Chapter 121 My aunt-in-law is a social butterfly...
Upon hearing the maid announce the arrival of the eldest young master, Meng Wanyin looked up in surprise.
"Yunzhao is here. I have something to discuss with you... Why are you here too?"
The second half of the sentence was addressed to Pei Jinghuai, who had followed Pei Jingyi in. His attitude changed so quickly that, upon closer listening, one could even detect a hint of disdain.
Pei Jinghuai cried out in protest, "Am I the biological son? Why am I so disliked by you? I should have just stayed home."
He complained a couple of times, but still casually found a chair and sat down. He then beckoned to the kitten in Meng Wanyin's arms and purred it a couple of times, asking, "Who gave birth to this one?"
The kitten was so frightened by the sudden approach of the "huge creature" that it jumped to the ground and circled around the room a few times before finally grabbing onto Pei Jingyi's clothes and scrambling up his lap.
Pei Jingyi skillfully scratched the kitten's chin, and soon heard it purr contentedly. It curled up into a ball on his lap, its little tail swaying gently with pleasure.
Seeing this, Pei Jinghuai, who was sitting opposite him, became even angrier.
What's going on? His own mother doesn't like him, and she won't even let him hold her cat.
Meng Wanyin snorted irritably, "Have you forgotten how you used to chase the cats in my yard so hard when you were little that they were too scared to come down from the ground and had to sit in the tree and howl for half the night? They wouldn't want to pay any attention to you."
"...That happened so many years ago. Those cats I bullied have all died of old age. Why would they still hold a grudge?"
Pei Jinghuai scratched his head, wondering if every generation of cat kings in Tanghua Garden had to pass on the principle of "staying away from Pei Jinghuai".
"That's because of the scarf."
Meng Wanyin spoke with absolute certainty, and then began to scold her son, "You brought it back, can't you do something about it? It sneaks into the fox's yard all day long to steal the jerky I make for the cats, and steals the cubs' goat milk. It was a perfectly good fox, and now it's almost as fat as a dog!"
Pei Jinghuai retorted, "Tsk, how is our Weibo fat? It's glossy and shiny! Besides, we're not short of meat. You could just make a little more... Isn't Weibo your beloved fox grandson too?"
Meng Wanyin: ...I want to beat you to death, you monkey.
Pei Jingyi coughed lightly, a smile playing on his lips, interrupting the impending brawl between the mother and son.
"Did Mother just say she needed to talk to me?"
"Oh, right, look at my brain, it's so bad that Huai Zhou is making it hard to function."
Meng Wanyin glared at her son, then said to Pei Jingyi in a gentle tone, "This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Princess's death. I plan to hold a Buddhist ceremony for her at Shangqing Temple in the name of the Marquis's Mansion. You and Yan Yi will need to fast at the temple for a few days."
"Thank you for your concern, Mother." This was important business, and Pei Jingyi solemnly replied, "I will ask the Ministry of War for leave in advance."
Pei Jinghuai interjected, "I heard that it's very difficult to schedule rituals at Shangqing Temple. Last time, the Lü family wanted to hold a ritual for their ancestors during the Ghost Festival, but the Taoist priest at the temple said that the quota for the Ghost Festival rituals was already full in the first month of the lunar calendar."
"That's right. I couldn't get a spot last year, so this year I went to Shangqing Temple more than half a year in advance to pay the deposit and queue up, asking them to make sure that the spot for the anniversary of the princess's death is available."
After explaining, Meng Wanyin quickly added, fearing that Pei Jingyi might misunderstand, "I know that you and the Marquis are usually busy with official duties and inevitably neglect these family matters. Anyway, I have arranged everything for you. Just go there when the time comes."
Pei Jingyi's mood was somewhat complicated, tinged with a touch of melancholy.
It turns out that his birth mother had left him twenty years ago.
The faces in my memory seem to have become blurred, leaving only the cold memorial tablet placed in the ancestral hall during festivals.
Meng Wanyin arranged for a religious ceremony for his birth mother more than half a year in advance, but she never mentioned it once, nor did she do so to curry favor with him and his father.
She didn't seem to think it was anything special, just like how she managed the entire Marquis's mansion day after day—it was just routine.
Pei Jingyi looked up and thanked Meng Wanyin again: "Thank you for your trouble, Mother."
