“Thank you, Crown Princess — you are truly a good person. Xuanzhao is blessed to have a Crown Princess like you.”

“Thank you, Crown Princess — thank you, Crown Prince.”

“The Crown Princess does not hold it against us — we are immensely grateful.”

“All right, everyone rise — go on home now.” Yan Yunning stood there with a smile at the corner of her mouth.

They had been brought here by Yan Shiyao; there was no need to implicate them.

“Yes, Crown Princess.”

Once the crowd dispersed, Yan Shiyao rose to her feet as well.

She surged forward and grabbed Yan Yunning’s arm. Seeing this, the guards drew their long swords, the icy blades pressing flat against her neck. Yan Shiyao swallowed hard, her voice trembling with fear.

“Ning… Ningning, are you just going to watch the guard hold a sword to your older sister’s neck?”

Having failed to achieve her goal while inadvertently allowing Yan Yunning to gain a good reputation, Yan Shiyao felt rather deflated. She had never really intended to harm Yan Yunning — she only wanted Yan Yunning to save her mother…

If she saved Mother, the two of them could go back to being good sisters.

“Let go, and the guard will naturally lower his sword.” Yan Yunning’s voice gradually cooled. “My Lady, Xuan Yanyu will be back shortly. If he sees this, you may once again find yourself at death’s door.”

In the depths of her mind, Fafa suddenly grew agitated. [Master, then just let Xuan Yanyu see it!]

Yan Yunning: [?]

Fafa: [Master, I think Yan Shiyao is too hateful, so he absolutely must let Xuan Yanyu deal with her.]

Yan Yunning: […]

Fafa: [Master, he definitely must let Xuan Yanyu give her a proper lesson!!]

Yan Yunning: […]

Fafa: [Master, truly — Fafa thinks Xuan Yanyu really should teach Yan Shiyao a lesson.]

Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow. [You dislike Yan Shiyao that much??]

“Ningning.” Yu Zhi caught sight of the scene and was so startled she abandoned all decorum and sprinted over.

She had gone out of the residence today, and upon hearing from the doorman that Yan Shiyao had come looking for Qiuci claiming that Ningning had been wronged, she hadn’t felt at ease and had wanted to come to the Crown Prince’s Residence to check — never imagining she would walk right into the sight of Yan Shiyao seizing Ningning’s wrist while a guard pressed his sword to Yan Shiyao’s neck.

Yan Shiyao had already been tense. At Yu Zhi’s cry, she instinctively shoved Yan Yunning. Yan Yunning had been deep in conversation with Fafa in her mind, and by the time she registered what was happening, she had already tumbled onto Yu Zhi.

“Crown Princess?” The guards panicked. Yan Shiyao looked at Yu Zhi on the ground and at Yan Yunning sprawled on top of her, her heart pounding as though it might leap from her chest. She wanted to ask whether Yan Yunning was all right.

If anything happened to the child in her womb, she herself would likely pay with her life.

Catching sight of the maids, physicians, and imperial doctors rushing out from inside the residence, she took advantage of the guards’ attention being fixed entirely on Yan Yunning and fled in a panic in the direction opposite to the Crown Prince’s Residence.

“Crown Princess, are you all right?” Xiaoyue asked, her voice shaking with fear.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Yan Yunning got up.

She had not landed directly on the ground — it was not a serious matter, and she felt no discomfort.

The shove Yan Shiyao had given her was not enough to cause a real fall — at most, she might have stumbled and staggered for a moment…

A guilty Fafa declared loudly: [Master, you mustn’t think of it that way — one stumble and a fall is very easy to happen.]

Yan Yunning: […]

Fafa did have a point — losing your footing could very easily lead to a fall.

Though Yan Yunning said she was fine, the imperial physician still took her pulse and, after confirming that she was truly unharmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

If anything happened to Prince Xuan’s imperial grandchild, they would all be finished.

“Help the Grand Commandant’s wife inside the residence and have someone examine her.” Yan Yunning instructed.

“Yes, Crown Princess.” The maids stepped forward to help Yu Zhi up from the ground. Yu Zhi felt a wave of dizziness come over her, yet she was relieved that she had run fast enough to shield Ningning — otherwise, she didn’t dare imagine the consequences.

——

Yu Zhi’s constitution had always been frail to begin with, and after the fall, she had not only scraped her arm but her knee as well. Once the maids had applied medicine, she lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Yan Yunning withdrew from the inner chamber and came face-to-face with a man whose expression was tense with alarm. Yan Yunning felt a pang of guilt — had it not been for Elder Sister Yu Zhi today, this little one might very well have come to harm.

