Chapter 177: Being spoiled and arrogant, what's wrong with that? (Second update)

Pei Xingju bowed to her and said, "Aunt, I am a junior... I have nothing to do and just happened to be passing by, so I came to sit with you."

Madam Zhuang smiled and said, "So that's how it is. Since Lord Pei is here, why doesn't Wan'er make tea?"

The implication is, I don't believe you at all, even if you lie, you can't tell a decent lie.

Zhuang Wan said stubbornly, "I'll go make some tea right away."

"No need." Pei Xingju coughed uncomfortably and bowed to Madam Zhuang, saying, "I'm already seated and was just about to go back. Aunt, you two can chat."

Madam Zhuang nodded with a smile and said gently, "It's dark and hard to see on the road. Sir Pei, please walk slowly."

"Aunt, please stay." After leaving the door, Pei Xingju bowed respectfully again before leaving.

As Pei Xingju left, Zhuang Wan breathed a sigh of relief. However, she was so relieved that she saw Madam Zhuang staring at her halfway through. She called out awkwardly, "Mother."

For some reason, she felt guilty at this moment as if she had been caught in a premature love affair by her elders.

Asked: "Why did mother come here at this time?"

Zhuang Wan and Pei Xing arrived at the manor in the afternoon. She spent the entire afternoon talking with Madam Zhuang and then dined with her in the evening. Seeing that it was getting dark and it was no longer advisable to return to the city, she decided to stay put.

However, just as she returned to her room, Pei Xingju, who had not been seen for a long time, came looking for her. Not long after the two of them were together, Madam Zhuang also arrived.

This led to the embarrassing scene at this moment.

"Let me see if your bedding is enough." Mrs. Zhuang sighed when she saw her like this.

She was an experienced person, so how could she not know the situation between the two? Young men and women are easily impulsive. Forget about her daughter, but what surprised her was that Master Pei also...

"Don't blame me for making things difficult for you. It's just that you, without a matchmaker or an engagement, need to be careful. I didn't see how you got along in the capital before, so I won't tell you. But today, there are some things I must tell you."

Zhuang Wan nodded honestly: "Mother, please speak."

Madam Zhuang walked to the side and sat down, then waved: "You sit down too, there's no need to rush."

"Yeah." Zhuang Wan sat aside as she was told.

"Wan'er," Madam Zhuang took her hand, "You are a smart child with great ideas. I am both pleased and worried."

She said, "You are young after all, and many things are hard to predict without experience. For us women, life is difficult once we get married, but if we can keep our hearts, we can live a broader life. It is hard to predict what will happen between you and Master Pei in the future. Even though you said you don't want to be a concubine, if you really put your heart on him and ask me to help you in the future, what should I do?"

"Although my heart aches, I cannot refuse you." Madam Zhuang frowned. "But no matter what your future holds, remember what mother has said. Guard your heart, and you will find freedom."

"Mother, I understand." Zhuang Wan lowered her head.

After thinking for a while, she asked, "Mother, do you want to go back to Beijing?"

Madam Zhuang slowly shook her head: "Return to Beijing? I can't go back anymore."

The Zhuang Mansion had been sealed, so was he going to live with his relatives? In this capital city where the powerful were always bullying the weak, it was better to stay in the quiet of Zhuangzi than to get bored.

"But what if I can return to the Zhuang Mansion in the future?" Zhuang Wan said.

"What?" Mrs. Zhuang paused. "What did you say?"

Zhuang Wan: "I once heard Lord Pei say that my father was wrongly accused, and this case can be overturned when the opportunity arises. When that happens, our Zhuang family will be vindicated, Mother can return to the Zhuang Mansion, and my brother can return from the frontier to be reunited with us."

Mrs. Zhuang paused for a moment, as if she were listening to a dream so beautiful that she couldn't bear to break it.

But the truth is, it was just a dream.

"I didn't dare to hope for such a day," Mrs. Zhuang said after a long pause, choking with sobs. "I know better than anyone that your father was wrongfully killed, and I know better than anyone who did it. This day... is too difficult."

"Mother." Zhuang Wan hurried forward and hugged her. "I'm not lying. You will definitely be able to return to the Zhuang Mansion and become a dignified Madam Zhuang."

"I don't care whether you can return to the Zhuang Mansion or become Mrs. Zhuang. I just hope that you and your brother can be safe and sound."

"Wan'er." She looked at Zhuang Wan. "Lord Pei is undoubtedly powerful, and perhaps he promised you to overturn the Zhuang family's verdict. But you don't know that there are even more powerful people in the court. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life desperately trying to stop a chariot. I just want you to live a stable life."

