The little one had eaten his fill, so he obediently waved goodbye to Yan Yunning and followed Ye Chen out of Taiyi Palace.

“Yesterday you needed me, so you so kindly ladled soup for me. Today you tell me to fill it myself. What — you no longer need anything from me?”

Xuan Yanyu crossed one long leg over the other, his arm draped over the armrest of the sandalwood chair, his languid posture radiating effortless nobility.

Yan Yunning turned her head and gave a light smile. “You no longer have any value I can make use of in this Palace’s eyes. Therefore, this Palace does not intend to fawn over you or ladle soup for you. It is your turn to serve this Palace.”

The man reached out and tugged at her ear, his eyes brimming with a beguiling smile. “Understood, my Lady Xuan. What does my Lady wish to eat? This one will feed you.”

“Do you need this Palace to tell you? Be careful — this Palace may have someone drag you away for twenty strokes of the rod.” Yan Yunning added as an afterthought, “Your Majesty, I learned that from you.”

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow. So she had found out about the day he ordered twenty strokes of the rod for Qiuci.

“Mn?” The half-eaten pastry was snatched away. Yan Yunning looked at Xuan Yanyu, amusement dancing at the corners of her eyes. “Your Majesty, you cannot eat that pastry. I just remembered — I sprinkled the medicine powder I obtained from the imperial physician onto it yesterday.”

“It’s fine.” The man put the pastry in his mouth.

Yan Yunning: “……”

“I am quite curious — how exactly did you manage to ask the imperial physician for that medicine?” Xuan Yanyu asked with an idle laugh.

“Do you want the honest answer?” Yan Yunning gave him a look that was anything but benign.

The man’s voice turned slightly cool. “It had better not be what I’m imagining.”

“Your Majesty! It really is exactly what you were imagining.” Yan Yunning burst into laughter.

She had gone to the Imperial Medical Court to get the medicine, but had not said it was for Xuan Yanyu — she had said it was for a warm-hearted elder sister outside the palace, who was getting it for Elder Brother Mu outside the palace.

After all, if the imperial physician had known it was for Xuan Yanyu, there was no way he would have prescribed it.

She had specifically requested a variety that would not harm the body, so that if a child came along, there would be no ill effects. She had even gone to the trouble of brewing the soup — only for it all to be wasted effort.

“You know what I was thinking?” Xuan Yanyu’s voice was unhurried and lazy.

“No.” Yan Yunning picked up a plate of pastries and quietly began backing away. “I told the imperial physician that you couldn’t ris—”

“Yan Yunning!!”

“I’m leaving now.” Yan Yunning turned and bolted.

Xuan Yanyu strode after her in a few large steps, scooped her up in a princess carry, and said darkly, “I will make sure you think twice before saying something like that again.”

“I was wrong. I promise I won’t say anything like that again.”

The man ground his teeth. “Too late!!”

Yan Yunning: “……”

——

Because of one sentence, Yan Yunning needed six days of recuperation before she could walk freely again.

That day, after finishing breakfast, without even a word to Xuan Yanyu, she went to Ranle Palace.

The little girl in the cradle’s features were no longer so scrunched. She was slowly growing into herself, and at this moment she was gnawing on her little fist, making tiny cooing sounds.

“Sister-in-law, sister-in-law.”

Hearing Xuan Zhaoran’s voice, Yan Yunning turned around, only to realize that at some point, the maidservants and wet nurses had all withdrawn.

“What is it?” Yan Yunning turned back and hooked a finger around the little girl’s tiny hand.

“That… ” Xuan Zhaoran hesitated, then asked tentatively, “Sister-in-law, did it work?”

Yan Yunning thought for a moment, understood what she was referring to, and shook her head.

First came the pastries, and then because of that one sentence, the next day someone had sent pomegranate juice. Work? Not a chance!!

Xuan Zhaoran curled her fingers inward. If the medicine from the Imperial Medical Court had not worked either, then what could be done?

“Sister-in-law… don’t be sad.” Xuan Zhaoran did not know how to comfort her.

