Chapter 13 (1/2)

Chapter Thirteen

Yan Shi Ning didn’t want to get out of bed.

Yan Shi Ning buried her head on Pei Jin’s chest. But he kept poking her to wake up. She raised her head, glared at him, rolled over and continued to sleep.

Pei Jin shook Yan Shi Ning’s body. ‘Wife, wake up.’

Yan Shi Ning frowned and kept her eyes closed.

Pei Jin smiled. ‘You need to wake up to read.’

‘Troublemaker!’ Yan Shi Ning protested.

Pei Jin laughed and shook Yan Shi Ning’s body but she continued to sleep.

‘Wife, you have no conscience,’ Pei Jin accused. ‘Someone schemed against your husband, but you can sleep peacefully.’

Yan Shi Ning remembered what happened last night and had no sympathy left for Pei Jin. ‘You deserve it.’

Yan Shi Ning thought Pei Jin always deceived other people, of course it was fair he received retribution.

Pei Jin rubbed his chin.  ‘Wife, how should I deal with her?’

‘Feeding her master lust herbs is a serious offence,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Of course you need to punish her severely.’

‘Wife, it appears you truly hate her,’ Pei Jin said. ‘If that is so then your husband won’t be merciful anymore. I’ve decided to make her disappear forever in front of us.’

Yan Shi Ning’s eyes widened and she sat upright on the bed. ‘Big brother, you don’t want to…’

Yan Shi Ning gestured a slit throat.

‘Wife, what are you thinking?’ Pei Jin asked. ‘I want her to go back to Huang Guo’s manor.’

Yan Shi Ning’s heart cursed Pei Jin, it was pointless of him to appear deadly threatening before if he didn’t want to kill Su Yue.

‘But I need a good reason to send her back,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Faulting her for feeding me lust herbs isn’t a good reason. She was given to me to serve me. Huang Guo would ask me to forgive her for being impatient to serve me.’

‘Big brother, what do you want to do?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘I have a plan…’ Pei Jin said. ‘Yesterday I cooperated with you. Today I need your help.’

Yan Shi Ning listened to Pei Jin’s plan. ‘Big brother, you thought deeply only to return one maid to Huang Guo’s manor?’

Pei Jin hugged Yan Shi Ning and he smiled. ‘Wife, are you not the one who hates her? Because of your happiness, your husband would do anything.’

‘Big brother, why does it feel like you want to borrow a dagger to kill someone?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin didn’t admit or deny Yan Shi Ning’s accusation. ‘Wife, will you let me borrow your dagger or not?’

Yan Shi Ning pursed her lips, contemplated for a while and agreed to help Pei Jin. But she was suspicious why he would waste energy to think of a thorough plan to send Su Yue back to Huang Guo’s manor unless he had his own reason. She sighed inwardly. Although she was curious what the reason was, she knew if he didn’t want to tell her then it was pointless to ask him.

Yan Shi Ning glanced at Pei Jin who was smiling too sweetly and her intuition agreed with her suspicions. ‘Big brother, have you been wanting to chase Su Yue out of your manor for a long time?’

Pei Jin’s sweet smile didn’t disappear. If he didn’t deny it, Yan Shi Ning knew last night she was fooled. She glared at him, raised her foot and kicked his thigh. MF, fooled her again!

Initially Yan Shi Ning thought Pei Jin agreed to cooperate with her to punish Su Yue because he wanted to appease her. After she thought carefully, she realised he had fooled her.

Pei Jin was happy Yan Shi Ning was angry. He hugged her and his hands stroked her skin beneath her undergarments. She didn’t struggle and only laid still. He rubbed his face on her neck and bribed her. ‘Wife, don’t you want to know why I want to chase Su Yue out of the manor?’

Yan Shi Ning glared at Pei Jin and he whispered in her ear. ‘Huang Guo truly gave Su Yue to me to spy on me.’

Yan Shi Ning’s body shivered. After Consort Chen died, Huang Guo resigned from his position in the imperial court. Huang Guo announced he wanted to live a peaceful life of a gardener. Yan Shi Ning didn’t understand why Huang Guo wanted to spy on Pei Jin. Perhaps, it was seventh prince or the crown prince who wanted to spy on Pei Jin.

Pei Jin could see Yan Shi Ning’s flow of thoughts and he whispered something in her ear.

Su Yue stayed awake most of the night. The more she thought, the more heartbroken and hopeless she felt. She stayed in bed and hugged her pillow the whole morning. But in the afternoon she couldn’t stay in bed quietly, because she heard Pei Jin’s voice nearby her chamber.

‘Wife, what do you think of these flowers?’ Pei Jin asked.

‘The flowers are beautiful,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘It reminds of Su Yue, they’re all beautiful. Who lives in the chamber of this courtyard? It’s a beautiful courtyard.’

‘Mistress, big sister Su lives here,’ a maid said.

‘Is that so?’ Yan Shi Ning asked. ‘Ninth prince, a day’s gone. If you were angry then it would have simmered by now. I feel I was partly at fault, Su Yue was shocked to see me sick and accidently knocked over the blue vase… I think that she doesn’t need to reflect for a month in her chamber.’

Su Yue was eavesdropping by her chamber window. Her heart raged and thought Yan Shi Ning was pretending to appear merciful in front of Pei Jin. She hated Yan Shi Ning but she wanted to hear Pei Jin’s reply. She didn’t expect he would forgive her after what she did last night.

‘Wife, if that is your wish then Su Yue’s punishment can be forgotten,’ Pei Jin said.

Su Yue was overjoyed to hear Pei Jin had forgiven her.