"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? This is the Pei Mansion, your home. How could the mistress of the house keep putting up with a few servants?" Pei Shen's tone was filled with shock. Then he let out a sigh. "It's my fault. I wanted to get closer to you, so I transferred the servants from your courtyard." As he spoke, he gritted his teeth, took Wen Yu's hand, and said seriously, "Sister-in-law, no one can make you suffer in my place. Since they dared to gossip, how about I take you to pull out their tongues?"
"I had improper thoughts about you first. I can't blame them for saying these things. I'm just a bit sad. I'll be fine after some time alone. They've served you since childhood. I don't want to make things difficult for you."
"Pei Shen, you don't know how happy I was when I found out that it was you who had been with me all along. But my status doesn't allow me to show such feelings."
Wen Yu's expression was extremely considerate, yet tinged with sorrow, as if she was lamenting why she had married Pei Qing instead of Pei Shen.
Although Wen Yu had said many times during this period that she liked Pei Shen, this was the first time she had admitted that she had feelings for him all along.
He stood there, stunned, hardly believing what he had heard.
"I'm so despicable, aren't I? I'm your sister-in-law, yet I've secretly fallen in love with you." Wen Yu's voice was very low, and her smile was extremely bitter.
Pei Shen finally came to his senses. Ecstasy flashed across his face as he hugged Wen Yu tightly. "Sister-in-law, you're talking nonsense. You're the purest and noblest person in the world."
"It's me who's shameless and seduced you. It's not your fault."
With the fragrant and tender beauty in his arms, Pei Shen felt his heart soften.
He had thought that half of Wen Yu's docility during this period might be an act. Especially in the past two days when he was in conflict with Ji Yunqing, he even suspected that Wen Yu was deliberately acting pitiful to make him feel sorry for her.
But at this moment, Pei Shen finally dispelled all his doubts.
Wen Yu really liked him!
He had already made up his mind that if Wen Yu dared to deceive him with her feelings, he would break her wings step by step and make her lose her freedom forever.
Whether it was sharing her with Ji Yunqing or locking her in a secret room for his own desecration.
He would keep her by his side until she no longer had the courage to struggle or the chance to escape.
But he really didn't expect that Wen Yu had fallen in love with him so early.
It turned out that the bright moon in the sky was not out of reach after all.
If he had known this earlier, why would he have used Ji Yunqing to temper her and soil her?
Pei Shen felt extremely regretful, yet at the same time, he was at ease.
It was good this way. He didn't have to worry that Wen Yu would fall in love with Ji Yunqing after getting along with him for a long time.
As long as Wen Yu's heart was with him, he could accept anyone who had been in her bed.
All he wanted was for Wen Yu to have him in her eyes.
"Anyway, these people offended sister-in-law. They deserve to be punished." A fierce look flashed in Pei Shen's eyes.
Seeing this, Wen Yu couldn't help but curl her lips in his arms.
The man in front of her was a white-eyed wolf who could even harm his own elder brother. These servants in the Pei Mansion would probably lose half their lives, if not die.
But Wen Yu didn't show any joy. Instead, there was more worry in her eyes. "What good will it do if you punish them? You can't stay with me all the time. They suffered a loss today, but who knows what they'll say about me tomorrow?"
"It's easy. As the mistress of the eldest branch of the Pei Mansion, you should be in charge of the inner affairs. These servants are good at following the wind. I'll hand over the power to you. I wonder what you think?" Pei Shen was now confident in letting Wen Yu take power.
In his opinion, Wen Yu was completely infatuated with him now, so there was no need to be as defensive as before, for fear that she would take the power and have the chance to break free from his control.
Rather than forcing Wen Yu, he preferred to see her take the initiative to ask for his love.
"I'm afraid it's not appropriate. Now that your elder brother is dead, I'm just a widow."
Wen Yu pretended to decline, which only made Pei Shen more eager to offer everything to her.
[Woman, here's my black card. Spend as you like!]
[I'll spoil my woman (smirk)]
[It's just the power over the inner affairs. If sister-in-law wants it, just give it to her.]
Wen Yu got the power over the inner affairs as she wished. It was said that Granny Xu really had her tongue pulled out by Pei Shen.
Although the method was a bit cruel, Wen Yu really got revenge for her former self.
Granny Xu was old. After her tongue was pulled out, she couldn't stop bleeding and was found dead in the servant's room the next day.
With Granny Xu's death as an example, everyone in the Pei Mansion was in a panic. Even though this incident caused quite a stir in the mansion, no one dared to spread a single word outside.
Pei Shen was not Pei Qing. When he said he would punish one as a warning to others, he really meant it.
If someone couldn't be controlled, he wouldn't mind dealing with them together.
In his eyes, he could get rid of his own elder brother because of different political views, and he could send the woman he was infatuated with to someone else's bed for his own selfishness. There was nothing he couldn't do.
What's more, these servants could be bought with a little silver?
So what if they had served him all their lives?
Whether they lived or died was just a matter of his whim.
Pei Shen was a venomous snake good at hiding its fangs.
[This time he's really protecting his wife domineeringly.]
[I really hope there's a Pei puppy to stand up for me. My boss at work is so annoying.]
[Pei puppy is really the perfect lover. I asked AI where I could find someone like Pei puppy. Guess what AI said? It told me to dream!]
The perfect lover?
Wen Yu looked at these four words mockingly.
Such a beautiful term was not suitable for Pei Shen at all.
All his kindness came with a price.
As she thought, her gaze fell on the letter on the table.
It was an invitation from the Third Prince's Mansion, which she hadn't seen for a long time.
Pei Shen had brought it in himself.
When he came, he even pretended to be full of guilt, which made people want to vomit.
She knew that Pei Shen would resume his deal with Ji Yunqing after their talk in the study, but she didn't expect him to act so quickly.
It seemed that he was really fed up with Ji Yunqing's exclusion.
However, with her sacrifice, Pei Shen's benefits came very quickly. When he came back from court today, he didn't go straight to the study.
Men were really cheap.
They were the ones who reaped all the benefits from the power struggle, but the only sacrifice was Wen Yu, who had nothing to do with it.
She curled her lips.
It was good this way. If she didn't see Ji Yunqing, how could she instigate the conflict between the emperor and his minister?
She was not satisfied at all with Ji Yunqing's small punishment during this period.
In her opinion, since they had already entered the stage, they should fight to the death like bulls.
Wen Yu closed the idle book in front of her. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, tapping her fingers on the table. But in her mind, she was constantly thinking.
What should she do to make them fight more fiercely?
It would be best if they fought so fiercely that they didn't even have the time to care about Wen Yu's existence.