Jiang Zhaoyue and the others turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Not far away, a chubby child of about five or six years old, dressed in luxurious clothing, was squatting by a flower bed.
With one arm clutching a rattan ball and the other constantly grabbing stones from the ground, he hurled them at four maidservants.
“Sun Momo, is that Pei Heng?” Jiang Zhaoyue asked.
When Sun Momo was introducing the masters of Zhenguo Duke Mansion, Jiang Zhaoyue had been looking around, appearing rather distracted.
Sun Momo found it quite irritating and had reminded her that “the Guogong Mansion has many rules,” hoping Jiang Zhaoyue would pay attention to her identity as the wife of the Duke’s household and listen carefully instead of gazing around.
Who would have thought that even while multitasking, Jiang Zhaoyue had taken in her words.
She recognized the Fifth Master at a glance.
It seemed Jiang Zhaoyue wasn’t as foolish as the rumors suggested.
Sun Momo replied, “That is the Fifth Master, the Duke’s youngest child. His birth mother is Concubine Shen.”
Jiang Zhaoyue asked, “What is he doing now?”
“Probably… throwing a tantrum,” Sun Momo answered uncertainly.
Jiang Zhaoyue asked again, “Does he often act like this?”
“This old servant doesn’t know,” Sun Momo dared not say.
The eldest grandson and the youngest son are the apple of the old master’s eye.
Pei Heng was likely a spoiled, unruly brat who had grown up without discipline.
Jiang Zhaoyue hated brats the most. “Let’s take the small path,” she said.
“Yes,” Sun Momo agreed.
But then Pei Heng suddenly pointed at Jiang Zhaoyue and shouted, “Which courtyard are you from?”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoyue stopped.
Sun Momo smiled apologetically. “Fifth Master, we are from Linhua Courtyard. This is—”
Before Sun Momo could finish, Pei Heng interrupted, “You’re all from Second Brother’s courtyard?”
Sun Momo replied, “Yes.”
“Who is she?” Pei Heng pointed his chubby little finger at Jiang Zhaoyue and asked.
Sun Momo answered, “She is the Second Mistress, Second Master’s wife, your second sister-in-law.”
“Bullshit second sister-in-law!” Pei Heng immediately denied it.
Sun Momo hurriedly said, “Fifth Master, you must not be disrespectful to the Second Mistress.”
“None of your damn business!” Pei Heng cursed without hesitation.
Sun Momo looked embarrassed.
Pei Heng turned to Jiang Zhaoyue and asked, “So you’re the one who shamelessly insisted on marrying Second Brother?”
“How did you know?” Jiang Zhaoyue retorted.
“Everyone in the mansion says so. I heard it,” Pei Heng said.
Oh.
So the original host was universally disliked.
It was no surprise that everyone in Zhenguo Duke Mansion spoke of her this way.
Jiang Zhaoyue could accept that.
“You wicked woman!” Pei Heng angrily cursed.
“Second Mistress, children speak without thinking. Please don’t be angry or take it to heart,” the four maidservants apologized in a flurry of words, seeing Pei Heng becoming more and more outrageous. They bent down to pick him up and carry him away.
“Get lost!” Pei Heng refused to leave, slapping his chubby little hands against the maidservants’ heads and faces.
The four maidservants fell to the ground, their hair disheveled.
Jiang Zhaoyue couldn’t help but frown.
“Wicked woman! I’ll smash you!” Still not satisfied, Pei Heng picked up the rattan ball and hurled it at her.
The rattan ball struck Jiang Zhaoyue’s knee with a heavy thud, then fell to the ground with a “thump,” bouncing twice before slowly coming to a stop at her feet.
“Second Mistress! Are you all right?” Sun Momo and the others hurriedly stepped forward to check on her.
Jiang Zhaoyue pushed Sun Momo and the others aside, bent down to pick up the rattan ball from the ground, and without hesitation, threw it at Pei Heng’s stomach.
Pei Heng let out a grunt and fell onto his bottom, his chubby face frozen in shock.
Sun Momo was stunned.
Xiang Qiao covered her mouth.
The others widened their eyes.
“Bad kid, you think you’re the only one who can curse and throw things?” Jiang Zhaoyue scolded without hesitation.
Pei Heng never expected Jiang Zhaoyue to fight back. He stared at her in a daze, then suddenly tilted his chubby little face toward the sky and burst into loud wails.
