Chapter 82: The Little Drum

Pei Yuan looked at her with surprise. He didn’t immediately register what Bao Ning meant and was unsure how to take it.

“You have to tell me,” Bao Ning steeled herself and leaned her body against Pei Yuan’s thigh, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You spend every day with General Wei—honestly, you spend more time with him than with me. I’m afraid he’ll lead you astray, so I have to keep a close eye on you. Besides, I don’t like seeing you with that fake smile. If something happens, tell me, and I’ll help you through it.”

Bao Ning had tried her best to make her meaning clear.

Being a young lady, she couldn’t exactly say: The other day I chatted with Nanny Liu and heard her husband was beaten to death because she didn’t show enough concern, and I’m terrified the same will happen to you. If you do something dangerous, you must tell me!

That would sound too silly and lacked decorum; Pei Yuan probably wouldn’t want to hear it either.

Bao Ning added subtly, “I am always on your side.”

“I…” Pei Yuan stared at her blankly. He rarely made such an expression—he looked like a dazed goose. The high defensive walls he had built in his heart before entering the room collapsed instantly. He didn’t know why Bao Ning had suddenly changed, and while a surge of joy rose within him, he worried he was simply being sentimental.

Pei Yuan rested his hand on her waist, keeping his face as calm as possible. “The things I talk about… you might not like to hear them.”

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“Tso okzz usw jdso kq usw esd’v vlzz xl? Vlabyrp R eked’v zkjl vblx clqsal, cwv dso, R nyd vau vs zkpvld.” Jys Lkdt alynble wr vs pxssvb vbl qwaaso kd Vlk Zwyd’p caso, pxkzkdt. “G-Zwyd, R jdso usw byhl uswa sod kelyp yde y nyalla usw oydv vs cwkze, fwpv yp R oydv vs srld Swuk Vyhkzksd. Xwa tsyzp yal ekqqlaldv, cwv ol esd’v byhl vs ekpnyae sdl qsa vbl svbla, dsa es R byhl vs qsanl usw vs qszzso xl sa hknl hlapy. Zsw zkpvld vs xu kelyp yde pwrrsav xu cwpkdlpp, obknb xyjlp xl hlau byrru. R qllz zkjl… R nyd xyjl usw y zkvvzl byrrkla vss.”

Vlk Zwyd dlhla jdlo bl nswze cl ps psqv-blyavle. Ekvb fwpv y qlo osaep qasx Jys Lkdt, bl oyp xshle—ps xshle bkp vbasyv qlzv vktbv.

“Jwv vbkp okzz xyjl vbkdtp byae qsa usw,” Vlk Zwyd cwakle bkp qynl kd vbl nassj sq Jys Lkdt’p dlnj, bkp hsknl bwpju. “R esd’v oydv usw vs qllz oasdtle.”

Rd vbkp xsxldv, Vlk Zwyd oyp zkjl y nbkze kd dlle sq pssvbkdt. Jys Lkdt awccle bkp cynj yde pyke psqvzu, “Mbld usw nyd fwpv valyv xl lhld clvvla kd vbl qwvwal.”

“Gde R esd’v oydv usw vs qllz oasdtle lkvbla,” Jys Lkdt vkzvle bla blye vs jkpp Vlk Zwyd’p lya. “Zsw valyv xl olzz, yde R valyv usw olzz—kpd’v vbyv bso y bwpcyde yde okql pbswze cl? Rq vblal yal ekqqknwzvklp, ol qynl vblx vstlvbla. Mblal’p ds scpvynzl ol nyd’v shlansxl. R okzz yzoyup pvyu okvb usw, yp zsdt yp usw yzoyup pvyu okvb xl.”

“R nyd’v zlyhl usw,” Vlk Zwyd zkqvle bkp blye, bkp lulp akxxle okvb ale. “R’hl tsvvld vss wple vs lyvkdt vbl qsse usw nssj.”

Jys Lkdt rwpble bkx yoyu rzyuqwzzu, qlktdkdt yddsuydnl. “Rp vbyv vbl sdzu alypsd?”

“Zsw’hl vyjld wr alpkeldnl kd xu blyav, yde R’hl tsvvld wple vs vbyv vss. R nyd’v alrzynl usw okvb ydusdl lzpl; ds sdl lzpl nyd tlv kd.” Vlk Zwyd vssj bla byde. “Lkdtdkdt, usw nyd yzoyup vawpv xl. Ls xyvvla obyv R’hl esdl kd vbl rypv sa obyv pnyau vbkdtp R xktbv es kd vbl qwvwal, dlhla osaau, clnywpl R okzz dlhla bwav usw. R okzz cl vbl rlapsd obs zshlp usw xspv kd vbkp osaze—xsal vbyd uswa xsvbla, xsal vbyd Kk Zwd.”

