Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Clang—"

The sharp sound of shattering porcelain echoed through Anhe Hall.

Yu Qizhi's hand remained steady, and the tea in the cup did not spill; only the lid of the teacup fell to the ground, breaking into pieces.

Everyone fell silent.

The celadon lotus-patterned cup was a rare treasure from a famous kiln in Bingzhou, occasionally produced after decades. And now it was shattered.

However, in the Marquis Mansion, no matter how precious the cup was, it was still just an object. The problem was that this day was the first day of the new year, and breaking something on the first day of the new year was a bad omen.

The broken porcelain landed right beside the matriarch's feet. She cared deeply about such omens, and her expression changed instantly.

When Nurse Yan stretched her foot to trip someone earlier, the matriarch had just lowered her gaze and did not notice the small action.

Only a few people saw Nurse Yan's movement; most of those present only saw Yu Qizhi's clumsy behavior, which resulted in the broken teacup.

"Hurry up and clean up the shards," Mrs. He glanced at Yu Qizhi and instructed the servants nearby.

Mrs. He suppressed her smug smile and turned to the matriarch, speaking gracefully:

"A flower blooms upon falling, bringing peace every year. Please don't take it to heart, Matriarch."

Yu Qizhi wanted to speak up in defense: "Just now..."

Before she could finish, she was interrupted.

"Enough."

The matriarch's patience had run out; she found Yu Qizhi increasingly unpleasant. Her upbringing prevented her from losing her temper with a junior on the first day of the new year, so she merely waved her hand, signaling Yu Qizhi to leave.

"Truly without any manners."

After Yu Qizhi left, Mrs. He mocked her.

"Matriarch, I must say, you've been too lenient with Yu Qizhi. Among your two granddaughters-in-law, Shuo's wife is the sensible one. Even though you exempted the juniors from their daily visits, Shuo's wife still comes to serve you diligently."

"Who truly cares for you can be seen at a glance."

Mrs. He unabashedly praised her daughter-in-law Zheng in front of the matriarch, adding:

"Now that Shuo has returned for the new year, I'm sure it won't be long before you can hold another great-grandchild."

The matriarch, well into her sixties, had grown more susceptible to persuasion. Her initial aversion to Yu Qizhi had already diminished.

But today's incident, coupled with Mrs. He's instigation, made the matriarch feel even more that she had been too lenient with Yu Qizhi.

Moreover, Yu Qizhi had been in the mansion for over a year, yet there was still no sign of pregnancy.

The ancestral rules of Changning Marquis Mansion forbade keeping female servants in the chambers before marriage and prohibited taking concubines until the age of thirty if there were no heirs. Pei Jing was only twenty-four, not yet old enough to take a concubine, but he wasn't far off either.

Pei Jing was the future heir of the Marquis Mansion, and having an heir was crucial.

The matriarch harbored resentment towards Yu Qizhi for this very reason.

Seeing the matriarch's expression, Mrs. He knew she had swayed her.

"She needs to learn some manners," Mrs. He urged. "If she can make mistakes while serving tea to elders today, tomorrow she might embarrass us all at the imperial banquet."

"Matriarch, Nurse Yan's family has trained palace tutors. Training Yu Qizhi shouldn't be difficult, and within a month, we should see results."

The matriarch pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

"But what about Crown Prince..." Mrs. He feigned hesitation.

"I'll talk to Jing. Would he dare to defy his elders over such a trivial matter?"

The matriarch's tone grew stern. She saw through Mrs. He's tricks but chose not to expose them.

Besides, Yu Qizhi was Pei Jing's wife and needed to learn proper etiquette.

Mrs. He ignored the sternness in the matriarch's tone.

Her goal had been achieved, and she couldn't help but smile.

...

"Miss, that day in Anhe Hall, it was clearly not your fault."

In the western chamber, Fang'er rubbed Yu Qizhi's palm, feeling heartbroken:

"Miss, you should tell Crown Prince!"

Nurse Yan indeed taught Yu Qizhi according to the standards of high-born ladies, but she was overly strict.

Fang'er looked at Yu Qizhi's swollen fingers, which hadn't improved much even after several days.

Nurse Yan clearly wielded her authority like a feather, imposing numerous rules and punishing every mistake. There was no time for rest, making it impossible for Yu Qizhi to recover properly.

It was all her fault for sleeping so deeply that she didn't wake Miss up, allowing the people from Anhe Hall to find an excuse.

"Miss, perhaps you should tell Crown Prince to stop Nurse Yan from coming here," she said anxiously.

Back in Luo County, Fang'er and Yu Qizhi lived freely. But returning to the mansion, they witnessed many ways to torment people. When Miss first entered the mansion, her stubborn nature made life difficult.

Only when Miss began to tolerate and flatter the mistress and siblings did their lives gradually improve.

Fang'er had witnessed how Yu Qizhi's once carefree and natural disposition was gradually worn away. But now they were in the Marquis Mansion, and the only one who could help Miss was the Crown Prince.

"Mm. I'll talk to the Crown Prince about it." Yu Qizhi looked at Fang'er, her lips curving into a gentle smile, as if soothing a child.

Seeing this, Fang'er sighed inwardly. Clearly, Miss hadn't taken it to heart.

Not only did Yu Qizhi not take the matter seriously, but even if someone intended to speak up, they couldn't see Pei Jing for several days.

Pei Jing had been swamped with official duties and had spent several nights at the North Yard. Finally, he returned to the mansion during the day.

"Crown Prince, it seems that Old Ancestor has sent a governess to Lady's chambers," Weichuan said.

In the courtyard, several servants carrying flower pots and tea sets passed through the corridor and entered Yu Qizhi's room.

