He wants to divorce
Yixing's expression was as if he had seen a ghost in the dark night. Cheng Yayin and Lanyue were also stunned.
It was normal for a master to scold a servant, but this was unusual for Pei Songsheng. He had always been gentle and had never lost his temper with a servant. Who had committed such a serious mistake that he had to scold him even at night?
Lan Yue asked: "Who is the uncle scolding?"
"Butler Liu."
Cheng Yayin and Lanyue looked at each other and felt even more strange.
Butler Liu was no ordinary man. He had been with Imperial Tutor Pei for decades, having watched Pei Songsheng grow up since childhood. He was also a veteran steward in the Imperial Tutor's mansion. When Pei Songsheng opened his own mansion, Imperial Tutor Pei specifically sent him out to help the young couple with household chores. Not to mention the servants in the Pei Mansion, even Cheng Yayin had to show respect to him.
But Cheng Yayin immediately realized what was going on - Master Pei suddenly became angry tonight, and it turned out that it was this old servant who had filed the complaint.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yayin became a little restless. All the affairs of the Pei Mansion were handled by Butler Liu, and Pei Songsheng had always respected him. It would be a shame to blame this hardworking and meritorious old servant for a wife in name only.
She immediately got up and went to the main hall as Yixing had instructed.
The main hall was brightly lit, but there was no servant inside. Pei Songsheng was seen sitting at the head of the table, his expression unusually stern. A few steps in front of him was the housekeeper Liu, who still stood with dignity and respect, but his back was a little hunched.
The waiters had already been dismissed. It seemed that neither Pei Songsheng nor Butler Liu wanted this scene to be seen. Cheng Yayin didn't rush in, but quietly went over to stand in the corridor, listening intently to the movements inside.
Pei Songsheng said, "...If all you care about is paying attention to your mistress's every word and action, then I don't think you need to continue this job. Since you miss your father so much, I won't keep you here. Go back and continue serving your father."
Housekeeper Liu was shocked and said, "Master, are you going to kick me out of the house? Master, you have always been the most sensible. Why are you so confused after getting married? Whether it is the old master or the old servant, everything we do is for your sake. I hope you have a smooth life."
Pei Songsheng remained unmoved. "If you don't want to go back, the Pei family has several farms outside the capital. You won't have to worry about anything there. I will arrange for someone to take care of your daily life. You can rest assured and enjoy your retirement."
Butler Liu was about to say something else, but Pei Songsheng raised his hand to stop him, his tone unquestionable: "Taifu Mansion or outside the capital, you can choose any place. Don't worry, you have made great contributions to the Pei family, and neither place will treat you unfairly. However, I simply cannot tolerate someone who betrays the master here."
Butler Liu knew that Pei Songsheng had made up his mind and there was no point in saying anything more, so he had to leave dejectedly.
He had been facing away from the door, so he hadn't noticed Cheng Yayin, who had quietly come rushing over. As soon as he left, he bumped into her, who hadn't had time to avoid him. Both of them felt awkward. Cheng Yayin managed to keep her composure and nodded, but Butler Liu was so frustrated that he didn't even bother with etiquette. He barely raised his arm in a gesture of greeting and hurried off.
After he left, Pei Songsheng came over and asked Cheng Yayin why she was still not asleep, but he was in a depressed mood.
Cheng Yayin shook her head: "You shouldn't treat Butler Liu like this. He has been dedicated to his duties in the mansion over the years. Even though he is a little talkative now that he is older, it is because I really didn't do well, and he couldn't stand it."
Pei Songsheng: "It's not entirely for you. No family can tolerate a person who is multitasking."
Having said that, Butler Liu would not blame the young master he had seen grow up for being ruthless. He would only put all the blame on Cheng Yayin. This further confirmed her guilt of using sweet words to deceive her husband in the mind of Master Pei. The situation would probably be even more embarrassing when they meet in the future.
Pei Songsheng seemed to see through her thoughts, and his voice became softer, with a soothing tone: "You don't have to worry about your father. I have sent back the people he arranged. Any dissatisfaction or resentment he has will be borne by me, and I will not let what happened today happen again."
Cheng Yayin looked up at Pei Songsheng, speechless for a moment. They say couples are the closest or the most distant. Naturally, the distance between her and Pei Songsheng was far greater than that of ordinary couples. But if one were to describe them as "close," seeing each other day and night for the past three years, even though they rarely spoke, they had long since become ingrained in each other's lives. While they weren't exactly "close," they could certainly be described as "close."
Cheng Yayin was sure that Pei Songsheng was treating her sincerely, but she... she still had such a big thing in her heart that she hadn't told him. If this matter was exposed, it would affect the reputation of the Pei family.
