Chapter 44: Correct and Objective

 

 Chapter 44: Correct and Objective

Seeing that Pei Shi did not respond, Yao Ran gently asked, "Mother, are you feeling unwell?"

  

Pei Shi seemed to be suppressing some emotion and remained silent, only closing her eyes.

The stifling atmosphere made the once spacious carriage suddenly feel unbearably cramped. Yao Ran felt as if she couldn’t breathe, and her palms, which held a handkerchief, were already slick with cold sweat.

She didn’t know what to do to ease the tension and could only helplessly suggest, "If Mother truly dislikes such occasions, we can avoid coming in the future…"

Upon hearing this, Pei Shi suddenly opened her eyes and enunciated each word clearly, "If it weren’t for your matter, do you think I would be willing to come? Do you think I enjoy mingling with those of lowly, impoverished backgrounds?"

Yao Ran clenched her handkerchief tightly and softly said, "I know Mother means well, but it is said that Vice Minister Wei is quite arrogant, and today the Marquise of Zheng seemed indifferent as well... In my opinion, there's no need to waste effort on this matter..."

"Who gave you permission to belittle yourself like this!" Pei Shi coldly interrupted her. "You carry the blood of the Pei family! Your grandfather is the head of the Pei family, and I am the eldest legitimate daughter of the Pei family. Who dares to look down on you!"

"Even if the Wei family seems prestigious for the moment, they are nothing more than newly risen nobles. When it comes to heritage, how can they compare to the great Pei family?"

"If my daughter marries into their family, it’s they who are climbing up, it’s their Wei family that gains honor!" Pei Shi’s every word allowed no argument. "Just like when I married into the Yao family... Without the support of the Pei family, where would your father be today?"

Hearing these last words, Yao Ran bit her lip slightly and said, "But Father clearly earned the title of scholar-official on his own merit, and he has never relied much on Grandfather’s family all these years... Instead, it was Uncle Pei who got entangled in the grain tax case and had to involve Father several times, almost causing him to lose his position..."

"Impudent!" Pei Shi raised her hand, delivering a resounding slap across Yao Ran’s face.

The young girl’s head was forced to one side by the blow, her expression stunned.

Pei Shi, furious, roared, "You are just like your father, ungrateful and heartless!"

"If it weren’t for the mistake of breaking off my engagement with the Jin family, how could I have ended up marrying into your Yao family and giving birth to an ungrateful child like you? I was left with health problems after giving birth, and since then, I’ve been unable to have more children... I am now ridiculed because of it!"

"No one ridicules you, Mother..." Yao Ran's eyes reddened. "Father has never blamed you for that either..."

"He certainly shouldn’t and couldn’t look down on me!" Pei Shi’s neck tensed with anger, her veins bulging. "He owes the Pei family, he owes me! Does he dare divorce me because of it?"

"But Father has never done anything wrong. Why does Mother treat him like an enemy?" Yao Ran, through her tears, mustered the courage to voice her thoughts, "Just because you can’t have more children, Father has never even considered taking a concubine... Has he not done enough all these years?"

"Of course not!" Pei Shi shouted harshly. "He doesn’t have a concubine because it looks good on the surface... Do you really think he doesn’t want one?"

Yao Ran’s eyelashes trembled, as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.

So, the rumors she had overheard were true?

The household had only ever had two concubines. One had been in the family for years without ever becoming pregnant, while the other had died with her child in childbirth years ago...

"Besides, his heart has never been with us!" With that slap, it seemed Pei Shi could no longer suppress her long-held resentment. "He has always had someone else in his heart!"

Faced with those eyes, now so dark and angry they were impossible to meet, Yao Ran found herself unable to breathe.

She had always known her mother acted differently in private than she did in public, but it was the first time she had seen this terrifying side of her.

Was it because of what she had accidentally overheard that day, because her mother had learned about the existence of that woman from the Chang family, that all this built-up resentment had finally erupted uncontrollably?

Yao Ran's fingers grew cold as she trembled and averted her gaze, not daring to meet her mother’s eyes again.

"Madam..." the nearby servant softly reminded.

Pei Shi realized she had spoken too much in front of her daughter and clenched her teeth, closing her eyes to calm herself.

"Matters between elders are not for you to concern yourself with," the servant’s voice was gentle. "You must understand that Madam only has you. Everything she does is for your future. You must appreciate her efforts... Go on and apologize to her."

Yao Ran sniffled quietly and lowered her eyes. "It was my fault for speaking out of turn and upsetting you, Mother... Please punish me."

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Pei Shi slowly opened her eyes and looked at the young girl in front of her.

Her eyes no longer showed the previous agitation. As she gazed at her only daughter, her expression seemed to carry both helplessness after years of bitterness and the desperation of someone adrift in an endless sea, clinging to the last piece of driftwood—

"Don’t disappoint me again."

"Yes... I will remember, Mother."

The carriage rolled on in silence, the only sound being the dull thrum of the wheels.

After returning to the Yao family, Pei Shi went back to her quarters. As soon as she sat down in the inner room, a servant brought over a cup of warm tea.

