Chapter 21: Affection

As Prince Jing left in a huff, Han Side Concubine clenched her teeth, her fiery gaze locked on the direction of Jin Hua Courtyard. After a while, she reluctantly departed.

Yun Yichen stood still, staring in the direction Han Side Concubine had left, his expression unreadable. However, his tightly pressed lips betrayed his bad mood. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on his father and that woman, but he didn’t need to—just seeing their expressions revealed the outcome. He would never forget the harm done to his mother and sister.

“Your Highness, the imperial messenger is still waiting for your reply,” Xiao Anzi reminded him. It seemed only His Highness could dare to make the Dowager Empress’s messenger wait.

Yun Yichen turned and glared at Xiao Anzi. “Waiting won’t kill anyone, so why rush?”

Xiao Anzi sighed inwardly. It’s not you who’ll be blamed, Your Highness. If they take it out on me, I’ll be skinned alive.

Finally, when the young master leisurely made his way forward, the senior eunuch of Fengxiang Palace immediately rose to greet him. This was a little ancestor that everyone doted on—the Dowager Empress cherished him, the Emperor adored him, and he was the only legitimate son in Prince Jing’s residence. Han Side Concubine’s failure to bear a son after so many years had left her utterly powerless against this legitimate heir.

The young master’s eyes bore a striking resemblance to the Dowager Empress, earning him unmatched favor among the imperial grandchildren. No matter how much his mother had fallen out of favor with the Dowager Empress or how openly he challenged Han Side Concubine, his position in the Empress Dowager’s heart remained unshaken.

“Greetings to Your Highness,” the senior eunuch said respectfully.

“Speak. What’s the matter?” Yun Yichen’s tone was slightly cold.

“The Dowager Empress wishes to see you and summons you to the palace immediately.”

“Due to the ill health of the Princess, I’ve accumulated numerous academic obligations and cannot spare the time. Once I’ve completed my studies, I’ll personally visit Grandmother to apologize.”

Hearing this, Xiao Anzi almost laughed. His Highness’s ability to lie had reached new heights. Using studying as an excuse for avoiding the palace—and doing it so convincingly—was truly a skill worthy of admiration.

The matter of Han Side Concubine poisoning someone and the Dowager Empress’s favoritism had left this young master deeply upset. Knowing this errand would not go smoothly, the eunuch chose not to argue further and left to report back.

Having no academic duties to attend to, Yun Yichen paced back and forth in the courtyard in front of the main hall. Xiao Anzi followed quietly behind. His Highness rarely spoke, except to close confidants, and he never expressed his concerns outright. Xiao Anzi thought the young master would need a cheerful and talkative princess consort in the future; otherwise, life would be unbearably dull. Without realizing it, he was already contemplating his master’s marital prospects.

Meanwhile, in Jin Hua Courtyard, Prince Jing held his daughter Yun Ruonan in his arms. The frail and timid girl seemed to fear her father, avoiding the kind of intimacy and affection most children would show to their parents. Suffering from chronic illness, she instinctively kept her distance from others and felt at ease only with her mother.

Prince Jing asked a few questions, to which his daughter either responded with confusion or remained silent. At this moment, Princess Consort Jing, Yin Qianhua, approached and took the child from his arms. She worried her husband might dislike such a frail daughter. As a mother who lacked the power to protect her child, she feared how they would survive if her daughter failed to gain her father’s favor.

One glance at his wife told Prince Jing what she was thinking. How little trust she had in him! He felt only pity for his daughter and blamed himself for his inability to shield her from harm. Yet, he couldn’t fault his wife for doubting him; after all, with everything that had happened, even he couldn’t describe himself as anything but incompetent.

The wet nurse took the young princess from Yin Qianhua’s arms and carried her to another room, leaving the couple to sit together and chat idly.

“Achen said an official named Xiao came to see you,” Yin Qianhua said. She never addressed her husband formally when they were alone; their interactions were no different from those of ordinary couples.

“Official Xiao has a child around Ruonan’s age who is also ill and wishes for Lin You to examine them.”

“Is it the Xiao family of General Xiao’s household?”

“It is.”

Yin Qianhua fell silent. Mentioning the Xiao family naturally brought thoughts of the Yuan family, as the two families were in-laws. The Yuan family was Yin Qianhua’s maternal relatives, and Yuan Yutong was her cousin. Over the years, out of fear of implicating her cousin’s family, she had severed all ties with them, maintaining only a quiet yearning in her heart.

Prince Jing silently took her hand. Marrying him had cost her so much. His insistence on making her his legitimate wife instead of marrying his cousin had angered his overbearing mother, who subsequently stripped her father of his official position and forced her family to leave the capital in disgrace. The Dowager Empress never acknowledged her as a daughter-in-law, leaving her absent from palace events and forcing Prince Jing to attend with their son—or even Han Side Concubine—while she stayed behind.

Thinking of all this, Prince Jing felt a deep sense of guilt. His mother, who claimed to care for him, continually hurt those he cherished most under the guise of love.

Taking a jade token from his sleeve, he placed it in her hand. Using tea to write on the table, he explained, “The earnings from our shop outside the residence are stored in this bank. Keep this as proof.” He winked at her afterward.

Yin Qianhua nodded. While the outer affairs of the residence were her husband’s responsibility, the finances were independent. Although the household expenses for Jin Hua Courtyard were supposed to be covered by the estate, Han Side Concubine often emulated the Dowager Empress’s methods, attempting to monopolize control and creating difficulties at every turn. Prince Jing had simply taken over the expenses for their courtyard entirely, keeping the estate’s finances firmly in his grasp and leaving Han Side Concubine with an empty shell of authority.

The residence was filled with spies loyal to the Dowager Empress, the Han family, or Han Side Concubine, so the couple always communicated discreetly about sensitive matters. While Prince Jing had considered purging these spies, he had ultimately decided it was a futile effort, as replacements would quickly emerge.

The eunuch returned to Fengxiang Palace to report to the Dowager Empress, faithfully recounting Yun Yichen’s words. Bowing deeply, he then quietly retreated to a corner.

The Dowager Empress sat with a cold expression, her eyes half-closed, her fingernails—stained with balsam flower dye—tapping lightly on the back of her chair, creating a rhythmic “tap, tap.” Time passed, and just as the attendants thought she had fallen asleep, the Dowager Empress suddenly opened her eyes and let out a cold snort.

“What a fine grandson I have. I underestimated that woman; she actually has the ability to turn Achen against me.”

No one dared respond. Heads lowered further, they stood in silence. Dissatisfied with their reaction, the Dowager Empress swept her icy gaze around the room and snorted again.

Outside the room, the Emperor sighed deeply. His mother’s dissatisfaction with his sister-in-law seemed to grow with each passing day. Any incident in Prince Jing’s residence that displeased her was inevitably blamed on the Princess Consort. The relationship between his mother and his younger brother had been worn thin by the Princess Consort and Han Side Concubine. He missed the days when the three of them, united, supported one another in the treacherous palace. Now, after weathering the storms of adversity, their bond seemed weaker than ever.

“Greetings, Mother.”

“My son, you’ve come. Sit with me.”

“Are your attendants failing in their duties? You don’t look well. Shall I summon the imperial physician?”

“This is a matter of the heart; even the finest physician cannot help.”

“Mother, please allow me to offer some advice. Achen—”

“Enough! You’re busy with state affairs. Leave these minor matters to me. I know how to handle them.”

The Emperor smiled bitterly. His mother was too domineering, and his younger brother was too protective of his wife. How much longer would he have to play this thankless role?