The next morning.
Yan Yunning rubbed her aching lower back and noticed that Xuan Yanyu was still resting. She furrowed her brow slightly. Two days now — from yesterday to today, he had shown no intention of attending morning court, and she hadn’t seen him review a single memorial.
Yan Yunning pressed her lips together. Was he truly alright…?
Yan Yunning lifted the brocade quilt and tiptoed out of bed. After washing up, she had Xiao Wan summon Ye’an to wait for her in the main hall.
A quarter of an hour later, Yan Yunning, fully dressed, sat in the seat of honor in the main hall, holding Xue Tuan in her arms.
“Your subordinate pays respects to Her Highness the Xuan Empress.” Ye’an, thinking Yan Yunning was going to ask how he had recognized her, explained, “Your Highness, the reason your subordinate recognized you is because you dared to call His Majesty by his given name directly — no one else would dare.”
Yan Yunning: “…”
“Your subordinate speaks the truth.” Afraid Yan Yunning wouldn’t believe him, Ye’an added.
Yan Yunning lowered her gaze and stroked Xue Tuan’s small head, then asked hesitantly, “Xuan Yanyu — has he been alright these past years?”
Ye’an was momentarily startled, clearly not having expected Yan Yunning to ask such a question.
He answered truthfully, “As long as His Majesty was not missing Your Highness, he was fine — the same as always. But if… if he missed Your Highness, His Majesty would hurt himself by cutting…” Ye’an’s voice tightened. “Your Highness, please go look at His Majesty’s arm.”
Yan Yunning’s heart gave a faint tremble. “What?”
“Your Highness, His Majesty spent most of his time thinking of you. When his heart was in pain, he naturally needed physical pain to divert his attention.”
A dull, suffocating ache settled in Yan Yunning’s chest.
Ye’an rushed to explain further, “The reason you’re asking your subordinate this must be because you’ve noticed something is off with His Majesty. Although His Majesty is not quite the same as he was five years ago, please be at ease, Your Highness — His Majesty would absolutely never harm you.”
“I know.” The tips of Yan Yunning’s fingers, still holding Xue Tuan, trembled slightly.
So that was why Xuan Yanyu lacked a sense of security — why yesterday he had been jealous of Xiaoxiao?
Or was it that he feared… feared she would pour her whole heart into Xiaoxiao and neglect him in the future?
Perhaps both reasons applied.
“Your Highness, now that you have returned, this subordinate earnestly implores you to gently encourage His Majesty to attend to court affairs. Over these past five years, the Grand Emperor has had to both raise Crown Prince and manage Xuanzhao — and now that Qilan has also submitted to Xuanzhao, the Grand Emperor is, after all, getting on in years, and is somewhat unable to manage everything. If at this time, the people of Qilan who have submitted to Xuanzhao harbor treacherous intentions, the Grand Emperor may not be able to handle it. And if the Grand Emperor cannot handle it, Your Highness surely understands what the consequences would be…”
Yan Yunning’s gaze darkened. She understood all too well — the consequence would naturally be that Xuanzhao would change hands.
Xuan Yanyu had abandoned everything, the Grand Emperor was aging, and Xiaoxiao was still far too young.
“Ningning.” The doors of the main hall were pushed open. A man wearing only his sleeping robes stumbled forward and wrapped his arms around Yan Yunning.
Ye’an pressed his lips together, turned, and quietly withdrew from the hall.
Yan Yunning softened her voice. “What’s wrong?”
The man pressed his thin lips tightly together. His body trembled faintly, radiating fragility. “I thought… thought your return was only a dream.”
Yan Yunning’s lashes fluttered. She smiled. “I was wrong. Next time I’ll absolutely wait until you wake up before getting out of bed.”
Xuan Yanyu cupped her face in his hands, his expression uneasy. “Don’t leave us again.”
His sleeve slid back. Yan Yunning’s gaze fell on the small patch of arm now exposed — dense with scabbed-over scars. Her complexion went pale. Her eyes reddened, and she nodded. “I won’t. I will never leave you again.”
Xuan Yanyu’s brow smoothed. He took Yan Yunning by the hand and led her back to the inner chamber. No sooner had they finished tidying their appearances than Qiuci knocked on the chamber door. “Your Majesty, Your Highness, this servant is entering the chamber.”
“Mm.” Yan Yunning gently pushed away the arm the man had wound around her waist.
“Paying respects to His Majesty and Her Highness the Xuan Empress.” Qiuci curtsied and set down the tray. “Your Highness, please drink this while it is hot.”
