Ever since Pei Yan had given Jiang Chao a large sum of silver to revive his family business, Old Master Wu had been singing Pei Yan’s praises in private. This led even Madam Wu to view Pei Yan in a different light. With her saying such things, Chen Shi, who held gratitude toward Pei Yan in her heart, also began to feel that Miss Gu was not worthy of him.

Madam Wu even said to Chen Shi: “Doesn’t your A’Tang often go to pay respects to Old Madam An of the Pei residence? Whether or not Madam Shen truly came to act as a matchmaker for Miss Gu, you should have your A’Tang keep her eyes open when she visits the Pei residence! Madam Shen and Miss Gu are still staying at the Pei residence!”

Chen Shi had no desire to let Yu Tang get mixed up in this matter. She hastily declined in a tactful manner: “She’s just a young unmarried girl—what would she understand? If she displeases Old Madam An, that would be even worse.”

Though Madam Wu had only mentioned it casually, upon hearing Chen Shi’s response, she still felt indignant: “If Third Master Pei marries Miss Gu, I’ll definitely take a detour whenever I encounter Miss Gu in the future.”

Who could disagree!

Chen Shi sighed deeply in her heart.

Originally, she had no opinion about whom Pei Yan would marry, but after listening to Madam Wu’s speech and thinking about how Pei Yan might possibly become the Gu family’s son-in-law, she too began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. After seeing Madam Wu off, Yu Tang brought over the new clothes prepared for the ancestral worship ceremony in a few days. Chen Shi couldn’t help but bring up this matter with Yu Tang, and asked her: “That day when you encountered Madam Shen, what did Madam Shen say to Old Madam An? Did Miss Gu behave particularly special in front of Old Madam An?”

Upon hearing this, Yu Tang felt as though she’d been struck by lightning, unable to recover her senses for quite some time.

Pei Yan and Gu Xi… who had spread this rumor?! They were really stretching it! Pei Yan and Gu Xi were separated by a generation, weren’t they?!

No, wait—she was thinking about it wrongly.

Pei Yan and Gu Chang were roughly the same age and had even served as officials in the court together.

If it weren’t for the fixed impressions from her previous life, always feeling that she and Gu Xi were the same, she wouldn’t have thought that Gu Xi and Pei Yan were separated by a generation.

Looking at it this way, it really was possible that Gu Xi might marry Pei Yan!

But Gu Xi marrying Pei Yan… Yu Tang couldn’t picture what that would look like.

But what if Gu Xi really did marry Pei Yan?

Yu Tang suddenly felt as though she had swallowed a fly.

Not only was it disgusting and uncomfortable, but she also couldn’t accept it.

Pei Yan and Gu Xi… how could that work!

Was Gu Xi worthy of Pei Yan?

What right did she have to marry Pei Yan?!

Yu Tang abruptly stood up, pacing in circles around the room like a trapped beast.

No, she couldn’t let Gu Xi marry Pei Yan!

Gu Xi was a hypocrite, a false magnanimous person, someone of inferior character!

Pei Yan shouldn’t marry anyone else but definitely shouldn’t marry Gu Xi!

She had to go tell Pei Yan.

Yu Tang thought this in her heart, and her feet actually followed her heart’s impulse, walking toward the door.

“What are you trying to do?” Just as she was about to reach the door, Chen Shi grabbed her arm.

Chen Shi’s face was full of confusion as she said: “I was telling you about Third Master Pei’s matter, and you just turn around and start walking away, muttering things I can’t understand…”

Had this child become possessed?

Chen Shi nervously looked her daughter up and down.

Yu Tang snapped back to her senses due to the painful sensation of her arm being tightly gripped.

What… what had come over her? How could she have rashly been about to go warn Pei Yan?

Setting aside the fact that the matter between Pei Yan and Gu Xi was only hearsay her mother had heard, even if the Pei family really was going to discuss marriage arrangements with the Gu family, what did it have to do with her?

