By the time Yan Yunning and Xuan Yanyu arrived at the imperial academy, the Prince of Second Rank had already had his men escort the young lordling back to the estate.

The Prince of Second Rank himself had gone to the Xuan Imperial Palace to demand an explanation from the Grand Emperor. The small figure, afraid that the Prince of Second Rank would say unflattering things about him in front of his imperial grandfather, had also had his guards take him into the palace.

Yan Yunning and Xuan Yanyu listened as the tutor described what had happened from beginning to end, then the two looked at each other.

“We arrived too late,” said Yan Yunning with a quiet cough.

“He was able to handle it himself — no need for us to worry about it. Once he’s in the palace, with Imperial Father there, he won’t suffer a bit.” The man’s voice was low and unhurried. He leaned down and draped his arm over Yan Yunning’s shoulder as though he couldn’t quite hold himself upright, and said with a hint of jealousy, “Ningning, how about paying a little more attention to me instead? I need your attention more than the Crown Prince does.”

“…” Yan Yunning glanced at him. He hooked his arm around the back of her neck and dipped his head to brush his lips against hers.

“Will it be a lot of trouble?” Yan Yunning asked.

“No trouble.” Xuan Yanyu leaned against Yan Yunning as if he had no bones in his body, his tone clingy. “Besides, we’ve already left the palace. Let’s go back a bit later — we can change clothes, and I’ll take you to see what the main street looks like now.”

“Wait — wait a moment, I still have questions.” Yan Yunning nearly lost her words entirely as the man suddenly bent down and lifted her into his arms.

“Ask away.” Xuan Yanyu’s voice was languid.

“Didn’t Ye’an say that the Prince of Second Rank’s standing is equivalent to the former Qilan Emperor? Xiaoxiao had his guards beat him until he lost teeth — will there be any repercussions?” Yan Yunning felt a little uneasy.

“No repercussions. He’s nothing but a clown.” The man was utterly unconcerned.

Yan Yunning curved her lips. “Oh? His Majesty is that confident?”

Xuan Yanyu gave her ear a playful nip and laughed with satisfaction. “Don’t worry — I won’t let you get dragged into homelessness for my sake. If it ever really came to that, I would take you and run first.”

“…” Yan Yunning looped her arms around his neck and said cheekily, “Your Majesty, I would not run anywhere with you. At that point, I would take our son and remarry — ow… Xuan Yanyu!!!”

Yan Yunning rubbed her ear, which was now throbbing and numb.

“Be good. Say another word like that and I’ll confine you to the palace.” The man spoke his stern warning. “Never to leave again.”

“…Understood.” Yan Yunning nodded obediently.

Xuan Yanyu lowered his gaze, and his lips brushed against her soft ones. “Back to the carriage. I’ll help you change.”

“The… the carriage?” Yan Yunning’s eyes went wide. “You had it prepared this whole time??”

“Mm.” In a few strides, the man carried Yan Yunning aboard the carriage.

After changing clothes, Xuan Yanyu dismissed the guards and took Yan Yunning by the hand, the two of them going about inconspicuously on the main street.

Looking from one end of the street to the other, little red lanterns were strung up all along the way. Stalls were packed one beside the next, and some vendors carrying shoulder poles moved up and down the street calling out their wares.

The calls of the vendors, the laughter of the people, the aroma of food drifting out of the tavern — it was lively and warm.

In front of a steamed bun shop, a wife was dabbing sweat from her husband’s brow, while a plump little figure squatted beside them gnawing away at a bun. To the side, in front of a cosmetics and accessories shop, a cluster of young women had gathered. At the center of the street, acrobats were performing to a bustling, jostling crowd — all the warmth and vibrancy of ordinary life on full display.

It was easy to see that the people of Xuanzhao were living comfortable and contented lives.

“I want one — make it sweet.”

In the midst of her reverie, Yan Yunning found herself being led by Xuan Yanyu to stand before a vendor selling candied hawthorns on a stick. She came back to herself and said with a smile, “Make it two.”

“I don’t eat those.” The man laughed and squeezed her fingers.

Yan Yunning cleared her throat. “I know you don’t eat them — the other one is to bring back for Xiaoxiao.”

