Chapter 82

 Pei Yuan looked at her with some surprise, not immediately understanding what Baoning meant, and was uncertain how to react.

"You need to tell me," Baoning pressed, leaning her body onto Pei Yuan's thigh and hooking her arm around his neck. "You're with General Wei every day, spending more time with him than with me. I'm worried he might lead you astray, so I need to keep a close eye on you. Besides, I don't like that fake smile you're wearing. If something's bothering you, tell me, and I'll help you figure it out."

Baoning had already tried to make her point as clear as possible.

After all, she was still a young lady, and she couldn't directly say to Pei Yuan: The other day, when I was talking to Liu Mama, I heard that her husband got into a fight and was killed because she didn’t pay attention to him. It scared me. I’m afraid you might do something dangerous, so if you’re ever in trouble, you must tell me.

Talking like that would be too foolish and unreserved. Pei Yuan definitely wouldn’t want to hear it.

Baoning added another hint: "I will always stand by your side!"

"I..." Pei Yuan stared blankly at Baoning, an expression he rarely showed, like a bewildered goose. The high walls he had built in his mind before entering the room suddenly collapsed. He didn’t know why Baoning had changed so suddenly, but a great joy rose within him. Yet, he feared it might be wishful thinking on his part.

Pei Yuan gently held Baoning's waist, trying to keep his expression calm. "What I'm dealing with, you might not want to hear about."

"How do you know I won’t want to hear it if you don’t tell me? Maybe I didn’t want to before, but now I can try to listen." Baoning raised her hand to smooth Pei Yuan’s furrowed brow and smiled. "Ah Yuan, I know you have your own ambitions and work to pursue, just like how I want to open the Ruyi Pavilion. Our ideas may not be the same, but that doesn’t mean one of us has to give in to the other. You listened to my thoughts and supported me in my business, and that makes me happy. I feel like I can make you happy, too."

Pei Yuan had never known himself to be so soft-hearted. With just a few words from Baoning, he was deeply moved, so much so that his throat tightened.

"But, wouldn’t that make you suffer?" Pei Yuan buried his face in the crook of Baoning's neck, his voice hoarse. "I don’t want you to suffer."

Right now, Pei Yuan was like a child in need of comfort. Baoning gently patted his back and spoke warmly, "You can treat me even better in the future."

"And I don’t want you to suffer either." Baoning tilted her head and kissed Pei Yuan’s ear. "If you treat me well, I’ll treat you well too. Isn’t that how marriage should be? If there are difficulties, we’ll face them together. There's no obstacle we can’t overcome. I’ll always be by your side, as long as you’re always by mine."

"I can’t live without you." Pei Yuan lifted his head, his eyes tinged red. "I’ve gotten used to eating the food you cook."

Baoning pushed him away in mock annoyance. "Is that the only reason?"

"My heart is used to having you there too. I can’t replace you, and no one else can take your place." Pei Yuan held her hand tightly. "Ning Ning, you can always trust me. No matter what I’ve done in the past or what I might do in the future that scares you, don’t worry. I’ll never hurt you. I’ll be the person who cherishes you the most in this world, even more than your stepmother or Ji Yun."

Baoning smiled. "I know."

Pei Yuan looked at her intently and continued, "Your stepmother and Ji Yun may have others in their lives, but I only have you."

Baoning gazed into Pei Yuan’s eyes. He looked as if he was about to cry, his eyes bloodshot.

Baoning solemnly replied, "I know."

Pei Yuan, realizing how disheveled and embarrassing he must look, turned his head to cough twice, trying to regain his usual cold demeanor. "We’re talking about serious things, let’s be more serious."

But he couldn’t maintain it for even two breaths before breaking into a smile again. "Not serious, not serious at all."

"Ning Ning, I’m really happy today. You’re willing to accept me now." Pei Yuan stood up, holding her, and looked around the room. Finally, he set her down on the table and crouched in front of her. "How about this, you sit on my shoulders, and we’ll ride around like a horse to celebrate."

