Chapter 30 (2/2)

Bei Dou heard ‘nourish your body’ and understood Pei Jin was mocking him.

‘I heard last night you came home in the middle of night,’ Pei Jin said and winked at Bei Dou. ‘Where else did you go?’

Bei Dou refused to answer. He knew Pei Jin knew he was followed.

‘You don’t need to hide where you went,’ Pei Jin said. ‘You don’t need to look at me in that way. We’re both men, I understand. In the future if you want to go there then go. You don’t need to hide it from me. Even if you come back in the middle of the night, you don’t need to climb over the wall. You can walk through the front door and no one will dare to tease you.’

Bei Dou broke the bowl of cooked eggs.

‘Pei Jin, do you want to know what I discovered at Fu Qing?’ Bei Dou asked.

Pei Jin nodded his head. ‘But first tell me where you went. Which of Fu Qing’s entrances did you walk through? The right or left entrance? I made a bet with little lion. She said you’re a gentleman and would walk through the left entrance. I said that because you’re a gentleman you would walk through the right entrance. Were you a gentleman or not?’

Bei Dou broke the table. He didn’t expect a married pair like Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning were compatible to that extend and enjoyed mocking him.

‘Bei Dou, I was jesting,’ Pei Jin said. ‘You don’t need to be too serious.’

Bei Dou calmed himself then he recounted what happened at Fu Qing, but he didn’t expect Pei Jin would be surprised.

‘Does that mean you didn’t do anything last night?’ Pei Jin asked. ‘You’re still a pure man?’

Bei Dou heard ‘pure man’ and decided he would find a way to make Pei Jin suffer a little.

Pei Jin rubbed his chin. ‘It appears the brothels in Fu Qing aren’t simply brothels. I need to investigate who are involved in this scheme.’ He sighed. ‘Recently there’s been many situations I need to investigate.’

Pei Jin returned to his chamber. Before any investigations were resolved, a messenger delivered an invitation. On the sixth day of the tenth month was the crown prince and Yan Shi Ting’s wedding banquet.

Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning looked at each other in surprise. The empress had intentions for the crown prince to marry Yan Shi Ting early the following year. They didn’t know what happened for the sudden change in the wedding day… unless Yan Shi Ting’s body suddenly changed.

In the palace the maids and eunuchs quickly left the emperor’s chamber.

The emperor’s veins were visible on his face and neck while the empress and the crown prince knelt on the floor.

‘Good!’ the emperor praised. ‘You dare to do this! I underestimated you! Do you want me to lose all my dignity? You’re not married but you dare to get a lady pregnant!’

‘Emperor don’t be angry,’ the empress said. ‘It’s not unusual for a young man struggling to control their desires.’

‘Are all his maids dead?’ the emperor asked. ‘Why didn’t I see him losing his control with them? Hong Thi, don’t think I don’t know your motives. You don’t suit being the kingdom’s empress. What kind of mother would encourage this to happen?’

The empress’ face paled. ‘Emperor, I-’

‘Close your mouth!’ the emperor ordered and glared at the crown prince. ‘Why did I give birth to such a despicable son like you?’

‘Imperial father, I deserve to die,’ Pei Lam said.

The emperor knocked over a vase but it wasn’t enough to vent his anger.

‘While the stomach’s not showing,’ the emperor said. ‘Hurry and deal with the situation!’

The empress sighed in relief. She knew the emperor was angry but he would eventually relent.

In contrast Pei Lam smiled coldly. He knew there would be some things he couldn’t escape from.

The emperor didn’t want to see the empress and the crown prince any longer and dismissed them from his chamber.

After the emperor was alone in his chamber, he sighed and felt like some things were outside the control of his hand.

At the Yan Manor, Yan Shi Ting was rubbing her stomach anxiously.

‘Mother, this is too risky,’ Yan Shi Ting said. ‘Deceiving the emperor like this is a death penalty crime!’

Princess Kang Hua drank tea and spoke calmly. ‘You only need to know you don’t have one now but in the future you can have one.’

‘What if I’m not pregnant after I marry big brother crown prince?’ Yan Shi Ting asked.

Yan Shi Ting was intimate with the crown prince many times. But each time he asked her to drink the herbal remedy to prevent pregnancy.

Princess Kang Hua put the cup of tea down. ‘Your aunt said that if you can’t get pregnant then you can use another infant as a temporary substitute.’

‘What?’ Yan Shi Ting asked. ‘You want me to raise someone else’s child?’

Princess Kang Hua laughed coldly. ‘Of course not. No one else’s child would have a chance to become emperor. The infant is only a pawn. After you give birth to your own child, the pawn will disappear.’

Yan Shi Ting was frightened to hear her mother’s heartless tone. She felt uneasy about killing an innocent child.

‘Don’t ever forget,’ Princess Kang Hua said. ‘If you want to be empress, you need to be willing to do anything and sacrifice anything.’

Yan Shi Ting hesitated for a while but nodded her head to appease her mother.

***

End of Chapter Thirty