Chapter One Hundred and One: Not Worth Mentioning

She paused slightly, her gaze fixed on the sheet of paper, and the faint emptiness in her heart surged again, making her breath catch for a moment. Perhaps she had spent too much time with him; now, knowing that he had left and would never return, she felt reluctant to let go. It would pass, she told herself. He had returned to his own world, and the story was gradually resuming its main thread. Though Meng Chuyue was absent and the emotional arc of Xiao Yan had shifted, fortunately, he had gone back to the palace.

In days to come, he would be recognized as the Third Prince, eventually named Crown Prince, and finally ascend the throne to rule the world with disdain. This was Xiao Yan's destiny.

Shen Nanwan placed the paper back on the table, turned, and spoke with a calm voice, “Let’s go back.”

Qingrui answered, “Yes, Miss.”

She watched as Shen Nanwan left the side chamber, then turned and blew out the candle. Darkness fell, vast and hollow, as if no one had ever entered.

—

“Your Highness, it’s getting late. Would you like to bathe and rest?”

The eunuch, Liu Zi’an, had served His Majesty for many years. When Xiao Yan’s identity was confirmed by the belongings he carried during his time in exile, Liu Zi’an was assigned to attend him, making it clear to all how delighted and important His Majesty considered him.

His Majesty bestowed the splendid Jinghua Palace upon Xiao Yan, lavish and grand, with many attendants granted, and the Empress herself was so pleased that she personally oversaw every detail inside and out until satisfied.

Within Jinghua Palace, there was also a pond—much larger than the one at Shaohua Court. Xiao Yan stood by its edge, watching the carp swimming within, momentarily lost in thought before nodding quietly in response.

He was now called Gu Shengyan, the Third Prince who had been lost from the royal family for many years.

Yet… he still preferred the name Xiao Yan.

After entering the palace, all his attire was replaced with fine silk robes embroidered with auspicious clouds. He wore a narrow-sleeved black brocade, a matching belt at his waist, his hair tied up beneath a golden crown, revealing a sharply defined face—aloof, solitary, yet commanding.

His hands rested behind his back, his tall frame exuding an innate nobility.

Liu Zi’an glanced at him, then lowered his eyes and instructed a young eunuch to prepare the bath.

“Your Highness, is something weighing on your mind?”

Xiao Yan’s voice was faint, “Nothing.”

By now, she should have returned to Shaohua Court and found he was gone. Just now, His Majesty had summoned Shen Yi to the palace; perhaps she already knew he was the Third Prince and had returned to the palace.

“Your Highness,” a guard approached, bowing, “Her Majesty the Empress is here.”

Xiao Yan’s brows knit slightly, his gaze lowered to hide any unfamiliarity. He turned and walked toward the hall.

The Empress wore a pale, floor-length robe, her hair adorned with flowered hairpins and ornaments, dignified and noble as she stood in the hall. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, her eyes reddened. “Yan’er.”

Xiao Yan bowed, his voice deep, “Mother.”

He had only seen her once before, during the Lantern Festival atop the city wall, from afar and indistinct—just a stranger. Now, up close, he could see the traces of years etched upon her face, but Xiao Yan did not resemble her; his features were more like His Majesty’s.

The Empress had looked at him only once before, yet immediately recognized her lost son.

“You’ve just returned to the palace. I should let you rest, but…” she paused, her voice choked, “I’ve searched for you for so many years, and now that you’ve finally come home, I feared it was but a dream and you’d leave again. I couldn’t help but come to see you.”

“I will make it up to you.”

Xiao Yan replied, “Mother, rest assured. Now that I have returned, I will not leave again.”

The Empress nodded, gently dabbing her tears with a handkerchief. The shock from earlier, combined with the presence of the Prime Minister and General Shen, had prevented her from speaking much to her son. Now, seeing him, she felt a measure of comfort.

“All these years, you lived at the Duke of Zhen’s estate?”

“Yes, Mother.”

The Empress asked anxiously, “Did you suffer there? The General is a military man, the estate…”

Before she could finish, Xiao Yan looked up, his gaze dark and steady. “Mother, I did not suffer at the Duke of Zhen’s estate.”

He paused before continuing, “I worked in Miss Shen’s court. She is gentle and kind, always treating her servants well. She treated me kindly, so I did not suffer.”

Only then did the Empress’s heart settle.

“Now…” she frowned slightly, sighed after a moment’s thought, “Never mind, these matters can wait. Go and rest.”

The current situation at court was far from optimistic, and His Majesty had just granted a marriage between the Second Prince and the Duke of Zhen’s estate.

What should have belonged to her son, she would reclaim.

She had been weighed down for years by her child’s absence; now that he had returned, everything that was rightfully his, she would take back.

Xiao Yan turned aside to bow. “I respectfully see Mother off.”

The candles flickered in the courtyard. Liu Zi’an bowed, “Your Highness, the bath is ready.”

Xiao Yan acknowledged him, his eyes narrowing slightly, a sharpness flickering in their depths.

He had just entered the palace, everything still unstable. For now, he needed to rely on the Empress. She appeared indifferent, but that was only before he returned.

Now that he was home, the most anxious should be the Second Prince.

Within Huale Palace.

Gu Shengyu paced back and forth, his brows pressed with anxiety. Lady Zhuang’s expression was grim, her henna-tinted fingers clenched tightly around her teacup. After a moment, she slammed it down, splashing water and causing the attendants on either side to tremble inwardly.

“Why did he have to return at this very moment?”

His Majesty had just granted the marriage, and next month her son was to be named Crown Prince—yet at this critical juncture, he returned.

For years, she had longed for this moment, only to be thwarted at the last step.

“Mother, he is the legitimate son, and the Empress and Prime Minister support him,” Gu Shengyu gritted his teeth, a fierce look in his eyes. “I never expected him to be the attendant of Lady Yong’an. Had I known, I would have had him killed then.”

Lady Zhuang’s eyes lowered, her turbulent emotions finally calming. “It doesn’t matter. He has spent years outside; what could a servant know? He’s just a rustic from the wilds, surely ignorant of court affairs—he cannot compare to you, who have grown up immersed in them.”

Her gaze deepened. “Besides, you hold the marriage contract with Lady Yong’an. With the Duke of Zhen’s estate behind you, the Prime Minister and Empress are of no consequence.”