him, struggling visibly to suppress a laugh.

“?” Prince Xuan rapped the table and shot him a glare. “Are we playing chess or not??”

“Yes, yes, we are.” The man let out a quiet laugh.

Prince Xuan: “…”

Footsteps approached outside the hall. A guard pushed the door open and bowed in turn to Prince Xuan, Xuan Yanyu, and Yan Yunning, then reported, “Your Majesty — the Imperial Physician you dispatched to tend to Responding Attendant Wu has come to report that Responding Attendant Wu has spotted.”

“Responding Attendant Wu will not allow the physician to take her pulse. She has only asked him to prepare a few fetal-stabilizing prescriptions, and the physician wishes to ask Your Majesty’s instruction.”

After all, the reason for Responding Attendant Wu’s spotting was unknown, and she refused to allow the physician to examine her. If the Imperial Physician dispatched by His Majesty to tend to her did not report the matter and something went wrong with the imperial prince in her womb, the physician would not escape blame.

Prince Xuan gave a careless wave of his hand. “Let her have her way.”

The guard was briefly taken aback. Not only Eunuch Feng, but even Xuan Yanyu looked at Prince Xuan with open puzzlement. Had Father not been eagerly looking forward to having an imperial younger brother for him?

Could it be that the child Responding Attendant Wu carried was not his imperial younger brother after all?

That seemed unlikely as an explanation too. If that were the reason for Father’s behavior, then knowing Father’s temperament, Responding Attendant Wu would hardly still be alive and well.

Unless Father had already given up hope for the younger imperial brother and did not trust the physician’s assessment — and that was why he showed such indifference.

“Do not look at me like that. No one can take your place.” Prince Xuan said directly.

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow.

Prince Xuan took a composed sip of tea and said unhurriedly, “Set your mind at ease. Even if I have other imperial sons, they will not shake your position as Crown Prince.”

Yan Yunning furrowed her brow slightly. Was Prince Xuan truly indifferent to the child Responding Attendant Wu carried — or was he afraid that Xuan Yanyu might harm his imperial younger brother, and therefore putting on this show of coldness and disregard?

The mind of an emperor was truly so difficult to fathom!!

Xuan Yanyu curved his lips in a smile. “Father need not say a word. I already know.”

Never mind an unborn younger imperial brother — even if Father were to bring home a prince the same age as himself this very moment, without him choosing to step aside, no one could shake his position.

He had that confidence.

Prince Xuan shot him a look. “Get out. I have no wish to see you right now.”

The man leaned back unhurriedly. “Father, these are my chambers. If you have no wish to see me, then you may…”

He stopped there. The rest went unsaid.

“Insolent son!!” Prince Xuan muttered under his breath. “One son, and he turns out to be an insolent one!!”

Xuan Yanyu: “…?”

Him??

Insolent??

Seeing the man’s bewilderment, Yan Yunning gave him a pat on the shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and in the tiniest of voices said, “It is you — the insolent son Father is speaking of is you!”

Xuan Yanyu looked at Yan Yunning: “???”

Yan Yunning nodded.

Xuan Yanyu: “…”

——

Responding Attendant Wu in the Cold Palace, upon learning that the Imperial Physician had gone to report to Prince Xuan, was knotted with fear that Prince Xuan might suddenly appear at the Cold Palace.

She had clearly said the child was not yet stable enough — it was still too soon — and Guard Qu had simply refused to listen…

If His Majesty came and insisted the physician take her pulse, what then??

What would she do???

The palace’s Imperial Physicians were all exceptionally skilled. One examination, and they would know how she had come to spot — and she would never be able to conceal it!!

Then everything would be ruined…

“My Lady, the fetal-stabilizing medicine has been prepared. Please drink it while it is warm.” Xiao Dai carried over a bowl of the medicine and carefully handed it to her.

Her Lady had still been perfectly fine before the meal. She was curious — whatever the guard had said to her Lady on behalf of His Majesty, the moment he left, her Lady had been so upset that her fetus had been disturbed and she had spotted.

Fortunately, it was not very serious. Standing outside the hall, she had caught fragments of her Lady’s muffled sobbing, which suggested that His Majesty had had the guard deliver some unwelcome words.

His Majesty truly — her Lady was already carrying his child, yet still kept her in the Cold Palace.

“Xiao Dai, will His Majesty come?” Responding Attendant Wu’s voice trembled.

She was overwhelmed with regret right now. If His Majesty had the physician take her pulse, she would not even make it to this evening’s meal.

“My Lady, please rest easy. His Majesty will certainly come to see you.” Xiao Dai offered her comfort.

Responding Attendant Wu clutched the thin coverlet tightly, her heart in ashes, biting down hard on her lip.

His Majesty would not come. Had Guard Qu not said the Crown Prince had fallen ill? His Majesty should be at the Crown Prince’s chambers right now. Yes — that was it.

Responding Attendant Wu repeated the reassurance to herself again and again in her mind.

“My Lady, do not be afraid. His Majesty will certainly come to see you.” Xiao Dai noticed her Lady’s expression of sheer terror and patted her back soothingly. “My Lady, you are carrying His Majesty’s imperial son in your womb — His Majesty could not possibly leave you unattended.”

The more Xiao Dai spoke, the more frightened Responding Attendant Wu became. She forced a smile. “Is… is that so?”

Xiao Dai’s eyes curved warmly. “Of course it is, my Lady. Drink your fetal-stabilizing medicine quickly. This servant will have you freshened up and presentable — we cannot have His Majesty arrive and find you looking this haggard.”

Responding Attendant Wu gave a start. The hand holding the medicinal broth shook — and more than half of it spilled at once, leaving a dark spreading stain across the coverlet. It splashed over her hands as well, coating her palm in medicine residue.

“My Lady!” Xiao Dai took out a cloth and wiped her palm clean. After a long moment, she carefully asked, “My Lady, do you… not wish to see His Majesty?”

“No… that is not it.” A flicker of alarm crossed Responding Attendant Wu’s eyes.

Seeing her this way, Xiao Dai said nothing more. She offered a few reassuring words, took away what remained of the broth, withdrew from the inner chamber, and instructed the physician to prepare a fresh batch.

Responding Attendant Wu drank the new fetal-stabilizing medicine Xiao Dai brought, then leaned against the bed in a state of rattled unease.

Time crept slowly by. Not a sound came from outside. Responding Attendant Wu let out a breath of relief.

If His Majesty were coming, he would have come long ago. Having not arrived at the first opportunity, the likelihood now was that he would not come at all.

Her frayed nerves began to settle at last. Responding Attendant Wu instructed Xiao Dai to bring the evening meal, and Xiao Dai had just given her assent when footsteps sounded outside the inner chamber. Responding Attendant Wu went rigid — and her heart climbed back into her throat.