Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The guests had already arrived at the doorstep, making it impossible not to receive them. Lady Pei frowned slightly and sent for them to be ushered in.

Lady Pei entertained the mother and daughter-in-law from the Yun family in the parlor, ordering tea and pastries to be served. She then called for Pei Ze, gesturing for him to greet them: "A Ze, this is your maternal grandmother. Go and pay your respects."

Pei Ze, engrossed in studying the intricate patterns on the back of the imperial decree, was somewhat reluctant to be interrupted. However, though Lady Pei doted on him, she was not indulgent, and his daily upbringing was quite strict.

Though he had never met her, he performed the customary bow with meticulous precision: "Greetings, Grandmother. Please accept my respects."

After straightening up, he cast a few curious glances, confirming his lack of interest, then looked at Lady Pei, tilting his head in inquiry.

Lady Pei nodded, and Pei Ze, without a second thought, turned back to Ming Tang's side. He placed the scroll on her lap once more and resumed his careful examination, muttering to himself.

"This child is truly lovely, just like his mother," Mrs. Yun said with affectionate eyes. "I remember when my eldest daughter was his age, she was just as adorable, fair as jade."

The eldest daughter-in-law, Yun Shi, was indeed a rare beauty, but Pei Ze only resembled her in the eyes—the rest of his features took after Pei Jun. Lady Pei, who had watched Pei Ze grow up day by day, was intimately familiar with his appearance. Hearing Mrs. Yun's words, she silently scoffed but did not expose the exaggeration. "A Ze does have fine features."

After exchanging a few polite but empty words, and seeing that Mrs. Yun still hadn’t revealed the purpose of her unannounced visit, Lady Pei grew impatient. She took a deliberate sip of tea and said, "The household is rather busy at the moment. I must apologize for the poor hospitality."

Mrs. Yun's smile faltered, and she shot a sharp glance at her daughter-in-law behind her before quickly resuming her pleasant expression. "The tea is excellent, and the water is fine. It is we who should apologize for arriving unannounced." She paused slightly before asking, "Might there be some happy event in your household? Earlier, we saw firecrackers outside the gate. Will you be hosting a banquet to celebrate with everyone?"

Her gaze lingered on Ming Tang for a moment. Could it be that this young mistress was pregnant? Rumors said she struggled with fertility, but perhaps it wasn’t entirely true. If she were indeed pregnant and later bore another child, wouldn’t that render this step-grandson completely unnecessary to curry favor with?

Since it was a happy occasion, Lady Pei nodded slightly, allowing a smile to surface. "The palace issued an edict conferring the title of 'Lady of the Heir' upon Ming Shi, so we lit firecrackers to mark the celebration. As for a banquet, there’s no need."

Mrs. Yun relaxed inwardly: So it wasn’t a pregnancy.

Seeing Ming Tang seated nearby with Pei Ze practically draped over her lap, the two appearing extremely close, Mrs. Yun offered repeated congratulations before hesitantly broaching the real matter. "To be frank, dear in-law, the reason for my visit today is... a rather delicate matter..."

Finally, the main topic.

Since it was "delicate," Ming Tang politely rose, rolled up the imperial edict, and placed it in Pei Ze's arms. Pei Ze obediently hugged the scroll tightly.

The scroll wasn’t thick, so holding it this way was no different from hugging himself. Yet, with a solemn expression, he lifted his head as if Ming Tang had entrusted him with some grand mission, making the scene rather comical.

Lady Pei glanced sharply at Ming Tang, knowing she was teasing Pei Ze again by deliberately handing it to him this way. Seeing Ming Tang’s innocent expression, she motioned the maids to withdraw but said to Ming Tang, "You stay."

With the order given, Ming Tang gave Pei Ze an apologetic look before watching the nursemaid lead him out of the parlor. The servants also retreated like an ebbing tide, leaving only the key figures present as they waited for Mrs. Yun to speak.

