Chapter 138: Pomegranate Seeds

By the time they left Taiji Hall, it was already past the third watch. The night was deep and the dew was heavy; in the short time it took Pei Yuan to walk to Changqiu Palace, a layer of mist had already settled on his robes.

As he rounded the corner of the palace wall, a servant spotted him and dashed inside to announce, “Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has arrived.”

Bao Ning stood up instantly, running out before she could even put on her outer coat. The Empress tried to catch her but failed and had to hurry after her.

“A-Yuan!” Bao Ning threw herself into his arms. The chill on his body made her shiver, but she ignored the cold, grabbing his hand. “How is Yuanzi? Someone forcibly took him away half an hour ago. Mother was worried and sent people to Taiji Hall to check, but it was under heavy guard—no one could get in.”

The Empress followed close behind, asking anxiously, “Yes, what is going on? Why take a small child for the sake of adult matters?”

“He’s fine now. A nanny has taken him to sleep. Mother, there’s no need to worry.” Pei Yuan took Bao Ning’s hand in his and led her back into the hall, advising the Empress, “Mother, your health is fragile and it’s very late. Everything has settled now; you should go to bed. I’m taking Ningning home. Once she’s rested for a few days, we’ll come back to visit you together.”

The Empress frowned, concern in her eyes. “It’ll be dawn in a few hours. Why not stay here for the night and leave then?”

As they entered the hall, a sharp-eyed maid brought Bao Ning’s coat. Pei Yuan took it naturally and helped her into it, declining politely. “Thank you, Mother, but Bao Ning is picky about her bed. She won’t sleep well in a strange place. We won’t stay tonight.”

“I suppose that’s for the best.” The Empress looked slightly disappointed but quickly rallied, turning to Nanny Qiushi. “Autumn is here and the night wind is biting. Fetch one of my capes. Bao Ning’s stomach is still bothering her—get a hand warmer as well. Hurry.”

Pei Yuan thanked the Empress. Bao Ning was exhausted; now that her worries were gone, sleepiness washed over her, and she leaned back into the crook of Pei Yuan’s arm, dozing off.

The Empress watched her, a smile touching her lips. She pointed at Bao Ning’s eyes and whispered to Pei Yuan, “Look, Ningning is falling asleep.”

“She always loves her naps.” Pei Yuan pulled her closer to his chest and looked down at her, his voice soft. “She’s never fully awake during the day. She stayed up all night tonight; it’ll probably take her two or three days to recover.”

The Empress’s voice dropped lower, full of affection. “She’s still young, only in her teens. It’s good to sleep more; she might even grow a bit taller.”

Pei Yuan pinched Bao Ning’s cheek and teased, “Doubtful. She’s lazy. I tell her to run and jump more, but she won’t. She just sits or lies down. What’s the use of eating and sleeping so much? All the weight goes sideways. Her chin used to be pointy, but look at it now—it’s rounded out.”

The Empress stood up for her. “Our Ningning is beautiful. Look at that little nose and mouth—so exquisite! She looks good whether she’s tall, short, thin, or plump.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Pei Yuan gazed down at Bao Ning’s face with a tenderness that the Empress found hard to believe. “She loves being told she’s beautiful. If she knew you praised her, her little tail would wag all the way to the sky.”

The Empress laughed silently. After a long moment of silence, she spoke again. “Seeing you doing well, I can finally rest easy. Che’er has been missing for nearly a year with no word. I know the Emperor sent people to track him to the Qilian Mountains. But later, news came that they only found a jade pendant he used to wear, with no sign of him. The mountains are crawling with bandits; Che’er might have already… after all, he was injured when he disappeared.”

“I want to see a person if he’s alive, or a body if he’s dead. Until then, believe no rumors,” Pei Yuan interrupted. “Mother, in a few days, I will personally go to the Qilian Mountains. I will bring Big Brother back to you. Until then, just focus on taking care of your health.”

The Empress smiled weakly. “I suppose I’m just scaring myself.”

