Husband, Be A Gentleman Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Consort La refrained from scolding Pei Wen Cai.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning saw Consort La’s sad eyes and she realised Consort La felt powerless to protect Pei Khan.

‘Xiao Khan, stop holding onto your ninth brother and come down,’ Consort La said.

Pei Khan hugged Pei Jin tighter.

‘Mother, it’s alright,’ Pei Jin said. ‘Thirteenth brother still can’t speak?’

Consort La nodded her head and her eyes saddened. Pei Khan was three years old but he couldn’t say more than two consecutive words. It was rumored Pei Khan was foolish thirteenth prince. The emperor favored Consort La after Pei Khan was born, but Consort La lost the emperor’s favor when Pei Khan was slow to speak.

Pei Jin stroked Pei Khan’s head affectionately. ‘Mother, you don’t need to worry. Thirteenth brother looks intelligent. He’ll be able to speak in the future.’

Consort La sighed helplessly.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning looked lovingly at Pei Khan while he sat on Pei Jin’s shoulders.

Pei Jin saw Yan s.h.i.+ Ning smiling warmly at Pei Khan and he realised the little lion loved children.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning looked lovingly at Pei Khan because Pei Khan looked like a loveable fool and her heart encouraged her to tease Pei Khan.

The tree branches in the gardens were decorated with fabrics and lanterns and banquet tables were set in the gardens for guests to view the moon on the night of the harvest festival. Yan s.h.i.+ Ning smelt delicious aromas of food and wine. She happily ate fruits, drank wine and listened to singers. She would have been happier if she wasn’t sitting near two people who were staring at her strangely.

Pei Jin sat on the left of Yan s.h.i.+ Ning, he was talking to a diplomat visiting from another kingdom. On the right of her was Yan s.h.i.+ Ting who sat between her and the crown prince.

According to palace protocols Yan s.h.i.+ Ting wasn’t allowed to sit next to the crown prince if she wasn’t his wife. But the empress said to the emperor, ‘I haven’t seen Yan s.h.i.+ Ting for a few days and I miss her. Let her sit here.’

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting acted reluctant to sit next to the crown prince. Yan s.h.i.+ Ting and the crown prince side by side looked like a stunning painting and everyone knew Yan s.h.i.+ Ting would become the crown prince’s wife.

Unfortunately Yan s.h.i.+ Ting’s usual haughtiness wavered a little after sitting next to Yan s.h.i.+ Ning. She wore a dress that took days to make, but it wasn’t even expensive as half of the dress Yan s.h.i.+ Ning wore.

In the past Yan s.h.i.+ Ting looked more beautiful than Yan s.h.i.+ Ning because Yan s.h.i.+ Ting wore beautiful dresses and makeup. But after Yan s.h.i.+ Ning married Pei Jin, Yan s.h.i.+ Ning was no longer the poor daughter from Xuan Qing.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting was unhappy everyone were admiring Yan s.h.i.+ Ning instead of her. She even caught the crown prince staring at Yan s.h.i.+ Ning many times.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting was jealous and frustrated but she knew where she was sitting and controlled her tongue.

‘Big brother crown prince, eat this fruit,’ Yan s.h.i.+ Ting said.

‘Thank you,’ Pei Lam said and looked at Yan s.h.i.+ Ning. ‘Ninth sister, you should eat this fruit too.’

Afterward Pei Lam pretended to watch the dancers. But his heart lingered on the image of Yan s.h.i.+ Ning adjusting her collar and showed a glimpse of the red kiss mark on her snow white neck. Then his little brother hardened.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning sighed happily after Yan s.h.i.+ Ting and the crown prince stopped staring at her.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning saw a palace nurse maid was holding Pei Khan’s hand while walking around the gardens.

‘Nin, Nin,’ Pei Khan said after he saw Pei Jin.

Pei Khan let go of his nurse maid’s hand and he ran toward Pei Jin. But he accidently b.u.mped into Yan s.h.i.+ Ting and fell on the ground. He cried, pulled Yan s.h.i.+ Ting’s dress to stand up and the dirt on his hands stained Yan s.h.i.+ Ting’s dress.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting wanted to vent her jealousy and frustrations on the rumored foolish thirteenth prince who dared to stain her dress.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning picked up Pei Khan and consoled him. ‘Why is a little man like you crying like an old man, your face will come off.’

