Pei

Now, let's talk about Li Yi and Pei from Hedong. At the beginning of their marriage, they were able to maintain some semblance of a newlywed's dignity. One of them kept his family's instructions in mind and tried his best to go through with it, while the other, being a new wife, restrained herself a bit. Although there was no deep affection between them, they could barely be described as treating each other with respect.

However, as time went on, that thin layer of politeness was pierced by their personalities, revealing the unbearable truth beneath.

Having been pampered since childhood, Lady Pei found Li Yi cold, taciturn, and lacking in tenderness, far from the considerate husband described by her close friends. Li Yi, however, was preoccupied with court affairs. He returned home seeking only peace and quiet, and had no patience to spend his days with her admiring flowers and discussing jewelry.

That day, Lady Pei leaned against the chaise longue by the window, her fingers unconsciously twisting her embroidered handkerchief, her gaze fixed intently on the direction of the courtyard gate. It was past 3:45 PM, and Li Yi, having finished his shift, had not returned home directly.

“Mom,” she suddenly spoke, her voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety, “Do you think he’s having an affair?”

Zhang Mama, who was part of the dowry, quickly stepped forward and whispered, "My lady, don't worry. Your husband has probably been invited to a poetry gathering by his colleagues. Now that he's on duty at the Hanlin Academy, these kinds of social interactions are unavoidable."

"Poetry gatherings? Social engagements?" Madam Pei sat up abruptly, her eyes full of sarcasm. "Where do so many poetry gatherings come from! A few days ago, when I went to the study to deliver ginseng soup, I clearly saw a small portrait of a woman on the table. Chunxiao, you serve your husband every day, haven't you seen it too?"

Chunxiao, who was standing to the side, turned pale with fright and hurriedly knelt down: "Madam, please be aware, this servant... this servant really has never seen it..."

"Never seen it before?" Madam Pei sneered, casually slamming a famille rose teacup on the table to the ground. "I think you see it too clearly, but you're reluctant to say it! Or perhaps you have other intentions as well?"

Porcelain shards scattered everywhere, and Chunxiao trembled, repeatedly kowtowing. Zhang Mama gave her a signal, and the head maid Qiuwen quickly stepped forward to help her up and quietly led her away.

“Why do you do this, madam?” Zhang Mama sighed, poured hot tea into another teacup and handed it to her. “Getting angry with the servants makes you lose face for no reason. This old servant will spend some more money to have someone thoroughly investigate the young master’s daily whereabouts. If there is anything wrong, we will definitely find out.”

Madam Pei did not answer, but bit her lip and said, "Mother doesn't know, I deliberately tested him yesterday, saying that I wanted to find him a good concubine, but he refused without even thinking about it. If he didn't have someone else outside, why would it have come to this?" The more she spoke, the more hateful she became, and her voice suddenly became sharp.

Just then, a maidservant announced from outside, "Madam, the young master has returned."

Madam Pei immediately fell silent, straightened her sleeves, and her angry expression instantly transformed into a polite smile, as if the disgruntled noblewoman from before had never existed.

When Li Yi appeared in the corridor, Madam Pei was already seated at the table, holding a round fan, and spoke in a gentle voice: "My husband is back. Did your official duties go smoothly today? I had the kitchen prepare some lily bulb and lotus seed soup; would you like some?"

But her eyes, like fine needles, silently swept over the corners of Li Yi's robes, the front and cuffs, trying to find any clues.

At such times, Li Yi maintained his usual indifference, but his fingers clenched tightly in his sleeves. This suffocating resentment from the women's quarters only fueled the secret scheme in his heart. He coldly observed Pei Shi, but what he was calculating was how to use this as a pretext to pave the way for his marriage to Xuanji.

As the Double Ninth Festival approached, Li Yi specially wrote a letter and sent it to Pei's residence by a reliable servant. The letter was earnest, saying that he had recently acquired a famous painting from a previous dynasty and had long heard that Lord Pei was a refined and knowledgeable person. He earnestly requested that he visit the residence at his leisure to view the painting and offer his guidance.

When Pei Gong received the letter, he was quite pleased. He had always placed high hopes on his nephew-in-law, who was a newly appointed top scholar, and since he had some free time in court recently, he replied and arranged to visit his residence in three days.

Over the past three days, Li Yi had been preparing for the worst. He knew that Pei Shi had become increasingly irritable due to his recent neglect and was easily provoked. So, he deliberately transferred one of Pei Shi's most disliked maids, who had once criticized her for being "frivolous," back to the inner courtyard to serve her closely.

The day before the Double Ninth Festival, Li Yi did not return home all night, only saying that he had urgent official business at the Hanlin Academy.

The next day, Pei arrived as scheduled. Li Yi was already waiting at the door, behaving with utmost respect, and personally led Pei to the study to serve tea. The study window was half-open, offering a glimpse of a section of the corridor leading to the backyard.