Bao Ning smiled. “I know.”

Pei Yuan stared at her, continuing, “Your mother and Ji Yun will have other people in their lives, and I know you will have others in yours. But I only have you.”

Bao Ning looked into his eyes; they were bloodshot, as if he were on the verge of tears.

She replied solemnly, “I know.”

Realizing his current state was a bit too pathetic and un-princely, Pei Yuan turned his head and coughed twice, reverting to his usual cold-faced persona. “We’re talking about serious matters. Be professional.”

But he couldn’t maintain it for even two breaths before laughing again. “Not serious. Forget ‘serious’.”

“Ningning, I am truly happy today. You are finally willing to truly accept me.” Pei Yuan stood up while holding her, looked around the room, and finally sat her down on the table. He then squatted in front of her. “How about this: sit on my shoulders, and we’ll play ‘horsey’ for two laps to celebrate.”

Bao Ning laughed. “What kind of celebration is that?”

“Only children play horsey, and you are my ‘child’—you can afford to be a bit willful.” Pei Yuan looked back. “Don’t you like it?”

Bao Ning pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and answered honestly, “I do.”

Pei Yuan smiled.

Bao Ning shook her head. “But your leg is injured. We’ll do it in a few days.”

Pei Yuan said, “But I wanted to make you happy today.”

“How about this,” Bao Ning suggested. “Step back a bit, open your arms, and say ‘come give me a hug’ in your gentlest voice.”

Pei Yuan actually listened.

Bao Ning thought to herself that a man truly is different when he’s moved. Before, he would have died before doing something like this, likely thinking it was embarrassing or “womanish.”

She watched as Pei Yuan took three steps back, standing right beneath the window. The bright sunlight poured over him, making him look as though he were glowing.

“Ningning, come here and let me hold you,” Pei Yuan opened his arms, the look in his eyes incredibly tender. “I’ve missed you to death.”

Bao Ning laughed and jumped off the table into his arms. “Why are you adding extra lines!”

“I’m just speaking from the heart.”

---

That evening, Nanny Liu clearly sensed that the relationship between the Fourth Prince and his Consort had changed.

They had always been close, but today it was even better. The Prince’s eyes were practically glued to her.

He was sitting by the wall crushing eggshells, looking slightly impatient as if the task were too tedious, but his eyes were bright with a certain spark.

Bao Ning sat beside him washing apricots to make dried fruit. She glanced at the jar in his hand. “No, not fine enough. Do it properly. Grind them into powder; I want to mix it into the soil so the flowers grow stronger.”

“I don’t know where you get these weird ideas. Are you just trying to mess with me?” Pei Yuan glanced at the pile of dried shells next to him—at least fifty of them—and the veins on his forehead throbbed. “How long is this going to take? Besides, what’s the point of those scrawny flowers growing stronger? Will they be stronger than me? Prettier than me? You’re always busy with useless things.”

“Complain all you want, but don’t stop your hands.” Bao Ning scrubbed the dirt off the apricots and put them in a basin for Nanny Liu to pit.

It was late June. The apricots were yellow and large. Preserved as dried fruit, they could be eaten in autumn and winter—sour and sweet. Especially in winter, they could stew meat over a charcoal stove and eat the fruit after; it was great for cutting through the grease.

Pei Yuan said, “There are so many servants. Give some of these shells to them to help.”

“No, they aren’t as strong as you; they won’t grind them fine enough.” Bao Ning whispered, “Only you are ‘useful’.”

Pei Yuan rolled up his sleeves. “I—”

“You just said you’d always be good to me and listen to me. We only just finished dinner; have you changed already?” Bao Ning’s eyes went round. “Nagging over such a small thing.”

“I am not.” Pei Yuan swallowed the retort on the tip of his tongue and forced a smile. “I love crushing eggshells for you. I’m doing it gladly, with plenty of energy.”

“That’s more like it.” Bao Ning leaned on his shoulder and fed him half an apricot. “Sweet?”

“Sweet.” Pei Yuan sucked on her fingertip for a second. “Another piece.”