Unexpectedly, Lady Pei had specifically instructed Ming Tang to remain, adding another witness to Mrs. Yun’s discomfort. Gritting her teeth inwardly, Mrs. Yun began with a tone of contrition. "I must beg your forgiveness. Only yesterday did I learn that this foolish daughter-in-law of mine couldn’t control her maids. Her attendants, taking advantage of their familiarity with the late eldest daughter’s maids, used her name deceitfully to collude with them in cooking the books and embezzling from her dowry."

She glared fiercely at Huang Shi and prompted, "You foolish girl, deceived without even realizing it! Hurry and apologize to the lady!"

Not only had she done such a thing, but she’d also been foolish enough to leave traces. If this daughter-in-law weren’t from her own family and hadn’t borne clever grandchildren, Mrs. Yun would never have stooped to making this visit on her behalf.

Huang Shi’s face flushed crimson as she stepped forward and bowed deeply, her voice weak with shame. "Some days ago, when I heard your household had handed a few people over to the Metropolitan Governor, my attendants began acting strangely. Yesterday, unable to bear it any longer, I had them interrogated and discovered these vile slaves had done such things behind my back. I failed in disciplining them and dare not ask for your forgiveness. I’ve already had my attendants bound and brought the embezzled sum in banknotes. Please, madam... retrieve those people from the Metropolitan Governor."

Mrs. Yun interjected, "After all, it was done under false pretenses by her attendants. If this goes through the Metropolitan Governor’s court, gossip will surely follow. Though Huang Shi is foolish, she is the mother of my three grandchildren and was only caught up by her servants. If such a reputation sticks, it will inevitably affect her in the future. I hope you can grant her this difficult request."

Lady Pei’s expression remained impassive, and for a moment, she said nothing. The parlor lapsed into silence, the atmosphere growing awkward.

Ming Tang didn’t buy for a moment that Huang Shi had been unaware. It was obvious she had abused her status as the Yun family’s daughter-in-law to collude with the late eldest daughter’s attendants in embezzlement. Now that the culprits had been caught, she panicked at the risk of exposure, and rushed to the Pei family to hush it up.

But... this was Pei Ze’s maternal family, and Mrs. Yun was, by rights, his rightful grandmother. With things put this way, it remained to be seen whether Lady Pei would hesitate for Pei Ze’s sake, wary of "breaking the jade while striking at the rat."

Lady Pei was indeed torn.

Her late eldest daughter-in-law, Yun Shi, had been chosen by Pei Jun himself—a poetry-loving beauty. Lady Pei, not being that type herself, hadn’t particularly admired her, but as the family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Yun Shi had always been respectful, so they maintained a polite but cool relationship.

But after Pei Jun’s death, Yun Shi, then pregnant, was devastated by grief. The two comforted each other, but Yun Shi passed away after giving birth to Pei Ze. As Lady Pei raised Pei Ze day by day, reminiscing about the past, she developed some complicated feelings toward Yun Shi.

When Ming Tang had suggested handing the culprits directly to the Metropolitan Governor, Lady Pei had agreed, partly to demonstrate the Pei family’s adherence to law and order, and partly because, though suspicious, she hadn’t truly believed it would implicate anyone significant. After all, the amount involved was trivial—hardly worth the trouble.

Now, seeing the stepmother and sister-in-law of the Yun family in such a state, Lady Pei felt nothing but revulsion. Yet, they were still Pei Ze’s maternal relatives. Everyone had family ties, and when Pei Ze grew up, he couldn’t very well cut off contact with his uncle’s family.

Torn, she wavered.

Huang Shi remained bowed in the room, not daring to rise without permission. Soon, her legs started cramping from maintaining the posture.

As the stalemate continued, someone knocked at the door. Lin Ma’s voice came through, sounding somewhat exasperated. "Madam, the young heir spotted a kitten on his way back and insists on keeping it. He’s now pitching a fit, demanding to see the young mistress."

Ming Tang, bored out of her mind, brightened at the news.

But Lady Pei, as if reminded of something, inwardly scolded herself for overthinking things.

Calling for Lin Ma to wait, Lady Pei ordered Huang Shi to rise and spoke flatly. "Since the culprits have already been handed over to the Metropolitan Governor, their fate rests entirely with the law. The Pei family has neither the audacity nor the disregard for imperial law to retrieve them for private handling. If you claim ignorance of your servants’ actions, why demand their return now, inviting unnecessary trouble?"