She hadn’t anticipated that Yan Shiyao would actually dare to push her.

Yan Shiyao had been so terrified when the guard pressed the sword to her neck — and she had still dared to push her!

“Were you frightened?” The man drew close and, still shaken, pulled her into his arms.

“No.”

“I was frightened.” Xuan Yanyu said in a muffled voice.

The moment he had returned to the residence, a guard reported it to him. When he heard that she had fallen, he shook with shock.

Sensing that the man’s body was rigid with tension, Yan Yunning soothingly patted his back. “It’s all right — I’m fine.”

Ye’an blinked, bewildered. Wasn’t it supposed to be His Highness comforting the Crown Princess?

Why was the Crown Princess the one comforting His Highness?

Xuan Yanyu rested his chin on Yan Yunning’s shoulder, his voice low and husky with a slight crack in it. “From now on, no matter the reason — even if it’s just standing at the gate of the residence, no matter how near or far — you are not to be without someone at your side.”

“Understood.” Yan Yunning tried to change the subject. “Where is Ye Chen?”

“In reply to the Crown Princess — Ye Chen has gone to deal with the guard who was at your side earlier and allowed you to be pushed over,” Ye’an reported.

Yan Yunning was taken aback. “Xuan Yanyu, this isn’t his fault — it was Yan Shiyao who pushed me.”

“Crown Princess, he was at your side, yet was so incompetent that he allowed you to be pushed over. The Crown Prince’s Residence does not keep useless people,” Ye’an said.

Yan Yunning paused for a moment, then said steadily, “Xuan Yanyu, you cannot have him killed. Yan Shiyao is a princess the Emperor personally enfeoffed — how could he dare truly harm her? If anyone is to blame, blame Yan Shiyao.”

“He will not be killed.” The man explained, “But he will no longer remain in the Crown Prince’s Residence. Never mind a princess enfeoffed by the Emperor — even if it were a Noble Consort or Imperial Noble Consort enfeoffed by the Emperor who intended harm upon you, as a subordinate of the Crown Prince’s Residence, a guard should not have shown any hesitation.”

Yan Yunning nodded. As long as no one’s life was taken, that was acceptable to her.

Xuan Yanyu bent down and lifted her into his arms. He lowered his gaze to meet the girl’s eyes — bright as a sky full of stars — and pressed a fleeting kiss to her forehead, then murmured, “Ningning, why don’t we move to the palace?”

If they lived in the palace, he wouldn’t have to worry about her while he attended morning court. At the Crown Prince’s Residence, whenever he left for morning court and was away from her for too long, he had always been uneasy — and now he was even more so.

Yan Yunning pursed her lips. “Let’s wait until Elder Sister Yu Zhi has recovered before we go to the palace.”

She didn’t particularly want to go to the palace — it meant waking up early every morning to have breakfast. But if another accident like today’s were to happen again…

Fine, so be it — early mornings it is!

Knowing what Yan Yunning was afraid of, Xuan Yanyu said with helpless resignation, “You won’t need to accompany the Emperor and Empress Dowager for breakfast — you’ll keep to the schedule I’ve set for you.”

Hearing that she would not have to rise early, Yan Yunning leaned up excitedly and kissed the corner of the man’s mouth. “Crown Prince, I love you so much.”

Xuan Yanyu’s lips curved upward. He cleared his throat and said, “You must love me always — you cannot transfer all your love to the child once it is born, leaving none for me.”

Yan Yunning nodded perfunctorily.

Xuan Yanyu’s eyes widened. “I’m serious.”

Yan Yunning said with a smile, “Oh, I know, I know — Crown Prince.”

Xuan Yanyu pinched the tip of her nose, his brow arching slightly. “You’re brushing me off?”

“No, absolutely not.” Yan Yunning raised three fingers to her temple and said in an adorably aggrieved tone, “Crown Prince, it’s so sunny — let’s go back to the inner chamber quickly.”

Xuan Yanyu’s throat moved slightly with a swallow. She was changing the subject!

The sky today was overcast and grey — what sun was she talking about?

——

Yan Shiyao had not fled anywhere else — she had run straight into the Prince Xuan’s Palace. Prince Xuan had long since received word that Yan Yunning had been pushed over by Yan Shiyao, and he was so furious he had been on the verge of issuing an edict to have Yan Shiyao executed on the spot.