Young widow in her boudoir

As night deepened, the elegant teahouse in the capital was brightly lit, where officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice gathered to chat and drink over an old case.

Pei Zhiheng held the important position of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and all the guests present were eager to curry favor with him, taking turns to offer him wine, each word filled with flattery and obsequiousness.

He was always self-disciplined and rarely drank alcohol, but tonight he was uncharacteristically unrestrained, accepting all offers and unknowingly drinking quite a lot.

Temple Master Yan Wenzhao observed this and guessed that it was probably related to the Crown Princess being forced to kneel as punishment earlier that day.

After the banquet ended, Pei Zhiheng returned to the Shen residence. Although he maintained a cool and composed expression due to the alcohol he had drunk, a deep melancholy lingered in his eyes.

Unbeknownst to them, Pei Zhiheng had headed towards the backyard.

The attendant, carrying a lantern and walking along the dark road, hesitated before speaking up: "Second Master, we can't go any further. Madam Shen's Cuiwu Courtyard is just ahead..."

A night breeze blew by, and Pei Zhiheng immediately stopped in his tracks.

He looked out at the courtyard, where a window was faintly letting in light.

At this hour, Madam Xie should have gone to sleep.

He was startled awake to find himself unknowingly wandering into the backyard.

Pei Zhiheng's face darkened, and dark clouds swirled between his brows.

He hadn't originally intended to do so, but after being prompted by Yuejian, he became displeased.

Tonight, drunk, the man's usual aloof and self-possessed demeanor was veiled with a faint intoxication.

Pei Zhiheng's expression was unreadable. He was a second-rank official, so what place in the vast Pei mansion was off-limits to him?

Even if he goes into Xie Rutang's courtyard, so what?

He went to see her, regardless of what others gossiped about.

Pei Zhiheng wanted to know what she was doing at that moment.

As a widow, must the long, lonely nights be unbearable for her?

He went in now, woke her up from the bed, and made her cook him a bowl of hangover soup. Xie Rutang was an excellent cook, and he just wanted to torment her, to see her eyes redden, yet unable to resist his power.

Pei Zhiheng drank two extra glasses of strong liquor at the banquet and was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.

A cool breeze blew by, and Pei Zhiheng was finally able to shake off some of the effects of the alcohol.

He almost forced his way into Xie Rutang's boudoir today, nearly ruining her reputation.

Pei Zhiheng rubbed his forehead and asked, "What is Madam Shen doing right now?"

Yuejian glanced at him, wondering if Second Master had truly forgotten.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Tonight is the night that the old lady sent Shen Shuming to stay in the madam's room."

After saying that, Yue Jian lowered his head heavily.

Pei Zhiheng frowned, his eyes darkening, and he instantly became much colder, the atmosphere around him becoming tense.

Yue Jian secretly cursed to himself, "I should have kept quiet. Why did I have to say something?"

It's likely that she's currently enjoying a tender moment with her clansman, Shen Shuming, perhaps leaning against his arm and whispering sweet nothings.

She used to freeze up when he kissed her, how could she stand another man taking off her clothes?

Pei Zhiheng's expression was icy, and the corner of his lips curled up in a clearly sarcastic smile.

The man said nothing and turned back to Su Xue Ju.

Yuejian was stunned. Just now, his master clearly wanted to go to Cuiwu Courtyard. Why did he change his mind again?

If Xie Rutang had any sense today, he would have known to ask his master for help.

My second master is used to being pampered and has many noble ladies chasing after him. When has he ever condescended to coax other women?

Even the one in the palace never received the same treatment as the Second Master.

Originally, Pei Zhiheng treated Madam Shen differently from other women.

……

As expected, Xie Rutang was summoned and scolded by the old lady because Shen Shuming did not consummate their marriage last night.

Xie Rutang endured the humiliation, but when she came out, she encountered Ye Wanyu.

Ye Wanyu, who is usually nowhere to be seen, appeared here today specifically to make fun of her. "Isn't this my sister-in-law?"

Ye Wanyu laughed so hard that the tassels on her hairpins swayed. "I heard that, arranged by Mother-in-law, that clansman went into my sister-in-law's room yesterday..."

"Sister-in-law is so lucky to have such a young, healthy, and handsome man by her side. This is a kind of good fortune that not everyone can easily encounter."

She leaned slightly forward, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Xie Rutang to hear clearly.

Her words today were unusually harsh, yet extremely subtle.

But Xie Rutang still sensed it, and she still didn't argue with her, only lowered her eyelashes slightly.

