Lunch was deliberately withheld from Nianyao by Xu Mo.
But for dinner, it was Nianyao herself who did not want to eat.
Xu Mo’s words earlier, though brief, had twisted Nianyao’s heart into knots.
Even when Pan’er knocked on Nianyao’s window, Nianyao still shook her head and said,
“I’m not hungry. You all go ahead and eat.”
Hearing Pan’er’s report, Xu Mo’s face darkened as he looked at the dishes before him, which were noticeably larger in portion than at noon.
Xu Mo snorted coldly, “If she doesn’t eat, don’t bother about her. When she gets hungry, don’t give her any more food.”
He swept a glance around, particularly fixing his gaze on Pan’er.
“Understood?”
Pan’er pouted. She had originally planned to save some food and secretly bring it to Nianyao.
But now that Xu Mo had spoken, her plan was shattered.
Pan’er muttered a few words, “How did you become like this… so mean.”
Xu Mo was not unaware of Pan’er’s words. He glanced at his bandaged right hand from the corner of his eye but remained silent.
Pan’er ate this meal without tasting anything, and even the cleanup afterward was visibly careless.
Xu Mo frowned, “If you don’t want to do it, I’ll do it.”
Pan’er looked at him, snorted coldly, and threw the rag in her hand into his arms.
As she walked away, she muttered,
“I’ve never seen you dislike anyone like this before. Why are you targeting Sister Nianyao as soon as she arrives? It’s so unfair.”
Xu Mo clenched his fist, a sharp pain throbbing in his hand, but his expression remained unchanged.
After Pan’er left, he glanced at the leftover dishes on the table and sank into deep thought.
Night fell, with only a few faint stars visible in the sky.
After the sunset, the evening grew even colder. Nianyao hadn’t eaten all day, and her stomach felt slightly uncomfortable.
But she could still endure it. Looking at the unwashed clothes,
Nianyao bit her lip and decided to wash them all before the Buddhist hall was locked for the night.
She placed the clothes in a small wooden bucket, blew out all the candles burning in the room, and walked toward the back door of the Buddhist hall.
Lanterns hung along the palace corridors at night, but the candle wicks inside were likely almost burnt out, their light flickering weakly, making Nianyao feel uneasy.
She hadn’t felt it while in her room, but after walking for a while, she began to feel a slight burning pain in her stomach.
Frowning slightly, she decided to quicken her pace and return to rest earlier.
But as she reached a corner of the palace corridor, a figure suddenly darted out.
“Miss Nianyao…”
Nianyao was so frightened she nearly lost half her life.
Her stomach suddenly cramped with pain, and a buzzing sound filled her ears, making it impossible to hear what the person before her was saying.
The next moment, she couldn’t even see the person’s face clearly.
Her body swayed and collapsed to the ground.
Li Fuquan had been speaking to Nianyao with an extremely gentle smile on his face.
In the blink of an eye, she was lying on the ground.
Even Li Fuquan was startled. His heart pounded in his chest, his legs trembled as he crouched down, and his fingers shook as he reached to check her breathing.
Li Fuquan feared that Nianyao’s courage was too small and that she had been scared to death by him.
Thankfully…
Li Fuquan felt Nianyao’s faint breath and sighed in relief.
Only then did he realize that, despite the cold weather, a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his back, making his clothes cling to him uncomfortably.
But now, the person His Highness wanted had fainted right before him. Li Fuquan gritted his teeth, carried her on his back, and braved the biting cold wind as he headed toward the Eastern Palace.
Inside the Eastern Palace.
Pei Jinyan’s face was ashen with anger. He glanced at Li Fuquan kneeling on the floor and snorted coldly.
“I told you to invite her here, not to knock her out and carry her over!”
Li Fuquan knelt on the ground, pleading his case repeatedly.
“Your servant, your servant is wronged, Your Highness! Your servant merely stood before her, but who would have thought that Miss Nianyao would be so frightened by your servant that she fainted on the spot…”
Pei Jinyan turned his head away, not wanting to look at him.
His gaze fell upon Nianyao, who lay bundled up on the bed, only her delicate little face visible.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were uncomfortable somewhere. Her lips were pale, and her body had unconsciously curled into a ball.
Pei Jinyan stared at her for a long while, then reached out, intending to pull down the clothing on her right shoulder.
He wanted to see if there was a begonia-shaped birthmark on her shoulder.
He wanted to know whether Nianyao was the woman who had climbed into his bed that night, only to end up hitting his head.
But just as his hand reached out, Nianyao turned her head slightly in her sleep.
Her incredibly soft cheek brushed against the back of Pei Jinyan’s hand.
The smooth, delicate sensation made the spot on his hand grow warm almost involuntarily.
Pei Jinyan instinctively took a step back. He furrowed his brows, once again the aloof and imposing crown prince whom everyone both revered and feared.
“Stop kneeling. Go summon the imperial physician.”
Li Fuquan promptly rose to his feet, but just as he was about to step out the door,
Pei Jinyan called him back.
“Summon him discreetly. Don’t let anyone else notice.”
Li Fuquan guessed his intention: “Yes, your servant obeys. I will definitely not let this palace maid take advantage of Your Highness!”
Pei Jinyan stiffened. He held back for a moment but ultimately couldn’t restrain himself. He turned his head, intending to reprimand Li Fuquan,
only to find that Li Fuquan had already left moments earlier.
He shook his head, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
Yet, when he looked back at Nianyao on the bed—so fragile she seemed as if a single finger could crush her—
Pei Jinyan lowered his gaze, a flicker of contemplation passing through his eyes.
He rubbed the small Jade Ring he had recovered between his fingers—the one he had pried from a guard’s pocket the night before.
That guard was a gambler. If he hadn’t already run out of money, he would never have offered such an invaluable Jade Ring as collateral.
As soon as the item was produced, it was noticed by Pei Jinyan’s subordinates and brought before him.
Pei Jinyan lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within.
He had investigated for a long time, narrowing the suspect down to the head maid serving the Fourth Prince.
And that head maid had a fellow villager—Nianyao.
But even now, Pei Jinyan didn’t know whether he hoped the person wasn’t the woman before him, or…
The imperial physician arrived extremely quickly, a thin layer of sweat already forming on his temples despite the winter cold.
“Your Highness, is there something discomforting you?”
The imperial physician asked with trepidation.
Pei Jinyan looked up, his gaze settling on the delicate woman on the bed.
“Not me. It’s her.”
The imperial physician had served Pei Jinyan for a long time and had even heard the rumors circulating outside.
Now, seeing a woman on the crown prince’s bed for the first time,
even this physician, who usually never involved himself in such matters, couldn’t help but show a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
He cautiously asked,
“Your Highness, this young lady is…”
Pei Jinyan shot him a glance.
“Don’t ask unnecessary questions.”
Li Fuquan stood behind Pei Jinyan, taking advantage of the fact that his master couldn’t see him.
He stuck out his tongue, rolled his eyes, and made a “crack” motion toward his neck.
The imperial physician understood—this was a woman the prince had taken a liking to.
He nodded, carefully stepping forward to take Nianyao’s pulse through a handkerchief.
But with just that touch, he froze in place.
Pei Jinyan looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
The imperial physician glanced meaningfully at Pei Jinyan, then lowered his head again.
He spoke cautiously.
“Your Highness, this young lady… she fainted from hunger.”