Pei Yan raised his eyebrows and said “Oh,” looking at Yu Tang with a gaze once again deep as the sea: “Make those people only able to admire you without daring to envy you?!”

Yu Tang nodded repeatedly.

She had comprehended this principle in her previous life after marrying into the Li family.

She said: “For example, if you were just an ordinary jinshi, your classmates would certainly envy your youth and scholarly ability and want to compete with you. But if you passed the Hanlin examination, observed government in the Six Ministries, then rose smoothly to the Office of Transmission or the Ministry of Personnel, while your fellow examinees went to become assistant magistrates in Jurong County—the distance between you would be too great. See if they would still dare to trip you up. But if someone also passed the Hanlin examination like you, and after observing government in the Six Ministries also went to the Office of Transmission or became a Supervising Secretary, they’d feel they’re about the same as you and could catch up with a little effort—they’d definitely still try to trip you up. My point is, for now, don’t worry about who’s trying to drag the Pei family down. You need to quickly find your fellow examinees and classmates who are still at court and try to secure a better position for Second Master. Then find a way to expand the Pei family business with great fanfare and let others know you’re not to be trifled with. If they move against you, they’ll also lose three layers of skin. Naturally, others won’t dare to make an example of you.”

Pei Yan thought very seriously for a moment, then said: “But our family’s ancestral tradition is to be low-key and forbearing. To show off at this time would contradict our family teachings and make the elders unhappy.”

“At a time like this, you need to be flexible.” Yu Tang was extremely anxious. “Doesn’t your family have several branches? If your main branch wants to be forbearing, then let the other branches take the limelight. If the other branches want to be forbearing, then your main branch should stand at the forefront of the storm. As long as you get through this crisis, you can slowly return to being forbearing and yielding later, and everyone will forget about this matter.”

Pei Yan hadn’t explicitly told her whether the Pei family had given silver to the Third Prince, but in her view, his response had already given her the answer. She felt that under tyrannical power, no one dared to clash head-on. Even if the Pei family wanted to stay away from these disputes, as long as they had given silver once, it could become leverage, allowing Jiangnan’s powerful families to throw the Pei family out as a scapegoat—because only the Pei family currently had no one serving as an official at court.

Thinking this way, Old Master Pei’s death really came at a bad time!

In her previous life, the Pei family must have also encountered such matters.

No wonder they were so low-key and forbearing.

No wonder Pei Yan had been so downcast and lonely.

Old Master Pei had entrusted the Pei family to him, but he hadn’t been able to preserve the family’s glory like his predecessors.

The Li family had been quite active back then—she had even thought the Li family could compete with the Pei family on equal terms.

Thinking of these things, Yu Tang couldn’t help but snort coldly and ask Pei Yan: “Did you agree to the Li family matter?”

The Li family was like an ungrateful wolf. If he agreed to let the Li family off like this, she would look down on Pei Yan.

However, Pei Yan looked completely serious: “I was thinking earlier that since the Li family is about to be ruined anyway, why not let them retreat to Lin’an and stay quietly for a few years? They could serve as a target while also making me appear magnanimous. But now, hearing what you say, I should take a longer view and not just think about this small corner of Lin’an. I should compete with those powerful families in Jiangnan. If that’s the case, whether the Li family exists or not doesn’t matter. What do you think—should I let the Li family return to Lin’an, or make them go far away and never appear in Lin’an again?”

Yu Tang looked at Pei Yan with confusion.

When had Pei Yan become so amenable?

She looked at him again.

That serious and earnest appearance… so proper… yet somehow strange no matter how she looked at it…

In a flash of insight, Yu Tang suddenly understood—Pei Yan was teasing her!

Who was she to the Pei family? When had the Pei family’s affairs become her place to speak?

Yu Tang felt both ashamed and indignant, not knowing whether it was because her good intentions had been betrayed, or because the person before her didn’t actually take her seriously.

“I’m sorry!” Tears welled up in her eyes, and her chest felt like a large stone was pressing on it. “I overstepped. You’re experienced and knowledgeable—you certainly understand these principles better than I do. However you think the Li family should be dealt with, deal with them that way. I, I have no place to comment. I was just worried the Pei family might be harmed by those powerful families working together—I was overthinking. Your family has four jinshi in one generation. If even your family can’t withstand it, other families needn’t be mentioned. Moreover, your family is forming a marriage alliance with the Gu family. Gu Chang is very capable—he’ll certainly help you.”

In her previous life, even when the Li family was in that state, Gu Chang had always protected them. The Pei family’s foundation was much stronger than the Li family’s. With the two families forming a marriage alliance, it was a union of the strong. What was she making a fuss about here?

Worrying unnecessarily!

Yu Tang felt as if sitting on pins and needles, unable to stay a moment longer: “You must be quite busy over there. I won’t delay you further. I’ll take my leave first.”

Tomorrow, when all the families attending the scripture lecture gathering arrived, it would certainly be lively. She wouldn’t join in that commotion.

She would stay in her room and copy a few more pages of Buddhist scriptures with her mother.

Her mother was only two pages away from finishing the scriptures she was copying for Old Madam Pei. She would copy some scriptures for her own father and brothers.

Yu Tang barely curtsied to Pei Yan before turning to leave.

Pei Yan stood there in a daze.

