Pei Xuan was greatly shocked and hurriedly asked, “How did you know about this? Who is he doing business with?”

Pei Yan spread his hands and said, “The head manager of the Tao family’s main shop in the capital told me. He said it’s with several impoverished merchants from the south—they don’t have much money, but there are a few capable people among them. It’s just that everyone else knows he’s your nephew, so they specifically came to tell me about it.”

For someone to “specifically” report this to Pei Yan’s face, eight or nine times out of ten, Pei Fei was borrowing Pei Xuan’s reputation to do business with others outside.

Pei Xuan felt a headache coming on and said, “This matter is truly difficult to handle!”

He couldn’t very well go around telling everyone that this nephew had long since separated from his branch of the family.

“Could it be he’s short of silver?” If that were the case, it would be even harder to deal with. Pei Xuan said, “It’s only been a few years—surely the silver we divided and gave him hasn’t all been spent already?”

“That’s not impossible either.” Pei Yan said coldly, “Don’t forget what kind of temperament our eldest sister-in-law has.”

Pei Xuan didn’t speak for a long while. That evening when he returned home to see the Second Madam, he couldn’t help but bring up this matter with her: “I know what Xiaguang means is ‘this is trouble I’ve stirred up, so I must resolve it myself,’ but this child is also too disappointing. Instead of studying properly, he’s using my status to compete for profit with merchants—how is this any different from accepting bribes?”

Then wouldn’t his years of being careful and cautious become a complete joke!

The Second Madam hadn’t expected this either, and offered her husband advice: “Since Third Uncle said so, he must know which people are doing business with him. Why don’t you tactfully tell your colleagues around you that these connected parties have nothing to do with you?”

“That goes without saying.” Pei Xuan sighed and said, “You should also mention this to the people around you.”

The Second Madam nodded.

Pei Xuan added, “Doesn’t A’Tong’s wife come over frequently? You might as well tell her too.”

The Second Madam thought for a moment and said, “Should we perhaps subsidize them with a bit of silver?”

Pei Xuan shook his head and said, “Since we’ve severed ties, it’s best to make a clean break. We can’t have them coming to our door whenever something happens on their side. What would be the point of separating the branches then? A’Tong is a scholar—doesn’t he know what separating branches means?”

The Second Madam reluctantly agreed with a “yes,” then worriedly brought up their son: “How is A’Hong doing? Has Steward Tong’er said anything?”

Speaking of this somewhat lazy son, Pei Xuan’s face showed a smile: “Xiaguang is not someone who’s easy to talk to. If he weren’t doing well, Xiaguang definitely wouldn’t turn a blind eye. Set your mind at ease.”

After Pei Hong returned from Baoding with Steward Tong’er, he was thrown by Pei Yan to help with the year-end inventory at the Pei family’s main capital shop. Though he left early and returned late every day, he was as excited as if he’d taken five-stone powder, his face glowing red. This was completely different from his former gloomy expression when Pei Xuan forced him to study—they couldn’t be compared.

Pei Xuan wondered doubtfully, “Could it be that A’Hong really has the makings of a merchant?”

The Second Madam smiled with pursed lips, thinking to herself that perhaps Pei Hong was happy because he didn’t have to see Pei Xuan’s worried face looking at him every day!

Still, when her son returned home, she took the opportunity of bringing him a late-night snack to ask Pei Hong, “Is doing business really that interesting? There’s a pile of things at home, and you don’t even know to help your mother.”

In two days, the household would be doing the year-end cleaning.

In previous years at this time, Pei Hong would be forced by Pei Xuan to practice writing spring couplets, and after Little New Year, a few couplets from what he’d written would be selected to paste in the pavilions and towers around the house.

