Chapter 46 Chapter 46 The Second Young Master is Back
This journey lasted for more than half a year. The bitter cold in the military camp made people become darker and thinner. When Pei Huaishen rode a tall horse and stopped at the gate of Pei Mansion, it seemed like a previous life.
Hearing that he was returning home today, the old lady, Mrs. Pei, Chen, Pei Lanying, Pei Ren, as well as Nanny Zhao and Qiuzhu were all waiting in Chunhui Hall, eagerly waiting for him.
Seeing her son, who had never been in the world of ordinary life but was now so weathered, Madam Pei's heart ached. She touched his dark, thin face and said, "Don't go to the battlefield anymore. Stay in Shangjing and ask your father and elder brother to find you an official position. It won't be difficult for a son of our Pei family to rise to prominence."
"Mother, what I want to do is to be a good man who can stand on his own feet. How can I rely on my family for everything?" Pei Huaishen smiled, revealing his white teeth, and said casually.
He looked at the girl at the edge and felt unfamiliar. He thought for a moment, "Lan Ying is back. How are Third Uncle and Third Aunt? Didn't they come to the capital with you?"
Pei Lanying was the daughter of the third master of the Pei family. She had been raised in Yongzhou with her father since she was a child, and only came to the capital to pay her respects during the New Year holidays. She stepped forward and greeted him, "My father and mother are stationed in Yongzhou and can't leave, so they asked me to come to the capital to visit my grandmother, my two uncles, and my brothers and sisters."
Although the Third Master wasn't the Madam's legitimate son, he was a responsible man. He had served as an official for many years and had a good reputation, never causing any trouble. Pei Lanying was also a relaxed person, and having spent the past few days at the Madam's side, she had developed a close bond.
Moreover, there has been no young woman in the Pei Mansion for a long time since Pei Lanyi got married.
The old lady took her hand and said in a hoarse voice with a little more kindness, "Lan Ying has also reached the age of marriage. Your third uncle asked her to come here now because he wants us to find a good family for her."
Everyone smiled with their hands covering their lips. Since there were no outsiders here, it was fine to discuss their children's marriages. Pei Lanying was a little shy and whispered, "Grandma."
"What the old lady said is right. Yongzhou is on the border, and the men there are more or less wild. In terms of character, appearance and education, they can't compare with those in the capital. Look at the girls of our Pei family, they are all as beautiful as water. It's a pity for my third brother and his wife's painstaking efforts as parents."
Chen had barely finished speaking when she thought of her poor daughter in the East Palace. She sighed, "The Crown Princess has had miscarriages for months now and hasn't been able to conceive again. My bird's nests and herbs, which I send every day, are of no use."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the beautiful Pei Lanying's face, and his eyes lit up for a moment.
The old lady looked at her and coughed. Chen swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth and fell silent.
Some things cannot be said in front of the younger generation. Madam Pei understood this, but was also afraid that Pei Lanying would become suspicious: "Huai Shen, you have many friends outside, so please help your sister stay alert.
"Mother, why don't you leave such an important matter to your eldest brother? He is a powerful figure and knows many people."
She had just said it casually, but her silly son took it so seriously. Mrs. Pei gave him a look of disapproval: "Your eldest brother is already busy with official duties, so who has the time to take care of this?"
There was no sign of Lu Suizhu among the crowd. After greeting the elders at home, Pei Huaishen finally couldn't contain himself and looked at Zhao Ma and Qiu Zhu and asked, "Where is she?"
No one responded, and the old lady's face darkened. Chunmei, who was beside Mrs. Pei, pulled him, but he ignored her.
When Aunt Zhao thought of the poor girl, her heart ached: "She had a miserable life. She died before the Second Young Master came back."
Aunt Zhao said that the person was burned to the point that not even a bone was left, not even a complete corpse was left, let alone an inscription or a monument.
Pei Huaishen stood in her yard for a long time, lamenting that Suizhu was so beautiful but had such a tragic life.
He sent Madam Zhao to pick up two pieces of clothing, then went to the backyard with his sword in hand. He dug a pit about a foot deep and buried the clothes, just as a tomb for the poor woman.
Suizhu was an orphan, he remembered.
At night, Pei Huaishen came to see Pei Zhiji. There were no sentimental words of comfort between brothers. Pei Zhiji just said, "Just come back safely."
"Brother, I encountered numerous ambushes on my way back to the capital this time, and I narrowly escaped death. The worst ambush left me trapped in a cave for three days and three nights. I thought I was going to die, with a long knife only two inches away from my head. Suddenly, a group of highly skilled martial artists appeared and saved me."
This matter puzzled Pei Huaishen for a long time. If he was really a member of the Pei family, why didn't anyone say anything? If not, why didn't they save him without leaving their names?
"Do you know the origins of the people who ambushed you?"
"They are dressed like enemies, but their moves don't look like theirs, and I don't know their exact origins."
Pei Zhiji felt tired and said, "You should go out less recently. Don't go into the palace unless summoned. No matter what happens, stay away."
"As for Lanying's marriage, choose a poor scholar with no connections in the court. Don't get involved with the royal family. Go and tell your mother and grandmother about this. They'll listen to you."
He was still young when his eldest sister got married. He watched her jump into the fire pit and was powerless to do anything. He regrets it to this day, but it is too late.
*
Pei Lanying, dressed in men's clothing, tried to avoid being seen. She hesitated, "Second brother, isn't it inappropriate for us to meet a stranger in private?"
She grew up in Yongzhou and prided herself on being the worst behaved in the Pei family. However, she never expected her second brother to be even more unruly than her.
