Chapter 34

Chapter 34

At this moment, Pei Yuanzhao had just stepped forward to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress, delivering a rather impressive save of the Second Miss of the Ji family. Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao were both conversing with him, while the Princess Consort of Ying and the Princess Consort of Rong and others were also gathered around in a harmonious scene. Naturally, everyone's attention was focused there, which was why Qin Mei took the opportunity to slip over and speak with Pei Yun while no one was watching.

Pei Yun was surprised that Qin Mei had gotten the news so quickly. She raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Sister Mei, have you grown eyes that can see a thousand miles and ears that can hear the wind? Brother Rui only moved to the Lady's courtyard two days ago, and you already know about it."

Now Pei Yun began to suspect that Qin Mei's earlier display wasn't meant to make things difficult for Qin Pan, but rather to get rid of her. After all, Qin Pan was, no matter how one looked at it, Lady Tang's own daughter, and some things were better not discussed in front of her.

Qin Mei's nails, painted with cinnabar-red polish, rested on the rosewood table, shimmering with a glossy sheen. Like that ornate nail polish, she exuded a sharpness the moment she drew near—both in her looks and in her bearing.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, let's not beat around the bush. Though I've married into another household, I did live in the Duke Su manor for over a decade. It's not like I've gone blind and deaf just because I've been away for a year." Qin Mei continued, "I have no other intentions, but Sister-in-law understands—the Lady treats the three of us—my mother, my brother, and me—like thorns in her side, just as she did with Brother Yu and Sister Yue back then."

"If one examines it closely, my mother is the late Lady Meng's own younger sister, so Brother Rui and I are naturally even closer kin to Brother Yu and his sister. Speaking of which," she said with a sigh, "those of us who have Meng family blood running through our veins are destined to be unwelcome in the Duke Su manor."

"The Lady's harassment of Brother Yu and Sister Yue is the same as when she threw obstacles in my way everywhere when I married out—it's all because she can't stand to hear the word 'Meng.'"

Speaking of blood relations, Qin Mei and Qin Rui were indeed closely tied to Qin Yu and his sister on both their maternal and paternal sides. Pei Yun understood that Qin Mei was saying this deliberately to build some rapport with her.

Sure enough, Qin Mei continued, a smile on her face, "Sister-in-law, though this is our first time speaking today, the way I saw you step forward to help those two young ladies of the Fengguo Duke manor just now showed me you have a heroic heart. Fourth Brother has never been particularly close to the Lady, so I imagine you've suffered quite a bit of mistreatment from her and Third Sister-in-law at home too?"

Pei Yun didn't take the bait, only retorting, "Isn't Sister Mei supposed to have eyes that see a thousand miles? How is it you haven't heard about that?"

Qin Mei wasn't bothered that she didn't respond, as if she'd expected it.

"Sister-in-law, don't be upset. I'm the type who can't stand even a grain of sand in my eye. The Lady has made things difficult for me, my mother, and Brother Rui time and again, so naturally I won't have a kind face for Sister Pan either. Isn't that just human nature?"

Hearing this, Pei Yun actually grew somewhat curious about this young sister-in-law she'd never really met before. To be able to say such things so candidly—this person seemed rather interesting.

Qin Mei kept smiling and leaned in closer. The cloying scent of her perfumed powder filled Pei Yun's nostrils, and finding it a bit suffocating, she leaned back slightly. Then she heard Qin Mei say, "I can tell Sister-in-law is fond of Sister Pan. I have no intention of doing anything to her—I just trade a few sharp words with her in conversation now and then."

"I feel like I've known Sister-in-law forever. If anything should happen in the household in the future, I hope Sister-in-law might let me know. And as for Brother Rui being kept by the Lady's side now, as his elder sister, I truly can't rest easy. I hope Sister-in-law might keep an eye on him a bit."

Qin Mei's affection for her full brother Qin Rui was indeed deep. Pei Yun had heard from people in the Duke Su manor that Qin Mei had protected her younger brother since they were children, and before she married off, her greatest worry was this young brother—she'd even wished she could take him along to the Anguo Duke manor.

And it made sense that Qin Mei would come to Pei Yun for help, since in the main branch of the Duke Su manor, Pei Yun was the only one who wasn't on the same page as Lady Tang.

"Mother taking Brother Rui into the Bright Moon Courtyard was Grandmother's decision." Pei Yun smiled and said, "Brother Rui has his preliminary examination next year, and Concubine Meng isn't at home. Grandmother thinks very highly of Brother Rui and worried he wouldn't have anyone to look after him, so she specifically asked Mother to take him in. Rest assured."

Though Pei Yun didn't directly agree to help her, she was still quite gracious in explaining the situation to Qin Mei, letting her know that Qin Rui being taken into Lady Tang's care was Old Madam Ming's decision, and that Old Madam Ming placed great importance on Qin Rui's examinations—nothing bad would happen to him.

Or at least, on the surface, Lady Tang wouldn't dare mistreat Brother Rui.

Qin Mei had naturally already learned all of this through her own sources, but she still nodded and said with feeling, "Grandmother's reasoning makes sense. Mother is still up in the mountains praying for the late Lady Meng and won't return until next year. It truly wouldn't be proper for Brother Rui to have no one looking after him."

"So just rest easy." Pei Yun said with a smile. "Brother Rui is a young master of the Duke Su manor—he won't be mistreated."

Qin Mei smiled without speaking, seeming to think it over for a long moment before saying softly, "Sister-in-law, everything I said just now was sincere. It's only natural that Sister-in-law would want to mull it over for a few days. But we're closer kin after all. If Sister-in-law helps us siblings, I'll naturally repay the favor. I won't make grand promises, but I can be of some help now—why not?"

