Chapter 128 Serving Tea
After leaving Wenxin Pavilion, Pei Yanzhi turned his head to look at her, his gaze lingering on her face.
Perhaps due to nervousness, her watery eyes became even calmer. On her first day as a bride, Ji Shu wore a double-layered, wide-sleeved blouse embroidered with dark floral patterns and gold thread, with a light gauze shawl over it.
To signify her status, she wore a necklace with gold and jade ornaments hanging from her waist.
This elaborate attire was so different from her usual simple and plain appearance, yet it made her face appear even more ethereal, as if she were meant to be enshrined in a celestial palace, untouched by worldly dust.
Ji Shu, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. Seeing him pause slightly, she stopped as well and asked softly, "Lord Marquis?"
Pei Yanzhi held her hand, looking at her intently: "Don't be nervous, I'm here with you."
Seeing this, Chunzhi and Lian'er behind them secretly smiled.
Ji Shu blushed; she was indeed a little nervous, as anyone would feel embarrassed the first time.
He led her by the hand to the main courtyard of the front hall.
The courtyard was now packed with Pei family members—it was the first time the matriarch of Yanzhou had made her debut, and almost the entire clan was present.
Before long, everyone saw the imposing Marquis Yan walking ahead, wearing a jade crown, his lips slightly pursed, looking very dignified.
The slender woman following behind him was his bride.
All eyes were on the person behind Yan Hou. Pei Yanzhi whispered a reminder: "There's a threshold, watch your step."
Ji Shu looked up and saw that the hall was spacious and full of people. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she only responded softly.
But when the person behind her revealed their face, Song Yunshu, who was sitting in the chair, froze and stared intently at Ji Shu.
She whispered almost inaudibly, "How could it be... how could it be her?" Lost in thought, she accidentally knocked over the teacup beside her, splashing scalding tea that made her cry out in pain.
All eyes in the room immediately shifted from the bride to Song Yunshu.
Madam Pei, seated at the head of the table, looked at her with piercing eyes and asked, "Second son's wife, what's wrong?"
Song Yunshu suppressed the turmoil in her heart and shrank back slightly. "Mother, I was intimidated by my sister-in-law's glory, which is why I spilled the tea. I hope my brother will not take offense."
Madam Pei nodded slightly, while Pei Yanzhi merely glanced at her indifferently without saying anything more.
"Mother, please have some tea."
After drinking the tea offered by the newlyweds, Madam Pei presented the gifts she had prepared earlier.
Seeing the undisguised satisfaction in Ji Shu's eyes, she stood up and patted Ji Shu's hand, "If this brat does anything wrong, he can tell his mother directly in the future."
"I'll personally teach him a lesson for you!"
Everyone was shocked, never expecting that the old lady valued this new bride so much.
Originally, each family had their own plans regarding the Marquis of Yan's marriage, intending to take the opportunity to send people into the Marquis's inner quarters.
Seeing the bride's exceptional beauty, it seemed impossible to find someone comparable to her. For a moment, everyone suppressed their thoughts and remained silent.
Everyone was surprised, not expecting the old lady to value the new wife so much. They each had their own thoughts about the Marquis of Yan's marriage.
Now, the Marquis of Yan is no longer as indifferent to women as before. As the future ruler of the world, everyone wants to use their own means to put someone into the Marquis of Yan's harem.
Afterwards, Pei Yanzhi led Ji Shu to meet the clan members one by one. As the lord of Yanzhou, he was of noble status and Ji Shu did not need to do much to greet him; a slight nod was sufficient.
Just after Ji Shu took her seat, Pei Song led Song Yunshu to stand up and bow to Ji Shu.
Pei Song bowed and said, "Sister-in-law!"
Even though Song Yunshu was extremely unwilling, she had no choice but to speak up at this moment: "Sister-in-law."
Ji Shu looked up and saw Song Yunshu staring straight at her from across the room, her eyes filled with barely perceptible jealousy.
When she looked over again, Song Yunshu was already talking to the maid beside her, as if she had misread the look she had just received.
During the meal, a distant uncle suddenly asked, "Why isn't the young master here today? It's such an important day."
Ji Shu paused in her teacup, then calmly put it down. Pei Yanzhi suddenly spoke up: "I sent him out to gain experience, and he should be back soon."
...
After leaving the front yard, Ji Shu finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, while Pei Yanzhi stayed behind to entertain the clan members.
Madam Pei noticed that she seemed tired and knew that she might not have slept well last night, so she let her go back to her courtyard to rest early. She never liked to make her daughter-in-law suffer.
Dalang's life has been too bumpy. He finally has someone who cares about him and understands him. How could she, as his mother, deliberately make things difficult for her daughter-in-law and put her son in a difficult position?
Looking at Ji Shu's back, and then at her eldest son, whose clothes were clearly different from usual, she was momentarily stunned, wondering how long it had been since she had seen her eldest son so happy.
Back at Wenxin Pavilion, Ji Shu sat on a stool and let Chunzhi remove the hairpins and ornaments from her head.
Knowing that the young lady hadn't eaten much that morning, he said softly, "Would you like to eat something before you go to sleep?"
Ji Shu shook her head. "I'm so sleepy right now. Let me get some sleep first."
After washing her face, Ji Shu took off her heavy fine clothes, turned over and lay down in bed. Chunzhi closed the door and left.
After returning to the courtyard, Song Yunshu threw a huge tantrum. She never imagined that the person her elder brother had married would be her.
It turned out that her mother had been making preparations for half a month. When she learned that her eldest brother was getting married, she was furious, but knowing her own status, she dared not do anything out of line.
Having finally managed to drive Ji Shu away, now his elder brother is getting married again.
Today's meeting clearly reveals that it was a scheme set up by that mother and son long ago—what about being expelled from the mansion, what about the daughter of a minor official?
It's quite a lie they concocted, just to make Ji Shu's marriage into the Pei family legitimate. It was a lie they made up to make Ji Shu's marriage into the Pei family legitimate.
Seeing Song's mad appearance, Miaoyin lowered her eyes to hide the mockery in them, and added fuel to the fire with her words: "This servant sees how much the Lord dotes on that woman. If she were to give birth to another child in time, the entire Pei family would be hers."
Song Yunshu turned to look at her and smiled coldly: "So what if she marries in? Everyone in the manor knows that she has been having an affair with my elder brother for a long time. Her words are nothing but self-deception on my elder brother's and mother's part."
"Tell me, if I were to spread these things, Ji Shu would be drowned in spit sooner or later..."
Miao Yin felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the malice in Song Yunshu's eyes.
"Did you make any progress with the investigation you did the other day?"
Miaoyin said in a low voice, "I reckon we'll get a reply in the next few days."
Song Yunshu smiled coldly. She didn't believe that Ji Shu could have any innocent background. She was probably already a fallen woman, but her elder brother still cherished her like a precious jewel.
Pei Yanzhi finished her social engagements and returned to Wenxin Pavilion in the late afternoon, where she found her two personal maids waiting at the door.
"Where is Madam?"
Chunzhi replied respectfully, "Madam is still taking a nap."
"Um—you may all leave."
The two exchanged a glance and then quietly withdrew.
Pushing open the door, Pei Yanzhi stepped inside. Wisps of smoke still lingered in the room, and a delicate fragrance wafted over. The furnishings had been completely renovated and were no longer the same as before.
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