Furthermore, the grievances between her and Gu Xi were their own affair. Pei Yan was resourceful and strategic, Old Madam An was shrewd and capable—which of them wasn’t stronger than her? What right did she have to think that Gu Xi and Pei Yan were unsuitable?

Whether Gu Xi and Pei Yan were suitable should be judged by the Pei family, not because of her conflict with Gu Xi that she presumptuously made decisions on behalf of the Pei family and decided they were unsuitable, right?

Yu Tang took a deep breath, suppressing those chaotic emotions deep in her heart, and said to her mother: “I heard that the Gu family intended to form a marriage alliance with the Pei family and was too surprised—I lost my composure for a moment…”

Chen Shi didn’t think much of it and sighed: “Don’t mention you—even I was greatly shocked when I first heard about it. But thinking about it more carefully, the Gu family wanting to form a marriage alliance with the Pei family does make sense—looking across all of Suzhou and Zhejiang, among unmarried men, how many can compare to Third Master Pei? If I were Miss Gu’s mother, I would have the same idea. I was just thinking about how I heard people say before that when Old Master Pei was still alive, he once said that Third Master Pei’s marriage must be to a young lady from a family of officials ranked third grade or above. Now that Old Master Pei has passed away, Third Master Pei’s marriage has been delayed…”

With the Gu family being what they were, they didn’t meet Old Master Pei’s standards at all.

No wonder she felt uncomfortable in her heart.

Chen Shi and Yu Tang both thought in unison, each finding a reason to explain why they felt uneasy, and their moods both calmed down.

Yu Tang also carefully recalled the scene from that day when she had encountered Madam Shen and Gu Xi: “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I really wouldn’t have thought of it that way. Old Madam An clearly didn’t care for Madam Shen, and as for Miss Gu, she was a bit too lively in front of Old Madam An. It felt like she was deliberately acting that way, trying to please Old Madam An. Looking at it now, their insistence on staying at the Pei residence really does seem like they came with ulterior motives.”

In reality, Gu Xi’s behavior in front of Old Madam An had been quite normal. It was only because Yu Tang had lived with Gu Xi in her previous life, and when Gu Xi married into the Li family—which was a marriage beneath her station—she had maintained an air of superiority from beginning to end. This life was different from the previous one, and Yu Tang could immediately sense it.

Chen Shi clicked her tongue: “If this matter succeeds, it really proves that old saying ‘the bold feast while the timid starve’—those words are truly reasonable. Then I should also be bold and ask Mr. Shen to help pick out one of the Shen family’s young men with upright character to be a son-in-law. After all, some things—if you don’t try, you’ll never know if they can succeed.”

Had Gu Xi opened Chen Shi’s eyes?

Yu Tang smiled with pursed lips, but somehow in the depths of her heart, a faint sadness lingered continuously, leaving her puzzled.

On the first day of the tenth month, after performing ancestral worship, every household would begin preparing for the New Year.

Hu Xing suddenly accompanied Nanny Ji to visit Chen Shi at the Yu residence, saying that Old Madam An wanted to go stay at the villa on North Tianmu Mountain for a few days and wanted to invite Yu Tang to accompany Old Madam An and stay for several days, asking if Chen Shi would agree.

Chen Shi didn’t particularly want Yu Tang to go stay at the villa, but seeing that Nanny Ji had come personally to invite her, and after saying many things like “Old Madam An especially likes Miss Yu, Second Madam and Fifth Miss will also accompany her at the villa for a short stay, it will be at most ten days or half a month before returning, just consider it letting Miss Yu visit relatives,” Chen Shi found it difficult to refuse and privately asked Yu Tang for her opinion.

Though the house had braziers burning, it was still very cold away from them.

Thinking of the heated floor system in Old Madam An’s room, Yu Tang felt somewhat tempted to go.

Chen Shi was both amused and exasperated, tapping Yu Tang’s forehead: “Seeking small advantages leads to great losses. When you get heat-related illness, don’t come back crying for me to brew chrysanthemum tea for you.”

