Going to a meeting alone
The carriage stopped in front of Pei's mansion. When Cheng Yayin got off the carriage, she found that there was another carriage parked in front of the mansion, which belonged to the Taifu Mansion.
Jian Zhu stood nervously at the door. Seeing the two men return, he observed their expressions and said hesitantly, "The old man has been waiting in the mansion for a long time. He said he was waiting for the lady to come back. We should go see him immediately."
Cheng Yayin felt dizzy and felt that today was extremely long. She was like a serious criminal being tried one after another.
No matter how scared she was, she had to face it head-on. She sighed and was about to walk towards the central hall after entering the house, but Pei Songsheng grabbed her and turned her towards the inner courtyard. "You're very tired today, go back and rest."
"But my father-in-law..."
"I'll go see him, don't worry."
"No, I caused this trouble. I can't push you out to face it alone."
"Why are you saying that again? When did you get into trouble?" Pei Songsheng touched her head and said calmly, "Go back and have some rest. Leave everything to me."
His attitude was gentle but firm, so Cheng Yayin had no choice but to walk away, looking back every few steps.
After watching Cheng Yayin's back disappear, Pei Songsheng straightened his robe and walked to the main hall.
When they reached the central hall, Imperial Tutor Pei was sitting at the head of the table, having just put down his teacup. Seeing his son approach, he glanced behind him and snorted coldly, "This is the wife you knelt for three days to marry. She's done something shameful, and she doesn't even dare to confront me in person."
Pei Songsheng said calmly, "Writing is the expression of one's heart. It expresses one's feelings. How can it be ugly?"
Imperial Tutor Pei slammed his palm on the table, causing the tea to overflow from the cup, trembling in his angry voice. "I thought that although her family background was relatively low, she was at least the daughter of a great scholar, and would definitely be well-educated and well-mannered. I didn't expect her to do such a shameful thing. Where does the reputation of my Pei family stand? My Pei family absolutely cannot tolerate such a daughter-in-law. You must divorce her immediately, and I will find you a marriage of equal status. From now on, we will have no more dealings with the Cheng family!"
Pei Songsheng looked directly at his father, a sharp gleam in his eyes: "Never."
Imperial Tutor Pei was so angry that he picked up the teacup on the table and threw it at Pei Songsheng, "If you don't divorce me, I will not have a son like you!"
The tea splattered onto Pei Songsheng's clothes, leaving a large brown stain. He didn't try to hide or wipe it, letting the tea drip down his collar. He looked sternly at Grand Tutor Pei and said, "Father, please do as you please. I've been working in the officialdom for many years and no longer need your protection to gain a foothold. What I do and who I spend my life with are no longer dictated by you, father."
To the always arbitrary Master Pei, these words sounded like rebellion. He was so angry that his whole body was shaking, and the servants waiting outside the hall were so frightened that they dared not breathe.
Cheng Yayin was also nervous in the room.
She was so worried that as soon as she returned, she sent two maids to find out what was going on. They didn't dare get too close, so they stood outside the corridor and listened for a while. Then they ran back with pale faces, saying that the noise inside was so loud that the Grand Tutor was so angry that he seemed to want to tear the roof off the house.
Cheng Yayin became even more anxious when she heard this, but she didn't dare to go there rashly, so she could only wait anxiously in the room.
About an incense stick of time later, Lan Yue came back and said that Master Pei had gone back, but Pei Songsheng was still nowhere to be seen.
Cheng Yayin was worried that he and his father had a bad relationship and must be in a bad mood. This matter was also caused by her, so she couldn't just sit back and watch. Just as she was about to go out to look for him, he entered the inner courtyard first and was about to come to her room.
Cheng Yayin noticed that he had changed his clothes.
She had a rough idea of what had happened, and she felt incredibly guilty. When Pei Songsheng came up to her, she said with red eyes, "I'm sorry for making you get scolded by my father."
Pei Songsheng lowered his head to look into her eyes and smiled gently, "If you cry again, the swelling in your eyes will never heal."
Cheng Yayin rubbed her eyes, suppressing the soreness. "Is it worth it for you to have such a fight with your own father just for a woman like me who behaved ridiculously?"
"That's not ridiculous at all," Pei Songsheng said. "I actually think the current situation is great. Everyone knows that my wife is a talented and talented storyteller. I have so many people who envy me."
Cheng Yayin was amused: "What do you mean by envying you? It's more like making fun of you."
She smiled briefly, then her expression returned to its dejected state. "I'm serious. How about we just get a divorce?" She raised her eyes and looked at him bitterly. "Your Pei family is a century-old prestigious family. You can't ruin its reputation in my hands. Even if you don't think I did anything wrong, people outside will still humiliate you because of what I did. I've owed you so much, and I can't let you get hurt anymore."
