Yu Wen, who remained in the main hall, naturally had no idea what was happening in the flower hall.

He was candidly answering Pei Yan’s questions: “…It was all our daughter’s idea. Originally, I didn’t agree either—mainly because I feared our daughter would be criticized by others. But she insisted. She said that since she plans to take in a son-in-law in the future, if she isn’t formidable enough, she’ll likely be unable to control whoever marries into the family. Her eldest uncle and I discussed it for quite a while and felt what she said made sense. Besides, we two brothers couldn’t come up with any better plan than hers. So the matter was settled like this.” After finishing, worried that Pei Yan might think his daughter overbearing and form a poor impression of her—fearing that in the future when his daughter became the head of the household and the Yu family encountered difficulties, Pei Yan would be unwilling to protect her—he hastily explained on her behalf: “Don’t judge her by today’s somewhat willful behavior, or how her actions seemed like unreasonable troublemaking. Normally she’s not like this at all. Actually, her personality is lively and cheerful, and she’s very considerate and attentive. Otherwise, my wife and I wouldn’t have been so determined to keep her at home. What she did today was entirely to make Li Duan fall into the trap—it was all deliberate.”

Pei Yan nodded, but his mind was in chaos, as if a tangle of weeds were growing wildly inside.

So all of this truly was Miss Yu’s idea.

She really hadn’t disappointed his intuition!

Both bold and fierce!

Even ordinary men probably wouldn’t have her kind of courage.

However, her father and brother were far too indulgent of her. Such a major matter, yet they simply let her act recklessly.

If Li Duan had been a bit cleverer, if Li Jun had been a bit more cunning, the Yu family could have forgotten about gaining even half an advantage today.

Had Miss Yu not considered the consequences if this plan failed?

Thinking this, Pei Yan couldn’t help but give Yu Wen another look.

A typical Jiangnan literati appearance, very well-maintained, looking refined with a touch of carefree elegance. Clearly the type who detested mundane affairs and only knew how to indulge in romantic pursuits all day long. Yet he doted on his daughter excessively, actually allowing her to act so recklessly.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Miss Yu had developed such a fearless disposition?

Usually in families where the parents are weak, the children are formidable.

Pei Yan couldn’t help but ask: “Did Miss Yu not consider what you would do if the Li family didn’t fall for it?”

Yu Wen certainly couldn’t let Pei Yan question his daughter—as long as their Yu family remained in Lin’an City, no, even if they weren’t in Lin’an City, they still shared neighborly ties with the Pei family and needed to maintain good relations with them. Just like in Hangzhou City when Yu Tang had diarrhea in the middle of the night—if they hadn’t used Third Master Pei’s calling card, how could they possibly have summoned an imperial physician for a house call?

Such favors could never be discarded, no matter the circumstances!

“Of course we considered it.” Without much thought, he said, “But our daughter said that given Li Duan’s personality, he would definitely fall for it. She also said that everyone has weaknesses, everyone has something they want most, and as long as you find it, you’ll catch them every single time.” Reaching this point, he recalled the terms Yu Tang had used when describing Li Duan, and the corners of his mouth curved upward, revealing a slight smile. “You don’t know our daughter—she’s been mischievous since childhood. I’ve always regarded her as an ignorant little girl. But I never expected that when trouble struck the family, she would be the one to step forward and take charge. It’s clear that I haven’t paid enough attention to her in the past—she’s grown up without my realizing it. Ah, had I known this earlier, I should have had her study more. Perhaps she could have become a talented lady!”

Pei Yan couldn’t help but recall the image of Yu Tang gnawing on a pig’s trotter.

With her like that, even if she read countless books, it probably wouldn’t change her much, would it?

He silently curled his lips inwardly, though his expression remained impassive as he said: “I thought all this was taught by you, but now hearing you say this, I realize she’s naturally like this.”

