Pei Zimu had taken his wife back to their ancestral home for worship ceremonies some days ago. With The Duke away on campaign, it fell to him, the heir, to conduct the ancestral rites.
“Mother.” Upon returning, Pei Zimu went first to see Madam Jiang. Seeing her son back, Madam Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re back.”
“Yes, I came to see you as soon as I returned to the mansion. Zhimo went back first to freshen up and will come pay her respects later.”
“You two must be weary from the journey. You should rest first before coming to see me.”
“It’s no trouble. Having been away for so long, I naturally wanted to reassure you and ease your worries.”
Madam Jiang knew her son had always been this scrupulous about propriety.
“Thank you for managing the household in my absence. Is everything well at home?”
“With your father away, what could possibly happen in the mansion? However, after you left, Niannian fell ill.”
“Ill? What happened? How is she now?”
“She has recovered. She was unwell for quite some time. The physician examined her and said there was no physical ailment—only a matter of the heart.”
“A matter of the heart? Niannian?”
Pei Zimu was surprised, then couldn’t help but frown, his expression turning grave. “Niannian has always been straightforward and carefree, rarely burdened by such heavy thoughts. To think it has become a matter of the heart…”
“I thought the same. Moreover, recently, Niannian seems to have developed a rift with the Crown Prince.”
“The Crown Prince approaches Niannian solely for the sake of Guogong Mansion. But Niannian is innocent by nature and may have developed genuine feelings. Has something happened now? Did she learn the truth?”
“That’s what I suspect as well. She has rarely left home these days, and as her mother, I couldn’t bring myself to ask. After all, regarding this matter, Guogong Mansion has never spoken plainly.” Madam Jiang had been evasive with the Crown Prince, pretending not to know of her daughter’s affection.
Now that there is a rift between them, Guogong Mansion naturally remains even more silent.
“With you and your father both away, I couldn’t say much. Although you’ve returned, this matter is not something you can resolve. Don’t interfere; wait until your father returns.”
“Very well, I understand. Given Niannian’s current disposition, it might actually be easier to handle. If she is unwilling, all the Crown Prince’s schemes will be in vain.” Although Pei Zimu occasionally scolded Pei Yunshu, deep down, he felt the Crown Prince was unworthy of his sister.
In Pei Zimu’s eyes, even his sister’s affection was a result of the Crown Prince’s scheming. How could such hypocritical sincerity be trusted?
“Niannian’s situation requires careful consideration. However, Liuyan’s marriage arrangement can no longer be delayed. Your maternal grandfather wrote recently, specifically inquiring about this matter. Since the clan sent that child to our Guogong Mansion, we must not treat her unfairly.”
Madam Jiang went on at length.
“Mother, regarding Cousin’s marriage arrangement, you know that Second Brother has feelings for her…” Pei Zimu did not speak outright. Although Jiang Liuyan resided at Guogong Mansion, before a girl is married or formally betrothed, it is improper to speak carelessly.
Madam Jiang’s smile faded.
“I have other plans for Zishan’s marriage.”
Her son may be foolish, but her niece is not.
Madam Jiang believed in her son’s sincerity, but she dared not trust her niece’s affections. As the mistress of Guogong Mansion, she understood well that a woman, after marriage, also needs certain skills to navigate life in the inner quarters.
She herself was like this and did not see it as a flaw. Therefore, she was well aware of Jiang Liuyan’s little schemes of feigning pitifulness and her harmless minor actions, yet she had never spoken of them.
Niannian was truly somewhat naive, which in the eyes of others appeared as foolishness. It would do her niece good to learn a lesson.
However, as a mother, Madam Jiang did not want her son to have a wife so full of schemes.
“You decide on this matter, Mother. Second Brother has always been obedient.” Pei Zimu’s wife, Madam Lin, was chosen by his parents. After marrying, he and his wife had always treated each other with respect and lived in harmony, which was not a bad arrangement.
“Do you have something to say to Mother?”
Madam Jiang looked at Pei Zimu’s expression. It was rare for her son to appear so hesitant, as if struggling to speak.
“Speak, what is it?”
“It’s also about Cousin. When we returned to the capital today…”
Madam Jiang had her eldest son return to rest. As the heir, Pei Zimu naturally could not interfere in matters of the inner courtyard. However, recalling the series of events that had occurred recently, Madam Jiang could not help but feel uneasy.
Pei Zimu returned to his own courtyard to freshen up, then brought gifts to Pei Yunshu’s courtyard.
“Since you personally prepared these for your sister, just say so directly. Why drag me along?” Madam Lin looked at her awkward husband and could not help but smile.
Her husband was usually serious, but only in front of his younger siblings at home would he show such lively expressions.
“Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, you came to see me. Why are you standing at the door?”
Pei Yunshu’s voice came from behind them, and Pei Qingwan, who followed, also bowed to them.
“Come in.” Pei Yunshu led the way into the courtyard. “Elder Brother and Sister-in-law can come straight in. Why wait outside?”
Pei Zimu gave Pei Yunshu a deep look. “You never liked us entering and leaving your courtyard freely before.”
Pei Yunshu was taken aback for a moment. She had forgotten about that, as it had been too long ago.
Those extra ten years, known only to her, had even tempered Pei Yunshu herself into becoming “well-behaved.”
“That was all in the past. I was immature back then.”
Pei Yunshu looked at her elder brother and smiled gently.
Pei Zimu was about to speak when Madam Lin gently nudged him, signaling him not to say more.
“Niannian fell ill a few days ago. Is she better now?”
“She has fully recovered. Sister-in-law need not worry.”
Pei Zimu and Madam Lin exchanged a few more words, then left behind a pile of gifts and departed.
Once they were farther away, Pei Zimu looked at his wife. “Why didn’t you ask?”
“Weren’t you always the one who thought Niannian was immature? Now that she has matured, you find it unsatisfactory?” Madam Lin watched as her husband was rendered speechless for once.
“To become so mature, who knows what grievances she has endured? You are always outspoken, and you might end up upsetting or angering Niannian again.”
Pei Zimu stiffened for a moment, then nodded. “You are right.”
“Moreover,” Madam Lin suddenly recalled when she first married into the Guogong Mansion. She had also worried about this famously willful and spoiled sister-in-law.
But in the end, she discovered it was merely a childlike temperament. When she had just married, she had faced cold treatment outside, and she was accustomed to enduring it. Yet Pei Yunshu had stood in front of her, protecting her and scolding those people on her behalf.
At that time, Madam Lin wondered: Were those people truly resentful of such a temperament, or were they simply jealous?
“Moreover, with Niannian’s stubborn and unyielding nature that refuses to admit defeat or acknowledge mistakes, how could she change so easily?”
Pei Zimu softened his expression. “You are right, Madam.”
After Pei Zimu and Madam Lin left, Jiang Liuyan emerged from the shadows, gazing distantly at Pei Yunshu’s courtyard.
“How could she suddenly become so sensible?”
“Could it be that she has grown wiser?”