“I’m not adding anything extra.” Yan Yunning shook her head decisively.

“Ningning.” Yan Shiyao hesitated, wanting to say something. “This morning I went to look for Brother Yu… he… he had a woman lying on his bed.”

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together. “A’Jie, you need not tell me about his affairs in the future.”

Yan Shiyao curled her fingertips inward. “Ningning, what happened between you and Brother Yu?”

Had Ningning gotten angry over this too?

“He and I have nothing more to say to each other from here on.” Yan Yunning picked up her teacup and drank.

Yan Shiyao’s heart trembled faintly. Brother Qi now had a child on the way. Brother Yu had spent the night with another woman — chances were, in a few months he would have a child too. She and Ningning were both so pitiable.

On the other side of the courtyard, Ye Chen and Ye Jian huddled in a corner, trembling with apprehension.

“Go tell Imperial Physician Wen to stop formulating the aromatic incense.” The man’s face was cold as stone.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Ye Jian’s face had gone white with fright.

Ye Chen swallowed nervously. Hadn’t His Highness just been discussing with Second Miss Yan when the little master would be born? Had the conversation collapsed somehow?

Xuan Yanyu’s expression remained glacially cold. “The next time you see Yan Yunning……”

He trailed off. After a long wait, Ye Jian carefully raised his eyes to look at Xuan Yanyu. The latter’s face was iced over, his pupils dense with suppressed fury.

What were they supposed to do the next time they saw Second Miss Yan???

“You are not permitted to speak to her.” The man finally wrung out the words after a long silence.

Ye Jian: “……?”

Ye Chen: “……??”

The following morning, Ye Chen, Ye Jian, and Qiuci crouched together at the base of a wall.

“What did you want me for?” Qiuci asked with a huff.

“Do you know what your Miss said to our young master yesterday?” Ye Chen scooted forward two steps.

“I don’t, and don’t bother asking me.” Qiuci stood up, lifted her chin, and directed a raised middle finger at Ye Chen and Ye Jian.

This was something she had learned from Second Miss — last night, Miss had said Young Master Xuan’s name once and raised her finger once in turn.

Ye Chen’s mouth twitched. That gesture? He remembered the last time His Highness had thrown him and Second Miss Yan out of the room. He’d blamed Second Miss Yan for getting him kicked out, and she had given him exactly this gesture in return.

Ye Jian cleared his throat mildly. “Qiuci, don’t you want to know what happened between Second Miss Yan and our young master?”

“I don’t. It must be your Young Master Xuan bullying our Miss again.” Qiuci puffed out her cheeks. “Tell Young Master Xuan to go and beg our Miss for forgiveness.”

“Beg Second Miss Yan for forgiveness??” Ye Chen bristled. “You should be telling Second Miss Yan to beg our young master for forgiveness!”

Given His Highness’s standing, would he ever need to go begging anyone for anything?

Furthermore — if Second Miss Yan hadn’t provoked His Highness into anger, why would His Highness be angry with her??

Qiuci’s face flushed scarlet with indignation as she hollered, “Our Miss has said she will absolutely never go looking for Young Master Xuan again — who needs his forgiveness!”

“Young lady, keep your voice down.” Ye Jian, without ceremony, clapped his hand over her mouth, dropping his own voice to a murmur. “Can you keep it down? Please?”

They were crouching right outside His Highness’s guest room — at that volume, His Highness would hear everything.

Qiuci pried his hand away, too furious to contain herself, kicked the young man in the shin, and bolted.

Same as his young master — no manners whatsoever.

Ye Chen took a moment to process. “Does it hurt?”

“Get lost.” Ye Jian shot him a withering look.

Ye Chen touched his nose and muttered, “I only asked because I was worried you’d feel bad about getting kicked. Why don’t you understand……”

“Shut it. Go check if His Highness has risen yet.”

Meeting his mocking gaze, Ye Chen backed away a full step. “You go.”

Ye Jian grabbed him and dragged him to the door of the guest room, ignoring his protests, and booted him through with one well-placed kick.

