Wen Yu's method of deliberately provoking the servants was quite effective. After she left the garden, a group of servants led by Nanny Xu gathered together.
Nanny Xu looked in the direction of Wen Yu's courtyard with a look of contempt on her face. After clicking her tongue twice, she said mysteriously, "Do you know what I saw just now?"
...
[Our girl doesn't know yet that those servants are gossiping about her and Pei the Puppy, right? But why was our girl so aggressive just now? She seemed so strange.]
[I've always said that people like to lose their temper. Once they do, they'll act recklessly and forget their senses...]
Wen Yu watched the scrolling bullet comments and felt satisfied.
The plan had worked. Next, she just needed to act aggrieved and let Pei Shen see how "wronged" she had been in the Pei Mansion.
As for the servants in the Pei Mansion, Wen Yu didn't think they were innocent.
These people were used to being snobbish. When she first married into the Pei Mansion, they were still quite polite to her.
But after they found out that Pei Qing had a lukewarm relationship with her, they were convinced that Wen Yu was out of favor, and their attitudes became neglectful.
First, the maid who combed her hair began to be rough - handed. Often, after doing her hair, she would pull out several strands of Wen Yu's hair.
Then, the person in charge of the kitchen used to serve her well at first. But later, as long as Pei Qing didn't dine with her, they would be perfunctory, either adding too much salt or only serving vegetables without any meat.
Nanny Xu was even more excessive. She openly and secretly mocked Wen Yu for being a useless woman who couldn't keep her husband. Wen Yu even heard her a few times in public.
Wen Yu had brought her personal maids with her when she got married. But Pei Qing didn't like having strangers around him, so he asked her maids to either work in other places or return to the Wen Mansion.
Wen Yu couldn't bear to let the maids who had been like sisters to her since childhood do those things in the outer courtyard, so she sent them back to the Wen Mansion one after another. As a result, she had almost no one to use in the Pei Mansion.
Fortunately, later, out of consideration for the Wen family, Pei Qing replaced all the servants in Wen Yu's room. They were all servants that Pei Qing had used since childhood.
It was also from then on that the other servants in the Pei Mansion restrained themselves a little.
But after Pei Qing's death, Pei Shen, as the head of the family, said that he liked peace and didn't allow the servants to enter the back courtyard casually. Except for the regular cleaning and meal - delivery, no one could get close to Wen Yu's courtyard.
Therefore, these people were even more convinced that Wen Yu's life was extremely miserable now.
After all, no matter which daughter of a wealthy family, her daily life was always surrounded by servants. But Wen Yu now even had to take care of her own grooming.
They were also convinced that Pei Shen was angry with Wen Yu for being a jinx to her husband and was secretly punishing this unlucky woman in this way.
Wen Yu needed a knife to stab Pei Shen in the heart, and these people were the most suitable tools.
As for what punishment they would receive after Pei Shen found out, Wen Yu didn't care.
She didn't consider herself a magnanimous person. She had endured before just because marrying into the Pei Mansion always made her feel like an outsider, so she hadn't taken any action.
When the time was almost right, Wen Yu slowly made her way to the garden.
After confirming that the pavilion in the garden hadn't been cleaned up yet, Wen Yu left with peace of mind.
She found a hidden but not completely unnoticed place on the way from the study to the garden. When the sky was about right, she squatted on the ground and cried sadly.
...
After Pei Shen finished dealing with the last matter, he happily headed to the garden, looking forward to enjoying a wonderful dinner with his sister - in - law. But unexpectedly, when he passed by the rockery, a suppressed and mournful cry reached his ears.
He was too familiar with Wen Yu's cry. Even before his mind could react, his feet had already turned towards the back of the rockery.
Wen Yu was squatting on the ground, burying her face in her knees and trying her best to suppress her cries. But the great grievance still made her let out a faint sob.
She was like a wounded little beast hiding to lick its wounds, helpless and pitiful.
"Sister - in - law?" Pei Shen called out uncertainly. His voice was a bit at a loss. He didn't know why the person who had been fine during the day was crying like this in such a short time.
She clearly hadn't seen Ji Yunqing in these days, right?
Besides Ji Yunqing, who else could have made her so aggrieved?
Or did she know what he had done?
Just thinking of this speculation made Pei Shen break out in a cold sweat.
He subconsciously wanted to turn around and leave, for fear of seeing hatred and disgust for himself in Wen Yu's eyes.
"Ashen!"
Before Pei Shen could turn around, Wen Yu suddenly stood up and threw herself into his arms.
Her face was covered with tears, making the delicate beauty look even more fragile.
She... hadn't noticed?
Pei Shen let out a sigh of relief and then frowned.
If it wasn't because she had discovered his secret, what could have made Wen Yu cry so miserably?
And she was hiding here and didn't want to tell him voluntarily.
Just as Pei Shen was thinking, Wen Yu had already let go first.
She lowered her head. Her voice was still choking, but she forced a sorry smile, "Ashen, let's not have dinner in the garden today, okay?"
"Why?" Pei Shen frowned even deeper.
He clearly remembered that when they were in the study, Wen Yu had looked very happy and expectant when she mentioned having dinner in the garden. Why did she change her mind?
But Wen Yu just stammered and didn't want to say directly. She just kept asking Pei Shen to accompany her back to the room for dinner.
She was a gentle - tempered person.
Pei Shen knew this very well.
Judging from her reaction, it was very likely that those servants had said something they shouldn't have.
"Did the servants make things difficult for you?" Although Pei Shen was asking, his tone was very certain. Anger welled up in his eyes, "What did they say to you?"
Hearing this, Wen Yu trembled all over, as if she had remembered some unpleasant words. The tears that had just stopped welled up again. She turned her face away and lied, "No, they didn't say anything."
"Really?"
Pei Shen gave a soft laugh and then sighed helplessly, "If sister - in - law doesn't tell me, then I'll have to ask them myself?"
"Don't!" Wen Yu almost immediately refuted.
Seeing her reaction so intense, Pei Shen didn't say anything more. He just stared at her quietly, waiting for Wen Yu to explain.
"It's my fault. When I came out of the study today, I was so eager to have dinner with Ashen in the garden. In my excitement, I forgot to cover the marks on my neck with powder. Maybe they noticed."
"Although what happened between Ashen and me is true, I'm still a bit sad."
"Yes, I'm the one who is self - indulgent and keeps pestering Ashen for this incestuous relationship. It's only right that I'm looked down upon."
"Now even the servants don't listen to me. I wanted to go to the garden in advance to make some arrangements, but..."
"Forget it. Let's go back to the courtyard for dinner. In the future, I'll just go out of the courtyard less."
Wen Yu's voice was very soft, but it was filled with strong self - mockery. In the end, she even compromised.
She forced a smile and looked at Pei Shen, saying softly, "I'm just sorry, Ashen. I originally said we would have dinner in the garden."