The solemn attitude made Meng Wanyin even more flustered, and she waved her hands repeatedly, "Oh dear, this is nothing... No, no, no, I'm not saying that the anniversary of the princess's death is nothing. This is absolutely the most important event in the family recently. I've even arranged for people to go outside the city to distribute porridge and medicine, to accumulate more good karma for the princess..."
In her nervousness, Meng Wanyin blurted out all the plans she hadn't originally intended to tell Pei Jingyi, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
"Yes, I understand."
Pei Jingyi got up and carried the sleeping kitten back to Meng Wanyin's side, a hint of warmth appearing on his usually cold and aloof face.
"If my mother were alive, she would be so grateful for my good fortune to have another mother like you."
Meng Wanyin's eyes welled up with tears uncontrollably. She quickly turned her face away to hide her emotions and wiped her eyes. "Oh, it's getting late. You should go back and keep Yan Yi company."
After Pei Jingyi paid his respects and took his leave, Meng Wanyin angrily berated Pei Jinghuai, "Aren't you leaving yet? Do you want me to sleep on the floor here?"
"It's not impossible," Pei Jinghuai hummed. "My wife scolded me today for being unfilial, saying I don't spend enough time with you... So I won't leave tonight, I'll keep watch over you!"
Meng Wanyin thought for a moment and then realized that her two daughters-in-law must have noticed that she had been in low spirits lately and were trying to cheer her up.
Otherwise, Pei Jingyi wouldn't have happened to come to Tanghua Garden.
She was much happier immediately, secretly blaming Pei Xian for not letting her have another daughter.
"Go away, go away, I don't need you to accompany me." Meng Wanyin grabbed Pei Jinghuai's arm and pushed him out the door. "Didn't you see how you scared Little Grey Grey so much that it didn't dare to meow when you stood in the house?"
The door slammed shut mercilessly in front of Pei Jinghuai. He shrugged, turned around, and strode off toward Danyue Pavilion.
Never mind, my mother said he didn't need to stay with me. I'll go back, wash up, and go to bed!
...
Another winter has arrived in the blink of an eye. The north wind howls all day long, and the sky is a gloomy, leaden gray. On the rare sunny days, the sun shines like a light in a refrigerator, offering no warmth whatsoever.
The mansion had already lit its underfloor heating early on, but Shen Lingyue still felt cold. Every day, she would wrap herself up like a ball and come to Yan Yi to warm herself by the fire, roasting sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and oranges...
"I heard that the Prince Chun's mansion has already submitted a memorial to change Xiao Chuyang to the heir apparent."
Shen Lingyue pulled out a roasted sweet potato, its skin still hot. She hissed and laughed as she worked her hands back and forth until she finally managed to tear it open, revealing the steaming, honey-dripping flesh inside. She quickly gave half of it to Yan Yi.
She took a big bite and continued, "But Prince Chun had no other choice. Given the disgusting things Xiao Chuwen did, it's a miracle that their Prince's Mansion was even able to survive."
Initiated and led by Princess Tong'an, the imperial clan was drastically reformed, causing quite a stir both in the court and among the common people. Xiao Chuwen and his cousins' "special fetishes" were also exposed, drawing countless curses and hatred.
Those members of the imperial clan who had been caught out were extremely dissatisfied with Princess Tong'an. They privately cursed her for meddling too much, and some even secretly organized their relatives to impeach her.
As a result, these young noblemen, who were usually adept at eating, drinking, and having fun, were completely lost when it came to writing memorials to the throne.
Besides, what could they possibly impeach Princess Tong'an for? —Your Majesty, please control your daughter and stop her from exposing our wrongdoings?
Even the most rigid and pedantic censors in the Censorate are now preoccupied with collecting evidence of illegal activities by members of the imperial clan, hoping to add another glorious achievement to their resumes.
"The princess's move was brilliant!"
Holding half a sweet potato, Shen Lingyue sighed with a look of rapture and admiration, "By hiding her ambitions under the guise of righteousness and clearing obstacles with the help of officials and the people, she can save a large sum of money from the national treasury every year. Won't it all be hers in the future?"
Yan Yi poured a cup of chrysanthemum tea for the two of them and said softly, "The identity of a princess is both a hindrance and a disguise."
Because she was a princess, because she was a woman, they wouldn't think, nor dared to think, that Princess Tong'an had already quietly stepped onto the arena of the imperial throne.
