Chapter 29 – A Serious Matter

Cui Ti stood there in a daze, the image of her kind and gentle mother-in-law suddenly changing. How could she speak such nonsense with a straight face?

If it weren’t for an immortal coming to her and opening her spiritual eye to see Pei Xuan in this lifetime, Cui Ti would have believed at least ninety percent of what she heard, even if not completely.

Who would ever accuse their own child of being impotent?

She stood there, reeling, which to Madam Pei seemed like she was struggling to cope with a severe blow. Madam Pei thoughtfully gave her daughter-in-law time to process the shock, confusion, and sadness.

Little did she know, the only thought spinning in Cui Ti’s mind was:

Mother-in-law is trying to fool me.

Madam Pei coughed lightly, her voice tinged with helpless sorrow. “Xuan’er is kind-hearted and talented. The Pei Family is vast and influential. As the chancellor’s child, her future is limitless. Now, you are seen as the Young Madam Pei by outsiders, and you are both in this together. Ti’er, do not blame her. If you must blame someone, blame me, her mother.”

As she spoke, she made a gesture to kneel before Cui Ti, but halfway through she remembered that her daughter-in-law was blind and couldn’t see her actions.

This pity tactic was almost in vain.

Maintaining a half-kneeling, half-not position, Madam Pei sighed inwardly at her miscalculation. For the first time in decades, she found herself doing something so deceitful. She was inexperienced, and Cui Ti’s gentle and lovely appearance made it even harder.

Deceiving such a tender and beautiful girl made her conscience twinge with guilt.

If she had indeed borne a son, aside from being blind and from a less distinguished family, Cui Ti would have been perfect in every way.

“Mom, why do you say such things? The Pei Family has treated me well, and Fujun has treated me uniquely well in this world. Mom trusts me enough to tell me such a secret. How could I blame you? Besides, Fujun has suffered this hardship, not by her choice…”

“Do you really think so?”

Madam Pei, visibly moved, grasped her daughter-in-law’s hand.

Cui Ti thought: Even if Pei Xuan were not a woman but an actual eunuch, she would remain devoted to her.

“To be able to marry into the Pei Family and be Fujun’s wife is a blessing I earned from my previous lifetimes. I only wish to spend my life with her, loving and trusting each other until old age.”

“Good, good!”

Madam Pei, having lived so many years, could easily discern genuine feelings from pretense. Seeing that Cui Ti’s emotions seemed sincere, she felt she had paved a good path for her daughter. A different kind of joy spread across her face. “Good child, you’ve endured so much.”

“I’m not the one who’s endured; it’s Fujun who has truly suffered.”

These words hit home for Madam Pei. Years ago, Pei Rufeng, in a stubborn gamble, insisted that their newborn daughter be raised as a son. She couldn’t stop him, leading to Pei Xuan living the first eighteen years of her life as a man.

A girl raised as a boy from childhood suffered more than most. In places unseen by others, her daughter had to bind her chest and constantly guard her true identity.

The hardships were enough to bring tears to Madam Pei’s eyes just thinking about them.

So, when Pei Xuan wanted to marry, to marry the girl she loved, Madam Pei had tried to stop it but hadn’t been forceful.

“That you can understand her so well is Xuan’er’s good fortune. She may have had a hard life, but now that she has you, things are different.

“Ti’er, as a wife, you need to be more tolerant of her. She has carried a heavy burden since childhood, and her nature can be somewhat reserved and unromantic at times. You mustn’t hold it against her. To marry you, she knelt in the ancestral hall all night until her father softened.

“I won’t hide this from you. Both the Chancellor and I are very satisfied with you as our daughter-in-law. We treat you as family, which is why we’re so open with you. Even if she does something very wrong in the future, for my sake, forgive her and don’t hold grudges. Can you do that?”

The motherly bias and love were evident in her words.

At that moment, Cui Ti felt a surge of envy for Pei Xuan, who had such a caring and devoted mother. Her own mother…

Her heart ached, and she was moved by the mention of “kneeling all night.” Her voice quivered slightly with restrained sobs as she said, “Alright, I promise Mom, I won’t hold grudges or argue with her.”

