“Ahem.” Ye’an kicked Ye Chen, signaling him to keep quiet.
His Highness muttering a few complaints was fine enough, but why on earth bring up the ancestral hall’s side chamber as if it were a place to punish the Crown Prince for his wrongdoings?
Did His Highness not realize that?
After venting for a while, Xuan Yanyu picked up his golden chopsticks, took a bite of the dish Ye’an had served him, then set the chopsticks down and picked up a memorial to begin reviewing it.
Ye’an and Ye Chen exchanged a glance. His Highness had taken that one bite precisely so they could eat — if they did not, they would be going against his wishes.
The two of them looked away, quickly finished a bowl of rice, then cleared away the food and sat on either side of Xuan Yanyu, waiting for his instructions.
“Your Highness, please have some tea.” Ye’an placed the teacup beside Xuan Yanyu’s hand.
Ye Chen sat cross-legged on the floor and glanced at the man seated upright in the sandalwood chair.
His side profile was striking and fair-skinned, his nose bridge straight, his ink-black hair bound with a golden crown. His eyes were lowered as he studied the memorials with quiet focus. From this angle, even his slightly downcast lashes looked long. Their Highness truly had an exceptional appearance.
Dressed in a brilliant yellow dragon robe, slanted rays of light streamed through the window into the chamber, casting the composed man in a glow that made him look both noble and cold.
In truth, the man’s brows and eyes were filled with restless irritation, and at this moment he was struggling to hold back an imminent outburst.
——
As the sun dipped westward and the sky gradually darkened, inside the great hall, Yan Yunning smiled gently at the corners of her lips as she poured tea for Prince Xuan.
“Father Emperor, please have some tea.” Yan Yunning was especially well-behaved.
“Sit.” Prince Xuan took the teacup and instructed Eunuch Feng to have some pastries, candied fruits, and plums brought in.
The hall was fragrant with a pleasant incense, and Yan Yunning felt herself growing pleasantly drowsy from it — she even thought that Prince Xuan’s attitude toward her today seemed exceptionally warm!
“Imperial Physician Wen said you have been vomiting frequently these past days and do not eat much either?” The sovereign smiled at her like a doting father and passed her a piece of pastry. “Try Father Emperor’s pastries here — see if they suit your appetite.”
“Thank you, Father Emperor.” Yan Yunning hesitantly accepted it, took a small bite, nodded, and smiled. “Father Emperor’s pastries are truly delicious.”
The girl’s brows and eyes curved into crescent moons, the pastry held in her hand making her slender fingers look even more delicate, and the phoenix hairpin in her hair swayed lightly as she tilted her head with a smile.
Prince Xuan smiled and nudged the pastries closer to Yan Yunning. “If they taste good, eat more. Being too thin will not do.”
Yan Yunning’s smile froze for half a second. She took back her words about them being delicious — fine, they were not that good after all!
The perceptive sovereign’s eyes crinkled with amusement as he said in a low and gentle tone, “We’ll let it go for today — you only just had your midday meal not long ago, so you likely cannot eat much more. Tonight, I will have someone fetch your Imperial Mother, and you may come dine with Father Emperor at the Taiyi Palace. I’ll have the Imperial Kitchen prepare the dishes you like.”
Yan Yunning was a little overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. Although Prince Xuan’s attitude toward her had shifted somewhat after her pregnancy, it had never been quite this warm.
Prince Xuan stared at Yan Yunning’s face, momentarily lost in thought. The first time he had seen Ningning, no wonder he had always felt a vague sense of familiarity.
After Eunuch Feng had gone to the ancestral hall to deliver a meal to Yueer, he had spent a long while piecing things together. The letter the Imperial Advisor had sent him stated that Yueer and Ningning would not last long, that Yueer had said Ningning had inexplicably started bleeding from her nose that morning, and combined with what the Imperial Advisor had previously told him regarding the resolution of Yueer’s tribulation —
It clicked into place at once. The one who had helped Yueer and Xuanzhao — was Ningning.
The Imperial Advisor had said “the young lady of the Yan Family,” the young lady of the Yan Family — but the Imperial Advisor had never specified it was Yan Shiyao. He had assumed the jade pendant was with Yan Shiyao and had taken it as a given that it referred to her.
What he had found out was not necessarily the truth.
Now that Yueer’s tribulation had been resolved, Ningning would have to leave — of course they would not last long!
