May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Marquis's mansion was peaceful and nothing else happened. Pei Xi also established himself in the clan school and was well-liked by Master Mo. He also achieved quite good results in the first month's monthly exam, which pleased even the old lady, who felt quite proud of him.

But Pei Zeyu and Xie Qianjiao were not very happy.

After all, both children entered the Wen family school together. Now, one of them has already established himself in the school, while his own child has been lying at home for a month, just recovering from an injury, and doesn't know what to do next.

Anyone would be worried about this.

The old lady hadn't forgotten who her real grandson was, so on this day, she summoned Wen Yuanshu to Songshou Courtyard again.

“Yuan Shu, it’s good that Xi’er has established herself in the clan school, but don’t forget about Zhi Cheng,” the old lady said. “That day, although Zhi Cheng spoke disrespectfully, he was still beaten and it took him a month to recover. That’s enough to show them our family’s attitude. Why don’t you… make another trip?”

Wen Yuanshu frowned slightly: "Does Mother-in-law mean that Zhicheng should still go to the Wen family academy?"

"What?" the old lady asked, somewhat displeased.

Wen Yuanshu said she would show some attitude before leaving, so she didn't say anything. Now that she has shown some attitude, she still won't let her go to school. So this attitude wasn't worth it!

Wen Yuanshu hurriedly said, "Mother-in-law, please calm down. What I'm thinking is that if we send Zhicheng there now, he will be the only student in the clan school who needs to be taught. I'm afraid there won't be any more teachers to personally instruct him. It's just that someone else will teach him anyway. I think it's better to have him outside."

Wen Yuanshu's words were not entirely truthful.

After all, what kind of simple people could be expected to follow those great Confucian scholars?

But there was nothing she could do.

If I agree, I'll have to go and make a fool of myself.

It's still because of Pei Zhicheng that I'm embarrassed...

"Moreover, Mother-in-law, even if Old Master Mo is magnanimous and doesn't hold it against Zhicheng, there's no guarantee that the others in the clan school will think the same way. What if Zhicheng suffers some injustice at the clan school?"

The old lady's already wavering heart wavered once more.

"So it's better to have Zhicheng out there. If he runs into any trouble, at least we can support him."

Wen Yuanshu spoke earnestly, and every word she uttered was for Pei Zhicheng's sake.

The old lady immediately looked troubled: "Then tell me, where should we send Zhicheng?"

Wen Yuanshu sighed inwardly: "What does the Marquis mean? And Miss Xie, Miss Xie is now a secondary wife in the family, so it's not a big deal for Miss Xie to get involved in this matter."

Those two are Pei Zhicheng's biological parents.

Instead of causing them any trouble, she piled all the problems onto her. In her opinion, the one who couldn't distinguish between close and distant relatives was clearly the old lady.

The old lady looked at her, her brows furrowing slightly: "Zeyu is a marquis, the head of the family, and has important matters to attend to. We can't expect him to be working hard outside while also worrying about trivial family matters!"

Wen Yuanshu's smile remained unchanged, but her molars were clenched tightly.

Work hard?

Pei Zeyu inherited the title of Marquis from the old Marquis. Since he took over, the Marquis's mansion has been on a downward spiral. What has he been working so hard for?

"Then, Miss Xie..."

The old lady's eyes flashed, revealing a hint of guilt.

Xie Qianjiao was pampered from a young age. After her parents died, she took care of her personally and never let her suffer. But it was precisely because of this that she realized Xie Qianjiao's true worth.

She's more like a confidante; the old lady wouldn't feel comfortable with something this important.

Therefore, it can only be Wen Yuanshu.

“Yuan Shu, you are the rightful mistress of the house.” The old lady said sternly.

Wen Yuanshu sighed inwardly again.

commit a sin.

She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said, "How about this, I'll have someone contact Xue Lu and send him over there, okay?"

Xuelu Academy was quite famous in the capital, producing many scholars who had passed the imperial examinations. However, Xuelu had a large number of students, which was not as good as the Wen family academy, where great Confucian scholars would personally guide and instruct students.

But... it's not bad either.

The old lady finally nodded, and Wen Yuanshu was able to get away.

It's not difficult to get into Xuelu; you either need to be smart enough or have enough money to bribe your way in.

Since the money was paid from public funds anyway, Wen Yuanshu didn't skimp on it at all, and within a few days, she had Pei Zhicheng packed up and sent to jail.

Pei Zhicheng's matter is finally temporarily resolved. There are plenty of shrewd people among the teachers at Xue Lu, and they will handle Pei Zhicheng perfectly, so Wen Yuanshu doesn't need to worry about it anymore.

She finally enjoyed a few hard-won days of peace.

Until this day, Pei Zeyu came over.

Although the two had a disagreement before, Pei Zeyu was thick-skinned, and Wen Yuanshu didn't expect him to be embarrassed. So this time, their meeting was relatively calm, and they pretended that nothing had happened.

Pei Zeyu took his seat, and Chunhua, as usual, served him tea before quietly stepping aside.

At this moment, there was an indescribable strangeness in the atmosphere of the hall.

The two, who are clearly husband and wife, seem very distant from each other.

Pei Zeyu also felt a little uncomfortable, but after glancing at Wen Yuanshu's face, he swallowed back the words of comfort he was about to say and instead said, "Yuanshu, Jiaojiao has been in the family for some time now. As a second wife, she is supposed to share your burdens. Now you are taking care of all the big and small things at home, but she has been idle all the time. It's really not fair."

Wen Yuanshu glanced at him in surprise.

Why does this person speak so pleasantly?

Although it sounds like there's something else going on, this is the first time someone has said it so tactfully.

"My lord, please speak frankly if you have something to say."

Hearing her cold and distant tone, Pei Zeyu felt inexplicably uncomfortable: "...Do you have to talk to me like that?"

Meeting Wen Yuanshu's slightly surprised gaze, Pei Zeyu reminded her, "We are husband and wife."

Wen Yuanshu lowered her eyelashes: "I know."

Otherwise, why would she be sitting here?

She only said three words, but Pei Zeyu felt like he was choking and couldn't breathe.

After a long while, Pei Zeyu slowly exhaled: "You really can't compare to Jiaojiao."

Jiaojiao is gentle and lovely, unlike Wen Yuanshu who is like a prickly hedgehog.

But... she wasn't like this before.

She once looked at him with a blush on her cheeks, her eyes seeming to hold the light of a sky full of stars.

How did it turn out like this?

He looked at Wen Yuanshu, and Wen Yuanshu looked at him.

She truly loved him.

Pei Zeyu was handsome and kind to her. Even when she was still a young woman, he remembered the dates of her menstrual period, but he had no lewd or vulgar intentions. He would come to keep her company from time to time and even make her red sugar rice balls in fermented rice wine by himself...

How could Wen Yuanshu not be moved by such a gentle and considerate person?

So for him, she didn't hesitate to break off her childhood sweetheart's engagement.

But little did they know that it wasn't until they stepped into the gates of the Marquis's mansion that they realized how ruthless and cruel the person in front of them was, and how much worse than a beast he was.

She fell into the abyss, doomed to eternal damnation, while he embraced the beauty and watched her fall with a smile.

The two gazed at each other for a long time, but there was not a trace of ambiguous affection between them.

After a long while, Wen Yuanshu chuckled softly: "So, what brings you here this time, Lord Marquis? Just say it directly, everyone's quite busy."