Gu Chang had no interest in talking with Gu Xi.

In his view, the Pei family had a deep friendship with Fei Zhiwen. If Fei Zhiwen had any intention of showing favor, there was no need for them to put in a word at all. On the contrary, approaching him at this time would put Fei Zhiwen in a difficult position, and he might even deliberately avoid selecting Pei family disciples to avoid suspicion.

He didn’t know when Gu Xi had started not understanding even such a simple principle.

Gu Chang was very disappointed. Thinking about the affairs of her in-laws’ family, he couldn’t help but darken his expression and said, “What’s going on with that younger brother-in-law of yours? I heard the Pei family has put out word that their family’s disciples are devoted to learning and won’t be doing business.”

In other words, the Pei family didn’t approve of Pei Fei’s actions, and those who wanted to ask Pei Xuan for help through Pei Fei would not be acknowledged by the Pei family.

This was tantamount to denying Pei Fei.

The consequences were even more severe than separating the branches.

Speaking of this matter, Gu Xi was also helpless. She took the opportunity to complain to her brother and sister-in-law: “My mother-in-law doesn’t want him doing such things either, but he doesn’t know what’s bewitched him—no one’s advice gets through to him. My husband needs to focus wholeheartedly on preparing for the imperial examinations. Neither my mother-in-law nor I want to disturb him or disrupt his frame of mind, so we can only advise behind the scenes. Now we can only wait until after my husband’s examinations for him to give him a good talking-to.”

She had her own selfish motives.

Even if the Pei family had put out word, that would only be known among the capital’s Jiangnan families. For this news to spread to the point where everyone knew would take at least five or six years. If Pei Fei proved capable, five or six years would be enough time for him to earn a sum of money. Once he felt he could live independently, naturally he wouldn’t listen to Pei Tong about everything. Then she could find an opportunity to separate households with Pei Fei and shed another burden.

So she would advise, but only advise.

As for whether Pei Fei listened or not, that was his business.

Coming out from the Gu household, she wanted to go see the Second Madam. But thinking of the things the Second Madam had said when she visited two days ago, her face felt hot again, and she didn’t really want to go.

Standing at the gate of the Gu household for a long while, she finally instructed the old servant accompanying the carriage: “We’re going home!”

She figured that even if she went to the Pei household, the Second Madam’s anger hadn’t subsided yet, so she probably wouldn’t be pleasant with her. She might as well wait until after Pei Tong finished the imperial examinations—if Pei Tong could achieve success on the golden list, her status would rise with her husband’s, and she’d have more confidence when speaking before the Second Madam.

But upon returning home, she unexpectedly found the Grand Madam quarreling fiercely with Pei Fei.

A maid who flattered Gu Xi was waiting at the main gate to report to her.

Unable to avoid it in time, she sent someone to eavesdrop, had people keep watch so Pei Tong wouldn’t encounter this, and herself shut the courtyard gate to play with Yuan’er alongside the maids and old servants.

That evening, a young servant from Pei Tong’s side came to report that Pei Tong was staying at the Yin residence for dinner.

Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief. She had the wet nurse take Yuan’er down to wash up. Just as she was about to call a maid to ask how things were on the Grand Madam’s side, a maid came running over in a panic, saying the Grand Madam had been so angered by Pei Fei that she’d fainted, and told Gu Xi to quickly fetch a physician.

She was startled and hurriedly arranged for someone to fetch a physician, but she herself didn’t immediately go check on the Grand Madam. Instead, she sat in the grand armchair and first listened to what the maid had to say.

“Second Young Master was doing business outside and ran into the Third Young Master from the Pei manor. Not only did his business fall through, but Third Young Master also gave him a lecture. Second Young Master was furious and came back to trouble the Grand Madam. The Grand Madam was so angry she cursed Second Young Master as an ‘unfilial son’ and cried over the late master’s early death. Second Young Master… talked back. He said it was all the Grand Madam’s fault—if not for her, our family wouldn’t have been separated from the clan, and the eldest young master… wouldn’t have to keep taking examination after examination. He also said that if the Grand Madam ruined his business this time, he would personally go to the Yang family to demand back those five thousand taels of silver. And if the Yang family didn’t give it, he, he would go demand it from the Yang family’s young mistress…”

Wasn’t this just being a scoundrel?

