Even when the candle of life is extinguished, those who have taken root in the heart are never truly forgotten.

Ancient Arc Side Story — Baby’s Birth Arc (This can be understood as the storyline without the miscarriage.)

——

As the birth drew near, Xuan Yanyu took leave from Prince Xuan and stayed by Yan Yunning’s side day and night.

On the eighth day of midsummer — the eighth day of the sixth month — light rain began to fall in the night. In a drowsy haze, Yan Yunning felt a heavy, sinking pressure in her abdomen. She patted Xuan Yanyu’s arm. “Xuan Xixi… it’s… it’s time.”

The man immediately sat up, draped on his brocade robe, and called for people outside the palace hall. Since Yan Yunning’s delivery was only days away, all the imperial physicians, medical officials, and midwives had been taking turns keeping watch outside the hall, precisely out of fear that she might go into labor without warning.

Yan Yunning groaned continuously from the pain. Xuan Yanyu returned after summoning them and crouched beside the bed, coaxing her tenderly.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please step outside.” The moment the medical official entered, he began ushering him out.

“There is no need. This hall will remain here to keep watch.” The man used his sleeve to wipe the beads of sweat from Yan Yunning’s forehead.

“No — you go out.” Yan Yunning’s teeth chattered from the pain.

“Ningning, allow this hall to stay and keep you company, all right?” Xuan Yanyu said in a gentle voice.

“Go out…” Yan Yunning clutched the brocade quilt tightly, the pain blackening her vision.

She did not want Xuan Yanyu watching. Just thinking about it felt terribly awkward…

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please hurry and step outside.” The midwife urged.

“All right, all right.” The man stood, reluctant to leave, and walked out of the hall.

Yan Yunning curled her body against the pain, cursing Xuan Yanyu over and over in her heart.

——

The imperial physicians and Xuan Yanyu waited together outside the hall. The man paced back and forth anxiously. Hearing Yan Yunning’s voice grow nearly hoarse from crying out, he lifted his foot, wanting to go back in.

“Your Highness, please wait.” Ye’an grabbed hold of Xuan Yanyu just in time.

The man let out a breath; his palms were drenched in sweat. An hour later, a bright, clear cry pierced through the crack in the door and reached those waiting outside. Xuan Yanyu’s throat bobbed up and down, the corners of his eyes flushing red, and he murmured, “This hall’s and Ningning’s child has been born? A child born of the two of us??”

Ye Chen said with excitement, “Yes, Your Highness — the young master has been born! Your child and the Crown Princess Consort’s!”

Inside the hall, Yan Yunning had not even had a chance to look at the child — she did not know whether it was a boy or a girl. By the time she woke again, she had returned to the modern world, and Fafa had suddenly vanished as well.

She picked up her phone and glanced at it. The calendar showed the eighth of June. The seventh had been her brother’s birthday — meaning she had celebrated her brother’s birthday just yesterday, and this morning she woke to find it was the eighth. Had her journey into the book been a dream?

Had it truly been such a vivid dream?

She lay back down on the bed, momentarily unable to distinguish reality from dream. She turned on her side and typed “Xuan Yanyu” into her phone’s input method, then pressed search. No novel with a male lead by that name came up.

She searched again: “Yan Shiyao, Qi Qingchen, Xuanzhao Kingdom, Qilan Kingdom.”

Nothing. Nothing at all…

Not a single piece of information could be found.

Since returning, Yan Yunning had not a shred of energy. Aside from going downstairs daily to eat, she shut herself inside her room. She missed Xuan Yanyu, and she missed their baby…

She wanted to know how the baby and Xuan Yanyu were doing…

Father Yan and Mother Yan worried for her health. Seeing Yan Yunning suddenly lock herself in her room for more than half a month, the family held a discussion and decided that they would take her traveling everywhere, leaving her no time to dwell on other things.

Life still had to go on. Yan Yunning gradually came to accept a life without Xuan Yanyu, and she followed Mother Yan and Father Yan to live abroad.

Over the years, no matter how her family urged her, Yan Yunning never sought another boyfriend. Whether it had been a dream or not, she always felt that if she found one, a certain someone would be furious.

When Yan Yunning turned thirty, she adopted a little girl from a welfare home, and her later years passed quite well.

At the end of her life, in a hazy daze, she saw that strikingly handsome man, holding a small child by the hand, reaching out to her.

In her mind, Fafa’s familiar electronic voice rang out again: “Master, welcome home.”

And then it faded away.

Yan Yunning placed her hand in the man’s palm and said in an aggrieved voice, “Xuan Yanyu, I have missed you so much.”

When she woke again, Yan Yunning saw in a trance the familiar palace halls. Her mind rang with a loud hum. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, her voice cracking with the threat of tears. “This is not a dream… this is the Crown Prince’s residence.”

She had come back. This time there was no Fafa — and in the modern world, she had already passed on.

She stumbled over to the bronze mirror. Seeing her own face looking back, she laughed through her tears. She touched her own soft, delicate cheek — this was her twenty-five-year-old self.

“Why were you slacking off right after you arrived? His Highness the Crown Prince will be back shortly,” Xiaoyue said helplessly.

“Xiaoyue?”

