Which mother-in-law doesn’t like to hear people praising her aunt?

Madam Ji became more enthusiastic towards them, lowered her guard, and told them about the Pei family: "There are many things to do in the family. There are three chief stewards and seven stewards. The chief steward is in charge of all matters in the family, big and small. The second chief steward is in charge of the general affairs and interpersonal relationships in the mansion. The third chief steward is in charge of the mansion's account room and the storekeeper outside. Among the seven stewards, the chief steward follows the chief steward; the second steward and the third steward follow the second steward; the other four stewards follow the third steward, and the seventh steward is in charge of the affairs of the inner house. For example, I am under the charge of the seventh steward.

"As for the shopkeeper Tong, their ancestors served the old ancestor. Later, when the Pei family was able to settle down in Lin'an, their family made a great contribution. The old ancestor expelled the Tong family before he returned to the west. But the ancestors of the Tong family were grateful. Although they were expelled, they never left and still help manage the pawnshop. They are very respectable, unlike other hereditary servants." He spoke with a sense of pride.

As long as you live in Lin'an Prefecture, you will inevitably have to deal with the Pei family to some extent.

Today, the Yu family, whether it is rebuilding the shop or because of the painting, has deeper relations with the Pei family.

In the previous life, the third elder of the Pei family was the patriarch.

Therefore, Yu Tang did not have as many speculations about this matter as Yu Wen or Chen.

But the death of Old Lady Pei revealed too much information.

For example, when the merchants in Lin'an City had any problems, they turned to the chief steward; when Old Mrs. Pei passed away, the third steward who was supposed to be in charge of the outside business was in charge of Old Mrs. Pei's funeral; the second steward who should have stepped forward to help with the funeral was not sure what he was doing?

How did the third elder of the Pei family become the patriarch?

What happened during this period?

Are the three chief stewards devoted to serving Master Pei San at this moment, or do they have their own thoughts?

Who is the third master of the Pei family? Who is on the side of the eldest house?

Even though Yu Tang married into the Li family in her previous life, she was trapped in the backyard and didn't know much about the Pei family's affairs.

In the previous life, I had never heard anyone criticize the Third Elder.

It seemed as if as soon as he appeared in the Pei family, he had already covered the sky with one hand and made the final decision with one hammer. The whole family obeyed and no one dared to object.

She didn't want the Yu family to be involved in the Pei family's incident.

And the man in blue she met in the pawnshop, judging from his age, he should not be one of the two young masters of the eldest branch. So what is his relationship with the Pei family?

Could it be the young master from the other two branches?

Which side is he on at this time?

Does he know that the one who will ultimately win this war will be the third elder of the Pei family?

Judging from the temperament of the third elder of the Pei family from what happened in his previous life, the third elder of the Pei family after becoming the patriarch of the Pei family is most likely a character who prospers those who obey me and perishes those who go against me.

I wonder if the man in blue will avoid his attack because of this.

From the looks of it, he is also a rebellious person...

Yu Tang was confused. She couldn't figure out whether she wanted the Yu family to avoid disaster or wanted to know the situation of the man in blue...but she couldn't stop paying attention to the Pei family.

Yu Tang said, "The Third Steward has a lot of work to do! He has to take care of things outside and things inside the palace. Won't the First and Second Stewards help out?"

Madam Ji was shocked that she had said something wrong, but Yu Tang looked like he was ignorant of the world. She replied vaguely, "The chief steward and the second steward have other things to do," and changed the subject, saying, "I think the scholar's wife is still very weak. If you are ready to worship the old lady and have a vegetarian meal in our house before returning, I will have someone take you to the veranda behind the side hall to rest for the afternoon. The sun is too hot at noon, so be careful of heatstroke."

For fear of arousing Aunt Ji's suspicion, Yu Tang had to stop for the time being.

Chen thanked Aunt Ji and talked about the kindness that the old lady of the Pei family had shown her.

Yu Tang listened and observed his surroundings.

She found that along the way, she had not seen a single flower of a different color.

It can be seen that the Third Elder has now enforced his orders, and seemingly no one dares to disobey.

Yu Tang was even more worried.

I just don’t know how the third master of the Pei family came to power?

Did he use Old Master Pei's will to force everyone to submit? Or did Old Master Pei San already use the emperor to control the princes before Lu Xin and others spread rumors?

She was absent-minded, and when she heard something, she found that she and her mother had followed Aunt Ji into a courtyard filled with wailing. Many neighbors like them were there to mourn the dead. On both sides of the water and land temples, the chanting was long and melodious, and the three-legged copper tripods taller than a person were filled with incense sticks like a forest, with white smoke curling up. If it weren't for the white banners hanging everywhere, she would have almost thought she had entered a temple.

Chen coughed a few times because of being scolded.

Aunt Ji said, "Please follow me!"

They were led through the crowds of mourning women into the side hall, where they kowtowed and burned incense to the portrait of Old Lady Pei in the central hall.

When he stood up, Yu Tang looked at the portrait of Old Lady Pei carefully.

He had a long beard with three strands of hair, round eyebrows, almond eyes, a broad forehead and plump cheeks. He was wearing a round-necked green shirt woven with gold and five-bat patterns. He was smiling and looked very kind.

I don't know who painted this picture, but the brushwork is very good. Not only is the face lifelike, but even the subtle expressions are depicted. Even if Yu Tang doesn't know much about painting, he can still feel the artist's skill.

I wonder who drew this?

When Old Master Pei painted this portrait, did he think that after his death, the Pei family would cause a commotion to compete for the position of clan leader?

