Chapter 124: Crisis
Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Crisis
Cui Lingyao found her heart unexpectedly softening.
In her brief moment of hesitation, he had already pulled off her outer clothes.
She quickly grabbed his hand as he reached to unfasten more of her clothing. "I’ll do it myself!"
"Fine," Xie Jinbai didn’t insist. He released her and went to undo his own belt. As he undressed, he made sure to say, "I bathed just before coming over, so please don’t be put off."
Cui Lingyao: "..."
’He’s certainly come well-prepared.’
A moment later, Cui Lingyao got into bed first.
After Xie Jinbai lifted the covers and climbed in, he stretched out a long arm and scooped her into his embrace.
"I’ll hold you while you sleep," he said.
One of his arms rested under her neck as a pillow, while the other was clasped around her waist.
’It was rare for him to be so well-behaved, making no other moves.’
The night was deep.
Cui Lingyao was truly tired. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent as his hand on her shoulder patted her rhythmically.
He soon lulled her to sleep.
Xie Jinbai gazed at her sleeping face, then closed his eyes as well.
...
She slept soundly all night.
When she woke the next morning, the space beside her was empty.
Bright sunlight shone in through the window’s edge. The room was empty and quiet, with only a familiar scent lingering in the air.
Cui Lingyao was surprised to find herself missing his presence.
She reached up to cover her eyes and, after a long moment, slowly lowered her hand.
This day was only three days before Mrs. Shen’s funeral.
The guests who had come to pay their respects had mostly all visited. For the last few days, only the Pei family remained to keep watch over the mourning hall.
The burial plot had also been prepared, and all the burial jewelry and vessels had been placed inside one after another.
Ordinarily, they should have gone to inspect the gravesite today.
But the Pei Family’s ancestral tomb was outside the city. With the city gates now sealed—allowing entry but no exit—they were naturally unable to go.
Seeing the day of the funeral drawing near, Mr. Pei conferred with his two legitimate sons and sent a formal inquiry to the Prefectural Magistrate Mansion, asking when the city gates would be opened.
The Pei Family was a prominent clan in Pingzhou. In their glory days, even the local magistrate, upon taking office, would first pay them a visit.
They had to show them great deference.
In recent years, the Pei Family’s talents had withered. A promising son, Pei Shu, had emerged, but he died young, and the family lost its former glory.
Even so, the Pei family still prided themselves on their reputation. They never expected their inquiry would be met with complete silence, like a stone tossed into the ocean.
The Prefectural Magistrate Mansion didn’t even bother to respond.
It was as if they had been pestered by an insignificant fly, not even worthy of a sideways glance.
They were completely disregarded.
The Pei father and his two sons were furious, for the first time truly realizing just how powerless their family had become.
That afternoon, they sought out Cui Lingyao.
In the inner hall.
The Pei family was gathered together.
Unlike the day she first returned, today only a few of the elders from the direct line of the Pei family were present.
The younger generation, and even Shen Tingyu, were not in attendance.
Cui Lingyao sat in the seat just below the head of the hall, listening to them talk back and forth. She remained quiet the whole time, not interrupting.
Second Master Pei said angrily, "Our Pei Family ancestors were so illustrious, yet today we’re being belittled by a mere Prefect! If my eldest brother were still here, we would never suffer such a humiliation."
The others naturally chimed in with agreement.
Cui Lingyao had witnessed such scenes many times over the past month.
Just as before, she held her teacup, sipped it delicately, and said nothing.
Second Madam Pei sat beside her. Seeing her set down the teacup, she took her hand and said with considerable heartache, "Yaoyao, you see it too. The family is in such a poor state. In the future, when you marry into the Duke Mansion, who knows if your parents-in-law and sisters-in-law will look down on you."
Cui Lingyao smiled. "I appreciate your concern, Aunt. But this marriage was always me marrying up. My uncle and aunt are aware of the Pei Family’s circumstances. If they looked down on us, they wouldn’t have agreed to my marriage with my cousin in the first place."
