“That errand boy was so pitiful. No matter how he pleaded, it was useless. Just for glancing at a portrait, he was sold off,” Ziling recounted with grave seriousness, as if describing a matter of great import. “They say the Heir was only sixteen or seventeen at the time. After the boy was sold, the news still reached the Duke’s ears. The Duke severely reprimanded him, accusing the Heir of neglecting his duties for trivial pursuits, and burned the painting, forcibly severing the Heir’s attachment.”
Shen Sangning asked, “And then?”
“Ahem, no one in the manor knows who the girl was, but they say she came from an insignificant family,” Ziling lowered her voice, afraid others might overhear. “The Duke warned the Heir that if he continued thinking about that girl, he would make her family regret ever crossing him!”
“Oppression through power!” Ziling shook her head. “The Heir naturally gave up, and the matter was left unresolved.”
Since these were unverified rumors, Shen Sangning only half-believed them.
If true, then Pei Ruyan’s emotional neglect indeed had traceable origins.
Shen Sangning sat on the rocking chair in the courtyard, interrupting Ziling’s desire to continue gossiping. “It’s about time. Go invite him, and say…” After pondering briefly, she continued, “Say I’m cooking personally to thank him for accompanying me during Huimen today. If he refuses, I’ll tell Mother about his shocking statements today.”
Pei Ruyan’s views on heirs were certainly unknown to Yu Shi. If she knew, she would never indulge him.
Tonight, Pei Ruyan must attend this Hongmen Banquet.
“Wait, the gossip I just shared,” Ziling said with a pained expression, “was mainly to emphasize that everyone in the Guogong Manor is formidable! You’ve just married in, and I’m truly afraid…”
If discovered, both mistress and maid would face severe consequences.
Seeing Ziling terrified, Shen Sangning waved to Zisu. “You go instead, and be quick.”
The sun set, and darkness fell rapidly.
In no time, the corridor of the manor was lit with oil lamps.
When Zisu arrived at the study, she learned the Heir was still at the matriarch’s residence and hadn’t returned.
Changing direction, she hurried toward Ronghe Hall.
Inside Ronghe Hall, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.
Maids standing on both sides awaiting orders held their breath, heads bowed.
Yu Shi’s gaze was sharp. “Yan’er, you should know there’s no precedent for a wife bringing her mother’s spirit tablet to her husband’s home. If you insist on this, have Shen Shi come see me!”
Pei Ruyan’s hands clenched tightly within his sleeves. “Mother, this is my decision and my responsibility.”
“My mother-in-law had no sons. As her son-in-law, I should fulfill the duties of a son.”
“She was abandoned by the Bo Mansion. If she were still alive, she should have been brought into the manor to live out her years in security. Since she passed early, why shouldn’t she be enshrined in our Pei family’s Ancestral Hall?”
He stood straight as a pine, unwavering in his resolve.
The Duke of Ning drank three cups of tea to calm his anger but finally couldn’t listen any longer. His eyebrows furrowed sharply. “No! Principles and rules cannot be changed!”
Pei Ruyan turned to the Duke of Ning. “May I ask, Father, is this a rule or a family regulation?”
“It is both rule and family regulation,” the Duke declared loudly, full of authority.
Yet Pei Ruyan didn’t yield. He spoke slowly and profoundly—
“Rules, when tempered with human sentiment, become family regulations.”
“Devoid of sentiment, they are mere laws.”
His voice was low but powerfully resonant, his presence undiminished.
As his words fell, a teacup was slammed violently to the ground.
A sharp shattering sound echoed, followed by tea spreading across the floor, splashing onto Pei Ruyan’s robe hem.
The Duke of Ning was furious, his face ashen. “You’ve truly grown up.”
His son had grown up, with his own thoughts and no longer willing to submit to his parents’ discipline.
Pei Ruyan stood still without moving. “In the past, when Grandfather was still alive, he once told me to obtain everything I desired through my own abilities.”
“Whatever Second Brother wanted, Father would grant.”
“Yet what I desired, Father would not permit. So I pleaded with Grandfather, and he said that if I achieved the Three Examination Laureate, he would agree to any condition of mine.”
“Now, Father can also set terms with me as before.”
His thoughts drifting back to the past, Pei Ruyan’s voice fell as lightly as autumn leaves, moving Yu Shi.
The Duke of Ning frowned slightly, recalling some old memories.
Gazing at his increasingly mature son, he let out a long sigh. “Is all this today just for your wife?”
Pei Ruyan immediately denied it: “It’s not for her.”
A trace of complexity flickered faintly across his calm expression. “It’s just that I’ve realized I rarely oppose you. I must win at least once.”
The Duke of Ning sighed again, his brow gradually easing. “Between father and son, it’s not a business negotiation. Why talk about exchanging conditions? This time, I’ll grant your wish, but in the future, you must shoulder the responsibility for the family’s rise and fall.”
The Duke of Ning and Yu Shi exchanged a glance—in this stalemate, it was ultimately the parents who had conceded.
Pei Ruyan pressed his lips together. “Thank you, Father, Mother.”
Before he could turn to leave, Yu Shi called out to him—
“Yan’er.”
“Your father has nothing to exchange with you, but I do.”
Pei Ruyan nodded silently.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been staying in the study for the past three days. Anyone would think you don’t have a courtyard of your own.” Yu Shi coughed lightly, hinting tactfully, “At the very least, you should return to your courtyard to spend the night for three to five days each month.”
Pei Ruyan never expected that this would be what Yu Shi wanted in exchange.
He was reluctant to agree, especially since he had just told Shen Sangning he would be staying in the study.
Seeing him remain silent, Yu Shi frowned. “Hmm?”
Pei Ruyan thought for a moment, then nodded. “As Mother wishes.”
No sooner had Pei Ruyan left Ronghe Hall than the Duke of Ning sat down again, replaced his teacup, and began drinking tea.
“Look here, did I treat him poorly in the past?” The Duke of Ning snorted, his tone sarcastic. “Just to prove a point, he held out against us for so long.”
Yu Shi shot the Duke of Ning a glance. “Do you really think he did it just to win against you once?”
The Duke of Ning was puzzled. “If not, then why?”
While exasperated with the Duke of Ning, Yu Shi felt a touch of pride in her son. She smiled and said, “He was afraid that we two old fools would make things difficult for his wife.”