"My eldest brother said that your marriage must be chosen from a poor family. Grandmother and mother will definitely not approve of such a poor family, so we will pick a good one first. You just pretend to be a servant, and my second brother will take you to see the bride."
Pei Lanying smiled bitterly and nodded, still remembering what her father had told her before he left: If you encounter anything difficult to decide, just listen to your eldest brother, he is a sensible man.
From time to time, neighbors would bring things to congratulate Shen Wenjian, and matchmakers would also come to propose marriage. He was too busy to deal with them and had little time to spare.
To this day, I still don’t understand why a high-ranking official like Minister Pei came all the way to congratulate me.
When he saw his sister taking the piano out early this morning, he vaguely remembered what she said when she was drunk, and it seemed more and more wrong.
"You're not going to play the piano for... the Queen Mother, are you?"
Lu Suizhu nodded: "Yes."
Even if yesterday's drunken talk was just nonsense, today both of them were clear-eyed and clear-eared. Shen Wenjian was dumbfounded and speechless for a moment, his shock was beyond words: "Sister, when did you get close to the Queen Mother? How come I didn't know?"
"My brother didn't ask me."
After saying this, Lu Suizhu left. The empress dowager slept little at night, and she would sometimes walk into the palace in the morning dew.
Shen Wenjian was in a mess, feeling that more and more strange things had happened recently.
First, my cousin said goodbye in a hurry, looking disappointed when he left, then Minister Pei came uninvited, and now my sister went to play the piano for the Queen Mother.
By noon he was still a little absent-minded. When someone knocked on the door again, he thought it was just an ordinary neighbor.
At first glance, the man has an extraordinary demeanor and an upright posture. He looks like a military general, and behind him is a handsome man... probably a "servant".
"I heard that Brother Shen passed the college entrance examination, so I came to congratulate him." Pei Huaishen also had some understanding of human nature and had a small gift in his hand.
Shen Wenjian invited the two of them in for tea. After a few words, he realized that he was the second son of the Pei family. He was pounding in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. "So it's General Pei who's here to visit. I apologize for my rudeness."
After a round of greetings in the study, Pei Huaishen talked about the family members, health, poetry, songs, and then the troops on the battlefield, and talked about his heroic spirit.
Shen Wenjian felt that he was testing his bottom line step by step, and he couldn't help but guess in his heart: The Pei family members came to visit one after another, could it be that they wanted to win over the poor and accumulate strength to support the prince to ascend the throne.
Pei Lanying felt very bored and had already sneaked away. Her second brother had taken her to visit four households, and she had really had enough.
Seeing a fine piano placed in the yard, she felt itchy and sat down on the flat wooden stool, recalling the songs her father had taught her to play.
After watching for a long time outside the yard, and seeing the little girl's expression, he knew at a glance that she was a girl.
Lu Suizhu approached lightly and placed her hand on her fingertips. Her habit of being a teacher came back: "You need to be gentle when you rub this area to create a graceful and lingering feeling. You can try it yourself, young lady."
The sound produced was indeed gentle and melodious, more in line with the emotions expressed in the score. Pei Lanying happily pulled her aside and asked her to play it again.
Lu Suizhu obeyed everything.
"Sister, you play the piano so well. I wonder which master you learned from." Pei Lanying's eyes sparkled.
"My master travels extensively, unconstrained by worldly concerns, and is hardly considered a famous scholar."
Pei Huaishen had lived in the military camp for a long time and had not discussed scriptures and philosophy with scholars for a long time. They were having such a pleasant conversation that he forgot the purpose of his trip. When he remembered, Pei Lanying was nowhere to be found.
The sound of a zither played in the courtyard, flowing freely and fluently. Pei Huaishen felt that it sounded familiar. He went out with Shen Wenjian. Shen Wenjian pointed at the pink-dressed woman in the courtyard and said, "My sister is quite accomplished in playing the zither. Is General Pei's sister also a good zither player?"
Seeing the smiling woman beside Pei Lanying, Pei Huaishen was confused for a moment.
He strode across the threshold and stood before Lu Suizhu, still dazed, his eyes twitching slightly: "The girl looks a lot like an old friend of mine."
Shen Wenjian followed closely behind him. Seeing Pei Huaishen's gentlemanly appearance, yet his words were so frivolous, he said, "General Pei, please..."
"Second Young Master, can we talk alone?" Lu Suizhu pursed her lips, with a pleading look in her eyes.
“…Heavy” Shen Wenjian shut up awkwardly.
The sweet aroma of the bubbling meat and mushroom soup overwhelmed the anxiety in Lu Suizhu's heart. She was in public every day and her identity could not be concealed for long. Rather than letting the misunderstanding deepen, it would be better to explain it clearly.
"sorry."
It was Pei Huaishen who spoke first: "I brought you back but failed to protect you. It must have been very difficult for you to survive.
"Second Young Master, I'm sorry for you. Actually, nothing happened between us that night. I was the one who lied to you."
The woman's soft voice struck Pei Huaishen like lightning. He clenched his fist and knocked it against his forehead, sighing, "I knew I couldn't be that stupid."
"Never mind, the past is over. No matter what, you saved my brother's life. I will always remember this favor. How about this? I'll take you as my adopted sister, and those things from the past can be put behind us."
"I think it's okay! This Miss Shen is beautiful and smart, and she even saved my eldest brother's life. I'll accept her as my sister first."
Pei Lanying was delighted and timidly took Lu Suizhu's hand: "I'm new here in the capital and don't have any friends. It just so happens that we hit it off right away, sister. Please agree to my request."
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