It can be seen that things in the world are impermanent.

Yu Tang suddenly felt a little sad when he heard the crying.

Her eyes became moist and tears fell.

Chen couldn't stop crying.

Yu Tang and Aunt Ji carried Chen on the left and right and walked out of the side hall.

Madam Ji thought for a moment, called a maid named "Leizhi", and told her: "This is the wife and eldest daughter of Yu Xiucai. Take the wife and eldest daughter to the back room to rest first." Then she said to Chen, "I have work to do outside, so I won't accompany you. I'll come to see you later."

From the veranda to the closet, it was obvious that Aunt Ji was taking care of them.

Chen and Yu Tang hurriedly thanked her and said, "We can just rest in the veranda."

Aunt Ji whispered, "It's okay! That room was originally a guest room for the women in the inner house, and it's not used for entertaining guests. You can rest for a day, it's okay."

This is also Aunt Ji's good intention.

The mother and daughter thanked her again and again. Seeing that what Madam Ji said was sincere, and seeing that another maid came to ask for Madam Ji's instructions, they didn't want to waste her time, so they gratefully agreed and followed the tired branch up the west corridor.

"How could such a good person just die like that?!" Chen was still immersed in sorrow. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and sighed.

Yu Tang comforted his mother with a few words, then looked up and found that they had followed Lei Zhi through twists and turns and arrived at a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard is beautifully decorated with green bamboo streams, plank bridges and sacred stones. The faint sound of wailing souls can be heard, making the courtyard even more tranquil.

Leizhi pushed the door of the west chamber, invited Chen and Yu Tang in, and whispered, "Madam Yu, please rest here for a while. I will invite you for lunch." After that, he personally poured tea for the two of them.

Yu Tang looked at the room, which was filled with black lacquer furniture, sky-blue curtains, and a blue and white porcelain vase with two white late magnolias, one tall and one short, the size of a bowl. The layout was clean and elegant, tidy and comfortable.

The wing was changed to a side room. She guessed that this should be a resting place prepared for the female relatives and old friends of the Pei family. Aunt Ji probably saw that her father was a scholar and her mother was weak and had similar conversations, so she opened a back door and arranged for her and her mother to stay here.

Chen took the tea and thanked Leizhi in a warm voice.

Yu Tang thought that since Aunt Ji could let Lei Zhi do something, Lei Zhi must have a good relationship with Aunt Ji. She took the tea from Lei Zhi, thanked her, "Thank you for troubling Sister Lei Zhi," and said, "We can rest here thanks to Aunt Ji and Sister Lei Zhi. We will come to thank you again in a few days when Aunt Ji and Sister Lei Zhi are not busy."

Leizhi didn't expect that Yu Xiucai's mother and daughter would be so polite to her, and she couldn't help but look at Yu Tang a few more times.

Yu Tang was dressed in ordinary clothes. He was of medium height, with soft features, a gentle temperament, and delicate skin that was as white as snow and cream.

The branches are full of surprise.

The young lady of the Yu family turned out to be a great beauty who was no less beautiful than the wives and young ladies of the Pei family.

Yu Tang originally had a generous personality, and later on he encountered some incredible things, so he became even more neither humble nor arrogant, and acted calmly and composedly.

She let Leizhi watch.

Leizhi felt a little embarrassed, lowered his head, and said respectfully: "Miss Yu, you are too polite. I will definitely convey your message."

"Aunt Ji and Miss Leizhi are both very thoughtful!" Chen exchanged a few more words with Leizhi and personally saw her off the door. Then she sat down on the Luohan bed in the room with a tired look on her face.

Yu Tang thought that this was a back door that Aunt Ji had opened for them, and it would be bad if someone found out. So he closed the window facing the courtyard and opened the window facing the outside. Even if he opened it, he didn't dare to open it completely, so he opened half and left the other half covered. Then he went to wipe his mother's sweat with a handkerchief and said, "Mom, you take a rest first. Leizhi will come to call us for lunch."

Chen nodded, feeling apologetic, and said, "If it weren't for my poor health, we wouldn't have to ask for a vegetarian meal from the Pei family. We came to burn incense for Old Lady Pei, but we asked for a meal from them."

Yu Tang comforted his mother: "The Pei family is a wealthy family, they won't care about these one or two meals."

Seeing that Yu Tang's forehead was covered in sweat, Chen said distressedly, "Don't push yourself. If you feel hot, find a place to cool down. Don't burn incense for Old Lady Pei and end up getting yourself too hot."

"Got it!" Yu Tang responded, brought a small wooden stool over, and wanted to massage Chen's legs.

Chen was surprised and delighted, and said, "Oh my! This is incredible! I have never had such a blessing as a lady!"

yes!

She was ignorant and didn't know how to cherish before.

Now I know how precious such a gathering is.

Yu Tang's eyes were filled with sadness. He acted coquettishly and brushed the matter off, then sat beside Chen's legs and massaged them.

While enjoying her daughter's filial piety, Chen chattered with her: "People say that blessed people are born in June, and unlucky people die in June... Old Master Pei did so many good things... Fortunately, both old masters were at home, and their sons were by their side when they passed away. But it's not good either. The old man has to send off the young, and the eldest master is gone..."

Yu Tang ignored it, thinking about those mountain teahouses and street docks with "Pei" written all over them, and wondered with emotion: Could it be that the Pei family is doing small kindnesses?

There was a sudden noise outside.

Chen and Yu Tang were both stunned.

Yu Tang thought of what Aunt Ji said, and whispered to Chen: "Please sit down first, I'll go and take a look!"