Hearing this, Madam Pei gave her a long, deep look, then knelt and bowed to her. “On behalf of the Pei Family, thank you.”

The dull thud of her head hitting the ground reached Cui Ti’s ears. She was slightly puzzled but quickly sidestepped, unwilling to accept such a heavy gesture. Lifting her skirt, she knelt down as well. “I don’t deserve this, Mom, please get up!”

Madam Pei, having resolved one of her concerns, stood up and didn’t forget to help Cui Ti, who was still kneeling. She sighed with genuine appreciation, “No wonder Xuan’er fell for you at first sight. She wouldn’t have anyone else.”

Cui Ti blushed deeply at these words, her tongue-tied state making her unsure of what to say.

Seeing her daughter-in-law’s face turn as red as sunset and her head bowed in embarrassment, Madam Pei decided to stop teasing her. With a kind and gentle expression, she said, “Xiurong, help the Young Madam out.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Xiurong, the maid, stepped forward to support Cui Ti by the arm.

Madam Pei smiled and said, “Please call Xuan’er in for me. I have something to discuss with her.”

“Alright.” Cui Ti respectfully bowed. “I shall take my leave.”

Despite her blindness, Cui Ti’s nature was excellent—polite and perceptive. She had not been spoiled by the Count Xining and his wife’s neglect over the past decade, largely due to her innate purity.

Thinking this, she felt Cui Ti was indeed a perfect match for her daughter.

Xiurong helped the Young Madam out of the room, and outside, Bai Tang, Haozhong, and Raoliang quickly approached upon seeing her emerge.

Not seeing Pei Xuan, Cui Ti softly asked, “Where is Fujun?”

“The gentleman is bathing the rabbit.”

“…”

Cui Ti’s heart skipped a beat, feeling an unexpected surge of envy toward that fluffy little rabbit.

“Mom is looking for her. Tangtang, go call her.”

Bai Tang acknowledged the order and went off.

While waiting, Cui Ti tilted her face up to the wind, quietly allowing the gentle breeze to cool her flushed cheeks.

In her previous lifetime, Pei Xuan had fallen from a wall and injured her wrist, losing her chance to become the Zhuangyuan in the palace examination. Many people regretted that such a talented person couldn’t fulfill the expectations placed upon her.

Pei Xuan herself also considered it a regret, not to mention Madam Pei, who had been eagerly waiting for her daughter to achieve the top honor.

When Cui Ti first married into the Pei Family, her mother-in-law was not as kind as she is now, probably still holding onto the belief that Pei Xuan’s fall from their wall was somehow her fault and that she was unlucky.

But not long after, her mother-in-law’s attitude changed drastically, becoming warm and loving, fully protective.

Cui Ti guessed that Pei Xuan must have spoken many good words about her, which is why her mother-in-law had a change of heart.

So, in her previous lifetime, when she first married Pei Xuan, their feelings for each other were not clear, and their mother-in-law did not urge them to consummate the marriage.

But now, everything had changed from the beginning, altering the entire course of their relationship.

Cui Ti liked this change.

The lingering heat on her face wouldn’t dissipate for a long time. Just thinking about the term “consummation” made her heart race. She tried to distract herself with other thoughts and ended up chuckling at the memory of her mother-in-law’s harsh words about her “son.”

Pei Xuan approached, carrying a freshly dried rabbit. From a few steps away, she was captivated by her wife’s serene and beautiful smile, which immediately lifted her spirits. “So, what did Mom say to you?”

Cui Ti thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head, holding back her words.

She was afraid that if she said anything, it might embarrass Pei Xuan and provoke an angry, awkward response.

Under the clear daylight, it wasn’t the time to speak too freely.

“Mom is waiting for you inside. You should go in.”

“Mysterious, aren’t you?” Pei Xuan handed the small rabbit to her. “You play with it first. I’ll be right back.”

The tone was naturally affectionate. Cui Ti petted the rabbit’s ears and turned away.

Pei Xuan walked lightly into the room.

Bai Tang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “A gentleman like our son-in-law—gentle, attentive, caring towards animals, and deeply affectionate and considerate towards his wife—is truly rare.”

Haozhong and Raoliang, who had long admired their gentleman, surrounded Cui Ti and spoke endlessly in her favor.

