Li Wan deliberated for a moment before deciding to get straight to the point. "Your son has someone he fancies."
"I thought it was something serious." Seeing his wife so candid, Pei Qing felt deeply comforted. He smiled and nodded. "And then?"
Seeing how agreeable he was tonight, Li Wan's taut nerves relaxed slightly, and her tone grew lighter. Because she was more at ease, her body unconsciously leaned closer to his. "Husband, do you care about family standing?"
Pei Qing glanced at his wife without changing his expression, legs stretched out flat, letting her climb onto him.
"What do you mean?" He pretended not to understand her implication.
Li Wan furrowed her brows slightly and said in a low voice, "Yan'er has taken a liking to a young lady—she's the daughter of the Director of the Imperial Academy."
"The family standing is indeed a bit lacking. I recall they have several daughters—I wonder which one Pei Yan has his eye on?" Pei Qing tapped the wine vessel with his long, slender fingers and asked with a smile.
Li Wan: "Their second daughter."
Pei Qing raised an eyebrow, his expression deepening slightly. "If I remember correctly, Director Xu of the Imperial Academy and his wife have only one son."
"Miss Xu the Second is a concubine-born daughter."
It's probably not just that she's concubine-born…
A hint of anger had already appeared in Pei Qing's eyes—not because of his son's lack of judgment, but because the boy had once again forgotten his words. He didn't want his wife to worry over such trivial matters.
His tone turned slightly cool as he tilted his head back and drank another cup of fine wine. "He's quite accomplished, isn't he."
"Yan'er has never been interested in women before. It's rare to see him like a girl, so I can't bear to refuse him." Li Wan's lashes fluttered like little fans, her bright apricot eyes fixed on the man. "Surely you feel the same, husband?"
When it came to matters concerning their children, his wife was never careless—but she was wrong about one thing. For her, he had endless patience and tolerance, and he would never refuse any of her pleas. But for his son, he had no such reluctance.
Especially since he had already warned the boy not to trouble his mother with matters of his marriage—and yet he still came running to her. A cold glint flashed through Pei Qing's narrow phoenix eyes.
But before his wife, he remained a considerate and attentive husband. The smile at the corners of his lips was gentle, his tone slightly lifted. "That's not necessarily true."
So his attitude was one of refusal…
Li Wan felt a flash of irritation, her body unconsciously retreating several inches. "Then what would it take for you to agree to Yan'er's marriage with Miss Xu?"
"Wanwan is getting anxious again." Seeing her move away from him, Pei Qing sat up as well and reasoned with her patiently. "Our Yongkang Marquis Manor may not be among the top noble houses, but we have a century of heritage behind us. How could Yan'er's marriage be decided so casually? We must at least examine the young lady's character."
Hearing that there might still be a chance, Li Wan quickly grabbed his sleeve and said that if the girl's character proved to be without fault, would he then agree?
"Having a mother like Wanwan is a blessing for both of our children." Taking in his wife's expression, Pei Qing smiled softly and began to guide her gently. "Whatever Wanwan wants from her husband, she can come and take it herself."
Li Wan didn't quite understand. She looked up and met the man's deep, faintly predatory gaze.
Her expression froze for a moment, and she lightly bit her lip. "What do you want me to do, husband?"
Pei Qing's expression grew even deeper, like thick ink. He leaned back slightly, like a languid young nobleman, and his cool, stern voice came out like a command. "Kiss me."
At this moment, the distance between them was less than a foot. Li Wan could feel the warmth of his breath.
For the sake of her child's happy marriage, Li Wan chose to lean forward. Pei Qing watched her without flinching or dodging. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her pink lips to his.
Pei Qing's Adam's apple rolled heavily. Because of his wife's rare initiative, a wave of pleasure washed through him, his scalp tingling.
His wife's lips carried a faint fragrance. She gave his thin lips a light nip and was about to pull away when Pei Qing wrapped an arm around her slender waist and deepened the kiss, not letting go until she was breathless and weak. Only then did he release her, his voice low and hoarse. "Continue."
Li Wan's head was already spinning, her gaze misty, but she still remembered her son's marriage. So after a brief moment of daze, she tugged at the man's sash. His expensive outer robe slid down onto the table, revealing pale, well-built skin. Li Wan looked up—the man's chest was broad and thick, full of strength and wildness, nothing like that of a civil official.
Seeing his wife staring unblinkingly at his chest, Pei Qing curled the corner of his lips slightly. His wife truly did like him.
Pei Qing extended a palm, cupped his wife's slender neck, and pressed her against his chest.
Li Wan reached out and touched his broad chest. Pei Qing's temples throbbed. One hand covered her eyes while the other hastily stripped off her upper garment and outer skirt.
As a matter of reciprocity, he also pressed a kiss to his wife's jade-white skin. (Just a simple kiss, nothing suggestive.)
His wife quickly flushed red and leaned against his broad, sturdy chest to steady her breathing. (Administrator, this passage is only about her leaning against the male lead's chest to calm her breathing—no suggestive content whatsoever.)
