Chapter 477 (2/2)

”I'm such a smart person. I won't be fooled!” Pengxin solemnly vowed.

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Sure enough, Luoqi didn't bring back any ginseng. She cried and said that she wasn't able to find it. She also said things like the general must be feeling awful since the weather hadn't been good lately.

Zhu Yurun said, ”She looks like she wants to trick you into hunting for that ginseng. At worst, she has a trap set up to harm you.”

Pengxin scoffed, ”Only a pig would get duped.”

However, a day later, a pig-headed person was walking on Fu Mountain's paths.

It would soon be Ning Mingjie's birthday. Although it wasn't a milestone birthday, so there wouldn't be a grand feast, she still thought that there was no harm in trying her luck. If she really was able to find it, it could be used as gift.

She wasn't stupid, really. She knew that Luoqi didn't have good intentions, so she told Ning Mingjie that she was going to Fu Mountain to pray for blessings and would return home in a few days. She had even brought along a dagger for self-protection. If someone dared to attack her, she would teach that person why the flowers were so red.

Because they're stained by blood!

(T/N: This phrase/question is the t.i.tle of a Chinese folk song. The answer is because the flowers are watered by the blood of youths.)

Baring her teeth to show a ferocious expression, Pengxin was full of confidence as she walked down the path.

Of course, there wasn't any one-hundred-year old ginseng, but, she wasn't willing to easily give up. She practically scoured the entire mountain and ended up wasting a lot of time.

However, during Pengxin's three-day absence, Luoqi had acted as matckmaker for Ning Mingjie. Li Xianglan, the Minister of Revenue's concubine-born daughter, had married into the household as a concubine.

Normally, this was something that required the main wife's approval, but since the main wife was gone during this time, Luoqi had acted as the person in charge. Since Luoqi and Xianglan had a good relations.h.i.+p, they were naturally very close once Xianglan entered the household.

Moreover, Ning Mingjie hadn't objected. To him, it was only adding another person to his estate. Since his birthday was approaching, he treated this woman as a gift from the Li Clan.

When Pengxin returned to the general's estate in disappointment, she saw Ning Mingjie with a woman that she hadn't seen before. They were heading towards the main courtyard.

Seeing Pengxin, Ning Mingjie stopped walking and said, ”You're back? You've been praying for blessing for three days. There must be a mountain's worth of blessings on my body now. This is Xianglan. She recently entered the household.”

Seeing the smile on his face, Pengxin suddenly realized something. She realized that she had made things worse for herself after all. She had been telling herself not to want too much, but when she saw the current scene, her eyes still felt as if they were being stabbed.

”Your new mistress?” She asked.

Ning Mingjie's smile dimmed. ”Pengxin, think before you speak.”

Pengxin smiled. She waved her hand and strode away with a domineering presence.

What was she doing here? She had turned herself into a different person, but had only received a small portion of his heart in return.

Pengxin felt a bit tired. Her hands were full of bruises and so was her heart.

Why did you have to change yourself for the person that you love?