initiative
Pei Jue had just returned to the mansion when he went to the small courtyard. When he arrived at the side hall, he found that there was no one in sight. He asked in a deep voice, "Where is everyone?"
Han Zhou was also taken aback for a moment, and after a brief silence, he spoke up: "At Shenshi, Tang Yun sent a message saying that Miss Qingrou had something to discuss with us. Now... could it be that something has delayed her?"
Just then, a servant was watering the flowerbed. Han Zhou went up to ask him what was going on and saw that the servant was very nervous and hurriedly told him what had just happened.
"Miss Qingrou did come just now, but she was called away by the old lady shortly afterward."
Hearing that he wanted something, Pei Jue waved his hand to dismiss the servant, then turned and headed towards the old lady's courtyard.
Lifting the bamboo curtain, an old woman took Pei Jue's clothes, and several lively voices came from inside.
When Grandma Pei saw Pei Jue arrive, she looked surprised. Her face was no longer as sickly as it had been a few days ago. She waved and smiled, "Huaiyuan, come quickly. Your younger brother is on leave from school today, and you haven't seen each other for several years. Come and see how this little rascal has grown."
Beside Old Madam Pei was a young man, barely twenty years old, with delicate features and medium build, a world apart from Pei Jue.
The moment the boy saw Pei Jue, he looked timid and showed no signs of his earlier tantrum.
Pei Jue did not see Mei Sheng inside the house. He frowned, but he could not leave immediately, so he nodded perfunctorily and said, "How could she not be good after growing up under her grandmother's care?"
Seeing Pei Jue's imposing aura and displeased expression, Pei Yan trembled involuntarily and stammered, "Big brother... hello big brother."
Grandma Pei chuckled, "Bao'er, how come your older brother is a fierce tiger or a ferocious beast?"
Pei Yan's face flushed red. She glanced at the man sitting upright in the cloud-patterned carved chair and forced a smile: "How could this be? How could this be?"
Facing this younger brother who was not a sibling and whom he hadn't seen for years, Pei Jue could only straighten his expression and ask calmly, "Well, how are your studies going, little brother?"
At this point, the lively atmosphere in the room suddenly quieted down. Pei Yan had just taken a sip of her cold tea when the question suddenly came to him, and he choked on the tea, so he coughed a few times.
Grandma Pei patted his back tenderly and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.
“Your younger brother studies diligently at the academy every day, so he can’t be wrong. But right now I’m worried about something else.”
Pei Jue followed up with her question, and the old lady Pei told her about the things that had been bothering her lately: "Your younger brother is now of marriageable age, but although there are many girls in Yanjing, it is hard to find one who suits his taste."
After speaking, she paused, looked at Pei Jue with a troubled expression, and said, "That's why I came to discuss this with you?"
Pei Jue's gaze fell on Old Madam Pei's face. He slowly picked up the licorice soup on the table and took a small sip: "Does my younger brother have a girl he likes?"
Grandma Pei paused slightly, then sighed, "Yes, there is, but this girl is already engaged, so I'm afraid she has no chance with Bao'er."
That's what she said, but Old Madam Pei still placed her hopeful gaze on Pei Jue, and thought to herself: "The second daughter of the Marquis of Duanyang's mansion and her betrothed are just a poor scholar who has just passed the imperial examination. I don't know how they chose each other. How could such a beautiful and dignified girl be betrothed so hastily?"
"Huaiyuan, do you have any ideas...?"
Pei Jue had already understood everything that was left unsaid; he simply hoped that Pei Jue would take the initiative to contact the Marquis of Duanyang's residence, hoping to abandon this marriage agreement and instead get engaged to his younger brother.
However, the Marquis of Duanyang's family had a deep relationship with the Fourth Prince, so he couldn't make things clear and could only shake his head: "Since the marriage agreement has been made, there's nothing that can be done."
"Oh, you've just returned home, go back and get some rest."
Pei Jue took the coat handed to him by the old woman and put it on. The ice basins placed on both sides of the room, along with the bamboo curtains, blew the air towards Pei Jue, extinguishing some of the summer heat and making it a little cooler.
As soon as Pei Jue left, Old Madam Pei burst into laughter from inside the house behind him, exclaiming, "You little rascal!" The two of them started joking and laughing again.
Han Zhou, who usually had a blank expression, couldn't help but feel a little uneasy and said in a low voice, "Master, your marriage is not settled yet."
In the prestigious families of Yanjing, which scion would take a concubine before securing a principal wife? Where is the dignity of the master? Even if the master has been away for many years, he should not have remained completely silent about his marriage.
These days, the old lady rarely inquires about the affairs in the courtyard. Although they speak intimately, they have not seen each other for many years, so their relationship is inevitably shallow. Moreover, the old lady has found a better place to focus her attention.
Pei Jue saw a bunch of crabapple blossoms by the roadside, their pink petals quite pleasing to the eye, and asked with a smile, "Do you think these flowers are growing well?"
Seeing that the master didn't seem to care about these things, Han Zhou felt a little relieved. He quickly glanced at the document and respectfully said, "If the master says it's good, then it's good."
"Um."
Pei Jue took a step and walked towards the edge of that delicate and pitiful flower.
The flower stood there gracefully, its skin as white as ice and jade, pure and flawless. However, it seemed a little lost in thought, and a few strands of sorrow lingered in its eyes, which inevitably evoked a sense of pity in the reader.
It wasn't until Tang Yun whispered a reminder that Mei Sheng realized someone was in front of her.
"uncle."