Pei Yuan didn’t know how to comfort her—he wasn’t good at comforting anyone except Bao Ning. He paused, then added, “I’ll have Bao Ning come to keep you company in a few days.”

Nanny Qiushi returned with the items. Pei Yuan woke Bao Ning, wrapped her in the cape, and bid the Empress farewell.

…

Bao Ning was truly spent.

Once she knew Yuanzi was safe, her spirit relaxed, and all she wanted was to sleep. She was so dazed she didn’t even know how she got home; she just remembered Pei Yuan carrying her from the carriage to their room, taking off her shoes, and wiping her face and hands.

He was clumsy. He dropped the basin once, the loud clang making A-Huang bark next door.

Pei Yuan had cursed at the dog in a huff, and she, annoyed, had scolded him a bit, which finally shut him up.

Everything after that was a blank. When she woke up again, it was still dark.

Pei Yuan had lit a dim yellow lamp nearby and was sitting cross-legged, peeling a pomegranate.

Bao Ning’s eyes fluttered open. She saw him holding a small knife, meticulously prying out every single seed and setting the pulp aside. He seemed to have been at it for a long time; a small mountain of seeds had piled up. He was so focused he didn’t even notice she was awake.

Bao Ning felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She scooted over and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Is that for me?”

“You’re awake?” Pei Yuan glanced at her and smiled, continuing his work. “Is your stomach still acting up?”

Bao Ning checked her feelings and replied, “Much better. Just a tiny bit of discomfort.”

“That’s good.” Pei Yuan ruffled her hair. “Eat something in a bit, then sleep some more. You’ll be fine by morning. Go wash your face now and walk around a bit to stretch your limbs. You slept from sunrise to sunset—doesn’t your back ache?”

“Then give me a massage,” Bao Ning pouted, burying her face in his shoulder. “My legs ache too.”

Pei Yuan used a finger to push her forehead away with mock disgust. “You haven’t washed your face all day, yet you have the nerve to rub it on my white clothes? Have you no shame?”

Bao Ning stopped rubbing but remained stubborn. “Even unwashed, my face is cleaner than your clothes.”

Pei Yuan shot her a look, pushed the table aside, and patted his lap. “Come here, I’ll give you a rub.”

Bao Ning happily sprawled across him, facing the table. Looking at the bowl of pomegranate, she asked knowingly, “Are those for me?”

“They’re for feeding the little pig.” Pei Yuan gave her bottom a playful smack. “Keep your hands down. Don’t grab them yet; eat after you wash your hands.”

Bao Ning’s heart was still melting. She thought her Pei Yuan was really becoming more thoughtful and attentive. He was actually peeling pomegranate seeds for her—what a sweet gesture!

Bao Ning pretended to decline out of politeness. “Oh, why go to all that trouble? You could have just handed it to me. Seeing you work so hard makes me feel a bit guilty.”

“It’s no trouble, as long as you’re happy eating it.” Pei Yuan slowly kneaded her waist. “It turns out there’s a pomegranate tree in our South Courtyard. I never usually go over there, but I heard Nanny Liu mention it today. Chen Jia and I went to pick them together. You know, picking pomegranates is actually quite fun. Planting flowers and herbs might be fun too; I’ll try it when I have some free time. But I can’t plant those bright, colorful things—it’s embarrassing, too feminine.”

Bao Ning huffed, “You think too much. All the great poets loved flowers and plants—peonies, chrysanthemums, plum blossoms… they’ve been praised for ages.”

“I’m not a great poet,” Pei Yuan said. “If I don’t plant flowers, I’ll grow something practical. Chen Jia told me chives are easy to raise; a beginner can start with those. Simple. And that stuff grows back harvest after harvest—two rows are enough to eat all summer.”

Bao Ning pondered for a moment. “Whatever you like, as long as you’re having fun.”

As he massaged her legs, Pei Yuan continued to chat. “That kid Chen Jia… I never realized it before, but today I found out he’s quite a chatterbox.”

