Since he had come, Xuan Yanyu was not to be allowed to leave Qilan.

“Protect His Majesty, Your Majesty, watch out——” Before the guard could finish speaking, a dull thud sounded, and he crumpled to the ground. One after another came the muffled impacts — all the guards the Qi Emperor had brought collapsed unconscious.

“It’s sleep——” The Qi Emperor’s attendant, Eunuch Jiang, had no time to cover the Qi Emperor’s mouth and nose before he, too, toppled straight down in a faint.

“Xuan Yanyu, you have incredible nerve.” Qi Qingchen instinctively moved to shield Yan Shiyao.

Even Ye’an was somewhat alarmed. This had originally been a last resort — the incense was meant to render Qi Qingchen unconscious. How had His Highness ended up directing his people to use it on the Qi Emperor himself? What… what were they to do now?

Within seconds, the Qi Emperor, the guards and imperial soldiers he had brought, Yan Shiyao, and Qi Qingchen — all of them, caught unawares — had crumpled to the ground unconscious.

Xuan Yanyu’s people extinguished the incense sticks in their hands.

“Your Highness, what do we do now?” Ye Chen asked anxiously. He stared at the Qi Emperor lying on the ground, his eyelid twitching madly — he had a feeling they had caused real trouble this time.

Xuan Yanyu gave calm instructions. “Leave some men behind. Once this Prince has cleared Qilan’s city gates, bring the Crown Princess’s betrothal gifts and dowry back to Xuanzhao. Ye Chen, carry Yan Shiyao on your back and move ahead first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The group assented in unison.

The damage was done. Ye Chen resigned himself to stepping forward and taking Yan Shiyao onto his back. He could only hope they wouldn’t get an earful from His Majesty once back in Xuanzhao.

“Your Highness, what about the Qi Emperor and Qi Qingchen? When they wake up, they certainly won’t let this rest.” Ye’an sighed.

“They weren’t going to let it rest either way. Hire a carriage, bring them along back to Xuanzhao, hand them over to father, and let father figure out what to do.” The man finished speaking and was the first to walk out of the guest courtyard.

Ye’an’s eyes went wide with shock. They had made one trip to Qilan and were now bringing back its emperor and crown prince??

They hadn’t really done anything — and yet they had taken the Qi Emperor away just like that???

He had a feeling that after this, Qilan might very well become part of Xuanzhao.

——

Xuanzhao — The Crown Prince’s Residence.

“Crown Princess, this servant has seen the Grand Commandant’s wife and the others out of the residence…” Xiao Wan pushed open the bedchamber door to find Yan Yunning had fallen asleep again. She tucked the brocade blanket more snugly around Yan Yunning and withdrew from the chamber.

These past few days the Crown Princess had been forcing herself to keep up appearances, entertaining the old madam and the others as if everything were perfectly normal. Today she had truly reached the end of her strength — that was why she had asked Xiao Wan to make an excuse and see them out.

The Crown Princess had wanted to see them, yet she didn’t want them to know she was ill. His Highness had been away somewhere these past few days with no word of when he would return, and the Crown Princess asked about him every single day.

The Crown Princess was afraid… afraid she might not last until His Highness came back. Every day she forced herself to eat a little more.

The following midday, Xuan Yanyu, having rushed back to Xuanzhao, had intended to bring Yan Shiyao to see Yan Yunning — only to learn from Ye Chen that Yan Shiyao had suffered a threat to her pregnancy and needed to rest.

“Is it Qi Qingchen’s?” Xuan Yanyu asked, carefully cradling a box of pastries as he made his way back toward the Crown Prince’s Residence.

Ye Chen scratched his head. “Your Highness, most likely, though this subordinate isn’t entirely sure.”

The man’s lips pressed together slightly. “Send Imperial Physician Wen to the inn to examine her. Don’t let anything happen to the child.”

Ye Chen paused, then nodded. “Understood, Your Highness.”

Back at the Crown Prince’s Residence, Xuan Yanyu carefully pushed open the bedchamber door. He met the girl’s aggrieved gaze, walked over, and pinched her small cheek. “Look what this Prince brought back for you.”

Yan Yunning peeled back the delicately wrapped oil paper, fighting back tears. “Where did you go all these days?”

“This Prince took care of something significant.” Xuan Yanyu drew her close, his hand gently patting her back.

