Chapter 96:
He doesn’t understand tolerance, doesn’t understand concession, and doesn’t understand what respect means.
He thinks highly of himself and only knows how to plunder and coerce.
Xie Wanning leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder, her expression listless.
“Let’s not mention him; even bringing him up affects my mood.”
“Alright,” Madam Zheng smoothed the loose hair at her forehead, her tone full of concern: “Then tell me, has the Princess treated you well?”
This was what Madam Zheng had been most worried about these past few days.
The wife brought through the door—on the wedding night, the fiancé had burst into the new bridal chamber. If it were Madam Zheng herself, she absolutely wouldn’t feel warmly toward this daughter-in-law.
Putting herself in his shoes, she couldn’t help but worry.
Xie Wanning, however, said: “The Princess treats me very well.”
So well it was abnormal, carrying a full sense of compensation.
Thinking of the conversation she had overheard that day, Xie Wanning’s smile at her lip stiffened somewhat, and her originally good mood was shrouded in a layer of gloom.
There are some things she can do without, but he cannot, right?
Madam Zheng let out a surprised “oh,” then happily said: “Your Highness the Princess is truly understanding.”
Indeed, upon close examination, it was Lu Ziyan who was arrogant and overbearing; it truly couldn’t be blamed on her daughter.
Xie Wanning opened her mouth, somewhat hesitant to speak.
Madam Zheng noticed something off with her daughter and quickly pulled her hand, pressing: “What’s wrong? The Pei Family has a simple household. As long as Your Highness the Princess doesn’t make things difficult for you, there surely won’t be any problems.”
“…” Xie Wanning fell silent for a moment, ultimately too shy to speak of it, only slowly shaking her head: “Everyone in the Pei Family treats me extremely well; there are no problems.”
Madam Zheng’s brows furrowed slightly. Seeing her daughter unwilling to say, she could only suppress her worries and ask no more.
Soon it was time for the midday meal. Pei Yuqing had not returned; he had been held back by several men of the Xie Family in the front hall to drink.
The women’s banquet was set in Jinxiu Hall. Xie Wanning accompanied her mother and aunt through the midday meal, then was pulled by Xie Ruyu to her courtyard.
The two sisters hadn’t seen each other for several days and had much to say.
Once her daughter left, Madam Zheng rubbed her brow, leaning wearily against the armrest of her chair, her expression fatigued.
Madam Liu, seeing this, showed concern on her face: “Sister-in-law, are you tired? Why not go rest for a bit?”
A maidservant stepped forward to serve, but Madam Zheng slightly raised her hand to wave her away.
She sighed lightly and said: “Wanwan seems to have some worry on her mind, keeping it buried in her heart, not even willing to tell me.”
It wasn’t that she felt her daughter was distant from her; she was simply truly worried, afraid the child had suffered grievances at her husband’s family.
Hearing this, Madam Liu showed hesitation on her face.
After hesitating for a few breaths, she stammered: “I did notice something, but… I don’t know if I should say it.”
“Tell me quickly,” Madam Zheng sat up, urging anxiously: “You are her blood-related aunt; what would be inappropriate to say?”
…………
By the time the sun was gradually setting in the west, Xie Wanning bid farewell to her reluctant cousin and returned to her mother’s courtyard.
As soon as she entered, Madam Zheng’s gaze fell over, scrutinizing her own daughter closely, as if she didn’t recognize her.
This gaze made Xie Wanning pause; she lowered her head to look at herself, puzzled: “Mother, why are you looking at me like this?”
Madam Zheng smiled faintly and beckoned to her: “Come over and talk.”
On the other side, Pei Yuqing was already slightly tipsy from the successive rounds of drinking, yet even so, he handled the questioning from the several men of the Xie Family with utmost propriety.
Xie Shu grew increasingly satisfied with this learned, elegantly tempered, and handsome son-in-law, finally waving his hand grandly to let him go.
Pei Yuqing left the front hall and, accompanied by his eldest brother-in-law Xie Yanyu, came to his mother-in-law to pick up his wife and take her home.
Both had exceptional hearing and heard the voices of the mother and daughter talking inside before they even reached the door.
Madam Zheng waited for her daughter to draw near, carefully examining her delicate little face, her gaze affectionate: “Wanwan, there are no outsiders here. Mother asks you something; you must answer truthfully.”
“What is it?” Xie Wanning didn’t take it seriously. She sat down beside her mother, cradling the hot tea on the small table and slowly taking a sip before saying: “Ask away, Mother.”
The mother and daughter had always been close, so Madam Zheng had no reservations and asked directly: “Have you and Changqing not yet consummated?”
The question was indeed direct. Xie Wanning was sipping hot tea and choked, coughing fiercely twice upon hearing it.
“Mother!” She hurriedly set down the teacup, her face flushing red.
“You’re a married young lady now; what’s there to be embarrassed about telling your mother?” Madam Zheng gently patted her daughter’s back, pressing: “Is it true or not?”
“…” Xie Wanning fell silent for a moment, then nodded with pursed lips.
Madam Zheng drew in a sharp breath. When her sister-in-law said her daughter still had the look of an unmarried girl in her eyebrows and eyes, she hadn’t believed it, but now…
She composed her expression and said: “Is it that Changqing has some resentment about the wedding night?”
“No, no,” Xie Wanning took her mother’s hand, quickly explaining: “He’s not unaware that I was once betrothed to Lu Ziyan; how could he mind that?”
“Then why?” Madam Zheng’s mind raced, yet she couldn’t figure it out.
“Mother, don’t ask,” Xie Wanning said awkwardly: “Anyway, this isn’t anything important.”
Madam Zheng: “…”
She laughed in anger: “How is it not important? Changqing is already so old; if you don’t have a child soon, are you really waiting for the title to fall back into the hands of the Pei Family’s eldest branch?”
As she spoke, as if realizing something, Madam Zheng’s face suddenly changed: “Is it that there’s something wrong with his body?”
Xie Wanning hesitated for a few breaths, then said softly: “His heart condition means he must not worry or overexert…”
What more was there for Madam Zheng not to understand? She was stunned for a moment, nearly gritting her teeth.
“No wonder he hasn’t married at such an age; it turns out there’s this inside story.” Still fuming, Madam Zheng slammed the table with her hand, full of hatred: “But with his condition, how dare he come delay my daughter!”
“Mother, absolutely don’t spread this outside,” Xie Wanning hurriedly said: “I don’t care about this anyway. I hear it’s very painful; I’ve even spared myself the suffering.”
Madam Zheng: “…”
Looking at her innocent and adorable daughter, she was both exasperated and amused: “Silly girl, that’s not how it works. A lifetime is long; do you know how much gossip a woman endures without children at her knees?”
“The pressure of offspring falls on women. If you remain not pregnant, the first to be dissatisfied will be your mother-in-law, and then…”
“My mother-in-law knows the inside story.” Xie Wanning said: “She surely won’t blame me.”
“The Princess knows too?” Madam Zheng was both shocked and furious, convinced this was the Pei Family deliberately tricking her into marriage.
Xie Wanning quickly explained: “The Princess only learned after the wedding.”
Outside the room, Xie Yanyu was completely stunned. He slowly turned his head to look at his brother-in-law beside him, his gaze extremely complicated.
Meanwhile, Pei Changqing’s lip corner twitched slightly, a rare flush of shame and anger appearing on his usually calm and composed face.
He moved his lips, stiffly explaining: “She misunderstood.”
Despite his unparalleled intelligence and self-confidence that everything was under control, he never could have calculated that the young lady thought of him this way.
