Chapter 13: The Cloth Bag

Pei Yuan sat quietly inside the house, head lowered, lost in thought.

Bao Ning had heard some commotion from the eastern wing earlier. But seeing that Pei Yuan’s clothes were neat and tidy and he didn’t seem to have been bullied, she relaxed a bit.

Eunuch Huang’s horsetail whisk had fallen to the ground, bent and twisted. Bao Ning nudged it out of the house with the tip of her toe. A flock of chickens and ducks swarmed over it instantly, pecking it into shreds.

Only then did Bao Ning notice the two cloth bags placed by the door.

She walked over and took a look. Both were bulging. One had a slightly open mouth, revealing some cabbage and radish-like items. The other was tightly tied shut, contents unknown.

Feeling curious, Bao Ning reached out and touched the unopened bag. Inside, the contents felt smooth, thick, and long—an unpleasant coldness sent a shiver through her.

Bao Ning trembled, quickly withdrew her hand, and wiped it on her skirt.

She turned to Pei Yuan and asked, “Fourth Prince, what is this delivery?”

“No idea,” Pei Yuan replied hoarsely without looking up. “Definitely nothing good. Toss it out later. Don’t touch it.”

Bao Ning gave a soft “oh” and backed away from the two bags, then sat down beside Pei Yuan. She pursed her lips, wanting to ask him something, but looking at his expression, she didn’t dare speak.

She couldn’t figure out why the Supervisor of the Imperial Household had come today, seemingly just to cause trouble for Pei Yuan.

Bao Ning didn’t know much about Pei Yuan’s past.

All she knew was that he was the Fourth Prince, his mother had died young, and he was raised by the Empress. He and the Crown Prince, Pei Che—seven years his senior—were as close as real brothers. It was said that Pei Yuan’s birth mother had been an exceptionally beautiful woman, deeply loved by the Emperor. Because of this affection, the Emperor also doted on Pei Yuan, bestowing upon him the title of Prince of Jibei at a very young age.

Pei Yuan had always been rebellious, with a poor reputation inside and outside the palace. To temper his temperament, the Emperor sent him to the military camp when he was just seven or eight, placing him under the charge of General Qiu Mingshan.

Over time, Pei Yuan honed impressive martial skills. But his personality remained the same—riding horses on the streets, wielding swords like a bandit. The Emperor eventually gave up trying to control him.

Rumors in the capital said the Fourth Prince Pei Yuan was the most dangerous one—half mad. If provoked, he would dare to kill or burn down anything. His archery was especially deadly—he could pierce a heart from a hundred paces away.

But all of this was hearsay. Whether it was true or not, Bao Ning didn’t know.

She only knew that one year during the New Year’s banquet, a major incident occurred. Crown Prince Pei Che and the Fourth Prince Pei Yuan were implicated in a conspiracy to assassinate the Emperor and seize the throne.

Pei Che was known to be gentle and favored conciliatory policies both in governance and military matters—completely different from the bold, aggressive Emperor. Father and son had clashed many times because of this. The last time, the Emperor had even considered deposing the Crown Prince.

The rumor was that Pei Che had been driven to desperation and had tried to poison the Emperor—with a colorless, tasteless poison. He almost succeeded, but it was the Third Prince Pei Xiao who noticed something was wrong. He tested the food himself and narrowly averted disaster.

Afterward, Pei Xiao fell gravely ill and was bedridden for a month before recovering. The Emperor was deeply moved.

Following that event, both Pei Che and Pei Yuan were imprisoned. Not long after, Pei Che fell severely ill and went missing. The Emperor, softening his heart, spared Pei Yuan and sent him to this small courtyard to recover. That’s when Bao Ning married into the household.

Logically, even if Pei Xiao were to compete for the throne, Pei Yuan wouldn’t pose any threat to him. So why would Pei Xiao go to the trouble of sending the Supervisor of the Household here?

Bao Ning rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought—unaware that Pei Yuan had been watching her for a while.

Suddenly, he tapped her forehead. Bao Ning blinked back to awareness, meeting Pei Yuan’s amused gaze.

“What are you thinking about?”

Of course she couldn’t tell him. She blinked and said, “I’m going to cook. Today’s the Spring Equinox—we’re supposed to eat spring pancakes with bean sprouts.”

Pei Yuan replied, “No rush. Stay with me a while.”

Bao Ning sat back down.

Pei Yuan crooked his finger at her. “Come here.”

Bao Ning looked puzzled but still scooted closer. “What for?”

Spring had arrived, and it wasn’t so cold anymore. Bao Ning wore a crabapple-colored dress that made her fair cheeks glow pink. Her long lashes fluttered like tiny butterflies.

“Closer,” Pei Yuan said.

Obediently, Bao Ning leaned in. “What is it, really?”

As she moved, her delicate white collarbone was exposed. Just above it on the left side, Pei Yuan noticed a small pink mole.

His gaze darkened.

“If you keep blocking me, my pancakes will be overcooked,” Bao Ning said.

“You’re dumb like a puppy,” Pei Yuan said suddenly. He raised a rough thumb and wiped her brow, showing her the smudge of flour on his fingertip. “You got it on your face.”

The unexpected closeness—his touch lingering faintly—left Bao Ning momentarily dazed. She belatedly reached up to touch her face too.

Pei Yuan chuckled. “Ji Bao Ning, are you a little slow?”

Flustered, Bao Ning’s face flushed red. She leaned away, stammering, unable to respond.

