Chapter 18

This long-awaited meeting did not go as smoothly as Nan Gongxuan had imagined.
He had thought he could win Yan Yiming back today, never expecting she would say such things.
Just when he had finally believed that Yan Yiming truly cherished him, uncertainty crept in again. Yet a faint hope lingered in his heart because Yan Yiming had said, “Your Highness was the one who betrayed me back then, but the Fifth Prince did not. He treats me with unwavering devotion, and I will not let him down.”
This response puzzled Nan Gongxuan. What exactly were Yan Yiming's feelings for Nan Gongye? Was it genuine affection, or merely a sense of obligation?
Regardless, Yan Yiming had rejected him because of Nan Gongye.
This thought tormented Nan Gongxuan. He was angry that someone had taken Yan Yiming from him, and even more furious that this someone was his own imperial brother. If it were anyone else, like the Third Prince, he could have directly requested their father to bestow Yan Yiming to him in marriage. But this was his own blood brother.
Yet, as he had said, the Empress would never consent to Yan Yiming marrying Nan Gongye. As for the Emperor, if he objected, their father would never agree either. So Nan Gongye's desire to marry Yan Yiming was nothing but a fantasy.
With this realization, Nan Gongxuan gradually formed a plan.
Meanwhile, at the Ding Duke's residence, when the Dowager Duchess and others returned home and heard from the ecstatic Duchess that the Crown Prince had personally taken Yan Yiming to the palace, they were horrified.
The Duchess's simple nature prevented her from grasping the implications, but the Dowager Duchess was different. A moment's thought revealed that this was undoubtedly the Crown Prince's own scheme.
They were well aware that the Crown Prince disliked Yan Yiming, and he certainly knew about her relationship with the Fifth Prince.
What was the Crown Prince's motive?
In their anxiety, they urgently asked about Yan Yiming's reaction. The Duchess recalled, “A’Ming didn't say much and just went with him.”
The Dowager Duchess's face instantly darkened. She refused to believe Yan Yiming hadn't seen through this, yet she had still gone with the Crown Prince. Could it be that she still harbored feelings for him? She should have realized it sooner, emotions aren't so easily discarded.
She immediately ordered someone to fetch Yan Yiming back, but just as they stepped out, they ran into Yan Yiming returning. Seeing the Dowager Duchess, Yan Yiming smiled gracefully and said, “Grandmother, you're back.”
The Dowager Duchess carefully studied Yan Yiming's expression, then waved for everyone else to leave and called Yan Yiming over, asking why the Crown Prince had summoned her.
Yan Yiming did not hide anything and relayed Nan Gongxuan's words in detail to Dowager Duchess. After listening, Dowager Duchess fell into deep thought.
It was unexpected that the Crown Prince would have a change of heart and offer Yan Yiming the position of Crown Princess.
However, even so, Dowager Duchess did not change her mind about betrothing Yan Yiming to Nan Gongye. The Yan family was honorable and upright; since they had already promised the Fifth Prince, they would not send Yan Yiming to the Eastern Palace for the sake of power.
But now, it seemed the Empress did not approve of the match between Yan Yiming and Nan Gongye. Dowager Duchess was bold enough to seek an explanation from the Emperor for her granddaughter, but the situation had become complicated. No one had anticipated the Crown Prince's change of heart. Even if she went to see the Emperor, if the Crown Prince declared he would marry A’Ming, the Emperor would surely grant Yan Yiming to the Crown Prince instead of the Fifth Prince.
To make matters worse, the Fifth Prince was not in the capital, making the situation even more difficult to resolve.
When she returned to her courtyard, Lu Mei cautiously asked Yan Yiming if the Crown Prince had mistreated her.
Yan Yiming smiled and patted Lu Mei's head, saying, “Of course not.”
Now that Nan Gongxuan's favorability had risen to 70%, how could he mistreat her? But reaching 70% had become a new problem.
Clearly, constant negative stimulation was no longer effective. The favorability gained from making Nan Gongxuan jealous had reached its limit. After enduring so many setbacks, it was time to offer some sweetness.
However, she had to ensure that while giving Nan Gongxuan his “sweetness,” she also maintained Nan Gongye's favorability. Yan Yiming buried her head in her pillow, feeling a headache coming on, and after a long while, she sighed softly.
She was going to go bald.