Gu Xi couldn’t tolerate hearing this.

She didn’t care how Pei Fei made trouble, but he was Yuan’er’s uncle after all. If Yuan’er ended up with a scoundrel uncle, it would even be a problem when arranging his marriage in the future.

She went to Pei Fei’s quarters.

Pei Fei was sitting in the room drinking in frustration.

Seeing Gu Xi enter, he didn’t stand up, but sneered coldly: “I knew you would come. Rest assured, if I go looking, I’ll only go to the Yang family—I won’t drag the Yang family’s young mistress into it. However much of a bastard I am, I won’t ruin people’s marriage prospects or endanger lives. As for the Yang family, they have officials serving in their household—they can’t afford to lose face. If I go make a scene, not only will they not tell outsiders, they’ll try every means to cover it up. It won’t implicate you all.”

That gaze suddenly had some of Pei Yan’s sharpness, as if seeing right through her thoughts.

Gu Xi got a terrible fright.

Pei Fei watched and curled his lip.

Gu Xi steadied herself and no longer dared to underestimate this younger brother-in-law. She said carefully, “Even so, you shouldn’t say that everything wrong with this household is Mother-in-law’s fault. The old lady has it difficult too.”

Pei Fei’s expression suddenly became disdainful, and the words Gu Xi hadn’t spoken were all swallowed back down her throat.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Pei Fei had already said: “Sister-in-law, if you want to hear something from me, you’d better forget it! If you have this spare time, you might as well go check on my mother. No matter how bad she is, she’s still your mother-in-law. No matter how useless my brother is, he’s still your husband. Don’t get it wrong—not doing what you should do while jumping around doing what you shouldn’t.”

Gu Xi was so angry she couldn’t speak. She coldly said, “Since younger brother-in-law has everything figured out, I won’t say more here. I’ll go see how Mother-in-law’s illness is,” and swept her sleeves and left.

Pei Fei watched her retreating figure, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

All of them were disgraceful things.

Especially Pei Hong.

By age ranking, he himself was still the older brother.

By generational status, they had long since separated branches.

What right did he have to lecture him?

It was only because he was the son of a Minister.

But wasn’t he also reduced to being a mere merchant like himself?

Yet even as a merchant, bearing the name of the Lin’an Pei family, he could still be one rank higher than himself.

Thinking of those who not only didn’t help him when they saw Pei Hong lecturing him, but actually fawned over Pei Hong, he viciously smashed his wine cup to the floor.

What kind of trash were they all!

If his brother weren’t stupid, if his mother had a brain, originally Pei Hong’s dignity, pride, and superiority should all have been his.

Pei Fei loudly berated his servant, telling him to bring in more wine.

Thinking that if the capital wouldn’t keep him, there would be places that would.

If necessary, he’d go to Jiangxi, to the Two Lakes region, to Taiyuan.

He didn’t believe that what people born in the marketplace with nothing could accomplish, he—with the connections his father left behind and the reputation of being a Pei family disciple—couldn’t achieve!

Pei Fei secretly made up his mind.

Meanwhile, Gu Xi only offered a few painless words of comfort to the Grand Madam, then tactfully brought up the matter of Pei Tong’s imperial examinations.

The Grand Madam stared expressionlessly at the sachet hanging from the bed canopy, not making a sound from beginning to end.

Could it be true what that nun at the temple said—that her good days had all come early in life?

When Pei You was still alive, who didn’t envy her? How smoothly, how well she had lived!

But Pei You had left her behind and gone.

All that remained in the household was this mess.

