Chapter Fourteen

Su Yue was banished from Pei Jin's manor.

Yan Shi Ning reflected on Pei Jin's plan and she frowned. She followed his plan but he gave her a surprise. Indeed he asked Su Yue to bring a bowl of herbal soup to her. As planned there was no poison in the herbal soup, but there was a poison powder in her fingernails. When she was blowing on the spoon of herbal soup, she slipped the poison into the bowl to frame Su Yue. What she didn't expect was that the same poison was found in Su Yue's chamber.

The poison in Yan Shi Ning's hand was given to her by Pei Jin. After Bei Dou examined the poison found in Su Yue's chamber it was the same poison as the poison Pei Jin gave her. Initially she thought Pei Jin framed Su Yue by putting the bottle of poison in Su Yue's chamber. But she saw Su Yue's guilty expression and she realised the poison did belong to Su Yue. She suspected that Pei Jin knew long ago that Su Yue hid poison in Su Yue's chamber. That meant someone wanted to harm Pei Jin and Pei Jin used his enemy's poison to deflect his enemy's scheme. She was impressed by how calculating Pei Jin could be.

Yan Shi Ning wasn't certain if Su Yue's poison was intended to harm her or Pei Jin. Also, she didn't know if Su Yue bought the poison on her own or someone secretly gave it to Su Yue. Perhaps someone at Huang Guo's manor was involved.

Yan Shi Ning remembered what Pei Jin whispered in her ear and her heart stirred immensely.

After the maids left the chamber, Pei Jin held her wrists.

'Big brother, what are you doing?' Yan Shi Ning asked and failed to free her wrists.

Pei Jin waved a small scissors in front of Yan Shi Ning. 'Cutting your fingernails. It's too dangerous to keep the poison in your fingernails for a long time.'

In the past Yan Shi Ning hated having long fingernails and kept her fingernails short. But after she entered the Yan Manor, Yan Shi Ting criticized her fingernails were ugly so she kept them long.

Yan Shi Ning wasn't depressed Pei Jin was cutting her fingernails. But a strange feeling stirred in her heart while Pei Jin was holding her hands and cutting her fingernails.

Pei Jin wasn't satisfied to only cut Yan Shi Ning's fingernails. He dipped her hands in a basin of warm water.

'Big brother, there was only a little poison in my fingernails,' Yan Shi Ning said. 'You already cut my fingernails, there's no need to soak my hands.'

'It's an extra precaution,' Pei Jin said. 'What if you accidently put it in your mouth? What am I going to do if I lose little lion?'

Yan Shi Ning played dead.

After a long time Yan Shi Ning picked up a fan and she sat down at a table.

'When did you start taking a fan with you everywhere you go?' Pei Jin asked. 'It's cooler now.'

A fan had many purposes. A fan was pleasant to look at, it hid Yan Shi Ning's mouth when she was eating snacks or yawning. If she wanted to act vibrant and youthful she used it to chase butterflies. If it was a hot day she would use it to cool her body, it also shielded her from sunlight and rain. Yan Shi Ting had borrowed her fan to hide blood stains on Yan Shi Ting's dress.

The main purpose Yan Shi Ning carried a fan everywhere she went since she arrived in the imperial city was to appear like a lady. But she couldn't let Pei Jin know the real reason.

'Ninth prince, don't you have something to explain to me?' Yan Shi Ning asked to deflect Pei Jin's question.

Pei Jin sat beside Yan Shi Ning and he picked up a cup of tea. 'Wife, what do you want to know?'

'Ninth prince, how did you know there was poison in Su Yue's chamber?' Yan Shi Ning asked.

Pei Jin drank a sip of tea and sighed. 'It appears there are some things I can't fool my wife.'

Yan Shi Ning tapped her fingers impatiently for Pei Jin to explain.

Pei Jin put the cup down. 'If your husband doesn't know what everyone is hiding in their chambers then your husband would have reincarnated long ago.'

Pei Jin spoke in a teasing tone, but Yan Shi Ning understood. Before she married Pei Jin, she knew two dragon princes wanted to sit on the dragon throne. Pei Jin didn't want to be emperor, but he wouldn't escape unscathed. There would be spies sent to Pei Jin's manor, which was why she only showed her real self if she was alone with Pei Jin otherwise she would act like a lady.

Pei Jin's manor looked like a tranquil place, but it was a deadly battlefield. Yan Shi Ning feared in the future she needed to be more cautious.

***

End of Chapter Fourteen