Mei Sheng looked up and then remembered to open the food box in her hand and hand it to him. She said in a soft voice, "Today I learned how to make mung bean cakes and lotus leaf dew from Tang Yun to cool off in the summer. If you don't mind, would you like to try them?"
Han Zhou stepped forward and took the food box.
It was hot, so the group returned to Pei Jue's courtyard. A lacquered wooden food box was placed on a pear wood table. It was time to serve the meal. After only a cup of tea, the small table was filled with exquisite dishes and delicate pastries.
Mei Sheng's dish of pastries and accompaniments was rather ordinary.
Mei Sheng raised her hand, picked up the ebony and ivory chopsticks, and placed some food from the jade dish into Pei Jue's bowl. In no time, Pei Jue's bowl was full.
Tang Yun chuckled behind her back, but Han Zhou pulled her out.
Pei Jue raised an eyebrow, first drinking the lotus leaf dew. The lotus fragrance soothed his throat, refreshing and invigorating. Then he looked up at the woman who was unusually attentive today and asked, unusually, "Why didn't you go back first? Did Grandmother need you for something?"
It's no wonder Pei Jue secretly guessed that this woman would never take the initiative to approach him, so she must have come here today to ask him for help with something.
Mei Sheng paused slightly as she picked up some food, speaking softly and gently: "The old lady only asked a few questions about the young master's affairs, but I knew nothing about it. The old lady then told me to leave first. It was a coincidence that I saw the young master entering the courtyard as I was leaving, so I thought I would wait for him."
The woman's hand paused, its white jade gleaming, captivating Pei Jue's gaze. He gasped, unable to look away.
Pei Jue remained noncommittal, looking at those hands, his mood improving, and he began to playfully engage with her: "You're quite clever."
The two chatted about other things for a while, and the atmosphere was peaceful.
When the conversation turned to how Mei Sheng's Green Lotus Leaf Dew looked today, Mei Sheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Does this intro suit Master's taste?"
Pei Jue nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on her lips. Her lips were red and her teeth white, and her small, lovely teeth made her lips look as if they had been painted with rouge, rivaling even the sunset he had just seen: "Not bad."
"My lord is always fair in his rewards and punishments. I wonder if there has been any reward?"
Pei Jue chuckled to himself. She had finally hit the nail on the head. But how could he so easily give in to her wishes after taking the initiative so often?
The clothes from that day must have arrived. Today she was wearing a green silk robe, which complemented the dew on the lotus leaves, making the summer day seem much less gloomy.
Yes, how could this color be confused with that of the crabapple blossoms? It's just that he only sees her in his heart and eyes.
Pei Jue sighed, "Of course there is."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mei Sheng's heart stirred. Through her observations over the past few days, she had come to realize that Pei Jue was not easily deceived and did not have the temperament to get into arguments with people.
Now that we've tried it, I don't know what he's thinking, but he must be in a good mood right now. So Mei Sheng lowered his head and said in a low voice, "There's a maid in the kitchen named Lingdang. She came with me last time to buy green plums for you. Now she wants to leave the manor. I wonder if you would allow her to take a job?"
After saying that, she hurriedly took out the purse and handed it to the table, saying carefully, "This is her money for redemption. I hope you will grant my request, sir."
Pei Jue wouldn't hold these trivial matters against Mei Sheng, but when the woman bent over, revealing a glimpse of her slender waist, Pei Jue's eyes lit up with envy.
"Is this why you came to see me today?" Pei Jue feigned anger, reaching out to pull the woman's hand closer. The moment he touched it, the soft, boneless, and delicate feel of her hand caused Pei Jue's throat to move slightly, and his voice gradually became hoarse.
With that sudden pull, Mei Sheng was right in front of him, her subtle fragrance wafting past where Pei Jue breathed, and her soft, graceful body seemed almost within reach.
Mei Sheng, feeling lost and helpless, pressed down on a hard object for support, feeling annoyed, when suddenly she felt a slight tug on her neck.
"What is this?" Pei Jue pulled out the jade pendant that was half-exposed. It was shaped like a plum blossom, with red threads wrapped around his fingers and her skin. Pei Jue couldn't help but be a little infatuated and moved closer and closer to her.
Mei Sheng ignored everything else, pulled the jade pendant back, and said calmly, "It's just a small gift from an elder in my family."
As he spoke, Mei Sheng looked up again and asked earnestly, "I wonder if you would be willing, sir?"
Seeing this, Pei Jue didn't ask any further questions. The jade pendant was of average quality, yet she valued it so much; it must have been a gift from her mother. Pei Jue pretended to ponder for a while before finally agreeing.
"good."
After Mei Sheng left, the servants went to clear the dishes off the table. It wasn't until they came across the mung bean cakes that Pei Jue spoke up: "Leave these."
Han Zhou entered and reported the letter from the south: "Xiao Yin wrote that there has been some trouble in the south again. He hopes that you will return as soon as possible to deal with it."
Pei Jue pressed his brow. The Emperor's apparent promotion was actually a demotion. He wondered what kind of power struggles would ensue when they set off for Wu County. Thinking of Wan'er's weak and vulnerable body, he feared that going south with her would be even more difficult. His gaze suddenly changed: "At the Autumn Banquet, that person should hand over the evidence."
"Yes, I will make the contact immediately."
Han Zhou turned around, then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Master, would you like some crabapple blossoms sent to the courtyard?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Jue twirled his fingers, his gaze shifting slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up: "No need." The flowers have already arrived in the courtyard, so why look for others?
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