“Ah!” The maidservants cried out in pain as they tumbled to the ground at the entrance of the Xu Estate.
Xu Qingyue and Pei Jingyuan happened to chase after them from inside, and upon seeing the scene before her, Xu Qingyue couldn’t help but furrow her brows.
“Brother-in-law, please calm down. No one could have anticipated today’s events. Who would have thought there would be such insolent servants in the Xu Estate? My father and mother have already dealt with her, and surely no one will dare treat Sister-in-law that way again.” Pei Jingyuan immediately stepped forward to console him.
Pei Jingchuan’s expression was cold as he said in a low voice, “Return to the estate!”
With that, he let the carriage curtain fall, and the driver immediately drove away.
Pei Jingyuan stood behind with a grim expression, knowing that Pei Jingchuan was truly angered this time. He then glanced at the maidservants who had been kicked aside, feeling only irritation. He let out a sigh—it seemed this move would no longer work.
He had originally thought that since these two maidservants were part of Xu Qingyan’s dowry from the Xu Estate, if Xu Qingyan failed to bear children, he could elevate them to Bedchamber Maids and use them as his inside informants. But looking at the situation now, they had likely already been expelled from the Duke’s Estate by Pei Jingchuan.
“Husband, Yingqiu and Chuntao were placed by us specifically beside Xu Qingyan. We absolutely cannot leave them at the Xu Estate. Let’s bring them back with us,” Xu Qingyue said from the side.
“Did you not see the state Pei Jingchuan is in? What use would there be in bringing them back?” Pei Jingyuan said impatiently.
Xu Qingyue’s eyes reddened at his words, and she said angrily, “Why are you shouting at me like that? These are the dowry maidservants the Xu Estate gave to Xu Qingyan—she can’t just discard them as she pleases! Unless she is no longer a daughter of the Xu family, there is no reason to send away her dowry maidservants. The one who made a mistake today was Nanny Wang, not them! I’ll send them back to her right now!”
With that, ignoring Pei Jingyuan, she directly had Yingqiu and Chuntao follow her. That Xu Qingyan—she would never let her have an easy time!
After returning to the Duke’s Estate, Pei Jingchuan immediately arranged for two maidservants to attend to Xu Qingyan and handed both of their indenture contracts to her.
“From now on, they will take care of you. If they serve you poorly, you may deal with them as you see fit.” Pei Jingchuan placed the maidservants’ indenture contracts before Xu Qingyan and said seriously.
Xu Qingyan looked at Pei Jingchuan’s gesture, and a touched expression appeared on her face. Her eyes curved into crescents as she said with a smile, “Thank you, Young Lord!”
From now on, she no longer had to worry about her actions being reported back to Xu Qingyue and the others.
When Xu Qingyue returned to the Duke’s Estate, she immediately sent people to deliver Yingqiu and Chuntao to Xu Qingyan’s side. Unsurprisingly, they were rejected and sent back.
Moreover, Pei Jingchuan had someone deliver a message to her, admonishing her that she should henceforth address Xu Qingyan as “Sister-in-law.”
This infuriated Xu Qingyue to no end. That Xu Qingyan—a mere shu-daughter—was worthy of being called “Sister-in-law” by her? She threw a tremendous tantrum in her room, smashing quite a few things.
“Qingyue, what’s wrong with you?” Suddenly, a clear voice came from outside the door.
Xu Qingyue was startled, then looked toward the door to see a woman dressed in a pea-green Shu brocade gown embroidered with lotuses walking in with a puzzled expression.
“Jinyu, why are you here?” Xu Qingyue immediately suppressed her anger and called out warmly.
This woman was the Third Miss of the Duke’s Estate—Pei Jingchuan’s biological younger sister, Pei Jinyu.
“I just returned from the academy and heard the servants say there was some trouble on the wedding day—that you went from being my sister-in-law to my second sister-in-law. So I rushed over to see you. You don’t look well—has something happened? Has someone bullied you? How did the marriage mix-up even happen?” Pei Jinyu asked with concern.
