Chapter 12: Restless Hearts

Chapter 12: Hearts in Turmoil

In her previous life, the chaos in the household also began after Old Master Pei’s passing.

Old Master Pei’s death was sudden. The family, still steeped in the festive atmosphere of the approaching New Year, had to scramble to make arrangements. Madam Yu had to send for her eldest son, Pei Ji, from school, while Pei Yiqing had to dispatch someone at daybreak to report his mourning leave to the authorities. The other branches of the family faced similar circumstances: officials had to report their mourning, and students had to suspend their studies.

The couple had to divide their tasks. As for She Niang and Li Niang, Madam Yu instructed them to remain at home, fearing they might encounter ill omens.

She Niang quickly rose and instructed Qiu Ju and Dong Mei, "First, help me choose some plain, simple clothes. The fur-lined jackets for the New Year are out of the question." She then told Lan Ruo and Gui Fang to find a few plain handkerchiefs, adding, "The same goes for you; no more brightly colored garments. Try to pick darker shades."

A maid from the outer courtyard brought in hot tea and added, "The mistress of the Fifth Branch just left with a large, imposing retinue."

Mama Xia rinsed the teacup with hot water several times before finally pouring a small cup for She Niang, simply stating, "Since she’s currently managing the household, the funeral arrangements naturally fall to her."

Matters of household management were not for servants of the Sixth Branch to comment upon.

She Niang and Li Niang waited until daybreak before heading to the mourning hall together. Old Master Pei had prepared his own coffin last year, after celebrating his sixtieth birthday.

Old Madam Pei, usually composed, was weeping inconsolably. Everyone else joined in her lament. Old Madam Pei had lost her beloved youngest son just a few years prior, and now her husband was gone, with her only surviving son still in Shandong. Even She Niang could empathize.

In her past life, when her mother died, She Niang had felt only panic, with little other emotion. Now, she truly understood life’s unpredictability.

However, She Niang, who saw her grandfather only a few times a year—their sole significant interaction being when he gifted her a set of jewelry after she presented him with an amber coat—felt a pang of sadness, but not profound grief.

Still, she had to cry, and cry profusely.

Watching Li Niang weep even more intensely than herself, She Niang thought, "See? Li Niang isn’t truly foolish. Her usual clumsiness is just a ploy to gain special treatment and make others indulge her."

Originally, Fifth Aunt, Cao Shi, was to oversee the funeral, but she fainted, revealing her pregnancy to everyone. Old Madam Pei immediately transferred the household management to Meng Shi, tasking her with the funeral arrangements.

Though Meng Shi often complained of minor ailments and lacked Cao Shi’s ruthless efficiency, she proved to be a capable manager. She first instructed the head steward to hire tailors to make mourning clothes, emphasizing, "These mourning clothes must be completed within three days."

In addition, there were specialists for erecting ceremonial canopies, artisans for paper effigies, suppliers of spirit money and incense, and calligraphers for funeral banners, among other miscellaneous tasks.

Naturally, She Niang and the others were not required for these duties; the mourning hall had not even been erected yet.

She Niang and the others then retired to the rear chambers to await any summons from the adults. The Pei family daughters, apart from their regular schooling, had never gathered alone like this. Yue Niang appeared troubled; with the Old Master gone, she worried if her betrothal would still stand.

Thus, she murmured, "After we hold the funeral here in the capital, I wonder if we’ll still need to return to our hometown?"

Li Niang quickly interjected, "Of course we will! We must escort the coffin back to our ancestral home."

Yue Niang cast a glance at Li Niang, thinking, "Fourth Sister naturally has no worries. Her father, after all, is a metropolitan graduate, her mother has a generous dowry, and most importantly, the Marquis of Dingbei’s household is the Old Madam’s maternal family."

These troubling thoughts were her private burden, something she couldn’t share with anyone.

Yi Niang grew even more anxious upon hearing this. Her father was serving as an official in Hedong Prefecture, within her future husband’s family’s jurisdiction. What if she encountered someone from the He family? Moreover, with Cao Shi now pregnant, her arrogance would likely escalate. Yi Niang needed to devise a strategy to deal with her.

The two elder sisters were lost in thought, while Li Niang grumbled about feeling unwell and retreated to a corner to drink hot tea. She Niang and Shun Niang, however, sat together. Shun Niang, uncharacteristically, spoke, "Fifth Sister, Grandfather was perfectly fine yesterday. Last night, he even dined with Grandmother. How could he have passed away so quickly?"

"I was thinking the same thing. It’s almost New Year, and this happens. Did Grandfather have any chronic illnesses before?" She Niang inquired.

Shun Niang shook her head, indicating she knew nothing.

In truth, She Niang in her past life had also been hazy about these matters. Being a child, and having slept poorly the previous night, she felt drowsy but forced herself to stay alert.

An hour later, word came from outside that the Eldest Young Master had returned.

"Brother is back," She Niang quickly stood up.

Although Pei Ji was not the eldest son of the eldest branch, he was the eldest grandson of the Pei family’s next generation. While the family didn’t yet rely on him for major tasks, his status as the eldest grandson could lend some prestige to certain matters.

Thus, upon arriving home, Pei Ji first went to the front courtyard to assist, not entering the inner quarters.

Meanwhile, after Old Madam Pei had dispatched everyone to their tasks, she pried open a hidden compartment in the Old Master’s study, retrieved a key, and instructed Nanny Xiang, "When it gets late, have a few reliable people move the items from Warehouse Wu to my room."

