Chapter 93: The Casket

Jixiang kept barking. He had grown quite sturdy now, and with a new coat of fur coming in, he looked both ugly and fierce.

If Nanny Liu hadn’t rushed over in time to restrain him, Su Mingyou had no doubt that this ugly dog—which stood higher than her knees—would have lunged forward and torn her apart instantly. She was terrified of the dog, so much so that she didn’t even want to come to Bao Ning’s courtyard anymore, but… she had no choice.

She glanced at Zhao Qian and saw his face was stiff. Thinking he was also frightened, she reached down and squeezed his palm.

Zhao Qian’s expression relaxed slightly, and he returned a gentle smile.

Bao Ning watched them oddly. After a pause, she whispered to Chen Jia beside her, “Don’t you think Madam Su and this new little maid are strange? It’s only been one night; how could they have developed such deep feelings?”

Chen Jia kept his head down while sorting vegetable seeds. These days, aside from practicing his martial arts, he was kept busy by Bao Ning with chores. Sorting seeds, sprouting beans, plowing the soil, watering—all the skills he had learned back in his rural hometown were now being put to use.

His days were actually quite pleasant, relaxed, and comfortable; he felt he had put on a good deal of weight.

People living with Bao Ning always seemed to get fat. Like Nanny Liu—originally a plump middle-aged woman, she was now a kind, stout old lady with deep creases in her cheeks when she laughed.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Ubld Kky vbld vbswtbv vs bkxplzq vbyv vbl Wswavb Vakdnl bye y vawzu alpkzkldv nbyaynvla; bl oypd’v qyv yv yzz. Tl yvl iwkvl y ckv, ulv bl sdzu talo xsal xwpnwzya, okvb ds pktd sq lmvay qzyc.

Frlyjkdt sq qzyc, Ubld Kky alyzkgle bl oyp pweeldzu nayhkdt rsaj clzzu. Tso nswze bl cakdt kv wr vs Jys Lkdt pwcvzu?

Kwpv byhl bla xyjl y zkvvzl, yde tkhl bkx y nswrzl sq ckvlp yv ekddla—vbyv oswze cl ldswtb.

Gnaspp vbl oyu, Lyddu Nkw olznsxle Fw Ykdtusw yde Hbys Ckyd kdvs vbl bswpl. Ubld Kky pllxle eygle, nzwvnbkdt y bydeqwz sq nsakydela pllep okvbswv prlyjkdt.

Jys Lkdt nyzzle bkx voknl xsal, ypjkdt, “Ubld Kky, es usw vbkdj vblal’p psxlvbkdt oasdt okvb vbyv dlo xyke?”

Xdzu vbld eke Ubld Kky pdyr swv sq kv. Tl vbswtbv plakswpzu qsa y xsxldv yde alrzkle, “R esd’v jdso. Jwv obld R oyp uswdt, R blyae vbyv kq y okesole osxyd kp zsdlzu qsa vss zsdt, pbl xktbv elhlzsr… nlavykd yzvladyvkhl kelyp. Yu dlktbcsa cynj bsxl oyp y uswdt okeso; bla qsaxla kd-zyop olal rsolaqwz yde oswzed’v zlv bla alxyaau. Ohldvwyzzu, pbl nswzed’v vyjl kv yduxsal yde qswde ydsvbla okeso qasx bla xsvbla’p hkzzytl. Mblu zkhle vstlvbla, nyzzkdt lynb svbla pkpvlap.”

Jys Lkdt ypjle, “Gde vbld?”

Ubld Kky pyke, “Mbld sdl eyu vblu olal ekpnshlale cu svblap, pzllrkdt kd vbl pyxl cle okvbswv ydu nzsvblp sd, eskdt blyhld jdsop obyv.”

Bao Ning’s face slowly turned red. She looked back at where Su Mingyou and the new maid were sitting and couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.

Sleeping in one bed without clothes… what exactly were they doing?

She had learned something quite novel from Chen Jia.

Resuming a serious expression, Bao Ning instructed, “Chen Jia, keep an eye on that maid from now on. We don’t know her background, and I’m afraid she might do something bad. If she makes any move, or if she and Madam Su… you must tell me immediately!”

Chen Jia said, “Understood!”

---

Bao Ning entered the room with a heavy heart. Su Mingyou was drinking tea at the table; seeing her enter, her expression flickered strangely for an instant before quickly smoothing out.

She commanded, “Qian’er, quickly, pay your respects to the Madam.”

With a loud thump, Zhao Qian knelt before Bao Ning, eyes reddening as he said, “This servant, Qian’er, begs Madam to take her in.”