Yan Yunning looked at the adorable little girl in the cradle, who scrunched up her tiny face. “How could I not be sad?”

Maybe she should just take the little girl away…

Xuan Zhaoran’s voice tightened, and she asked carefully, “Sister-in-law… you… you won’t leave Prince Xuan’s elder brother, will you?”

“Of course not. Even if I were to leave, your brother would just bring me back to Prince Xuan’s residence anyway.” Yan Yunning smiled and tapped the little girl’s cheek.

Xuan Zhaoran pursed her lips. “Sister-in-law, is it that you can’t be bothered to leave, because you know my brother would just bring you back?”

“What do you mean, can’t be bothered? I have no intention of leaving Xuan Yanyu.”

“Sister-in-law.” Xuan Zhaoran looked at Yan Yunning with deep gratitude.

Yan Yunning: “…?”

Incomprehensible!

——

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, another month and a half had gone by.

Over that month and a half, the only change Yan Yunning noticed was that her little one, under Xuan Yanyu’s supervision, had stopped trying to skip his morning lessons every day and had become much better-behaved.

“Lady Xuan, go easy on the pastries. His Majesty and the Crown Prince will be back soon, and it will be time for dinner.” Qiuci waved for someone to clear away the pastries.

“I know… ugh…” Yan Yunning had just swallowed a piece when a wave of acid surged up from her stomach. Qiuci quickly brought a bamboo basket over, and Yan Yunning bent over it, retching dryly for quite some time before she finally recovered.

“My Lady, let’s call an imperial physician to take a look. You’ve been feeling unwell these past two days — how can we not have a physician examine you?” Qiuci set down the basket and handed her a cup of water.

Yan Yunning rinsed her mouth. “Go and summon one.”

The retching was absolutely miserable.

“Yes, My Lady.” Qiuci ran out of the bedchamber.

The imperial physician arrived quickly. Xiao Wan saw what was happening and took a handkerchief, placing it over Yan Yunning’s wrist. Yan Yunning reclined on the soft couch with her eyes lazily closed.

“This old subject greets Lady Xuan.” After paying his respects, the imperial physician came to the side of the couch, placed his fingertips on Yan Yunning’s wrist, and carefully took her pulse.

“It isn’t something serious, is it?” After a quarter of an hour, Yan Yunning asked with some apprehension.

“Not at all.” The imperial physician cupped his hands with a warm smile. “Congratulations to His Majesty, congratulations to My Lady — you are over a month with child, and the child is very healthy.”

“Cough, cough.” Yan Yunning choked, her eyes going wide. “You haven’t made a mistake?”

“This old subject would never err.” The imperial physician replied with respectful certainty.

“Over a month with child?” Yan Yunning touched her abdomen.

“Yes, Lady Xuan.”

Yan Yunning stood up in excitement. Over a month — was it from the time she had given Xuan Yanyu the soup, or from the time she deliberately said that sentence?

Or later??

Over this past month and a half, she and Xuan Yanyu had certainly not been idle, but every second morning or afternoon or evening, he had found endless creative ways to have the maidservants deliver food to her — sweet jams, pastries of all sorts — and she had fallen for it every single time.

Had she been overthinking it all along, or had the contraceptive decoction simply stopped working??

Or had Xuan Yanyu been using his inventive little snacks to toy with her all this time?

“Lady Xuan, this old subject will go report to the Grand Emperor and the Empress Dowager.” The imperial physician could not suppress the smile in his eyes.

“Please do.” Yan Yunning returned to her senses and had Qiuci give the customary reward.

“This servant congratulates His Majesty, congratulates My Lady.” After the imperial physician departed, Xiao Wan, Qiuci, and the other maidservants in the hall smiled and curtsied.

“Everyone receives a reward — everyone in Prince Xuan’s residence gets a reward today.” Yan Yunning was in excellent spirits as she curved her lips upward.

“This servant thanks Lady Xuan.”

“My Lady, this servant believes His Majesty and the Grand Emperor will also give rewards in a moment.” At the mention of rewards, Qiuci’s eyes lit up like stars.