Chapter 30 The Test
Even as dawn broke outside the window, and Wen Lingzheng groggily awoke, the man was still quite unsatisfied.
Exhausted and feeling weak all over, she reached out and pushed him gently, her soft touch like a willow leaf swaying in the breeze. She even turned her head to stop his kiss from landing on her neck.
"It's already dawn... Really, really, we can't... we can't come back..."
The intermittent, unusually hoarse voice startled Wen Lingzheng, and her gaze toward Pei Lin grew increasingly hostile, making her wonder if she had truly been blind in her past life.
Other things are fine...
—Thinking back on the six years she and he had been married, she hadn't realized at all that the person before her was like this! So much for his desires!
The red candles that had burned all night had long since gone out, and the faint sunlight shone through the cracks in the window. Sensing her delicate resistance, Pei Lin chuckled softly and straightened up.
His gaze shifted slightly downwards, first meeting the girl's tired eyes, and then he noticed the red marks covering her jade-like, snow-white skin.
Thinking of what he had done, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. His slender fingers traced the red mark an inch below the girl's collarbone. "Does it hurt a lot?"
Nodding coquettishly, Wen Lingzheng suppressed her exhaustion, reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling closer to him once more, her small hands moving around provocatively, quite restless. "Mmm, it hurts!"
The impulse that had just subsided was reignited. Pei Lin felt that he had reached his limit of restraint, but when he glanced at the sky, reason told him that he really couldn't do anything more!
He grabbed the restless little hands that were roaming over his body. Before Pei Lin could speak, she twisted in his arms, looked up at him, and asked, "So, do I have any compensation?"
The nightgown was soft, and the space under the quilt was cramped. As the girl twisted and turned, a patch of disheveled skin was unexpectedly revealed around her neck.
Looking at his masterpiece, Pei Lin's dark eyes couldn't help but fill with laughter. He leaned down slightly, placed a kiss on her forehead, and coaxed her gently, "Of course! Whatever you want, it's up to you."
The two struggled back and forth for a long time, and by the time they both got up completely, it was already broad daylight.
With skillful hands and under the guidance of Granny Zhuang, Yao Guang styled Wen Lingzheng's hair, and in no time at all, she had tied up the last strand of hair that was hanging down.
"What do you think, young lady?" Yao Guang asked modestly, then looked at Granny Zhuang. "This is the first time I've styled my hair in this kind of bun, and I'm very grateful for your guidance, Mother!"
Granny Zhuang may seem careless, but she is actually very meticulous. "Yaoguang, you shouldn't call her 'Miss' anymore. You should call her 'Madam' now! The Marquis's mansion has strict rules. We are Madam's attendants, and we can't let anyone find fault with us!"
Knowing she was in the wrong, Yao Guang mumbled a reply, but then turned to Yu Heng and began to instruct him, "And you! You're always so reckless, you worry me even more than your sister!"
Yuheng hadn't expected the topic to come back to him, and he was at a loss for words, but fortunately Wen Lingzheng smoothed things over.
Just then, Pei Lin changed his clothes and walked into the room. Wen Lingzheng, who had finished washing up, also got up, but as soon as she took a step, the aftereffects of her indulgence last night came rushing back.
"It's all your fault!"
Looking at Pei Lin beside her, Wen Lingzheng secretly reached out and squeezed him, wanting to take revenge, but his years of military service had already toughened him up.
—It's impossible to squeeze it!
Pei Lin suppressed a laugh and held Wen Lingzheng's hand, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Not today, but next time I'll let you get your revenge!"
Wen Lingzheng: ...I don't believe his nonsense!
Pei Lin walked very slowly, and the two walked side by side toward the ancestral hall.
After paying respects at the ancestral hall and offering sacrifices to the ancestors, and with the elders of the Pei clan formally inscribing Wen Lingzheng's name into the family genealogy, she was finally considered to have passed away as the legitimate eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis's mansion.
The Rongshou Hall of Old Madam Pei was separated from the ancestral hall by two covered corridors. Although she was kind and compassionate, she never relaxed her demands on her subordinates.
Therefore, all the female servants and maids they saw along the way had their heads bowed and were silent, as if the word "rules" were engraved into their very bones.
"Greetings, Lord Marquis; greetings, Madam."
