The concern in Wen Yu's eyes seemed genuine. Pei Shen watched her quietly, feeling a warm current surging in his heart.
His sister - in - law truly loved him deeply. Even in such a situation, what she cared about was whether her sacrifice could help him.
"Sister - in - law, don't worry. I have my own measure regarding the affairs in the court."
Pei Shen said so, but he also started to feel a bit competitive because of Wen Yu's words.
Could it be that Ji Yunqing was still showing his dissatisfaction with him just because he hadn't seen Wen Yu in the past few days?
He had already made concessions. If Ji Yunqing still pressed him hard...
Then the person worthy of his loyalty in the court might not necessarily be only Ji Yunqing!
However, all lords wanted loyal subordinates. It would cost too much to withdraw from Ji Yunqing's camp.
He could only observe for a while longer.
But if the king never showed any concern for him, he would have to cut off the rotten flesh to heal the wound.
He couldn't just give Wen Yu away and then still be like a dog under Ji Yunqing's command!
...
On the day of the Wen family's banquet, Wen Yu took Pei Shen to the Wen family early.
"Sister - in - law, I bought some gifts especially for you and the baby. They're not on the gift list. I've already had someone put them in your room. Remember to check if you like them later." Wen Yu said with a sincere smile to Xie Qinghui.
After not seeing each other for a while, Xie Qinghui already had a motherly look on her face. She gently touched her belly, and there was happiness in her eyes. "Look at you. How could I not like what you give, Xiaoyu?"
Saying so, she took off the jade bracelet on her hand and put it on Wen Yu's wrist. "Since I got pregnant, I've gradually swollen up. This bracelet doesn't look good on me now. You take it. This color suits you."
Wen Yu didn't decline. After accepting it generously, she glanced at the maids serving beside Xie Qinghui. They were all the ones who had served in the Wen mansion before her marriage.
It seemed that Steward He had taken her words to heart. That was good.
"Sister - in - law is pregnant. You should have more people serving you. If you don't have any familiar ones, you can pick from my courtyard. They're the maids who've served me since childhood. They may not be very smart, but they're quite useful." Wen Yu reminded and then separated from Xie Qinghui to take her seat.
[Is she the sister - in - law of the sister - in - law? It's kind of interesting.]
[No nesting, please. But this Xie Qinghui is really good - looking. It's a pity that if she hadn't married the sister's brother and gotten pregnant, she wouldn't have died so miserably later.]
[If she wasn't pregnant, maybe she could have survived in the brothel until the sister pleased the male leads and saved her.]
[Come on. Xie Qinghui was destined to die. If she didn't, how could the sister feel empathy, and how could she rely more on the male leads later?]
[That makes sense. For the sake of her promoting the relationship between the sister and the male leads, I'll light a few more electronic candles for her later.]
[Seconded.]
Wen Yu had actually been trying very hard not to think about the Wen family's ending recently.
But now, seeing the bullet - screen mention it so mockingly, she couldn't help but feel angry. She even wanted to drag these people out from behind the bullet - screen one by one and let them feel what it was like to live a life worse than death.
These were real lives. Could these people really turn a blind eye?
Wen Yu suddenly took a sip of fruit wine to suppress the irritability in her heart.
"Miss Wen is truly a famous beauty. I see that you're still as radiant as ever today."
Suddenly, someone at the banquet raised his glass and spoke to Wen Yu. His tone was rather strange, with a hint of malicious calculation.
As soon as these words were said, before Wen Yu could frown, Pei Shen knocked his glass on the table neither too hard nor too softly.
"Lord Wang, are you confused? The Wen and Pei families have been married for a long time. You should call her Lady Pei." Pei Shen reminded with a fake smile, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
However, Lord Wang just gave a slippery smile and ignored Pei Shen. Instead, he turned to Wen Xun and said, "Song Yi, the eldest son of Lord Song, has already become the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites at a young age. Today is a happy day for the Wen family. Does Lord Wen have the intention of having double happiness?"
As far as Wen Yu knew, this Lord Wang was also under Ji Yunqing's command.
The Song Yi he mentioned was the son of Song Xuanlang. Both father and son served Ji Yunqing.
Song Xuanlang and Lord Wang were even more like Ji Yunqing's right - hand men.
On the surface, it seemed that Lord Wang wanted to play matchmaker, but obviously, he was ordered by Ji Yunqing.
The Wen family had always been a target for the princes to win over, but none of them had succeeded.
Even when choosing the eldest sister - in - law, in order to avoid partisan strife, Wen Xun had set his sights on the Xie family with a relatively humble background.
Now Lord Wang wanted to start with her.
The conditions offered by Ji Yunqing were indeed tempting.
After all, in everyone's eyes, if a twice - married woman could marry the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites as his main wife, it would be a very good marriage.
Ji Yunqing wanted to take a gamble on her father's attitude.
However, Wen Yu wasn't worried about this.
If Wen Xun was a person who cared about such fame, he wouldn't have let his elder brother marry the current sister - in - law.
Compared with Wen Xun, she was more curious about Pei Shen, who was also a subordinate of the Third Prince. What was his current attitude?
"Lord Wang is joking. Not to mention that elder brother is still in the mourning period. Just talking about the matter of remarriage, has Lord Wang asked sister - in - law's opinion?" Pei Shen said with a seemingly relaxed smile. Then he turned to Wen Yu and said, "Sister - in - law and elder brother had a deep affection. Lord Wang's careless words today may make sister - in - law recall sad things."
Hearing this, Lord Wang's expression froze slightly. Then he smiled again and said, "A fair lady is a gentleman's good match. I just said it casually when I was drunk. Second Young Master Pei, don't be angry. Miss Wen, don't take it to heart."
"Lord Wang, a married woman follows her husband. Even if her husband has passed away, it's better to call me Lady Pei." Wen Yu's tone was gentle but with an undeniable meaning.
Lord Wang's expression became even more ugly. He subconsciously glanced at Pei Shen twice and then raised his glass to apologize to Wen Yu. "Lady Pei, it was my rudeness. I hope Lady Pei will forgive me."
"Today is sister - in - law's happy day. Everyone, please don't focus on my affairs. Even if my husband is no longer here, the Pei mansion is still my home now." Wen Yu said with a smile to Lord Wang, and her tone carried a hint of warning.
However, despite her words, the eyes of the people at the banquet still inevitably fell on Wen Yu and Pei Shen.
After all, everyone knew that Pei Shen served the Third Prince. What was going on today? He actually slapped Lord Wang in the face in public!
"Sister - in - law, don't be afraid. If you don't want to marry, no one can force you." Pei Shen seemed not to notice the surrounding gazes. He just whispered to comfort Wen Yu. "Don't worry about the Third Prince either. I'll take care of everything."
"I trust you." Wen Yu smiled gently.
After Pei Shen turned his head, she gradually put away her smile.
Even if Pei Shen hadn't stepped forward today, Wen Xun would have rejected it.
It could be said that Ji Yunqing's real purpose from the beginning wasn't to control her marriage, but to see if Pei Shen, his dog, still had him as the master in his eyes.
Obviously, Pei Shen, who was poisoned by the Goddess of Luo River poison, had started to lose his rationality.
So after the initial test, what did Ji Yunqing want to do next?
Wen Yu played with the wine glass in her hand with great interest, and the excitement in her eyes became more intense.
She was so looking forward to seeing the wonderful scene of dogs biting dogs next.