Pei Yan returned to the Ouhe Hall where he lived in the villa, but he looked unhappy.

There were still many things that needed his decision in Pei Mansion, but he pushed them all to Pei Man and went up the mountain. Firstly, he was worried about his mother and wanted to see how she was doing here; secondly, he wanted to avoid those who came to him in the name of wishing him a happy new year.

Another official submitted a memorial to the emperor asking him to appoint a crown prince. The court and the people were in a state of turmoil, and the officials and noble families in Jiangnan were secretly stirring. The Pei family chose to settle in Lin'an because it was isolated and quiet. How could he allow the Pei family to be involved in it again?

This happens every few years.

He used to be a pioneer in this field and experienced incomparable happiness from it.

But since his father passed away, he suddenly felt that all these ups and downs were meaningless.

Pei Yan looked at the servant sweeping snow in the yard and sighed softly.

He will really have to live in seclusion in the mountains from now on.

It’s okay now, but in another ten years, I guess no one will remember him anymore.

However, before he truly retired, he had to get his second brother reinstated, and his connections in Beijing could not fade away at this time.

He called Pei Qi over and asked, "How much silver is left at home?"

"The bank in Tianjin has not been touched since the old lady passed away." Pei Qi whispered, "There are 100,000 taels of silver."

Pei Yan thought about it, turned back to the study, drew up a list and handed it to Pei Qi: "Give the list to Shu Qing, and then follow his instructions."

Shu Qing was his teacher who followed him back to Lin'an, and is now his aide.

Pei Qi agreed respectfully and retreated.

Pei Yan lay on the rocking chair.

Ah Ming cleverly took a blanket and put it on his legs.

Pei Yan ignored Ah Ming and closed his eyes, but his mind was working rapidly.

The money from Tianjin was transferred to Beijing for gifts, but the money from Lin'an City was not enough for expenses. He spent too much money on the farm this year, but the profit was not big, and it was unclear how many years it would take to recover the investment. The best way was to transfer the dead pawns from the pawnshop to deal with the emergency. This matter still needs to be discussed with Tong Dazhanggui. Tong Dazhanggui was the person left to him by his father. He only talked to him once when he just took over the Pei Mansion. It has been more than a year, and he has to find a chance to have a good talk with Tong Dazhanggui again.

Pei Yan was thinking about it, and suddenly thought of Yu Tang's fighting cape.

He remembered that when he was young, there were often very good leathers in the shop. He would ask the shopkeeper Tong and bring some for Miss Yu to enjoy.

Thinking of this, Yu Tang's face, as white as first snow, appeared in his mind.

Old leather... doesn't look good...

I'd better find a way to get her some new leather.

In his warehouse there should be...

Pei Yan was a man who acted as soon as he thought of it. He immediately asked Ah Ming to send someone back to the city to open his own warehouse: "See if there is anything suitable to make a war tent for Miss Yu. I was negligent before. I only thought of inviting her to accompany Old An, but forgot..."

After all, the Yu family had a simple family tradition. Even if they got an unexpected fortune, they would not be like those nouveau riche who started making clothes and jewelry and lived a life of extravagance.

However, Miss Yu said something right.

If the remaining 150 mu of fertile land that can grow green-stemmed rice of Li Duan's family were given to the Yu family, the Yu family would be able to live a prosperous life from then on, and Miss Yu would probably be even happier.

Pei Yan added: "I need to write a letter and arrange for someone to grind ink."

It would be too slow to just entrust the Rizhao case to the people of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, as they handle too many major cases every day. He should write a letter to the Shandong Provincial Governor. If they report such a major case themselves, they can still have a reputation for strong supervision. If they are impeached by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, it will be embarrassing.

Ah Ming hurriedly made arrangements.

Pei Yan had already thought of the wording, and when the ink was ground, he began to write the letter.

Of course Yu Tang was concerned about the ranking of her poem, but she didn't want to ask when Gu Xi had the chance to discuss poetry with her. She was afraid that Gu Xi would talk endlessly in front of her like a female teacher in her previous life. However, this also had a lot to do with her understanding of what was most important in this life.

So when she was on her way back and saw Gu Xi hanging around Old An and not having the energy or time to pay attention to her, she quietly asked the Fifth Miss, "Who are the third and fourth?"

The fifth young lady smiled and said, "Sister Yu and I are tied for third place." She also told her, "The second sister is fifth, and the fourth sister is last."

Yu Tang was a little surprised.

She thought the second young lady would be ranked before her.

The fifth lady smiled and said, "Miss Gu's poem was the best, it was fast and full of artistic conception, everyone voted for her first place, the third sister lost because her artistic conception was not as profound as Miss Gu's. Sister Yu's poem was also good, but she was not as strict about the rhyme as Miss Gu and the third sister, so she and I ranked third. My mother thought the second sister's poem was too stiff and lacked spirit, and the fourth sister was because she finished last."

Yu Tang blushed slightly.

Gu Xi was enlightened at the age of three and went to school with her brothers since she was young. Even if she lived two lives, she could not catch up. The third young lady's poetry was better than hers, and the fifth young lady was the youngest but tied for third place with her. It can be seen that the two young ladies were very smart in studying.