Pei Shi waved her sleeve dismissively, her expression as dark as water. "Get out!"

Startled, the servant knelt down, bowed her head, and admitted her mistake. At a gesture from the servant beside Pei Shi, she hurriedly gathered the shattered tea set and retreated with her head lowered.

"Did you see that? That little wretch... she really looks just like the woman in that painting he keeps hidden in his study!" 

"Before, you said I was overly suspicious and shouldn’t mind a few past matters before marrying him... little did I know, not only have they already been intimate, but that woman even secretly bore him a child!" 

"He’s searched for so many years, and now he’s finally found her!" 

"Next, does he plan to bring her back... so they can recognize each other as father and daughter?" 

"What will become of me and Ran'er? What will become of the Pei family... will we be the laughingstock of the whole capital?" 

The servant quickly tried to comfort her, "Madam, please calm down. In my opinion, the master may not even intend to acknowledge her. He still has to consider his reputation and our Pei family's standing..."

"Even if he doesn’t acknowledge her now, he will eventually! After all these years, do you think I don’t know him? He may seem kind and affable, but deep down, he’s the proudest of them all! Now that he has established himself in the officialdom, he’s likely eager for an opportunity to embarrass me and the Pei family, showing that he no longer relies on our Pei clan!" 

"But why... why should I marry him, endure this unlivable life for so many years, and still suffer such humiliation?" 

"Do I have to wait for him to bring that illegitimate child here to humiliate me?" 

That resolve, once firmly set, made Pei Shi grit her teeth. "It’s just a little bastard! Even if he truly knows about it, what can he do to me?" 

"With our husband and wife’s hearts estranged..." she asked and answered herself, laughing bitterly and sarcastically. "Has he ever considered my feelings?" 

"He has never cared for me at all; I can only think of myself!" 

…

Meanwhile, not long after the Yao family mother and daughter left, a group of palace attendants arrived at the Marquis Zheng’s flower gathering.

The leader was a young lady-in-waiting, who smiled slightly as she spoke to the Marquise of Zheng, "Not long ago, the sage sent someone from Luoyang to procure a fine purple peony. After nurturing it in the palace for half a month, today he instructed us to present it to you, to add some enjoyment to your gathering."

The purple peony brought by the attendants was something the capital had never seen before, and exclamations of surprise erupted from the crowd.

While the purple peony was rare, what was even more precious was the sage's good intentions.

The women looked at the Marquise of Zheng, who was bowing in thanks, with envy and admiration.

"Speaking of which, the Marquise is indeed fortunate..." a few women whispered from a distance. "The Duan family wasn’t considered a prominent family; they can’t compare to our backgrounds, yet when the palace selected a companion for Princess Chongyue, it just so happened that she picked the Marquise, who is three years older than her..."

"Yes, by luck, she became the princess's companion, and then that princess’s younger brother was made the crown prince... so when it came time for marriage discussions, she could marry into the Marquis Zheng's household." 

"She secured a good marriage and bore a fine son, who has achieved a high position at a young age and has the sage’s favor... What good fortune, how can anyone reason with that?" 

"By the way, when Princess Chongyue was selecting her companions, wasn’t Lady Liang also among the candidates? Considering family background and cleverness... where did you lose out to the Marquise?" 

The woman questioned, even after many years, still bit her lip in frustration. "That princess said she wanted someone pleasing to the eye to accompany her, to lift her spirits."

The two women who asked the question exchanged complex glances at the surrounded Marquise and then subtly looked at the Lady Liang beside them...

Well, that did sound somewhat convincing.

One could not help but say, "So... that compassionate Princess Chongyue is actually just someone who looks at appearances?" 

Not far away, Chang Suining, with her keen ears, overheard the conversation and nodded in agreement—yes, correct, objective, and incisive. 

"Miss?" Qi'er looked at Chang Suining, puzzled by her nodding.

 

Chang Suining, emboldened by her reckless confidence, didn’t intend to explain her unusual behavior. She calmly asked, "What is the identity of that lady-in-waiting?"

From a distance, she observed the woman, feeling an indescribable sensation.

"That lady is the princess of Gu'an." Qi'er whispered to her. "But most people now refer to her as Miss Ming—"

Chang Suining looked over. "Is she from the Ming family?" 

"Yes, Miss Ming is the sage’s niece," Qi'er casually shared some rumors from the capital. "It’s said that she was born as a concubine in the Ming family and was originally not favored, left unnoticed in the Ming family’s inner courtyard, but her fate changed drastically after meeting the sage when she was ten..."

Chang Suining instinctively asked, "What do you mean by that?" 

Thank you all for your support yesterday!!  

Thanks for the list, it will be organized during the day~  

Today, I need to go for a recommended spot that requires assessment, so I hope everyone can leave comments and vote, thank you very much!  

Additionally, regarding the surprise chapter posted yesterday, about the cat and dog fighting video, some of you asked if they would get hurt. Don’t worry, they won’t at all... it’s just some fitness activities!  

(This chapter has three thousand words; the second update will be at the usual time during the day. Good night (づ￣3￣)づ╭)

(The End of this Chapter) 

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