Pei Songsheng felt a sudden pain in his heart: "What nonsense are you talking about."
"Didn't you say we're allies now? If we're allies, there's no reason to abandon each other," he said firmly. "You didn't leave me because of the danger I faced. I'll be by your side this time, too."
"Besides, you were implicated by me in this incident. This was the murderer's plan. As you said, if we abandon each other so easily, wouldn't that be exactly what he wants?"
Cheng Yayin had used these words not long ago to persuade Pei Songsheng who wanted to push her away. In just a few days, things had changed and she finally understood what he was feeling at the time. Like him, she also couldn't bear to implicate the other party.
Pei Songsheng, just like she did then, looked at her seriously and said, "A Zheng, we agreed that no one can abandon the other."
When Cheng Yayin said this, her original intention was to mean that allies should share hardships, but when he said it, it sounded like some kind of oath. Cheng Yayin's heart beat faster and she lowered her head somewhat unnaturally.
As she calmed down, she thought to herself that she really did look like a deserter. Leaving Pei Songsheng alone on the battlefield would be too disloyal, and she couldn't show her weakness in front of that unknown murderer.
After thinking about it, she nodded solemnly: "You are right. Let's not talk about you getting in trouble with me and me getting in trouble with you. We are all in the same boat, so we should stick together."
Another thought flashed through her mind, which she couldn't grasp, so she didn't say it out loud - they had to be in the same boat when there were dangerous currents ahead. If there was a calm day, she didn't know how long he and she would stay in the boat.
Pei Songsheng said that he would face it with her, but it would be better to say that he would stand in front of her and do his best to create a peaceful world for her amid the turbulent undercurrent.
Cheng Yayin's affair was a hot topic, and the servants in the mansion, all of whom were well-informed, were shocked and astonished. They had never imagined that the lady, who usually appeared elegant and quiet, was secretly writing erotic novels. They had never read the books, but misled by the increasingly bizarre rumors outside, they made her writings more and more disgusting. In the corners of the mansion's gardens and under the walls, servants often gossiped about her.
Pei Songsheng has always been lenient with his subordinates, but he used ruthless measures in this matter.
A strict order was issued, forbidding servants from discussing the matter behind their backs. Anyone who did so would be punished, at best, by the husband, and at worst, expelled from the mansion. After several previous incidents, no one dared to gossip behind people's backs anymore.
There were no rumors in the mansion, and Cheng Yayin stayed indoors all day long, refusing to let out visitors. She pretended that everything was normal behind closed doors, and her life was still bearable.
Although she couldn't help but feel upset when she thought about what people outside would say about her, and how those who once admired Song Lingjun were now using harsh words to disparage her, and even her book that once caused a sensation in Shengjing was criticized as worthless, and even those who had never read a word she wrote joined in the fun and criticized her.
Sometimes I wonder, what are the real values of the things she has written with so much effort over the past three years? Are they just arrows piercing her own body?
Although these worries never showed on her face, Lan Yue and Yi Xing had been with her since she was little, so how could they not notice them? Worried that she would get bored in the mansion, they spent the whole day trying to cheer her up, telling her trivial things that didn't matter, to distract her from the heavy things.
On this day, Yixing mentioned that all the restaurants and teahouses in Shengjing were holding poetry gatherings, and many talented scholars and writers rushed to attend, making it very lively.
Before she could finish her words, Lan Yue interrupted her harshly and sent her to do something else.
Yixing was confused, but seeing Lanyue and Cheng Yayin's expressions were off, she knew she must have said something wrong. It was already a turbulent time, and she had upset the young lady with her careless words. She felt extremely guilty and left with red eyes.
After Yixing left, Lanyue poured Cheng Yayin another cup of tea and said, "Yixing means well, Miss, don't blame her."
Cheng Yayin sighed: "We grew up together, how could I not know her personality? I know she is trying to make me happy, how can I blame her."
Yixing was unaware of the situation, but Cheng Yayin and Lanyue were aware. Shengjing had always been known for hosting poetry gatherings, where attendees would use poetry to reminisce about the past, recount events, or criticize current affairs. In short, whatever was most popular in Shengjing would be the theme of these gatherings.
The biggest rumor in Shengjing at the moment is that Cheng Yayin wrote a storybook under a pseudonym, which is bound to be widely reported at various poetry gatherings.
Cheng Yayin also knew those who liked to frequent various poetry gatherings to recite poems and write couplets. They were either descendants of prominent families who claimed to be talented, or pedantic literati who had failed in the imperial examinations many times. These people might not be first-rate poets, but they were definitely masters of satire and sarcasm.
