Even after being married for so long, Pei Huaiyu would find himself getting a headache time and again over Ruan Jiaojiao’s erratic way of thinking.
But without waiting for a reply, Ruan Jiaojiao quickly finished the piece in her hand. Then, tucking her tail, she stealthily swiped a few more pastries and scurried off, not once looking back.
She left behind Pei Huaiyu, a man who had always been a stickler for cleanliness, staring at the messy tabletop. If it had been anyone else, the Grand Chancellor would certainly have been unwilling to ever share a meal with her again. Yet, as he recalled those puffed-up cheeks of Ruan Jiaojiao’s—and how she had stolen glances at him—his subconscious reaction was that it was actually quite a pleasant sight.
He slowly touched his own face, a strange, low chuckle escaping his lips; it felt as if the warmth of Ruan Jiaojiao still lingered there.
A-Jiu watched Ruan Jiaojiao dash away and hesitated for a moment before entering, stepping in respectfully. He was terrified that his master might settle old scores for letting Chunxing in, but... his master seemed to be in a rather good mood.
"Master," A-Jiu said, "the young master wishes to seek your forgiveness for what happened last night."
Pei Huaiyu’s mind was entirely occupied by Ruan Jiaojiao.
"Master...?"
"Hmm? Then have him write five extra pages of calligraphy today."
A-Jiu had been ready to break into a cold sweat for the young master, never expecting such a grave matter to be brushed aside so easily by his master.
"What was Ruan Jiaojiao in such a hurry to do?"
Pei Huaiyu did not need to attend court today, and he spent every waking moment asking about Ruan Jiaojiao—first whether she had applied her medicine on time, and then what she was doing or who she was seeing.
A-Jiu pondered for a moment. "Miss Ruan should be cleaning the courtyard right now..."
"How can she be doing that when she's injured?!"
Pei Huaiyu stood up in such a rush that he nearly knocked over the scrolls on his desk. A-Jiu quickly stepped in to steady them. "But... wasn't that arranged by you, Master?"
It was indeed.
Nanny Hu’s audacity was not unrelated to Pei Huaiyu’s own indifference.
A wave of regret surged over him. Pei Huaiyu never would have imagined that he could still feel such heartache for the Ruan Jiaojiao of today.
"The place where Ruan Jiaojiao is living now is not suitable for recovery. Why don't you have her move to the Yixiang Courtyard next door? It’s spacious, lively with people coming and going, and close to An’an. Ruan Jiaojiao will like it."
A-Jiu felt a cold sweat prickle his skin. He did not know exactly what had happened last night, but his master's earth-shattering change in attitude really made him feel that... his master was easy to manipulate.
It was hard to believe that not long ago, this was the same man who had vowed to bankrupt all of Ruan Jiaojiao’s taverns and cut off her financial resources.
In the end, he hadn't had the heart to do it.
"The place where Miss Ruan is staying is indeed quite dilapidated," A-Jiu ventured cautiously, "but the Yixiang Courtyard is reserved for the mistress of the house..."
His implication was clear: some rules could not be broken.
But his master wasn't listening at all, continuing to mutter to himself, "Or maybe I should just have her move into my own courtyard to recover."
A-Jiu pressed a hand to his forehead: this was getting even more absurd.
...
Ruan Jiaojiao had lost her job for no apparent reason. She had certainly loathed the life she led in this estate, but Pei Huaiyu’s hot-and-cold attitude made him all the more impossible to fathom.
Chunxing had indeed been ordered never to appear before Pei Huaiyu again. However, her mother was the overseer Nanny Hu; with some subtle manipulation behind the scenes, Chunxing only needed to lie low for a few days before she could likely make a comeback.
But there were always some of Chunxing’s followers lurking about. For instance, the news of Ruan Jiaojiao having spent the early morning in Pei Huaiyu’s bedchamber had already spread throughout the entire Prime Minister’s Estate.
Those who disliked her whispered about her behind her back.
Those who feared her avoided her.
Everyone ran the moment they saw her.
Because of this, it was truly no easy task for Ruan Jiaojiao to gather some medicine.
Fortunately, after Daniu had left, the kitchen lost its primary laborer for tending the firewood, which gave Ruan Jiaojiao an opening. She waited until the kitchen was empty and began to brew her medicine.
Thanks to her father, who owned a pharmacy and was a retired imperial physician from the palace, she knew exactly how to prepare the contraceptive decoction. Furthermore, her father had left her a secret manual containing an improved formula used by noble ladies in the palace—one that would significantly reduce the harm such medicine caused to the mother’s body.
Still, as Ruan Jiaojiao looked at the pitch-black brew, the foul, pungent smell made her head spin.
Either way, it had to be drunk sooner or later.
She quickly pinched her nose and downed it in one go.
Suddenly, the kitchen door was pushed open with a bang.
Ruan Jiaojiao, still having one mouthful of the decoction left, was so startled she fell to the floor, spilling the rest near the edge of the stove.
"Pei Huaiyu, what are you doing?"
Ruan Jiaojiao’s voice could not help but carry a hint of accusation.
But Pei Huaiyu’s state was wrong. He stared fixedly at her face, his eyes deepening, swirling with complex emotions, as if he were struggling to suppress a violent rage.
"What are you drinking?" His voice was low, laced with a repressed chill.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand, which had just bent down to pick up the broken porcelain shards, jolted. She hadn't seen this look in Pei Huaiyu’s eyes for a long time. She turned slowly, her face pale, and forced a smile onto her lips. "Just... some medicine to nourish the body."
She had originally intended to say it was contraceptive medicine—to her, there was nothing to hide.
She knew she wasn't a good mother; she had already failed An’an, and since she and Pei Huaiyu were unlikely to have a future, there was no need to look forward to the birth of a second child. There was no reason to cause a second child the same pain.
But... she flinched. She didn't even know why, but the words wouldn't come out at this moment.
"Nourish the body?" Pei Huaiyu gave a cold laugh, stepping closer, his gaze falling on the medicine bowl in her hand. "Since when does contraceptive medicine count as nourishing the body?"
Ruan Jiaojiao realized it now: she had been under surveillance all along. Her overt search for herbs had clearly tipped off Pei Huaiyu’s informants in the estate, who had undoubtedly reported every ingredient she had gathered to him.
How could someone as sharp as Pei Huaiyu fail to recognize that these were the ingredients for a contraceptive brew?
Ruan Jiaojiao averted her gaze. "Originally... didn't you say that this was all just for fun? And it wasn't long ago that you were the one who made me drink that same medicine..."
"That’s different! Ruan Jiaojiao, do you even have a heart?! It was clearly you..." Pei Huaiyu’s voice rose sharply, only to be cut off in the next second, as if he were afraid of startling something.
Ruan Jiaojiao was always like this, skilled at manipulating his heart in the palm of her hand. Last night, she had whispered in his ear, saying she loved him, which had led him to believe that perhaps they could start over.
But...
Pei Huaiyu gave a cold huff, as if mocking himself, though beneath it lay an undisguised, profound pain. "You would rather hurt yourself than conceive my child. Do you find my child so disgusting? Like Pei Qi’an, whom you treat as a burden—a toy to be discarded as soon as you please..."
His voice trailed off at the end, as if he could no longer speak, or as if he were afraid of losing control.
Ruan Jiaojiao instinctively backed away in fear, which only provoked Pei Huaiyu further. "What are you afraid of? You’ve done everything else, so why are you afraid of me now? I already possess everything you once chased after. I have all the power that Prince Li held—why can't you look at me?!"