Chapter 165: Extra 1

At the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the Emperor of Zhou passed away, and the new emperor, Pei Che, ascended the throne, adopting the reign title Dayuan.

“Yuan” signified the beginning. As the river ice melted and the willow branches sprouted fresh buds, everything welcomed a new beginning and a renewed vitality.

Pei Yuan received a letter from Pei Che inviting him to the capital, but he did not go. Instead, he merely entrusted someone to deliver an inkstone and a deep-green jade pendant, wishing him a peaceful and prosperous world.

Pei Xiao had also died. He crashed his head against a pillar in the prison of the Ministry of Justice and could not be resuscitated. Upon hearing this news, Pei Yuan joked with Bao Ning, saying that after attempting suicide so many times, Pei Xiao had finally succeeded once, which was truly no small feat.

Pei Yuan remained in Feng County as the Prince of Jibei, additionally granted the title of Duke of State Protection, while Bao Ning was bestowed the title of First-Rank Mandated Lady. Qiu Mingshan resigned from his official post to retire. He still lived in the capital and would travel north to visit them whenever he had free time, though most of the time he was unavailable. He had his own household, his own children and grandchildren, and was also very busy.

The past was slowly laid to rest, becoming stories kept in their hearts, only to be missed occasionally as life moved forward.

In the midsummer month of August, Pei Yuan and Bao Ning welcomed their first child—a cute, soft little daughter. With pinkish-white skin, bright black eyes, and a pair of small dimples at the corners of her mouth when she smiled just like Bao Ning, Pei Yuan’s heart melted the moment he first laid eyes on her.

Her birth had been far from easy, having gone through a long war and the most painful separation between her parents. Being able to come into this world healthy was already a tremendous blessing.

They were both deeply filled with gratitude.

Pei Yuan named his daughter Le’an, with the childhood nickname Tuanzi ( Little Dumpling ). He hoped she would grow up happy and safe, staying with them in perfect harmony. It was enough for his daughter to be happy and safe; everything else would be protected by her father.

…

Before the arrival of their eldest son, Pei Yuan’s days could be described as entirely happy and smooth.

The turn of events occurred on the day after Tuanzi’s third birthday.

In Tuanzi’s limited memory, the three most important people around her were her Daddy, her Mommy, and her little older brother, Pei Zi’an ¹ It’s Yuanzi . If she had to add one more to the list, the tall and lovable Uncle Wei, who was always trying to go on blind dates but faced continuous setbacks, could also count as important. This was because Uncle Wei would glare and fume at others, but he would always smile at her and lift her high onto his shoulders to give her piggyback rides.

Pei Zi’an was her little cousin, said to be the son of her deceased third uncle, and had lived in her house since four years ago. Brother Zi’an was gentle and good-looking, always taking her out to play, kick shuttlecocks, or row boats by the lake. He was the first person Tuanzi saw when she was born, and they had barely been separated for the next three years; she couldn’t do without him.

But on her birthday, Uncle Wei and Brother Zi’an were both absent.

They had gone to Linfen to run an errand for Little Fifth Uncle, and because they ran into a heavy rainstorm on the way back, they couldn’t make it in time.

Tuanzi was utterly heartbroken. Even though she had thrown a tantrum all night, and Mommy and Nanny had woken up early the next morning to prepare a whole table of her favorite dishes to coax her, Tuanzi remained completely unenthusiastic. Unable to see the people she wanted to see, even the most delicious food tasted bland; she only took a few bites before refusing any more.

Bao Ning knew what her daughter was thinking. Although her heart ached for her, her attitude remained firm: “Tuanzi, you cannot skip your meal. Mommy worked very hard to make these. Besides, if you don’t eat, you won’t grow tall, and your stomach will hurt from hunger. How about this, just finish the remaining small half-bowl, otherwise, if your stomach gets hungry later, don’t come crying to me. Do you understand?”

Tuanzi’s eyes welled up with tears of grievance. She rarely heard her mother speak in such a stern tone; she felt both scared and sad, and became even less capable of eating.

