Chapter 72

In his heart, Pei Yuan cursed Wei Meng hundreds of times.

How dare he tell the truth? If he really told Bao Ning that it was a brothel, with five or six dozen Yangzhou courtesans, Bao Ning would immediately throw him out along with his baggage.

Originally, Pei Yuan got into this business because of Wei Meng. Wei Meng, who was greedy and lustful, had no wife at home, and the northern border barracks were lonely. When he returned to the capital, he caused trouble everywhere, complaining that other establishments' top girls were not slim enough, their voices not sweet enough, and their services too expensive, persuading Pei Yuan to open his own place.

Back then, because of this, the emperor found out and nearly beat Pei Yuan to death.

Pei Yuan initially felt that this business was disgraceful, but after being scolded, he became rebellious and decided to put effort into it, making it thrive. Among the many entertainment establishments in the capital, Qingluo Workshop ranked in the top three, frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles, with monthly revenues in the millions of taels.

He had never touched those women, but would Bao Ning believe him if he told her that?

"Why aren't you speaking?" Bao Ning looked at him suspiciously, "Is this question difficult to answer?"

"I just forgot earlier." Pei Yuan composed himself, taking advantage of Bao Ning's sheltered upbringing and lack of experience, and lied, "I remember now, it's a clothing shop."

Bao Ning nodded, "The name sounds nice."

She believed him and didn't mention it again, happily putting away the stack of papers before turning to hug Pei Yuan's neck. With Liu Ma sent away and no servants around, Bao Ning felt elated, finding Pei Yuan increasingly agreeable and acting more boldly. She rested her face against his shoulder and said sweetly, "A Yuan, you're so good, so amazing."

Pei Yuan understood that this was due to money, but he still felt a bit giddy.

"Was I not good before?" He held Bao Ning's waist, letting her sit on his lap, and blew into her ear.

"Today you're especially good, even your nose looks more prominent." Bao Ning's words were as sweet as honey. Hearing her sweet talk, Pei Yuan instantly forgot about the small spark that Qingluo Workshop had ignited. He looked at Bao Ning, finding her incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were beautiful, her little mouth was beautiful, and her dimples were incredibly sweet. Her every frown and smile touched his heart.

Pei Yuan smiled, his eyes narrowing. His large hand wrapped around Bao Ning's hand, gently kneading it, "Our Ning Ning is also wonderful."

Bao Ning asked, "Do you have anything else to do this morning?"

Pei Yuan replied, "No." In fact, he did, but seeing her in such high spirits, Pei Yuan couldn't bear to dampen her mood, and besides, he wanted to spend more time with her.

Bao Ning gently tidied his collar, looking extremely virtuous in Pei Yuan's eyes.

She spoke softly, "A Yuan, do you want to eat something? You barely ate this morning. Are you hungry now? Whatever you want to eat, just tell me, and I'll make it for you."

Pei Yuan took advantage of the situation, "I'd like some wine."

Bao Ning hesitated for a moment but then answered with a smile, "Okay, I'll warm it up for you."

Pei Yuan thought to himself, how is she so gentle and good? She's beautiful, skillful, with a pleasant voice, like a fairy descended to earth.

His voice softened as he held Bao Ning's face and kissed her, ruffling her hair, "Go quickly, I'll wait for you here. Do you want to eat some candied fruit? I'll dip it for you, and when you come back, we can eat it together."

Bao Ning agreed. She was attentive and considerate. As Pei Yuan sat in the chair, Bao Ning, fearing his legs might get cold from the breeze, went inside to get a thin blanket and gently covered his legs. She called Liu Ma over to warm a pot of milk tea and set out a plate of fragrant melon seeds.

Pei Yuan was served like a lord. After Bao Ning adjusted his clothes and gave him a few reminders, she finally left.

Liu Ma arrived a little later, bringing fodder for Ah Mian, who was hungry. Seeing Pei Yuan resting with his eyes closed, she couldn't help but praise, "The Fourth Prince and the Princess Consort are truly harmonious."

Pei Yuan liked hearing that. Though he understood that Bao Ning's attentiveness was closely tied to money, he still enjoyed it.

