Chapter 402 Extra 12
Pei Yan was a man of great wit and decisiveness. Since Yu Tang thought there was nothing wrong in giving up the position of clan leader to other families, he found an opportunity to talk about this with Pei Xuan.
Pei Xuan was very surprised. He asked, "Do the elders in the family know about this? What did my mother say?"
Pei Yan said: "Don't worry about what others say, just tell me what you think."
Pei Xuan knew that his younger brother never played by the rules, but he could not help but admonish him to such an extent: "How can you ignore what others say? This is related to the rise and fall of the Pei family. You can't just do whatever you want. You should still discuss it with the elders in the family..."
Pei Yan knew his brother would say this. He waved his hand, interrupting Pei Xuan and said, "As long as there is change, there will be people who agree and people who oppose. But right and wrong have nothing to do with the number of people most of the time, and there are always more solutions than difficulties. You just need to tell me what you think according to your own wishes. Make the impossible possible and the possible impossible."
He was very confident when he said this, his tone was decisive and his expression was calm and natural, but Pei Xuan could read some calm arrogance from his expression.
No wonder his father said that Pei Yan was the one who really took charge of the family.
Since this younger brother took over the household chores, the family's wealth has doubled, and their eldest brother's affairs have also been forgotten.
Pei Xuan sighed secretly.
If he had not been their eldest brother, his third brother would certainly have achieved more than this.
He said seriously, "I'll think about it carefully."
Pei Yan reminded him, "You are highly regarded by the Emperor, and you will not be able to step down for at least ten years. As Ah Hong is your eldest son, neither the Emperor nor the court will give him important tasks to avoid suspicion. Instead of letting him do nothing, it is better to try another path. As long as I am here, all the things you are worried about will not be a problem."
Pei Xuan nodded.
I always feel that I am a little bit less calm than my younger brother.
But he had to admit that what Pei Yan said made a lot of sense.
There is already a system of family avoidance in the officialdom, let alone for a family like them where they are father and son, it would be impossible for them to get around it.
But in this case, the position of clan leader falls into their family. What will the other families think? How can they avoid offending others? Is Ah Hong willing or not? All these need to be carefully considered. They must not let this matter damage the harmony among relatives.
When he returned to the house and saw the second wife coming forward to greet him, he realized that not only was she not at all averse to Pei Yan's words, but all along she had been thinking about how to make Pei Hong become the eldest son smoothly.
It can be seen that in his heart, he agrees with Pei Yan's approach.
As for his younger brother, he probably had already seen through his thoughts, which was why he came to discuss it with him.
Pei Xuan smiled bitterly again, sent away the servants around him, and quietly told the second wife about this matter.
The second wife didn't close her mouth for a long time, and stammered, "Really! Are you telling the truth? Third uncle wants Ah Hong to be the eldest son, then, what about Jiang Ge'er and Qian Ge'er? Do they have to take the imperial examination? The children are still so young, what if their studies don't go well? Will Ah Hong give the position of the head of the clan to the descendants of Jiang Ge'er or Qian Ge'er?"
Pei Xuan looked at the second wife deeply and said, "So, if you don't consider returning the position of the sect leader, do you think this is a good thing?"
The Pei family is not a small family, and the clan leader has a lot of money in his hands.
The Second Wife was afraid that Pei Xuan would suspect that she had some greedy thoughts, so she hurriedly said, "It's definitely not good to give it back and forth. The elders from other branches will definitely think that our clan branch has no rules. Why is it that we give it back and forth like this and only one branch is dominant? If we don't give it back, this, this is too..."
It's a huge advantage.
The second wife was too embarrassed to even speak.
Pei Xuan shook his head and said, "I think what Xia Guang said makes sense."
No matter what decision you make, there will always be people who are dissatisfied. It is better to consider what you want first.
"As for Jiang and Qian," he paused, "given Xiaguang's personality, he must have already thought of a solution for them. We don't have to worry about them. But Hong... whether he is willing or not is the most important thing."
If Pei Hong is unwilling, what will Pei Yan choose?
That's a headache.
The second wife said "Oh" and hurried out: "I'll ask someone to call Ah Hong over."
Pei Xuan nodded and warned the second wife: "Don't tell anyone about this for now. Including A Dan. The elders in the family don't know about it yet!"
"I won't tell anyone!" The second wife knew the seriousness of the matter and said hurriedly, "I won't tell anyone."
But Yu Tang definitely knew.
She went to talk to Yu Tang, it shouldn't be a big deal!
While Pei Xuan was talking to Pei Hong, she ran to Yu Tang and hurriedly pulled Yu Tang, who was talking to Qing Yuan, into the yard. She whispered to him that Pei Yan wanted Pei Hong to be the eldest son, and said, "Do you know about this? What do you think? Our second master is talking to Ah Hong. If you think it's inappropriate, I'll go and stop it."
Yu Tang has always felt sorry for Pei Yan who was tied down by the responsibility of being the head of the Pei clan. Even Jiang'er could not help but see the future. If Pei Hong was willing to be the head of the Pei family, although it would not be an unearned advantage, he would be relatively freer.
