Hearing this, Gu Chang’s face flushed red, and he didn’t dare to raise his head to look at Pei Yan even once.

But Pei Yan was relentless and said, “Although you’re Pei Tong’s eldest brother-in-law, you’d better not interfere in our family matters. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me—working hard without getting any appreciation.”

Thinking of the gossip outside about the Pei family, Gu Chang sincerely apologized to Pei Yan on his sister’s behalf: “I was wrong in this matter. I’ll discipline my sister better in the future.”

Pei Tong was a member of the Pei family—he couldn’t control him.

But if there was an opportunity, he would definitely help persuade Pei Tong.

No matter how good the Yang family was, they were only Pei Tong’s maternal family. Breaking ties with the paternal clan while being close to the maternal clan, without any mortal enmity—if he entered officialdom in the future, he would certainly be attacked by opponents for this.

How could he sit still any longer? Disregarding that they had important matters to discuss soon, he stood up and said, “I have something I forgot to handle. I’ll go and come right back. I’ll try not to delay everyone’s business.”

Pei Yan guessed he was going to confront Gu Xi and was delighted to see them fight amongst themselves. Plus, his mind was preoccupied with Yu Tang’s side. He had been wanting to find an excuse to dismiss Tao Qing but feared Tao Qing would stick to him, so he simply pretended to be magnanimous and said, “Whether we invite Wei Sanfu to Lin’an or go to Suzhou to visit Wang Qibao, we need to hear your opinion. Anyway, the night is long and everyone has nothing urgent. If you have matters to handle, go ahead—we’ll wait for you to come back before deliberating.”

Gu Chang had originally wanted to be modest, but thinking about what the First Madam had been doing these days, he felt his sister was like a lamb entering a tiger’s den. Every quarter-hour he delayed, his sister might suffer one more point of harm. So he didn’t stand on ceremony and said, “Then I thank Third Master very much,” and hurriedly went to Gu Xi’s place.

Seeing him from outside, Tao Qing came in and said, “What’s wrong with him? Has something else happened?” He looked as if he still had lingering fears.

Pei Yan glanced at Tao Qing and said, “It’s nothing major—it’s his sister. She probably has something urgent to find him about, so he went to handle it first. The gathering will likely be delayed for a while.”

Tao Qing had been wanting to find an opportunity to discuss the two hundred thousand taels of silver matter privately with Pei Yan. The gathering being delayed suited him perfectly. He said, “Then let’s go out for a walk. When they arrive intermittently later, they’ll just sit here chatting idly. With this time, we might as well properly discuss the Guangdong business!”

If they really dismantled the Maritime Trade Offices in Quanzhou and Ningbo, the Tao family, which occupied most of the docks in Guangzhou, would become the target of everyone’s criticism. Since ancient times, monopolizing benefits never ended well.

However, Pei Yan had no interest in continuing to discuss these business matters with Tao Qing. He was pondering in his heart that although Shen Shanyan going to the capital was a month away, there was no guarantee that news of someone rescuing the Li family wouldn’t leak out. When that time came, Miss Yu would certainly be very angry. Rather than letting her imagine things wildly there, he might as well reveal his plan completely. With Miss Yu’s cleverness, she might even cooperate with him to ensure the Li family would never have a chance to rise again.

Looking at Tao Qing, whom he had personally invited over, he now felt Tao Qing was somewhat tactless.

Pei Yan said, “I also have some urgent matters to handle. Regarding the Maritime Trade Office, why don’t we discuss it properly later? If you ask me to make a decision now, I can’t think of a better idea at the moment.”

Tao Qing saw his urgency was already showing on his face. Thinking that Gu Chang had once come to find Pei Yan about Pei Tong’s studies, he figured Gu Chang had probably come again about Pei Tong just now, and the two had even had a dispute over it, which was why Gu Chang hurriedly went to see his sister. Pei Yan probably also needed to go discuss this matter with Old Madam Pei.

This matter was indeed rather thorny and urgent.

Tao Qing didn’t want to detain him and urged him to go and come back quickly.

Pei Yan nodded at Tao Qing, went back to straighten his lapels, and then walked toward the eastern meditation courtyard where the women resided.

Tao Qing thought Pei Yan was indeed going to see Old Madam Pei—good thing he hadn’t stopped him.

Business matters were certainly important, but wasn’t doing business for the purpose of making family members live better? If family members were neglected because of this, that would be more loss than gain.

He even felt somewhat fortunate to have formed an alliance with Pei Yan.

The two shared the same views on major matters, so doing business together wouldn’t create too many rifts.

Tao Qing sat alone in the hall, calmly brewing tea like an old sage.

The misunderstood Pei Yan, after entering the eastern meditation courtyard, turned a corner and went along that bamboo-lined corridor to Yu Tang’s place.

On Yu Tang’s side, she was accompanying Chen Shi in receiving guests.

Both the Wu and Wei families had obtained a resting room thanks to the Yu family. Because they would be moving in later that evening, both families had sent capable old servants ahead a day early with their customary items to tidy up. These old servants came together to pay their respects to Chen Shi as soon as they arrived at Zhaoming Temple.

Chen Shi usually received much care from the Wu and Wei families, so she was naturally very enthusiastic toward the old servants of both families. She not only frequently gestured for them to drink tea but also asked if there was anything inconvenient that needed her help.

The old servants from both families repeatedly said “We wouldn’t dare,” thanked Chen Shi, and said, “Everything is fine. We’ve troubled Madam to worry.”

As several people exchanged pleasantries, Shuang Tao silently walked to Yu Tang’s ear and said a few words.