“Exactly!” Yu Wen sighed. “If only she were a son—then I truly wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

Only then did Pei Yan shift the topic to Yu Tang’s marriage prospects: “I actually think Li Jun is quite good. Why didn’t your family consider him initially? Although taking in a son-in-law is fine, I see that your nephew is also honest and dutiful—shouldn’t he be able to shoulder the responsibilities of both households?”

The implication was that since the Yu family doted on their daughter so much, they should prioritize her lifelong happiness rather than insisting on whether she took in a son-in-law or married out.

Yu Wen had been thinking along the same lines. Reaching this topic, he also opened his heart to Pei Yan.

“Her mother and I planned it that way from the start,” he said. “Our daughter didn’t insist on staying home either. Truth be told, the Li family came to propose marriage even before the Wei family did. But our daughter said that no matter how good Li Jun was, no husband would make things difficult for his mother for his wife’s sake, and that Madam Li’s character was too poor. My wife inquired carefully and felt our daughter’s words made sense. Just then, Manager Tong arranged this match with the Wei family, so we thought we’d take a look first. Who knew that once we looked, everyone was very satisfied, and the matter was settled just like that… We never expected this would end up harming young Xiaoshan. That’s why our daughter felt so distressed. When she accidentally discovered some clues, she pursued them all the way and refused to give up no matter what—that’s the reason.”

Miss Yu had set her sights on the deceased Wei Xiaoshan rather than Li Jun?

Pei Yan recalled how Yu Tang had seduced Li Jun at Zhaoming Temple… Could it be that Wei Xiaoshan was extraordinarily handsome?

He tried hard to recall the appearances of Master Wei and Wei Xiaoyuan.

He couldn’t see it…

Then was it that his character was particularly good? Or was he better able to please her than Li Jun?

Pei Yan suddenly grew curious about Wei Xiaoshan.

He said: “So Miss Yu never had any interest in the Li family at all—it has nothing to do with taking in a son-in-law?”

Because Madam Li was not only Li Jun’s mother but also Li Duan’s mother.

Yu Wen nodded, no longer concealing anything, and said: “Mainly because we didn’t approve of the Li family.”

Pei Yan thought of Li Duan’s burning gaze when looking at Yu Tang, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

It appeared Li Duan had unilaterally set his sights on Miss Yu.

He said: “Are you planning to let Miss Yu make her own decision regarding her marriage?”

Even if Yu Wen truly thought this way, he wouldn’t dare admit it!

If he admitted this, and all the Yu family children made their own marriage decisions, what kind of family would the Yu family become?

“It’s mainly because our Yu family has few members,” Yu Wen said tactfully. “Whether it’s my eldest brother or myself, we both want the children to live well. Marriage is the joining of two surnames—it can’t become a relationship of enemies. If the children can see eye to eye, it’s always sweeter than a forced melon. Don’t you agree?”

Pei Yan didn’t think so.

His father had thought the same way initially. So whether it was his eldest brother’s or second brother’s marriages, they had all been arranged after prior meetings. As a result, his eldest brother and sister-in-law were indeed very loving, but wasn’t their family still like enemies with the Yang family now?

Clearly such matters varied from person to person.

Why was Miss Yu targeting Li Duan?

From Yu Wen’s tone, Miss Yu seemed to understand Li Duan’s personality quite well.

Pei Yan felt unsettled not knowing the answer.

He said: “If Wei Xiaoshan were still alive, Miss Yu’s marriage wouldn’t be a worry.”

“Exactly.” Yu Wen thought that Yu Yuan’s marriage couldn’t be concealed for long anyway, so he said frankly: “The Wei family is truly a rare honest family.” He told Pei Yan what had happened after Wei Xiaoshan’s death, and added: “This shows our two families are fated. Though the marriage between our daughter and the Wei family didn’t work out, her eldest brother has already become engaged to the Wei family’s cousin, and they’ll marry next spring. When the time comes, please come drink a cup of celebratory wine, Third Master Pei.”

Pei Yan was startled.