"Mm." Pei Jing responded indifferently. Old Ancestor had already mentioned this to him beforehand.

The windows of the room reflected a few faint silhouettes.

"In the future, there's no need to tell me about such matters." Pei Jing withdrew his gaze.

In recent days, the Jin family's troops had returned to Chang'an, and the New Year's banquet was approaching. The security arrangements for the outskirts and inner palace had become crucial. After the incident at Lishan Palace, the Emperor began to lose trust in the South Yard, and the responsibility for guarding the palace and the outskirts gradually fell on the North Yard's imperial guards.

As the commander of the North Yard's imperial guards, Pei Jing naturally had a heavy workload.

While Pei Jing and Weichuan were talking, they quickly walked through the courtyard, but a rustling sound came from the flower bed behind them.

"Who's lurking around? Show yourself!"

Weichuan heard the person's deliberately suppressed footsteps and strode over to the flower bed, shouting sternly.

When Weichuan saw who was hiding behind the trellis, his expression relaxed.

It was Yu Qizhi's maid.

Fang'er's legs trembled as she stepped out from behind the trellis, stuttering an explanation:

"I am Lady's maid, Fang'er. I was tending to the flowers just now and didn't mean to eavesdrop! Please, Crown Prince, understand."

Fang'er hadn't expected Pei Jing to return during the day. She was genuinely afraid of him and had hidden behind the trellis, planning to come out after he left. Unfortunately, she accidentally made a noise.

Eavesdropping was strictly forbidden in the Crown Prince's courtyard. Her failure to appear promptly had violated Pei Jing's rules.

She was prepared for punishment, but with Yu Qizhi's suffering in mind, she decided to tell Pei Jing everything about the hardships Miss endured under Nurse Yan's supervision.

"Crown Prince, these past few days, she..."

Fang'er closed her eyes and began speaking, but was interrupted by a voice entering the courtyard.

"Commander, the Jin family arrived in Chang'an earlier than expected."

A guard dressed in uniform hurried over and respectfully informed Pei Jing.

Upon hearing this, Pei Jing turned to leave, but then remembered the maid still standing there. He glanced at her briefly.

The timid maid, much like her mistress Yu Qizhi, exuded a humble demeanor.

Pei Jing frowned slightly, then continued walking out of the courtyard without stopping.

Fang'er watched Pei Jing's indifferent departure and recalled his indifferent attitude towards Miss during his conversation with his attendant. Her heart sank.

Outside Chang'an.

The Jin family's contingent, numbering less than eighty, all clad in light armor, stood in formation, solemn and orderly.

Led by the Crown Prince, officials dismounted their horses to welcome them at the city gate.

At the rear of the Jin family's procession was a carriage. As the Crown Prince exchanged pleasantries with the young general of the Jin family, a woman's hand lifted the curtain of the carriage.

All eyes turned toward the movement.

A woman dressed as a matron, holding a young child, stepped down from the carriage.

Respect filled the gazes of those present.

This woman was none other than the late General Jin Cheng's widow, Jiang Luoyi.

The child in Jiang Luoyi's arms had his eyes closed, his face flushed, clearly showing signs of a fever. The long journey had also left Jiang Luoyi looking haggard despite her composure.

Jiang Luoyi's gaze swept the surroundings before involuntarily settling on Pei Jing, who stood nearby.

Suddenly, she swayed and fainted before everyone's eyes.

...

The journey had been exhausting, and the child, being young, had caught a fever. Jiang Luoyi, constantly by his side, had also fallen ill.

The conditions at the inn were rudimentary and unsuitable for convalescence, so Jiang Luoyi and her child were taken to a villa outside the palace owned by Princess Xiangle.

The task of escorting them fell to Pei Jing. In terms of propriety, Jiang Luoyi was Pei Jing's teacher's wife, and he should look after her.

Inside the villa, the physician administered acupuncture to Jiang Luoyi, and she slowly regained consciousness.

Pei Jing gestured for the physician to check her pulse. After a moment, the physician rose to write a prescription, and Pei Jing prepared to leave.

Jiang Luoyi called out softly:

"Wait... Commander, it's been three years since we last met. I... have many things I wish to discuss with you."

Pei Jing paused, turning back to look at her.

The villa was quiet, with few people around. Jiang Luoyi dismissed her attendants.

"A Jing, I heard that you have already gotten married?"

Jiang Luoyi's face still bore the pallor of illness, and she forced a smile. "Indeed, you're not young anymore."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Take care of your health," Pei Jing said.

Hearing this, Jiang Luoyi was taken aback, then felt a sudden warmth in her heart.

Pei Jing... he still cares about me, doesn't he?

"A Jing, I'm so scared..."

"I know. This time, returning to Chang'an, my child and I will never be able to leave again. From now on, if the Emperor suspects any disloyalty from the Jin family in Shuo, my child and I will be in constant danger!"

Jiang Luoyi choked back tears. "I truly regret not listening to you back then."

"This child is also your master's child," she said, grabbing Pei Jing's sleeve and sobbing. "A Jing, this time, for the sake of the child, please help us, an orphan and a widow!"

Pei Jing looked at her face, watching as she cried, tears streaming down like rain on a pear blossom. He felt no pity, only irritation.

He pulled his hand away from Jiang Luoyi's grasp, suppressing his impatience. "Everything will be fine."

Seeing Pei Jing's deliberate attempt to distance himself, Jiang Luoyi's expression stiffened.

She realized she had lost her composure.

Using the gesture of wiping her tears, Jiang Luoyi composed herself and changed the subject. She asked softly, "A Jing, who is your wife? Which family does she come from?"

"If it's convenient, I should visit your home with gifts another day and get to know her."