The various gentry, thinking of how Pei Yan had clearly been protecting the Yu family earlier, and now hearing that Pei Yan wanted to speak privately with Yu Wen, couldn’t help but look at Yu Wen with some envy.
As the saying goes, with each new emperor comes new ministers. The same was true for families and localities. Whoever held power would always employ people they understood, were familiar with, or appreciated. Pei Yan had just taken over as head of the Pei family. Because he was still in mourning, there hadn’t even been grand celebrations. Moreover, Pei Yan had previously been arrogant in his conduct, he wasn’t the eldest son, and Pei Yan’s eldest brother was a person of both talent and virtue—no one had expected the position of Pei family head would fall to Pei Yan. The result was that everyone was unfamiliar with Pei Yan, let alone having any connections with him. Now everyone was exerting themselves trying to find ways to strike up a conversation with Pei Yan. Suddenly seeing Yu Wen have such an opportunity, whose heart wouldn’t stir?
Especially Old Master Wu. He was the Yu family’s neighbor and felt he had helped the Yu family considerably this time. He had always been a quick-witted and adaptable person. Hearing this, he immediately pushed Yu Wen and said in a low voice: “Old Master Wei and I will wait outside with the children. If you need anything, just let us know.”
But Yu Wen was completely confused.
Earlier, because of Chen Shi’s illness, he had tried repeatedly to thank Pei Yan, but Pei Yan clearly didn’t want to deal with him. Now that he felt it was fine for gentlemen’s friendship to be as plain as water, Pei Yan had asked him to stay in front of so many people.
He didn’t think Pei Yan was trying to show him favor. He felt Pei Yan was probably keeping him because of something regarding the matter between the Yu and Li families that needed to be explained.
Since this entire matter—from investigation to capturing people to asking Pei Yan to mediate—had all been Yu Tang’s idea, he couldn’t help but glance at Yu Tang.
Yu Tang also didn’t know what medicine Pei Yan was selling in his gourd, but since Pei Yan had asked her father to speak in front of so many people, both emotionally and logically they couldn’t refuse Pei Yan this face.
She could only say to her father in a low voice: “As long as it doesn’t conflict with what just happened, you can agree to anything. Third Master Pei has shown great kindness to our family.”
Never mind anything else—her mother still relied on the Pei family’s eldest lady to have Yang Douxing take her pulse for peace of mind every month!
Yu Wen thought about it—a gentleman has nothing he cannot discuss openly with others. Their family hadn’t done anything wrong and had nothing they dared not say. He immediately felt extremely upright in his heart. He smiled and thanked the various gentry who had come to bear witness, instructed Yu Tang and Yu Yuan a few times to “not wander off,” whispered a few words to Old Master Wei and his son and Old Master Wu like “wait for me to come out,” then remained in the great hall.
Pei Yan had been paying attention to the movements of the Yu father and daughter. Seeing that when he asked Yu Wen to stay and talk, Yu Wen still had to look at his daughter, he had a bad premonition in his heart. But his personality was such that anything he didn’t know about, he had to get to the bottom of. No matter what the Yu father and daughter were up to, he wouldn’t let it go like this.
He simply instructed Pei Man: “Please invite Old Master Wu and Old Master Wei to the side flower hall for tea. We’ll finish talking very soon.”
This last sentence was addressed to Yu Tang and the others.
Old Master Wu had been worrying about how to strike up a conversation with Pei Yan. Hearing this was like receiving a pillow when drowsy. Afraid that Yu Tang and Old Master Wei and the others wouldn’t know the importance and would easily give up this opportunity, he didn’t wait for Old Master Wei to speak but hurriedly bowed to Pei Yan and said with a smile: “Then we’ll impose on Third Master Pei.”
Pei Yan nodded slightly.
Old Master Wu pulled Old Master Wei out of the great hall.
But outside the great hall were small bridges over flowing water, rockery piled in layers—everywhere the eye fell was scenery. For a moment, people couldn’t distinguish east from west, north from south, let alone where the flower hall Pei Yan had mentioned was.
The servant leading the way couldn’t help but purse his lips in a smile, yet his tone remained respectful as he said: “Please follow me, gentlemen.”
“Oh, oh, oh!” Old Master Wu responded, straightening his clothes, feeling that no one had noticed his earlier awkwardness. Only then did he walk at the front of the group, following the servant through a winding red-lacquered corridor, past a flower wall, arriving before a flower hall inlaid on all four sides with colored glazed fan doors.
“Good heavens!” Old Master Wu’s eyes went straight. “This, this must have cost how much silver?” After speaking, he suddenly realized he had lost his composure and hurriedly explained to Old Master Wei: “I’ve seen this kind of colored glaze before—that was in an official household in the capital. Last time I came to the Pei residence, this place seemed to still have silk gauze, but this time it’s been changed to colored glaze. A small square foot costs fifty taels of silver. Never mind such large whole pieces—probably even with money it would be hard to buy. This is even more magnificent than those official households in the capital!”
Old Master Wei didn’t notice Old Master Wu’s incoherence. He was still worried about Yu Wen, but was also stunned by the glazed fan doors before his eyes. While examining those fan doors, he murmured: “This is truly beautiful! Must be the first of its kind in all of Lin’an city, right? Look at what’s painted on them—is that ‘joy upon the brows’? And inlaid with gold leaf. How was it inlaid? This craftsmanship must be from overseas, right? This is my first time seeing it.”
Yu Tang, Yu Yuan, and Wei Xiaoyuan were also amazed by these glazed fan doors.
Yu Yuan and Wei Xiaoyuan were amazed because it was their first time seeing them. Yu Tang, however, was reminded of events from her previous life.
