Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight (Part 1)

The crown prince and Yan Shi Ting’s wedding day was fated to be an auspicious day for some guests.

At the Yan Manor, the bride woke up early, wore her wedding dress and makeup.

‘Mother, have you noticed father has been strange the last three days?’ Yan Shi Ting asked. ‘He acts distant when I talk to him.’

‘Perhaps he’s busy with work,’ Princess Kang Hua lied.

‘Yes, you’re right,’ Yan Shi Ting said.

At Pei Jin’s manor, Yan Shi Ning prepared the wedding gifts.

Pei Jin hugged Yan Shi Ning. ‘Wife, you need to be careful.’

Yan Shi Ning kissed Pei Jin’s lips. ‘If I’m uncertain about the outcome then I won’t act.’

Pei Jin nodded his head. ‘I think seventh brother’s people are prepared too. Let them expose Yan Shi Ting’s deceit so we can watch an amusing performance. If seventh brother acts out a plan, he won’t be merciful.’

Night and day, Pei Jin cautioned Yan Shi Ning enough to make her laugh helplessly. ‘Pei Jin, when did you become a woman?’

Pei Jin rubbed his face on Yan Shi Ning’s neck. ‘I’m scared my little lion will be scared if she sees fresh blood.’

Yan Shi Ning felt Pei Jin’s lips on her neck and pushed him away. ‘Pei Jin, I know. Umm… don’t take off my dress… it took me a long time to wear it… umm…’

Pei Jin pouted his lips. He didn’t get to eat Yan Shi Ning but she got to hit him. ‘Wife, you don’t even let me touch you.’

Yan Shi Ning wanted to vomit blood. ‘If you want someone to touch then you can marry a second wife.’

Pei Jin rubbed his chin and nodded his head. ‘That’s a good sugges-’

Yan Shi Ning kicked Pei Jin’s leg. ‘Pei Jin, do you dare?’

Pei Jin laughed. He knew it was nearly time for the wedding so he adjusted Yan Shi Ning’s dress. ‘Wife, be careful inside the palace and at the Yan Manor. I’m worried Princess Kang Hua found out about the plan.’

Yan Shi Ning nodded her head.

‘Remember today we need to perform well inside the palace,’ Pei Jin said.

Yan Shi Ning pinched Pei Jin’s ear. ‘I know.’

Pei Jin escorted Yan Shi Ning to the horse carriage. Afterward he instructed Xiao Hui and Xiao Zai. ‘Protect my wife and be weary of the princess.’

‘Yes ninth prince,’ Xiao Hui and Xiao Zai promised.

Unfortunately Pei Jin was the groom’s brother and needed to wait at the palace for the bride while Yan Shi Ning was the bride’s sister and needed to go to the Yan Manor and escort the bride to the palace.

The moment Yan Shi Ning arrived at the Yan Manor, she saw Yan Jing was welcoming guests. Her heart laughed coldly at the fake smile on Yan Jing’s face.

Yan Shi Ning remembered a few days ago after she gave the letter to Yan Jing she returned home and asked Pei Jin to send Xiao Zai to eavesdrop at the Yan Manor.

Pei Jin confided in Yan Shi Ning that Xiao Zai had a special talent for eavesdropping. She didn’t believe Pei Jin until Xiao Zai returned to the manor and reported Yan Jing and Princess Kang Hua’s conversation without omitting anything. Also, Xiao Zai had a special talent of mimicking other people’s voices. She was impressed after hearing Xiao Zai mimicked Yan Jing and Princess Kang Hua’s voices.

Yan Jing spotted Yan Shi Ning, he smiled gratefully at her and escorted her to the bride’s courtyard.

Yan Shi Ning kindly reminded Yan Jing to ‘remember to rest’ then she walked toward the bride’s chamber.

On the way to Yan Shi Ting’s chamber, Yan Shi Ning saw Princess Kang Hua in the courtyard and she smiled politely.