Pei Yun noticed Qin Yue approaching with a hairpin in her hand, and Qin Yu following behind his sister. She waved them over, then looked at Qin Mei and said, "If Sister Mei is truly worried, then come back to the manor often to visit. Grandmother thinks of you as well."

Seeing Brother Qin Yu and his sister approaching, Qin Mei sat up straighter and didn't press further. She nodded with a smile and said, "Sister-in-law is right, I should go back and visit more. Sister-in-law hasn't been to the Anguo Duke manor yet, has she? When we hold a banquet another day, Sister-in-law must come."

"Of course—we're all family." Pei Yun said with a smile.

The moment she finished speaking, Qin Yue threw herself into her arms, excitedly showing her the hairpin that Noble Consort had given her.

"Pretty. Keep it safe."

Pei Yun tapped her on the nose, then looked up to see Noble Consort Sun also looking over, smiling at her.

Giving small trinkets to children, and in full view of everyone, was nothing out of the ordinary. Still, it was a gift from the imperial family, so she'd need to put it away properly for Yue Jie'er when they got home.

Yue Jie'er played with it for a while, then Pei Yun handed it to Bixiao to put away safely. They were still in front of Noble Consort Sun, after all—it wouldn't do to break it.

"Mother, where's Little Aunt?"

Qin Yue had by then noticed Qin Pan was missing and was looking left and right for her little aunt.

"Little Aunt's clothes got dirty, so she went to change." Qin Mei said with a smile at this point. "Yue Jie'er, come to Auntie. Auntie will give you some pastries."

Qin Yue did recognize Qin Mei. Though she wasn't as close to her as she was to Qin Pan, she was still her aunt. The child was well-behaved and not shy with strangers, so she went over and let Qin Mei hold her.

When Qin Mei held the child, her face genuinely softened a few degrees. Pei Yun observed her and calculated that Qin Mei had been married into the Anguo Duke manor for over a year now, yet she hadn't heard any news of a pregnancy. But nagging about childbearing was terribly annoying, so Pei Yun merely thought about it briefly and didn't ask.

Qin Mei held Qin Yue and played with her for a while, exchanged a few words with Qin Yu, and then Qin Pan returned.

Nanny Xu gave Pei Yun a slight nod, indicating that nothing had happened—all was normal.

Qin Mei was somewhat shorter than Qin Pan, so her clothes on Qin Pan looked a bit tight and strained, though they fit reasonably well overall. Seeing this, Qin Mei raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "It seems Sister Pan has grown taller recently."

"I only recall that in the old days, when the Lady had clothes made for sister, she would always pass down the ones sister didn't like to me. I remember we used to be about the same size."

Qin Mei's voice rose slightly. At her words, several ladies nearby looked over again, then whispered among themselves. Qin Pan pressed her lips together, her clothes ill-fitting and her face even more so.

But she couldn't say anything, because what Qin Mei said was true—her mother did indeed always pinch and make things difficult for her in such ways.

Pei Yun listened and felt like shaking her head in exasperation. Did such a grand duke's manor really lack the money to have clothes made for its young ladies?

Why did Lady Tang always quibble over such trivial matters, and let Qin Mei air it out in public like this? It really was rather unsightly.

Just then, the voice of Lady Li suddenly came from behind.

"Isn't it normal for sisters to swap clothes with each other?" Lady Li happened to be approaching with her two daughters, saying with a smile, "Ming'er and Yun'er are several years apart, but Yun'er grew quickly. When they were young, they often exchanged clothes."

"Clearly, Lady Qin and Miss Pan have been close sisters since childhood."

Lady Li's words immediately dissolved the awkward atmosphere. Everyone understood well enough that Lady Li was repaying a favor to Princess Zhaoyang, so they all exchanged knowing smiles and let the matter pass.

Qin Mei had already said what she needed to say. Seeing Lady Li speak up for Qin Pan, she didn't butt heads with her, exchanged a few pleasantries, and took her leave.

Pei Yun shook her head helplessly. What a day—so eventful that she could hardly sort it all out even if she tried.

Qin Pan quietly thanked Lady Li, who waved her hand generously without saying much, simply letting Ji Jingming and her sister go chat with Qin Pan.

Lady Li took a seat beside Pei Yun and said with a smile, "Your Highness, in a few days it will be my daughter's birthday. I'd like to invite you to honor us with your presence for a cup of wine."

"To be honest, Lady, I've already received four or five invitations today." Pei Yun said helplessly. "It seems spring has truly arrived—every manor is bustling with activity."

Lady Li laughed and quickly said, "Your Highness needn't worry. The young men of our household have no particular accomplishments to speak of, and we don't aspire to any great achievements. We simply wish to thank Your Highness for your help today, so we'd like to invite you over for a pleasant visit—nothing more."

Pei Yun raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that apparently everyone at this gathering knew about it except her!

"Lady speaks frankly, so I naturally can't decline." Pei Yun said with a smile. "I will certainly come to offer my congratulations."

Lady Li continued to chat warmly with Pei Yun for a while, and inevitably the conversation turned to Pei Yuanzhao.

"If any of the young men in our Fengguo Duke manor had even a tenth of the heir's bearing, I wouldn't have to work so hard and make myself so unpopular." Lady Li said with feeling. "I know some people say I'm greedy, clinging to the title and refusing to give it up. But they don't know what sort of characters those nephews of mine are."

"If I truly adopted one of them, Ming'er and I would have no way to survive—we'd be sucked dry to the bone."

The affairs of the Fengguo Duke manor were well known throughout the capital, and given Lady Li's temperament, she naturally wouldn't hide anything from Pei Yun. She shared a small confidence with her.

If there were truly someone among the clan who was sensible and upright with real talent, she wouldn't have to defy convention and consider bringing in a son-in-law to carry on the line.

Author's note:

None