Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Under Pei Ze’s intense gaze, Nanny Zhou cleared her throat and tactfully remarked, "The Young Master is growing up and needs to begin his studies. Naturally, he can no longer spend all his time playing with his elders."

Everyone close to him seemed to insist he continue his lessons. Pei Ze nestled into Mrs. Pei’s embrace, looking up with tear-filled eyes, utterly aggrieved. "I don’t want to grow up."

Before he could burst into tears, Ming Tang interjected, "A Ze, do you dislike Scholar Lu? Is his teaching not good?"

Pei Ze immediately stopped pouting. After a moment’s careful thought about his recent experiences, he shook his head and declared sincerely, "Scholar Lu is more interesting than Mother’s storytelling."

Ming Tang, caught off guard by the unexpected comparison: "..."

Alright, her "storytelling" wasn’t exactly captivating. But her goal had been to lull him to sleep. If Scholar Lu’s lectures were even more soporific than hers, that would indeed be a problem.

"Then why don’t you want to go?"

Pei Ze pondered deeply before answering, "Going every day is too busy, too tiring."

Hearing this, Ming Tang proposed, "If going every day feels too exhausting, how about this: either attend ten days of lessons and rest for four, or attend five days and rest for two? You can choose, A Ze."

Ten days sounded much longer than five. Pei Ze immediately leaned towards the second option but didn’t voice it. Instead, he raised his left hand, counting from one to five, spreading all five fingers wide. With his right hand, he held up his thumb and forefinger, curling the other three.

After counting, he leaned towards Ming Tang, bargaining, "Five is more than two."

The contrast between two fingers and five was strikingly clear.

Ming Tang ignored his little ploy for more days off. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "So you want the other option?"

Pei Ze hastily shook his head. Ming Tang then took his left hand, pressing down his fingers one by one until only one remained. "A Ze, you’ve already had four days of lessons. Just one more, and you can rest."

The difference between one and two was still stark. Pei Ze withdrew his hands, examining them for a moment. Though he hadn’t managed to wangle an extra day off from his aunt, the thought of resting after just one more lesson finally brought a smile to his face. He nodded vigorously. "Okay!"

Even a single day of rest was better than none at all.

With the agreement settled in front of Mrs. Pei and the assembled maids, Ming Tang reminded him, "This is the plan A Ze agreed to, so you must follow it diligently. Otherwise, Mother and I might also break our promise, and then A Ze would have to go every day."

Pei Ze nodded eagerly, mimicking Scholar Lu’s lecturing tone, drawing out his words with solemn conviction, "A Ze is like Ji Bu—his word is his bond!" He was clearly terrified his grandmother and aunt might renege.

Overjoyed at getting his way, Pei Ze happily sprang up and ran around the room, completely unaware that Mrs. Pei and Ming Tang had already discussed arranging regular breaks for him, similar to court officials’ days off, to prevent him from overworking himself.

The next day, Scholar Lu, listening to Pei Ze proudly recount his "negotiation" process, mused: "...So, was there any real difference between the two options?"

Well, it was rare enough for elders not to spoil a child and indulge their every whim. As for the process—he couldn’t expect a young child to see through the adults’ transparent little schemes.

Clearing his throat, Scholar Lu said to Pei Ze, "Today, I’ll tell you the story of 'Three at Dawn and Four at Dusk.'"

Knowing he wouldn’t have to attend lessons the next day, Pei Ze was even livelier than before. When it was time to return to Serene Glory Hall, he was about to bid Scholar Lu farewell when the latter added, "Though the next two days are for rest, you mustn’t neglect your studies. Write one page of characters each day and show me when you return."

Pei Ze was young, and holding a brush too early might affect his bone development. Scholar Lu usually only taught him how to hold the brush and helped him develop a correct grip, having him write just one page of the simplest characters each day.

Assigned homework right before his break, Pei Ze’s excitement immediately waned. He agreed with some reluctance. But by the time he returned to Serene Glory Hall, his spirits had lifted again. He had Nanny Zhou carry him to the eaves, where he chattered excitedly at the parrot.

The parrot listened for a moment with its black, bead-like eyes before flapping its wings in the cage, perching on its stand, and squawking, "Help!" then burying its head under its wing, clearly signaling its refusal to engage.

Faced with the parrot’s obvious rejection, Pei Ze, despite his desire to share his joy of not having lessons, had no choice but to give up. He turned and went back into the main house.

That night, it took him even longer than usual to fall asleep.

Strangely, despite eagerly awaiting his day off, Pei Ze instinctively headed for his lessons after breakfast, only realizing at the threshold that he didn’t have to go today.

Free from lessons, Pei Ze once again became their little shadow, sticking close to Mrs. Pei and Ming Tang as they handled household affairs in the flower hall.

Pei Ze had seen this scene before, but this time, after everyone else had left, he immediately asked, "Grandmother and Mother, don’t you get rest days?" If it was a rest day, why were they still busy with official matters?

Ming Tang seized the opportunity. "Yes, Mother, why don’t we follow A Ze’s schedule—work five days and rest two? The stewards can handle things on those days. It wouldn’t cause any major issues."

Lately, Mrs. Pei had gradually delegated household matters to Ming Tang. When stewards came to ask how to handle various issues, Ming Tang’s most frequent questions were: "What was the old precedent?" and "If there’s no precedent, is there anything similar?"

The Pei family’s stewards were efficient, making this approach highly effective. Ming Tang only needed to ask, and someone would immediately provide past solutions for similar situations. Ming Tang would then usually resolve the issue with a simple "Follow this precedent," only occasionally altering the approach due to differing circumstances.