Nanny Xiang paused for a moment before remarking, "Mistress, you are truly far-sighted."

"I have to be. I’m just a lonely old woman. I can’t control what happens outside, and I’m afraid many might secretly divide the belongings. Who would know?" Old Madam Pei said.

In reality, no one was more calculating than Old Madam Pei. Pei Yiqing spent the day reporting his mourning leave, preparing for the funeral with his elder brothers, arranging the spirit tablet, and planning the return to their hometown. He was as busy as a spinning top, so much so that he didn’t even have time to think about his son’s return, let alone other matters.

In contrast, Madam Yu, who usually seemed somewhat absent-minded, said to Pei Sixth Master, "The Old Master passed away so suddenly without leaving any instructions. Second Brother mostly manages the family’s land and businesses. I wonder if the household will remain as it is now?"

This was what Pei Yiqing appreciated about Madam Yu. She seemed scatterbrained but was actually very thoughtful on his behalf.

With their father gone, the Pei family’s division of assets likely wouldn’t be far off.

Pei Yiqing said, "It will definitely be different in the future. The Old Master was the pillar of stability. Although the inheritance is to be divided equally among the sons, what’s presented might have been allocated long ago."

"You mean they’ve been embezzling…" Madam Yu was shocked.

Pei Yiqing snorted coldly. "Where do you think the lavish dowry for the eldest daughter came from? The Second Branch couple skims profit from every transaction. If we don’t push for an early division of the family estate, the Second Branch will hoard everything for themselves. By the time we get our share, it’ll be scraps—not enough for anything."

Madam Yu worried, "But it’s not as if we can decide to divide the family just like that. Besides, during the Old Master’s mourning period, if the Old Madam doesn’t agree, there’s nothing we can do."

"Of course, I won’t bring it up during the mourning period. I’ll first sound out Fourth Brother casually. Once the mourning period is over, I’ll seek out the elders in the clan whom I’m familiar with. If that doesn’t work, after the mourning period, if I’m reinstated, I’ll take you and the children to an external post. Especially for Li Niang—I don’t agree to her marrying into the Marquis of Dingbei’s household. It’s best if both our daughters marry into scholarly families." Pei Yiqing also hoped to someday seek out his birth mother. Even if he couldn’t personally care for her, he could at least ensure she was settled.

Having roughly outlined their future plans, the couple felt somewhat relieved. As for Old Master Pei’s funeral, everyone was grieving, but beyond the grief, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

She Niang was also exhausted that day and went to bed early because she had observed her mother and found nothing unusual.

By the next day, the mourning clothes were ready, and everyone in the household wore them.

Old Master Pei’s body had been cleansed with yellow wine. His sons dressed him in burial clothes, lined the coffin with lime and charcoal, and placed a jade cicada in his mouth.

They would wait for Eldest Master Pei to return before escorting the coffin back to their hometown.

After having breakfast in the main room in the morning, Li Niang slipped her a packet of sugar beans and said, "These are really delicious."

She Niang quite liked sugar beans, but in her past life in the palace, she didn’t dare eat too many because beans tended to cause flatulence, which was considered very undignified.

But now, she could grab a handful and pop them all into her mouth. "Thank you, Fourth Sister."

Li Niang smiled and said, "I have more. Sugar beans aren’t as sweet as powdered sugar, but they’re very tasty. It’s just that Mama Chen doesn’t let me eat too many."

The family now had people taking turns keeping vigil. Mama Chen and Mama Xia were both assigned to this duty. With nothing to do, Li Niang saw She Niang sitting alone and gave her a packet of her snacks.

She Niang said, "If you want to eat, just eat. Having something is better than having nothing. Mama Chen isn’t here anyway. By the way, I still have some hawthorn pastries and lily pastries. Do you want some?"

Li Niang blinked her big eyes and said, "Yes, yes!"

With Mama Chen absent, Li Niang seemed less bothersome.

The two sisters ate snacks together. After having a piece of hawthorn pastry and sipping some hot tea, Li Niang whispered conspiratorially, "She Niang, do you know? Last night, none of you waited for me. My hairpin fell at Shun Niang’s place, and when I went back to get it, I saw someone—that Nanny Xiang from the Old Madam’s room—stealthily transporting chests into the Old Madam’s room."

"Why would they move trunks for no reason?" She Niang was suspicious.

Li Niang shrugged. "They’re being so secretive about it. I don't know what's inside."

"We’ll tell Dad and Mom later. They'll surely understand," She Niang said.

Li Niang put her hands on her hips. "See? I did contribute, didn’t I? You're always saying I'm slow."

She Niang actually cracked a smile for once.

The sisters told Madam Yu and Pei Yiqing in private what they had seen, but Pei Ji, who was standing nearby, remarked, "If the trunks were labeled with the character 'Wu,' then they came from Grandfather's storeroom. Last time I came second in the monthly exam, Grandfather personally took me there to pick something out."

Indeed, Pei Ji had been raised by Old Master Pei and knew these things.

She Niang immediately realized something was amiss. According to the Records of Evidence, when a husband passes away, the wife has no right to inherit property unless the sons are minors, in which case the wife may hold it in trust. But since the sons are all adults, the inheritance should go to them. In the Pei family's situation, by law, Old Master Pei's property should be divided among his sons and had nothing to do with Old Madam Pei.

Therefore, by secretly moving the trunks to her own room and claiming them as her dowry, Old Madam Pei could then transfer the money to her own biological son or use it as a dowry for Shun Niang, and no outsider would have the right to object.

This was truly passing off public property as private!