Yu Tang was very surprised and quietly asked, “Did he come alone?”

Shuang Tao nodded and said, “He asks Miss to come quickly to meet him, saying he has important matters to discuss with Miss.”

Tomorrow was the scripture lecture. Even the best arrangements could sometimes have mishaps. Yu Tang didn’t think much of it, said something to Chen Shi, and went out with Shuang Tao.

Pei Yan stood under the camphor tree at the door, its canopy like an umbrella. He still wore a moon-white fine cotton Taoist robe, elegant as a jade tree in the wind, making Yu Tang momentarily dazed, as if the quarrel between them had been her imagination. Now that she had awakened, she had returned to the scene of meeting with Pei Yan.

Unfortunately, Pei Yan was a master at destroying the atmosphere.

Seeing Yu Tang, he beckoned to her, gesturing for her to come over to talk.

Yu Tang was exasperated but still patiently walked over and said, “What is it?”

Her voice was somewhat stiff. Hearing it, Pei Yan clicked his tongue in his heart, thinking how was Miss Yu still angry? Her temper was really quite big, wasn’t it? Didn’t she accept his candies and pastries? Could it be that after accepting things she refused to acknowledge it?

However, he had always been magnanimous, and the other party was a young lady—he couldn’t bicker with Miss Yu over such small matters.

He said, “Do you want the Li family to fall into disgrace from now on, flee far away, change their names, and then make a comeback in a few years? Or do you want them to suffer in silence from now on, live trembling with fear, behave meekly with their tails between their legs, and decline from now on?”

Yu Tang looked at Pei Yan.

Wasn’t this obvious?

She had an irreconcilable enmity with the Li family.

In this life, there was also an innocent life between them—how could there be reconciliation or forgiveness?!

But thinking of Pei Yan’s personality, Yu Tang felt that such assumptions and hints were useless. It was better to speak clearly and plainly with him.

“I want their family to pay with their lives!” Yu Tang said crisply, her large almond eyes staring at Pei Yan without blinking, her eyes containing unmistakable seriousness.

This little girl!

She certainly had character!

Pei Yan clicked his tongue again in his heart and stopped beating around the bush, saying, “Master Shen came to plead for Li Duan. I thought for a long time and felt that even if I don’t act, with Master Shen’s connections and relationships, he could ask others to help. So I agreed…”

He said this and observed Yu Tang’s expression.

She showed neither anger nor resentment but looked at him seriously as before, waiting for him to speak.

Pei Yan’s heart immediately warmed somewhat.

The young lady still trusted him, didn’t she?

Otherwise, given her grievances with the Li family, hearing such words she should have jumped up long ago. Yet she could still stand here calmly listening to him speak, which showed she believed he could avenge her.

Pei Yan felt a bit regretful about previously teasing Yu Tang into anger.

He couldn’t take advantage of Yu Tang’s trust in him just because she trusted him. Those who didn’t trust him were the ones who should receive such treatment.

Pei Yan’s throat itched. He cleared it gently before continuing, “So I wrote letters to my mentor and several senior brothers, and also gave Master Shen one of my calling cards, having him go to the capital to find my mentor and senior brothers and ask them to help Master Shen fish the Li family out.”

Yu Tang was so angry her lungs were about to explode.

But she remembered her previous misunderstanding of Pei Yan and decided that no matter what, she must endure until Pei Yan finished speaking before settling accounts with him. She didn’t realize—what right did she have to settle accounts with Pei Yan…

Seeing Yu Tang still listening to him as she had at their first meeting, Pei Yan felt even more satisfied. His voice unconsciously carried a hint of pleasure he himself hadn’t noticed: “I told my mentor and senior brothers that our family owes Master Shen a great debt and must repay it, so we have no choice but to help him write letters to rescue the Li family. You must be very curious why I said this, right?”

He couldn’t help but leave her in suspense again.

Yu Tang knew his personality too well. She went along with him and gave him the satisfaction he wanted, saying, “Why did you say that?”

Could it really be because the Pei family owed Master Shen a great debt?

Pei Yan said rather proudly, “Because my mentor and these several senior brothers of mine all most despise those who are unkind as officials!”

Yu Tang was stunned.

Pei Yan looked at her round almond eyes, her dazed and surprised expression… felt she looked too foolish.

He couldn’t help but laugh out loud and said, “My mentor and senior brothers believe that as an official you can have selfish motives, but you cannot harm people. Because those who wield power are even more dangerous than fierce tigers. For my sake, they will help Master Shen fish people out, but if the Li family wants to enter officialdom again, whether it’s my mentor or my senior brothers, including those scholars who are friendly with my mentor and senior brothers, they will all suppress the Li family to prevent them from regaining their position and harming people again.”

This way, the Li family would be cut off from officialdom for at least fifty years.

If the Li family’s descendants slacked off even a bit in their studies, they might change from a family of generations of scholars to farmers facing the yellow earth with backs to the sky, and might even be unable to become farmers, becoming tenant farmers instead.

Pei Yan smiled at Yu Tang and said, “Therefore I thought, rather than letting the Li family stay somewhere we can’t see them, we might as well let them stay in Lin’an where we can help them out from time to time. What do you think?”

Yu Tang shivered.

This plan was truly wicked!

But she loved it!

The Li family should get exactly this kind of ending.

Who told them to build their family’s wealth and honor on other families’ white bones!

Yu Tang nodded repeatedly, so excited that her cheeks flushed with a rosy glow.

Pei Yan gave a satisfied “Hmm,” thinking Miss Yu was fortunate to have found him to come up with this plan for her. Otherwise, who else could she find to avenge her?