Watching Ye Chen crash helplessly into the wooden door, Ye Jian stared down at his own foot, eyelids flickering wildly.

This was bad. This was very bad.

His Highness was already in a foul mood — this would only make things worse.

He glanced at Ye Chen sprawled across the floorboards and made a decisive exit.

Left face-down on the floor, Ye Chen didn’t dare move a single muscle. That treacherous, heartless Ye Jian!!!

“Your… Your Highness… I… this subordinate… knows his error. Please don’t send me back to Xuanzhao.” Ye Chen’s fingertips were trembling slightly.

“……”

“Your Highness, this subordinate did not intend to barge into your room.” Ye Chen’s eyes were filled with unease.

His Highness wouldn’t discard him, would he?

What would he do then?

Truth be told, His Highness treated them very well. Where else would he ever find a master to compare with His Highness?

“……”

Ye Chen continued his self-recriminating monologue. After a long while with no response from Xuan Yanyu, Ye Chen stealthily raised his head — and found the room empty.

“Ye Jian!” Ye Chen leapt up from the floor.

He was done. Today he would absolutely teach that man a lesson.

……

Bixiang Garden.

Xuan Yanyu, Yan Shiyao, and Pei Shutong were at the meal table.

By the time Yan Yunning arrived, they had nearly finished eating.

“Yaoyao, I’ll be returning home tomorrow.” Pei Shutong said with a smile. “Would it be alright if I stayed with you at the estate today, to keep you company?”

His Highness had told her to leave. If she lingered any longer, she would only displease him — so she had come to bid Yan Shiyao farewell first thing that morning. Since His Highness was also at the Chancellor’s estate, perhaps she could manage to catch a glimpse of him throughout the day.

“Of course. Aside from Ningning, no one else keeps me company.” Yan Shiyao’s eyes curved warmly.

“Oh, Yaoyao, is your injury better?” Pei Shutong took hold of her arm, eyes reddening slightly. “If you hadn’t been out shopping with me, you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

Yan Shiyao’s expression dimmed. “Shutong, the wound has healed, but……”

Yan Shiyao lifted her sleeve. On her slender, fair arm was a very visible scar.

Pei Shutong’s fingers trembled as she touched it. “Yaoyao, this……”

Yan Shiyao sniffled, the soreness rising, and looked tearfully toward Xuan Yanyu.

Pei Shutong’s brow furrowed slightly. Why look at His Highness the Crown Prince? It wasn’t His Highness who had injured her.

That day, she had sent people to follow that group of men and watched them enter Third Prince’s estate. Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, they hadn’t noticed anyone trailing them.

Wasn’t Third Prince that Qi Qingchen — the one who had been feigning idiocy and recovered? Why would he have people hurt Yan Shiyao??

Yan Yunning found she could no longer sit through this. She ate two more bites and made to leave.

Yan Shiyao caught her by the arm, scooped more food into her bowl, and said, “Ningning, eat more. Afterward we’ll go to the shops to pick out some gifts to send Pei Miss off.”

Yan Yunning smiled. “A’Jie, you and Pei Miss are close friends, but she and I are not.”

The implication being clear: she was not going to buy gifts to see her off.

“Ningning, Pei Miss came to our Chancellor’s estate as our guest. Even if you’re unwilling, don’t say it outright — she’ll be unhappy to hear it.” Yan Shiyao spoke softly into her ear.

Yan Yunning leaned back and created distance between them. “But you’re asking me to buy gifts for her, and that makes me unhappy.”

She simply did not want to buy gifts for her — and that was that. Why should she be worried about whether Pei Shutong was happy?

Xuan Yanyu sat with his hands folded behind his head, his gaze drifting involuntarily to Yan Yunning.

The young woman had balled her hands into fists — she was clearly angry.

Yan Shiyao looked somewhat flustered.

Tears gathered in Pei Shutong’s eyes. “Yaoyao, don’t put Second Miss Yan in a difficult position. She may just not be fond of Shutong.”