Jiang Yao’s beautiful eyes shimmered softly, as though filled with spring water.
Madam Luo felt a layer of goosebumps rise from being looked at like that. In the end, she averted her gaze and said seriously, “Ahem. Enough nonsense.”
She then glanced sideways at Second Madam and could not help adding, in a slightly mocking tone, “I am not the kind of mother-in-law who bullies her daughter-in-law or refuses to treat her as a person, or who makes her daughter-in-law serve tea and pour water even in the middle of the night.”
Second Madam nearly tore her handkerchief to shreds in anger. The daughter-in-law standing beside her lowered her head, hiding the bitterness in her eyes.
Seeing this, the Old Madam slowly spoke up. “Enough. We are all family. Why must you be so confrontational? Go and bring out the meeting gifts prepared for Ming Shu’s wife. As an elder, I should at least show some gesture.”
She turned and instructed the servants.
Madam Luo sneered inwardly. Only now did she try to smooth things over after realizing her side was at a disadvantage and fearing further embarrassment?
Still, since they all shared the surname Pei, she decided to let it go for now.
Upon hearing that Old Madam Chen had prepared a meeting gift for Jiang Yao, everyone grew curious.
Soon after, servants entered carrying exquisitely crafted boxes. The first two contained ordinary pieces of jewelry—not particularly rare. Only the final tray held something unusual: a small glass bottle about the length of a finger joint, filled with liquid.
Upon seeing it, Madam Guo’s daughter, Pei Mingwei, exclaimed, “Grandmother is so generous! She even prepared rose dew!”
Everyone knew this floral essence was highly sought after among noble ladies in the capital, prized for its fragrance and beauty-enhancing properties. A single bottle was worth a fortune.
She turned to Jiang Yao with a smile and asked, “I heard Jinling is prosperous. I wonder if Eldest Sister-in-law has ever used something so precious?”
Her tone sounded curious, but the disdain behind it was unmistakable.
Madam Luo’s expression immediately darkened, just as she was about to speak, a faint chuckle came from beside her.
Jiang Yao glanced at Pei Mingwei with a half-smile, her eyes carrying a trace of mockery that cut deeper than words.
Pei Mingwei felt a chill run down her spine. “Eldest Sister-in-law, what are you laughing at?”
Jiang Yao withdrew her gaze and said calmly, “Zi Shan, you tell her.”
Zi Shan understood immediately and spoke aloud, “Miss, you are mistaken. Our madam has an entire chest of this rose dew. It is usually used for washing the face and hands, bathing, washing hair, and even perfuming clothes.”
She smiled slightly and added, “Even us personal maids are fortunate enough to use it.”
The implication was clear: what Pei Mingwei treated as priceless luxury was merely an everyday item for Jiang Yao.
Pei Mingwei froze. “Impossible! Your father is only a minor seventh-rank official. How could you afford something worth a fortune like rose dew?”
Her words almost directly implied corruption.
Madam Luo slammed the table and shouted, “How insolent! Is this how a young lady from a noble family speaks?”
Second Madam Guo quickly said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, please do not be angry. Mingwei simply misspoke. Besides, we are indeed curious.”
Third Madam also echoed her agreement.
Zi Shan glanced at Jiang Yao and nodded proudly before continuing, “My mistress’s maternal uncle is a merchant. He conducts business with traders from the Western Regions and even the Dashi Kingdom. He deals in many goods. Knowing that my mistress enjoys fine things, he sends her jewelry, spices, gold and silver vessels, and rose dew every year—so much that it cannot be counted.”
Pei Mingwei scoffed. “Just a merchant? What is there to be proud of?”
In the rigid hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were ranked the lowest and looked down upon by noble families.
Jiang Yao lifted her gaze and looked at her calmly, her smile not reaching her eyes. “From your tone, it seems you look down on merchants?”
Pei Mingwei lifted her chin arrogantly. “Yes. And what of it?”
Jiang Yao suddenly smiled—bright, meaningful, and sharp.
“Not to mention that in the past, the founding emperor organized merchant caravans to gather intelligence from enemy states, and that His Majesty now permits trade between Daqian and neighboring nations to demonstrate the empire’s dignity and openness.”
“Even more so, when the old Marquis of the Pei family once infiltrated the Wuhuan kingdom and was trapped there, it was a merchant traveling between nations who helped him escape. Afterwards, they even became sworn brothers.”
“The old Marquis owed his life to a merchant, and only then did the Pei family come to exist as it does today.”
She swept a glance over Pei Mingwei. Her voice turned sharper.