She couldn't hang a sword over someone's head that could fall at any moment and then accept their kindness as if nothing had happened.
So when Pei Songsheng told her to rest early and turned to walk out, Cheng Yayin called him.
"Will you be free tomorrow?"
After she finished speaking, her face turned red, as if she was nervous, or as if she was annoyed by her impulsiveness. She dodged when she met Pei Songsheng's surprised gaze, but quickly looked away, waiting for his answer.
Pei Songsheng also came back to his senses, nodded and asked: "Is there a free time, but what's going on?"
"Nothing, I just want to take you somewhere... Don't ask where it is yet, you'll know when we get there tomorrow."
If Cheng Yayin knew what would happen that day, she would never take Pei Songsheng to Fanle Tower.
She should have turned around and left with Pei Songsheng when she saw the bright red in the private room.
Instead of fumbling to explain to him: "I swear, this really wasn't my plan!"
Fanlelou has always been doing a booming business, and it is even harder to get a seat on the day when "The Story of the Red Tassel" is being performed. The private rooms on the second floor have already been booked in advance by distinguished guests. Since Xia Changhuan was cooperating with Fanlelou in rehearsing the play, the boss specially reserved a room for her.
Cheng Yayin asked Yixing to go to Zhijin Bookstore early in the morning and told Xia Changhuan that she was going to take Pei Songsheng to Fanle Tower today. Since there was no time to make a reservation, she could borrow her private room.
She actually wanted to take the opportunity to confess to Pei Songsheng that she wrote the book anonymously, but it seemed too strange to say it out of the blue, and she couldn't immediately let him understand what she had written. After thinking about it, she decided to let him read it in person. Maybe by then he would be so impressed by her exquisite story that even the fact that the author was his wife would not be so shocking.
She hadn't explained the details to Xia Changhuan, wondering if she had misunderstood. When Yixing returned, she imitated Xia Changhuan's tone and repeated it to Cheng Yayin, "I understand. I'll arrange it."
Xia Changhuan: “?”
What did she understand?
It wasn't until she reached the door of the private room that she gasped and understood what Xia Changhuan meant by "arrangement".
In the private room, which was a meter wide, the walls on both sides were hung with red silk, and a huge red silk flower ball was hung in the middle of the main seat. In broad daylight, a pair of dragon and phoenix candles were lit on the table. At first glance, one would have thought that she and Pei Songsheng were going to spend their wedding night here.
The corner of Cheng Yayin's mouth twitched, and she subconsciously looked at Pei Songsheng beside her. His usually gentle and calm face also had a hint of freezing.
Could it be that Xia Changhuan thought that she had made a breakthrough and was going to propose to Pei Songsheng?
If Pei Songsheng misunderstood, it would be a big deal. Cheng Yayin gestured to Lanyue to clear away the fancy decorations inside while explaining incoherently to Pei Songsheng, "This wasn't arranged by me. I don't know why it happened. Maybe... the owner saw that I was a regular customer, so he wanted to put some thought into the decoration. I don't know why he was thinking, but he decorated it like a wedding hall..."
It didn't seem right to say that she was a regular at such a place of entertainment. Cheng Yayin was about to say something to smooth it over when Pei Songsheng walked in first and said calmly, "No problem, take a seat."
Seeing that he really didn't misunderstand, Cheng Yayin felt relieved and sat down next to him across a small table.
As soon as the two of them sat down, gongs and drums sounded below, and the show was about to begin.
Cheng Yayin chose this method as an introduction to her confession after careful consideration.
"The Story of the Red Tassel" tells the legendary story of a lowly slave girl who fought her way out of despair, rising from a general's wife to a heroic female general who fought to protect her country. This work, both in terms of style and purpose, is considered the finest work of Cheng Yayin's writing career. She also found great luck in the timing and the people, as during the writing of the play she encountered the renowned Nanyang actor Qu Xiaoyou. The harmonious interaction between the actor and the play was truly remarkable, surpassing even the most accomplished in Shengjing.
If we talk about showing off, there is nothing more suitable than this.
While watching the stage, Cheng Yayin quietly took care of Pei Songsheng from time to time.
His eyes were always on the stage, his expression showed no like or dislike, but he was very focused.
Even in such a bustling place, he was cool and handsome, with an aura of stillness and depth. Cheng Yayin was infected by him, and her heart calmed down. She stopped looking around and focused on watching the show, and gradually became fascinated.
Today's performance tells the story of Rong Yu, a slave girl who, upon her dream of marrying into the general's mansion, expected a life of happiness with her beloved. However, due to her lowly background, she faces contempt and ridicule in her husband's family. While her husband loves her dearly, he has no understanding of her ambitions. Trapped in the inner chambers, Rong Yu feels frustrated and frustrated, ultimately deciding to sever ties with her past and pursue her own aspirations.