Cheng Yayin could imagine how they would use harsh words to slander and ridicule her. If all the poems and essays targeting her during this period were compiled, they would probably catch up with the number of stories she had written in the past three years.
Never mind, there's no point in overthinking it. Anyway, those poems wouldn't reach her eyes, so she'd just treat them as barking dogs and cover her ears.
Lan Yue looked at Cheng Yayin's face and said hesitantly, "Actually, I had no intention of telling you, young lady, but since Yixing mentioned it, I think I'd better not hide it from you. You also know that my uncle is well-known for his talent. The young masters in Shengjing always invite him to the poetry gatherings, but he doesn't go often. But today, I saw Jian Zhu handing my uncle an invitation with the words 'Fenghe Poetry Gathering' written on it. My uncle... accepted it and asked Jian Zhu to prepare the car and get ready for the appointment."
Fenghe Poetry Gathering? Cheng Yayin raised her eyebrows in surprise.
This poetry gathering was very famous in Shengjing. It wasn't because of any widely circulated masterpieces, but because of the extraordinary status of its members. The leader and organizer was the Prince of Pingyang, and the others were all from distinguished families.
The descendants of these famous families were proud of their talents and felt that everyone in the world was foolish and no one could appreciate their talents, so they organized a poetry meeting to entertain themselves, which seemed quite impressive to outsiders.
However, as far as she knew, Pei Songsheng had always been pragmatic and didn't like to attend such occasions. At this moment, the poetry association handed him a note that was obviously intended to be a mockery. What should he do?
*
The Fenghe Poetry Festival was held at Taoranju, Shengjing's largest restaurant. The restaurant was built on the lakeshore, and a waterside pavilion had been reserved by the Prince of Pingyang for use as a venue for monthly gatherings.
The water pavilion is transparent on all sides and the scenery is open. It is the season when lotus flowers are in full bloom. The lotus flowers in the lake stand tall and graceful, and the breeze carries the lotus fragrance, which fits the image of the two words "wind lotus". All the clan princes present are in great interest.
In addition to the usual members of the poetry club, two extraordinary people also came today.
One was Liu Chang, the youngest son of Earl Zhongyi.
This man was a well-known playboy, completely uneducated. He had never been seen attending any poetry gatherings in Shengjing, and the Fenghe Poetry Gathering would not accept such a person. He came uninvited simply because of another person who came today - Pei Songsheng.
Pei Songsheng is often on the invitation list for poetry gatherings, but he has always declined the invitation in the past. Today is his first time attending the gathering.
Although everyone present came from a wealthy family, they themselves had mediocre abilities. Most of them relied on their fathers' merits to get insignificant and idle positions, so it was inevitable that they would be mean-spirited towards the real talents.
Pei Songsheng had repeatedly refused to attend the meeting. They had long thought in their hearts that he was arrogant and conceited, and it was rare to find his weakness. They decided to "take good care of" him and avenge their previous humiliation.
Everyone in the room had conflicts with Pei Songsheng, but when he stepped into the waterside pavilion, he was calm and composed, as if he had come here just to recite poems and compose couplets.
"Moxing is here." The Prince of Pingyang, who was sitting at the main table, smiled like a spring breeze and arranged for servants to serve him tea. "It's a rare sight to have you here. Your literary talent is well known. You must leave a few more masterpieces today, otherwise I won't let you go easily."
Pei Songsheng thanked the prince for his hospitality in a calm voice and said nothing else.
Others were not as good as the Prince of Pingyang in terms of appearance. Ever since Pei Songsheng appeared, everyone's eyes had never left him. Seeing that he was as calm as before, they were all flashing with suspicion and dissatisfaction. Their eyes were as sharp as knives, as if they couldn't wait to peel off his calm skin and see how frustrated and ashamed he was inside.
The Prince of Pingyang, always smiling but with a dagger hidden in his heart, arranged a seat for Pei Songsheng directly across from Liu Chang. Seeing Pei Songsheng take his seat with a normal expression, the people around him looked at the two people who had always had a grudge against each other and all showed expressions of anticipation.
As expected, as soon as Pei Songsheng sat down, Liu Chang across from him sneered, "You've got so much time and effort. If I were you, with such a rebellious wife, I'd become the laughing stock of the whole city. I wouldn't dare show my face in public. I'd just find a pillar and bang my head against it and die."
Liu Chang lived up to everyone's expectations. The curious people were secretly excited and looked at Pei Songsheng, waiting to see how he would respond.
Pei Songsheng's expression remained calm. He took a sip of tea with a calm gaze and said calmly, "Young Master Liu San is as thick-skinned as a city wall. I'm afraid he'll need to find the Dinghai Magic Needle in the Dragon Palace to kill himself."
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