Baoning couldn’t help but laugh. "How is that a celebration?"

"Only little kids ride on shoulders, and you’re my little kid. You can be a bit spoiled." Pei Yuan turned his head. "You don’t like it?"

Baoning pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and honestly answered, "I like it."

Pei Yuan smiled.

Baoning shook her head. "But your leg is hurt right now. Let’s ride the horse in a few days."

Pei Yuan replied, "But I want to make you happy today."

"How about this," Baoning suggested, "step back a little, spread your arms wide, and say 'Come here for a hug' in the gentlest voice."

Pei Yuan really listened to her.

Baoning thought to herself, a man in a moment of emotion is truly different. If it were before, he would never do something like this, and he might even think it was humiliating and overly sentimental.

She watched as Pei Yuan took three steps back, standing right under the window. The bright sunlight shone on him, making him glow.

"Ning Ning, come here, let me hug you." Pei Yuan spread his arms wide, his eyes filled with the utmost tenderness. "I’ve missed you so much."

Baoning laughed, jumped off the table, and ran into his arms. "Why are you adding lines to what I said!"

"It’s from the heart."

...

Later that evening, Liu Mama could clearly sense that the relationship between the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess had changed somehow.

They had always been close, but today, it seemed even more so. The Fourth Prince’s eyes were practically glued to his wife.

He sat by the wall, grinding eggshells, his expression somewhat impatient with the tedious task, but his eyes were bright and full of light.

Baoning sat beside him, washing apricots to make dried apricots. She glanced at the jar in Pei Yuan’s hands. "Not fine enough. Do it properly. Crush them into powder. I need it to mix with the flower soil so the flowers can grow stronger."

"I don’t know where you got this ridiculous idea. Are you just trying to make me suffer?" Pei Yuan glanced at the pile of dried eggshells beside him, at least fifty of them. The veins on his forehead pulsed. "How long do I have to do this? And those flowers of yours, no matter how strong they grow, can they be stronger than me? Or prettier than me? You’re wasting time on unnecessary things."

"You can complain, but don’t stop working." Baoning scrubbed the dirt off the apricots, placing them in a basin for Liu Mama to pit.

It was late June, and the apricots were large and golden. Once dried, they could be eaten in autumn and winter, both sweet and sour. Especially during the winter, with a brazier in the house to stew meat, dried fruit made a perfect, refreshing dessert.

Pei Yuan grumbled, "With so many servants, why don’t you delegate some of these eggshells to them?"

"That's not going to work. They aren't as strong as you, they can't crush it as finely," Bao Ning muttered, "You're the only one who's useful."

Pei Yuan rolled up his sleeves. "I—"

"You used to say you'd always treat me well, that you'd listen to everything I said. How is it that after just one dinner, you've changed?" Bao Ning widened her eyes, "It's such a small thing, look at how you're nagging."

"I’m not." Pei Yuan swallowed what he was about to say and replaced it with a smile, "I’m happy to crush the eggshells for you. Willing and full of energy."

"Now that's more like it." Bao Ning smiled and leaned against his shoulder, feeding him half a piece of apricot. "Is it sweet?"

"Sweet." Pei Yuan sucked on her fingertip, "Give me another piece."

Bao Ning tore off another piece and fed it to him, then lowered her head, saying, "In a dozen or so days, it'll be my little sister's one-month celebration. My eldest sister should attend, and I’ll sound her out then. My eldest sister is a kind person, and she treats me well. She’ll listen to me to some extent. Plus, she wouldn’t want her own husband to go astray either."

Pei Yuan had already told Bao Ning about Jia Ling, and she had accepted it quickly.

Pei Yuan asked, "If Jia Ling insists on joining forces with Pei Xiao, would your eldest sister choose justice over family?"

Bao Ning hesitated. Most likely not. Ji Xiangzhen had always been a lady who strictly followed etiquette, and it would be hard for her to betray her family. If she opposed Jia Ling, it would mean standing against the entire Marquis of Chongyuan household. No matter what happened to Jia Ling in the end, she would be abandoned. Even if she returned to the Duke Rong's household, there wouldn't be a good outcome for her.