Yu Tang laughed heartily, but in her heart she wondered whether Gu Xi and Madam Shen had returned to Hangzhou. Was it really because Old Madam An missed her that she was invited to stay at the Pei residence villa this time? If Gu Xi and Madam Shen hadn’t left, and she encountered these two people, how should she treat them?

While lost in these scattered thoughts, she directed Shuang Tao to pack clothing and accessories. On the day agreed upon with the Pei family, she took Shuang Tao with her and, accompanied by Nanny Ji, left her home.

The Pei residence’s villa was built on the hillside of North Tianmu Mountain, only half a day’s journey from Lin’an City.

All along the way, as far as the eye could see were lush towering trees and the quiet, winding bluestone path up the mountain. If one didn’t lift the sedan curtain to look outside and feel the bone-chilling cold wind blowing in, one might mistake this for the height of summer. The Pei residence’s villa was situated among luxuriant trees—white walls, gray tiles, and black auspicious gates, showing only an entrance just wide enough for a sedan chair to pass through. But once inside, after passing around a gray brick shadow wall carved with an inverted character for “fortune,” the interior revealed a different world.

Verdant layered artificial hills, imposing spacious halls, deep winding paths, delicate pavilions… it turned out to be a grand estate no less impressive than the Pei residence itself.

As Nanny Ji led the way ahead, she frequently turned back to speak with Yu Tang: “The Pei family originally all lived here. Later, because going up and down the mountain was inconvenient, they built the current Pei residence at Small Plum Lane. That Pei residence in the city is more convenient for the masters to conduct business and for the young masters to study. Gradually, this place was only used when someone needed quiet retreat. Also, because it’s ancestral property, this estate belongs to the main branch, so even fewer people come to stay here. But when Old Master was still alive, he loved coming here to reside, and consequently Old Madam An also grew fond of staying here. When Old Master had just passed away, Old Madam An wanted to move here to live, but Third Master had not yet married, and the household affairs of the various branches of the clan still needed Old Madam An’s help to mediate for the time being. It wouldn’t be very convenient if Old Madam An moved in here, so it kept being delayed until now.”

Seeing that the buildings here had lacquered pillars and whitewashed walls without the slightest sign of deterioration—estimating that considerable silver must be spent each year on maintenance—Yu Tang remarked: “Then if Old Madam An really does move here, wouldn’t all of you have to follow?”

Nanny Ji nodded and smiled: “That’s why after Old Master passed away, during those years, those who were young or restless were all released. Those Old Madam An has kept by her side to serve are mostly hereditary servants like myself, plus people like Pearl and Amber who grew up by Old Madam An’s side since childhood.”

As the two conversed, they quickly arrived at the main building of the eastern cross-courtyard where Old Madam An was resting.

Yu Tang first went to the eastern side room of the rear courtyard where she would be staying to settle the things she had brought with her.

Upon entering, a wave of heat rushed toward her.

Even her guest room had the heated floor system burning.

Yu Tang was quite surprised, yet all her joints seemed to come alive, making her feel extremely comfortable—so comfortable she wanted to immediately throw herself onto the bed.

She freshened up and changed her clothes before following Nanny Ji to pay respects to Old Madam An.

Old Madam An looked somewhat weary. Seven or eight maids and elderly servants attended her on the sides as she held a straw stem, teasing a golden oriole.

Yu Tang hurried forward to perform her greeting.

Old Madam An put down the straw stem in her hand. A young maid stepped forward to take the birdcage elsewhere while another brought a handkerchief for Old Madam An to wipe her hands.

“You’ve arrived.” Old Madam An’s expression was kindly. Wiping her hands, she invited Yu Tang to sit on the embroidered stool beside her and said, “Your mother is well, I trust? I called you here—she must be reluctant to part with you. I apologize to her on my behalf.”

“You honor us too much.” Yu Tang stood up again, respectfully saying, “Mother is indeed somewhat reluctant to part with me, but it’s not that she doesn’t want me to come accompany you. She just feels that since the weather has turned cold and charcoal is needed everywhere, she worries about troubling you.”