“And yet you call merchants lowly? That is forgetting your roots. Where exactly is your so-called nobility in that? If the ancestors of the Pei family heard such ungrateful words from their descendants, I fear they would not be able to rest in peace even in the afterlife.”
Other noble families might look down on merchants, but the Pei family itself had once been saved by one. Without the old Marquis, there would be no Pei family. Without that merchant’s sacrifice, there would be no surviving Marquis.
If they wanted to use moral condemnation, she would return it in full.
The hall fell silent. Not even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.
The second branch looked at Jiang Yao differently now. She had seemed plain and harmless before, but no one expected such a sharp tongue.
“Well said!”
A voice suddenly rang out from the doorway. Everyone turned.
Pei Zheng strode in, followed by a thin middle-aged man.
His gaze lingered briefly on that striking figure before he swept his eyes across the second branch. “So this is the second branch’s upbringing? Truly eye-opening.”
His tone was cold as frost, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed—unyielding and authoritative.
Second Uncle Pei hesitated. “Ming Shu, there must be some misunderstanding—”
Madam Luo shot him a glance and sneered, “No misunderstanding. That is exactly what you heard!”
Under Pei Zheng’s cold gaze and her father-in-law’s reprimanding stare, Pei Mingwei’s face turned pale. She looked instinctively toward her mother and grandmother, but there was no trace of her earlier arrogance left.
The Old Madam darkened her expression. “Mingwei, apologize to your elder sister-in-law.”
Pei Mingwei gritted her teeth. “Elder sister-in-law… I’m sorry.”
Jiang Yao remained unmoved. She slowly smoothed her sleeve and said lazily, “A light apology with no sincerity, no pain, no repentance—can that erase the insult of slandering my family? I, a mere seventh-rank official’s daughter, cannot accept such noble standards of apology.”
The Old Madam’s face tightened. “Then from today onward, Mingwei will kneel in the ancestral hall for three days, copy the family rules ten times, and be confined for one month. Is that satisfactory?”
She stared directly at Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao replied calmly, “Whether it is satisfactory or not is not for me to decide. If the Old Madam feels it is appropriate and worthy of the Pei ancestors, then so be it. I am merely a new daughter-in-law from a humble seventh-rank family. How could I dare to dictate terms to noble ladies?”
Trying to shift responsibility onto her? Not a chance.
Everyone: “……”
What a terrifying tongue.
Second Uncle Pei finally spoke coldly, “Then make it seven days of kneeling and two months of confinement. She will learn proper manners, so she does not embarrass herself outside again.”
Pei Mingwei stared at her father in disbelief, tears welling up.
The second branch exchanged uneasy glances. Their arrogance had completely vanished.
After leaving the second branch, Jiang Yao glanced at Pei Zheng. “Why are you here? Another casual stroll?”
He paused slightly, looking forward. “No. I came to discuss official matters with Second Uncle. I just finished and came over.”
Seeing his lack of interest, Jiang Yao simply responded with an “oh” and turned to Madam Luo. “Mother, thank you for speaking up for me just now.”
Madam Luo cleared her throat and said sternly, “You are part of the first branch. If I do not defend you, it would be our branch that loses face.”
“Exactly!” Luo Fuqu agreed immediately.
But Jiang Yao stopped and formally bowed. “Still, your protection earlier was real. I should express my gratitude.”
That startled Madam Luo. “You….”
After a moment, she forced herself to praise her, “You are… quite decent. Proper. Clever-tongued. You did not embarrass me.”
Thinking of the Old Madam and Madam Guo’s faces, she suddenly felt refreshed and even energetic.
Jiang Yao: “?”
Pei Zheng, who had been silent all along, corrected, “Mother, ‘clever-tongued’ is usually a negative term. You should say ‘eloquent.’”
Madam Luo waved it off. “Same thing, same thing.”
Her attention then landed on the jewelry boxes in Zi Shan’s hands. She said dismissively, “Just a few worthless beads. If you like them, I’ll give you better ones later. I am not that stingy as a mother-in-law.”
“Alright, then I also want nice fabrics. I want new clothes made,” Jiang Yao said shamelessly.
Madam Luo shot her a look. “You are getting ahead of yourself!”
But she did not refuse.
Luo Fuqu immediately protested, “Mother, I am also your daughter-in-law!”
Why doesn’t she get anything?
Madam Luo rubbed her forehead. “Fine, fine, you all get them! I’ll even call your Second Aunt-in-law to join in!”
The more she spoke, the more her head ached.
What kind of mother-in-law had she become?