Huang Shi stammered, "But you’re the Duchess. Retrieving a few servants from the Metropolitan Governor is but a trivial matter..."

Talk of lacking nerve—everyone in the capital knew the Metropolitan Governor bowed to no one, let alone an established noble family like the Duke of Dingguo’s household.

Mrs. Yun also frowned deeply. After all their efforts, Lady Pei was leaving no room for negotiation. "It’s just a minor matter, involving hardly any loss. Must you be so unyielding?"

"Without rules, there is no order. The amount may be small, but the crime—servants conspiring to deceive their masters—is grave. If such acts go unpunished, what’s to stop stewards everywhere from following suit in the future?" Ming Tang, as the daughter-in-law, jumped in to argue. "I advise you to investigate your household further. It’s only been two years since the eldest sister passed, and she married into a family like ours. If stewards dared collude with your people in such shameless acts, who knows what else might be uncovered?"

Mrs. Yun shot Ming Tang a cold glance but, recalling her newly conferred title and inevitable future as the Duchess, bit back her anger and pasted on a smile. "The young are quick-witted and thorough in their thinking."

Turning back to Lady Pei, who showed no sign of relenting, Mrs. Yun’s displeasure grew after a morning of groveling. "The Yun family is, after all, A Ze’s maternal family. Do you intend for him to cut ties with them in the future?"

Having made up her mind, Lady Pei didn’t hesitate. "A maternal family that would stir up trouble over a deceased daughter’s dowry is indeed concerning. Moreover..." She glanced at Ming Tang and spoke solemnly, "Ming Shi, you’ve always been close to A Ze. Would you be willing to continue treating him as your own in the future?"

The Pei family had long intended for her to take on the role of raising Pei Ze and securing his position. But the question now carried deeper implications—whether the Ming family would stand as Pei Ze’s maternal support in the future.

Ming Tang smiled at Lady Pei and declared firmly, "Madam, your words wound me. Have I not treated A Ze as my own since the day I married into this family?"

Lady Pei nodded.

Mrs. Yun’s face darkened. "Do you mean to have A Ze acknowledge another as his mother? What of our eldest daughter’s place?"

Ming Tang immediately countered, "The eldest sister will always be A Ze’s birth mother, and no one will ever forget that. She will forever receive his offerings. But privately, I believe the eldest sister and the Yun family are separate. When you brought your daughter-in-law here to plead, did you consider how the departed eldest sister would feel, seeing her family act this way? Where does that leave her?"

Then, under her breath, she muttered, "Truly, the world is vast and full of wonders. Such shameless people are rare."

Lady Pei seized the moment to raise her teacup. "Escort the guests out."

Furious, Mrs. Yun turned and left. Huang Shi, torn between anger and panic, had never imagined even her mother-in-law’s personal appeal would fail. If this escalated, what then?

Didn’t everyone prefer to smooth things over? She’d been willing to compensate, personally apologize, and even hand over her attendants—yet the Pei family still refused...

Lost in her frantic thoughts, she hurried after her mother-in-law, failing to notice the small box of banknotes still tucked in her sleeve.

Lady Pei, having resolved her internal conflict, acted decisively. She ordered all gifts from the Yun family to be gathered and, along with Huang Shi’s bound attendant—forgotten in the courtyard—sent them straight to the front gate.

Since the earlier gifts had been stored together and the Yun family’s carriage driver was nowhere in sight, the servants arrived at the gate before the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had even boarded their carriage.

Understanding the maid’s purpose, Mrs. Yun grew even more incensed. The maid, however, simply set down the boxes, gave a perfunctory bow, and turned away, denying Mrs. Yun even the chance to vent her anger.

Nearby, inside a carriage, the Metropolitan Governor's Lady lifted the curtain and watched the scene unfold with keen interest.

As the bailiffs had determined that this was not merely a case of servants bullying their master, the Metropolitan Governor hesitated for several days, worried about overstepping and offending the Pei family. He deeply regretted that the Pei Heir was away from the capital at this time, leaving him no way to gauge the Pei Heir's stance. Thus, he had no choice but to ask his wife to visit the Pei residence to sound out their intentions.

