After finishing his work, Pei Jinxiu fulfilled his promise to take Ning Wanwan out for some horseback riding and archery.
They changed into casual attire and boarded their carriage. As the entourage made a grand departure from the palace gates, the gathered concubines could only stare on with envious, wide-eyed gazes.
Believing she couldn't ride, Ning Wanwan was initially awkward and stubborn, refusing to get on the horse for anything. Pei Jinxiu asked if her brain had been damaged when she fell into the water, as in his memory, Ning Wanwan was a tough, tomboyish spirit who had grown up alongside him; how could it be possible that she didn't know how to ride?
"What are you pretending for?" Pei Jinxiu said, looking at her with disdain.
Ning Wanwan: "?"
How had this dog of an emperor changed his tone? Hadn't he been playing the part of the gentle gentleman before?
"I'm 'pretending' your mother!" she retorted.
"What?" Pei Jinxiu looked at her, completely bewildered.
Ning Wanwan certainly wasn't about to explain what that meant; she was afraid of being executed along with her entire clan. Seeing her lingering, Pei Jinxiu grew impatient. He vaulted onto his own horse, grabbed her by the back of her neck, and hoisted her up with a powerful tug.
"Ah!" Ning Wanwan shrieked. Before she could recover from the dizziness, Pei Jinxiu shouted, "Giddyap!" and the horse surged forward.
At first, Ning Wanwan was screaming in terror, but she soon realized that Pei Jinxiu was encircling her from behind, providing a sense of safety, and she began to relax. But just then, the weight behind her vanished; Pei Jinxiu had slipped off at some point.
Feeling her center of gravity shift, Ning Wanwan nearly tumbled off.
"Pei Jinxiu, you absolute jerk!" Ning Wanwan grabbed the reins for dear life, her legs instinctively clamping down on the horse's flanks. Then, a miracle happened: she began to find her rhythm with the horse’s gait, growing steady enough to control it on her own.
A surge of joy washed over her. She happily circled the field and returned, pulling the horse up in front of Pei Jinxiu. She shot him a smug, triumphant smile, her beautiful eyes filled with disdain.
Pei Jinxiu chuckled. He fetched another horse, swung onto its back with effortless grace, and sat firmly in the saddle.
"What are you pretending for?" she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.
In truth, she was the one putting on a show. In a burst of mischief, she struck the rump of Pei Jinxiu’s horse with her whip. The horse startled and bolted forward. Pei Jinxiu managed to keep his seat, and Ning Wanwan raced after him to ride by his side.
The two of them began a chase, playing just as they had in their youth, full of laughter and high spirits. Ning Wanwan had never imagined she would actually be able to ride a horse. Perhaps it wasn't her, but the original owner's muscle memory.
When the fun died down, Ning Wanwan couldn't help but wonder: could life really be this good? To transmigrate into an ancient era and be gifted a husband on top of it?
She felt like a cuckoo in a nest, usurping someone else's family and husband, enjoying honor and glory that didn't belong to her. She felt both at ease and deeply guilty.
So, Ning Wanwan decided to confess.
Pei Jinxiu was nearby, and seeing her staring blankly into space, he couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"
Ning Wanwan mustered all her courage to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She felt stifled, unable to bring herself to say it. What would it matter even if she did? He was an ancient monarch—would he even believe such a thing?
"What's the matter, little sister? Have you gone mute?" Pei Jinxiu asked, his handsome face filled with disbelief.
"And what’s the matter with you, little brother? What are you talking about?" Ning Wanwan was speechless. She worried he was suffering from a split personality; how could he change so much between the palace and the outside world? He seemed like a completely different person.
"I'm telling you to speak, but you're just stammering there," Pei Jinxiu said, his tone lacking the cool, gentle reserve he held in the palace, sounding instead like a familiar old friend. "If you're not mute, what are you?"
"You're crazy. I'm just not talking." Ning Wanwan turned her head away, showing him the back of it.
"Tch, like I care." Pei Jinxiu dismounted.
Ning Wanwan called out to him, puzzled, "Where are you going?"
Pei Jinxiu didn't look back, his voice drifting to her, cool and detached: "We're close to the Shangjing streets. I'm going to get you some peach blossom pastries."
Ning Wanwan: "?"
Had she ever said she liked peach blossom pastries?
Yet, after tasting them later, Ning Wanwan had to admit: they were her favorite.
"You used to love the peach blossom pastries from the shop on East Street. Every time we came out, you would insist on dragging me there to buy some."
"Sorry, I have amnesia," Ning Wanwan said, her mouth full. She spoke indistinctly, her cheeks puffed out. She looked like a little fox enjoying a meal—charming and incredibly beautiful.
"Truly lost your memory?" Pei Jinxiu asked, probing.
"To be precise, I died," she said dismissively.
She thought he wouldn't believe her, but Pei Jinxiu locked his gaze onto her and asked, "Then who are you now?"
"A ghost."
"Heh." Pei Jinxiu let out a cold laugh.