Only then did Yu Tang discover that Third Master Pei was also present.

She looked toward Pei Yan.

He wore a moon-white fine cloth robe, and aside from the green bamboo hairpin on his head, he had no other adornments anywhere on his person. His expression was indifferent, his gaze gloomy—he appeared even more forbidding and cold than the previous times she had seen him.

Yu Tang was taken aback.

Wasn’t he the victor in the Pei family’s power struggle? Why wasn’t there even a trace of joy visible?

Yu Tang remained puzzled as she felt her body gradually warming up, and her limbs, which had gone numb from seeing Li Duan, were also slowly regaining their ability to move.

Regarding certain matters, she had thought herself already at peace.

In reality, she was not!

Seeing Li Duan, she would still feel anger, still harbor hatred, still feel unwilling to accept it.

She had forcefully restrained herself from speaking harsh words.

But Li Duan at this moment couldn’t spare attention for Yu Tang.

He had brought Li Jun here today to show him off. They had just encountered Pei Yan and the others, and before they’d had a chance to exchange more than a few words, Pei Yan was already preparing to leave… How could this be allowed!

Li Duan hurriedly stepped forward and said to Pei Yan: “Uncle, Master Zhou rarely visits. I’ve brought the finest Maojian tea, Teacher still has a set of sky-blue Ru ware tea implements, and the century-old osmanthus tree in the back courtyard of the county school is about to bloom. Rather than rushing back in haste, why not go to the back courtyard for tea? We can steal half a day’s leisure and enjoy the osmanthus fragrance.”

Pei Yan’s teacher was former Minister of Personnel Zhang Ying. The Minister of Works and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion Jiang Hua, as well as Vice Minister of Personnel Fei Zhiwen, were both his fellow disciples under the same master. By rights, whether Li Yi wanted to advance further or Li Duan wanted a smooth official career, seeking help from anyone would not be as good as seeking out Pei Yan, their fellow townsman.

But Pei Yan happened to have an eccentric personality. Not only was he at daggers drawn with the first branch, he also had no dealings with the second branch.

Although Li Yi and Second Master Pei Xuan of the Pei family had passed the imperial examination in the same year, and Li Duan had frequently sought Pei Xuan’s guidance after his return, Li Duan had never found an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Pei Yan.

Li Duan had no other option but to seek out his mentor Shen Shanyan.

Shen Shanyan had placed great hopes in this disciple. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Pei Yan was accompanying Zhou Zijin to visit him, he had specifically summoned Li Duan over, hoping to use this chance to allow him to establish connections with Pei Yan.

Naturally, he now had to speak up for Li Duan: “Xiaguang, Zichun is right. You rarely come to the county school—why not stay for a cup of tea before leaving?”

Li Duan’s courtesy name was Zichun.

Pei Yan said nothing, expressionlessly glancing at Li Duan once, then glancing at Yu Tang once.

Everyone was startled.

Li Duan, thinking of his earlier breach of courtesy, immediately flushed bright red and stammered an explanation to Pei Yan: “Miss Yu almost became betrothed to our family!”

Yu Tang’s almond eyes widened in fury.

What did Li Duan mean by this?

What did he mean they “almost became betrothed”?

Yu Tang was so angry her lungs felt ready to burst.

Pei Yan, however, responded casually and insincerely with a single “Oh.”

Yu Tang was perplexed.

Zhou Zijin’s eyes, however, fell sometimes on Yu Tang and sometimes on Li Duan.

Yu Tang shuddered and suddenly understood.

Could Pei Yan be suspecting that she and Li Duan…

How was that possible?

What was Pei Yan thinking?

But once she considered this possibility, blood rushed straight to the top of her head.

Yu Tang called out “Third Master Pei.”

Pei Yan acted as if he hadn’t heard, suddenly saying to Shen Shanyan: “Then let’s go to the back courtyard for tea together.”

Shen Shanyan was secretly delighted. Afraid that Pei Yan would change his mind, he pulled him toward the back courtyard: “Actually, I have matters to discuss with you. Since you became the Pei family patriarch, I haven’t had a proper conversation with you. When Old Master Pei was alive, he showed great care for the county school. Now that he has passed on, many of the students who received his support have become restless and unsettled. If you hadn’t come, I was planning to seek you out in a few days…”

The two gradually walked farther away.

Yu Tang was beside herself with anger and shouted: “Third Master Pei, I have something to say to you!”

There were some things she needed to clarify with him.

The previous two times had been her fault, but this time, he was wrongly accusing her.

Everyone turned around.