Princess Kang Hua straightened her back and looked wearily at Yan Shi Ning. She didn’t understand why Yan Shi Ning used to lower her head and didn’t dare to look at her but suddenly Yan Shi Ning dared to look at her on Yan Shi Ting’s wedding day. It was Yan Shi Ning’s eyes that looked like a hunter staring at a prey that made her wearier. The longer Yan Shi Ning looked at her the more she thought about the young beggars, the two letters, Yan Jing and who was the mysterious person behind everything.

Princess Kang Hua remembered what old nurse maid reported to her.

‘Who did master meet that day?’ Princess Kang Hua asked. ‘Why did he remember his suspicions about Yan Shi Ting’s identity?’

‘Someone saw ninth prince’s wife visited master that day,’ old nurse maid said.

Suddenly Princess Kang Hua felt breathless in front of Yan Shi Ning. She raised her chin and quickly walked past Yan Shi Ning.

Yan Shi Ning smiled while she watched Princess Kang Hua poorly hide fear.

***

End of Chapter Thirty-Eight (Part 1)

Chapter Thirty-Eight (Part 2 of 2)

‘Big sister, you’re here,’ Yan Shi Ting said.

‘It’s little sister’s wedding day,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘I’m your big sister of course I need to be here. Today little sister is beautiful. The crown prince will be insanely happy to see you.’

Yan Shi Ting was happy to hear Yan Shi Ning praised her beauty. But she frowned to hear the crown prince’s name mentioned. She didn’t know why the crown prince hadn’t delivered wedding gifts to her yet.

Yan Shi Ning poured two cups of tea and crushed a pill into one of the cups while no was looking at her.

‘Little sister, drink tea,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Later you’ll be too busy to drink.’

Yan Shi Ting was thirsty. Her mother didn’t let her drink earlier so she accepted the cup of tea and drank it.

Yan Shi Ning smiled, drank half a cup of tea and emptied the other half into a vase.

Two days ago Yan Shi Ning received the pills from Bei Dou.

‘Big brother Bei, do you have medicine that causes a person stomach to hurt?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘Yes,’ Bei Dou said and showed Yan Shi Ning some identical pills.

‘Do I crush the pills?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘That’s right,’ Bei Dou said.

‘Big brother Bei, can you give me these pills?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘Alright,’ Bei Dou said and passed the pills to Yan Shi Ning.

Yan Shi Ning tested one of the pills on herself. Less than half a shichen hour later her stomach ached and she rushed to the toilet.

After Yan Shi Ning’s legs wobbled from squatting for a long time she returned to Bei Dou’s chamber.

‘Big brother, what pills did you give me earlier?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

‘Laxatives,’ Bei Dou said.

Yan Shi Ning and her stomach were speechless while Bei Dou was curious why Yan Shi Ning wanted laxatives.

Finally the bride and the bridal’s family arrived at the palace. The crown prince smiled coldly but Pei Jin smiled happily like he did on his and Yan Shi Ning’s wedding day.

Pei Jin watched Yan Shi Ning helped the bride into the ceremonial hall and reminisced about their wedding day.

After Yan Shi Ning escorted Yan Shi Ting to the crown prince, she stood next to Pei Jin and he whispered in her ear. ‘Wife, tonight let’s have a wedding night too.’

Yan Shi Ning smiled like a gentle lady and she stepped on Pei Jin’s foot. Then she turned her head and smiled at the anxious Princess Kang Hua.

The emperor and the empress sat on the highest platform. The emperor refrained from frowning while the empress smiled happily.

Pei Zhang wanted to rest but it was the crown prince’s wedding day so he attended the wedding and acted weak next to the happy Consort Mu.

Consort Mu looked at Pei Wen Cai who sat on her lap. ‘Wen Cai, do you remember what grandmother told you?’

Pei Wen Cai was busy glaring at Pei Khan who sat opposite her. ‘Yes, grandmother.’

Pei Khan didn’t notice Pei Wen Cai, he was waving his chubby hand at Yan Shi Ning. Then he patted the seat next to him to signal Yan Shi Ning to sit next to him.

Everyone behaved like their usual selves but their eyes were focused on the crown prince and Yan Shi Ting.

