Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The hot spring at Jishan Temple, serving no other purpose, retained its natural form, openly displaying its pristine beauty. Unmelted snow still lay in the courtyard, but near the spring, melted snow had refrozen into delicate ice crystals, forming a thin, shimmering crust. Steam rose from the pool, swirling like an ethereal mist, lending a surprising softness to the towering stone wall beside it.

Given the temple's tales of the Calligraphy Sage, it naturally preserved traces for visitors to admire and recall the master's elegance. The stone wall was densely inscribed with tiny characters, some blurred by time, yet still faintly discernible.

Pei Ze, however, showed no interest in the stone wall. His attention was captivated by the misty hot spring. Catching Ming Tang seemingly distracted, he quietly scooped up a handful of snow from the ground and tossed it into the pool. In an instant, the snowball dissolved, blending seamlessly with the water, utterly indistinguishable.

Turning back, just as he was about to repeat the act, he saw Ming Tang, who had, at some point, withdrawn her gaze from the stone wall and was now quietly watching him.

Pei Ze's hand loosened, and the snowball he had just clutched fell to the ground. He promptly clasped his hands behind his back, perfectly embodying the idiom "covering one's ears while stealing a bell."

As the elder and younger stood in silent deadlock, a monk arrived from the front courtyard, announcing that a visitor had heard the Pei family was offering incense and wished to pay their respects. Since Madam Pei was unavailable, they requested to meet Ming Tang first.

Jishan Temple was located outside the city, so encountering someone who recognized them here was unusual. Though puzzled—after all, this temple was not the Pei family's private shrine, and anyone could enter—Ming Tang acknowledged the courtesy of not directly intruding into the back courtyard and nodded in agreement.

Moments later, a familiar small figure approached from the front courtyard, followed by several maids and attendants.

Pei Ze surprisingly remembered this little friend who had once stayed overnight at their home. After a few moments of puzzled thought, his face lit up with recognition. He greeted Mu Qing cheerfully, then asked curiously, "Are you coming to stay at our house again?"

The reason for Mu Qing’s previous stay was known to all present. The middle-aged woman behind him immediately flushed with embarrassment, kneeling to explain, "Young Master is jesting. The Seventeenth Young Lord is here to offer incense and pray for blessings. Once done, he will return home."

Realizing he wouldn't be collecting rent again, Pei Ze felt a pang of disappointment but quickly found a new point of interest. He looked at Mu Qing curiously, "You’re the Seventeenth Young Lord? So you have lots and lots of older brothers and sisters?"

For example, the Ming family's Sixth Young Master was called so because he had many elder siblings.

Mu Qing nodded, then shook his head. "I have sixteen older brothers. My sisters aren’t ranked with us." Then, pulling Pei Ze aside, he began recounting tales of his brothers.

While the children chatted, the middle-aged woman who had knelt earlier introduced herself to Ming Tang. "This humble one is of the Mu family. You may call me Mu Lan. On the Lantern Festival, you intervened to save the Seventeenth Young Lord, and the Princess Consort of Yan is deeply grateful. Due to her status, she couldn’t visit in person, so the family head sent gifts in thanks. Today, under the Princess Consort’s orders, I brought the Seventeenth Young Lord to pray for blessings. Hearing your esteemed family was also here, we took the liberty of greeting you."

Noticing Mu Qing’s expensive shoes that day, Ming Tang had suspected his status might be noble. Later, learning he had a Commander-in-Chief father and a Princess Consort sister, she was surprised but soon dismissed it, as their paths didn't cross again.

Now, seeing Mu Qing lively yet composed as he chatted with Pei Ze, Ming Tang felt a lightness in her heart. After assuring Mu Lan it was no trouble, her curiosity was piqued, and she wondered how the earlier incident had concluded.

Mu Lan, having served the Princess Consort of Yan for decades and frequently visited the palace, noticed Ming Tang’s subtle curiosity and reluctance to ask directly. She volunteered, "No deed goes untraced. The traitor thought he covered his tracks meticulously, yet he couldn't make all traces disappear. Today, the donation we made to the temple for the Seventeenth Young Lord’s blessings is precisely the wealth the traitor had plotted to seize. The Princess Consort said, ‘Since they coveted what rightfully belonged to little Shiqi, they must value wealth above all else. I don’t need their apologies—only for their ill-gotten gains to be spent entirely on praying for little Shiqi’s fortune.’"

"The Princess Consort is merciful." And remarkably incisive. Ming Tang felt satisfied, as if she had just witnessed a real-life tale of poetic justice.

As they spoke, Madam Pei finalized the temple’s donation arrangements. Mu Lan paid her respects and expressed gratitude once more, then remarked as if casually, "Indeed, Madam is not one to be stingy with her charity. Even outside the city, she contributes what she can to accumulate virtue. Unlike those who maliciously speculate—how truly detestable."

Madam Pei listened impassively, giving a slight nod before the two parties parted ways.

Going downhill was tougher than climbing up, especially with melting snow making the path slippery and treacherous. Having no other pressing engagements, the group descended the mountain with extreme caution, boarded their carriages, and headed back to the villa.

On the journey back, Pei Ze was clearly still engrossed in his conversation with Mu Qing, counting on his fingers for a long while until he realized he didn't have enough. He looked up, spreading all ten fingers before Madam Pei and Ming Tang, exclaiming, "Mu Qing’s family has so, so many people!"