After exchanging pleasantries and appreciating the fragrant tea, Li Yifang slowly unfurled the "ancient painting" and discussed with Pei Gong the brushwork and the authenticity of the seals. Pei Gong was in high spirits, stroking his beard as he examined the painting closely and spoke eloquently.

Just as they were getting to the point, a woman's sharp, shrill voice suddenly came from the backyard, mixed with the sound of porcelain shattering, which was quite jarring.

Li Yi immediately frowned, looking embarrassed, and said to Pei Gong, "Please forgive me, Pei Gong. It must be that the servants are clumsy and have upset my wife. I will go and take a look."

Pei Gongyi frowned slightly; such noise in the house was indeed unbecoming. He waved his hand: "It's alright, it's good to be strict in managing a household."

However, the noise outside didn't subside; instead, it grew even louder. Pei's voice pierced the window paper clearly, filled with arrogance and resentment: "...What a shameless little slut! Who are you trying to fool with this pitiful act? Do you think I don't know your filthy schemes?!" This was followed by an even more jarring sound of shattering porcelain. "All you do is put on makeup and act all coy, do you really think you can climb the social ladder and end up in a man's bed? Don't you even know your place?"

The words were offensive, and there were even sounds of pushing and shoving. Li Yi's expression grew increasingly unpleasant, and he stood up to stop them. Pei Gong's face had already darkened, and he raised his hand to stop him: "Wait."

Just then, a maid, seemingly panicked, ran past the corridor, clutching shards of porcelain and weeping. Pei, disregarding her status, chased after her, pointing at her retreating figure and shouting, "Run? Let's see where you can run to! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know who's in charge here!"

Pei raised her hand to strike, but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar, dignified, and imposing figure inside the study window.

It's my uncle!

Pei's raised arm froze in mid-air, her face drained of color, leaving only a deathly pale expression. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out; she was struck dumb, frozen in place as if by lightning.

Pei Gong's chest heaved violently. He abruptly closed his eyes, then opened them again, his eyes filled with raging fury and unfathomable despair. He stood up abruptly, slamming the teacup he was holding onto the table with a loud thud, splashing tea onto the "ancient painting." He had always been a man of noble birth, valuing etiquette and family tradition above all else. How could he have imagined that his own niece, a married daughter of the prestigious Pei family, would behave so rudely, behaving like a shrew from the marketplace!

“Uncle…” Madam Pei hurriedly stepped forward, her expression flustered, as if she wanted to explain.

Lord Pei stared intently at the deathly pale-faced Madam Pei, and squeezed out a cold sentence through gritted teeth: "Very...very well! The Pei family's good upbringing...I've truly witnessed it today!"

Pei Gong abruptly waved his sleeve, giving Li Yi and his wife no chance to explain or appease them, and strode out.

Li Yi stood in the courtyard, watching the departing sedan chair. The anxious and helpless expression on his face slowly faded, and a faint, cold satisfaction flashed deep in his eyes.

As the sedan chair disappeared into the distance, only a deathly silence remained in the courtyard.

Madam Pei remained frozen in the corridor, chilled to the bone by her uncle's cold, disappointed gaze. She trembled slightly, unable to suppress it. Li Yi slowly turned around, his face regaining its usual sternness: "Madam, you have been far too out of line today."

These words struck Pei like a whip. She staggered forward two steps, abandoning all decorum, and grabbed Li Yi's sleeve, her voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Husband... I... I didn't mean to..." she stammered, "It was that wretched maid... she deliberately scalded me, and... she talked back to me... I just lost my temper..."

Seeing Li Yi's calm expression and lack of reassurance, she panicked even more: "I didn't know... I didn't know Uncle would come... I really didn't know... Husband, please believe me..."

Li Yi calmly withdrew his sleeve from her hand, his tone still indifferent: "What Lord Pei saw and heard with his own eyes cannot be explained in a few words."

She suddenly lifted her skirt, as if to kneel down: "Husband! It's my fault! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have been so impulsive, so disrespectful... I've disgraced the Pei family, and... I've embarrassed you too... Please, please put in a good word for me with Uncle... I promise I will be careful with my words and actions from now on, and I will never dare to do such a thing again!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, filled with genuine panic, devoid of any of her usual arrogance. Just as her knees were about to touch the ground, Li Yi reached out and supported her arm. "Madam, there's no need for this." His voice betrayed little emotion. "This matter… I have my own plans. You should go back to your room and rest. Pei Gong is in a fit of anger; anything he says now is useless. Let's wait until another time."

Pei Shi seemed to have grasped the last piece of driftwood, nodding repeatedly with tears in her eyes: "Thank you, husband... thank you, husband... I'll go back now, I'll change it now..." She was almost incoherent, and with the help of her maid, she walked unsteadily and absentmindedly towards the inner courtyard, her back view looking extremely disheveled.

Li Yi stood there, watching her leave, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

From then on, Pei's reputation for being "arrogant and jealous, mistreating servants, and inappropriate in her words and deeds" quietly spread among the noble families of Chang'an, becoming an unspoken topic of conversation.