After a while, Liu Ma also left, leaving only him, a sheep, and two dogs under the grapevine.

The sun was nice today, warm but not scorching, with a slight breeze blowing comfortably on his face. Ah Huang ran around the courtyard, while Jixiang was tethered to a stake, sitting calmly, its eyes scanning the surroundings. Pei Yuan glanced at it and felt annoyed.

Spoiled by Bao Ning, he was now somewhat unaware of his position. Leaning back in the chair, he pointed a finger at Jixiang, "Why are you so ugly?"

Jixiang looked over.

Pei Yuan continued, "I've never seen a dog as ugly as you. Do you think with your ugly face you can comfortably stay in our house?"

He crossed his legs, cracked two melon seeds, and tossed them into his mouth, "It's about to be midsummer, and your dirty, thick fur must be uncomfortable. And your jowls, they droop down to three layers, don't they? I really don't understand, you're only two months old, why do you look like you're two hundred? Or is your breed naturally fat and old, with eyes buried in fur, barely visible..."

Jixiang started barking wildly.

The mastiff was powerful, and its barking was especially loud, as if it understood Pei Yuan's words, barking furiously with saliva flying.

"Calm down a bit." Pei Yuan remained composed, sipping tea and persuading it calmly, "I don't dislike you, I just find you extremely annoying. I don't think you have a good impression of me either, do you? Why insist on staying here, irritating me, and I irritate you?"

Pei Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, I don't blame you. The main responsibility for this matter lies with my brother-in-law, the one who sent you here, Ji Yun, remember? But regardless of whose fault it is, the problem still needs to be solved. Out of kindness, I've thought of a solution for you."

"See that?" Pei Yuan sat up straight and pointed to the eastern side, where the mountains layered one upon another. He said, "That's Yandang Mountain."

"When you've grown a few more months and can survive on your own, you should head to those mountains. I heard you can hunt wolves; with that kind of bravery, you can hunt a few wild chickens and rabbits occasionally, so you won't starve, right?" Pei Yuan stood up and walked over, wanting to pat its head, "Life in the mountains is better than here..."

"Howl!" Jixiang bared its sharp white teeth and suddenly opened its mouth, nearly biting Pei Yuan's fingers off.

Pei Yuan flicked his sleeve, snorting coldly, "Ungrateful creature!"

Ah Huang, sitting on the side, was watching him in a daze, not knowing what Pei Yuan was chattering about.

Pei Yuan sat back down and, belatedly, felt something was wrong with him—nagging at a dog like that. If someone saw, they'd laugh him to death.

In the past, Pei Yuan would never have done such a thing. But after spending a long time with Bao Ning, he gradually found life to be interesting; even flowers and grass seemed alive. He could settle down and appreciate those trivial things he used to overlook.

It shouldn't be considered a bad thing; he was enjoying it.

But it was still somewhat embarrassing.

Pei Yuan collected his emotions from earlier, remembering the promise he made to Bao Ning, bent down to light the stove, and continued boiling the sugar syrup. How would he know what kind of syrup was best? He skewered a string of dates on a stick, randomly sticking them in the pot to test, flinging his hand, scattering thin syrup everywhere. From the moment it was scolded, Jixiang's barking didn't stop, and seeing Pei Yuan's mishap made it bark even more vigorously.

Pei Yuan was irritated, pointing his finger at it, "Bark one more time, and I'll throw you out!"

Jixiang didn't listen. Pei Yuan was still holding the string of candied haws that hadn't dried yet. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he flung his hand, and the candied haws flew out, sticking to Jixiang's thick fur.

The syrup stuck to the fur, and Jixiang twisted and turned desperately to shake it off, but it couldn't, and its barking was miserable.

Nearby, Bao Ning and Liu Mama were chatting idly.

Bao Ning asked, "Where did you buy the chili peppers earlier? The taste is genuine; the aroma hits you as soon as it's cut open. The braised duck feet must be particularly delicious this time."

Liu Mama said, "Old Zhang in the kitchen bought them, saying they were dried chilies shipped from Sichuan, quite expensive. But the chili oil is especially good; chop it up and pour a spoonful of hot oil over it, and it's incredibly fragrant. But madam, you should eat less of it. I remember you're expecting your period, so pay more attention these days..."