Pei Hong hurriedly swallowed the butterfly pastry in his mouth and said, “Mother, it’s not that I won’t help you—I have important work to do now. If you need spring couplets, just have Jiang’er help you. After all, he’s young, so as long as he writes neatly he’ll be praised. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

Pei Xuan was a famous calligrapher of the current dynasty. It wasn’t that Pei Hong didn’t work hard, but compared to his father, he somehow lacked that spark of inspiration. Moreover, his academic achievements would be considered exceptional in other families, but compared to his cousins in the clan, they seemed quite ordinary. This was one of the reasons why Pei Xuan felt anxious looking at him.

But going to the shop was different.

This dynasty still held that all pursuits were inferior, only study was noble. There were few merchants who had studied, let alone someone who had been personally instructed by Pei Xuan since childhood. Put him outside, and he was also an outstanding talent, receiving respect and praise. Moreover, most of this respect and praise was genuine. Some even felt that if it weren’t for Pei Tong’s branch separating from their family, and if the Pei family didn’t enforce such strict rules, he wouldn’t be forced to help Pei Yan manage common affairs—he would surely have achieved success in the imperial examinations and had a promising official career like Pei You or Pei Yan.

This couldn’t help but make him secretly delighted.

So much so that he was unwilling to tell his parents that he’d made a small mistake when he went to Baoding and had nearly made a wrong decision… But his third uncle had also said that when one is young and inexperienced, if you don’t make mistakes then, would you wait until you’re old and have experienced many things to make mistakes?

So making mistakes isn’t frightening—what’s frightening is continually making mistakes without ever improving.

These past days he’d been working with full concentration, following Steward Tong’er in learning to review accounts, and today he’d spotted a small problem.

Although it was just an entry recorded in the wrong place, Steward Tong’er had said that for such a large enterprise, if account entries could be randomly recorded anywhere, the household would fall into great chaos.

Like his third uncle, who never looked at the accounts, yet why could he tell whether the accounts were generally correct or not just by listening to the stewards talk business? It was because he was extremely familiar with and understood what items should be recorded in which ledger—how much the costs were, how much the profit, what kind of year it had been. After pondering it in his mind, he’d have a rough idea. Then by checking the important accounts, he could make those stewards behave themselves and not dare to move.

His father was the same way.

The Ministry of Revenue had such a huge operation, but as long as something passed through his father’s hands, there had never been an error.

He was a famously capable Minister of Revenue.

Although the Emperor felt the Pei family was too wealthy and noble, he was still willing to employ his father.

Thinking about these matters, Pei Hong felt his back straighten a few degrees.

He attentively picked up a piece of pea-flour cake for the Second Madam and said with a smile, “Once the household enters the twelfth month it gets busy. I’m learning skills from Third Uncle and Steward Tong’er, just like a small apprentice—I have to rise earlier than chickens, sleep later than pigs, listen to my master’s words, serve my master tea and water. It’s even harder than when I was studying. I won’t be able to rest until before Little New Year, so you shouldn’t wait up for me at night. With so many maids and old servants attending me, if they still can’t take care of my food, clothing, and daily needs, what use are they? You’d be better off sleeping and rising early—your complexion will be good and you’ll look spirited. When it’s time for New Year and you go out with us to pay respects, when people see you, they’ll think you’re my older sister!”

The Second Madam, hearing him be so glib, was both annoyed and amused. She scolded him a few times. After he finished his snack, she collected the dishes and only then returned to the inner chamber. She repeated Pei Hong’s words to Pei Xuan, adding, “How is it that after he went out this once, the tone of his speech and his manner of doing things are becoming more and more like his third uncle? Will he become like his third uncle—with a tongue sharp as a knife, able to anger people to death when he’s uncomfortable?”

Pei Xuan didn’t like hearing this and said, “Has Xiaguang ever been disrespectful to you?”

The Second Madam’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and she hurriedly said, “Third Uncle has always been respectful toward me. I was just observing that when Third Uncle talks to others he never shows any mercy!”

“Repay resentment with uprightness, repay kindness with kindness.” Pei Xuan said, “Drawing a clear distinction between one’s own people and others—Xiaguang being that way is truly understanding how things work.”

