When Ning Wanwan arrived before Pei Jinxu, she saw Lin Xi lying on the bed, her neck scratched.
This time, the way Pei Jinxu looked at Ning Wanwan was utterly foreign. There was cold indifference, helplessness, and even a trace of vexation.
Vexed about what? It wasn’t like she did it on purpose. She herself had no idea why Xiao Bao had run out.
“Guifei, you’ve gone a bit too far this time,” Pei Jinxu said in a low voice, turning his head away to stop looking at Ning Wanwan.
Lin Xi lay on the bed, her face deathly pale. Her neck had already been bandaged, and her willow-like brows were furrowed in pain. A few tears slid down her beautiful face, making her look utterly pitiful.
Ning Wanwan stood behind Pei Jinxu, unable to see the restrained heartache and vexation on his face.
“It is my fault. It’s just that I don’t know why Xiao Bao suddenly ran out, and even less why it would pounce on Chan Meiren,” Ning Wanwan explained. Unfortunately, Pei Jinxu wasn’t listening. At this moment, he seemed to have become a different person again.
“He’s a beast you raised. How could you not know?” Pei Jinxu glanced sideways, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ning Wanwan.
“Please give me some time to find out the truth, Your Majesty. This sort of thing…”
“Enough,” Pei Jinxu cut her off. “This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I have no desire to hear your excuses.”
A fire of anger flared up in Ning Wanwan. If she weren’t afraid of having her entire clan executed, she would have dealt with him long ago. He was truly schizophrenic—one way yesterday, another way today.
“Then I have nothing more to say,” Ning Wanwan said, lifting her chin stubbornly, her gorgeous face filled with fearlessness.
Seeing her expression, Pei Jinxu grew annoyed and said helplessly, “You will stay in your Ruyi Palace. From now on, you need not concern yourself with any of the affairs, big or small, in the Imperial Harem.”
“I take my leave.” Ning Wanwan rolled her eyes discreetly. With a flick of her wide sleeves, she turned and left in a whirlwind, her departing figure proud and untamed.
Back at Ruyi Palace, Ning Wanwan was fuming, but she also felt that there was something strange about the incident.
“Lüqiu, did you find anything?” Ning Wanwan asked.
Lüqiu shook her head helplessly.
“Forget it. It no longer matters whether we find anything or not. In his heart, he’s already decided that I deliberately harmed his beauty and child,” Ning Wanwan thought to herself. Fine. From now on, she wouldn’t have to see those people scheming against each other. In any case, she wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothing. Being an idle Guifei was quite nice.
Zhong Qing, however, was rather anxious. Ning Wanwan had been stripped of her power to manage the Imperial Harem before she could even help her regain favor and deal with Zhong Yue. What would she use to fight against Zhong Yue in the future?
Meanwhile, the first person Lin Xi saw when she woke up was Pei Jinxu. Tears immediately welled in her eyes as she said aggrievedly, “How much longer will it be?”
“Soon. The majority in the imperial court are now impeaching Ning Yuanchen. All is ready; we just need the right moment.” Pei Jinxu stroked her small face with heartache. Unlike the feigned intimacy he showed Ning Wanwan, this kind of heartache was only expressed for the one he loved.
“When the Ning Family falls, how will you deal with Ning Wanwan?” Lin Xi asked.
At her words, Pei Jinxu fell silent for a long time before letting out a nearly inaudible sigh. “The one who did wrong is Ning Yuanchen. It has nothing to do with her. We’ll just let her keep her rank and support her. The palace can afford to keep one Guifei.”
Lin Xi’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if she was furious. “Your Majesty, have you fallen for her?”
Pei Jinxu shook his head in denial and said no more.
“If you had to choose between her and me, who would you choose?” Lin Xi stared intently at Pei Jinxu, only feeling at ease after she received the affirmative answer she wanted.
Pei Jinxu’s mood was somewhat complicated, as if he had no outlet for his inner frustration. He spent the entire night in the Hall of Mental Cultivation berating Eunuch Li.
“What kind of tea is this? It’s disgustingly undrinkable! If you dog of a slave don’t know how to serve, then get out! Don’t be an eyesore here.”
Eunuch Li: ?
After that incident, Ning Wanwan led a leisurely and carefree life. She researched fine foods and tea recipes in the palace, and even built herself a swing. She spent her days eating, drinking, and playing, living a most joyful life.
Many of the palace servants were also dismissed. Aside from the four maids she had brought from her family home, she only kept two or three palace maids for cleaning and cooking.
Pei Jinxu had known Ning Wanwan for so many years, and she had now been in the palace for over three. He knew what kind of woman she was.
Realizing that his attitude toward Ning Wanwan last time had been a bit excessive, and coupled with the fact that he had been deliberately neglecting her for the past few days, Pei Jinxu felt a pang of guilt. He thought of visiting her, but just as he reached her gate, he saw a scene:
The woman, in a fiery red dress, sat on the swing. Her hair was not styled in any bun; her three thousand strands of black silk were left to cascade down, fluttering with the arc of the swing. Her gorgeous face was brimming with happiness, and a smile like the morning sun made her even more captivating.
Pei Jinxu had only ever seen her so free and unrestrained when they were young. Back then, she had liked him very much, chasing him all over the world, desperate to tell everyone that she adored him.