Pei Qing's long, slender fingers, calloused from years of use, brushed against her flushed cheeks, rubbing gently. "Does Wanwan not want to help Yan'er anymore?"
His narrow, elongated phoenix eyes burned with intense heat, fixed unwaveringly on his wife, his calloused palm still resting on her waist.
Li Wan shifted forward an inch. Sensing his wife's nervousness, the man's tone grew even gentler. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
…
Outside, a gentle breeze stirred; inside, the room brimmed with spring warmth and the faint, elegant fragrance of wine.
On the heated bed, sweat beaded on Li Wan's forehead, and her body trembled.
When he saw a single tear slip uncontrollably from the corner of her eye, Pei Qing sighed inwardly—how she loved to cry.
His large hand wiped away her tears as he comforted her and guided her along.
By the time Li Wan was completely spent, Pei Qing turned her over, braced his arms on either side of her body, and kissed her eyes.
His voice was tender: "For Yan'er to have a mother like Wanwan is his blessing. I'll consider this matter."
Only after receiving his assurance did Li Wan finally fall asleep in peace.
After she drifted off, Pei Qing summoned someone to clean up the daybed, then carried his wife to the hot spring pool at the back, carefully washing every inch of her body. He then lifted her horizontally and carried her back to the room, changed her into clean nightclothes, tucked in the corners of the quilt, and drew the goose-pear curtain closed.
Back in the study, Pei Qing took his seat at the head and spoke unhurriedly: "Summon the eldest young master to the study."
Yun Bai clasped his hands in salute. "Yes."
Before long, Pei Yan arrived in the study, dressed in white, his bearing refined and scholarly. "Your son pays his respects to Father."
Pei Qing looked up at him. "I hear you've taken a liking to the second daughter of Minister Xu, the Director of the Imperial Academy."
Pei Yan clasped his hands without hesitation. "Yes. Your son and she love each other truly. I beg Father to grant his blessing."
Pei Qing's nose was high and straight, his features handsome. A faint, ambiguous smile curved at the corner of his lips. "Then do you know who her mother is?"
Pei Yan's expression showed no hesitation. He nodded. "Your son knows."
Pei Qing's gaze turned icy in an instant. "If you know, then why did you bring this matter before your mother? Are you trying to exploit her kindness to achieve your own selfish ends?"
Hearing this, Pei Yan grew anxious. "Ruyan is innocent. Her birth is not her fault."
Pei Qing let out a cold laugh at his son's naivety. "Cut ties with her as soon as possible. I'll explain things to your mother."
"Is Father refusing to let me be with Ruyan because of family standing?" A hint of resolve surfaced on Pei Yan's gentle face, and he spoke rashly. "But Mother's birth wasn't high either, and Father still married her against all opposition."
The moment those words left his mouth, the study fell into dead silence. Yun Bai outside the door didn't dare breathe too loudly—had their eldest young master lost his mind? How could he say such a thing?
The instant the words were spoken, Pei Yan himself regretted them. His lips trembled slightly. How could he speak of his own mother that way because of an outsider? She had been so good to him and Zhaozhao since they were children.
But Xu Ruyan was the woman he loved. He didn't want to give her up.
The veins on Pei Qing's temples bulged with anger at his son's words and attitude. The man's face was colder than a glacier, yet his body remained still as a mountain. He grabbed a memorial and hurled it at him. "You insolent brat."
"Pei Yan, how dare those words leave your mouth? Have you forgotten how good your mother has been to you, or has all your reading gone to the dogs?"
Even he himself would never presume to judge his Wanwan. What right did this boy have to comment so freely?
Shame flickered in Pei Yan's eyes. He knelt before his father with neither arrogance nor humility. "Your son knows he was wrong. But your son and Ruyan truly love each other. I still beg Father to grant his blessing."
Incorrigible…
Pei Qing made that assessment inwardly. If not for his worry that his wife would be grieved, he would have already resorted to family discipline. His expression indifferent, he summoned Yun Bai inside. "Take the eldest young master to the ancestral hall. No one is permitted to visit him, and do not disturb anyone—especially the madam."
Yun Bai was startled and instinctively wanted to plead for the eldest young master, but seeing his lord's stern face and cold, merciless eyes, he abandoned the thought. "Eldest young master, this way, please."
Pei Yan followed Yun Bai to the ancestral hall in silence.
Li Wan was awakened by the sound of crying. The moment she opened her eyes, Pei Zhao threw herself at her. "Mother!"
"What's wrong, Zhaozhao?" Seeing her red-rimmed eyes and frantic expression, Li Wan grew alarmed and asked quickly.
Pei Zhao tugged at Li Wan's slender wrist, urgent. "Mother, hurry and save brother! Father has punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall!"
Li Wan's vision went dark. Her eyes turned to the maidservant who had followed Pei Zhao in. "Tao'er, go and invite the Marquis here."