It was nearly dark by the time they reached home. Since it was opening day, the shop had been packed with customers, and the earnings were substantial.
Bao Ning watched as the workers saw off the last guest, swept the rooms, installed the window shutters, and locked the doors. Once everything was settled, she walked out carrying five catties of pork leg bones she’d bought in the afternoon. Pei Yuan was waiting for her at the entrance, straddling his horse.
“It’s only a fifteen-minute walk home. Don’t take the carriage; I’ll take you for a ride to catch the breeze,” he said.
Standing on the steps, Bao Ning looked at Saifeng with curiosity. Although she had known the horse for a long time, she had never actually ridden him and felt a bit nervous.
Pei Yuan slapped his thigh loudly and beckoned her with a finger. “What are you standing there dazing for? Hurry up. Otherwise, those bailiffs will come back to fine you again.”
At the mention of the fine, Bao Ning glared at him.
After Yuanzi left that afternoon, Bao Ning had been upset for a long while. Distracted, she hadn’t kept a close enough eye on the shop; someone had tied a horse to a porch pillar, and a bailiff saw it, fining her three maces of silver. Following a string of bad luck, her mood hadn’t improved, and Pei Yuan’s constant need to bring it up only made her feel more stifled.
Bao Ning looked down at the plump pork bones in her cloth bag, thinking of the delicious bone broth she’d simmer tonight, which made her feel slightly better.
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“Fbswze R pkv kd vbl qasdv sa vbl cynj?”
“Usxl vs vbl qasdv,” Vlk Zwyd alynble swv vs rwzz bla wr. “Zsw oydv vs pkv kd vbl cynj? Ekvb uswa vkdu pvaldtvb, kq usw esd’v bsze xu oykpv vktbv ldswtb yde qyzz sqq, R osd’v lhld cl yczl vs pyhl usw.”
Jys Lkdt xwxczle wdela bla calyvb, “Uyd’v usw prlyj dknlzu qsa sdnl? Ebu nyd’v usw zlyad y ckv sq tldvzl alqkdlxldv?”
“Ebyv yal usw xwvvlakdt shla vblal?” Vlk Zwyd tzydnle yv bla, oayrrkdt bkp yax yaswde bla oykpv vs blzr bla plvvzl kd.
Mbl lhldkdt callgl oyp nbkzzu. Tl vssj swv vbl nzsyj eayrle shla bkp yax, pbssj kv swv, yde nshlale bla pbswzelap. “Gal usw nwapkdt xl?”
Jys Lkdt pvyale pvayktbv yblye. “R’x nwapkdt y rkt.”
“Xb,” Vlk Zwyd alrzkle. Tl dwetle Fykqldt kdvs y vasv. Gqvla y qlo pvlrp, bl zlydle esod yde pyke vs Jys Lkdt, “R’hl clld vbkdjkdt ycswv y rasczlx fwpv dso. R nyd’v qktwal kv swv, ps R’zz ypj usw.”
Fkvvkdt pkeloyup yde nzwvnbkdt bla nzsvb cyt, Jys Lkdt qlzv vbl dshlzvu sq bla qkapv bsapl akel yde ydpolale dsdnbyzydvzu, “Ebyv kp kv?”
“There was a farmer who raised a pig and a donkey. After half a year, New Year’s was approaching and the farmer was worried. His family was poor and couldn’t afford meat, but the children wanted to eat. Neither the pig nor the donkey was fully grown, so he could only slaughter one. Looking at them in the pen, the farmer didn’t know whether braised pork or a donkey burger would be better.” Pei Yuan asked, “Which one do you think he should kill?”
Bao Ning frowned in deep thought. After a moment, she said, “Still the pig. After half a year, the pig is already quite large, but the donkey is still small. Besides, a donkey can pull a mill and plow the fields. Keeping it makes more money than a pig.”
Pei Yuan nodded in profound agreement. “Exactly. That’s exactly what the donkey thought.”
Bao Ning froze, only then realizing she’d been tricked into calling herself a donkey. This man was truly childish.
Pei Yuan burst into laughter. Bao Ning huffed, but seeing him so happy, she eventually started laughing too. The joke was honestly quite dull, but after this banter, the lingering sadness from Yuanzi’s departure finally began to dissipate.
The manor was in the suburbs. After passing through the Lihu city gates, they took a small mountain path. The evening wind brushed their faces, crisp and pleasant. Wild pomegranate trees lined the mountainside, their blossoms fluffy, vibrant, and a beautiful orange-red. The horse ran fast, and the afterimages of the pomegranate flowers blurred together like a streak of red light.
Looking at the scenery, Bao Ning thought to herself: This truly is “viewing flowers from a galloping horse!”
As they approached the manor gates, Bao Ning suddenly remembered Su Mingyou and asked Pei Yuan, “When did eldest sister-in-law go back?”
At noon, the couple had been arguing on the second floor, and by the time they returned, Su Mingyou was gone. Bao Ning had been preoccupied with other things and forgot to ask.
Pei Yuan said, “Don’t know. Likely went back when she got tired. There are people at the manor to look after her—didn’t we just buy a new maid named Xi’er?”
He tightened the reins to halt the horse steadily at the manor entrance. He hopped down first, then helped Bao Ning down, only then noticing the bulging bag in her arms. He took it; it was quite heavy.
Bao Ning stood by the horse, dusting off her skirt. She wondered if Xi’er alone was enough for Su Mingyou. Su Mingyou came from a noble background and was used to being surrounded by servants; having only one maid seemed a bit bleak. She decided to instruct Nanny Liu to buy another maid for her tomorrow.
Pei Yuan opened the bag to peek inside. “What on earth have you been carrying all this way?”