‘It is the auspicious hour,’ the ceremonial minister said. ‘The groom and bride, bow to the heavens, your elders and to each other.’

Yan Shi Ting bowed to the heavens and to the elders. But her stomach ached a lot. After bowing to the crown prince, she collapsed on the floor.

The ceremonial hall immediately became chaotic.

Consort Mu exchanged a shocked look with seventh prince… their plan was to let Pei Wen Cai accidently fall onto Yan Shi Ting’s dress, Consort Mu would help Pei Wen Cai up and throw blood onto Yan Shi Ting’s wedding dress then Consort Mu would ask for an imperial physician to check if Yan Shi Ting had a miscarriage. The imperial physician that day was one of their allies and would have reported to the emperor that Yan Shi Ting wasn’t pregnant.

Consort Mu and seventh prince didn’t act out their plan but Yan Shi Ting fell on her own.

Consort Mu rushed to Yan Shi Ting, discreetly threw blood on Yan Shi Ting’s dress and helped Yan Shi Ting stand.

‘What happened?’ the emperor asked.

The empress panicked. ‘I… I… I…’

‘Blood, blood!’ Pei Khan cried out and pointed at the blood stain on the floor.

Everyone’s eyes looked at the spot Pei Khan was pointing to.

Yan Shi Ting stood, her veil fell on the floor and she endured her stomach ache. But her body stiffened after she heard blood… the blood was on the spot she fell on earlier.

Yan Shi Ting was scared her step-aunt arrived. She looked at the back of her dress and her face whitened at the blood stain on her dress.

‘Ah!’ Consort Mu cried out. ‘There’s blood on the bride’s dress. Where’s the imperial physician?’

The emperor’s face darkened, he was worried his unborn grandchild returned to the heavens.

‘Hurry, someone bring an imperial physician here!’ the emperor ordered.

***

Short Side Story One

On a cool day, Pei Jin was smiling while watching little Fei sleeping peacefully in a cot. Little Fei’s lips were pouting like little Fei was dreaming about drinking milk. It reminded Pei Jin of a past incident at the Yan Manor.

Pei Jin walked out into the courtyard where Yan Shi Ning was sitting on a swing and eating a peach.

‘Shi Ning, do you believe in testing blood relations using drops of blood and a bowl of water?’ Pei Jin asked.

‘I believe it’s true,’ Yan Shi Ning said. ‘Isn’t that’s how blood relations were tested in the past?’

Pei Jin nodded his head and smiled at Yan Shi Ning. ‘Little lion, let’s see if the test is true.’

‘Pei Jin, what do you want to do?’ Yan Shi Ning asked suspiciously.

A while later, little Fei was awake and crying loudly.

Yan Shi Ning’s heart ached. She carried little Fei in her arms and consoled little Fei.

‘MF Pei Jin, how can you do this to little Fei?’ Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning watched little Fei’s blood dropped into a bowl of water… little Fei’s blood didn’t merge with the other drop of blood.

Pei Jin and Yan Shi Ning were shocked.

‘Yan-Shi-Ning!’ Pei Jin cried out. ‘Wife, confess!’

Yan Shi Ning knocked the bowl of water out of Pei Jin’s hand. ‘MF Pei Jin! What are you implying?’

Pei Jin hugged Yan Shi Ning. ‘Wife, don’t be angry. I was teasing you.’

Yan Shi Ning was too angry to speak anymore.

After that cool day, Pei Jin was banished to the calligraphy room for half a month. He was starved enough for his eye bags to swell and he secretly wrote on a wall, ‘don’t believe in testing blood relations with drops of blood and a bowl of water!’

***

Short Interview One

Su Xing Yue: Xiao Jin, you truly didn’t suspect Xiao Ning?

Pei Jin: I trust Shi Ning isn’t that kind of person.

Su Xing Yue: Why are you certain?

Pei Jin: I roll around with my wife day and night. How can she have time to let me wear a headgear of a fool?

Su Xing Yue: …

***

End of Chapter Thirty-Eight (Part 2 of 2)