“Mom, you were looking for me?”

Madam Pei held a cup of fragrant tea to soothe her throat and looked up slightly. “Xuan’er, come with me.”

Pei Xuan followed with a smile.

They walked to a more private and secure area. Madam Pei, with one hand resting on a vase, spoke with satisfaction, “I’ve cleared the thorns from your path. The rest is up to you.”

“Mom, are you saying…”

“Since you fancy her and won’t have anyone else, you can’t delay consummation. Only when she becomes truly yours will she be acknowledged as a daughter-in-law of the Pei Family. Otherwise, she remains an outsider, a potential threat.”

The happiness in Pei Xuan’s eyes gradually faded. “Isn’t it unfair to her to be so hasty and reckless?”

“In this world, there’s no absolute fairness. You bear the honor and disgrace of our entire family. Mom is only asking you to make her yours. Can’t you do even that?”

Madam Pei didn’t want to force her, so she paused, then changed her tone. “I see she has deep feelings for you. She is the wife you pleaded to have. Can you bear to let her languish in an empty room, missing out on the joy of conjugal love?”

Seeing Pei Xuan lower her head in silence, Madam Pei pressed on. “There are differences between men and women. If you’re worried about her discovering something during intimacy, you needn’t be. I’ve already spoken to her.”

“Spoken to her?” Pei Xuan felt a sense of foreboding. “What did you say?”

“…”

Even though she was speaking to her own daughter, whom she had carried for ten months, Madam Pei still felt a twinge of shame. But compared to the rise and fall of the family, what was this little bit of shame worth?

With an air of nonchalance, she said, “Your ‘manhood’ is intact, but essentially, it’s useless.”

Pei Xuan, who had long dealt with men, couldn’t misunderstand the implication of calling a man “useless.”

She felt a rush of heat to her face, embarrassed and annoyed. “Mom, how could you…”

“What did I do? I’m doing this for you, for our family. Are you trying to drive me to my grave by hesitating? Without that thing, you can use your hands, your tongue, whatever you like.”

Madam Pei reached into her sleeve and pulled out a prepared booklet, tossing it over. “Study it well. Kissing a girl’s lips is not enough; it’s embarrassing.”

“…”

Pei Xuan’s mind went blank. She almost lost her breath, caught between anger and amusement, her pretty face looking quite pitiful. “Mom, how could you put me in such a position? How am I supposed to face Titi after this?”

Madam Pei shivered at her daughter’s use of “Titi,” finding it both strange and infuriating that her once upright and straightforward daughter had become so mushy. She was annoyed that Pei Xuan had the intentions but lacked the courage, bringing shame to them all.

“Anyway, you figure it out. Don’t disappoint me and your Niangzi.”

“But, I…”

Madam Pei couldn’t bear to look anymore and held her forehead. “Xuan’er, the arrow is already on the string and must be released. If you want to keep your identity a secret and completely eliminate this hidden danger, you need to be ruthless. If you can’t be ruthless, don’t blame me for being ruthless on your behalf.”

She turned her back, her tone cooling. “Will you handle it yourself, or shall I send someone to handle it? Think it over carefully.”

The underlying threat in her words made the heat drain from Pei Xuan’s face in an instant.

It was clear that someone who could secure the position of the chancellor’s wife must have some means and a certain degree of ruthlessness.

The room fell silent.

There wasn’t much time left for contemplation.

Pei Xuan gripped the thick booklet tightly, cold sweat forming on her forehead. She gritted her teeth and said, “I will do as you say, but no one else is allowed to touch her!”

Madam Pei smiled in satisfaction. “You want her, so she is naturally yours. She will be the rightful and respected Young Madam of the Pei Family. A woman’s honor is paramount. Once she becomes yours, she can truly become one of us.”

With a wave of her sleeve, she left, her long skirt trailing gracefully over the smooth, polished tiles.

The surroundings fell silent. Pei Xuan furrowed her brows in frustration, her heart heavy with thoughts as she stared at the booklet. She only managed to lift the cover page, and the explicit images jumped out at her.

Smack!

The booklet fell to the ground.

The normally composed Editor Pei gasped in shock, as if the booklet had burned her hands.