A month after Nan Gongye left the capital, the Empress's birthday arrived. All women with second-rank titles or higher could bring their legitimate daughters to the palace to offer congratulations. Yan Yiming was naturally among them, and of course, Jian Yu'er was as well.
Because of Yan Yiming's presence, Jian Yu'er's emotional progress had diverged significantly from the original game. For instance, in the game, Jian Yu'er and Nan Gongxuan should have been deeply affectionate during this month, but now their relationship was rather cold. In the original scenario, Nan Gongxuan had taken the initiative, but now Jian Yu'er was the one making more effort.
According to records, Jian Yu'er had visited the Eastern Palace once, but due to her reserved nature, she did not ask Nan Gongxuan why he hadn't come to see her. Nan Gongxuan's emotional intelligence was only 22, so he couldn't discern Jian Yu'er's intentions and inexplicably told her that he had wronged her.
Jian Yu'er stood frozen in place. Why had he wronged her? Was it because of his recent coldness, or did it imply something about the future?
Jian Yu'er's heart gradually grew cold. Jian Yuyan, who knew that Jian Yu'er had gone to the Eastern Palace behind his back, was visibly angry. But when he turned and saw Jian Yu'er's pale and desolate expression, he understood what had happened. He felt both heartache for her sorrow and relief that the two would have no further entanglement.
After that, Nan Gongxuan and Jian Yu'er had no further interactions.
On the day of the Empress's birthday, Nan Gongye ultimately did not make it back to the capital. It was said that his trip to Fujian and Zhejiang had not gone smoothly, so his return to the capital was delayed even longer than initially anticipated.
That day, Yan Yiming entered the palace early with the Dowager Duchess Yan and Duchess Yan. As the recent center of attention, Yan Yiming drew stares from all directions.
Little A deliberately reminded Yan Yiming, “Everyone is looking at you.”
Yan Yiming picked up a strand of her hair and sighed with shameless pride, “It must be because I'm too beautiful. What a sin.”
Little A: ...
When paying respects to the Empress with the Dowager Duchess and Duchess Yan, Yan Yiming could feel the Empress's gaze upon her, probing yet seemingly affectionate. As if unaware of anything, the Empress called Yan Yiming over, examined her carefully, and then laughed with those around her,
“Truly the number one beauty of the capital. It's been many days since we last met, and you've become even more remarkable.”
Whether she had grown more remarkable in appearance or in her actions, Yan Yiming could easily detect the Empress's sarcasm. She smiled sweetly and feigned ignorance, thanking Her Majesty for the praise before obediently stepping aside.
The Empress was slightly taken aback, thinking that Yan Yiming had indeed changed a lot recently. But then she thought it might be an act put on because of Ye'er's incident, and she grew even more displeased with Yan Yiming.
After the formal greetings, the Empress kept the Dowager Duchess Yan and the others for conversation, while Yan Yiming went with her legitimate younger sister and other young ladies to admire the flowers in the imperial garden.
As the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke of Ding's household, Yan Yiming held a prominent status. Wherever she went, most people greeted her with smiles. Little A, like a radar, quietly whispered reports in Yan Yiming's ear,
“The girl in green on the left says you're good for nothing but your face. The girl in red on the right asks how you have the nerve to show up here? Ah, so unoriginal.” Little A couldn't help but sigh, “Ancient women are too reserved and utterly boring. That young lady's eyes clearly want to call you a shameless vixen.”
Yan Yiming laughed and scolded her, then turned her gaze to several girls chatting with Jian Yu'er in the distance.
In the original game, the former Lady Yan had harbored resentment toward Jian Yu'er ever since Nan Gongxuan developed feelings for her, targeting her at every turn. During the birthday celebration, she had taken the lead in mocking Jian Yu'er for seducing the Crown Prince, accusing her of pretending to be pure while being utterly shameless.
Jian Yu'er had always wanted to mend her friendship with Lady Yan. Hearing those words, she was both hurt and angry. After a few arguments and some pushing and shoving, Jian Yu'er ended up falling into the nearby lake.
As for why there was suddenly a lake, perhaps it was the game designer's stroke of genius, but it was this fall into the water that led to the Crown Prince personally playing the hero and saving the beauty. From then on, Jian Yu'er firmly stepped on Lady Yan's face and became the legitimate consort. The Crown Prince delivered a solid slap to Lady Yan's pride with his actions, and as he turned and left, Lady Yan collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.