“Fifth Master!”
“Fifth Master!”
“Oh dear, our little ancestor!”
“…”
Sun Momo and the others snapped out of their shock and hurried forward to comfort him.
Pei Heng cried even harder, his two short legs kicking and flailing on the ground.
No one could soothe him.
“Let him cry!” Jiang Zhaoyue shouted loudly.
Sun Momo and the others fell silent.
Hearing this, Pei Heng’s crying abruptly stopped.
Jiang Zhaoyue said fiercely, “Let him cry properly! Let him cry until his eyes swell, his face gets dirty, and his voice turns hoarse—until he becomes a filthy, stinking ugly monster!”
Pei Heng sat up at once and yelled, “You bad woman!”
Jiang Zhaoyue didn’t hold back either: “You ugly monster!”
“You’re a bad woman!”
“You’re an ugly monster!”
“You’re the worst, most terrible bad woman!”
“You’re a filthy, stinking ugly monster!”
Pei Heng looked down at his clothes—they were indeed dirty. He scrambled to his feet, pointed his chubby little finger at Jiang Zhaoyue, and threatened, “Bad woman! You just wait! I’ll come for you!”
“Fine, I’ll be waiting.”
Pei Heng turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Pei Heng looked back.
Jiang Zhaoyue walked over to the rattan ball, lifted her foot, and kicked it: “Take your rattan ball with you!”
The rattan ball flew accurately into Pei Heng’s arms.
Pei Heng instinctively caught it with his chubby hands, startled, then hugged the ball tightly and ran off.
The four maids hurried after him.
Jiang Zhaoyue snorted with a laugh, turned, and said, “Let’s go.”
Sun Momo and the others were still stunned by Jiang Zhaoyue’s behavior.
Jiang Zhaoyue glanced at them. “Let’s go.”
They snapped out of it and quickly followed Jiang Zhaoyue.
Sun Momo couldn’t help calling out, “Second Mistress.”
“Speak,” Jiang Zhaoyue said.
“Fifth Master is just a child.”
“Hmm, so what?”
“Why bother stooping to his level?”
“He threw something at me first,” Jiang Zhaoyue said righteously.
Sun Momo suddenly didn’t know how to respond and couldn’t help glancing at Xiang Qiao beside her.
Xiang Qiao was also at a loss.
Just then, the group arrived at the entrance of Songqing Hall.
Jiang Zhaoyue stopped.
Sun Momo and the others also stopped, looking curious.
Jiang Zhaoyue raised her head to look at the three characters “Songqing Hall,” pondered for a moment, then stepped forward.
“Second Mistress.” Pei Jing’s voice sounded from behind.
Jiang Zhaoyue turned and saw Pei Jingzhou, now changed into a black robe with gold auspicious cloud patterns and a bright red trim. He wore warm jade and a peace knot at his waist, all dressed according to the Great Jin tea-serving ceremony.
Yet, with his outstanding looks and exceptional bearing, he somehow managed to wear it with an aloof, noble air.
“Second Master.” Sun Momo and the others hurriedly bowed.
Pei Jingzhou nodded, his gaze shifting to Jiang Zhaoyue. “I just returned to the mansion.”
Jiang Zhaoyue asked, “Will you serve tea with me?”
“Yes.”
After the incident with Pei Heng, Jiang Zhaoyue knew that everyone in the Zhenguo Duke Mansion was aware of the original host’s misdeeds and how Pei Jingzhou had gone to the yamen on their wedding night.
If she served tea alone, she would undoubtedly face many scornful looks, mockery, and pressure.
She had mentally prepared herself, but she hadn’t expected Pei Jingzhou to arrive in time.
She said happily, “Great.”
“Let’s go.” Pei Jingzhou lifted the hem of his robe with a calm expression and stepped into Songqing Hall.
Jiang Zhaoyue followed.
Sun Momo thought to herself, “Second Master usually goes to the yamen for official duties. If he doesn’t return for a night, he stays at the yamen the entire next day. Today, he actually came back so early and even changed his clothes, just to accompany Second Mistress for the tea ceremony?”
“Sun Momo,” Xiang Qiao called, seeing that Sun Momo hadn’t moved.
Sun Momo hurriedly followed.
Jiang Zhaoyue and Pei Jingzhou stepped into the main hall of Songqing Hall.
Duke Pei Maokun and the others were astonished to see the two walking together.