After Marrying the Disabled Prince (BG) - Chapter 3: The Ruined House

No one was there to help her, so Bao Ning got off the carriage by herself.

Although she had mentally prepared herself, she was still shocked when she saw the scene before her.

In the middle of a barren forest was a small yard, with a gate made of dried grass that looked like it could collapse with a gust of wind. The house was a low, two-room thatched cottage, and in the middle of winter, it was clear that the wind blew through every crack. The snow from a few days ago had not yet fully melted, leaving half water and half snow, making the yard a muddy mess.

This didn’t look like a prince’s residence at all; it seemed more like an abandoned, dilapidated courtyard.

Bao Ning turned around to look at the surroundings. There were no other houses, let alone neighbors. As far as the eye could see, there were trees stripped of leaves, and only the narrow winding path where the carriage had come from was visible, disappearing into the distance.

This place was so desolate that even an ordinary person would have a hard time living here, let alone the Fourth Prince, who was already physically weak.

It was said that the people from the lesser palace were the most influential, and looking at it now, that seemed true. When Pei Yuan was in his prime, everyone scrambled to flatter him, sending him the finest things, yet now, they wouldn’t even give him a proper house.

As Bao Ning was thinking, the dried grass gate suddenly opened, and a maid dressed in servant attire came out. She looked Bao Ning up and down and then asked the carriage driver, “Is this the Fourth Prince’s wife?”

The carriage driver nodded and smiled. “Cui Feng, you should be happy now, right? You don’t have to stay in this hell hole anymore. Someone’s here to take your place.”

Cui Feng rubbed her hands and pursed her lips. “Isn’t that right? If I had to stay here any longer, I’d go crazy. Not to mention that the food is scarce, and the house is freezing, but that Fourth Prince… that dying man’s temperament…”

Only halfway through, Cui Feng realized she was supposed to greet the new princess. She quickly shut her mouth, curtsied, and said with a slight shake of her head, “You’re very pretty, but what a pity, you’ve married such a cripple.”

The coachman yawned and climbed back into the carriage, waving his hand. “Enough, stop talking, get on. Let’s get back to the capital before it gets dark.”

Cui Feng sighed and didn’t even bother to say goodbye to Bao Ning. With one swift movement, she jumped into the sedan chair.

With a crack of the whip, the horse neighed and started pulling the carriage away from the yard.

Bao Ning stood in place, watching the carriage disappear into the distance, lips pressed together, unsure of what to say.

Those two had clearly disregarded her entirely. She wasn’t even considered the Fourth Prince’s wife in their eyes. In their minds, she might as well have been a helpless new bride, unwanted and destined to suffer. They were eager to leave her behind.

Well, relying on others was never reliable. When you’re dependent on someone, it’s bound to fail. It’s better to rely on yourself.

Bao Ning sighed, took off her bridal veil, and held it in her hands. She bent down, rolled up her sleeves, and carefully made her way into the yard, slipping a little as she walked.

She thought to herself that after changing into different clothes, she would have to clean up the yard quickly. If she fell, it would be a disaster.

The yard wasn’t big, only about ten or so paces wide and she soon reached the entrance of the cottage.

The two rooms were next to each other, almost identical. One had a hole in the window paper, and the cold wind made the window rattle as if it might break at any moment. The other room seemed to be in slightly better condition, at least the window was intact.

Which one was Pei Yuan’s?

Bao Ning thought for a moment, then took a step forward, intending to peer through the hole in the window paper.

There was a large broom standing against the wall that she hadn’t noticed. She accidentally knocked it over, and it fell with a loud crash.

Inside, a low, hoarse voice scolded, “Who is it?”

Bao Ning opened her mouth, “I am…”

Before she could say another word, Pei Yuan grabbed the cup on the bedside and threw it at her. “Get out!”

Bao Ning heard the sound of something slicing through the air and instinctively took a step to the side. She watched as the cup shattered the paper window and brushed just an inch past her nose, making a beautiful arc before landing in the snow.

Bao Ning stood frozen in place.

There was no sound in the room.

After a long while, Bao Ning finally mustered the courage to peek through the hole in the window that had been shattered. She met Pei Yuan’s cold, wary, and disgusted eyes.

“If you don’t leave, believe me, I’ll slap you to death!”

Bao Ning, frightened, quickly pulled her head back.

She had already prepared herself to marry a disabled man, knowing that Pei Yuan’s temper was bad, but she never expected him to be this vile. It seemed that the hole in the window paper must have been caused by something he threw.

No wonder when Cui Feng left, her expression looked as if she had been pardoned.

Bao Ning looked up at the sky. It was about time for the evening. She had only eaten half a bun in the morning and was already starving.

Maybe she should cook something first. Pei Yuan may be fierce, but he still had to eat. She could talk to him when she brought him the food. Perhaps he would be less resistant.

But where was the kitchen?

Bao Ning turned in a circle, but she couldn’t find anything that looked like a kitchen. The empty courtyard only had two thatched huts, and at the corner of the yard, there was a small, low building that seemed to be the outhouse. The courtyard was too vast, and the cold wind blew without obstruction. Bao Ning sneezed and walked toward the other building.