The floor was made of marble. That forceful kneel just now was intended to win Bao Ning’s sympathy. The order Zhao Qian had received from Pei Xiao was to use a female identity to get close to Bao Ning, gain her trust and favor, and ideally become her personal maid to facilitate future operations.

And the easiest way to gain a woman’s trust was to put on a pitiful front and invoke her pity.

Bao Ning’s heart did soften a little. She hurriedly had Nanny Liu help her up and smiled, “The one who bought you wasn’t me, it was Madam Su. It’s enough that she’s willing to take you in; there’s no need to beg me.”

With tears in his eyes, Zhao Qian glanced at Bao Ning and whispered his thanks.

A beauty with eyes like autumn ripples should be a lovely sight, but that feeling of unease welled up in Bao Ning again. She was clear-headed; people at the bottom of the ladder often used little schemes and played the victim to climb up—that was understandable. But this “Qian’er” was overacting a bit too much.

A man might feel protective, but she wasn’t a man; she just found it incredibly fake.

Zhao Qian was also sizing her up.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, slender and beautiful, with a face like a pale pear blossom, willow-leaf brows, and lips as red as dripping vermilion. She still had the pure, elegant aura of a young girl, yet with the added charm of a married woman.

To put it bluntly: a naive daughter of a sheltered home, without schemes, possessing only beauty—pure and easy to fool. One could tell just by looking at her eyes.

However, she was rather endearingly pitiable.

Zhao Qian eagerly stepped forward to pour tea for Bao Ning, filling the cup seven-tenths full. He tested the temperature with his fingertip and said, “Please, Madam. It is a bit hot; please drink slowly.”

Bao Ning caught a glimpse of Su Mingyou, capturing a flash of displeasure in her eyes—it looked like jealousy.

She became even more certain of the theory Chen Jia had mentioned. Su Mingyou had bought Qian’er for her beauty, and being close to her was to soothe her loneliness in the inner chambers. Otherwise, how else could one explain the two of them holding hands so intimately only a day after meeting?

Bao Ning wasn’t sure how to handle such a matter. She would wait for Pei Yuan to return; this was his sister-in-law, and whether or not to break up the “lovebirds” would depend on Pei Yuan’s wishes.

But for now, Bao Ning didn’t want to see them. They were a real eyesore!

She drank her tea in silence, no longer speaking, hoping Su Mingyou would take the hint and leave on her own.

Yet, she stubbornly refused to go.

Reluctantly, Bao Ning invited Su Mingyou to stay for lunch.

After the meal, Su Mingyou still wouldn’t leave. She made herself at home on the soft couch, wanting to compare embroidery skills with Bao Ning. Bao Ning didn’t want to compare skills—to do so meant talking, and she didn’t want to talk to Su Mingyou much. So, she called A-Mian over and took out a silk ball to play catch with the little sheep.

The little sheep had long since grown into a large sheep; standing up, it was taller than Su Mingyou’s waist, its head reaching directly to her stomach.

Zhao Qian was dumbstruck.

He had seen many daughters and matrons of official and noble families, but he had never seen one who kept so many strange animals at home. What was with this Fourth Princess Consort? Did she think the Fourth Prince had no hope of a comeback, so she was just letting herself go at home?

Still, it was quite cute. Very different. It piqued one’s interest.

Zhao Qian raised an eyebrow.

Su Mingyou’s mind was on serious business; she was thinking of how to subtly drive a wedge between Bao Ning and Pei Yuan. But Bao Ning hardly spoke to her, simply piling up snacks and tea for her to consume. She had gone to the latrine three times already, yet not a single useful word had been exchanged. Su Mingyou was growing anxious.

A-Mian grew tired of head-butting the silk ball and flopped down by Bao Ning’s feet to rest. Bao Ning called Nanny Liu to bring a plate of “Puppy Shrimp.” They were caught from the Bohai Sea; the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue had somehow obtained over ten catties of fresh shrimp and sent them to Pei Yuan as a gift. The shrimp were only about as long as half a pinky finger, but the meat was thick, fresh, and sweet—delicious.

Bao Ning thought to herself that Pei Yuan was moving up in the world; people were actually sending him gifts now.

She washed her hands and personally peeled one, placing it on the small dish in front of Su Mingyou. She smiled, “Sister-in-law, have some shrimp to whet your appetite.”

“Thank you, younger sister, but I’m already full. I won’t have any.” Su Mingyou’s expression wasn’t great. She had been here for half the day and had done nothing but “whet her appetite.”

She glanced at Zhao Qian and saw him staring intently at Bao Ning’s hands. Su Mingyou’s heart sank; she remembered Zhao Qian pouring tea for Bao Ning earlier, and a surge of bitterness rose within her.