Bao Ning frowned, wanting to say more, but was interrupted by Pei Yuan: “Look at you. If she doesn’t want to eat, then let it be. Why bicker with a child? If she misses this meal, when she gets hungry, we can just have the small kitchen fire up the stove. Is there any need to make Tuanzi cry? She’s only three.”

Here he goes again, Bao Ning thought as her face darkened with anger.

Pei Yuan was a total paper tiger. On normal days, he kept a stern face and rarely smiled in front of Tuanzi, putting on the facade of a strict father, but in reality, he didn’t dare say a single harsh word to her. If Tuanzi did something wrong, Pei Yuan would pretend not to notice and slip away. While Bao Ning educated the child inside the room, Pei Yuan would squat outside cracking melon seeds. Once things quieted down inside, he would clap his hands and walk in to coax her, saying things like, “Our Tuanzi has been wronged, Daddy will take you to buy yummy food. Stop crying, let’s go eat chicken feet, okay?”

In the end, Tuanzi would be thoroughly coaxed by him and leave happily by his side, leaving Bao Ning inside the room bursting with fury, with nothing to do but drink tea to calm her temper.

What kind of person behaves like this? Either speak when it’s appropriate, or just shut up completely.

Bao Ning shot a sharp glare over: “When I am teaching my daughter, is it your place to speak?”

Receiving this look, Pei Yuan’s arrogance instantly deflated by half. Not wanting to lose face in front of Tuanzi, yet not daring to anger Bao Ning, he first snapped his chopsticks down and said with faux confidence, “What kind of talk is that? Tuanzi is your daughter, but isn’t she mine too? Is there a problem with me voicing my opinion?”

Having said that, he placed a morsel of food into Bao Ning’s bowl, his tone turning slightly sycophantic: “Of course, if what I said was wrong, just point it out and I will gradually correct myself.”

“I’m not eating it.” Bao Ning tossed the piece of egg pancake he had served right back into his bowl. “Stop flattering your way around here. Flattering this person, pleasing that person, trying to stay on everyone’s good side—do you want to reap all the benefits? I don’t care how majestic you are outside, once you step through this front door, you have to listen to me. If you are a dragon, coil up; if you are a tiger, lie down. When I am educating my daughter, you just prick up your ears and listen.”

Pei Yuan silently ate the egg pancake and nodded, “Yes, yes, quite right.”

He was truly terrified of Bao Ning. People used to say that women are fragile but become strong as mothers; he hadn’t believed it at first, thinking his Ningning was so gentle, how fierce could she possibly get? It wasn’t until he secretly fed Tuanzi the wrong thing once, causing her to have diarrhea for two days, that Pei Yuan realized the truth of the ancient saying. Bao Ning had been so furious that time she threw his entire quilt and pillow out of the window. He had to sleep in the study for nearly half a month, and only after endless apologies and guarantees was he finally allowed back into the bedroom.

In other matters, Bao Ning was still very easygoing, gentle, and considerate, allowing him to barely maintain his male dignity. But whenever Tuanzi was involved, Pei Yuan did not dare make a single mistake, lest a bloody storm arise.

Bao Ning pushed the bowl toward Tuanzi. “Do you want Mommy to feed you, or Nanny?”

Tuanzi replied weakly, “I want Daddy to feed me.”

“No,” Bao Ning flatly refused. “Your daddy is clumsy; he won’t feed you properly.”

Tuanzi glanced at Pei Yuan, who didn’t dare object either, and simply pretended to eat his food nonchalantly.

Tuanzi chose Nanny Liu. Bao Ning watched her finish another half of the remaining rice before allowing her to leave the table. Tuanzi stood up, sobbing softly, and tugged at Pei Yuan’s pinky finger before walking away. Understanding her hidden meaning, Pei Yuan squeezed her small hand in return, signaling her not to worry.

Bao Ning looked at their movements suspiciously and asked, “What kind of secret signal are you two making behind my back?”

