Chapter 4 (2/2)

‘It’s nothing,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘I was hitting a mosquito.’

Yan Shi Ning hit Pei Jin’s arm to demonstrate hitting a mosquito.

The maid was relieved her mistress was alright, left the chamber and closed the door.

‘That was close,’ Pei Jin said. ‘She almost discovered me on your bed.’

Yan Shi Ning laughed. ‘Big brother, do you know how to be scared?’

‘Of course I’m scared,’ Pei Jin teased. ‘If she discovered me on your bed then tomorrow she would spread a rumor that each time the older Lady Yan felt lonely, Lady Yan would sneak a man into Lady Yan’s chamber in the middle of the night.’

‘Big brother, why aren’t you leaving?’ Yan Shi Ning asked resentfully.

‘Leave?’ Pei Jin asked. ‘Of course I need to leave.’ He left the bed to take off his shoes and laid back on the bed. ‘I’ll be leaving in the morning.’

Yan Shi Ning sat abruptly on the bed. She saw his eyes were closed and he was sleeping comfortably.

She knew it was pointless to kick him out of the chamber and she was forced to oblige to let him sleep. She laid back on the bed as far away from him as possible.

After a while Pei Jin opened his mouth. ‘Why didn’t you run away? I came here this late to see if you had ran away.’

Yan Shi Ning looked at him suspiciously. She didn’t know if he was being honest. For every ten sentences he spoke, nine of them were lies.

‘Thank you ninth prince for reminding me,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

‘It appears I can’t leave anymore,’ Pei Jin said and took off his outer robe. ‘Besides, starting tomorrow night we’ll be sleeping together. Tonight is a good experience for us to get used to sleeping together.’

Yan Shi Ning felt choked with suspicions. She pulled the blanket over her body out of fear his arms and legs would wander.

Pei Jin saw her clearly protecting her body. He smiled, the little lion was nervous. It was amusing to tease the little lion.

‘Little lion, are you willingly marrying me?’ Pei Jin asked.

Yan Shi Ning opened her eyes. Although his tone sounded like he was jesting, but his eyes looked serious and it was hard for her to see through him.

‘How can I refuse you?’ Yan Shi Ning asked. She didn’t want fight with him for his amusement. Instead she smiled and spoke in the gentlest tone. ‘Marrying ninth prince is a blessing that will last for three lifetimes.’

Pei Jin frowned. ‘Is that how you feel?’

‘Of course,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Ninth prince is an intelligent and handsome man. There are too many young ladies who wish to marry you. I’m petty and I have no talents. Of course I’m grateful, it’s a miracle that I’m marrying you.’

Yan Shi Ning spoke smoothly enough for her words to sound convincing to other people, but he knew she was mocking him.

Pei Jin laughed. ‘You’re an expert liar.’

‘It’s because you taught me well,’ Yan Shi Ning said and laughed.

‘You actually want to marry me,’ Pei Jin said. ‘It’s a pity that I was forced to marry you.’

‘What do you mean?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Yan Shi Ning didn’t expect he was forced to marry her.

Pei Jin stared at Yan Shi Ning and he stopped himself from smiling. He sighed and spoke in a pitiful tone. ‘The crown prince wants to marry your little sister and you’re their obstacle. I was forced to be the sacrifice. I thought you marrying someone had no relation to me. But I returned to the imperial city from Southern Jiang at the wrong time. In the palace I looked in all four directions and feared that I would be the sacrifice. Indeed my fear was real and I became the sacrifice.’

Pei Jin looked seriously at Yan Shi Ning for a while. ‘Think about it. You’re the prime minister’s daughter and in the future your little sister will be married to the crown prince. You need to be married to someone from high in the sky. Before I returned to the imperial city, there wasn’t anyone suitable for you and you could only choose from someone below you. But I’m back in the imperial city and it’s not the same as before. Didn’t you see everyone’s eyes looking at me? I’m a prince with a weak status in imperial court and you’re the prime minister’s daughter with a weak status in the Yan household. We’re a fated pair matched by the heavens.’

Pei Jin paused and sighed. ‘I was forced to marry you.’

Yan Shi Ning looked carefully at Pei Jin. Each of his words clearly entered her ears but when it entered her heart, it made her heart ache. She didn’t care who she would marry and thought perhaps her marriage candidate wouldn’t willingly marry her. But she didn’t expect her thoughts would be voiced by the trouble maker in front of her.

‘Then it must be hard for ninth prince,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

Yan Shi Ning rolled over and her back faced Pei Jing. She closed her eyes and ignored him.

Pei Jin felt frustrated. He expected the little lion would only be angry like earlier and hit him. He thought of those reasonable words to tease her. The heavens knew that seeing her act docile made his heart ache. He didn’t expect she would be angry to that extent. He knew he had to quickly console her and hoped she would be easily consoled like in the past.

‘I was teasing you,’ Pei Jin confessed. ‘Don’t think it’s the truth. The moment I heard about the crown prince and your little sister’s situation, I knew you would need to be married soon and I rushed from Southern Jiang to return to the imperial city. You don’t know how hard it was for me to leave Southern Jiang, the citizens there rather die than let me go. I had to climb the wall in the middle of the night. I resorted to whipping a horse and rode all the way here. How can my little lion marry another man? The heavens know many years I waited for you to become an adult.’

Yan Shi Ning turned her head around and spoke through gritted teeth. ‘Big brother, will you die if you don’t lie?’

Yan Shi Ning heard those familiar lies too many times. In the past each time they met, he would say those sweet words to tease her. If he thought she would easily believe him like the first time he told those familiar lies to her then he was a foolish rabbit prince.

Pei Jin rubbed his chin. ‘It appears I’ve spoken these words before. Next time I need to think of something new to say to you.’

‘Go into your grave!’ Yan Shi Ning said.

Yan Shi Ning couldn’t suppress her anger anymore and kicked in the direction of Pei Jin’s leg.

Pei Jin avoided Yan Shi Ning’s kick and pulled her into his chest. ‘This is more like the real you. Will you believe me if I say I’ll be honest with you in the future?’

Yan Shi Ning looked at Pei Jin suspiciously.

Pei Jin’s eyes swept over Yan Shi Ning’s chest. ‘Like… how I touched your chest before. It feels like compared to when you were a little girl, it hasn’t grown that much.’

Yan Shi Ning mentally cursed mouthy boy. She regretted no one came to kill him.

***

End of Chapter Fou