She praised sincerely: "You and Miss San are both amazing!"

Miss Five blushed and said modestly, "No, no. It just happened to be a question that I am better at."

Yu Tang did not argue with the Fifth Miss, but just touched her head with a smile.

The fifth young lady lowered her head in embarrassment.

Therefore, neither of them noticed that the third young lady walking in front of them had red ears.

They had dinner at Old An's place that night, and Yu Tang thought that Old An would keep them to talk. But as soon as the maids cleared the table, Old An served tea and sent the guests away.

Yu Tang and others could not hide their surprise.

Old An said straightforwardly, "Your third uncle will come over to greet me later, so I won't keep you here."

Several young people stood up and said goodbye obediently. Yu Tang and others didn't want to stay any longer, so they all went back to their residences.

The next morning, Mrs. An asked them to go and pay their respects after noon.

Yu Tang asked the reason.

Liu Xu, who came to report the news, smiled and said, "The third master is going to pay his respects to Old An early in the morning."

Yu Tang suddenly realized.

After breakfast, Ah Ming came over with a bag.

Yu Tang was very surprised and asked him repeatedly if there was anything urgent.

Ah Ming chuckled, stuffed a bundle in his hand to Shuang Tao, and said, "This is what our Third Master asked me to deliver. He is waiting for my reply!" After that, he ran away without waiting for Yu Tang to say anything.

"What is this?" Shuang Tao muttered and went into the house carrying the bag.

When he opened the bundle, he saw that it was actually a white mink fur cape with aqua-green woven phoenix-tail pattern.

"This..." Yu Tang picked up the cloak in astonishment.

The unique weave of kesi silk shines gorgeously under the dim light indoors.

"So beautiful!" Shuang Tao couldn't help but exclaim.

Yu Tang felt uneasy.

Why did Pei Yan give her a cloak?

She ordered Shuang Tao: "Go and see what Ah Ming is doing? Why did the Third Elder give me a cloak?"

And it's a women's one.

It shouldn't be done temporarily.

Shuangtao also felt that it was inappropriate.

If the Third Elder had been interested, he could have asked Old An to give it to the young lady. But now he sent it to me in private...

She hurried to look for Ah Ming.

Yu Tang had finished getting dressed and was leaning against the head of the bed reading a book when Shuang Tao came back in the snow.

"Miss!" She didn't bother to go back to her room to change clothes, and went into the inner room with a cold body. "A Ming followed the Third Elder to Old An's place, and I found an opportunity to talk to him. He said that the Third Elder saw that Miss's hood was too thin, so he sent someone back to Pei Mansion to get it overnight. He also said that if you don't like it, you can use it for a few days first, and he will find someone to make another one for you. He also asked me to ask what color you like?"

Are you in a hurry to get out?

Yu Tang was a little absent-minded.

Is it because you see she's wearing a shawl and feels a little cold today?

So, will she put away the cloak or not?

If she didn't accept it, she would be betraying the kindness of the Third Elder. If she accepted it, it was too expensive and she felt uneasy.

However, this poncho is really beautiful and she likes it very much.

Yu Tang couldn't make up his mind.

I wish her mother was here.

She can ask her mother.

Yu Tang stroked the raised patterns on the kesi with his fingertips and frowned.

Gu Xi had also finished her work and was sitting at her desk reading a book. But when He Xiang came to answer her, her fingers were tightly gripping the pages of the book, almost tearing it.

"Miss Yu's personal maid Shuangtao ran off to look for the Third Elder's personal servant?" Her face was so gloomy as if it was going to rain, and it looked a little distorted in the flickering light.

"Yeah!" He Xiang responded in a low voice, "The two hid behind the tree and argued for a long time before the two peaches left. Then Ah Ming ran to see the Third Elder."

Gu Xi asked: "Where was the Third Elder at that time?"

"Still in Old An's house." He Xiang replied.

Gu Xi frowned and asked in a very cold tone: "And then?"

He Xiang stuttered, "Then after Ah Ming went in, about a cup of tea later, Ah Ming followed the Third Elder out of Old An's house and returned to Ouhe Hall where he lived."

Gu Xi was stunned and asked, "After returning to Ouhetang, you didn't go to Miss Yu's place again?"

He Xiang paused and said, "I stood there for a while and then came back. I don't know..." whether anyone would go there again. She also didn't want to follow them anymore. It was so cold, and if she wasn't careful, someone might get frozen to death.

Fortunately, Gu Xi didn't say anything else. He waved his hand and let her go.

That night, Gu Xi didn't sleep well, and kept thinking about why Shuang Tao went to find A Ming.

But the next morning, when she went to greet Mr. An, she found out.

At that time, Yu Tang was the only one in the room, and no one knew where the servants had gone. She had become familiar with everyone in Old An's room during this period of time, so when she entered, the maid at the door did not stop her. She went straight into the hall as if she were alone. Just as she was wondering why there was no one in the room and whether she should make some noise, she heard Old An's voice: "... He only started to learn to manage the affairs after his father passed away. He never cared about these things before, so it is inevitable that he was impolite. Please don't take it to heart."