After the Li family got rich participating in overseas trade, they had similarly replaced the fan doors of their flower hall with colored glaze. However, the Li family’s flower hall wasn’t like the Pei family’s flower hall. The Li family’s flower hall only had the front eight panels inlaid, whereas the Pei family’s flower hall had fan doors on all four sides—moreover, twelve panels each on the east and west sides, and twenty-eight panels each on the north and south sides. The Li family’s fan doors were inlaid with images of the four noble plants like plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. The Pei family’s fan doors were clearly much more complex—besides flowers, there were also birds and beasts, with peacocks and cranes being most numerous. Those feathers were painted with exquisite craftsmanship, rich and magnificent. When light fell on them, they shimmered brilliantly like treasures.
The Li family’s fan doors were clearly a failed imitation of painting a tiger.
Even so, Lady Lin had proudly told guests at home at the time: “All brought back from overseas, more expensive than gold. Specially custom-made, otherwise what you’d see would be nothing but images of barbarian women with yellow hair and green eyes—ugly as death.”
The Pei family’s fan doors must also have been specially custom-made and then brought back from overseas!
So the Pei family must have already begun dealings with those doing overseas trade at this time.
At the very least, the Pei family was a significant customer for those merchants.
Yu Tang was somewhat surprised.
The servant leading the way wasn’t seeing such shocked expressions from guests for the first time.
He let the guests examine those fan doors and said with pride: “These were all brought back by our Third Master to honor the old master. After the old master passed, Third Master originally wanted to replace all these fan doors with plain white glass, but our family’s old lady said that during his life, the old master most enjoyed receiving relatives and friends here. If Third Master was filial, he should preserve what the old master loved.” At this point, the servant probably thought of the scene at the time and gave a “puchi” laugh before continuing: “Third Master said that since the old master loved them so much, they should be buried with the old master. The old lady didn’t agree, saying Third Master was opposing the old master. The old master clearly loved boasting to relatives and friends that these fan doors were what Third Master had given him to honor him, yet Third Master insisted on throwing water on the old master’s face. In the end, it was Second Master who stepped in to make the decision and kept all these fan doors.”
Old Master Wu laughed heartily and chatted idly with the servant: “That’s right, that’s right. If I had such a son, I’d boast every time someone came. But Third Master really spent lavishly—this flower hall must have taken considerable effort, right?”
“Indeed!” That servant clearly wasn’t dealing with such guests for the first time. After inviting them into the flower hall, he immediately skillfully pointed to the flower hall’s ceiling and said: “Look, the lamps are also colored glaze. At night, when the candles are lit, it’s simply—even more beautiful than fireworks. Look over there at the curio shelf—elephant tusks longer than a person’s outstretched arms, rare, right? Also given by our Third Master to honor the old master. And the Eight Buddhist Treasures on top—not like what we see in temples, all brought back from overseas.”
Old Master Wei was one thing, but Old Master Wu was a businessman and immediately sniffed out something different.
He chatted with the servant as if casually: “All these things are so rare—where did your Third Master get them from?”
The servant proudly puffed out his chest and said: “Of course from the capital. Our Third Master’s second senior brother is currently a Grand Secretary. Our Third Master is Minister Zhang’s last disciple and has excellent relations with all his senior brothers. If our Third Master wants to get some rare treasures, he just has to move his lips. Which of those in the capital doing overseas trade doesn’t eagerly crowd around our Third Master!” At this point, he suddenly sighed and said: “No wonder our Third Master wasn’t used to it after coming back. Anyone who’s lived the good life of brocade and prosperity, then returns to a place like Lin’an city would feel somewhat uncomfortable. That’s why our old lady always says our Third Master is filial. When the old master was dying, he threw this whole mess to Third Master. Although Third Master was unwilling in his heart, he still resigned from office and came back to be the family head.”
Wasn’t it mourning? How did it become resigning from office?
Old Master Wu couldn’t help but say: “Your Third Master won’t resume his position?”
The servant smiled and said: “The Pei family has family rules. The family head must stay at the ancestral home to manage affairs and is not allowed to go out and serve as an official.”
Everyone was stunned, finding it both surprising yet logical.
Many great families were like this—once you became family head, you stayed at the old home to manage affairs and no longer went out to serve as an official. What surprised everyone was that having a talented young man like Third Master stay home to manage affairs at such a young age seemed rather regrettable.
Thinking of it this way, those rumors outside weren’t very reliable.
Although the position of family head was important, if one could have a smooth official career and leave one’s name in history, wouldn’t that better demonstrate one’s value than being a family head managing affairs?
Pei Yan serving as the Pei family head had also made sacrifices—he himself might not be willing.
Yu Tang felt as if her head had been struck by something. Many thoughts came crowding in, yet for a moment she couldn’t grasp exactly what she was thinking.
In her previous life, Pei Yan also hadn’t gone back to serve as an official. She had thought it natural, but looking at it now, no matter how she looked, something seemed off about it.
Old Master Pei seemed to favor Pei Yan this way, but he had also cut off Pei Yan’s official career. On the other hand, the first branch seemed to have lost the position of main family branch, but the two young masters could freely take the imperial examinations and freely serve as officials. And the second branch—since he was supposedly the most incompetent among the brothers according to rumors, why not have him stay home to manage affairs?
The first and second branches seemed to have received unfair treatment, but it was actually the third branch’s Pei Yan who was truly trapped at home. Moreover, this would very likely trap Pei Yan’s descendants in Lin’an city as well.
Yu Tang’s mind conjured up Pei Yan’s face, which always carried a trace of coldness and even gloom between his brows.
Could it be because of this that he was always unhappy?
Yu Tang’s heart pounded chaotically. She felt as if she had inadvertently glimpsed something.