Chapter 21

When the Crown Prince received news that Nan Gongye had gone to the Ding’s residence, his expression darkened instantly. He immediately set down his brush and headed straight there. Unfortunately, he was a step too late, Nan Gongye had already left.
Though he didn’t see Nan Gongye, he did see Yan Yiming. Seeing that she seemed unaffected, Nan Gongxuan felt somewhat relieved.
Yan Yiming mentioned that she wasn’t feeling well, and Nan Gongxuan understood that she was emotionally distressed. Though displeased, he suppressed his anger and didn’t press her, merely instructing the servants to take good care of her and ensure she rested properly.
Only then did he coldly order his men to find Nan Gongye.
Unexpectedly, Nan Gongye hadn’t gone anywhere else, he was right there in his own palace.
He wasn’t doing anything, just sitting there silently, lost in thought. The servants didn’t dare disturb him. After quietly brewing tea, they withdrew silently. This was the scene that greeted Nan Gongxuan when he arrived.
Nan Gongye seemed to notice the footsteps only then. He cast a cold glance at Nan Gongxuan before turning away. “Did the Crown Prince come specifically to laugh at me?”
There were few people Nan Gongxuan genuinely cared about in his life, but Nan Gongye was undoubtedly one of them. His stern gaze lingered on Nan Gongye for a long time. Perhaps seeing his once spirited younger brother so dejected softened his heart, and he said gently, “I am your elder brother. Why would I laugh at you?”
Nan Gongye let out a light scoff but said nothing more.
During the time Nan Gongye was away, Nan Gongxuan had wavered because of his brother’s status. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have delayed until the Empress’s birthday celebration. But even he hadn’t anticipated such a twist of fate, Yan Yiming falling into the water.
If Yan Yiming hadn’t saved Jian Yu’er that day, and if it had been Jian Yu’er who fell into the water, he would have undoubtedly rescued her as well.
But as fate would have it, Yan Yiming had pulled Jian Yu’er to safety.
From that moment on, it gave him an opportunity he could no longer refuse.
Nan Gongxuan couldn’t let go. He and Yan Yiming had already been physically intimate, she could only belong to him.
The phrase “physical intimacy” struck Nan Gongye like a repeated blow. Suddenly, he could no longer suppress his inner turmoil. With a provocative smile, he met Nan Gongxuan’s gaze and asked, “Physical intimacy? Does the Crown Prince even know what true physical intimacy is?”
Nan Gongxuan’s face instantly turned grim. Of course, he knew what had transpired between Yan Yiming and Nan Gongye during that time.
But Nan Gongye seemed to be venting, the angrier and more unbearable Nan Gongxuan became, the more he insisted, “Her hands, her face, her lips, even her body, I've touched them all.” Catching a glimpse of the bulging veins on Nan Gongxuan’s forehead from the corner of his eye, Nan Gongye felt an indescribable surge of wild exhilaration and satisfaction. “That is true intimacy.”
This scoundrel!
Nan Gongxuan abruptly grabbed the front of Nan Gongye’s robe and roared sharply, “Shut up!” Nan Gongye showed no trace of fear in his eyes, staring straight at Nan Gongxuan as he reminded him with a blood-soaked tone, “Brother, A’Ming has loved you for so many years, yet she has never had that kind of contact with you. Do you regret it?”
Nan Gongye’s gaze remained fixed on Nan Gongxuan’s nearly frenzied expression, the fleeting thrill of torment giving way to a hollow sense of hopelessness.
Even so, Yan Yiming would ultimately never be his.
He had once wildly considered telling their father everything. If the emperor flew into a rage, he might annul the imperial marriage, and then Yan Yiming wouldn’t have to marry the crown prince.
But at the same time, it would ruin her.
The warmth and softness from months ago were still vivid in his memory, her smile deeply imprinted in his mind. He couldn’t bear to harm even a single finger of hers, how could he bear to ruin her?
In the end, Nan Gongxuan said nothing more to Nan Gongye. What was the point of such verbal sparring? After all, A’Ming was marrying him, and from then on, everything about her would belong to him.
