Chapter 15.3 (2/2)

After the banquet ended Yan Shi Ning and Pei Jin were resting in the chamber prepared for them.

‘Big brother, are you close to my little sister?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin predicted Yan Shi Ning would ask him about Yan Shi Ting.

‘I’m not close to her,’ Pei Jin said.

‘Big brother, why do I feel the way my little sister looks at you is strange?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin laughed. ‘Wife, you should understand her personality.’

‘What?’ Yan Shi Ning asked confusedly.

‘Wife, come here and I’ll tell you,’ Pei Jin said.

Yan Shi Ning listened to Pei Jin talked about how in the past there was a period Yan Shi Ting followed him around to gain his favour. She thought in the past he would have found Yan Shi Ting’s attention scary and laughable.

Yan Shi Ning realised even the beautiful and haughty Yan Shi Ting didn’t want to be rejected by anyone. In the past Yan Shi Ning saw many men lower themselves beneath Yan Shi Ting’s dress, but Yan Shi Ting dismissed them. Yan Shi Ting was indeed haughty. If a man coldly dismissed Yan Shi Ting then Yan Shi Ting wouldn’t easily accept rejection. Instead Yan Shi Ting would use a thousand schemes to attract the man who didn’t want to pursue Yan Shi Ting. Yan Shi Ting was a natural seductress, which was why if Yan Shi Ting purposely seduced a man usually the man would fall into a deadly trance.

Yan Shi Ning knew that the rare man who wouldn’t be seduced by Yan Shi Ting was Pei Jin.

Yan Shi Ning thought that Yan Shi Ting’s life would have flowed smoothly until Yan Shi Ting met Pei Jin at a banquet in the palace and Yan Shi Ting got to taste failure. No matter if Yan Shi Ting wore a beautiful dress and makeup or ‘accidently’ touched Pei Jin inappropriately, Pei Jin wouldn’t glance at Yan Shi Ting. Yan Shi Ning could see in her head how frustrated Yan Shi Ting would have been to hear Pei Jin coldly warn, ‘respect yourself.’

Yan Shi Ning remembered how Yan Shi Ting looked resentfully at her during the banquet and she smiled. ‘Big brother, were you excessively acting during the banquet to provoke my little sister?’

‘Wife, what do you think?’ Pei Jin asked and innocently looked at Yan Shi Ning.

In another chamber Princess Kang Hua scolded Yan Shi Ting. ‘Your behaviour is poorer by the day! Don’t forget, you’ll be the crown prince’s wife!’

‘What’s the point of being the crown prince’s wife?’ Yan Shi Ting asked. ‘The crown prince has always been cold toward me. He doesn’t care about me like the way ninth prince cares about Yan Shi Ning. The crown prince doesn’t love me!’

‘That’s because you’re lacking!’ Princess Kang Hua criticized. ‘Even if ninth prince is gentle and loving, he’s still a useless prince!’

Yan Shi Ting closed her mouth. She wished the crown prince was ninth prince. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t the one ninth prince cared about as though he held a grudge against her.

Princess Kang Hua’s old nurse maid knocked on the door and entered the chamber. ‘Princess, widow Li is here again.’

Princess Kang Hua frowned and spoke softly. ‘I know. Bring her to my courtyard, I’ll go there first.’

Yan Shi Ting watched them leave hurriedly and she thought it was strange. Who was widow Li? Why did nurse maid Liu speak in an anxious tone? Also, her mother’s expression was strange too. She suspected they were hiding a secret.

***

End of Chapter Fifteen (Part 3 of 3)