Chapter 55

 "Have you been awake for a long time?" Bao Ning pushed Ah Huang to the floor. After a good night's sleep, her pant legs had ridden up to her knees, and she slowly tugged them down.

"It's already daylight." Bao Ning yawned, crawling over Pei Yuan's legs. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Didn't you say you'd make some dumplings?" Pei Yuan blinked his sore eyes and sat up. "Can you get me some of that goat milk too? Don't add sugar; I want to drink it."

"You’re so childish." Bao Ning sat at the dressing table, smiling as she slowly combed out her tangled hair. "Competing for food with Ah Mian."

Pei Yuan leaned against the wall, half-closing his eyes as he watched her. Behind the dressing table was a small window, through which the morning light streamed, coating Bao Ning in a golden glow. She looked down, gently handling her hair, her posture soft and serene.

Pei Yuan's heart softened involuntarily, and he smiled. "Who's Ah Mian?"

"The little lamb. It didn't have a name, so I gave it one last night while waiting for you." Bao Ning blinked, mimicking the lamb's bleating, "Baa——"

Pei Yuan said, "The most childish person here is you. Baaing like a sheep early in the morning, like a kid."

"You don't understand. You're so boring." Bao Ning ignored him and went to the closet to get her dress, changing behind the screen.

She was in a great mood, humming a little tune while changing, a melody that sounded like it was from "The Peony Pavilion."

Suddenly, Pei Yuan found an answer to the issue he had been pondering all night. Essentially, he faced two choices: he had foreseen the danger Ji Jiaying might face and had to choose between saving her or seeking profit. He wanted to choose the latter but worried that Bao Ning would be upset about it, as it was not a very considerate decision.

Pei Yuan thought it would be better to discuss it with Bao Ning beforehand rather than argue about the result later.

Bao Ning came out from behind the screen and started tidying her collar in front of the mirror, noticing that Pei Yuan was watching her.

"Are you really hungry?" Bao Ning smiled at him over her shoulder. "But you have to wait for me. I haven’t done my hair yet. Once I'm done, we can go out."

She kept muttering to herself, "I have to look pretty even when cooking, so the kitchen maids can praise me behind my back. That feels great. Maybe I should make a few extra bowls of dumplings to share with them? It feels so awkward to accept compliments for nothing..."

Pei Yuan felt like he was being too cruel again.

Bao Ning was like a blank sheet of paper, but he insisted on dragging her into his world, filled with filth and disputes. She could have stayed away from it all, but because of him, she had to be involved.

Pei Yuan hardened his heart. They were husband and wife, sharing both honor and disgrace. Some things were unavoidable for Bao Ning.

"Ning Ning." Pei Yuan sat upright, calling her name. "I have something to tell you."

"Why so serious?" Bao Ning was startled. She placed the hairpin in her hair and smiled. "Actually, I have something to tell you too."

"It's about your sister." Pei Yuan motioned her to come over and, after a moment's thought, explained the whole situation and his speculations.

Bao Ning's smile gradually faded, her fingers on her lap slowly clenching. Pei Yuan could feel the turmoil inside her.

"I didn’t want to hide it from you." Pei Yuan held her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.

Bao Ning stared at him blankly. She had always been curious about Pei Yuan's affairs, wanting to know more. But now that she finally knew, she felt regret.

Back at the Duke's mansion, her concubine aunt had told her that the corners of the court were filled with filth and that each page of history was stained with blood. Hearing about it had seemed interesting, but now that it involved her, she realized how difficult each decision was.

"What do you want me to do?" Bao Ning's voice was hoarse, mixed with sobs. "You're putting me in a difficult position."

Bao Ning was still confused. She spent her days at home tending to flowers and growing vegetables, living her simple life. How could Ji Jiaying be about to die? What happened to the Crown Prince? Who was Luyun? What did any of this have to do with her? She didn't even want to think about it, but Pei Yuan forced her to choose.

Instinctively, Bao Ning chose to escape. She cried and threw a tantrum. Pei Yuan, feeling sorry for her, held her in his arms and gently patted her back to comfort her.

Pei Yuan thought maybe he should just let it go. Why force her into anything? He could bear the consequences of his decisions himself. If Bao Ning got angry, she could just hit him later. Why make her so distressed now?

But then he realized that wouldn’t work. All the conflicts were just beginning, and Bao Ning would inevitably have to grow up. She didn't need to be formidable or handle everything on her own; she could still be his Bao Ning. But she had to learn...to accept him. To accept a man whose world was not black and white, who dealt with matters of life and death. They needed to stand together.

Pei Yuan kissed her cheek.

After a long while, Bao Ning's emotions finally calmed. She lay on Pei Yuan's shoulder, tears streaming down, and murmured, "Just go ahead with what you originally planned. Don't worry about me. I'll pretend I don't know about it."

Her words surprised Pei Yuan. To him, Bao Ning valued relationships deeply. He was even prepared to give up his plans, despite his reluctance.

"She wasn't good to me at all, not worth my effort." Bao Ning wiped her eyes. Pei Yuan understood she was talking about Ji Jiaying.

"When she made me marry in her place, she didn't consider my feelings. She thought it was a fire pit and pushed me into it..." Bao Ning glanced at Pei Yuan. His face had darkened, but she ignored his displeasure and continued, "She didn't treat me as a sister, so I can't treat her as one either..."