"By the way, Mother said that Princess Chunjun left the capital a few days ago with the former Crown Prince's wife to recuperate in the south."
Shen Lingyue eagerly shared the gossip: "I heard that Xiao Chuyang also followed his mother out of the city under the pretense of protecting her... Do you think he and his former wife still have a chance to rekindle their romance?"
"It should be fine," Yan Yi said uncertainly. "However, for the former princess consort, leaving the capital for a period of time is indeed a good thing."
Although Xiao Chuwen is dead, his infamy remains. As his widow, his former wife would inevitably face gossip and slander if she stayed in the capital. She had just suffered a miscarriage and was still weak; if she were to suffer from heartache as well, she would surely not be able to endure it.
Princess Chun probably knew about the affection between her son and her, which is why she took the initiative to take her away from the turbulent capital.
"Besides, Xiao Chuyang... may not have left the capital entirely for personal reasons."
Yan Yi watched the large golden chrysanthemums bobbing up and down in the cup, their petals unfurling, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"I suspect this is mostly an agreement he reached with Princess Tong'an. He must have other missions on his trip south."
Shen Lingyue realized what she meant and clapped her hands. "Oh right, I was thinking of telling you this before. Don't you think the female officials and guards in the princess's residence are a bit too capable?"
The captain of the guard was able to uncover Wu Qiong's true background in just a few days based on only the vague information obtained from Yan Yi's illusion. He even managed to obtain files on old local cases. His ability to gather and investigate intelligence was comparable to that of the old emperor's Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Even the maps in the princess's residence are more detailed and comprehensive than the Ministry of War's maps I saw in Pei Jingyi's study."
Yan Yi added: "Do you remember what Azhi said? This year, the female officials who went out to recruit students from Yunshao Girls' School have gone as far as Quanzhou and the northern desert. Rather than recruiting students, it's more like they are personally measuring every inch of the territory of Daye with their own feet."
As Yunshao Girls' School is established year by year and more and more students graduate, the school will continue to grow and become a powerful support for Princess Tongan.
"Your Highness is mighty!" Shen Lingyue clapped her hands, beaming with joy. "We had such good judgment! We bet on the final winner in one go!"
Hehe, she and Yan Yan can be considered to have gained merit by following the dragon's lead this time, right?
Just as she was contemplating how to reward those who had contributed to the cause, Si Xiang came to report: "Madam, the Bai family's New Year's gifts have arrived. This time, it's my in-laws, my uncle and aunt, who have come together."
"Please come in and talk to me." Yan Yi quickly stood up to greet him, and then pulled Shen Lingyue, "Your uncle is no stranger, come with me."
Soon, Bai Ruixuan and his wife Su Hui arrived together.
Su Hui is petite with a fair and delicate face. At first glance, she seems like a pampered young lady raised in a southern water town, but when she speaks, she has the bold and straightforward manner of a girl from the Northwest, just like a little chili pepper.
As soon as she entered the room, she stepped forward and took Yan Yi's hand, her eyes filled with undisguised joy.
“Last year, when your uncle came back from Beijing, he kept telling me how wonderful his niece was. Now I’ve finally seen it for myself.”
Su Hui didn't give Yan Yi a chance to speak at all, praising her from head to toe. Then she turned around and didn't even spare Shen Lingyue, "This must be the second young mistress, right? No wonder they say the feng shui of the capital is so good. If you came to our place, I guarantee that everyone on the street, young and old, would stare at you, thinking you're a fairy descended from heaven! It's a blessing from several lifetimes that our Yan Yi can be your sister-in-law. We couldn't be closer."
Even Shen Lingyue, who usually prides herself on being a socialite, blushed bright red from her straightforward praise, wishing she could dig a hole and bury herself.
Yan Yan's aunt is practically a social tyrant!
However, it was precisely Su Hui's unpretentious enthusiasm that instantly broke the awkwardness of the relatives meeting for the first time, making Yan Yi feel more naturally close to her, and she said gently, "Uncle and Aunt had a safe journey, right?"
Bai Ruixuan finally found a chance to interject, "Actually..."
Su Hui's single glance silenced him, but she turned back and laughed as if nothing had happened: "Smooth sailing, very smooth sailing. We're used to this route to the capital, and we just happened to run into an official's procession on his way to the capital. We looked after each other along the way, so what foolish thief would dare to mess with us?"
