She said she would go look, but not knowing what the scene outside was like, Yu Tang only first pushed open a crack in the window to look out.

There was no one in the courtyard.

The commotion seemed to be coming from outside the courtyard.

Yu Tang was hesitating about whether to go out and look when she saw five or six older women and seven or eight maids crowding in, escorting two matrons.

Those older women and maids all wore bright blue fine cloth vests and white silk flowers the size of wine cups.

Both matrons were in their prime years, tall and slender. One was dressed entirely in plain white, with only a pair of pearl earrings the size of lotus seeds hanging from her ears. The other wore a silver-white striped Hangzhou silk jacket, a blue pleated skirt, had two hairpins of red gold inlaid with blue stones inserted in her hair, and wore a pair of vivid green jade bracelets on each wrist.

“You all guard here.” Yu Tang saw the matron wearing the Hangzhou silk jacket coldly instruct those older women and maids. “Don’t let anyone in!”

The older women and maids all stopped in their tracks, half-crouched in courtesy, and respectfully responded “yes.”

The matron in the Hangzhou silk jacket then pulled the matron dressed entirely in plain white toward Yu Tang’s direction.

What were these two matrons going to do?

Yu Tang couldn’t quite figure it out.

These two matrons were clearly female family members from a distinguished household.

If they were guests of the Pei family wanting to rest in this courtyard, the Pei family should have arranged for older women and maids to lead the way in front?

If they were female family members of the Pei family coming to make trouble for them because of Aunt Ji… their Yu family probably didn’t have such importance?

Were they borrowing this secluded small courtyard to speak privately?

In Yu Tang’s moment of hesitation, the two matrons had already joined hands and climbed the steps of the eastern wing room. Yu Tang also got a clear look at the two matrons’ appearances.

The one wearing the Hangzhou silk jacket had an elongated face, willow-leaf eyebrows, a hanging gall bladder nose, a small cherry mouth, and a face as delicate and refined as a meticulous painting, yet her eyes contained frost, her expression was arrogant, and she looked very unapproachable.

The one dressed entirely in plain white was clearly wearing mourning, with a oval face, almond eyes that were completely red, and a haggard expression.

See no impropriety, hear no impropriety.

Yu Tang immediately regretted not making some noise earlier to let these two matrons know there were others in this small courtyard. But before she could remedy this, the matron wearing the Hangzhou silk jacket had already begun blaming the matron in plain white mourning clothes: “How can you be so confused? When you saw the situation wasn’t right, you should have found a way to notify your brother and me as quickly as possible. Look at you now—being anxious, is there any use? Pei Laosan is using your father-in-law’s deathbed will as an imperial edict. Even if we object, it’s too late!”

Pei Laosan?

Father-in-law?

Yu Tang was stunned.

That matron in mourning was the Pei family’s First Madam?

The matron wearing the Hangzhou silk jacket was First Madam’s sister-in-law from her natal family?

Were they going to privately criticize the Pei family’s Third Master becoming clan head?

Yu Tang was thrown into confusion by this sudden change, and even her hair stood on end.

In these great families, no matter how much filth there was inside, on the surface they had to put on an appearance of filial fathers and sons, friendly brothers.

First Madam Pei clearly had things to say to her sister-in-law from her natal family.

Having stumbled upon such a private matter, would she and her mother be silenced?

Yu Tang was very uneasy and instinctively turned to make a “silence” gesture to her mother.

Chen Shi was puzzled. Before she could speak, First Madam Pei’s voice came through: “How was I to know I was raising a man-biting venomous snake? Back then, when he was disobedient, how many times did I plead for him before the old master and old mistress? When he wouldn’t study properly, it was also me who personally asked Father to tutor him privately. Otherwise, how could he have succeeded in the examinations and become a Hanlin bachelor? He also said he wanted to marry an obedient and filial woman. Your natal sister-in-law took a fancy to him, but he made all kinds of excuses. If not for me, even after becoming a Hanlin bachelor, could he have smoothly observed government in the Six Ministries like he does now?”

“Alright, alright!” First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law said in an unfriendly tone. “Why bring up past matters? When it comes down to it, he still felt my natal family’s status was too low. Water flows to low places, people climb to high places. This is only human nature. If we’re to blame anyone, blame my natal family’s brothers for not living up to expectations, for not entering the cabinet as chief minister.”

To actually hear such explosive news.

Yu Tang and Chen Shi looked at each other, not daring to breathe heavily.

“How can we blame sister-in-law for this!” First Madam Pei was probably very angry bringing up this matter, saying, “If we’re going to talk about it, it’s Laosan who doesn’t know how to appreciate favors…”

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law said she didn’t blame anyone, but in reality she must still be holding a grudge in her heart. Hearing this, she sneered and interrupted First Madam Pei’s words: “Only you think he doesn’t appreciate favors! He’s calculating very precisely—he refused our family and turned around to connect with the Li family.”

“The Li family?” First Madam Pei exclaimed. “The Li family of Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion Li Xun?”

“Besides that Li family, which other Li family do you think Pei Laosan would pay attention to?” First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law said mockingly. “It looks like you didn’t know about this matter either. I told you before that you were foolish, told you to guard against Pei Laosan. You didn’t listen. Now you know how serious it is? Your family’s old master was biased! Speaking of the Li family, their third miss is about the same age as our Tong Guan. If it were for the Pei family’s good, they could perfectly well have our Tong Guan form a marriage alliance with the Li family.”

“Elder sister-in-law, could you have made a mistake?” First Madam Pei couldn’t believe it. “Before this there wasn’t any wind of it.”

