Although the old maid didn't spell it out, Song Ruotang understood the implication. Using Pei Zhiyan's mother to intimidate her was to stop her from defying their wishes as before. She had to comply.
Song Ruotang just smiled. She had no intention of resisting this provocation in the first place. When she first entered the mansion, she just wanted the servants to know that she wasn't someone to be bullied. And now, not resisting was exactly what they wanted. She would sit there until Pei Zhiyan came.
She was good at playing the victim.
Just when the old maid thought Song Ruotang was going to find some way to retort, she saw her silently step into the winnowing basket and sit on the small stool inside.
The old maid was a bit surprised, but then a contemptuous smile crept onto her face. She was still afraid of Old Lady Pei after all. Although Pei Zhiyan's parents were no longer alive, when it came to them, Pei Zhiyan would never side with anyone else.
That's why she deliberately said that, waiting to see what Song Ruotang would do.
Anyway, if she complied, she would just sit there and be laughed at. If she resisted, she would be disliked by Pei Zhiyan. It was a win - win for them.
Outside the hall, the banquet was in full swing, but inside the hall, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Song Ruotang sat alone in the winnowing basket. Xiaoxi stood beside her, indignant, "They're too much! They know that the mistress has no family to back her up, so they..."
"It's okay," Song Ruotang shook her head. Since she had chosen this path, no matter how difficult it was, she would see it through.
The guests at the banquet outside came and went. By nightfall, the lights were dim and the noise gradually died down, but Song Ruotang still sat in the main hall.
The night breeze blew, and the red silk hanging on the corridor fluttered like waves, as if she were in a sea of red.
A man strode in from outside the courtyard. He was wearing a red wedding robe just like Song Ruotang's. The hem of his robe fluttered with his movements. There was a jade crown on his head, and two red gold - embroidered cloud - patterned ribbons hung down, dancing in the night wind.
Pei Zhiyan walked to the steps of the main hall. At a glance, he saw the thin figure sitting in the winnowing basket in the hall. There was no lamp lit, and even the pearls on her wedding dress had lost their luster.
He tightened his fingers slightly. Today, Du Yanting had asked him to deal with the matter of the stolen official salt. He had no choice but to go, and the other man had refused to let him leave. Pei Zhiyan knew this must be Du Lingxuan's doing.
"Zhiyan, is that you?" Song Ruotang heard the footsteps and asked softly.
Pei Zhiyan walked up to her, helped her up, and lifted her veil, only to meet Song Ruotang's beautiful face.
Seeing Pei Zhiyan looking a bit cold, Song Ruotang glanced at the dim surroundings and drooped her eyelashes dejectedly. "I should have asked them to leave a lamp..."
She always left a lamp on for Pei Zhiyan. This habit hadn't changed. But today was the day she officially entered the mansion, yet she was so badly provoked. She still remembered to leave a lamp for him...
There was a fire in Pei Zhiyan's heart. He looked down at the empty hall and the bamboo winnowing basket. He turned to the servant who had just chased in and asked, "Who arranged this thing?"
His tone was so cold that the servant shivered. He bowed his head and said, "It was... it was the Second Mistress who arranged it..."
Pei Zhiyan nodded. He knew it. Du Lingxuan had indeed made her move.
"Call her here for me," Pei Zhiyan pulled Song Ruotang to sit on the main seat and said in an unassailable tone.
The servant didn't dare to be slow. He turned around and ran to deliver the message. Song Ruotang turned to look at Pei Zhiyan's cold face and knew that he was angry.
But the Du family was now an official in the Ministry of Personnel, and there were many of their protégés in the Imperial Academy. If he got angry with Du Lingxuan, her elder brother Du Yanting would surely not agree.
As if sensing Song Ruotang's worry, Pei Zhiyan took her hand and patted it, giving her a reassuring look. "Don't worry."
After waiting for a while, a woman in a golden dress walked in gracefully. She had a coiled hair bun on her head, a touch of makeup on her face, and her eyes were downcast, looking quite docile.
"My lord," Du Lingxuan curtsied. Her voice was soft, and if you listened carefully, there was a hint of joy hidden in it.
Since they entered the mansion, Pei Zhiyan had rarely returned to the main residence. Every day, he left them alone in their empty rooms, and they couldn't even see his face. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to summon her, so Du Lingxuan was naturally happy.
Pei Zhiyan slowly stood up and walked to the winnowing basket in the hall. His voice was calm, showing no trace of emotion. "I heard it was you who had this winnowing basket placed?"
Du Lingxuan glanced at the winnowing basket on the ground. Her face was calm as she nodded frankly. "It was I who asked Nanny Jiang to bring it."
"I remember there was no such rule when you entered the mansion, was there?" Pei Zhiyan squinted slightly. A chill emanated from his body, and his tone was menacing.
Du Lingxuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, but there was no look of fear on her face. She just explained, "I remember there was such a rule in Old Lady Pei's maternal family. Thinking that this time the younger sister's entry into the mansion was so grand, the etiquette should be complete. So I arranged this."
Pei Zhiyan's eyes flickered. She was really good at making excuses.
Song Ruotang, who had been silent all this time, walked behind Pei Zhiyan and gently tugged at his sleeve. She lowered her eyes. "It was really thoughtful of the elder sister. The rules of stepping over the brazier and picking up the broom when entering the mansion were all in place. It was my ignorance that I broke the rules and didn't pick up the broom..."
Song Ruotang gently bit her lower lip, as if in remorse.
Hearing this, Pei Zhiyan frowned. "What stepping over the brazier and picking up the broom?"
Song Ruotang feigned surprise. "Husband doesn't know?"
Pei Zhiyan didn't say a word. Song Ruotang then looked at Du Lingxuan. The latter had no choice but to speak first. "I also heard that when a new bride marries into her husband's family, she is supposed to step over a brazier for good luck, and picking up a broom means being diligent and thrifty in the husband's family in the future..."
"Absurd!"
Before Du Lingxuan could finish, Pei Zhiyan interrupted her. His sudden and loud voice made Du Lingxuan tremble and take a step back subconsciously. She didn't dare to say another word.
Pei Zhiyan looked at Du Lingxuan with cold eyes. He was already dissatisfied that such an important day had been disrupted by Du Yanting, and he knew Du Lingxuan must have had a hand in it.
Now that he was back at the mansion and saw his beloved being so bullied by her, how could he not be angry?
"My lord, I was just thinking that the rules of Old Lady Pei's maternal family shouldn't be broken..." Du Lingxuan looked a bit aggrieved, but still stubbornly explained.
Pei Zhiyan looked at her coldly and suddenly let out a soft laugh. "Fine."
He nodded. Before Du Lingxuan could react, she heard him say again, "Since you like these rules so much and you didn't experience them when you entered the mansion, then experience them today."
Du Lingxuan's eyes changed. A look of humiliation flashed across her face. Seeing Pei Zhiyan about to leave, she stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve. "My lord, what do you mean?"
Pei Zhiyan stopped and looked at her with cold eyes. He pointed at the winnowing basket on the ground. "Don't you want to follow the rules? You'll sit here all night tonight to make up for the incomplete etiquette when you entered the mansion."