“Hmm? What is it?” Xiaoyue picked up a pair of small golden boots and held them out to Yan Yunning. “In a moment, you will go wash His Highness the Crown Prince’s feet. From now on, you are responsible for attending to His Highness — including his daily life and meals.”

Yan Yunning looked at the small boots in her hands, so moved that her hands trembled. Were these her baby’s — or a baby Xuan Yanyu had with another woman?

“Don’t be afraid.” Xiaoyue stared at her face with a complicated expression. “Don’t think about things you shouldn’t.”

Over these past five years, there had been too many women who bore a resemblance to the Crown Princess Consort — or rather, to Her Majesty the Xuan Empress — trying to win His Majesty’s favor. What a pity.

None of them had come to a good end…

They had all grown numb to it…

“Tell the imperial grandfather tomorrow that this hall has fallen ill — this hall refuses to get up early anymore!!” A soft, childlike voice drifted in from the doorway of the hall.

“Your Highness, you claim to be ‘ill’ once every two days. If you keep this up, His Majesty will lose his patience,” Ye Chen said helplessly.

Yan Yunning watched as Xuan Yunchen walked into the hall — pale and fair-skinned, with plump, round little cheeks, long lashes, and remarkably fine features. His eyes were bright and large.

He wore a magnificent golden robe embroidered with dragon patterns, his black hair bound up with a jade crown. He bore a striking resemblance to Xuan Yanyu — one glance made it clear he was Xuan Yanyu’s child, though it was harder to tell whether he took after her as well.

Yan Yunning followed Xuan Yunchen with her gaze. By his age, he appeared to be around five years old. Considering she had left when she was twenty, and she was now twenty-five — five years had passed.

He was her baby. He was hers and Xuan Yanyu’s baby.

“This hall never said to tell your father — this hall said to tell the imperial grandfather. The imperial grandfather won’t lose his patience!” The little one glared at Ye Chen. “If Father Emperor punishes this hall because of it, when this hall returns, this hall will punish you!”

“Your Highness!” Ye Chen drew in a deep breath. “Will you please be reasonable? If this subordinate reports to the Grand Emperor, will His Majesty not find out? And yet you wish to punish this subordinate for it.”

He would rather stay by His Majesty’s side. At least His Majesty was reasonable.

“It does not matter — that is none of this hall’s concern.” The little one let out a yawn, then tilted his head to look up at Yan Yunning standing there. His small brow furrowed slightly. “New?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” After answering, Xiaoyue tugged at the hem of Yan Yunning’s skirt, signaling for her to kneel in greeting.

Only then did Yan Yunning come to her senses — her current identity appeared to be that of a maidservant in the Crown Prince’s residence.

Ye Chen looked at Yan Yunning, whose appearance so closely resembled that of Her Majesty the Xuan Empress, and raised an eyebrow. What a pity — she was in for trouble once His Majesty laid eyes on her.

Over these past five years, starting with the commandery princess Ling Mianmian, one woman after another had tried to imitate the Crown Princess Consort’s appearance. Every single one had been severely punished by His Majesty — without exception.

“Has the new one not learned proper etiquette?” The little one arched the corner of his eye.

Yan Yunning crouched down and met his gaze at eye level, unable to resist pinching his soft, chubby little cheek. “Your Highness the Crown Prince…”

“How dare you pinch this hall’s cheek??” Xuan Yunchen stared at Yan Yunning’s face, his small expression turning serious. “Father Emperor will not take a fancy to you — give up. Father Emperor only loves his mother empress. Other women are beneath his notice. Even this hall…” His father hardly spared him a glance. He could tell — Father Emperor probably did not like him. Not at all. Only the imperial grandfather and imperial grandmother liked him. Father Emperor had never once come to his Crown Prince’s residence. Once, during a fever that left him delirious, he had desperately wanted to see Father Emperor, to be held and comforted by him. When Father Emperor learned of it, he had only sent an imperial physician to the residence. It had been the imperial grandfather who coaxed him into drinking the bitter medicinal broth — he had always hated drinking medicine, and ever since he was small, the imperial grandfather and imperial grandmother had thought of all manner of ways to coax him into drinking it. Father Emperor never paid him any mind. He had been raised by the imperial grandfather. Father Emperor had never once held him. He envied Xuetuan greatly — Father Emperor held it every single day.

Noticing the little one’s eyes reddening at the rims, Yan Yunning felt a sudden pang in her heart and coaxed him softly, “No more pinching, no more pinching.”

Such a beautiful, adorable little one — if he cried, she would be heartbroken.

Especially since he looked so much like Xuan Yanyu.

Xuan Yunchen sniffled, pushed Yan Yunning away, and pattered off into the inner bedchamber.

“What happened to him?” Yan Yunning looked toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Did no one teach you the rules before you entered the Crown Prince’s residence?”

Not greeting His Highness with a bow, brazenly pinching His Highness’s cheek, and now inquiring after His Highness’s feelings — the nerve!

Yan Yunning pointed to herself. Had they all forgotten who she was? The little one appeared to be only around five years old. In just five years, had they already forgotten her?

“Drag her out, lest she displease His Highness.” Ye Chen said flatly.

——