Xiao Wen looked at the dishes on the table. The main dishes included Dongpo pork, braised lion's head, Buddha jumps over the wall, braised yellow eel, nine-turn large intestine, steamed sea bass, braised lobster, cold vegetables, ginseng chicken soup, and vegetarian dishes. There were a total of 18 dishes. The dishes on the table were delicious and mouth-watering. As far as she could remember, she could only enjoy such a treatment when she returned to the Marquis' Mansion during the Chinese New Year.
Compared to Mrs. Wen's sadness and jealousy, the old lady and Mrs. Wen, who used to live in the Marquis' Mansion, lived a luxurious life and were relatively calm. However, the gap after moving out of the Marquis' Mansion made them extremely envious and jealous, and this unbearable jealousy fueled their ambitions.
Everyone had different thoughts during the meal, but they finished the meal in peace. The maid cleaned up the room, served tea and snacks to everyone, and they sat and chatted.
"Brother, our Feng'er is not only the prince, but also a second-rank official. You see Yue'er has not even held any official position yet. Do you think you can arrange a job for him? The two brothers grew up together. I'm telling you, Yue'er is a child of character and talent. When he enters the court, our mansion will have more help, right?"
After talking for a long time, Pei Ninghuai finally told the purpose of his return to the Marquis' Mansion. He only said good things about Pei Lingyue, his character and talent? Xiao Yunrou looked at her second uncle's family with expectation and greed, and a hint of sarcasm appeared in her lowered beautiful eyes.
Marquis Zhenyuan drank his tea calmly, raised his eyelids and glanced at Pei Lingyue, only to see that his nephew had blue eyes. Although he looked good, the sinister look in his expression made him realize that his nephew had become a completely different person since he moved out of the Marquis' Mansion.
"It's not difficult to help Yue'er get a position. But Ling Yue is neither good at literature nor martial arts, so this position is very low."
Pei Ninghuai and Wen Shi were very unhappy to hear this. What did it mean that he was neither good at literature nor martial arts? The old lady was even more unhappy. In her eyes, Pei Lingyue was her treasure. How could she tolerate such a step-son who occupied her son's title talking about her precious grandson?
"What are you talking about!"
The old lady slammed the table in anger, startling Pei Yuanxuan, who was sitting next to Xiao Yunrou and playing with her younger brother, not to mention Pei Yuanjin, who was only four months old, stared with eyes wide open and buried his little face in Xiao Yunrou's arms, which made her heart broken. Others didn't notice it, but Pei Lingfeng, who was always paying attention to his wife and children, saw it, and his expressionless face became even colder. Even Zhenyuan Hou, who was used to his son emitting coldness at any time, turned his head to take a look.
"Yue'er is well-read in poetry and has a good character and talent. How many people in the capital city are better than Yue'er? He is your nephew, don't you wish him well?"
Marquis Zhenyuan glanced at the old lady indifferently, and with just this one glance, the old lady shut her mouth, which was about to scold Marquis Zhenyuan for being unfilial to his mother and not loving his nephew.
"So what position do mother and second brother want to give Yue'er?"
The old lady and Pei Ninghuai looked at each other and their smiles deepened. The old lady didn't care that she was just intimidated by Marquis Zhenyuan's gaze and spoke directly.
"I think the Ministry of Revenue is a good choice. I told my old sister the other day that there is a vacancy for the Minister of Revenue. Our Yue'er has a good status and good character, so this position is really suitable for him."
The old lady was very excited at the lucrative position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The more she thought about it, the better she felt the position was. She even imagined that when Pei Lingyue became the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, their whole family would be proud and respected.
"Feng'er is seventeen years old. He won the third place in literature and the first place in martial arts. He is the son of a marquis, but he can only get a fifth-rank military officer position. Yue'er has no official title. He can only get an official position for him because of the name of the Zhenyuan Marquisate! It is not easy for him to get an eighth-rank official position. A third-rank assistant minister? That position is a position that the emperor has appointed. Mother and my second brother are really daring. They are afraid that the emperor will suspect that I have abused my power for personal gain and seized the title of the Zhenyuan Marquisate. He will pluck my head and let mother and my second brother's family stay in the sky prison!"
I had long given up hope on the second branch of the Zhenyuan Marquis, but I didn't expect that after going through so many things, they became even more shameless and dared to covet the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?
Except for Zhuang, the daughter-in-law who had only been married for a year, who showed an incredible shock when she heard the old lady's words, and then showed a blatant contempt. Others were either indifferent or sarcastic. Xiao Yunrou lowered her eyes and gently patted Pei Yuanjin on the back. She was curious in her heart and wondered what confidence made the old lady say such a thing. Who doesn't know that the two houses almost quarreled for the title, and they only came back to eat during the holidays just for the sake of reputation. In the previous life, Pei Ninghuai didn't let Zhenyuanhou give Pei Lingyue an official position. After rebirth, Pei Ninghuai had the courage to say this? Xiao Yunrou thought about it and felt that Pei Ninghuai had lived a lazy life in his previous life, so he would probably be promoted to the second rank. At most, it would be like today, so she agreed to give him a minor official position of the seventh or eighth rank.