She could already guess that the rumors in the mansion were related to Ye Wanyu, but why would Ye Wanyu frame her like this?

Shen Wen slept in Yunyue Courtyard tonight.

Jia Ge'er was taken away by the wet nurse. Shen Wen, unusually interested, spent some time in bed with his wife Ye Wanyu. After they finished, he suddenly remembered that his wife had previously deducted Xie Rutang's monthly allowance.

Shen Wen frowned and spoke tentatively, "I heard the other day about you cutting back on my sister-in-law's monthly allowance. She was kind-hearted and voluntarily gave you the power to manage the household, which was a gesture of compromise and consideration. Yet you treated her poorly in terms of allowance. Aren't you afraid that the servants will see this and spread rumors that you are narrow-minded?"

Ye Wanyu, however, became enraged and retorted, "What do you mean Xie Rutang voluntarily gave me the power to manage the household?"

"She's clearly unworthy of her position. Besides, what kind of widow manages the household?"

That night, Shen Wen sat by the bed and sighed, "I just feel that now that my elder brother has passed away, it's not right for you to continue treating the Xie family so harshly..."

How can we face our elder brother if we let him go down?

Ye Wanyu stared intently at him, her jealousy palpable. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sorry for him?"

Shen Wen was baffled and stood up angrily, clearly shocked by her outrageous words. "What nonsense are you spouting! She's my elder brother's wife!"

He suddenly felt a headache coming on and rubbed his forehead, piecing together the recent rumors and gossip circulating in the manor. "So all the rumors circulating in the manor lately are things you've been having people deliberately fabricate to slander my sister-in-law!"

Shen Wen was furious. "There's still Second Master Pei residing in the manor! Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

"Foolish! You're absolutely foolish!"

Ye Wanyu's face was contorted with rage, her former beauty gone. "Shameful? Xie Rutang is the one who should be ashamed! Who told her to be so promiscuous and set her sights on someone else's husband!"

"If it weren't for your unusual concern for a widowed sister-in-law, which breeds gossip, why would I have gone to all this trouble and made such a fuss?!"

The two got into an argument.

Shen Wen, his face flushed with anger, swung his sleeves and strode out of Yunyue Courtyard.

Ye Wanyu smashed a vase in anger, hastily put on an outer robe, got up and walked out of the courtyard, intending to find a pavilion to sit quietly and clear her mind.

Unexpectedly, they saw a suspicious figure in the backyard, and it turned out to be a man.

Glancing up, Ye Wanyu caught sight of a figure under the corridor. Upon closer inspection, she recognized Qin Yao, the young master of the Shen family. Her heart pounded wildly, and she hurriedly took out a handkerchief to cover her lips, nearly letting out a cry of surprise.

It turned out that in the past few nights, Qin Yao had become increasingly emboldened by lust and often sneaked into the backyard, hoping to run into Xie Rutang. After several attempts to linger and test the waters, he ultimately returned empty-handed and disappointed.

Qin Yao returned empty-handed again tonight.

Seeing him leave, Ye Wanyu, who was in charge of the household affairs, muttered under her breath, "That damned scoundrel!"

She suppressed her emotions and immediately sent her trusted maid to secretly find out the details.

Upon learning that Qin Yao had taken a liking to Xie Rutang of Cuiwu Courtyard, Ye Wanyu's eyes flickered slightly.

She thought for a moment, then sneered, her contempt growing. "Just as I thought, a widow who can't be shown in public, seducing men everywhere!"

Ye Wanyu knew Qin Yao's character well. He was a dissolute and cruel man with a long list of evil deeds. There were many rumors among the people that he had forcibly taken women and committed murder and disturbances. He was a villain who did many evil things.

As long as she doesn't interfere, pretends not to know, and lets Qin Yao sneak into the backyard, Xie Rutang will eventually be unable to escape his clutches, and she will be able to vent her anger.

So when Ye Wanyu returned, her expression was as gentle and composed as ever.

Instead, she stood beside Shen Wen, speaking gently, and personally poured him a full glass of wine.

Upon hearing that Shen Wen intended to send Qin Yao away from the mansion, Ye Wanyu said softly, "Qin Yao is, after all, a relative of the Shen family. It is rare for family members to come to the mansion. Why rush him to leave? Why not let him stay for a few more days to fulfill our kinship obligations?"

Shen Wenben was of a soft nature, and after a few gentle words of persuasion from Ye Wanyu, he immediately relented.

Over the next two days, Ye Wanyu used the excuse of not having enough people to prepare for the banquet to loosen the security at various gates in the backyard and transfer people to the garden to do chores.