In his mind, Yu Tang was like a crabapple flower—no matter how wind and rain might make it wither, as long as it encountered a bit of sunlight, it would bloom brilliantly. He had only teased her a few times—how had she suddenly become so sad that tears were about to fall?

Had he gone too far?

That shouldn’t be the case, right?

Back when she used the Pei family as a banner, hadn’t she been quite strong and reasonable?

Even when he caught her, she had firmly refused to admit fault and tenaciously dealt with him evasively.

He looked at Yu Tang’s upright yet somewhat desolate retreating figure, feeling momentarily at a loss.

It must be his fault, right?

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this angry.

Although he already knew everything she said, when she came to tell him, it was always with good intentions, right?

Seeing how sad she looked, perhaps he should lower his head a bit… A good man doesn’t fight with women; if he lowered his head, it would show his magnanimity…

Pei Yan thought about it and felt his reasoning was quite sound.

He called out to Yu Tang: “Though I’m quite busy over there, didn’t you want to see me? I figured it must be about something important. Since you should also know about the Li family matter, and it’s time for my walk anyway, I came to mention it to you.”

Yu Tang smiled bitterly inwardly.

Now that she knew her position in Pei Yan’s heart, she certainly wouldn’t make herself annoying.

“You’ve considered things more thoroughly than I have. You should certainly make the decision on this matter.” Yu Tang said politely, with a slight smile on her face, appearing gentle and compliant.

However, Pei Yan felt something was wrong.

He had seen Yu Tang laugh heartily before, that kind of burning smile like sunlight, overflowing from the depths of her eyes. Looking at her now, though she was also smiling, it carried several degrees of reserve.

Pei Yan knew what was wrong.

There was no smile in her eyes.

Her smile toward him was merely courtesy.

This made Pei Yan rather unhappy.

Before, even her courtesy toward him had carried a unique slyness, as if even when scheming against him she did so with righteous confidence, as if… as if he were one of her own people, and she knew that even if he got angry, he wouldn’t do anything to her… trusting him.

Yes!

Trust.

But now, this trust was gone.

She was guarding against him now.

She feared him.

This made Pei Yan’s spirit tense.

No one had ever treated him this way before.

Others always probed him or tried to persuade him, wanting to make him into someone they could trust.

But Yu Tang had never probed him, never tried to persuade him. From the beginning, she had cautiously approached him, drawn near to him, acted according to his reactions, joking carefully within the bounds of what he could accept… Apart from his parents, she was the only one who had believed in him from the start and never doubted him.

Like a little cat or puppy that instinctively trusted him.

How had they reached this point?

Little cats and puppies only felt aggrieved after being struck. He, he hadn’t said anything!

Pei Yan’s mind raced, reviewing their conversation.

He quickly found the problem.

Was it when he asked her how to deal with the Li family?

Was the Li family that important to her? Just because he didn’t follow her wishes, she became sad and upset?

Pei Yan felt very uncomfortable.

What was the Li family anyway? Was it worth her being at odds with him over them?

And acting like she no longer trusted him.

Pei Yan said: “You tell me—how should the Li family be dealt with? Shen Shanyan is sitting in my room and won’t leave. Let’s cut this Gordian knot and resolve this matter. I still need to see Gu Chaoyang later!”

Gu Chaoyang probably wanted to discuss Pei Tong’s matter with him.

Shen Shanyan’s sudden arrival had interrupted their conversation.

His eldest sister-in-law wanted a marriage alliance with the Gu family precisely to let Pei Tong go out and study.

Gu Chaoyang wouldn’t give up.

As for investigating the Third Prince’s matter, Gu Chaoyang was a clever person. He had even refused a marriage alliance with the Sun family, so he wouldn’t be reckless and arrogant.

If he harmed Jiangnan’s aristocratic families, his Gu family could await being isolated!

Yu Tang froze.

What did Pei Yan mean?

Had she said something?

Was letting him fully handle the Li family matter also wrong?

Yu Tang was very angry and said coldly: “The Li family originally had nothing to do with our family. I only shared your righteous indignation and didn’t want other families to become victims of the Li family like ours. Since the Li family’s crimes have been exposed and they can no longer harm others, I’m relieved. However you deal with them is fine—Third Master, you decide. It’s getting late, and I’ve been out so long that my mother must be worried. I cannot speak with you further. Farewell!”

This time, she walked briskly into the courtyard without looking back.

Pei Yan was so angry his chest rose and fell. Looking around, everything displeased him. He raised his foot and kicked the thick camphor tree.

The leaves rustled, and a few fell down.

Pei Yan became even angrier.

You just want to punish the Li family? He deliberately wouldn’t let her have her way.

He would bring the Li family back to Lin’an and keep them right under his nose, scratching at them from time to time when idle.

If he couldn’t have peace, then no one should have peace!

Pei Yan stormed off furiously.

Miss Xu poked her head out from behind a large rock nearby.

Oh my, she had discovered something incredible.

It turned out Miss Yu could not only see Pei Yan at any time, but also dared to quarrel with him and even made Pei Yan storm off in anger.

These two definitely had something going on.

Miss Xu’s eyes rolled around. She wondered whether, when she feigned illness tomorrow, she should call Yu Tang to keep her company.

She covered her mouth and laughed.

Laughing like a little fox.