108 An Unexpected Turn

The prince's mansion was in an uproar in the dead of night. Yun Xueyan frowned as she forced her eyes open, her body heavy with a fatigue so profound it was etched into her features. She longed for sleep, yet rest eluded her.

The cacophony from outside surged into her mind, making her head throb as if it were about to burst.

"Consort Yan! Consort Yan!" Ziyu was pounding on the door, her voice laced with frantic desperation.

"What is it, Ziyu?" Yun Xueyan hurried to the door and flung it open. She found Ziyu trembling, her feet tapping rhythmically against the floor in agitation. As soon as she saw Yun Xueyan, Ziyu clutched her arm tightly.

"Consort Yan, the Prince’s fever will not break, and the physician says... the physician says..." Ziyu’s voice choked, and she could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

"What did the physician say!" Yun Xueyan demanded, her voice rising.

"The physician said that if the fever does not break, he may not survive the night."

"How could he have a high fever? Wasn't he just injured?" She stared at Ziyu in shock. How could a simple injury spiral into such a crisis in the middle of the night?

"I don’t know, Consort Yan... You must go and see for yourself."

Looking at the girl, Yun Xueyan fought to suppress her rising panic. She stepped back inside to throw on a coat and returned to the doorway. "Let us go."

The two moved quickly toward Duan Nanyu’s quarters. As they neared the courtyard entrance, they saw Yun Xiyin approaching, supported by Yicui.

Seeing the prominent bulge of Yun Xiyin’s belly, Yun Xueyan deliberately averted her gaze, though her own hand instinctively moved to stroke her own abdomen.

"What, feeling heartache for the child you lost?" A mocking, scornful taunt pierced through the air, grating harshly against Yun Xueyan’s ears.

Her hands clenched into tight fists. She froze in place, silent, yet fury flooded her eyes, clouding their clear depths with shadows of rage.

"Yun Xueyan, your courage grows bolder by the day. To think you even dared to assassinate the Prince! If he does not wake, you had best prepare to be buried alongside him—and your mother too!" The sharp voice coiled around Yun Xueyan’s nerves like a venomous snake.

She looked up, fixing a fierce, burning gaze upon Yun Xiyin. "Princess, do not push me too far. My constant restraint does not mean I fear you. Even if I am to be buried, I will drag you down with me!" She paused, her expression hardening, her teeth grinding together. "As for the child... I will make you pay for that!"

"You are mistaken. If anyone is to pay, it is you. A base woman’s child would only bring shame; I merely did him a favor by sparing him such humiliation."

Yun Xiyin’s utter lack of remorse ignited a fire in Yun Xueyan.

Her child... Yun Xueyan raised her hand and struck Yun Xiyin across the face twice with all her might. "Princess, you brought this upon yourself. If I dare to kill the Prince, I can certainly deal with you."

She used the noble title with biting irony.

With a cold, chilling smile, she watched Yun Xiyin stand stunned, clutching her burning cheek. Yun Xueyan then turned to Yicui. "Take the Princess back to Junyu Pavilion. The wind is strong tonight, and since the Princess is with child, she should not be out." She lightly brushed her fingers against Yun Xiyin’s belly. "I hope this child is brought into this world safely."

Yicui, who had been about to retort, found the words stifled by Yun Xueyan’s chillingly stern demeanor. She steadied the swaying Yun Xiyin, her own voice losing its edge. "I obey, Consort Yan. Princess, let us return; your health is what matters." She saw clearly that within the Xiao Prince’s mansion, it was Yun Xueyan who held the true favor.

"You..." Yun Xiyin was breathless with rage, pointing a finger at Yun Xueyan, having completely lost her composure. "Yun Xueyan, you slut! Do not think you can take the Prince away from me! He is the father of my child."

A cold, mocking smile played on Yun Xueyan’s lips as her chest tightened with sharp, agonizing pain. She was merely a clown intruding upon their lives, and the freedom she craved, Duan Nanyu would never grant her.

Her smile grew colder, frozen on her lips. "Rest assured, Princess. I shall take good care of the Prince for you. Go back and tend to your pregnancy, and may you safely deliver the child you share with him." Watching the twisted expression on Yun Xiyin’s face, she felt a strange joy—a joy so intense it made her want to weep.

She turned her back on Yun Xiyin and walked toward the inner courtyard.