She was deflecting completely.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Old Madam Pei could see that her granddaughter, having spent three years in the Duke Mansion, was accustomed to these kinds of situations. She decided to stop beating around the bush. "We are all one family. I’m sure your mother taught you that we rise and fall together. So, your grandmother won’t mince her words."
Cui Lingyao nodded. "Please, go on."
Seeing her compliance, Old Madam Pei’s tone softened slightly. "It’s true that your marriage is a step up, but to establish yourself in the Duke Mansion, having the support of your maternal family makes all the difference. Although our Pei Family isn’t what it used to be, we are still a family of scholars and officials. A few of your male cousins are decent students. If they can achieve official ranks in the future, they can certainly serve as your backing."
No girl who marries into a prominent family wants to be without a powerful maternal clan to support her.
If her maiden family is strong, she gains prestige as well.
The Pei Family might be nothing compared to the Duke Mansion, but it was still better than nothing.
Cui Lingyao continued to nod. "What Grandmother says is reasonable."
"I knew you were a sensible girl."
Old Madam Pei let out a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her aged face. She said kindly, "Your eldest cousin is a good student. He became a Scholar at sixteen, but he’s been hampered by the poor quality of teachers in the countryside and hasn’t been able to advance further these past few years. Mr. Shen’s respected teacher is the headmaster of Bailu Academy. Would you be willing to ask him to write a letter of recommendation for your cousin to study at the academy?"
’So that’s what this is about.’
Cui Lingyao nodded without a change in expression. "I will ask my cousin."
"Why be so distant?" As her eldest cousin’s mother, Second Madam Pei said with a smile, "You’re his fiancée. It’s just a letter. What’s the harm in agreeing on his behalf?"
’So they’re unhappy I didn’t agree on the spot.’
Cui Lingyao smiled. Before she could speak, Third Madam Pei chimed in from the side.
"And there’s your third uncle. Yaoyao, you know, your third uncle earned the highest imperial degree, two cycles after your father. Back then, the people of Pingzhou City were abuzz about our Pei Family producing two such scholars in one generation. It’s just that he’s not good at currying favor and hasn’t earned his superiors’ recognition all these years. He’s been languishing in Pingzhou for ages, holding only a leisurely fifth-rank position."
At this, Third Madam Pei’s eyes grew earnest. "I hear Mr. Shen works in the Ministry of Personnel. Do you think, perhaps..."
The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the selection, appointment, evaluation, and transfer of officials.
For a fifth-rank local official like him, a transfer was perhaps a trivial matter for Shen Tingyu.
And Third Master Pei’s official status was already the highest in the current Pei Family.
If he could move up even a little, it would be a significant boost for the Pei Family.
All this time, the Pei Family had been so meticulous with Mrs. Shen’s funeral, following every instruction. Wasn’t it all to curry favor with Shen Tingyu—Mrs. Shen’s nephew and their future son-in-law?
But aside from matters of the funeral, Shen Tingyu kept his distance from the Pei family. Even the servants attending to him in the courtyard were from the Shen family, brought from the Capital City.
He was completely impervious to their overtures.
Seeing that Mrs. Shen’s funeral was imminent and that they would soon be leaving for the Capital City—perhaps never to return in this lifetime—the Pei Family truly couldn’t sit still any longer.
Great, established families always valued decorum. No matter what happened behind the scenes, they had to maintain a polished facade. For the Pei Family to ask for favors so directly, to be so blatant about it, was something Cui Lingyao hadn’t expected.
Her brow furrowed slightly. Not wanting to refuse them directly, she simply said, "Alright, I understand."
She said she understood.
But she didn’t promise to help.
The two madams of the Pei Family were just about to say more when the sound of a teacup being set down came from the head of the hall.
"That’s enough," Mr. Pei, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. "What needed to be said has been said. Yaoyao is an intelligent child. She knows what to do."