The empress had feared that Nan Gongye, unable to bear the provocation, might cause a scene. To her surprise, Nan Gongye was unusually quiet, so quiet that even she found it eerie. According to the servants, the crown prince had specifically sought out Prince Yue, but neither Nan Gongxuan nor Nan Gongye revealed what they had discussed that day.
Seizing an opportune moment, the empress hinted that now that the crown prince was married and Prince Yue’s mansion was nearly completed, it was time for Nan Gongye to consider marriage as well.
Nan Gongye’s expression gave nothing away. The corners of his lips lifted as if in a smile, but there was no trace of joy in his eyes. Taking a sip of tea, he said calmly, “No rush. I have no intention of marrying for now.”
The empress hesitated, wanting to say more, but in the end, she held back. Sighing, she dropped the subject.
Days passed one after another. Compared to before, the crown prince seemed like a completely different person. Gifts arrived one after another, and whenever he had free time, he would personally visit the Duke of Ding’s residence. He commissioned a jade carver to craft a hairpin from the rarest jade, then personally placed it in Yan Yiming’s hair. Yan Yiming did not shy away. Once it was secured, she smiled and asked him, “Does it look good?”
That radiant smile lingered in Nan Gongxuan’s eyes. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had seen Yan Yiming smile like that. Lost in thought, he took her hand and said, “Of course, it looks beautiful.”
Yan Yiming did not pull her hand back, allowing him to hold it. To onlookers, it was a scene of enviable tenderness.
The feelings between the two seemed to be gradually warming up. Nan Gongxuan increasingly found her clever, as she grasped his meaning with just a hint. Her smile had returned, still stunningly beautiful, and she no longer kept her distance as before. Instead, she would tilt her head and initiate conversations with him, smiling warmly.
Nan Gongxuan grew more and more convinced that keeping such a woman by his side was the right choice. He took her to the palace to meet the Empress. The Empress, who had initially harbored some doubts, subtly tested Yan Yiming several times but found nothing unusual. Yan Yiming spoke sensibly and obediently.
The Empress suddenly felt that, after going through that incident, Yan Yiming seemed to have matured a great deal, aligning more and more with the image of the daughter-in-law she had envisioned.
After that, Yan Yiming rarely saw Nan Gongye again. On the rare occasions they encountered each other in the palace, she would only offer a polite greeting.
Yan Yiming did not see Nan Gongye’s rigidly stiffened back as he turned to leave, nor did she witness the sorrowful expression on his face as he watched her retreating figure after she had gone.
In the blink of an eye, the Crown Prince’s capping ceremony arrived, and their wedding was scheduled for just a month later.
The Crown Prince’s capping ceremony was a grand event. Due to the open customs of the dynasty, Yan Yiming, as the bride-to-be, was allowed to participate in the day’s activities. However, she was not permitted to meet others and was arranged to sit alone in the bamboo grove of the Eastern Palace’s rear garden, drinking tea.
Nan Gongxuan, thoroughly drunk, stumbled over to her. With bleary eyes, he sat before her, reached out, and gently stroked Yan Yiming’s face. His handsome features, softened by intoxication, carried a hint of foolishness as he randomly praised her, “You’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
It was the first time Yan Yiming realized that the drunken Crown Prince had the potential to be a chatterbox, as if he had been holding back in daily life. Now, his words flowed incessantly.
Nan Gongxuan said he was glad he hadn’t lost Yan Yiming, glad that she still liked him, and that he wouldn’t hold it against her for what had happened with Nan Gongye…
Yan Yiming’s expression shifted from initially pleasant to increasingly displeased.
After all, with such a noble status, he still looked down on her.
Yan Yiming suddenly recalled the memories of Lady Yan she had received upon first transmigrating to this world, the overwhelming joy and sorrow of that young lady were simply suffocating.
“So, in fact, you’ve already discarded ‘me’.”
Nan Gongxuan didn’t understand. Yan Yiming rested her chin on her hand and slowly said, “Back then, someone loved you so much she gave up everything for you, yet you cast her aside without a second thought. You discarded her, and now, you can never get her back.”