Ji Xiangzhen didn’t seem to have any reason to help her.

"It’s okay," Pei Yuan couldn’t bear to see her troubled, "This isn't something you should have to deal with. It's a matter for men. You just focus on visiting your family."

Bao Ning didn’t reply.

Pei Yuan said, "Since it’s the Duke's wife's one-month banquet for her daughter, we can’t be too shabby. Tomorrow, I'll take some time to help you prepare the gifts, and we can go together then."

Bao Ning agreed with a simple "okay."

Pei Yuan suddenly thought that since it was such an important occasion, Ji Jiaying would likely attend too. He wasn’t sure if Pei Xiao would accompany her. After their last encounter at the Crown Prince’s residence, they hadn’t met openly, but they had clashed several times in secret, and things had become quite tense. Pei Yuan didn’t have much confidence in Pei Xiao’s character. He wasn’t sure if Pei Xiao would try something against Bao Ning during the event.

Pei Yuan decided that he would have Chen Jia follow Bao Ning closely, and he himself wouldn’t leave her side unless absolutely necessary.

The atmosphere grew quiet, the only sound being the splashing of water as Bao Ning played with it.

"Yuanzi, Yuanzi, don’t cry. Auntie didn’t mean to." Outside, Su Mingyou’s anxious voice could be heard. She was holding Yuanzi’s hand as they walked in, coaxing him, "It’s just a small rattle drum. Auntie will get you a new one, okay? Don’t cry, Auntie will buy you several more."

"No! This was a gift from Grandpa! Grandpa said there’s only one in the world!" Yuanzi pushed her away and ran toward Bao Ning, throwing himself into her arms, "It's broken, Auntie, my drum is broken!"

Su Mingyou stood awkwardly nearby.

"What drum is this?" Bao Ning looked puzzled as she asked the nanny, Liu Mama, to get a cloth to wipe Yuanzi’s face. "How did it break?"

From behind, Su Mingyou explained, "I was out for a walk and saw Yuanzi playing under the tree, so I wanted to get closer to him. This child usually seems hostile towards me during the day, so I thought I’d try to win him over. He was holding a rattle drum, and I took it to play with him, but suddenly Jixiang jumped on me and bit through the drumskin."

She sighed guiltily, "It was my fault, causing this accident."

Pei Yuan took the small drum, which Yuanzi was tightly gripping, and held it up to the light for a closer look, letting out a "huh."

He asked Yuanzi, "This was a gift from your Grandpa?"

Yuanzi nodded tearfully and tried to grab it back, "Give it back to me…"

"Your family isn’t royalty, right? Or maybe you’re from a top-tier wealthy family. Using bear skin to make a rattle drum—it’s such a wasteful luxury. Even princes and princesses didn’t have toys like this when they were young." Pei Yuan smirked slightly, "Your grandpa must be quite something."

Yuanzi cried, "But it’s broken…"

"Bear skin?" Bao Ning grew suspicious, "Yuanzi, tell Auntie the truth. Who exactly is your Grandpa? What’s his name?"

Yuanzi stammered, "Pig, pig—"

"This kid is being silly again, going in and out of it." Pei Yuan frowned and lightly tapped his forehead.

"No worries, my stepmother has a piece of bear skin. It was a relic from when my grandfather fought in wars. When Ji Yun was born, my father gave it to my stepmother. When we return home, I’ll ask her for it, and we can patch up the drum." Bao Ning patted Yuanzi’s head, "Alright, no more crying."

Yuanzi gradually stopped sobbing.

Pei Yuan watched him for a while, then suddenly stood up and headed straight to Wei Meng’s quarters.

He tossed the small drum onto Wei Meng’s desk, pointing at the bamboo-patterned engraving on the drumstick. "Bear skin is a tribute item, rare throughout the entire Zhou Dynasty. Investigate who might possess it. Also, figure out what this pattern means."

..................................................................................................................

Previous                                                                                           Next