Pei Yan, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued walking straight ahead.

Shen Shanyan glanced at Yu Tang, thought for a moment, and followed Pei Yan.

Zhou Zijin, however, was quite interested.

With a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he opened his folding fan with a “swish,” but before he could speak, Pei Yan—as if he had eyes in the back of his head—turned around, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him forward, saying: “Aren’t you drinking tea? If you’re not drinking tea, then go back to the capital!”

Zhou Zijin immediately shut his mouth.

Li Duan stared in astonishment at the scene before him, grabbed Li Jun, and chased after Pei Yan.

Li Jun didn’t dare speak, looking pitifully at Yu Tang.

Yu Tang was half-dead with anger, but her ears caught the sound of several “dang dang dang” bell strikes.

The county school had been dismissed.

Young students emerged in twos and threes.

Yu Tang stamped her foot, casting all thoughts of Li Duan and Li Jun to the back of her mind, and returned home fuming with rage. Afraid her mother would notice something amiss, she instructed A’Tiao not to speak of today’s events to anyone.

A’Tiao nodded repeatedly.

That was Third Master Pei, after all!

How would he dare speak carelessly?

Yu Wen had returned from Hangzhou.

Returning with him was Lu Xin’s coffin.

“This time we’ve spent a great deal of money.” Yu Wen said with a bitter smile. “The coffin aside, when people heard I wanted to escort the coffin back home, none were willing to transport me. I could only hire a boat specifically for this purpose. To place his coffin temporarily at a temple also cost a substantial sum for incense offerings.” He felt deeply apologetic to his wife and daughter, assuring Chen Shi and Yu Tang: “This is the last time. Never again will I do such a thing.”

Chen Shi was a magnanimous person. Thinking that what was done was done and that further words would only damage the marital relationship, not only did she not reproach Yu Wen, she comforted him instead: “In life, one seeks only peace of mind. As long as we’ve done right by Master Lu, that’s enough.”

Yu Wen sighed: “You don’t know. We still need to find a way to negotiate with the Lu family, otherwise we’ll have to help him purchase a burial plot, and in the future arrange for someone to make offerings to him.”

Chen Shi said: “That too is unavoidable. Tomorrow I’ll have Chen Pozi prepare some refreshments for you, and you can make a trip to the Lu family. The deceased take precedence—I believe the Lu family is not an unreasonable household.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Yu Wen went to the Lu family with a worried heart.

The Lu family, seeing that Yu Wen had helped collect Lu Xin’s remains and even transported the coffin back, was willing to compromise and agreed to let Lu Xin be buried in the ancestral graveyard.

Yu Wen breathed a sigh of relief. The next day he went to the temple, planning to ask the monks there to perform transcendence rites for three days before selecting an auspicious date for burial.

The Yu household was burglarized again.

This time the thief was discovered by Little Yellow while rummaging through Yu Wen’s study.

Little Yellow was still young after all. Barking “woof woof woof” at the thief, it even went to bite the thief’s trouser leg, only to be kicked away and left whimpering in pain.

Although A’Tiao rushed over in time, he didn’t dare confront the thief directly. Half frightened, half chasing, he let the burglar escape.

Yu Tang tenderly held Little Yellow, gently stroking its fur.

Chen Shi also felt extremely frightened. She took five taels of silver and gave them to A’Tiao, instructing him to find Yu Wen: “Use this silver to buy drinks for the yamen runners. Even if they can’t catch the thief, ask them to patrol past our door a few more times—it will serve to intimidate those thieves.”

A’Tiao agreed.

Yu Tang, thinking of her father’s recent exertions, went to tidy up Yu Wen’s study and help him take inventory of his belongings to see if anything had been lost.

The room was still neat and orderly. She didn’t know whether the thief had run out of time or was being cautious, but everything had been moved with such care that it was hard to tell anything was amiss.

Yu Tang slowly helped her father organize things. That thief had actually only stolen half a ream of Xuan paper from her father. The inherited Chengni inkstones from the family had been turned out but not taken.

Did the thief not recognize valuable items?

Yu Tang looked at the lifelike magpies carved beside the inkstone and the plum blossoms that seemed to have come alive, feeling that something about this matter was suspicious.

If one wanted to steal silver, shouldn’t they go to her parents’ inner chamber instead? If one was burglarizing the study, they surely must have some discernment—otherwise how would they know which items were valuable and which were not?

Chen Pozi cursed angrily in the courtyard: “They’re just bullying our family because the master isn’t home. Otherwise how would they dare to come steal once and then come back to steal a second time?”