The stewards, gradually accustomed to Ming Tang’s style, now anticipated her questions. Before seeking her instructions, they would always consider whether such a situation had occurred in previous years, to avoid being caught unprepared by the young mistress. As a result, her efficiency was remarkably high.

Mrs. Pei had initially been unenthusiastic but quickly adopted this method. However, many of her duties involved social interactions with relatives, requiring a delicate balance and not always allowing for strict adherence to precedent. She could only handle these matters with a faint sense of resignation.

While she herself couldn’t rest, her daughter-in-law seemed to be trying to shirk her duties. Mrs. Pei smiled faintly and, under Ming Tang’s eager gaze, said, "No."

Ming Tang immediately feigned sadness, turning to Pei Ze. "See? You get holidays, but your aunt can’t rest for a single day. And your uncle—how long has he been working continuously without even coming home?"

Comparison bred contentment. Pei Ze felt a pang of sympathy, instantly realizing how unreasonable he had been to think two days of holiday were too few.

Later, upon arriving at the Hall of Sincerity and Perseverance with Ming Tang, he ignored the pony that rushed over to play with him. He walked straight to the study, instructed the maids to bring out his personal writing tools, and with great seriousness, began writing Scholar Lu’s assigned homework.

His posture was upright, his strokes extremely deliberate. Seeing his correct grip, Ming Tang didn’t interfere further. When Pei Ze proudly presented his finished characters for praise, she stretched the truth a little, complimenting him. At the same time, she resolved to carefully preserve all of Pei Ze’s childhood practice sheets, to bind them together and present them to him as a gift when he grew up.

With his unexpected holiday and having witnessed the adults’ plight of never resting, Pei Ze no longer resisted Scholar Lu. After the holiday ended, he willingly followed the maids to the small courtyard where his lessons were held.

He insisted on walking himself, so Nanny Zhou didn’t force him to be carried, only helping him over the main house’s high threshold before letting him go.

Pei Ze’s small figure quickly disappeared among the attendants behind him.

Watching him, Ming Tang suddenly had an idea. She asked Mrs. Pei, "I remember that during the New Year, many clan families brought their young children."

Mrs. Pei nodded, gesturing for Ming Tang to continue.

"A Ze studying alone might get lonely, and over time, it’s not conducive to developing his temperament. I was thinking, why not select a few slightly older children from the clan to study with A Ze? Firstly, they would be companions, and secondly, as fellow clan members growing up together, they could also be a help to A Ze in the future."

Mrs. Pei looked at Ming Tang thoughtfully. This suggestion seemed entirely reasonable and logical. Moreover, the benefits extended beyond just this one: the children who studied with Pei Ze would naturally have a different future trajectory than other clan members’ children.

For this reason alone, the clan members would naturally strive for this opportunity, which would further enhance the main lineage’s prestige. Even if the main lineage had few direct descendants, there would be no worries about future consequences.

Having considered all this, Mrs. Pei nodded in agreement and immediately instructed the steward to inform the Pei clan members.

As expected, upon hearing the news, quite a few Pei clan members were intrigued. For families with hereditary titles like theirs, each successive heir was naturally the clan leader. Pei Ze, since Ming Tang’s arrival, had been tacitly referred to as "Young Master," his future status easily imaginable.

If their own children could grow up alongside the Young Master, even setting aside personal ties, simply being by his side and gaining exposure would be beneficial.

Thus, once the news spread, Mrs. Pei became quite busy, with clan members frequently bringing their age-appropriate children to visit.

Mrs. Pei was looking for companions for Pei Ze, and while the children’s background was secondary, their character was what she valued most. After nearly two weeks of careful evaluation, she finally settled on three boys.

All three were about three years older than Pei Ze and had always been praised as steady and well-behaved children. These few children, individually, were beyond reproach.

The families whose children were chosen were naturally overjoyed. Mrs. Pei also sent gifts to the families whose children were not selected. Although those who had worked in vain grumbled privately, they couldn’t say much, especially since Mrs. Pei hadn’t even chosen the grandson of Duke Dingguo’s own brother, Pei Tang.

Only the Pei Tang household, used by Mrs. Pei as an excuse, remained gloomy all day. Pei Tang looked at his wife, Lady Rong, and said with sarcasm, "Didn’t you say your grandson was smart and had a bright future? I think he can’t even compare to that pauper Pei’s grandson."

Lady Rong retorted, "Are you blaming me for offending them? Don’t forget what that large sum of money you spent before the Lantern Festival was for!"

After dredging up old grievances, the couple both fell silent, filled with regret: if only they had known, why had they acted that way? They were the closest branch to the main lineage, yet now they were less close than those who were practically outside the five degrees of kinship.

The Pei family’s activities caused quite a stir. At first, some speculated what the Peis were up to, observing them for several days before finally realizing it was all about finding playmates for the young heir of the Pei family. For a moment, the whole thing felt strangely absurd.

Given Pei Yue’s tight control over the imperial city, those whose servants had been detained by him couldn’t help but sneer, "Just finding playmates for a little child and making such a grand fuss—no wonder Pei Yue now acts as if the imperial city is his own home, utterly lawless!"

The Emperor had not been seen in public for over half a month. Although palace officials relayed messages that His Majesty was perfectly well, the number of skeptics only grew.

With public unrest growing, Pei Yue, who occupied the crucial position of Commander of the Jinwu Guard, naturally became a target for those with ulterior motives.

That day, as usual, Pei Yue rose, stretched his limbs, and opened a letter from home. Seeing Ming Tang’s pages filled with teasing remarks about Pei Ze, he shook his head, picked up his brush, and wrote: "You Niang, do speak more of your own affairs."

Setting down the brush, he was about to attend to the day’s duties when news arrived—someone had filed a formal accusation against him for unfilial conduct, citing his separate residence from his father as the reason.