She thought it was Cui Feng’s room, but when she entered, she discovered something else.

A small space, about seven steps long and eight steps wide. Half of it was a mud bed, and the other half was a simple little kitchen!

There wasn’t much furniture in the room—just a table with a broken leg, a wobbly chair, and a pot on the stove.

Even so, the room felt overcrowded, not only dark and damp but also filled with the strong smell of coal smoke.

The bed was a mess, with pillows on the floor and a few women’s clothes—bellybands and skirts—scattered all over the place.

Bao Ning thought that Cui Feng must have left in a hurry, climbing out of bed and putting on her clothes before leaving. She had left everything else behind, though none of it seemed valuable.

Bao Ning waved her hand in front of her nose. The smell was too pungent. She ignored the cold and opened the windows and doors to ventilate.

The afternoon sunlight poured in, and the room immediately became a little brighter.

Bao Ning let out a sigh of relief, feeling much better, and started tidying up. There wasn’t much to clean, just Cui Feng’s discarded clothes and miscellaneous items. It didn’t take long to gather everything and put it in the laundry basket. Her bridal chest was still outside in the yard, but Bao Ning decided to wait until evening to organize it. First, she would cook and bring food to Pei Yuan.

Cui Feng must have known she would come today. She hadn’t even made lunch or lit the stove.

There wasn’t a single spark in the stove, and the pot still had leftovers from the last meal—something that looked like corn porridge—stuck to it, emitting a foul smell.

Bao Ning bent down to sniff it, wrinkling her nose. It was already spoiled, not from the last meal, but from who knew how many days ago.

Bao Ning was surprised. What did these two usually eat?

To cook, she would first need to start a fire and clean the pot.

The firewood was piled not far from the door. Though it wasn’t much, it would be enough, and there were plenty of dry branches outside the forest to start a fire.

But where were the vegetables and rice? Where was the water?

Bao Ning walked around the room. The only thing she saw was a wooden bucket with about the height of a finger’s worth of water inside—barely enough to drink a couple of sips, let alone use for cooking or washing.

There was no well in the yard either.

Bao Ning stood there, speechless for a moment. How had these two been living all this time? Not eating, not even drinking water?

She thought for a while and decided to ask Pei Yuan. He had been living here for quite some time and should know about these things.

The thatched house was very shabby, and the door was old, made from a cracked wooden board. The wedge used to lock the door had somehow rotted, so the door couldn’t be locked properly or closed tightly, shaking whenever the wind blew. The door and windows were broken, and the stove hadn’t been lit. It didn’t take much guessing to know how cold Pei Yuan’s room must be. He was already in poor health—how had he managed to endure all this?

Bao Ning sighed and raised her hand to knock on the door. “Your Highness, may I come in?”

There was no response from inside. She waited for a moment and knocked again, but still no answer.

Bao Ning felt puzzled and, fearing that Pei Yuan might be ill or frozen again, didn’t wait for a response. She pushed the door open and entered.

As soon as she stepped inside, Bao Ning was choked by the pungent smell, coughing uncontrollably. The room smelled worse than the kitchen, with a bitter herbal scent mixed with an indescribable sour and foul odor that stung her eyes. On closer inspection, she could also detect a faint trace of blood.

On the small bed, Pei Yuan was lying on his side, asleep.

He seemed to be sleeping restlessly, his brows tightly furrowed, with a circle of stubble around his lips. His hair was half-tied, half-loose, a messy tangle, and the blanket covering him was filthy, with yellow and red stains dried into patches, some spots revealing the cotton inside.

Perhaps because of the pain, Pei Yuan’s hand, which was resting by the pillow, was clenched into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, and his knuckles somewhat white.

This disheveled and miserable appearance made him seem like a beggar, completely different from the proud and high-standing Fourth Prince he once was.

Bao Ning stood frozen in place, suddenly feeling a pang of heartache.

The sound of her coughing woke Pei Yuan, who stirred painfully. Waking up was far harder than sleeping—at least when he was asleep, he couldn’t feel the cold, hunger, or pain. But once his mind cleared, those unbearable sensations rushed back, with the wounds spasming painfully. He gritted his teeth to endure, not crying out, as the endless decay and itching drove him nearly mad.

Perhaps because of the fever, Pei Yuan felt his mouth was unbearably dry, and his throat was burning with pain.

He wanted to drink water.

Pei Yuan propped himself up with his arm, raised his hand to press his forehead, and with his eyes half-closed, groped around the table for a cup.

He searched for a while but only found dust on his hand.

Bao Ning couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She picked up the teapot and handed it to him. “You just threw the cup away, and the water in the pot has turned cold. Do you know if there’s a well or stream nearby? I’ll fetch some water and heat it for you.”

A soft, unfamiliar woman’s voice entered his ears, gentle and warm, so out of place in this cold environment.

Pei Yuan was startled. His eyes shot open in shock.