After half a lifetime, nothing is more important than the safety of her two children.

"I understand your concerns, mother," Zhuang Wan said. "You don't want me to be trapped in hatred for the rest of my life. Overturning my father's verdict is like an ant trying to shake a tree. But even a big tree will eventually collapse."

In the book, according to the plot, the Liang family's downfall occurred in the past two years. Once Duke Xin and the Empress Dowager fell out, the Liang family began to decline, and Pei Xingju's power grew stronger and stronger. The day when the Zhuang family overturned the verdict was not far away.

It was just that Zhuang Wan couldn't tell these things in advance, so she spoke them now in the hope that it would give Madam Zhuang some hope. She had aged considerably in the past six months, her hair growing gray, her eyes dull. Perhaps these words would give her hope for life.

"If..." Madam Zhuang murmured, "If Heaven could truly let me see the day when my injustice is redressed, I would die without regrets."

.

Zhuang Wan and Pei Xingju stayed at the manor for one night and set off for the capital the next day. Although the court was sealed, Pei Xingju was not idle and had many daily affairs to attend to.

After breakfast, Mrs. Zhuang stood in front of the gate to see the two of them off. At first, she was still smiling and waving, but after the carriage drove away, she began to wipe away her tears.

Zhuang Wan saw this through the carriage curtains and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She leaned against the window in silence, sullen.

Pei Xingju said, "The capital isn't far from here. Would you mind if I could come with you later?"

"Yeah." Zhuang Wan nodded.

After a while, she said, "On the way back, I want to go shopping."

"What do you want to buy?"

"I'm not buying anything," Zhuang Wan said. "Before I came back from Luyang, I already made an agreement with Liu Ningyan that she would be in charge of Luyang's production. When I get to the capital, I'm going to find a shop as soon as possible and open Zhuang's Snacks here."

"Actually..." Pei Xingju was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't have to do this."

"Why not?"

Pei Xingju said, "When the Zhuang family's property was confiscated, I had someone preserve the Zhuang family's house and privately purchased your family's assets. I was planning to return them to you at a later time, so you don't have to worry. Once your father's case is cleared, the Zhuang family will surely have assets to survive."

"I'm not worried about that." Zhuang Wan said.

"Why is that?"

In this world, women would never go out to make a living unless they had to. Of course, in Pei Xingju's eyes, Zhuang Wan was different from ordinary women in the boudoir, but he secretly hoped that Zhuang Wan would be carefree and not have to work hard.

"I run my business not for anyone else, but for myself," Zhuang Wan said. "Everyone has their own value in life. Living in this world with my own abilities, making a place for myself and those around me, is the value I seek."

She smiled. "This is also what I gradually became firm about when I was in Luyang. At that time, I wanted to run a business purely to repay your debt, but then Erya's mother put her family's livelihood in the shop. And those fishermen who had been fishing for years but still couldn't make enough food, because of my business, they had income and hope. Later, Liu Ningyan also had the hope of reviving the Liu family because of this business. At that time, I thought that working hard to do this business well is my responsibility and my value."

This idea was something Zhuang Wan had never had before. In her previous life, she went with the flow and had the same life plan as most people: to get into a prestigious university, work for a large company, have a relationship, and then find a suitable person to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

But now, she has a new goal and plan for her life, a completely different idea that makes her proud and satisfied.

Pei Xingju looked at her silently, with undisguised admiration and joy in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zhuang Wan felt a little embarrassed and turned away.

But I heard him say: "Since you think so, just go ahead and do it. I will support you in everything."

"It's just..." Pei Xingju said in an indulgent and doting tone, "When you go out on weekdays, be sure to bring Lixia with you. If you need anything, you can send someone to find me."

He hinted at something, which made Zhuang Wan's face turn red.

She still remembered how, when she first entered the Pei residence, she had indeed caused Pei Xingju a lot of trouble with her fearless determination. She hadn't felt the slightest bit of guilt at the time, but now, looking back, she felt a little embarrassed.

Zhuang Wan glared at him. "You talk as if I only know how to get into trouble. I'm out doing business, not looking for a fight."

"Even if we fight, it's fine," Pei Xingju said disapprovingly, "With your status, making a living in the capital will inevitably attract a lot of criticism. If someone bullies you, don't endure it. I'll take care of everything."

Zhuang Wan's heart sweetened, and the bitterness in her heart gradually dissipated. She poked his chest with a finger and said, "Pei Xingju, do you know that it's easy for me to become arrogant because of your favor?"

"Why not?"

"You said it," Zhuang Wan said, her hands on her hips. "From now on, I, Zhuang Wan, will rule the capital!"

Pei Xingju chuckled.