The raw smell of pork—fishy and unpleasant—hit his nose. Pei Yuan tied it back up with disgust. “Why are you carrying big bones? Isn’t it a hassle? Why didn’t you give them to Chen Jia?”
“What’s the point in letting Chen Jia carry them?” Bao Ning leaned against Pei Yuan’s arm, smiling sweetly. “I carry the bones, you ride the horse, and we go home together. Don’t you think this makes us look like a sweet, loving couple?”
Pei Yuan thought she had a point and raised an eyebrow without speaking.
He walked to the door with his hands behind his back and bowed. “We’re home. After you, Madam.”
Bao Ning played along, curtsying gracefully. “After you, Husband.”
“Madam first,” Pei Yuan shook out his sleeves. “Mutual respect—that’s how we show our love.”
A-Huang and Jixiang were racing around the yard. Hearing their voices, the dogs rushed over, circling the cloth bag and jumping up to lick it.
Bao Ning lost the mood to act and cried out anxiously, “Protect my bones! Don’t let the dogs eat them!”
“It’s all because of these two ‘fine’ dogs you raised!” Pei Yuan hissed as he kicked Jixiang away. “Watch your dogs!”
Su Mingyou clutched the note Chang Xi had given her earlier; the sweat from her palms had nearly soaked through the ink. Hiding in a secluded corner of the wall, she watched Bao Ning and Pei Yuan playing at the gate. She felt a pang of envy and a bitter taste in her mouth.
How could their relationship be so good? So real, so simple, so full of the warmth of everyday life.
It wasn’t like her and Pei Che. On the surface, they smiled, exchanged pleasantries, and showed concern for one another. To outsiders, they were a model couple, but only she knew the void inside. It was all just a performance.
Even during meals, she had to maintain a certain face—never speaking too loud, never dropping a grain of rice, upholding her noble image. Seeing him only made her feel exhausted.
Su Mingyou thought of Zhao Qian again. Zhao Qian was a thin, fair youth. When she first saw him, he was about fifteen or sixteen, a common guard in the Crown Prince’s palace. Su Mingyou had taken an interest in him at first sight. She grew bold and seduced him, making him her “secret lover.”
She had been afraid at first, but Zhao Qian was so proactive—he gave her flowers and wrote her letters. She was a woman, too; facing a cold husband every day, how could she not be moved by the attentive Zhao Qian?
Su Mingyou didn’t think she was stupid. She knew what Zhao Qian wanted—money and power—while she craved his youth and companionship.
Men could keep mistresses; Pei Che could have his favorite “ugly maid.” Why couldn’t she? Why did she have to guard her “purity” alone?
Later, after a night of passion, she became pregnant. Whether it was Pei Che’s or Zhao Qian’s, Su Mingyou didn’t know.
Life is short; she didn’t care whose child it was anymore. She was only afraid someone would find out and see the heart hidden beneath her dignified exterior. She had truly been terrified and had gathered the courage to tell her family, but her father had kicked her out. If even her parents were like this, who else would truly accept her? Only Zhao Qian.
Pei Che would surely blame her too. Su Mingyou felt lucky that the poisoning case happened, causing Pei Che and that ugly maid to disappear together. It would be best if they never returned!
Actually, during her time in Lihu, she had slowly started to come to terms with things. Giving birth to the child and living out the rest of her life in peace—though lonely—wasn’t too bad.
If only she hadn’t received Zhao Qian’s letter today…
The letter had been delivered by the head eunuch at Pei Xiao’s side. Su Mingyou understood perfectly well what that implied.
She knew she might be doing something wrong, but humans are selfish. Some love wealth, some love power, some love the empire—she loved herself most of all. Those who love the empire can sacrifice thousands of lives for their own safety; why couldn’t she sacrifice the interests of others for her own sake?
Besides, she wasn’t that bad. Su Mingyou thought that if Pei Xiao wanted to harm Pei Yuan or Bao Ning, she wouldn’t agree—but if it were just some harmless matters, it wouldn’t be impossible.
She decided to go to the meeting!
In a hidden forest not far from the manor, Pei Xiao looked at the handsome youth before him. Or was it a girl?
Zhao Qian was dressed as a maid. He had exquisite features and looked beautiful whether dressed as a man or a woman. In his pale yellow linen dress, he looked as delicate as a flower bud covered in morning dew.
Chang Xi clicked his tongue inwardly. No wonder the former Crown Princess was so enamored with him; he was truly stunning.
Pei Xiao studied him for a long time before speaking. “I know your ambition.”
Zhao Qian looked up.
“You want wealth and status, don’t you?” Pei Xiao curled his lips. “You really have no conscience. Su Mingyou treated you so sincerely, yet the moment she fell from grace, you discarded her. You came to me and presented your past romance with her as if it were a grand achievement, hoping I would think highly of you for it.”
Zhao Qian lowered his eyes. “I have no conscience, and I have no shame. If Your Highness gives me what I want, I will be the spearhead in your hand. I will point wherever you tell me to. I don’t have the talent for literature, nor can I master martial arts. My only strength is this body that can charm a woman’s heart. Men may look down on me, but I believe a skill like mine will always find its use.”
Chang Xi couldn’t bear to listen to this shameless talk. This person… was self-aware, but utterly disgraceful!
Pei Xiao, however, laughed and clapped his hands. “Very good. I like smart people, and you are very smart.”
Zhao Qian asked, “Does Your Highness want me to enter the manor to serve the former Crown Princess?”
“What use is she? Just a useless person.” Pei Xiao stopped laughing. “The heart I want you to capture belongs to another woman. First, hook her and make her leave the Fourth Prince. Second, use her influence to find out all of Pei Yuan’s latest movements. Do you understand?”
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