From the eldest cousin to the sixteenth, Pei Ze had felt dizzy just listening. Every word Mu Qing said seemed to float past his ears and then vanish, leaving him unsure if he had heard anything at all.

And that wasn't all—Mu Qing also had younger brothers, and sisters who weren't included in the same ranking system.

Pei Ze imagined his home filled with unfamiliar figures of similar height, shaking his head to dispel the image. Looking at his outstretched fingers, he sighed in relief, "Good thing our family isn't that huge!"

Then, he began counting his own family members aloud, starting from the beginning.

As they spoke, they arrived back at the villa. It was midday, and the sun shone even brighter, glaring off the snow and stinging their eyes.

In such weather, eyes were particularly vulnerable. Nanny Zhou had carefully shielded Pei Ze’s eyes throughout the journey. As they reached the main courtyard and were about to enter the house, Pei Ze caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and immediately panicked: the snowman family, meticulously repaired by the maids over several days and now more than twice as refined as their first appearance, had succumbed to the sunlight, their bodies significantly shrunken.

Struggling free from Nanny Zhou’s embrace, Pei Ze scurried to the snowman family. Just then, the black lotus seeds serving as the snowman's eyes dropped from their sockets, rolling away—leaving the snowman blind.

"Uncle's snowman is blind!" Pei Ze’s lips trembled, on the verge of tears. He had, after all, included these snowmen in his count of family members while in the carriage.

But upon returning home, he watched helplessly as the snowmen began to disappear.

Just as his sorrow was about to well up, a black figure suddenly leaped out from the side, bounding over the snowmen in a few quick jumps. The already precarious snowman family completely lost their original shape. Before his sadness could even fully form, it transformed into anger toward the kitten. But the creature was far too nimble; he couldn't keep up, ending up breathless and ultimately giving up the chase.

During the pursuit, the maids hovered anxiously beside Pei Ze, fearing he might stumble, while the kitten darted and weaved, clearing obstacles with a surprising agility that truly made its somewhat mischievous name, "Little Horse," seem fitting.

When Pei Ze finally gave up, Little Horse strolled along the corridor with its usual unhurried, elegant gait, occasionally glancing back at Pei Ze, its eyes brimming with pride.

Defeated and aggrieved, Pei Ze’s earlier suppressed feelings of injustice resurfaced. With tear-filled eyes, he turned to Ming Tang for help, his voice still trembling slightly as he pointed at Little Horse: "It bullied me, and it bullied the snowmen!"

Ming Tang’s expression hardened. "Don’t worry," she said firmly. "Auntie will help you get back at it."

Thus, by lunchtime, when Little Horse gracefully arrived at its usual feeding spot, it found its small bowl, which usually held food at a fixed time, completely empty.

In that moment, the expression of "confusion" seemed to materialize on its pure black feline face.

Pei Ze ate his meal, not forgetting to keep an eye on Little Horse. Seeing it anxiously circling its food bowl, occasionally letting out short, distressed meows, he couldn't help but smirk with schadenfreude.

Yet, after a while, his heart softened. "Adults don’t pick on Little Horse," he muttered magnanimously, generously sharing his fish balls with the cat. "But if you bother me again, you really won’t get any food!"

The boy and the cat quickly reconciled, vividly demonstrating to the Pei household what human-animal harmony truly meant.

Life at the country estate was exceedingly leisurely, but the capital was, after all, home. Madam Pei had previously postponed their return due to the difficult snowy roads. Now, with consecutive clear days, and even the Princess Consort of Yan in the city sending people to the temple outside the city to pray for children, it was clear the roads were passable. Coupled with Mu Lan's pointed remarks, Madam Pei immediately decided to return to the capital.

They had arrived quickly, and their return to the capital was just as swift. As they left the estate, Ming Tang felt a pang of reluctance: bathing wouldn't be as convenient back in the capital.

The carriage entered through the East Gate. The city now showed only occasional remnants of snow and had fully resumed its bustling, lively appearance. Pedestrians flowed ceaselessly, showing no sign of the hardships some households in the capital had endured during the recent heavy snowfall.

During their absence, the manor had been meticulously cleaned daily, and all their belongings within the rooms were just as they had left them.

Madam Pei settled into Jinghua Hall, the main hall, not to rest, but to await a report. Soon, someone announced, "There have indeed been some unpleasant rumors in the city. They say the Pei family stayed at their country estate during the snowfall while other wealthy households provided aid, accusing us of being miserly and heartless."

The rumors were baseless, and Madam Pei almost laughed. "Are these the only childish tactics people in the capital can employ now?" she remarked. Such transparent lies, yet openly spread.

The only effect, perhaps, was to cause the Pei family a few days of unease. As for Yue, he must have known—he shouldn't have let it go on until now.

That evening, when Pei Yue returned, he confirmed his mother’s suspicions. "I was aware," he admitted. "But I wanted to investigate who was behind it first. I have some leads now."

However, the culprit surprised Pei Yue: it was the Zhang family, the paternal clan of the Jin Princess Consort, who had spread the news.

The Pei and Zhang families had always had little interaction, and Pei Yue couldn't fathom why the Zhang family would do this. But since they had made their move, Pei Yue was not afraid. Having confirmed the source of the rumors today, he had already ordered measures to suppress them.

To the Pei family, this was not a major issue. Pei Yue was not overly concerned, as long as the refutation of the rumors was handled appropriately. At the moment, he had far more pressing matters on his mind: "For some time to come, I will likely be on constant duty at the imperial palace. His Majesty has fallen ill."