Pei Khan startled Yan s.h.i.+ Ning, she had spoken softly but he heard her.

Pei Khan heard Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s soft voice. He looked at her, sniffed and stopped crying.

The palace nurse maid saw Pei Khan holding onto ninth prince’s wife. She quickly walked to them to carry Pei Khan away but Pei Khan hugged ninth prince’s wife’s neck tightly.

‘It’s alright, let thirteenth prince play here with me,’ Yan s.h.i.+ Ning said.

Pei Khan wiped his nose on Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s dress while she was distracted. She gently pinched his bottom.

Pei Khan retaliated by patting Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s dress and spoke in a serious tone. ‘Small, small.’

Pei Jin laughed and nearly spat out the tea in his mouth. He leaned close to Yan s.h.i.+ Ning and whispered in her ear. ‘Wife, your chest is truly small.’

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s head spun insanely. Mouthy boy and little boy were truly brothers!

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning was about to curse Pei Jin but suddenly a piercing shriek was heard.

‘a.s.sa.s.sins!’ a guest cried out.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ning was shocked to see the a.s.sa.s.sins and the palace guards’ swords clas.h.i.+ng in front of her and chaos around her.

Pei Khan was scared to death and buried his head into Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s chest like a little scared turtle putting its head in its sh.e.l.l.

There were many a.s.sa.s.sins in all directions of the gardens. Some a.s.sa.s.sins were disguised as palace guards. Most of the a.s.sa.s.sins’ target was the emperor. But some of them were fighting their way toward Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s direction, where there were three princes near her.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting screamed loudly, hid behind Pei Lam and gripped his outer robe. His face darkened and he grabbed two wine jars. One to s.h.i.+eld his chest from an a.s.sa.s.sin’s sword and he used the other to smash the a.s.sa.s.sin’s head. Then he kicked the a.s.sa.s.sin’s little brother.

While another a.s.sa.s.sin was attacking Pei Jin, Yan s.h.i.+ Ning hugged Pei Khan tightly.

Pei Jin stood in front of Yan s.h.i.+ Ning and Pei Khan. He picked up a cup and aimed it at the a.s.sa.s.sin’s face. The a.s.sa.s.sin’s sword struck the cup and aimed the sword at the unprotected Yan s.h.i.+ Ting.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting screamed and used all her strength to pull Yan s.h.i.+ Ning in front of her to s.h.i.+eld her from the a.s.sa.s.sin’s sword.

‘s.h.i.+ Ning!’ Pei Jin warned.

Pei Jin leapt and kicked the a.s.sa.s.sin’s chest. The a.s.sa.s.sin’s sword sliced the sleeve of Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s dress before the a.s.sa.s.sin fell on the ground.

In that moment Yan s.h.i.+ Ning’s whole body stiffened from shock and she couldn’t stop tears falling down her face.

Pei Jin hugged Yan s.h.i.+ Ning.

‘Don’t be scared, I’m here,’ Pei Jin said.

Pei Jin’s eyes stung, he was scared to death he almost lost Yan s.h.i.+ Ning.

Pei Lam watched Pei Jin hug Yan s.h.i.+ Ning for a while. Then he glanced at Yan s.h.i.+ Ting, remembered Yan s.h.i.+ Ting’s reaction and he smiled cryptically.

Pei Jin and Yan s.h.i.+ Ning were hugging each other tightly after a life and death situation. After their hearts calmed a little they felt something move between them.

Pei Khan raised his head and he exhaled. ‘No air, no air.’

Pei Jin and Yan s.h.i.+ Ning laughed. Afterward he hugged both Yan s.h.i.+ Ning and Pei Khan tightly. But his eyes looked menacingly at Yan s.h.i.+ Ting.

Yan s.h.i.+ Ting was shocked by Pei Jin who was usually a gentle man, because there was deadly cold aura in his eyes and her body shook uncontrollably.

End of Chapter Nineteen