The scene on the stage was about the young general who was unwilling to divorce and was trying hard to keep her. Although Rong Yu was reluctant to let go, she would rather sever her ties with him and break off the marriage to regain her freedom.
Qu Xiaoyou is indeed a renowned Nanyang actor. His interpretation of the character is so profound that it is as if the person in the book is possessed. The movement of slashing the robe with the sword is full of sonorous meaning. Without hesitation, he throws the corner of the robe into the air and sings resolutely: "My heart is sent to the geese returning south, not to the spring breeze."
The audience immediately burst into applause and cheers. Although Cheng Yayin was familiar with all the plots, she was also moved by Qu Xiaoyou's superb performance and couldn't help but feel excited.
She didn't notice Pei Songsheng's thoughtful look and the depressed and struggling eyes beside her.
Amidst the clamor, Pei Songsheng suddenly called out, "Cheng Yayin."
Cheng Yayin responded subconsciously at first, then turned to look at him in surprise.
This was the first time he called her so seriously, as if he had made up his mind.
Cheng Yayin looked at him in confusion, feeling a little uneasy for some reason. However, she couldn't tell anything from his expression. He still had no expression, and the lights and noise in the hall didn't affect him at all. Instead, he seemed even more lonely.
He didn't look at Cheng Yayin, but continued to stare at the stage. After a moment, he suddenly said:
"Let's get divorced."
Divorce?
The chessboard that Cheng Yayin had planned out in her mind was suddenly overturned by this sentence.
She had already thought about how she would confess to Pei Songsheng after watching the play that she wrote it and confess that she had been writing the storybook for the past three years. She also anticipated his various reactions - surprise, shock, helplessness... No matter how he reacted, she had thought of how to deal with it and even made plans for the worst.
Perhaps he ultimately couldn't accept that his wife was such an outlier, and couldn't accept that the Pei family's century-old reputation hung lightly on the tip of her pen, at risk of being shattered at any moment. That was easy, she could simply file for divorce, and from then on, they would have nothing to do with each other. Whatever she did wouldn't harm the Pei family, and they wouldn't bother each other anymore.
But she hasn't done anything yet, why is he asking for divorce first?
Cheng Yayin was thrown into disarray. She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was drowned out by the noisy crowd below. It turned out that the show was over, and everyone was leaving with a lingering feeling of unfulfilled desire.
So Cheng Yayin had no choice but to say to Pei Songsheng, "Let's talk about it when we get back." Then she got up and walked out.
Just as the party was about to end, the people from the private rooms began to pour out. Some of the more affluent guests had brought a dozen servants with them, and now they all crowded into the corridor, pushing and shoving to make way for their hosts. Fanyue Tower had only focused on making the private rooms grand and spacious, so the corridors were narrow, making it difficult for everyone to move, and the narrow corridor was a bit chaotic.
Cheng Yayin was preoccupied with her own thoughts and moved carelessly with the crowd, not even noticing that Lan Yue was squeezed away.
Why did Pei Songsheng suddenly bring up the idea of divorce? Did he already know about her book? Why hadn't he noticed any clues before? Or had he been wanting a divorce for a long time? Why did he choose today to bring it up? How would he explain it to his father once they actually divorced?
Her mind was in a state of confusion and she didn't notice the growing commotion behind her.
"Whose loser are you? You brought so many people to watch a show. Do you think this Fanle Building is owned by your family?"
"Why do you care how many people I bring? Fanlelou isn't yours anyway, so stop giving me orders."
"How dare you be rude to this young master?"
"What's wrong with being rude to you? I'm still a young master!"
The two men quarreled more and more fiercely, and there were more than a dozen servants surrounding each side, all of whom glared at each other with fists clenched and sleeves rolled up. It was unknown who started the fight first, and the two groups ignored the fact that there were more people on the ground and started pushing and shoving each other.
Cheng Yayin was brought back to her senses by the screams of those around her. She'd been squeezed to the edge of the corridor, her waist slamming against the railing. The pain was so intense she blacked out, barely managing to steady herself. As she saw stars, she felt a hand reach out from the crowd to grab her, but before it could reach her, a powerful force pushed her over the railing.
When her vision turned upside down, she heard countless screams and felt her body was suspended in the air and stretched. She saw Pei Songsheng rushing out of the crowd and grabbing her without hesitation.
But half of her body was already over the railing and she couldn't stop falling, so Pei Songsheng just hugged her and fell with her. He even turned over in mid-air and used his own body to bear all the impact.
There was a dull sound, and Cheng Yayin's whole body was protected in a warm embrace. He only heard a groan of pain, and then there was no sound.
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