Yan Yunning glanced at the porcelain bowl on the round table — the same medicinal broth as yesterday. She turned to look at Xuan Yanyu and asked curiously, “What is this?”
The man’s brow gave a subtle movement. He lifted the bowl and turned a golden spoon slowly in his hand. “Drink it, and then we’ll go have breakfast.”
Yan Yunning took a sip of the broth that Xuan Yanyu brought to her lips, growing ever more curious. “What exactly is this?”
“A tonic,” said Xuan Yanyu, his eyes lowered slightly. He added one more sentence: “It’s good for the body.”
“There’s no need — my body is just fine. I don’t want any more.” Yan Yunning pushed away the golden spoon in his hand.
Xuan Yanyu’s brow furrowed faintly. He coaxed her in a low voice, “Just drink it this once. Starting tomorrow, you won’t have to drink it anymore — all right?”
Yan Yunning’s clear eyes curved with a faint smile. “All right.”
After finishing the broth and eating breakfast, Yan Yunning looked at Xuan Yanyu sitting by her side and hesitated, the words on the tip of her tongue.
“Xuan Yanyu.” Yan Yunning moved around behind the man and began kneading his shoulders, a trace of amusement in her eyes. “Breakfast is done — shouldn’t you take a look at the memorials?”
“No.” Xuan Yanyu refused without a second’s thought.
Yan Yunning raised her hands and rubbed his temples for him, saying with a smile, “We have nothing else to do anyway. How about just one?”
The man lifted his eyelids and looked at her, lazily shaking his head.
Yan Yunning’s eyes flickered with an idea. “If you won’t look at them, that’s fine — but how about you at least catch up on what has been happening at court recently? How does that sound?”
Xuan Yanyu gave a light laugh. “Don’t feel like it.”
“Tell me why.” Yan Yunning pursed her lips slightly.
“No reason. Don’t feel like it.” The man hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. He raised an eyebrow. “Tell me where you’d like to go. We’ll leave the palace and have fun.”
“I don’t want to,” Yan Yunning replied, mimicking his own tone back at him.
Xuan Yanyu took her hand and cradled it in his palm, drawling lazily, “Then we’ll stay in the palace.”
Yan Yunning looked at him helplessly, held her thumb and forefinger just a tiny gap apart, and pressed once more, “Can’t you look at just one memorial?”
The man raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
Yan Yunning: “…”
He was completely impossible to persuade!
“Your Majesty, Your Highness — the Crown Prince and the young lordling have gotten into a fight at the imperial academy.” Ye Chen called urgently from outside the chamber.
Yan Yunning’s expression shifted with alarm. She pulled Xuan Yanyu to his feet, opened the chamber door, and looked urgently at Ye Chen. “Is Xiaoxiao hurt?”
“That… Your Highness, Crown Prince is not injured, but… the young lordling is injured.” Ye Chen answered truthfully.
Yan Yunning let out a breath of relief, and the urgency left her. “Who is the young lordling?”
“The beloved son of the Prince of Second Rank — pampered no less than His Majesty dotes on Xiaoxiao,” said Xuan Yanyu.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness — the young lordling’s nose was bumped by the heir of the Princess Imperial’s household, and it started bleeding. The Prince of Second Rank is unlikely to let this go,” Ye Chen said, his face scrunched with misery.
“Just a bump and his nose started bleeding? That fragile?? Are we sure it wasn’t caused by dry air, or a cold?” Yan Yunning said, slightly astonished.
Ye Chen shook his head. “This subordinate is not certain.”
Xuan Yanyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Wasn’t the fight supposed to be with Xiaoxiao? How did Momo end up involved?”
“Your Majesty, the young lordling deliberately knocked Crown Prince’s arm while His Highness was in the middle of writing, causing him to ruin an entire essay he had been working on. Crown Prince then took his brush and drew a stroke of ink across the young lordling’s cheek. The young lordling then burst into tears and lashed out at Crown Prince.”
“Crown Prince naturally would not suffer that quietly, and the two got into a fierce argument. The tutor didn’t dare intervene. The commotion was heard by the heir in the adjacent hall — he came over, saw the young lordling and Crown Prince, and stepped in front of Crown Prince to protect him. He hadn’t even opened his mouth yet when the young lordling’s nose started bleeding.”
“The young lordling felt the blood, ran out of the academy crying and making a scene, saying Crown Prince and the heir had bullied him. That is how this subordinate came to know of it.”