Chapter 70 (2/2)

‘Shi Ning, you and our son needs to stay in the palace,’ Pei Jin said.

Yan Shi Ning widened her eyes.

Pei Jin kissed Yan Shi Ning’s forehead. ‘Shi Ning, don’t worry. I’ll escort you and our son home soon.’

Yan Shi Ning understood the emperor was suspicious of her and Pei Jin.

‘Shi Ning, you made the right decision,’ Pei Jin praised.

‘I fear it’ll be hard for me to see you in the palace for several days.’

‘I’ll take good care of our son,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

‘I want you to take good care of yourself first,’ Pei Jin said.

‘What?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘I can’t lose you,’ Pei Jin said. ‘If we lose our child later we can have another child.’

‘I’ll take good care of myself,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘I want to tell you a secret.’

‘Um?’ Pei Jin asked.

‘Earlier I only pretended to faint,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

Pei Jin was speechless. He realised why a healthy Yan Shi Ning would suddenly turn weak.

‘I needed to faint to be more convincing,’ Yan Shi Ning said.

‘Shi Ning, then why didn’t you wake up until now?’ Pei Jin asked.

‘While you were holding me,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘I felt sleepy and slept.’

Pei Jin didn’t know what to say.

Later Pei Jin returned to the manor. After Pei Jin recounted what happened in the palace to everyone, everyone were both happy and sad.

They were happy Yan Shi Ning gave birth to their young master but they were sad Yan Shi Ning, Xiao Tu and their young master were held captive in the palace.

Bei Dou was the least happy. Pei Jin asked to borrow Xiao Tu for one day, but Xiao Tu ended up implicated in a calamity.

‘Pei Jin, you married a good woman,’ Bei Dou said. ‘If she didn’t react fast then we could have all died.’

Bei Dou thought Yan Shi Ning was suited to Pei Jin and his Xiao Tu was the best woman in his eyes. It was only recently he instructed Xiao Tu how to help a female cook give birth but Xiao Tu was a fast learner and was able to help Yan Shi Ning give birth on her own.

‘What’s your next step?’ Bei Dou asked.

‘First I need to find out why Pei Zhang needed to kill his own son,’ Pei Jin said.

Bei Dou nodded his head. ‘They wouldn’t gain anything to kill their own son.’

‘Luckily Shi Ning ruined their scheme otherwise none of us would be alive,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Imperial father is only holding Shi Ning and our son captive to warn me to behave. Although seventh brother won this battle even a vicious tiger wouldn’t eat its own child. Especially if the child is a boy and would earn imperial father’s favor. I don’t believe seventh brother would act this irrationally.’

‘Are you saying there’s something suspicious about the birth of Dian Thi’s son?’ Bei Dou asked.

Pei Jin nodded his head.

‘That’s possible,’ Bei Dou said. ‘I’ll send someone to seventh prince’s manor to investigate.’

‘I want my wife and your wife to come home soon,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Otherwise you’ll be suffering with me.’

‘Two people?’ Bei Dou asked. ‘It’s three people.’

‘Three… I forgot about my son,’ Pei Jin said.

***

End of Chapter Seventy