Bao Ning agreed, but as she got closer, she noticed Jixiang's unusual barking and frowned, saying, "Go check it out."

Pei Yuan casually stood up, leaving before Bao Ning arrived, pretending he hadn't been there, and before leaving, he put Ah Huang in the chair he had been sitting in.

After about half a stick of incense, he returned to find Bao Ning squatting on the ground, anxiously cutting Jixiang's fur with large scissors. After a few days of being together day and night, Jixiang had grown close to Bao Ning. Now in a panic, it lunged into her arms, unable to pull off the candied haws, so the long fur had to be cut off.

Jixiang, already ugly, looked even worse missing a patch of fur.

Pei Yuan burst out laughing.

Just as he suspected, Liu Mama thought Ah Huang had caused the trouble, softly scolding it, "How could you be so naughty? Don't do that next time. Didn't you think, if you hadn't escaped earlier, and the syrup stuck you two together, wouldn't you have been bitten to death?"

Pei Yuan remained calm and composed, not concerned about the chaos on the other side. He leisurely sat back down, picked up a duck's foot, chewed it, and sipped the warm wine.

Truly a carefree life.

He squinted at the flowers Bao Ning had planted under the wall yesterday, just like those at the General's Mansion. Jixiang was still wailing over there, and Pei Yuan wondered why Bao Ning loved planting flowers under the window. In summer, when bees come out, won't they all fly inside when the window opens? If she gets scared, he'll have to deal with it.

Pei Yuan thought he must remember to find some people to check the yard tonight and see if any nooks or crannies have hidden beehives.

When Wei Meng came over, patting his belly, Bao Ning had just finished dealing with the mess.

Jixiang was crying almost to the point of fainting. It looked so awful now that Bao Ning considered shaving all its fur off in a few days. Mastiffs grow long fur because they are born in Tibet, where it's freezing, but now it's in the Central Plains, and summer is coming; it must be uncomfortable with all that fur. But not today; it needs time to adjust.

Bao Ning and Liu Mama took Jixiang away and also punished Ah Huang with confinement.

Pei Yuan sat there, enjoying his drink with no hint of guilt.

Wei Meng had just returned from the capital, having traveled two hours on mountain roads, covered in dust. He seemed to have drunk a lot before coming back, as his belches still had the scent of alcohol.

He sat down carelessly across from Pei Yuan, craning his neck to ask, "Yo, you're eating?"

Pei Yuan sucked on the tip of his chopsticks, "Are you blind? Can't you see?"

Wei Meng chuckled and reached for the chopsticks, "I'll have some too."

Pei Yuan asked, "How's the investigation on Pei Xiao's secret letter going?"

"I was just about to talk to you about that." Wei Meng ate a boneless duck foot, its texture smooth and elastic. He swallowed it in two bites, praising, "Delicious."

Pei Yuan found his eating manner unpleasant and frowned, looking away. He suddenly noticed a red mark on Wei Meng's neck and looked back with curiosity.

Wei Meng said, "I've found out that the letter was sent to the heir of Marquis Chongyuan, Jia Ling. You should be familiar with him, your little wife's brother-in-law. But they shouldn't have met or known each other. As for the rest, we can discuss it together when General Qiu arrives later. I saw him in the capital, and he seemed troubled, asking me where you were, as if he had a lot to discuss with you."

"We shouldn't talk about such troubling matters while eating." Pei Yuan took a sip of wine, pointing his chopsticks at Wei Meng's neck, "What's with the redness there, bitten by a mosquito?"

Wei Meng grinned, lowered his voice, and said, "Young General, haven't you experienced this pleasure yet? You've got to work harder!"

"I don't understand." Pei Yuan shook his head, asking him, "Is it serious? If it itches, don't scratch it. If it's really bad, I'll get some ointment from Bao Ning for you to apply."

Wei Meng clicked his tongue, "A red mark brought from Qingluo Workshop, worth a thousand gold, a beauty's favor, I must treasure it!"

...

Bao Ning had been listening to them for a while, feeling confused. She turned her head and whispered to Liu Mama, "Why are the mosquitoes in the clothing shop so valuable?"

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