Bao Ning's eyes were swollen. "Actually, I still care about her. But it's like a scale; her weight is too light. If she wants to blame someone, she should blame herself. I’m petty, I held a grudge, and at the critical moment, I don't want to help her."

Pei Yuan understood Bao Ning's meaning: she was saying he weighed more in her heart.

This realization made Pei Yuan smile.

"I feel like I'm a bad person." Bao Ning covered her face, crying.

After a while, she blew her nose and nodded heavily, "But I'm doing the right thing."

"Maybe it's not right, but I believe it is."

"Ning Ning..." Pei Yuan sighed with a smile. He messed up her recently styled hair and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"But you’re wrong! You know I don't like these things." As Pei Yuan’s mood lifted, Bao Ning redirected her anger toward him.

Bao Ning remembered Pei Yuan’s words about taking the blame. She stepped back and kicked him in the stomach, "Do whatever you want. That’s your business. If you want to kill someone, do it yourself. Why drag me into it? I don’t like this kind of life. I’ve told you many times, I don’t like it! I have no ambitions, no abilities, no foresight. I just want to live peacefully, but you keep involving me!"

As she spoke, she started crying again.

Her kicks didn't hurt him at all, more like a tickle. Pei Yuan held her foot against his stomach. "Kick away, kick away. If it makes you happy, just don’t cry."

Bao Ning kicked him hard. When she tried to pull her foot back, Pei Yuan held on. He smiled apologetically and kissed the top of her foot. Bao Ning got anxious and scratched his face.

This time, Pei Yuan truly didn't retaliate. Even when she left a scratch mark on his neck, he sat there steadily, not even daring to frown.

"I'm so fed up with you!" Bao Ning yelled at him, jumping off him. She had lost her shoe earlier, and now barefoot, she walked over to the dressing table.

Pei Yuan grabbed her by the waist, put on her socks and shoes, and straightened her dress until there wasn't a single wrinkle. "You want to do your hair? Let me help."

Bao Ning, her eyes red, snatched her hair away. "I don't need you."

"I know how to do it. Let me help." Pei Yuan nuzzled her cheek, softly coaxing her. He undid her bun and clumsily braided her hair, tying it with a red ribbon. He then carefully selected a butterfly hairpin from the jewelry box and secured it in place. His fingers were big and rough, his movements awkward, and it took several tries to get it right.

Bao Ning watched his cautious, flattering expression in the mirror. Despite feeling a lot of grievances, she felt a bit better.

Pei Yuan squatted and praised her, "Our Ning Ning is the most beautiful, like a little fairy from the heavens."

"Are you complimenting me or insulting me?" Bao Ning stepped on his foot, rubbed her eyes, and briefly smiled before retracting it.

"Smile for me, smile." Pei Yuan lifted her chin with his finger, trying to amuse her. Bao Ning turned her face away, ignoring him, so Pei Yuan brought over the little lamb.

The lamb cowered in Pei Yuan’s arms as he held its hooves, making it dance in front of Bao Ning. "Look, it’s trying to make you happy."

Bao Ning still kept a straight face. Pei Yuan, out of options, put down the lamb and grabbed Ah Huang.

Ah Huang had already seen this scene and, terrified, backed away, barking once before running out the door.

Pei Yuan sat on the ground, grabbing Bao Ning's calf and gesturing toward himself, "How about you kick me again?"

Bao Ning actually kicked him, and Pei Yuan let out a theatrical "Ah!" and lay on the ground. After a while, he sat up again, "Hey, look, I'm like a tumbler doll."

"What's wrong with you?" Bao Ning laughed through her tears, wiping her eyes and standing up. "I'm not playing with you anymore, I'm starving. I'm going to eat."

"I'll go with you," Pei Yuan said, getting up and following her.

Bao Ning found his clinginess extremely annoying, "I'm not making rice balls anymore. If you want to eat them, go buy some from the street and stop following me."

"It's not about eating," Pei Yuan said, opening the door for her and supporting her arm like a servant attending to his mistress. "Why don't you wait in the room? I'll find Liu Mama to bring the food to you."

Bao Ning lowered her head to step over the threshold. Just as she was about to scold him, she looked up and saw Liu Mama and Qiu Lingyan standing at the courtyard gate.

They had apparently been there for a while, their expressions somewhat subtle and awkward. Bao Ning thought they must have overheard the commotion in the room.

Bao Ning tried to pull her arm away from Pei Yuan's grip, but he didn't let go, insistently holding onto her and even tidying her bunched-up sleeve.

Qiu Lingyan's eyes fell on Pei Yuan's hand. She bit her lip, seemingly deep in thought.

"Mistress, Miss Qiu has been here since early morning, saying she missed you," Liu Mama said with a smile. "I was about to send her away, thinking you and the Fourth Prince might want some privacy."

Bao Ning liked this young girl and smiled nonchalantly, "It's no bother. Since she's here, let her stay for a while. Why don't we all have breakfast together?"

Qiu Lingyan clutched the hem of her clothes and softly agreed.

Bao Ning noticed how uneasy she seemed and wondered why she was acting so strange today. Was Pei Yuan's presence intimidating her?

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