Bao Ning closed her eyes. “Oh? Why?”

Pei Yuan said, “He talked my ear off about his old mother the whole way. Said she’s hardworking and simple, and he’s the youngest, so she dotes on him most. When he was a kid, she’d take him to the mountains to cut pig grass and feed the pigs. Said the pigs grew black and sturdy, with heads as big as millstones, and they’d even bite. But his mother is old now, over seventy, and since his brothers have done well for themselves, they don’t raise pigs anymore. She’s retired at his brother’s house.”

Bao Ning looked at him and chuckled. For some reason, hearing Pei Yuan seriously talk about Chen Jia’s pig farming struck her as incredibly funny.

Touched by his pomegranate-peeling efforts, she played along. “What else did you talk about?”

Pei Yuan said, “The letter from his brother arrived yesterday. It said his mother is getting older and has developed a sweet tooth. She barely has any teeth left, so his sister-in-law won’t let her eat sweets. The old lady got a craving, so she snuck out to steal pomegranates and peel them herself. But she hadn’t been enjoying them for long when— crack! —her last two teeth broke. Snapped right off on the seeds.”

“…” The sweetness in Bao Ning’s heart evaporated instantly. She flipped over and sat up, looking at Pei Yuan suspiciously. “So… are you peeling the seeds for me because of Chen Jia’s mother’s teeth?”

Pei Yuan had gained some experience by now. The moment he heard that tone in Bao Ning’s voice, he knew she was upset. Though he didn’t quite understand why, he knew a denial might calm her down. However… what she guessed was exactly the truth.

Hesitating between the two choices, Pei Yuan stammered, “Not… really?”

Bao Ning shot back, “Am I asking you, or are you asking me?”

“Why are we arguing?” Pei Yuan held the bowl out to her. “It’s just a pomegranate. Either you eat it or you don’t. What does it have to do with Chen Jia’s mother’s teeth? Just try one. If it’s sweet, you eat it. If it’s not, I’ll eat it.”

Bao Ning glared at him. “It’s not sweet.”

“Now you’re just lying.” Pei Yuan stubbornly pushed the bowl toward her. “You haven’t even tasted it, how do you know it’s not sweet?”

Bao Ning said, “Does it matter if the pomegranate is sweet? My heart isn’t sweet anymore.”

Pei Yuan frowned and grumbled, “What is wrong with you!”

He racked his brain to figure out where he had messed up, but couldn’t find the answer. He thought he should go back to saying things Bao Ning liked to hear. Where was she laughing earlier?

He remembered. He sat up straight, took Bao Ning’s hand, and patted it soothingly. “Ningning, how about we talk more about Chen Jia raising pigs as a kid?”

Bao Ning stared at him in shock.

Pei Yuan tried to make his voice light and cheerful to cheer her up. “As I was saying, Chen Jia and his mother went up the mountain to cut pig grass… Do you know what pig grass is? Just from the name, you can tell it’s something pigs love to eat. Here, let me show you—it’s about this high, this thick… Haha, isn’t it interesting! There’s a mountain on the outskirts of the capital; it might have pig grass on it. When the weather gets cooler, let’s go pick some and bring it home to make soup…”

Bao Ning snapped, “You go eat pig grass yourself!”

She sat up, put on her clothes and shoes, and headed for the door. “I want noodles for dinner.”

Pei Yuan called out, “I haven’t finished the story yet! You’re not listening?”

Bao Ning called back, “I want two eggs in my noodles.”

She walked out as she spoke. Pei Yuan couldn’t stop her, so he raised his voice to call Nanny Liu. “Nanny, watch the Princess Consort. Make her slow down—she hasn’t fully recovered yet, don’t let her catch a chill outside.”

Pei Yuan wiped his hands, intending to finish the pomegranate, but he felt uneasy. He grabbed one of Bao Ning’s coats to chase after her… but before he had gone two steps, he saw a stack of folded papers fall out of it.

The paper was old—it looked like a letter.

Pei Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

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