“Nothing, how could we?” Pei Yuan wiped his mouth and stood up as well, asking for Bao Ning’s permission. “It’s like this, I’m full, and there are matters to attend to at the government office, so I’ll be heading out first?”

Beside them, Nanny Liu shook her head helplessly, finding it amusing. Over the years, she had watched the Prince and Princess Consort grow together almost every step of the way. She had seen Pei Yuan transform from a hedgehog covered in sharp quills into a gentle man who gradually shed his armor, exposing his soft underbelly. He went from a chauvinistic man who constantly preached that ‘the husband is the guide of the wife’ to a family-oriented, remarkably gentle, and good husband and father.

What kind of strength did a soft, weaponless woman possess to turn a naturally competitive and aggressive man into this?

Bao Ning believed Pei Yuan’s words and turned to Nanny Liu. “Pack a portion of the stewed nourishing soup for the Prince to take with him, and wash two pears.”

She instructed Pei Yuan, “You must drink the soup, and eat at least one pear. If you eat both, there will be a reward when you come home.”

Pei Yuan agreed. Bao Ning stood up to see him out. When they reached the door, she stood on her tiptoes to brush aside the stray hairs near his temples, then took a step back to look him over for a moment, smiling, “Looking good.”

She comforted him, “Go on and tend to your business. Don’t worry about Tuanzi; I will talk her out of her mood.”

Guiltily, Pei Yuan glanced toward the corner of the wall and spotted the edge of Tuanzi’s pink skirt. Turning back nonchalantly, he said to Bao Ning, “With you around, what is there for me to worry about? You must be tired too, go back and take a nap. Tuanzi should be heading to sleep as well. We will be back early, so don’t worry.”

Bao Ning caught the slip of his tongue. “‘We’? What do you mean by ‘we’?”

Pei Yuan quickly corrected himself, “You misheard. I said I will be back early. Go back and rest now, I’m off.”

With that, he waved his hand and left in a hurry.

Bao Ning asked Nanny Liu, “Did you feel like anything was off about the Prince just now?”

Nanny Liu thought back carefully. “Not really.”

Bao Ning could only let it drop. She indeed felt tired, so she first went to check on Tuanzi’s room and saw that she was indeed sleeping soundly. Affectionately, Bao Ning stroked Tuanzi’s forehead, tucked her in, and returned to her own room with peace of mind, preparing to take a short nap herself.

Once she was far away, Pei Yuan tiptoed back into the room, beckoning with his finger. “Tuanzi, slip out quietly.”

Tuanzi opened her eyes in a flash, kicked off her blanket, and lunged toward him in high spirits. “Daddy, did you really promise to take me fishing?”

Pei Yuan replied, “How could Daddy break his word? Since I said we’re going, we’re going. But we have to keep it a secret from your mommy.”

“But Mommy doesn’t allow it…” Tuanzi hesitated. “Mommy will get mad.”

“If you don’t tell and I don’t tell, who will ever know?” Pei Yuan promised solemnly. “Besides, Daddy is the master of the house. Would I be afraid of your mommy throwing a tantrum?”

Tuanzi giggled and said nothing.

With Pei Yuan’s help, she quickly changed her clothes and slipped out quietly through the back gate of the Prince’s estate.

Little did Pei Yuan know, the exact moment he stepped out of the estate gates, someone had already gone to report it to Bao Ning.

…

At dusk, Pei Yuan and Tuanzi repeatedly double-checked their cover story, making sure it was completely foolproof before heading home.

Yet the moment they stepped through the room door, they were met with Bao Ning’s narrowing eyes.

Pei Yuan’s heart jolted in shock, secretly crying out that things had gone terribly wrong.

Sansukini: If you think about, Pei Yuan never really got to be the Lord in front of his wife. Even when they started their marriage, Bao Ning often got the upper hand in the relationship eventhough Pei Yuan was so domineering. This Daddy Pei Yuan is so cute.

I’ll probably start a new novel again next week.

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