Yan Yunning: “…”

Had she given them to him?

Had Xuan Yanyu not simply helped himself?

Yan Yunning kicked Xuan Yanyu in the leg, signaling him to say something.

The man tilted his head, looking at her, and curved his lips into a smile.

Yan Yunning: “?”

The two of them regarded each other in silence for quite a while, until Yan Yunning lifted her gaze and noticed that Yan Shiyao and Qi Qingchen were no longer where they had been standing.

“Xuan Yanyu, if Elder Brother Qi does not recover, will the Qi Emperor blame us?” Yan Yunning leaned close to him and lowered her voice.

Fafa had said that Qi Qingchen was the imperial prince the Qi Emperor valued most. Now that he had become simple-minded, would the Qi Emperor not be absolutely furious?

Xuan Yanyu tilted his head slightly with a faint smile. “He will. And not just you and Yan Shiyao — your entire Chancellor’s residence will be implicated.”

An imperial prince sustaining injury, the failure to report it promptly, and the deliberate concealing of the matter — all of that was of the gravest importance.

Yan Yunning’s eyes trembled, and she did not even notice that the way the man addressed her had changed.

They were going to lose their heads ahead of schedule?!

Xuan Yanyu said unhurriedly, “Yan Yunning, if there are any wishes you have yet to fulfill, you had best go and fulfill them quickly.”

Yan Yunning gave a light sigh. “It is quite a pity. It seems I will never manage to repay the silver I owe you.”

“Come to think of it, that is true. How about this — from this moment on, you shall be my maidservant to work off the debt you owe?” The man’s voice carried a smile at the end of his words.

Yan Yunning rolled her eyes at him.

Xuan Yanyu draped one hand over her shoulder, bent at the waist to bring himself closer to her, and said, “Yan Yunning, beg me. How about I protect you?”

They were close enough that his voice came out low and deep, and had she been able to ignore his words about begging him, Yan Yunning would certainly have praised his voice for being pleasant to the ear.

“How would you protect me?” Yan Yunning glanced at him sidelong.

Xuan Yanyu pinched her cheek, his voice lazy and amused. “Marry me and become my Crown Princess. Not only would the Qi Emperor not dare touch you, he would not dare touch the Chancellor’s residence either. What do you think?”

Yan Yunning’s expression shifted subtly. “Me? Your Crown Princess? Are you joking? Or just talking nonsense?”

What about A’Jie?

He had spent over a year at A’Jie’s side all for the purpose of marrying A’Jie. Was he giving that up now? Would that not mean an entire year had been wasted?

Xuan Yanyu tightened his jaw. “I was teasing you!”

Would he say such a thing in jest?

Yan Yunning patted him on the shoulder, lowering her voice to near silence. “Crown Prince, when you can make your own decisions about your marriage, come tease me then. Otherwise, what if I take it seriously and insist on marrying you?”

“And then Prince Xuan would have your backside beaten again.” Yan Yunning added with suppressed laughter.

“…” Xuan Yanyu’s lips twitched as he looked at her dangerously. “Yan Yunning, you dare bring that up?”

Every time it came up, he thought of that fool Ye Chen!

Nothing good could be said about him — people could only bring up his most embarrassing moments.

“I won’t bring it up. I’ll never bring it up again.” Yan Yunning looked at him with wide innocent eyes and said with a grin, “Don’t be angry. Yuanjin Manor has a flower garden — let me take you to see it. Once you see it, you cannot possibly stay angry.”

Without waiting for the man to nod in reply, Yan Yunning took his hand and pulled him into a run toward the flower garden.

In the flower garden, petals lay in layers upon layers, clustering and crowding together — a vast sea of blossoms in full bloom, truly a feast for the eyes.

A rich fragrance burrowed into her nostrils. Yan Yunning sniffed appreciatively and looked at Xuan Yanyu with a smile. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The young woman’s smiling face, set against the backdrop of the sea of flowers, was one from which a person could not bear to look away. The depths of Xuan Yanyu’s eyes gradually darkened.

Yan Yunning looked at him strangely. The man had his eyes closed and was quietly drawing in slow breaths.