“Why so nervous?” Pei Yuan teased in a low voice. “I just touched you. I’m not going to eat you.”

Bao Ning’s eyes sparkled with irritation as she muttered under her breath, “Shameless.” Then she jumped to her feet and walked around him toward the door.

“Bao Ning,” Pei Yuan suddenly called out behind her.

She paused, initially unwilling to respond, but after a second thought, she stopped and leaned against the doorframe, looking back. “What is it now?”

Pei Yuan’s smile had faded. He returned to his usual expression, fingers resting against his chin. His dark eyes locked on hers as he said seriously, “You stood up for me just now. That made me very happy.”

Bao Ning didn’t know how to respond. He was acting strange today—saying strange things she couldn’t quite react to.

A bit embarrassed, she nervously tucked some hair behind her ear. “Ah… I’ll go make the pancakes now.”

She hurried off.

Pei Yuan watched her back disappear into the courtyard, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.

…

The spring pancakes were meant to be breakfast, but thanks to Eunuch Huang’s disturbance, they ended up being lunch. By the time they finished eating, it was already past 1 p.m.—the hottest time of day.

Bao Ning finished washing the dishes and chopsticks, then bathed Ah Huang as per usual. She cradled him and sat under the eaves to bask in the sunlight, letting his fur dry as well.

The chickens and ducks were also taking their afternoon nap, huddled together in small groups—heads nestled against each other’s rumps—sleeping soundly.

Pei Yuan lay on his side inside the house, reading a book. One hand supported his head as he occasionally lifted his eyes to glance out the open doorway.

He could see Bao Ning’s waist and back—so slender, it seemed like one squeeze could snap her in two. Pei Yuan recalled the tiny pink mole on her collarbone. The hand holding the book rubbed uneasily.

Bao Ning’s shoulders moved; she placed Ah Huang on the ground and stood up.

Pei Yuan withdrew his gaze, his eyes falling back on the book in his hands, but he couldn’t take in a single word.

Bao Ning tiptoed inside. Out of the corner of his eye, Pei Yuan caught sight of her cautious demeanor and almost laughed.

He held it in, placed his fist to his lips, and coughed lightly. Bao Ning was startled, standing frozen in place.

Pei Yuan set the book down and looked at her with a half-smile. “What are you up to? Trying to steal something from me?”

“I’m so poor I rattle—what is there to steal?” Bao Ning muttered as she stepped closer and squatted in front of him, hesitating. “Um, Your Highness…”

Pei Yuan nodded. “Hmm?”

Bao Ning said, “Your legs, Your Highness…”

Pei Yuan’s expression darkened instantly.

Bao Ning didn’t dare speak again.

After a long silence, Pei Yuan raised his hand to rub his brow and said softly, “Don’t bring this up again.”

Bao Ning grew anxious, gripping the edge of the bed in front of him with both hands. “Why not? You’re still so young. There are so many years ahead. You can’t go on like this. Your Highness, I’ll stay by your side—we’ll work at it slowly. One day, things will get better…”

Pei Yuan interrupted her. “They won’t.”

Bao Ning froze. She saw he wasn’t joking, and a sense of dread crept over her.

A terrible thought flashed through her mind—what really happened to Pei Yuan’s injuries? He was still a prince after all. Even if he was imprisoned, it shouldn’t have gotten to this extent—his body battered, not a spot unharmed.

Bao Ning dared not think further…

Pei Yuan’s eyes locked tightly onto her, as though trying to catch every flicker of emotion on her face.

He asked casually, “If I really never recover, what will you do?”

Before Bao Ning could answer, Pei Yuan sneered and lowered his gaze. “If you’re disgusted by a cripple and want to remarry, better do it early.”

“I’m not disgusted. Whether you’re well or not, I won’t leave.” Bao Ning bit her lip and pulled his blanket up for him. “But… I still hope you’ll get better.”

Upon hearing her words, Pei Yuan’s clenched fist suddenly loosened. A strange sourness rose in his eyes—perhaps he had read too long and grown tired.

He straightened slightly and lay on his back, eyes closed. “Go on now. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

Bao Ning responded with a disappointed “mm,” stood up slowly, and walked out.

Ah Huang was tugging at two cloth bags by the wall. One bag had already been ripped open, scattering cabbage and radishes all over the ground, making a mess.

It was now pulling at the second one—the mouth tied shut with hemp rope.

Ah Huang’s movements were hesitant and fearful. It bit at the bag, then let go and backed away a couple of steps, eyeing it warily.

“Ah Huang, you’re too naughty!” Bao Ning stepped up and scooped him up, brushing off the rotting vegetable leaves on his fur with a frown. “I just bathed you, and now look at this—completely wasted.”

Ah Huang kept staring at the bag, eyes unblinking. Suddenly, he struggled violently. “Woof!”

“Shh, he’s sleeping. Don’t bark.” Bao Ning made a hush gesture at him. “Come on, let’s go back inside and nap too.”

Ah Huang wouldn’t settle down and kept struggling, barking louder and louder. “Woof! Woof!”

Bao Ning finally sensed something was wrong and looked down—only to find that the seemingly lifeless cloth bag was… moving!

She stepped back, thinking she was seeing things, and looked more closely. The bag squirmed more and more violently, rolling across the floor. The thin corner of the bag scraped against a stone with a ripping sound, tearing open a hole.

In the next moment, a sharp, forked tongue flicked out from a triangular snake head that poked out from within.

Sansukini: Their home is quaintly peaceful, but somebody might want to end our Prince.

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