Bao Ning broke off another piece and popped it in his mouth. She lowered her head and said, “In about ten days, it’s my youngest sister’s one-month banquet. Eldest Sister should be there. I’ll try to sound her out. She is a very kind person and has always treated me well; she’ll listen to what I have to say. Besides, she surely wouldn’t want her husband to go down a crooked path.”

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

Pei Yuan asked, “If Jia Ling insists on siding with Pei Xiao, will your eldest sister choose justice over family?”

Bao Ning hesitated. Likely not. Ji Xiangzhen had been raised as a perfectly traditional lady of a great house; it would be very difficult for her to betray her home. If she stood against Jia Ling, she stood against the entire Marquis of Chongyuan’s estate. In the end, regardless of what happened to Jia Ling, she would be discarded. Even returning to the Duke of Rong’s estate wouldn’t yield a happy ending.

There seemed to be no reason for Ji Xiangzhen to help her.

“It’s fine.” Pei Yuan couldn’t bear to see her troubled. “This isn’t a burden you should carry anyway. It’s men’s business. Just treat the trip as a visit to your family.”

Bao Ning didn’t speak.

Pei Yuan added, “It is the banquet for the Duchess’s daughter, after all. we can’t be too stingy. Tomorrow I’ll make time to help you prepare gifts, and we’ll go together.”

Bao Ning agreed.

Pei Yuan suddenly realized that at such an important event, Ji Jiaying would definitely be there, and he wondered if Pei Xiao would follow. Since their last encounter at the Crown Prince’s estate, they hadn’t met openly, but they had clashed several times in the shadows; they were like fire and water. Pei Yuan didn’t have a high opinion of Pei Xiao’s character and wasn’t sure if Pei Xiao would try something against Bao Ning.

Pei Yuan decided he would have Chen Jia follow Bao Ning every step of the way, and unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t leave her side either.

The atmosphere grew quiet, save for the splashing sound of Bao Ning playing with the water.

“Yuanzi, Yuanzi, don’t cry! Auntie didn’t mean it!” Su Mingyou’s anxious voice came from outside. She walked in holding Yuanzi’s hand, trying to soothe him. “It’s just a small pellet drum. Auntie will buy you another one, okay? Stop crying, I’ll buy you several.”

“No! Grandpa gave me this one! Grandpa said there’s only one in the whole world!” Yuanzi pushed her away and ran to Bao Ning, burying himself in her arms. “It’s broken, Auntie! My little drum is broken!”

Su Mingyou stood there awkwardly.

“What drum?” Bao Ning was confused. She asked Nanny Liu to get a handkerchief to wipe Yuanzi’s face. “How did it break?”

Su Mingyou explained behind them, “I was out for a stroll and saw Yuanzi playing under a tree. I wanted to get closer to him—I noticed the boy seemed hostile toward me during the day and wanted to win him over. I saw him holding a pellet drum, so I took it to play with him, but Jixiang (the dog) suddenly lunged at me and bit through the drumhead.”

She sighed guiltily. “It’s my fault for causing such an accident.”

Pei Yuan pulled the drum from Yuanzi’s tight grip and held it up to the light. He let out a small “oh.”

He asked Yuanzi, “Your grandpa gave you this?”

Yuanzi nodded through tears, reaching for it. “Give it back…”

“Your family isn’t royalty, are they? Or at least top-tier wealthy merchants. Making a pellet drum out of black bear skin… what a waste of resources. Even princes and princesses didn’t have toys like this growing up.” Pei Yuan gave a half-smile. “Your grandpa is quite something, isn’t he?”

Yuanzi sobbed, “But it’s broken…”

“Bear skin?” Bao Ning was also becoming suspicious. “Yuanzi, tell me the truth. Who is your grandpa? What is his name?”

Yuanzi said, “Zhu… Zhu—”

“The kid is acting slow again. It comes in waves.” Pei Yuan frowned and poked the boy’s forehead lightly.

“It’s okay. My mother has a piece of black bear skin that my grandfather left behind from his days at war. When Ji Yun was born, my father gave it to her. When we return to the estate, I’ll ask her for it and fix the drumhead.” Bao Ning stroked Yuanzi’s head. “There, stop crying.”

Yuanzi’s crying slowly ceased.

Pei Yuan watched him for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked out, heading straight for Wei Meng’s quarters.

He tossed the little drum onto Wei Meng’s table and pointed at the bamboo-style pattern on the drumstick. “Black bear skin is a tribute item; there are only a fixed number of pieces in the whole of Great Zhou. Go find out who has them. Also, find out what this pattern means.”

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