After some delay, Pei Zheng returned to the residence at the beginning of the You hour.
He carried the items and headed toward the courtyard, only to encounter Pei Mingrong along the way.
Seeing him, she immediately ran up in small hurried steps. “Big brother, you’re finally back!”
Pei Zheng stopped. “What is it?”
Pei Mingrong blinked, then suddenly sniffed the air as though she had caught the scent of food. Her round eyes immediately landed on the oil-paper packages in his hand, and she asked excitedly, “Is that for me?”
Meeting his younger sister’s expectant gaze, Pei Zheng fell silent for a moment.
Then he lowered his head, selected a small portion, and handed it to her, not forgetting to urge, “Speak of the main matter.”
Pei Mingrong opened it and saw it was a packet of water chestnut candy. She was slightly disappointed.
But seeing that her brother had no intention of sharing the rest, she had no choice but to accept it.
Water chestnut candy it was—she was not picky.
Remembering her purpose, she immediately said angrily, “Big brother, you don’t know how excessive Jiang Yao is! Mother prepared items to distribute to everyone, but she actually tried to take everything for herself. She grabbed all the good things and didn’t even think about leaving any for us!”
Hearing her directly call Jiang Yao by name, Pei Zheng frowned.
However, the light of dusk was dim, and Pei Mingrong did not notice. She continued complaining.
“Not only that, she even talked back to Mother! Someone so selfish and petty—how could she possibly deserve to be your wife?”
Pei Zheng’s expression darkened slightly. “Then who do you think is worthy of being my wife?”
“Of course it’s Cousin from the Luo family!” Pei Mingrong replied without hesitation.
She pouted. “I admit Cousin isn’t as beautiful as Jiang Yao, but she is gentle and refined, a famous beauty in the capital. Most importantly, she is virtuous, gentle, and understanding…”
As she spoke, she suddenly felt the surroundings grow eerily silent.
She looked up and met her elder brother’s deep, sharp gaze. A chill ran down her spine instantly.
Under the fading sunlight, Pei Zheng stood in his purple official robe and gold crown, his expression calm yet imposing. His thin lips were pressed together, and his dark eyes were cold and unreadable, carrying an invisible pressure.
Pei Mingrong stammered, “B-Big brother?”
Pei Zheng placed his hands behind his back. “Finished?”
She nodded.
His voice carried authority. “I will not comment on how true your words are. But since she has married into my family, she is your elder sister-in-law and my legally wedded wife. Yet you call her by name and keep praising your Luo family cousin. Where does that place me, as your elder brother?”
Pei Mingrong’s face turned pale.
Pei Zheng’s gaze grew colder. “Moreover, as far as I know, Mother only intended to add a few items for her. You and the others were merely included as an afterthought. She has only just entered our Pei family, yet you already make things difficult for her. And now you expect her to flatter you and please you?”
Pei Mingrong panicked. “Big brother, I-I didn’t mean that…”
Ignoring her explanation, Pei Zheng’s tone turned sharp. “If you like the Luo family so much, I will have Mother choose a husband for you from there. You might as well marry into the Luo family yourself.”
“Go back and reflect in confinement. Do not leave your room until you understand your mistake.”
He did not mind her being spoiled or naive, but if that naivety was manipulated into foolishness, then it became stupidity.
With that, he snatched back the packet of water chestnut candy and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Pei Mingrong stared at her empty hands, almost in tears.
“Shouldn’t have come out at all… I got nothing in the end.”
Her maid silently thought: But you did get a scolding from the Marquis and confinement.
In the courtyard, Lü Fei was instructing the little maids to arrange flower pots under the eaves when she saw Pei Zheng in official robes approaching. She hurried forward to greet him.
“Greetings, Marquis.”
He glanced at the newly placed flowers and asked lightly, “Where is your mistress?”
“Madam is in the small study.”
Hearing this, he nodded and turned to leave.
Then he paused.
After a few seconds, he casually asked, “Did she mention me today?”