Xuan Yanyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. He leaned close to her ear and said through gritted teeth, “Have I ever mentioned that I need your attention more than Xiaoxiao does? And yet the moment you open your mouth, it’s Xiaoxiao again?”

“Xiaoxiao had such a rough time today — bringing one back to cheer him up is only natural,” Yan Yunning coaxed softly. “From now on, I’ll absolutely pay more attention to you than to Xiaoxiao.”

The man gave a low hum.

“Young sir, young lady — your candied hawthorns.” The vendor held out the two neatly wrapped sticks with a smile.

“Thank you.” Yan Yunning accepted them, then fished some loose silver from Xuan Yanyu’s pocket and handed it to the vendor with a cheerful smile.

“Here — hold onto the one for Xiaoxiao.” After they had walked a distance away, Yan Yunning pressed the stick meant for Xuan Yuncheng into Xuan Yanyu’s hand.

“If it’s for Xiaoxiao, why aren’t you carrying it yourself?” the man asked, his tone pointedly sarcastic.

“Xuan Yanyu?” Yan Yunning took a bite of her candied hawthorn and said, at a loss for words, “What are you squabbling with your own son about?”

“I’m not.” The man’s voice gave away no discernible displeasure.

It was just that when he heard her ask for two, and neither was for him, he felt — just a tiny, tiny bit — put out.

Yan Yunning stole a glance at him. When she looked up and met his gaze, she narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Would you like to try one? They’re sweet!”

Xuan Yanyu studied her for half a second, then parted his dignified lips. Yan Yunning held the candied hawthorn up to his mouth and watched him bite off a small piece. She asked in a soft, gentle voice, “Sweet?”

“It’ll do.” Xuan Yanyu’s expression didn’t change.

Yan Yunning tucked her arm through his, her lovely eyes fixed on him, her voice both coy and tender. “Perhaps it’s because you’re the one who bought them — I think they’re incredibly sweet. Incredibly delicious.”

The man stopped walking. He gazed at her — cheeks puffed, face soft and flushed, a candied hawthorn in her mouth — and said in a lazy voice that hovered between amusement and indifference, “Flattering me?”

It was sour enough to make his teeth ache!

If they brought the rest back, Xiaoxiao would take one bite and never go back for a second.

“I saw His Majesty say with such a perfectly composed expression that it was ‘fine’ — I actually thought His Majesty found them genuinely delicious.” Yan Yunning smiled and spat out the piece of hawthorn in her mouth, then stuffed everything left in her hand into Xuan Yanyu’s.

The vendor must have misheard the order — she had asked for sweet, and received sour.

Xuan Yanyu grabbed Yan Yunning’s arm and pulled her into his embrace. A low, deep voice settled at Yan Yunning’s ear. “So — you deliberately made me taste one.”

Yan Yunning giggled. “No, I didn’t. His Majesty is overthinking it.”

“Nonsense — you absolutely did it on purpose.” The man’s voice trailed off with a breath of air, carrying an inexplicable, bewitching quality that made the tips of her ears burn.

“All right, all right — yes, it was deliberate. What can His Majesty do about it?” Yan Yunning said cheekily.

The man raised an eyebrow. His slender fingers found the spot where she was ticklish and gave it a scratch. His voice dropped low. “What can I do? When we get back to the palace, I’ll punish you.”

Yan Yunning curled her lip, her expression full of disbelief.

Xuan Yanyu patted her on the head and said in a husky voice, “Just you wait.”

“Fine, I’ll wait~” Yan Yunning tilted an eyebrow up ever so slightly.

She really didn’t believe Xuan Yanyu would actually punish her — it was nothing more than empty words.

The man looked at her with a meaningful gaze, his eyes brimming with quiet amusement.

Yan Yunning: “?”

Xuan Imperial Palace — the Imperial Study.

The Grand Emperor sat upon the gilded throne, the small figure nestled in his arms.

The Prince of Second Rank was kneeling on the ground. Both cheeks were swollen to a dark purple from all the slapping, and traces of blood still clung to the corners of his mouth — likely left there on purpose and not wiped away, since he was here to seek an audience with the Grand Emperor.

“Be seated.”

“This subject thanks the Grand Emperor.” The Prince of Second Rank rose weakly. Seeing his state, a maidservant carefully helped him to a sandalwood chair.

“Who did this to you?” the Grand Emperor asked, feigning ignorance.