Chapter 16

Nan Gongye and Yan Yiming had grown close, and Nan Gongxuan had gradually grown accustomed to it over the days. However, even Nan Gongxuan had never imagined that Nan Gongye could be so reckless the night before his departure, sneaking into the Duke Ding’s residence late at night and even engaging in intimate contact with her.
Even Nan Gongye’s previous vow to marry Yan Yiming hadn’t infuriated Nan Gongxuan as much. After all, a lifelong commitment was deeply moving, and it was only natural for Yan Yiming to be touched by it.
Over the past days, Nan Gongxuan had learned of all the places they had visited and the conversations they had shared. He knew that their most intimate moment had been when Nan Gongye held Yan Yiming in his arms. Upon hearing this, Nan Gongxuan flew into a rage, and the advisors in the Eastern Palace trembled with fear, afraid to say a single wrong word.
Later, to prevent Nan Gongye from visiting the Duke Ding’s residence every day, the Crown Prince suggested to the Emperor that Nan Gongye participate in state affairs, which brought a few days of peace.
Nan Gongxuan had never believed that Yan Yiming had truly forgotten him, nor did he believe she could fall for Nan Gongye. If forgetting someone were so easy, or if falling for Nan Gongye were that simple, Yan Yiming wouldn’t have wasted her youth, waiting for him for three long years since her coming-of-age ceremony.
But when yesterday’s events unfolded, Nan Gongxuan’s mind went blank for a moment, and he even suspected the imperial guards of exaggerating.
Nan Gongye’s audacity far exceeded his expectations. How dare he!
And when had Yan Yiming’s purity become so cheap? Had she truly decided that Nan Gongye was her destined one, allowing them to act so recklessly?
Even during all the years she had loved him, Nan Gongxuan had never crossed any boundaries with Yan Yiming.
That delicate figure held in another’s embrace, that exquisite face buried against another’s chest, those soft, crimson lips entwined with his own younger brother, the mere thought of it made Nan Gongxuan’s anger boil over uncontrollably. All of it should have been his.
Madly jealous of Nan Gongye, madly missing Yan Yiming.
Meanwhile, at the Duke Ding's residence, Yan Yiming was dragged out of bed early in the morning by her mother. Before she could even grasp what was happening, she was taken to Fuyu Mountain. Yan Yiming hadn't yet figured out why they were going there now that the peach blossoms had already withered, but before she could finish her thought, her mother covered her mouth and shot her a glare.
“Watch your words in this sacred Buddhist place, aren't you afraid the Bodhisattva will punish you?”
“The Bodhisattva is benevolent and wouldn't mind such a small thing...” Seeing Lady Yan about to glare again, Yan Yiming wisely shut her mouth.
The Duchess had come to pray for Nan Gongye's blessings and had dragged Yan Yiming along. Yan Yiming knew that nothing would go wrong for Nan Gongye on this trip, but she couldn't refuse her mother's insistence, so she followed along and kowtowed a few times.
Upon returning to the Yan residence, the Duchess went cheerfully to see the Dowager Duchess, while Yan Yiming checked the system's progress with Little A.
Ever since Nan Gongxuan's favorability had risen to 70%, it had been increasing by a few tenths of a percent each day. But for some reason, today it had dropped by a few points.
“This thing can actually decrease?”
Yan Yiming was baffled.
Had Nan Gongxuan suddenly been provoked, or had he made some breakthrough with Jian Yu'er?
She specifically checked Jian Yu'er's recent progress and found that during this time, Jian Yu'er had made advances with all four male leads.
Jian Yuyan had recently used Yan Yiming's situation to successfully cool things down between Jian Yu'er and Nan Gongxuan. Jiang Yi, after meeting Jian Yu'er a few times, discovered that she also enjoyed poetry and literature, so he gifted her a few rare, hard-to-find books and his own calligraphy copies.
Naturally, Jian Yu'er was delighted. According to the plot, she felt as though she had found a kindred spirit. As for Shao Jingyu, who was far away at the border, he finally received a letter from Jian Yu'er in the capital after several months.
The progress with these three was no different from the original game. However, Nan Gongxuan, who should have had the highest favorability in the early stages, was still seeing his favorability with Jian Yu'er rise, but the rate of increase had gradually slowed.
Even with the slower pace, Nan Gongxuan still had the highest favorability with Jian Yu'er at the moment. In other words, among the four male leads, he was still the one Jian Yu'er liked the most. The Empress, who had previously hinted that Yan Yiming could become the Crown Princess, had found an excuse to meet Jian Yu'er a few days earlier. Jian Yu'er, perhaps guessing the underlying meaning, felt both shy and delighted.
Jian Yu'er's every move recently, including her youthful infatuation and bashfulness, were all observed by Jian Yuyan.
The plot summary mentioned that this ever-smiling, charming young man, watching the already asleep Jian Yu'er and the rare book by her pillow gifted by Jiang Yi, had a slightly distorted expression, one Jian Yu'er had never seen before.