Of course, that was the game.
Now that she was no longer that villainess, but following the game's progression, Yan Yiming boldly speculated that even without her instigation, Jian Yu'er would still end up in the water today.
Sure enough, even though Yan Yiming said nothing, some people had already learned about the affair between Jian Yu'er and the Crown Prince.
Most people tend to bully the weak and fear the strong. Although Jian Yu’er and Yan Yiming were of equal status, Yan Yiming had a fiery temperament and never let any slight go unpunished, so most people dared not provoke her. In contrast, Jian Yu’er was gentle and soft-hearted, and even though she came from a prominent family, some still dared to boss her around. Moreover, in Jinling, there were more noble ladies beyond just those from the Duke Ding's residence and the Chancellor's mansion.
Recently, Jian Yu’er had naturally heard about the rumors involving Yan Yiming and the Fifth Prince. Everyone said Yan Yiming lacked propriety, and hearing this, Jian Yu’er felt deeply guilty. If it weren't for her, Yan Yiming would not have ended up in such a situation.
Just moments ago, someone had spoken ill of Yan Yiming, and Jian Yu’er couldn't help but retort. Unexpectedly, the next words from that young lady made her face turn pale.
That young lady was the granddaughter of the Grand Preceptor, whose status was no less than Jian Yu’er's. She sneered and whispered to Jian Yu’er, “If anyone else had said that, it might be excusable, but how could you, Lady Jian, utter such words?”
While the others were still puzzled, the young lady mocked, “If it weren't for you, how could the Crown Prince have abandoned Lady Yan? And how could the rumors about Lady Yan and the Fifth Prince have spread?”
The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar, and soon, sarcastic remarks began to overlap:
“No wonder they were once as close as sisters, but now they don't even speak to each other.”
“Why pretend, Lady Jian? Clearly, you were the one who caused the trouble, and now you're trying to act like a good person. In my opinion, Lady Yan wouldn't appreciate your gesture anyway.”
After several rounds of ridicule, Jian Yu’er was utterly flustered. She had never imagined that others would know about this matter. Who told them? Was it... Yan Yiming?
Just as she was at a loss, a flash of crimson entered her vision. Yan Yiming stepped forward, shielding her, a faint smile playing on her lips as she spoke clearly, “What are you all discussing, ladies? You seem so engrossed. Why not share it with me?”
Jian Yu’er looked up abruptly at Yan Yiming, on the verge of tears in her distress.
None of those present had expected Yan Yiming to still stand up for Jian Yu’er. After a moment's hesitation, Jian Yu’er instinctively grabbed Yan Yiming's sleeve. The young lady who had spoken earlier stared at Yan Yiming in disbelief and angrily exclaimed,
“Yan Yiming, have you lost your mind?”
When the Crown Prince and the other princes arrived at the imperial garden, they saw a crowd gathered from afar. Casually asking what had happened, a young palace maid stammered, “It seems it's Lady Yan from the Duke Ding's residence and Lady Yang from the Grand Preceptor's mansion who have clashed...”
Nan Gongxuan's expression shifted, and he hurried over.
As he rushed forward, a sharp female voice rang out, shouting Yan Yiming's name, “You're nothing but a cast-off toy of His Highness! What right do you have to act so arrogantly here? And you, defending her everywhere, do you even know she resents you to the core...”
Nan Gongxuan's heart tightened. Hearing the footsteps, the crowd turned and, upon seeing who had arrived, their faces paled in shock, exclaiming, “Your Highness!”
Lady Yang, Jian Yu’er, and the others quickly turned around, but someone suddenly screamed. Whether she had slipped or something else had happened, Jian Yu’er stumbled and fell backward into the lake.
At that moment, Yan Yiming, standing beside her, suddenly reached out and pulled her back, but in doing so, he lost his balance and plunged straight into the water. A collective gasp echoed around them. As he fell into the water, Yan Yiming held his breath and asked Little A, “How many points will I get for saving Jian Yu'er this time?”
“This is a huge win!” Little A exclaimed excitedly.
No sooner had the words been spoken than a strong hand pulled him upward.
Under the astonished and incredulous gazes of everyone, the Crown Prince had dived into the water almost instantly and pulled him out.
After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted into chaos. “Quick, call the imperial physician!”