"My cousin is naturally a good person, but I don't know who was the one who fought for the most beautiful woman in the Red Sparrow Tower a few days ago and injured the brother-in-law of the Prince of Northern County. Second uncle, you should be careful. If my cousin really enters the officialdom, he might even parade around under the banner of our Marquisate. If all the money is divided out, it will bring discredit to our Marquisate, and destroy the achievements that my father has worked hard for many years in vain."
Pei Lingzhi and Pei Lingyue have been at odds with each other since childhood. As the only illegitimate son of Zhenyuan Marquis, his status in the mansion is actually similar to that of the second son Pei Lingyue. However, Pei Lingyue has the protection of the old lady, so Pei Lingzhi's situation is very embarrassing.
But at a time like this, Pei Lingzhi's words were not abrupt. Although it was not proper to interrupt the elders when they were talking, the masters of the Zhenyuan Marquis' Mansion felt relieved when they saw the ugly look on the second house's face.
"Pei Lingzhi, you little bastard! You are just a bastard, and you dare to shout like that! I will beat you to your knees and beg for mercy today!"
Pei Lingyue stood up angrily and wanted to punch Pei Lingzhi, but as soon as he raised his hand, he met Pei Lingfeng's icy gaze. His anger was extinguished instantly. He felt cold on his body and fell back into the chair with a bang.
“Nonsense!!”
The old lady was so angry after hearing the slander against her good grandson that she picked up a teacup and hit him. With the sound of the teacup breaking, and seeing Pei Lingyue who was frightened by Pei Lingfeng's eyes, the hatred in her heart went deeper into her bones. She wanted to teach him a lesson but her heart trembled when she saw Pei Lingfeng's cold look. She silently looked away and glared at Pei Lingzhi, but when she saw that he didn't feel guilty at all and was looking at her provocatively, she got so angry that she started coughing violently.
Shen naturally did not move, and gave Pei Lingzhi a rare very kind look. Only Wen hurriedly stepped forward to appease the old lady. She felt a little guilty in her heart, but her face showed an expression of having suffered a grievance and had to endure it.
After all, Pei Lingyue had really fought with the Beijun Prince's brother-in-law over a brothel girl. They lost money and took away most of the Wen family's savings over the years. She didn't dare tell the old lady about this, so as not to ruin Pei Lingyue's image in front of her.
"Mother, we all know that Yue'er is a good person. This family believes everything they hear. We can only do things according to their wishes. We would rather trust outsiders than Yue'er. Why are you angry?"
Shen was so infuriated by Wen's shameless face that she was about to speak, but was stopped by Zhenyuan Hou who patted his hand.
"That's all I have to say. If you want me to arrange an official position for Yue'er, it's not impossible, but it's just this once. If you don't want it, don't ask me for it again in the future, so that you don't get blamed by my sister-in-law for doing a good deed. Next time it happens, just ask the doorman to call you back."
Marquis Zhenyuan's words made everyone in the second house shudder. If the fact that they could not enter the marquis's mansion was known to outsiders, the only dignity they had left would be gone.
"It's great that Big Brother is willing to help. Although his official position is a bit low, our Yue'er is a capable person and will always be able to make a name for himself."
Pei Ninghuai came out at this moment and tried to smooth things over with an awkward smile. Although he was still dissatisfied with the fact that Pei Lingyue could only get a low-ranking official position, it was better than nothing. He could use the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion and would not be afraid of not being able to climb up.
Pei Ninghuai kept fiddling with his thoughts in his heart. The warm smile on his face and the gleam in his eyes from time to time made people feel annoyed.
"Feng'er, my wife, Yue'er will have to go on a mission, and he will have to rely on the women in the back house to deal with many of his social interactions. In the future, I'll have to trouble you to give your younger brother and sister-in-law more guidance. Susu, you don't know that your cousin's wife started to take care of household affairs at the age of eight. When she got married, she brought six shops on East Street as a dowry. They have been running well in recent years. You will soon be an official's wife, so you should learn from your sister-in-law."
Xiao Yunrou curled her lips slightly. Was Pei Ninghuai's words too obvious? It was just a second room that wanted to take her dowry?
As Xiao Wen thanked her with a big smile on her face, Xiao Yunrou slightly raised the corners of her lips, but when she looked closely, was there any smile at all on her face?
"My sister-in-law is only two years younger than me, so there is no way I can give her any advice. But if she needs any help, I will do my best and will not refuse."
Who doesn't know how to say something in public? But putting it into practice is another matter.
"Then I'll bother you, sister-in-law, from now on." Xiao Wen smiled gently, then glanced at Zhuang with a bit of pride.
"Brother and sister-in-law can come along too."
Zhuang smiled at Xiao Wen's condescending tone, raised her hand to hook the hair by her ear, and showed the finest ice-type floating flower bracelet on her wrist, which instantly attracted Xiao Wen's attention.
"I see my eldest sister-in-law every day, and I often visit her on weekdays. My eldest sister-in-law gives me a lot of advice. I am thankful that my mother allowed me to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting from a teacher since I was young, and I can chat with my eldest sister-in-law. My eldest sister-in-law also takes care of me a lot on weekdays, and my husband also has my eldest brother to supervise him. But my cousin's sister-in-law should not come to the Marquis' Mansion. I don't blame you for not knowing the truth."