"That's good." Yan Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief. In this day and age, doing business is a mix of risks and opportunities, and anything can happen.
After they were seated, a maid brought in fresh tea and snacks. Su Hui then revealed her purpose: "Thanks to your matchmaking, our family has also had the opportunity to establish a relationship with Princess Tong'an. The day we received your letter, your maternal grandfather was so happy that he ate half a bowl of rice more. That's why he decided to have your uncle and me take advantage of this trip to the capital to deliver New Year's gifts, and then stay in the capital for the long term, serving as a link between the Bai family and the princess's residence."
Bai Ruixuan had no chance to interrupt his wife; he could only nod and say yes, yes, yes, his eyes filled with undisguised love for her.
Shen Lingyue sat to the side, secretly chuckling: It seems that Uncle Bai is also a henpecked husband.
Su Hui added, "Your two younger cousins are still young, and it's not good for them to travel in the winter. I'm afraid something might happen to them. We'll have them sent over next March, and they'll come to greet you, their older cousin, then."
Yan Yi readily agreed, "No problem, Auntie, please bring your younger cousins to visit often."
Su Hui then took her hand and teased, "Listen to this, our young master's wife speaks with such confidence."
Shen Lingyue immediately stated, "That's right, from now on, our second branch of the family will rely on our eldest brother and sister-in-law for our livelihood."
Su Hui smiled and gave her a couple of playful taps, "Second Young Madam, don't worry. The family knows you and Yan Yi have a good relationship, so naturally you'll get your share in this year's New Year's gift."
"Really? Thank you, Auntie!"
The atmosphere in the room became harmonious, filled with laughter and chatter, making it very lively.
Then Si Xiang reluctantly reported: "...The Zhou family sent their headmistress over, saying she wants to see the young master's wife."
Su Hui's face immediately fell, and she said bluntly, "I've seen beggars on the street, but I've never seen a beggar come knocking on my door."
Yan Yi looked at Bai Ruixuan, silently asking with her eyes what was going on.
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Bai Ruixuan said helplessly, "Actually, we ran into the Zhou family when we entered the city. They seemed to have been waiting there on purpose, and as soon as they saw us, they ordered me to deliver the New Year's gifts to the Zhou family..."
Then Su Hui, who jumped down from the carriage, gave him a thorough dressing-down and left in a sorry state.
Bai Ruixuan never expected that the Zhou family would be so brazen as to send people to the Marquis's residence.
The Bai family had been sending New Year's gifts to the Zhou family for twenty years in order to ensure that their daughter/sister's only remaining bloodline could live a better life. Most of the gifts were also prepared for Yan Yi.
Last year, Yan Yi married into the Pei family, so naturally the Bai family's New Year's gifts had to be sent to the Marquis's residence.
Could it be that because they didn't receive it last year, they sent people to wait at the city gate to intercept it early this year?
Shen Lingyue couldn't help but retort, "Hasn't your heartless stepmother gotten enough of taking advantage of you?"
Yan Yi's face also showed a hint of displeasure.
Ever since Pei Jingyi humiliated General Zhou and his son at the 100-day celebration of General Zhou's youngest son last year, the relationship between the Marquis's Mansion and the Zhou family has remained at a superficial level. They would exchange gifts during festivals, but they were treated the same as those families with whom they had little contact, and were incomparable to the Shen family, who were also related by marriage.
Yan Yi personally drafted the gift list, and Meng Wanyin even subtly asked her if the gifts were a bit too meager.
Yan Yi calmly told her that based on the amount of Bai family New Year's gifts that Lin Qiyu had embezzled over the past ten years, it would be enough for her to offset the loss even if she didn't send any gifts for the next twenty years.
The saying that a married woman's family is her strongest support does not apply to her and the Zhou family at all.
Yan Yi pressed down on Su Huize's hand, "Aunt, calm down. Let her come in and hear what she wants."
Si Xiang accepted the order and left. A short while later, she returned with the head maid who served Lin Qiyu.
She was haughty and only bowed to Yan Yi and Shen Lingyue, seemingly ignoring Bai Ruixuan and his wife sitting next to her.
"Young Miss, I..."