The Yu family truly favored the Wei family immensely—if they couldn’t become in-laws through their children, they still had to bind themselves together as relatives by marriage.

Even tongues and teeth inevitably clash—where are there perfectly flawless matters?

This was only because Wei Xiaoshan was gone, with the most beautiful impression frozen in the most beautiful time.

If Wei Xiaoshan were still alive, the Wei and Yu families might have even quarreled and developed rifts over matters like how much betrothal money and gifts to give for taking in a son-in-law.

Pei Yan inwardly scorned the Yu family, saying somewhat perfunctorily: “I’ll certainly come to offer congratulations then.”

By that time, Pei Yan wouldn’t have finished his mourning period yet—how could he possibly attend a wedding banquet?

Yu Wen knew Pei Yan was just being polite, but seeing him agree so readily still made him very happy. His impression of Pei Yan improved even more, and he spoke even more unguardedly, even mentioning Yu Tang’s marriage prospects: “If Third Master Pei knows any good young men, please help look out for our daughter too.”

He feared that after today’s events, Yu Tang’s marriage prospects would become even more difficult.

Manager Tong was merely a respectable steward of the Pei family, yet he could know such a good family as the Wei family. With Third Master Pei’s connections, he surely knew even more excellent families.

“As long as the young man is good, it doesn’t matter whether she takes in a son-in-law or marries out,” he specifically added.

Pei Yan was dumbstruck.

He’d encountered countless requests in his life, but being asked to serve as a matchmaker—this was the first time.

Pei Yan examined Yu Wen carefully once again.

Did he truly want him to be Miss Yu’s matchmaker?

Yu Wen truly was thinking this, so he also disclosed his family’s situation to Pei Yan, hoping Pei Yan would assess the circumstances when matchmaking and find Yu Tang a suitable family.

He sighed: “Our family originally had some assets too. It’s all my fault—I was careless in choosing friends and was deceived, causing the family to drain all our resources.”

Yu Wen told Pei Yan all about buying the fake painting.

“Wait a moment!” After listening for quite a while without reacting, Pei Yan finally came to his senses and couldn’t help but interrupt Yu Wen’s rambling: “You’re saying you bought a fake painting, and Miss Yu helped you clean up the mess?!”

What did he mean by “mess”!

Yu Wen was somewhat dissatisfied with Pei Yan’s words, but out of deference to Pei Yan, he didn’t show it. Instead, he patiently said: “It wasn’t a mess—I just didn’t notice for a moment and was deceived by a friend…”

That was still a mess!

Pei Yan ignored Yu Wen’s attempt to save face, his eyes unable to hide his astonishment as he said: “So you’re saying that if Miss Yu hadn’t recovered the silver at that time, there would have been no money for your wife’s medical treatment and medicine?”

Hearing Pei Yan put it this way and recalling the situation at the time, Yu Wen’s face finally reddened with embarrassment, though he stubbornly said: “It wouldn’t have come to that. It’s just that the family was in relatively difficult straits…”

So he had truly misunderstood Miss Yu back then.

He’d thought she went to the pawnshop to scheme for money just to earn a few silver coins.

No, wait—the core issue hadn’t changed. Miss Yu had indeed gone there to scheme. But scheming for personal gain versus being forced to scheme to save her mother’s life were two entirely different matters.

Pei Yan recalled his chance encounter with Yu Tang on Changxing Street.

And the words with which he had rebuked her.

For a young girl, they had indeed been too harsh.

Pei Yan felt increasingly unable to sit still.

He straightened his spine and drank another cup of tea, but the unease in his heart not only didn’t disappear—it intensified instead.

Especially when he realized that from beginning to end, Yu Tang had never explained a single word to him, nor had she ever complained to him once.

Yet he had forgotten that Yu Tang hadn’t failed to try explaining to him or complaining to him—it was just that before she could even open her mouth, his expression would turn cold first, and Yu Tang simply hadn’t had the opportunity.