This may not be a bad thing.
She could also understand the second wife's concerns.
The second wife was afraid that she would think Pei Hong had taken away Jiang'er and Qian'er's positions.
She held the second wife's hand tightly and said to her sincerely: "The third master has told me about this matter. I feel that Ah Hong has been wronged. After all, she will have to stay in her hometown to take care of the family business, and the eldest son cannot enter the government."
Upon hearing this, the second wife relaxed and suddenly remembered that "one man's poison may be another man's honey".
For many people, giving their sons a visible future is the most important thing, but for some people, this may be a constraint.
She was afraid that Yu Tang would be unhappy, and Yu Tang was also afraid that she would be unhappy!
The Second Wife couldn't help but put her arm around Yu Tang's shoulders and said with a smile, "No wonder we can be sisters-in-law. We both like to think about others."
Both are afraid that the other party will be unhappy.
Yu Tang smiled, she hugged the second wife back and said, "Then Ah Hong..."
"Oh!" The second wife thought of the father and son who were still talking in the study, and said hurriedly, "I have to go and take a look. You go ahead and do your thing. I'll tell you as soon as I have the news."
Yu Tang smiled and nodded, then saw the second wife out.
Madam Pei called Yu Tang over and asked, "What is the second son's wife doing here?"
Yu Tang didn't know what to say and just answered vaguely.
Mrs. Pei took it to heart and asked the second wife to come and talk the next day.
The second wife did not dare to hide the truth from the old lady, and told her everything.
The old lady's brows were wrinkled into the shape of the Chinese character "川" (Chuan), and she immediately asked someone to call Pei Yan over to talk.
The second wife saw that the old lady looked unhappy, so she found an excuse and slipped away, and asked the servant to call Pei Xuan back.
The old lady held back her anger and said to Pei Yan: "You and your wife are of one mind and don't tell me anything. I am old and I like to be a family boss, so I don't care. But this involves the interests of Jiang'er and Qian'er. Even as a father, you can't just give it up. I don't agree with this!"
The palms and backs of the hands are all made of flesh, but how come when we get old, there is only the palms and no backs?
Pei Yan was speechless and tried to persuade the old lady: "Didn't you also say that Jiang'er could study? Why should we delay him?"
Madam Pei said angrily, "Jiang-er is good at studying, but Qian-er is still young! Look at him, I raised him with my hands, who dares to say that he will definitely pass the imperial examination? If he fails, where can you find a future for him?"
Pei Yan muttered to himself after hearing this.
In the past, he was so strict with his brothers. Because of the eldest brother's matter, he couldn't even get close to Pei Tong and Pei Fei. Now that he is old, he can even say such irresponsible words.
Pei Yan looked at his righteous old mother, pondered for a moment and then said: "The Pei family was built by the struggles of our ancestors generation after generation, not just our family. We can't take all the credit. At that time, my eldest brother violated the ancestral system and not only took office, but also caused a big disaster. Our clan gave me the position of clan leader. The elders in the clan not only had no objection, but also supported me to be the clan leader, and followed our clan's lead in everything. Our clan cannot be ungrateful. When the eldest son can read, the position of clan leader is handed over to the second son. When the second son can read, the eldest son is made the clan leader. Isn't it a lack of rules? And how far can a family without rules go?
"If Ah Hong was also a person who could read, or if my second brother had not become a prime minister, the position of clan leader would have remained in my family. But now, it is obvious that Ah Hong will not be able to make any achievements in the official career, and my eldest brother's family has been divided. It is a good opportunity to return the position to its original owner, and no one will say anything. If my sons are allowed to take turns to be clan leaders, what is the difference between that and bullying an honest person?
"We can't eat meat and drink soup at the same time, leaving no chance for others to survive!"
Old Madam Pei knew it very well, but Jiang'er and Qian'er grew up under her nose, so she was particularly reluctant to let them go.
The old man said firmly: "What did Ah Hong say?"
"He agreed." Pei Yan smiled, "This kid is pretty reliable. He said he never thought about helping me with household chores, and wanted to learn from me for a few days. If he can do it, it won't be too late for him to take over. If not, he can choose from other families, or wait until Jiang Ge'er and the others grow up."
Madam Pei's face brightened slightly, and she said, "What the child said makes sense. You don't have to make a decision so hastily. The second son is a second-rank official, and it's easy to donate an official position for your son."
The implication is that if Jiang'er fails in his business, then that's it, Pei Hong has his own plans for Pei Xuan.
Pei Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He called "Mom" and said, "It's fine if you said this in front of me, but if my second brother and second sister-in-law heard it, they would be so sad! You can't ask him to take care of Jiang Ge'er's future just because Ah Hong has his father to take care of her. This is unfair. It will also easily cause conflicts between our two families."
Old Madam Pei ignored it and was only thinking about how to ensure what would happen to Jiang'er and Qian'er in the future.
(End of this chapter)