She had known Xu Qingyue long before the marriage. Originally, Xu Qingyue, as the daughter of a sixth-rank official, would have had no way to befriend her, a di-daughter of the Duke’s Estate. But because of an accident where Xu Qingyue helped her, the two became friends.
Seeing how concerned Pei Jinyu was, Xu Qingyue’s eyes darted around as if an idea had occurred to her.
She let out a long sigh and turned her face away with a aggrieved expression, saying, “Jinyu, don’t ask anymore. What’s done is done. My younger sister is now the Consort of the Heir Apparent, and it’s too late to say anything. Don’t go saying anything to her either, or she’ll definitely get angry. I was just a little upset earlier—she sent away the dowry maidservants my mother gave her. It’s nothing.”
Xu Qingyue’s words seemed to be consoling Pei Jinyu and speaking up for Xu Qingyan, but in reality, they were telling her that the marriage mix-up was no simple matter—that she shouldn’t ask Xu Qingyan about it, that her displeasure was a sign of guilt, and that sending away the dowry maidservants from the Xu family was clearly an act of ingratitude.
Pei Jinyu was usually full of righteous indignation. After hearing this, she angrily placed her hands on her hips and said, “I really didn’t expect that your shu-daughter could be so scheming! Not only did she steal your marriage, but now she’s even turning around to bully you! And my eldest brother—how could he possibly be bewitched by that vixen? Qingyue, don’t be sad. I’ll go right now and seek justice for you!”
“Jinyu, don’t be impulsive!” Xu Qingyue pretended to dissuade her.
But by this time, Pei Jinyu was already gone—she had stormed off in a huff after speaking. At that moment, the corners of Xu Qingyue’s lips curled up slightly, slowly revealing a smug smile.
Pei Jinyu loved nothing more than championing the underdog, and as the favored di-daughter of the Duke’s Estate, as long as she was convinced that Xu Qingyan had bullied her and schemed to swap the marriage, her sharp tongue alone would be enough to reduce Xu Qingyan to tears! Having Pei Jinyu go scold Xu Qingyan would be a satisfying way to vent her own frustrations.
“Xu Qingyan! Get out here right now!” Pei Jinyu stormed into the courtyard in a whirlwind, cursing and shouting before she had even set foot inside the house.
At this moment, Pei Jingchuan was still sitting in the room and had not yet left. When he heard Pei Jinyu’s voice, he instinctively furrowed his brows.
From his many years of knowing his younger sister, Pei Jinyu’s tone in this instance signaled that she had come with ill intentions. However, he had no idea why she was acting this way.
“Pei Jinyu, what nonsense are you up to!” Pei Jingchuan walked out of the room and stared coldly at Pei Jinyu.
Pei Jinyu couldn’t help but flinch at the sight of Pei Jingchuan, looking somewhat surprised. “Eldest brother? You… why are you here?”
“Oh? Then where would you prefer I be?” Pei Jingchuan’s gaze was sharp and cold as he sized up his younger sister.
Just then, Xu Qingyan also walked out of the room.
[So this is Pei Jingchuan’s lovesick little sister? She’s the pearl of the Duke’s Estate, the one they all hold in the palms of their hands—Pei Jinyu? She really is beautiful! It’s just a pity that such a gorgeous face came with a lovesick brain. Not only did she marry a gold-digger, she helped that man climb the ranks and rise to power, and even let that scumbag lead her around by the nose. He kept his real wife by his side, told her it was his cousin, and she actually believed it. He gave Pei Jinyu a sterilization drug so she could never bear children, and made her raise his cousin’s child. In the end, once that child grew up and became successful, they fed Pei Jinyu a bowl of poison and sent her straight to the afterlife. Sigh… Pei Jinyu’s life could really be written into a rebirth novel!]
Who? Who was speaking?
Upon hearing this, Pei Jinyu’s pupils instantly constricted, and she looked around in every direction.