Unfortunately, Nan Gongxuan was too drunk and had already fallen asleep.
Though Nan Gongxuan didn’t hear it, someone else did. With Little A by her side, Yan Yiming had long been aware of Jian Yuyan’s presence. Still, she finished what she had to say before remarking, “Why must Young Master Jian lurk there and eavesdrop in secret?”
Jian Yuyan showed no embarrassment at being caught. Tall and elegant, he stepped out from the shadows, his gaze complex as he looked at Yan Yiming and asked, “Do you have any idea what you just said?”
Yan Yiming gazed at this handsome man who was likely to become her next or subsequent target, and suddenly felt that teasing him a little before this arc concluded might be quite amusing. With a radiant smile, she said, “Of course I know.” Then, blinking her eyes, she added, “Young Master Jian, do you remember that South Sea pearl you delivered on behalf of His Highness? Why not guess where that pearl is now?”
Jian Yuyan raised his handsome brows slightly. “Since Lady Yan knows it was from me, I suppose you've already thrown it away.”
“How clever,” Yan Yiming praised with a nod. “Young Master Jian guessed perfectly right. That pearl was tossed into the lake the moment it arrived and has probably merged with the mud at the bottom by now.”
Jian Yuyan stared at her in surprise, his gaze suddenly complex.
He had assumed Yan Yiming had simply forgotten about the pearl, but she claimed she had discarded it upon receiving it.
So, at that time, Yan Yiming not only knew the origin of the pearl but had also ruthlessly abandoned her feelings for Nan Gongxuan.
Yan Yiming had said that the version of herself who was wholly devoted to the Crown Prince had vanished from that moment onward. Jian Yuyan hadn't fully understood her words earlier, but in a flash of insight, he suddenly grasped everything.
If she had given up that day, then her heart-wrenching sobs on Fuyu Mountain afterward were entirely feigned?
And her subsequent approach to Prince Yue was deliberate as well?
Even the incident of falling into the water, which ultimately secured her position as Crown Princess, could that too have been intentional?
In an instant, a chill crept up Jian Yuyan's spine. The woman before him, smiling so brightly, was someone he realized he couldn't see through at all.
Taking a deep breath, Jian Yuyan fixed his eyes on her and asked, “Aren't you afraid I'll report today's events to the Crown Prince?”
Yan Yiming patted the spot beside her, signaling for him to sit. After a moment's hesitation, Jian Yuyan sat down. Yan Yiming smiled and lowered her voice, “After all, I am the savior of Miss Jian. Shouldn't Young Master Jian thank me?”
The sudden mention of Jian Yu'er made Jian Yuyan's heart skip a beat.
The words themselves sounded perfectly reasonable, but paired with Yan Yiming's meaningful gaze, Jian Yuyan knew it was far more than that.
Glancing at the drunken Crown Prince out of the corner of his eye, Jian Yuyan casually expressed his thanks.
“Is there nothing else Young Master Jian wishes to thank me for?” Yan Yiming pressed on.
Jian Yuyan maintained his composure. “I can't think of any other reason to thank, “
“For instance, because of me, the Crown Prince no longer harasses Jian Yu'er,” Yan Yiming interrupted him before he could finish. Watching his expression finally crack, she completed her sentence with a cheerful smile, “Though you are Jian Yu'er's brother, you've never treated her as a sister. Now that the Crown Prince has lost interest in her, of course you should thank me.”
Yan Yiming stared intently at Jian Yuyan's poorly concealed panic, her smile radiantly beautiful. She recalled the most perplexing point in the recent plot developments.
The Jian family was clearly aligned with the Crown Prince, so why were they so adamantly opposed to Jian Yu'er marrying him? If it were only Jian Yuyan who objected, that would be one thing, but even Chancellor Jian was against it.
Little A had suggested it was probably because the Chancellor didn’t want his daughter to marry into the imperial palace, but Yan Yiming noticed a flicker of panic in Little A’s expression.
So, the reason definitely wasn’t that simple.