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law snorted coldly, saying, “Other matters I might have heard wrong, but this matter I absolutely won’t be wrong about. Lady Li, hearing that our two families were in-laws, quietly sought me out wanting to inquire about matters in Pei Laosan’s household. Could I have gotten that wrong!”

First Madam Pei drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law then said, “Your family’s old master suddenly died of illness. Your family’s second master and Pei Laosan both have to observe mourning for three years. Who knows what will happen after three years? What’s urgent now is Pei Laosan’s position as clan head. You know Pei Laosan’s nature—he has no tolerance for others. His elder brother treated him so well, but what about him? He turned his face without a word, showing no consideration at all. If he stabilizes this position as clan head, the primary branch will be finished.”

First Madam Pei hesitated, saying, “Can he really block our Tong Guan from taking the imperial examinations? Father also said our Tong Guan is scholarly material. As long as our Tong Guan can succeed in his career, what can Laosan do to us? The Pei family still needs to rely on our Tong Guan to bring glory to the ancestors!”

First Madam Pei still had quite good insight.

Yu Tang listened and thought to herself.

In her previous life, in the fifth year after Old Master Pei’s death, the Pei family’s eldest young master passed the provincial examination, and later passed the metropolitan examination to become a presented scholar.

It’s just that in her previous life her entire focus was on how to escape from the Li family. She didn’t know much about the Pei family’s affairs and didn’t know what happened to the Pei family’s eldest young master afterward.

However, she had heard Li Jun’s mother, who was her mother-in-law Lin Shi in her previous life, once privately discuss with Li Duan, saying that First Madam Pei had a father with deep connections and a brother who had reached the third rank through accumulated merit. Even without relying on the Pei family, the Pei family’s eldest young master’s future prospects wouldn’t be too bad.

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law didn’t think so, saying, “You really are like mother-in-law said—growing so tall for nothing. These three years Tong Guan must observe mourning for his father-in-law in Lin’an. Pei Laosan has become clan head and is also Tong Guan’s legitimate uncle. Even if your father-in-law and your brother want to take him to our family to study, he must agree to it. Not to mention anything else, if he’s determined to keep Tong Guan in Lin’an to study and doesn’t properly guide him, never mind three years—even thirty years, Tong Guan can forget about getting ahead.”

This sister-in-law of First Madam Pei came to stir up trouble rather than solve problems, right?

The more Yu Tang listened, the more she felt this sister-in-law of First Madam Pei had a flavor of not fearing the stage was too high to watch the drama, and didn’t seem to be genuinely planning for First Madam Pei.

However, First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law really did get one thing right.

In her previous life, the Pei family’s eldest young master stayed in Lin’an the entire time. Even after his mourning period ended, he didn’t participate in the imperial examinations. It wasn’t until First Madam Pei’s father was critically ill and sent word saying he wanted to see the Pei family’s eldest young master one last time before dying that the eldest young master finally left Lin’an. Then he registered in the capital and passed the provincial examination.

Was the truth really as First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law said?!

Yu Tang once again felt the Pei family’s waters ran deep. These ordinary common people like them had better stay away.

“Sister-in-law, then what do you say we should do?” After hearing her sister-in-law’s words, First Madam Pei said urgently, “Now it’s a done deal. We can’t jump out and oppose the old master’s deathbed words, can we? Won’t others say I want to fight with my brother-in-law over property! Won’t this ruin Tong Guan’s reputation?”

“Why can’t you understand!” First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law said resentfully. “Isn’t there still Second Master Pei? Even if the position of clan head doesn’t fall to your branch, we can’t just let it go to Pei Laosan like this!”

“That’s impossible!” First Madam Pei said. “Second Uncle has always been honest and sincere. He couldn’t possibly step forward to fight over these things. Besides, fighting over these things wouldn’t benefit him at all!”

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law said, “He won’t step forward to fight over these things, but he can come forward to speak a fair word! Doesn’t the Pei family have two other branches? Master Yi, Master Wang—do they have nothing to say either? You don’t want that large sum of the Pei family’s wealth, but Master Yi and Master Wang don’t covet it either? Those two branches aren’t like your branch where every generation produces scholars. If it were me, things I can’t get, I wouldn’t let others easily get either.”

First Madam Pei didn’t speak for a long while.

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law didn’t rush her either. Not knowing what she was doing, under the eaves it was quiet, with no sound of voices.

Yu Tang and her mother held their breath, afraid of being discovered.

Not knowing how much time passed, First Madam Pei said in a heavy voice, “Elder sister-in-law, I’ll listen to you in this matter!”

Yu Tang heard First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law speak with joy, saying with satisfaction, “You should have done this long ago! Before, with your husband protecting you, naturally you didn’t need to manage anything. But now, your husband is gone. Even for the sake of the two nephews, you must become strong!”

First Madam Pei made a sound of acknowledgment.

First Madam Pei’s sister-in-law then said, “Lean your ear over. I’ll tell you what to do!”

Yu Tang saw First Madam Pei and her sister-in-law’s heads come together.

Whatever they said couldn’t be heard clearly.

Did this count as personally witnessing First Madam Pei’s bewitching moment?

Yu Tang shook her head.

She didn’t know what conflict there was between the primary branch and Third Master Pei that required them to determine a winner. Unfortunately, the primary branch ultimately still failed.

After First Madam Pei and her sister-in-law finally left, Yu Tang and Chen Shi both breathed long sighs of relief. Chen Shi was even more frightened as she repeatedly instructed her daughter, “The words you heard must rot in your stomach. Family affairs are all a matter of mother-in-law having her reasons and father-in-law having his. We’re not the parties involved—we can’t casually interfere in other people’s family affairs.”

Yu Tang nodded repeatedly.

Chen Shi still wasn’t at ease and made Yu Tang swear an oath before half-believingly letting Yu Tang go.