The story paused at the moment when Jian Yuyan kissed Jian Yu'er while she was asleep, making him the second man to have kissed her.
Yan Yiming felt a pang of sympathy for Jian Yuyan for three seconds. Even intimacy had to be done in secret. She couldn't help but sigh, “The path to winning her heart is truly difficult.”
Little A nodded empathetically. A mischievous thought crossed Yan Yiming's mind, and she grinned slyly, whispering to Little A, “So, is it that Jian Yuyan isn't the biological son of the Jian family, or is Jian Yu'er not the biological daughter?”
Little A broke into a cold sweat at Yan Yiming's words. She almost blurted out, “How did you know?” but managed to swallow the question just in time, covering her mouth with her hand.
On matters that could influence the entire plot's direction, Little A didn't dare reveal a single word.
Yan Yiming clicked her tongue, growing increasingly certain that one of these two individuals must have an unusual identity. There are no secrets that don't eventually come to light, sooner or later, she would uncover the truth. For now, the most important tasks remained winning over Nan Gongxuan and accumulating diamonds.
Diamonds were hard to earn but easy to spend. After a whole month of effort, she had only managed to save two hundred, bringing her total to just over six hundred.
That wasn't even enough for a ten-draw, let alone for someone as unlucky as her, a ten-draw would barely yield anything worthwhile.
She needed to find a way to earn more diamonds, but before she could come up with a concrete plan, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Yan residence, someone no one but Yan Yiming could have anticipated.
The Crown Prince.
Duchess Yan was stunned and frantic, pacing anxiously. Coincidentally, her in-laws were not at home that day, and the Duke was away on official business. Remembering the Crown Prince's furious outburst last time, she still felt a lingering fear. She received him with trepidation, only to find that today, Nan Gongxuan was not as he had been before, his brows were relaxed, and he wore a gentle smile.
Duchess Yan thought to herself that the Crown Prince wasn't so intimidating when he smiled. After all, the Fifth Prince was his younger brother, and the resemblance between them was striking.
Nan Gongxuan spoke softly to Madam Yan, explaining that the Empress in the palace had urgent matters and had summoned Yan Yiming. Thinking it must be related to Yan Yiming and the Fifth Prince, Madam Yan wasted no time and immediately sent someone to hurry Yan Yiming along.
It was early summer, and the weather was already warming. Yan Yiming wore a pale moon-white gauze dress, light and cool, with a sky-blue sash cinched around her slender waist, making it appear even more delicate. Her hair was simply pinned up with a jade hairpin, a few stray strands falling along her neck, adding a touch of effortless grace to her stunningly beautiful face.
Exquisitely beautiful.
Nan Gongxuan couldn't recall how many people had praised Lady Yan's unparalleled beauty, but he had never paid it much mind. Now, seeing her again, he realized how shallow and inadequate those praises had been.
As she walked toward him step by step, each footfall seemed to gently tread upon his heart. Nan Gongxuan even felt a flicker of nervousness.
Yan Yiming appeared genuinely surprised to see Nan Gongxuan, and her distance from him was palpable. A faint ache stirred in Nan Gongxuan's chest, but he maintained his gentle tone.
Duchess Yan stepped forward cheerfully to explain, “Her Majesty the Empress has summoned you to the palace and specially sent His Highness the Crown Prince to escort you. Why are you dawdling? Hurry along!”
Yan Yiming lowered her head in acknowledgment, then lifted her gaze to Nan Gongxuan and said softly, “Then I must trouble Your Highness.”
A carriage was already waiting at the entrance of the Yan residence. Yan Yiming boarded it, the interior was spacious enough to seat five or six people and lavishly decorated.
Little A nervously twisted her fingers by her ear, but Yan Yiming flicked it gently, and she quieted down. The carriage dipped slightly as Yan Yiming looked up, seemingly caught off guard by Nan Gongxuan sharing the same carriage. Her expression shifted abruptly, and she immediately tried to get out.
Nan Gongxuan reached out, gripping her wrist to pull her back, then wrapped an arm firmly around her waist, pressing her against his side. He calmly gave an order, and the carriage door was securely shut as the vehicle began to move slowly.
Their bodies pressed close, Nan Gongxuan’s grip was unyielding. Yan Yiming struggled fiercely, trying to pry his hand away, but after a moment of fruitless effort, she grew both frantic and furious. “Your Highness, let me go!”
Nan Gongxuan looked down at her, her face tinged with a faint blush, and replied coolly, “No. There’s only one carriage, stay put.”
Yan Yiming gave up struggling, took a deep breath, and with a choked, mocking tone, as if suppressing something, said, “Does Your Highness think I’m as shameless as everyone in the city says, and that’s why you’re deliberately humiliating me like this?”
The hand on her waist stiffened abruptly. Nan Gongxuan’s low voice sounded by her ear, “A’Ming, I have no intention of humiliating you. I just... missed you too much. I couldn’t help myself.”