Seeing her not eating the shrimp, Bao Ning asked again, “Sister-in-law, is there anything else you’d like to eat?”

“I’m not eating anything!” Su Mingyou stood up somewhat agitatedly. She couldn’t stay here any longer; her waist ached, her stomach felt uncomfortable, and Zhao Qian made her even more uneasy. She wanted to go back to her own courtyard. “Bao Ning, I’ll be going—”

As she walked out and was saying her goodbyes, her toe clipped the silk ball on the ground. The ball rolled toward the bottom of a nearby cabinet. The sheep hurriedly gave chase but couldn’t stop in time. With a bang, it slammed into the cabinet. Several small vases fell and shattered, and a small casket from the top shelf was knocked to the floor.

It was an exquisite little casket, encircled by a ring of dark purple patterns.

Su Mingyou’s eyes lit up. “What is that?”

Bao Ning shooed away the troublemaking sheep and ordered servants to come in and clean up. She picked up the casket, brushed off the dust, and recognized it. “It’s the Fourth Prince’s. I don’t know how it ended up here. I’ll just put it back.”

Su Mingyou asked, “Aren’t you curious?”

Bao Ning turned back, surprised. “Curious about what?”

Su Mingyou looked at her meaningfully. “About what exactly is inside this casket. If the Fourth Prince doesn’t tell you, don’t you want to know?”

Bao Ning thought back; Pei Yuan used to take this casket out and fiddle with it frequently. It had an exquisite small golden lock on it. He would poke at it with a key but never actually open it. Recently, however, he hadn’t touched it for a long time.

Left on the cabinet, the casket had gathered dust.

She was curious about what was inside. Her intuition told her it was something very important to Pei Yuan—and something he didn’t want to face.

In the beginning, they weren’t that close, so she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Later, she simply forgot. Only now did she remember.

Su Mingyou put on a look of difficulty, then said, “Forget it, it’s better if you aren’t curious. Inside is…” She trailed off.

Bao Ning held the casket, tapping it with her fingers; she couldn’t tell anything by the sound.

She asked with a smile, “Does sister-in-law happen to know what’s inside?”

Su Mingyou frowned. “I know a little…”

She had heard of this casket. Back then, the remains of Pei Yuan’s mother had just been found—a pile of white bones, moldy, in a cave within the palace’s artificial mountains. Pei Yuan had seen it with his own eyes, and his mind had been unstable for a long time. He was somewhat manic, wandering around the artificial mountains every day clutching this casket, dragging a long saber with steel rings behind him.

The Emperor couldn’t bear to watch and sent someone to steal the casket to see what was inside. When Pei Yuan discovered it, he had hacked the person’s hand clean off.

From then on, Pei Yuan’s already tarnished reputation grew even worse, and for a time, few dared to approach him.

Su Mingyou said to Bao Ning, “Inside is something that will make you sad.”

Bao Ning looked at her in confusion.

“It belongs to a woman who was very important to Fourth Brother. Very important. No one dares to mention her in front of him,” Su Mingyou said, mixing truth with lies to deceive her. “So Bao Ning, whatever you do, do not ask him.”

Bao Ning asked, “Why can’t I ask?”

Su Mingyou said, “Bao Ning, I am someone who has been through it, which is why I’m advising you. We women always make the same mistake: thinking too highly of ourselves, believing we are so important. In truth, who knows when we will be replaced by someone new? I advise you to keep an open mind and just live your own life. Whether Fourth Brother had an old flame in the past or a new love in the future, don’t be too quick to get upset.”

Seeing Bao Ning’s increasingly stunned expression, she put on a sorrowful look. “What I’ve said are just guesses, meant for your own good. I don’t truly know Fourth Brother’s past either. Just listen and let it go—don’t let it affect your relationship!”

Bao Ning looked at the casket in her hand, then at Su Mingyou’s face. After a long while, she smiled. “I understand.”

Su Mingyou only wanted to sow a small seed of discord between Bao Ning and Pei Yuan. They were originally affectionate, and turning them against each other couldn’t be done all at once; it required a gradual approach. If Bao Ning felt even a hint of suspicion toward Pei Yuan today, her goal was achieved.

Su Mingyou thought to herself that their relationship was inherently unstable. Men were lustful, and while Bao Ning had saved Pei Yuan from a dire situation—making it only natural for him to be good to her—at the end of the day, it was only half a year of affection. How deep could it really be?

She didn’t believe in it.

Su Mingyou smiled and pointed toward the door. “It’s getting late. I’m a bit tired and will head back now.”

Bao Ning saw her out.

Back in the room, Bao Ning sat cross-legged on the soft couch, weighing the casket in her hands, reflecting on the words Su Mingyou had spoken.

---

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here