As soon as the two entered the courtyard of Rongshou Hall, Granny Chang led a group of maids to greet them.
Some people lifted the curtain, some led the way, and two or three others followed behind the bride, offering incense and sprinkling dust.
“This is Granny Chang, who served my grandmother. Judging by the time, she has been with my family for several decades.” Pei Lin slowed down and whispered to Wen Lingzheng.
Pei Lin returned to the capital at the age of eight and was practically raised under the watchful eye of Granny Chang. Now, seeing him newly married, so harmonious and loving with his wife, and so open and honest with each other, filled her with even greater joy.
Granny Chang: "Our Marquis has always been the kind of person who doesn't like to confide in others. He always reports good news and never bad news about hardships and toil."
With a slight upturn of her lips, Wen Lingzheng chimed in, "That's right. A couple of years ago, when A Ning came to visit me, she kept saying that he had this problem! In the future, we really need to correct him!"
She then looked at Pei Lin and said, "I want this is what you promised this morning!"
With Wen Lingzheng and Granny Chang working in unison, even Pei Lin, who was well-versed in military strategy, couldn't find a way to deal with them. He could only laugh helplessly and say, "Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you say, my lady."
Upon hearing this, Granny Chang couldn't help but smile and say, "Between husband and wife, the worst thing is for both to keep quiet. It is the Marquis's good fortune to marry Madam and have such a confidante."
Granny Chang was a rare and loyal servant. Even after the Dingbei Marquis's mansion fell into ruin in her previous life, she never left and continued to take care of Old Madam Pei as always.
She was to Old Madam Pei what Yuheng was to Wen Lingzheng in the past.
She laughed along, and Wen Lingzheng said, "If you keep praising me, I'm afraid I'll float away on the wind! But then again, isn't it my blessing to marry a man who loves me back?"
Granny Chang nodded with a smile. Pei Lin gripped Wen Lingzheng's hand tightly for some reason, causing her to turn around and look at him with a puzzled expression.
He glanced casually at the falling leaves around him, then lowered his head to look at his puzzled wife, his words unusually serious and solemn: "With me here, even the fiercest winds dare not come!"
Wen Lingzheng: --What is all this nonsense! You're so childish!
Helplessly chuckled, and could only soothe him, saying, "Okay, I'll remember."
Looking at the affectionate couple, Granny Chang smiled even more, feeling that Old Madam Pei's previous worries were unfounded. The young couple were very much in love!
After passing through the moon gate and crossing the threshold, Old Madam Pei was already waiting at the head of the table. Because Pei Lin's parents had passed away, Old Madam Pei was receiving the greetings on their behalf.
Wen Lingzheng and Pei Lin knelt together before Old Madam Pei to offer tea, and then greeted Old Madam Cheng, who was sitting on the left.
"Get up! Good child, get up."
After drinking the tea, Old Madam Pei quickly took off the bracelet from her hand and put it on Wen Lingzheng's wrist, her expression very satisfied. "Lin-ge'er has good taste, marrying such a beautiful wife."
Old Mrs. Cheng chimed in, "That's right, this beautiful young lady is so lovely, even I can't help but like her!"
With a touch of shyness, Wen Lingzheng smiled and waved to Yaoguang behind her, saying, "I'm not very talented, but the other day someone from the south sent some gifts that I found quite interesting. Today I'm just passing on these gifts to the old lady and the second old lady to make them smile!"
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Pei turned to look at Pei Ning, her tone seemingly disdainful but actually doting, "Look, Zheng'er is actually a year younger than you! She's much more mature and sensible than you, you little rascal! You should learn more from her in the future."
Pei Ning pouted angrily, walked up to Wen Lingzheng, and hugged her arm. "Good Lingzheng, just look at my grandmother. She's fickle and easily bored. With you around, I've become a little monkey!"
"Oh, is that so? Little rascal, do you want a gift?" Wen Lingzheng smiled as she took the box from Yaoguang and gently opened it.
People at the time admired elegance, especially those from the Jiangnan region. As a result, they incorporated painting into the weaving technique of kesi (silk tapestry), and there was a saying that an inch of kesi was worth an inch of gold.
"Wow!" Upon seeing the contents of the box, Pei Ning exclaimed in surprise, "What an exquisite round fan with a hundred flowers!"
