Chapter 102 Quarrel
"You go find someone, I'll stay here and watch." Pei Ling said.
At least we need to see clearly who went in so that we can confront them later.
Cui Xin was shocked: "How can that be possible? If we are discovered, the girl might be in danger. Otherwise, I..."
"Stop talking nonsense and go quickly."
Pei Ling urged her harshly, and Cui Xin had no choice but to obey and rush to the front yard.
In the woodshed yard, several servants had been drugged and were lying unconscious. Chu Yizhou was on guard in the yard, the woodshed door wide open, a dim candlelight inside.
Lu Qian untied the Hua Dan and stuffed a stack of banknotes into her hands.
"Have it, and leave Kyoto quickly through the back door. If you get caught again, I won't be responsible."
Hua Dan counted the banknotes and smiled sweetly, "Don't worry, young master, everything has been arranged. I will leave the city tonight and I guarantee that no one will find me."
"A Qian!"
Chu Yizhou outside the door whispered, "Hurry up, be careful of the incoming people."
Lu Qian didn't waste any more time talking to Hua Dan. He led his men out of the woodshed and headed towards the back door.
The moonlight was dim, and Pei Ling, who was hiding in the dark, clearly saw Lu Qian and the other two coming out of the small yard of the woodshed, and her heart suddenly sank.
How could it be Lu Qian?
Why did he arrange for a female actress to ruin his second brother's reputation?
The three people quickly disappeared from sight, and Pei Ling stood there without following them.
Soon, the steward of the mansion and several servants armed with sticks rushed in and found that the people locked up in the woodshed had run away, and the servants guarding the room were sleeping soundly, one after another. They were immediately furious.
Cui Xin came back soon after, panting and asking, "Miss, where are they?"
Pei Ling said nothing, his expression solemn.
If the fact that Lu Qian framed my second brother were to be made known, it would probably involve more troubles. This marriage had just been decided, and we couldn't allow any complications to arise.
"Cui Xin, where's mother?"
"Ah?" Cui Xin was stunned by the question and said hesitantly, "The Madam is in the front yard, greeting the guests with the head of the family."
"Please ask the people in the woodshed to leave. I will discuss this matter with my mother after the banquet is over." Pei Ling said.
Cui Xin was a little confused, but still did as she was told.
…
By the time the banquet was over, it was almost midnight.
After seeing off the guests, the Pei couple returned to the main courtyard exhausted. The maid brought hot water for washing. Xiang sat in front of the basin rack, wrapped a fine cotton towel around her chest, and washed her face slowly and meticulously.
Pei Tingyou raised his hand to signal the maid to leave, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened to you today? You are so inappropriate."
Xiang remained calm and said, "What do you mean, my husband? I feel that I did not make any mistakes at the engagement banquet today."
Seeing her pretending to be ignorant, Pei Tingyou snorted coldly, "You also know that today is the engagement banquet. According to the rules, Lingyi should call you 'Second Aunt'. Why don't you say a word for her? You only care about fairness and don't even ask the reason for the fight. If I hadn't come, would you still be planning to punish her?"
Xiang's expression darkened, and she fiddled with the fine cotton handkerchief in her hands.
"No matter what the reason, fighting is never advisable. As a daughter of the Duke's Mansion, how could she act so rudely? Fortunately, it didn't get out, otherwise others would laugh at us."
"Those girls were the ones who started the fight. With the Duke's support, this matter can be easily resolved. Your actions today will definitely make Lingyi feel uncomfortable." Pei Tingyou frowned.
Xiang had no expression on her face, and she didn't even realize that the handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted into a knot.
"Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stepped in and prevented this matter from becoming a big deal, otherwise those girls would have been in trouble in the future."
"Look at you, you're usually quite generous and kind, but why are you picking on Lingyi today? What you said is so harsh. She's different from Aling, so how can you teach her the same lesson as Aling..."
Pei Tingyou kept chattering, blaming her in all his words, and he didn't notice that Xiang Shi, who was sitting in front of the basin rack, had an increasingly ugly expression on her face.
Snap——
Xiang threw the fine cotton handkerchief into the basin, turned around and stared at Pei Tingyou. The flickering candlelight danced in her eyes, filled with a hint of anger.
"I'm really curious. They're both girls, so what's the difference between Aling and Lingyi? Why does your husband always protect Lingyi?"
After asking two questions in a row, Pei Tingyou finally noticed Xiang's emotional fluctuations and immediately softened his tone: "She is Erlang's fiancée, and my sister-in-law is also very satisfied with Lingyi. I am just worried that Lingyi will harbor grudges against us before she even enters the marriage."
"Just because she's Erlang's unmarried daughter-in-law, I don't think so." Xiang's eyes were filled with sarcasm. "Isn't it because... she's Lu Yanxian's daughter!"
One sentence punctured the last layer of window paper between the husband and wife, and Pei Tingyou's face turned cold.
Late at night, the candlelight in the courtyard was dim.
Pei Ling dismissed the maid and planned to talk to her parents about Lu Qian letting Hua Dan go. As soon as she walked out the door, she heard a quarrel breaking out in the main house.
"My husband said I was petty and not considerate enough, and he was worried that this marriage wouldn't happen. What on earth are you thinking? Don't you think I don't know?!"
Xiang finally couldn't bear it anymore and roared with all her might, completely tearing apart the mask that she had worn for decades, appearing as indifferent as a chrysanthemum and as pure as a heart.
Pei Tingyou stared at her blankly, feeling very unfamiliar with the hysterical and disregarding lady in front of him.
After a while, he snorted coldly: "Then tell me, what am I thinking about?"
"Are you concerned about Lingyi? You are concerned about her dead mother!" Xiang felt very upset. She had been feeling upset for many years and she had to express it at this moment.
"You let Erlang marry her back home. Are you trying to help them or just to satisfy your own dirty thoughts? You know it very well!"
With a snap.
Pei Tingyou swung his hand, smashed a teacup to the ground, pointed at Xiang, and shouted coldly: "What nonsense are you talking about!?"
The warm yellow candlelight reflected on Xiang's face, which was filled with weariness. "I've been married into the Pei Mansion for so many years. I've been extremely cautious in my role as mistress, fearing that even the slightest mistake would cause you dissatisfaction. But what about you? Your heart is completely filled with Lu Yanxian!"
"People praise you for being chaste, treating me like an equal, and being deeply in love with me. You've only had one daughter and haven't taken a concubine in all these years, but ask yourself how many times a month do you sleep with me?"
"Over the years, I've taught Aling to be well-educated and well-mannered, but apart from that face, does Song Lingyi have even a sliver of Lu Yanxian's talent?! How can Aling not compare to her? If I have to say, it's because Aling wasn't born from Lu Yanxian's womb!"
Pei Tingyou was furious and slammed the soft couch and table: "I think you have lost your mind!"
"crazy?"
Xiang suddenly stood up, sneered silently, tears welling in her eyes: "I should have gone crazy long ago!"
"I've been married for sixteen years and have never done anything wrong to the Pei family. But what about you? You're always thinking about Lu Yanxian and defending Song Lingyi. Do you even take me and A Ling seriously?!"
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