“What?” Yan Yunning looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

“This Prince had all the betrothal gifts and dowry father sent moved into the Crown Prince’s Residence treasury. From now on, Ningning manages them herself.”

Yan Yunning pursed her lips. “Just for that, you left me for so many days.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” The man coaxed her softly. He unwrapped the oil paper in his hands and drew out a piece of pastry. “Here, try this — see if it’s good.”

Yan Yunning stared at the characters stamped on the pastry — “Xiao Shi’s Sweet Pastry Shop” — and sniffled. “Is this from Xiao Shi’s bakery?”

Xuan Yanyu kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Yes. And those pastries you ate in Qilan and said were delicious — this Prince brought those back too. He even brought the pastry chef’s whole family. Whenever you want some made, just say the word.”

“Once we’re married and you’ve recovered, this Prince will take you to Xiao Shi’s shop in person. By then this Prince will make good on that wish of yours to walk through Qilan however you please. How does that sound?”

Yan Yunning took a bite of the pastry, hiccupping through her tears. “I don’t want that anymore. I don’t want to be carried on a stretcher by maids, paraded around the main street.”

The man laughed softly, bowed his head, and took a light bite of the pastry she had already bitten into. “The Crown Princess still remembers what this Prince said. This Prince——”

Thud. With a dull, muffled crash, the words still unfinished on his lips, Xuan Yanyu fell straight back onto the bed behind him.

“Xuan Yanyu?” Yan Yunning lost her composure and called toward the outer chamber. “Imperial physician — imperial physician!”

With Yan Yunning ill, the Crown Prince’s Residence was never short of imperial physicians. Hearing the cry, one pushed open the chamber door and stepped briskly inside.

“This physician greets the Crown Princess.”

“Quickly… take a look at him.” Yan Yunning’s voice came out in fragments.

The imperial physician caught sight of Xuan Yanyu collapsed on the bed, still clutching the bag of pastries tightly to his chest, and was himself startled. He hurried forward at once to take his pulse.

Gazing at the pronounced dark circles beneath the man’s eyes, Yan Yunning felt a sharp, dense ache spread through her heart.

He had grown so much thinner. His complexion, too, lacked the color it usually carried.

“Crown Princess, His Highness fainted from excessive exhaustion compounded by suppressed emotional strain. Please do not worry. Let His Highness have a proper rest, and this old physician will go and prepare a prescription.”

“Very well.” Yan Yunning nodded.

After the imperial physician withdrew from the chamber, Yan Yunning instructed Xiao Wan to fetch Ye’an.

“Crown Princess.” After bowing in salute, Ye’an caught sight of Xuan Yanyu unconscious on the bed and asked urgently, “What happened to His Highness?”

Yan Yunning removed the man’s boots and supported his head, looking toward Ye’an. “Help me get him lying flat first.”

“Oh — of course.” Ye’an stepped forward to assist, easing Xuan Yanyu onto his back.

Noticing that His Highness still had the pastries clutched in his hand, he tried to pry Xuan Yanyu’s fingers open — but the man only gripped tighter.

“Crown Princess?” Ye’an looked from Yan Yunning to the pastries in Xuan Yanyu’s hand.

“Xuan Xixi, let go.” Yan Yunning leaned close to his ear and said softly.

Xuan Yanyu’s eyelids stirred faintly.

“Close your eyes and rest. I want to eat the pastries in your hand. Let go, all right?”

Whether he heard her or not, when Yan Yunning reached over to take the pastries from his hand, they came free with almost no resistance.

Ye’an let out a quiet sigh. Those pastries had been meant for the Crown Princess — His Highness had kept them safe all the way here. Even when he fainted, he hadn’t let them go.

“During the journey to Qilan, did he not rest properly?” Yan Yunning dampened a handkerchief and carefully wiped the man’s face.

Ye’an shook his head. “He did not.”

To ensure everyone else could rest, they had taken turns keeping watch at His Highness’s side during the journey. Only His Highness himself had barely slept.

“He went all the way to Qilan just to buy pastries? To have the betrothal gifts and dowry moved to the Crown Prince’s Residence? Couldn’t he have sent someone?” Yan Yunning reached out and tapped the man’s forehead, irritation threading through her voice.

For that alone, he had rushed all the way to Qilan and run himself into the ground?