It was as though she had come here solely to help Yueer — once her purpose was fulfilled, she would be gone…
Yueer was the future Prince Xuan, and having a benefactor assist him was natural enough, but why did it have to come at the cost of someone bearing his tribulation?
From the moment Ningning had come to Xuanzhao, he had never given her a kind look. The first time he had treated her with any warmth was only because she had become pregnant.
And afterward, he had told her that he intended to have Yueer marry the eldest princess of Qilan, causing her such heartbreak that she had fled from home.
On the day of Yan Shiyao’s investiture, Eunuch Feng had asked him — if Yueer were to lavish the same affection on Yan Shiyao, whom he had mistakenly believed had helped Yueer and Xuanzhao, as he did on Ningning, what would he do? He had said at the time that he would not allow Yueer to be with her.
Now… he looked at Yan Yunning, who sat there smiling — could he truly do that?
It seemed he could not. Ningning was two years younger than Yueer. If the General and his wife were still alive, she would have been their cherished daughter — she would not have been sent to Qilan, left unwelcome by Chu Wantang.
His change of heart was not only because she still carried Yueer’s child in her womb, but because, no matter what, he could not bring himself to wound her heart one final time at the end.
The Imperial Advisor’s letter had said she and Yueer would not last long, and had asked him to keep Yueer in check. He had initially assumed the two of them would have some falling-out, and that Ningning would be the one to abandon Yueer.
After all, given how besotted Yueer was with her now, it was impossible that he would be the one to leave Ningning first — so he had planned to find some pretext to restrain Yueer and reduce the frequency of their meetings.
But thinking it over carefully, that was not right. Now that he understood the situation clearly, he could not do that anymore. He would let things run their natural course.
Yet he knew Ningning would be leaving, and he was keeping it from Yueer — was that the right thing to do?
What Prince Xuan did not know was that Yan Yunning herself did not know either. She was aware that she would leave one day, but she had not breathed a single word of it to Xuan Yanyu.
“Father Emperor?” Yan Yunning furrowed her brow slightly.
Why had he suddenly gone quiet?
“Ahem.” Prince Xuan returned to himself. The sovereign’s usually stern eyes softened with a gentle light. “You came to find Father Emperor to ask him to lift Yueer’s punishment?”
Yan Yunning’s eyes curved warmly. “No. Your son’s consort came to ask Father Emperor whether she may leave the palace. His Highness the Crown Prince previously said that she must have his approval to leave the palace. Today he is not by my side, so I thought to come ask Father Emperor — or perhaps your son’s consort could go to the ancestral hall to ask His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Prince Xuan’s eyes lit up with amusement. “Father Emperor approves. There is no need to ask Yueer.”
Under normal circumstances, with the sky nearly dark, he certainly would not have agreed.
He suspected this little girl had come to ask him at this hour knowing full well he would not agree — and would then smoothly say that she had something urgent, could she please be allowed to go ask Yueer, and that if even Yueer did not agree, she would give up the idea entirely.
In short, leaving the palace was a pretense — wanting to see Yueer was the truth.
“Very well.” Yan Yunning rose and performed a small curtsy. “Then your son’s consort will take her leave.”
Prince Xuan deliberately let out a sigh. “I had originally intended to go with you to call Yueer for the evening meal. Since you are leaving the palace, Father Emperor will have to go alone.”
Yan Yunning paused mid-step. She turned her head and smiled. “Father Emperor, leaving the palace is a small matter — it does not compare to His Highness the Crown Prince. Since Father Emperor has said he will go with your son’s consort to call His Highness for the evening meal, your son’s consort will not leave the palace today.”
“…” Prince Xuan raised an eyebrow with a smile. Her mind moved quite quickly.
——
The Ancestral Hall.
Prince Xuan signaled the guards at the door to make no sound, then turned his gaze to Yan Yunning and said quietly, “Ningning, hide behind Eunuch Feng and the others. Father Emperor will let you see just how unyielding Yueer can be.”
“Ah?”
Prince Xuan arched an eyebrow slightly. “Wait and see.”
The guard pushed open the door. Prince Xuan stepped into the chamber, bowed deeply, and then led everyone into the side chamber.
The man inside heard the commotion but did not lift his head — only the reviewed memorial he set down landed a little too heavily.
“Greetings to Your Majesty.”
“Greetings to Your Majesty.”
Ye Chen and Ye’an bowed.
Prince Xuan calmly cast a glance at Xuan Yanyu. “What is the meaning of this? Did you not tell Us yourself that you would accept whatever punishment We chose?”
“…”