The hundred flowers, woven with the plain silk tapestry technique, are reflected in a section of jade-carved bamboo fan handle, exquisitely crafted yet imbued with literary thought.
Although it is not as numerous as the peacock-patterned round fans of the Xiang family, the fan surface is significantly more exquisite.
"Ah Zheng understands me best!" Pei Ning couldn't help but pick up the fan and shake it. She felt that the flowers on the fan surface came to life and there was a faint fragrance floating in the air.
Helplessly chuckled, Old Madam Pei sighed, "Look at this girl! She just called me a little rascal and she wouldn't listen!"
She then personally delivered several boxes to Old Madam Pei and Old Madam Cheng, and Wen Lingzheng replied with a light smile, "I think A-Ning is excellent. She has a good personality, a good appearance, and is good in every way!"
"You're just spoiling her!"
Seeing her children and grandchildren getting along harmoniously, Old Madam Pei's smile grew even brighter. She looked at Granny Chang beside her and asked, "Has Jing-ge'er arrived? Go and bring him here quickly."
Pei Jing was in poor health, so practicing martial arts was always a bit of a struggle. Fortunately, he had some talent for studying and was always diligent and hardworking. Even in winter, he would get up at dawn to study.
But today he unusually took leave, "to pay respects to my great-grandmother, to my second grandmother, to my second uncle and aunt, to Wen..."
Pei Jing almost blurted out "Sister Wen," but smiled shyly and quickly corrected himself, saying, "Greetings to Second Aunt."
Smiling, Wen Lingzheng helped Pei Jing up and took the last box from Yao Guang's hand. "I heard from your second uncle that you love reading the most. Inside are some rare ancient books and a set of writing materials. Jing-ge, take a look and see if you like them?"
Holding the box close to his chest, Pei Jing's obedient eyes radiated a gentle smile. He was clearly overjoyed but still maintained his manners. "I like it. Jing'er likes it very much. Thank you, Second Aunt."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Old Madam Pei suddenly dismissed the others, leaving only Wen Lingzheng behind.
She then handed the key to the household affairs card to Wen Lingzheng and said with a smile, "Ling Ge'er has been a thoughtful child since he was little. Outsiders see him as a mischievous boy, but that... that was only due to the circumstances. Now that you two are husband and wife, you must protect and support each other and cherish each other."
Wen Lingzheng graciously accepted the key to the card and replied with a smile, "Grandmother's words will be remembered by your granddaughter-in-law."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Old Madam Pei gently patted Wen Lingzheng's hand, "From now on, you are the head mistress of the Marquis's mansion. This old man of mine only hopes that you and your husband will live in harmony and that your household will be peaceful... but..."
Old Madam Pei hesitated, but Wen Lingzheng clearly saw the struggle in her eyes.
Not to mention that she had experienced a similar scene in her previous life, she could tell just by looking at it that Old Madam Pei was worried about Pei Jing's future situation.
After the successive deaths of Pei Bing, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Dingbei, and his wife, Lady Song, the main branch of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion fell into complete silence.
Given the political situation at the time, Old Madam Pei had no choice but to let Pei Lin inherit the title of Marquis of Dingbei, while sending the infant Pei Jing back to his hometown to avoid disaster.
Now that Pei Lin has returned to the capital victorious and holds great power, and has also been granted a marriage by the emperor, the influence of the second branch of the family is growing day by day.
From both a matter of etiquette and the support of the imperial clan, the position of the Marquis of Dingbei's heir can only belong to the legitimate son of the second branch of the family.
Old Madam Pei couldn't help but worry. If the second branch of the family had a legitimate son in the future... wouldn't Pei Jing, the eldest grandson who missed out on the title of Marquis of Dingbei, be embarrassed?
It is said that one should care for the young as one would one's own children, but how many people in this world can truly treat a nephew with no blood relation better than their own son?
Having grown up in a noble family, Old Madam Pei witnessed too many fratricidal conflicts caused by family wealth, which made her even more worried and uneasy.
Smiling, Wen Lingzheng returned the handshake with Old Madam Pei and said earnestly, "Before I got married, the words my grandmother most often taught her children and grandchildren were 'Brothers are of the same blood and lineage.'"
"Grandmother, you can rest assured. Jing-ge is the eldest grandson of our Dingbei Marquis's mansion. No matter what, no one will dare to mistreat him!"
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