The Second Madam assented and no longer felt it appropriate to judge whether her son was right or wrong.

As for Yu Tang, she had been continuously asking people to inquire about the situation of Shen Fang’s younger sister.

It was just that Hangzhou and the capital were far apart, so news wasn’t immediately convenient—they could only wait.

Shen Fang probably also knew that Yu Tang wouldn’t casually arrange a marriage match for Wei Xiaochuan, so he didn’t bring it up again and put all his thoughts into studying. Even during the New Year period, he only went to the main family branch on New Year’s Day to pay respects to an uncle living there and wish the Pei brothers a happy new year. The rest of the time he shut himself in his room studying.

Wei Xiaochuan, Zhang Hui, and the others, apart from paying New Year respects to the Pei brothers, didn’t go anywhere else.

Yu Tang, Old Madam Pei, and the other female family members, however, were extremely busy—going to pay New Year calls to others, receiving spring guests, visiting at the homes of marriage relations and old friends. They stayed busy until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first month when the lanterns were taken down, and only then did they have some leisure. But then Miss Zhang sent word to Yu Tang that there was a traveling monk staying temporarily at Red Snail Temple who was very effective at granting prayers for children, and he would be leaving after the second day of the second month when the dragon raises its head. Yu Tang hurriedly sent word to Second Miss Pei, and still had to prepare for Wei Xiaochuan and the others’ spring examinations—she was so busy her feet barely touched the ground. Meanwhile, Pei Yan made arrangements high and low and obtained the list of chief examiners early.

The chief examiner was Fei Zhiwen, with Vice Examiner Wang Chunhe, Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy.

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

This time he had Pei Yan give Pei Tong and Wei Xiaochuan special tutoring: “Xiaguang’s personal relationship with Lord Fei is better than mine. Especially in these past years they’ve frequently exchanged letters and composed poetry together. But since Lord Fei is the chief examiner, he won’t personally grade papers, though you still mustn’t violate his taboos. As for Lord Wang, there’s no need to even mention it—when Xiaguang was a Hanlin compiler, he had several disputes with him over literary scholarship. He probably understands Lord Wang’s preferences better than Lord Wang’s own friends.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

This time there were no outsiders, only the few people who had come from Lin’an to take the examinations and Pei Tong.

When leaving, Pei Xuan specifically instructed Pei Tong: “Don’t tell anyone about this matter. Including Gu Zhaoyang. The imperial examinations are no small matter—people’s hearts are separated by their bellies.”

Pei Tong solemnly nodded and left.

This was already his third time taking the examination. The pressure was enormous. During the New Year period he hadn’t socialized either. Even when Gu Chang returned to the capital, he only went to see him once and learned that Gu Chang would likely remain in the capital as an official after this performance review. As for which department he would go to, he didn’t ask, and Gu Chang couldn’t possibly tell him.

Gu Xi was quite anxious, asking her whether Pei Xuan had asked him to put in a word, and even urging Gu Chang to give some guidance on Pei Tong’s studies.

Because Fei Zhiwen had become this session’s chief examiner, Gu Chang found it inappropriate to visit his home, so all his previous plans had to be rearranged. Seeing Gu Xi being so impatient, he felt somewhat uncomfortable and criticized her: “What’s gotten into you? I haven’t been away from the capital that long—how have you become so impetuous? You’d better keep your distance from your mother-in-law! Otherwise you’ll become more and more like her.”

Gu Xi was speechless with anger.

Yin Shi had no choice but to come out and smooth things over on both sides: “Little Sister-in-law is just worried because she cares. Master, please don’t take your anger out on Little Sister-in-law. Everyone is doing this for Brother-in-law’s sake.” Then she personally poured tea and invited the siblings to sit down: “Have some tea to moisten your throats, and let’s all talk nicely about whatever needs to be said.”