“The manor master and the manor mistress are here.” Yan Yunning tugged at Xuan Yanyu’s sleeve. “Compose yourself first — we need to go and greet them.”

Xuan Yanyu: “…”

“A’Bai, are you not busy today? What made you think to push me out to the flower garden?” Shen Ruochu smiled warmly.

Jiang Zhibai’s eyes overflowed with tenderness. “I finished everything at the manor for today and then suddenly felt like coming to keep you company.”

He could not quite explain it — he had simply, out of nowhere, wanted very much to see her. Very much indeed.

Shen Ruochu patted his hand and teased him gently, “When you have a spare moment, go and keep Yiyi company.”

Jiang Zhibai frowned slightly. “Keep her company for what?”

“Manor Master, Madam.” Yan Yunning stepped forward with a smile.

Jiang Zhibai gave a small nod.

Shen Ruochu covered her lips with a laugh. “Second Miss Yan, I am Yiyi’s elder sister, not the manor mistress.”

Yan Yunning awkwardly touched her nose.

She and the manor mistress had gone together to take Qi Qingchen’s pulse, and she had never managed to sort out which one was actually the manor mistress.

She had heard from the maids that the manor master was very devoted to the manor mistress, spending every free moment by her side. It was unexpected that today he was accompanying the manor mistress’s elder sister instead.

“How is Young Master Qi?” Shen Ruochu asked softly.

“Elder Brother Qi is still the same.”

Like a small child — if something displeased him, he cried.

Shen Ruochu sighed gently. “Do not worry yourselves too much. Who knows, perhaps he will recover all of a sudden.”

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together. She could only hope so. If Qi Qingchen truly could not be cured, there would be no easy way to answer to the Qi Emperor.

“A’Bai, it is almost time for the evening meal. Push me back — Yiyi must be getting impatient.” Shen Ruochu smiled serenely.

“All right.” Jiang Zhibai reached out and tucked the blanket on Shen Ruochu’s legs up a little higher, his voice very gentle. “Ruochu, let us go back.”

Yan Yunning’s brow creased slightly. Had the maids not said the manor master was devoted to the manor mistress?!

Jiang Zhibai pushed the wooden wheelchair to the door of the side chamber, where the maid Yuncai curtsied and said, “Manor Master, this servant will push Miss Shen — the meal is prepared, and Madam is waiting for you.”

“No need — I’ll do it.” Jiang Zhibai said with a mild smile.

Yuncai was momentarily taken aback.

Since when had the manor master been this considerate toward Miss Shen?

She attended upon the Madam and often overheard the manor master complaining that Miss Shen sent him elixir pills to take every single day — yet he could not bring himself to refuse the Madam, which meant the manor master held very little warmth for Miss Shen.

Every time the manor master encountered Miss Shen, he would greet her only out of consideration for the Madam. But today, how was it that…

Shen Ruochu curved her lips. “A’Bai, Yiyi is waiting for you. Stop fussing over me.”

Jiang Zhibai’s brow furrowed slightly. “How could I not fuss over you?”

Yuncai’s mind buzzed with confusion, and she pressed down the shock welling in her heart. This, this, this…

“Ruochu, have the evening meal with me today. Will you?” Jiang Zhibai reached up and gently stroked the back of her head.

Shen Ruochu pressed her lips together and teased lightly, “A’Bai, did you not used to say you disliked others disturbing the time you and Yiyi shared? How is it that today you are permitting me to dine with you both?”

Jiang Zhibai’s gaze settled on her face, and his voice softened considerably. “You are not ‘others.'”

Shen Ruochu let out a soft laugh. “This is not the time to be complaining to me about you and Yiyi.”

“…” Jiang Zhibai bent down, gently lifted her from the wooden wheelchair, and held her in his arms. “Ruochu, I was wrong before.”

Shen Ruochu rested against his chest, her eyes trembling slightly. “A’Bai, put me down — if Yiyi sees, she will misunderstand.”

Jiang Zhibai’s brow furrowed briefly. “Misunderstand what? Your legs cannot walk — she is well aware of that.”

Shen Ruochu tightened her fingers, straining to swallow back the emotion rising in her throat. “Yes… my legs cannot walk…”

“Ruochu, I…” Jiang Zhibai panicked, at a loss for what to do.