Chapter 258 Instigation
Pei Wuyan glanced through the booklet, his brows furrowed. "If this is exposed, I will also be implicated."
A cold light flashed in Zhao Jue's eyes. How could he not know that Pei Wuyan was unwilling to help him anymore because he saw that he had lost power.
He said nonchalantly, "This is Prince Yu's arrangement."
Pei Wuyan paused in pushing the booklet.
"Brother Pei, I have been expelled from my clan. Everything in the Duke's Mansion has nothing to do with me. There is really no need for me to target the eldest wife again."
Zhao Jue took out a few coins and placed them on the table. "Please consider this."
After saying this, Zhao Jue stood up and left.
Pei Wuyan stared at Zhao Jue's back with dark eyes until he disappeared in the teahouse. Only then did he withdraw his gaze and look at the booklet again.
Prince Yu is indeed hostile to the first wife, otherwise he would not have come to him.
Because he has a close relationship with Qin Yao and is a distant cousin of the old lady of the Duke's Mansion, he is very suitable to be a chess piece and lurk in the Duke's Mansion.
Every man has ambition, and he is no exception.
Not only did he need to gain the support of the Duke's Mansion's connections, he also had to climb up the big tree of Prince Yu.
Without much thought, he packed his bags and headed for Beijing.
He proposed to Zhao Wan because of the situation, and he was sincere to Qin Yao. After he became successful, he only loved and doted on her.
Before that, Qin Yao has to bear with it for a while.
Thinking of this, Pei Wuyan looked gloomy.
Ever since he asked Zhao Wan to go to Xiyuan to cover for the Second Madam, he lost the Old Madam's trust.
The old lady was taking a second look at Zhao Wan and was unwilling to marry her to him again.
Pei Wuyan was feeling depressed, so he put away the booklet and took a carriage to Qin's house.
The carriage stopped opposite the Qin Mansion. Pei Wuyan lifted the curtain and saw Qin Yao, Boss Qin, and Madam Qin getting out of the carriage.
Qin Yao noticed someone was looking at her, so she turned around and met Pei Wuyan's direct gaze.
She pursed her lips and said to Boss Qin and Madam Qin, "Dad and Mom, you go ahead and leave. I'm going to meet a business friend."
When Boss Qin heard that they were partners, he didn't say much.
Qin Yao stuffed the gift in her arms into the maidservant's hand, walked straight towards Pei Wuyan's carriage, and sat in it.
Pei Wuyan smiled and said, "Yaoyao, I thought you didn't want to see me again."
Qin Yao asked back, "I don't want to see you, can you not come to me?"
Pei Wuyan said without hesitation: "I can't do it."
Qin Yao looked at Pei Wuyan curiously, his peach blossom eyes filled with affection as he gazed at her tenderly.
Perhaps her words hurt him, and his face, which was always smiling, now revealed a hint of loneliness.
If it weren't for Sister Shen exposing his true face, she really couldn't tell with her level of skill that all this was just a disguise.
"That's true. If you did that, it means you're not sincere to me."
Qin Yao was a little proud, and she didn't know what she was thinking. She said with a gloomy face: "My father left me at home to find a son-in-law. Will your family agree to you being a son-in-law?"
Pei Wuyan's smile froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal.
When he was in Jiangnan, he wanted to marry her.
After arriving in Beijing, all he could give Qin Yao was the status of a concubine.
"Forget it. You come from a family of scholars, and scholars are all proud. Your parents will not allow you to be a son-in-law."
Qin Yao said with a sad face: "My father won't allow me to marry outside the family."
Pei Wuyan's heart moved: "Is this why you don't want to pay attention to me?"
"What else? There's no result anyway." Qin Yao said tangledly: "Unless Sister Shen is willing to help me."
Pei Wuyan's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a gentle voice, "Yaoyao, I am a scholar. In order to get to know you, I ignored my parents' opposition and went into business. I even used my hands, which were good at writing, to wash my hands and cook for you."
"My friends all say you're a lowly merchant girl and unworthy of me. I can't stand their disrespect for you and have stopped associating with them."
"I don't care about your background. I want to marry you, not your status. I am willing to go against my family for you."
Pei Wuyan said carefully: "Yaoyao, I hope you can be brave for me once."
Qin Yao was shocked. This man recounted all the things he had done for her, and at the same time, he did not forget to belittle and suppress her.
That would have been fine, but he actually encouraged her to confront her family.
She didn't know what it was like to love someone, but it was definitely not like Pei Wuyan.
At least he is a responsible person who will face it with her and get the approval of her family.
Pei Wuyan looked at Qin Yao with her head down, and she never responded to him.
"Yaoyao, no man likes his woman to be in the spotlight. You have an unrestrained personality and you have to run the family business. You are destined not to stay in the inner house to take care of your husband and children."
Pei Wuyan said tenderly, "I like the real you and will not restrict your freedom."
How could Qin Yao not understand what Pei Wuyan said?
It's just that no one can stand her except him.
Qin Yao seemed moved by him: "Ayan, I will convince my parents for you."
Pei Wuyan smiled: "Yaoyao, I won't let you down."
After a pause, he asked again: "How is your sister Shen?"
Qin Yao originally came to Beijing for Shen Qingtan, and Pei Wuyan also knew about this.
But Pei Wuyan lives in the Duke's Mansion. Would he not know Shen Qingtan's situation?
Now he is still pretending to be stupid in front of her.
She pondered and said, “Sister Shen is very good, but she is a little weird.”
Pei Wuyan asked calmly, "What's so strange about that?"
"I overheard her instructing her brother-in-law's men to keep a close eye on the Duke's Mansion until she returned."
Qin Yao was confused and said, "I remember that only the second branch of the Duke's Mansion and Sister Shen were at odds. They have already moved out. Who is Sister Shen still guarding against?"
Pei Wuyan looked at Qin Yao, who seemed innocent and naive, as if she was in Jiangnan and was completely unguarded against him.
After thinking about it, he realized that Shen Qingtan was guarding against him.
If there were people closely watching each room, he would definitely be exposed if he hid the account book in the main room.
A dark light flashed in his eyes, and he decided to go back and investigate. If what Qin Yao said was true, the account book could not be put back for the time being.
"I'm going back now. If I stay out too long, my parents will get suspicious. If they send someone to look for me and see us, a man and a woman, alone in a carriage, they'll probably think you're not a decent person and won't agree to let me marry you."
After Qin Yao said this, she hurriedly got off the carriage and left.
Pei Wuyan was about to get off the carriage to see Qin Yao off when he saw a letter fall from her body.
-
After leaving the teahouse, Zhao Jue returned to the Zhao family's home on Xingning Street. As soon as he entered, he saw Shen Mingzhu standing under the eaves waiting for him.
"Third Master, you're back." Shen Mingzhu came forward and said with a worried look on her face, "My father-in-law is back and asked me for money, but I don't have a single copper."
She touched her belly and said, "The baby is getting older. I need to buy clothes for him and find a wet nurse. Everything costs money."
Zhao Jue understood that Shen Mingzhu was waiting here to ask him for money.
He looked at Shen Mingzhu's belly with a frown.
Now the child is not even born yet and you are already spending money everywhere. What about after the child is born?
It is even a bottomless pit.
Zhao Jue frowned, took out his purse and gave it to Shen Mingzhu, then turned around to find Yue Niang.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