When the accompanying maidservant reported that the ones who had left in a fury were the Yun family's matriarch and her second daughter-in-law, the Metropolitan Governor's wife—who had heard some details from her husband—immediately ordered the carriage to turn back.

What was there left to ask?

The Yun family matriarch had come visiting, bringing the second daughter-in-law no less, and had left in a huff. Not to mention, the Yun family's maidservant, who had been shoved out, was tightly bound. The Metropolitan Governor's wife, having heard much from her husband and being worldly-wise, recognized at a glance that the Yun family had tried to settle privately by throwing a servant under the cart, only to be rejected by the Pei family.

Tut-tut, she had seen foolish people before, but never quite this foolish.

Dispatching a quick messenger to inform her husband at the *yamen*, the Metropolitan Governor's wife ordered the carriage to divert to West Archway Street, deciding to pick out some jewelry.

Meanwhile, upon receiving the news, the Metropolitan Governor hesitated no longer and immediately dispatched officers straight to the Yun residence.

Since they rode on horseback, they arrived at the Yun family's doorstep just as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did.

The messenger spoke politely, "By order, I am here to question a certain Mrs. Huang of your household regarding the embezzlement of the deceased Lady Yun of the Pei family's dowry by Yun Shan and others."

Leaving aside Huang Shi's regret—both for her greed in committing such an act and for her frustration at the Pei family showing no familial leniency—her heart was a whirlwind of conflicting feelings.

Back in the Pei family's parlor, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance, and even Mrs. Pei felt a pang of complicated emotions.

As she and Ming Tang returned to Jinghua Hall to find Pei Ze, Mrs. Pei couldn’t help but bring up Yun Shi: "When we first arranged the marriage with the Yun family, everything went smoothly. Your late sister-in-law handled all the marriage arrangements with the Yun family, and whenever I met this mother-in-law in public, she seemed perfectly respectable. Who would have thought that in just a few years, things would turn out like this? I used to think your sister-in-law had a kind heart, though she was occasionally a bit naive and not the most capable in household matters. Now it seems she must have had a hard time in that family."

Ming Tang had never met this sister-in-law, so she listened quietly, picturing in her mind a beautiful woman who loved reading, with a delicate grace about her.

A pity that such beauty was short-lived—she would never have the chance to meet her.

With a silent sigh, they soon arrived at Jinghua Hall. Before even entering, they heard the parrot squawking frantically—"Help!" "Help!"

When had this parrot learned a second phrase?

Side by side, they stepped into Jinghua Hall and saw Pei Ze under the eaves, tilting his head up and down repeatedly, his face full of confusion. Ming Tang grew even more curious.

As they approached, they noticed a small copper basin in front of Pei Ze, lined with rough fabric, upon which lay a tiny black kitten with white paws. It looked only a few months old, somewhat frail, letting out only the occasional tiny, plaintive mew.

Above them, the parrot hanging from the eaves flapped its wings wildly, thrashing about in its small cage, desperately trying to put as much distance as possible between itself and the kitten, all while shrieking, "Help!"

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Ming Tang felt the parrot's cries grew even louder the moment she and Mrs. Pei entered the courtyard.

But... this kitten was so small—Ming Tang estimated it might not even be as big as the parrot. One could only emit weak little "meows," while the other's "Help!" echoed throughout Jinghua Hall. The scene, which should have been perfectly logical—a bird fearing a cat—somehow seemed completely absurd to her.

Pei Ze seemed just as confused by the spectacle. After staring up and down for a long while, he turned and, seeing his grandmother and aunt had arrived, couldn’t help but ask, "Is it scared of Little Horse? Why?"

"Little Horse—is that the cat’s name?" Ming Tang asked curiously.

Pei Ze pointed at the kitten’s four paws and explained, "Uncle’s horse—black, with white feet. This one too."

So, naming it "Little Horse" made perfect sense. Pei Ze nodded in satisfaction, reaffirming his approval of the name.