The eldest son paid lip service while doing otherwise, and the younger son had simply started talking back to her.

Her eyes moistened as she thought of Pei You.

Pei You hadn’t meant to leave her—he was poisoned to death by his own father!

Yes, the Pei family was the murderer, the Pei family was the one who had harmed her!

Even now, not only did they not reflect, they obstructed them at every turn, watching them struggle in the swamp without even extending a hand.

The Grand Madam struggled to sit up.

Gu Xi hurried to support her.

But the Grand Madam swatted away the hand she extended: “My business is none of your concern. And you don’t need to pretend. Back when you wanted to marry my son, you put on an act in front of me. Now seeing our family in decline, you’re harsh with your mother-in-law and disdainful of your brother-in-law. Don’t think I can’t deal with you—you just wait. One day when you’ve really provoked me, you’ll have it coming.”

The Grand Madam must have gone mad!

Gu Xi didn’t even know what to say.

She stepped aside, lowered her eyelids, and put on a pitiful, bewildered appearance of someone who’d been scolded by her mother-in-law.

Naturally, none of the attending servants dared approach.

The Grand Madam struggled alone for a long while, and when she managed to sit up, she discovered there wasn’t even anyone to help her put on her shoes.

She flew into a rage.

Gu Xi stood respectfully to the side but just wouldn’t help.

The Grand Madam shouted and yelled, but no one dared to serve her.

Pei Tong, who had returned home early to pay respects to his mother, stood outside for a while, then quietly walked away.

Pei Fei ultimately still considered Pei Tong’s prospects. He stayed home until the results were posted, and upon learning that Pei Tong had placed one hundred and forty-sixth in the second tier, he left a letter and quietly departed the capital with his business partner.

By the time Pei Tong discovered this, three days had already passed.

In his panic he was about to run and ask the Pei family for help, but the Grand Madam held him back and said very coldly: “The house is full of guests, and in a few days you still have to take the Hanlin Academy examination. You also need to visit Lord Fei. That unfilial son—doesn’t he think he can accomplish great things without relying on you as his elder brother, without relying on the Pei family? Just let him go venture out. When he hits the wall and learns his lesson, he’ll become obedient. If you go looking for him now, do you want to keep indulging him?”

Pei Tong still hesitated somewhat.

Gu Xi, thinking of the look Pei Fei had given her that day, felt a chill in her heart and also advised him from the side: “You should first attend to the guests at home. I’ll go talk to my elder brother and have him help search. If you back down every time he loses his temper, and he comes to think everything can go this way, it’s a small matter that you as his elder brother can’t discipline him properly—but what if he develops such habits?”

Added to this was Grand Master Yang acting as if sharing in the glory, putting on the airs of an elder outside and loudly calling for him to come out quickly to receive guests. Wanting to take this opportunity to draw a clear line with the Yang family, he suppressed his impulse to search for Pei Fei and went first to deal with the Yang family matter.

Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she’d better go to the Pei household tomorrow.

Wei Xiaochuan, with his tenth place in the palace examination, was appointed Tanhua.

Even Grand Master Yang said his fortune was good.

“Who told him to be the youngest successful candidate in this imperial examination!”

Even Pei Yan, the mentor who had guided his studies, rose with the tide.

The scholars from Jiangnan looked at Pei Yan with different eyes. In private they all discussed how Pei Yan succeeded at whatever he did—he was an unparalleled genius, a peerless national scholar. If not for Pei You violating clan rules and him being called upon in crisis to become the Pei family patriarch, he would have long since become Prime Minister and entered the cabinet, accomplishing great achievements.

They even counted Shen Fang and Pei Tong’s success on the golden list among Pei Yan’s accomplishments—saying they had all once studied under him.

Never mind the Grand Madam—even Gu Xi felt her breathing constricted hearing this, yet she still had to go congratulate the Pei household and Yu Tang.

Would she forever have to be suppressed by Yu Tang like this?