Lü Fei froze, then shook her head after some hesitation.
“Mm.” His expression remained indifferent.
Very well. Not clingy, not dependent—measured and sensible. A wife should be like this.
“However,” Lü Fei added quickly, “Madam ate less at lunch today than yesterday. Perhaps because you were not there to dine with her.”
Pei Zheng’s brows tightened slightly. He scolded, “Nonsense,” and immediately strode toward the study.
The little maids could not help but whisper, “Sister Lü Fei, is the Marquis angry?”
Lü Fei touched her chin. “Doesn’t seem like anger… more like happiness?”
The study door was open. Pei Zheng walked past the screen and saw Jiang Yao bent over her desk writing.
Just as he was about to speak, she waved impatiently without looking up.
“Move aside. You’re blocking my light—ah!”
Her brush paused mid-air. A drop of ink fell, staining the freshly written letter.
Jiang Yao frowned slightly, then lowered her head and continued writing without a word, not even looking at him.
Realizing what had happened and seeing her silence, Pei Zheng pressed his lips together. A faint trace of guilt appeared in his eyes.
“I did not know you were writing,” he said. “If you do not mind, I can rewrite it for you. I guarantee not a single drop of ink will be smudged.”
Jiang Yao did not even lift her head and still said nothing.
Seeing this, Pei Zheng stood in place, his mood sinking slightly.
After a brief pause, he spoke again, “Earlier I did not do it on purpose. If you are displeased with me—”
“Success!”
Jiang Yao suddenly exclaimed.
She put down her brush, blew gently at the paper, and admired it for a moment. Then she praised herself aloud, “I truly am quick-witted, skilled with the brush, and capable of turning decay into magic!”
Only then did she seem to remember there was still someone in the room. She looked up, her eyes bright as she asked, “Right, what were you saying just now? I wasn’t listening.”
Pei Zheng collected his expression, studied her for a moment as if confirming something, then stepped closer.
“It is nothing. I thought earlier that since you were not speaking… perhaps—”
He stopped midway, shook his head slightly, and did not continue.
Jiang Yao glanced at him and huffed lightly. “While I was talking to you, the ink would’ve dried already.”
She lifted the paper to show him. “How is my drawing?”
On the place where the ink stain had originally fallen, she had turned it into an intricate “auspicious bloom on the brow” painting. A branch of plum blossom and a bird were drawn so vividly that they seemed almost alive.
Pei Zheng was slightly surprised. He praised honestly, “Very good.”
But Jiang Yao continued to stare at him. One “very good” was clearly not enough to satisfy her.
After a moment of thought, he added, “Exquisite brushwork. Lifelike.”
The reluctant praise made Jiang Yao silently roll her eyes.
She asked casually, “You thought I was angry just now, didn’t you?”
Pei Zheng fell silent.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Yao already understood the answer. She raised a brow and snorted. “I was a little unhappy at first, but being unhappy is not the same as being angry. There are not many people or things in this world that can truly make me angry. If you do not believe me, you can try.”
It was only a drop of ink. How could that possibly warrant anger? At most, she would add a few strokes and turn it into a flower-and-bird painting—still meaningful.
If that failed, she would simply replace the paper. There was no need to lose one’s temper over it.
Realizing he had overthought things, Pei Zheng’s brows relaxed slightly. But then his gaze shifted—and he suddenly noticed something wrong.
She was standing on the chair’s footrest, her upper body leaning forward, almost half-suspended in the air.
His expression changed instantly.
“Come down.” His voice turned cold and sharp.
Jiang Yao disliked commands the most. She lifted her chin at him. “I won’t.”
Her expression was openly defiant, as if to say: What are you going to do about it?
Pei Zheng’s face remained stern, but his tone softened slightly. “It is dangerous. If you fall, what then? Come down first.”
Jiang Yao lifted her toes confidently. “I won’t fall. I’m standing very stead—”
“Ah!”:::