"How dare you speak to the young master's wife like that!" Shen Lingyue was the first to attack, slamming her hand on the table. "How does Madam Lin discipline the servants in the manor? They have no respect for elders and are completely out of line."
The head maid was furious but dared not show it. She clenched her fists and smiled apologetically, "It was just a slip of the tongue, please forgive me, Madam. It's just that Madam heard that her brother-in-law had come to the capital, so she specially sent me to invite you two to come to the mansion for a chat."
At this point, she seemed to finally look at Bai Ruixuan and Su Huize properly, and said with a forced smile, "Uncle Bai, how long do you plan to stay in the capital this time? The Bai family business has a few tax payments that haven't been settled yet. Madam heard about this and is worried about you. She was just about to discuss it with you."
Bai Ruixuan's expression changed.
The reason the Bai family agreed to let their eldest daughter marry Zhou Chuan with a large dowry was because he was related to the head of the Northwest Tax Bureau. The Bai family could use this marriage to their advantage and avoid trouble in doing business.
Later, Lin Qiyu married Zhou Chuan as his second wife. After learning about the Bai family's "weakness," she tried every means to arrange a marriage between her maternal relatives and the Northwest Provincial Administration Commission, so that she could firmly hold the Bai family, this fat sheep, in her hands.
Last year, the Bai family learned from Zhou Yanling, who had run away from home, that Yan Yi was not doing well in the Zhou family. The things they tried to send to the Zhou family were of no use to her. In a fit of anger, the old master Bai said that he would no longer send gifts or share profits with the Zhou family.
As for whether Zhou Chuan and Lin Qiyu will take the opportunity to make things difficult for them... as long as they do business honestly, behave themselves, and do not evade taxes, the Zhou family can't just find fault with them, right?
However, the Bai family underestimated the couple's lack of morality and realized that the word "official" was paramount. Even though the Bai family was wealthy and powerful in the Northwest, if the government wanted to cause trouble for them, they could find a way in and it would be impossible to guard against them.
The Bai family's business was not doing well that year; it was fraught with setbacks and they suffered considerable losses.
Some members of the collateral branch suggested why not ask Yan Yi for help, since she had already married the eldest son of the Marquis's family, and the Pei family could surely suppress the Zhou family, right?
The young man who said that got a severe scolding from Old Master Bai.
"Yan Yi has never received any benefits from our family since she was a child. How dare you say such a thing? Her family background is already a level below that of the second young mistress of the manor. If she has to ask the Marquis's manor for help even in her maternal family's business, how can she hold her head up in her husband's family?"
As the head of the family, Old Master Bai gave a strict order: anyone who dares to bring up troublesome business matters to Yan Yi should not blame him for punishing them according to family law.
The Bai family deliberately concealed the truth, and since there was little interaction between the Northwest and the capital, Yan Yi was unable to detect anything amiss for the entire year.
Just as the Bai family was discussing where to find a new backer and get rid of the Zhou family's parasitic exploitation, the letter Yan Yi sent was like a godsend.
Princess Tong'an, the eldest daughter most favored by His Majesty, actually wants to invest in the Bai family and go into business together, using the profits to support the daily operations of the Min'en Temple, which is used by the court to provide relief to orphans, widows, the elderly, and children.
What's the difference between this and having one foot in the ranks of imperial merchants?
No wonder Old Master Bai was so happy. He immediately packed up his youngest son's family and sent them to the capital. From now on, they would be at the beck and call of Princess Tong'an and Yan Yi.
...
"You scoundrel who relies on his master's power, don't you know who you are? How dare you threaten me?"
Su Hui then grabbed the lukewarm tea from the table and splashed it over, turning back to Yan Yi and saying, "Niece, borrow someone from your yard to help your aunt tie up this old shrew."
Yan Yi had just learned the whole story from Bai Ruixuan's whispered explanation, and she was both surprised and moved.
For her maternal grandfather whom she had never met, and for those relatives who couldn't bear to "hold her back".
Was it because her and Pei Jingyi's warning to the Zhou family not enough that Lin Qiyu felt she could still control a little stepdaughter?
Yan Yi nodded slightly, "Aunt, do whatever you want. Everyone in Jiu Si Courtyard is at your disposal."
He turned and instructed Si Xiang, "Prepare the carriage; we're going to the Zhou family."
If you want to settle accounts, then let's settle them one by one.
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