After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 19 Sir, could you please bear with me?
Xiang Ning's palms were soft and warm; it took two delicate hands to barely grasp his large hand.

She lowered her head, the dim light illuminating her face, making her appear even more gentle.

Seeing that Pei Yanzhi did not speak, the girl secretly raised her eyes to look at him, and after their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

It seemed as if she was trying to confirm whether her words and actions had offended him.

In that instant, Pei Yanzhi suddenly remembered her words of love for him.

He withdrew his hand and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Some people will say anything just to get protection.

First she showed him affection, and now she's offering protection; Pei Yanzhi is almost convinced by her words.

"Chenghua, tomorrow you will stay in the mansion and go to the flower room outside to buy hibiscus."

After a long while, Pei Yanzhi calmly left these words behind. Xiang Ning smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

She said that Pei Yanzhi hates it when others touch his things.

Chenghua smiled and agreed. After Pei Yanzhi entered the house, he said to Xiang Ning, "Master is protecting the young lady."

"Brother Chenghua, you're making fun of me too, but I'm very happy to have your protection."

When Xiang Ning said this, her tone was tinged with shyness, as if her heart and eyes were filled with Pei Yanzhi, which made people's hearts melt.

Xiang Ning knew that Pei Yanzhi practiced martial arts, and those who practice martial arts have sharp hearing and eyesight.

He could hear what they were saying outside from inside.

So Xiang Ning didn't hold back her kind words.

Before long, Granny Xu came with a maid to serve the dishes, while Xiang Ning stood aside and served Pei Yanzhi the dishes.

Pei Yanzhi held chopsticks in his hand, and when he lowered his eyes, he saw a faded scar wrapped around the joint where Xiang Ning's fingers were connected.

Judging from its location and appearance, it looks somewhat like the torture device used in prisons to extract confessions from prisoners.

How could there be marks left by finger torture on her hands?
Pei Yanzhi calmly withdrew his gaze. After finishing his meal, Xiang Ning helped Pei Yanzhi change his clothes and fetched water for him to wash his face.

Compared to before, when she always liked to show off her green bamboo in front of Pei Yanzhi.

Xiang Ning's service was limited to this; her excessive formality made her seem like a completely different person.

Completely unlike his boldness and recklessness of the previous night, which drove him to lose control and succumb to temptation.

Just as Xiang Ning was about to leave, Pei Yanzhi suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Xiang Ning was pulled by him, and her body crashed into his arms.

She looked up and saw Pei Yanzhi's Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes darkening slightly.

Xiang Ning understood, but she didn't know which of her actions had given Pei Yanzhi the signal that made him mistakenly believe she was going to stay tonight.
But he didn't say anything, he just stared at her intently, as if he wanted to make a flower bloom on her body.

"Master hurt me last night..."

Xiang Ning lowered her head, her voice barely audible, and then tiptoed to whisper a sentence in Pei Yanzhi's ear.

Her breath was fragrant, and the pleasant scent of soapberry on her body was like an intoxicating incense, making Pei Yanzhi's breathing much heavier.

"You have a mouth, but you can't stand me. Can you please bear with me?"

That's an outrageous and audacious remark.

Pei Yanzhi released Xiang Ning and told her to leave.

Xiang Ning tilted her head and planted a kiss on Pei Yanzhi's ear before hurriedly leaving the room.

Her ears were so red they looked like they could bleed, and her heart was pounding as she got close to Pei Yan.

Xiang Ning stepped out of the house and slowly exhaled.

This was the first time she had ever said such unrestrained and explicit things.

But Xiang Ning really couldn't give Pei Yanzhi what she wanted.

She was in real pain; the wound on her back hadn't healed yet, and other parts of her body were also red and swollen. Walking made her uncomfortable.

Besides, sometimes, eating too much meat can get boring; it's better to feed it to someone every now and then to keep things interesting. After Xiang Ning left, Pei Yanzhi sat on the bed, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

This was the first time he had such a clear understanding of his own desires.

The kiss that landed on his ear was hot and burning; Pei Yanzhi felt that the tips of his ears were also getting hot.

The next morning, when Xiang Ning woke up, Cheng Hua had already gone out with the servants from Mo Song Yuan to buy flowers.

Although Pei Yanzhi didn't say it explicitly last night, Chenghua understood that it was to show that Aunt Yu.

If they want flowers in Mosongyuan, the ones in Peifu's flower room are not enough.

Therefore, the flowers that Chenghua bought, apart from the hibiscus that Pei Yanzhi specifically requested, were the best-blooming, most expensive, and most representative of Pei Yanzhi's wealth.

When the florist delivered that truckload of flowers to Mosong Garden, countless people saw it.

Especially the green peony chrysanthemum at the head, carried by two people.

I've heard that you can't find another flower exactly like this in the entire capital city; it's priceless and incredibly valuable.

The hibiscus that Yuzhen snatched from the greenhouse yesterday is nowhere near as good as this pot of green peony chrysanthemums.

However, besides keeping many of the precious flowers and plants that Pei Yanzhi bought in Mosong Garden, he also specially asked Chenghua to select a few pots and send them to Qionghua Courtyard where Madam Pei lived, and Ningfu Residence where the old lady lived.

Madam Pei received several pots of precious flowers and plants from Pei Yanzhi and smiled helplessly.

"That Yuzhen has become increasingly spoiled by the second son."

As the matriarch of the Pei family, she naturally knew why Pei Yanzhi had gone out to buy flowers and plants in such a grand manner today.

He was a man; the power struggles within the inner quarters were none of his concern.

Furthermore, given that Yuzhen was favored, and the second son was still his elder, it was impossible for him to go directly to the second son's house and punish Yuzhen.

Madam Kang, supporting Madam Pei, said, "The eldest young master is insightful and knows how to conduct himself appropriately."

"Since Madam feels that Yuzhen is too arrogant, why don't you let me give her a little punishment as a warning?"

Hearing what Madam Kang said, Old Madam Pei sighed deeply.

"Tell me, this kind of thing should have been handled by his mother, but his mother... never mind, you go and give that Yuzhen a good talking-to. If she continues to be so disrespectful, I'll just tie her up and sell her to slave traders."

Madam Pei tapped the ground with her cane, her face full of dissatisfaction.

She's getting on in years; all she wants is peace and quiet at home.

Who would have thought that even with only four children, she could still cause such chaos in the household?

"Please don't be angry, Madam. I'll go right away and make sure that Yuzhen will have some peace and quiet for a while."

Madam Kang patted Old Madam Pei on the back to calm her down, and then heard her say, "Starting tomorrow, they must pay their respects to each other morning and evening without fail. They've gotten used to living a comfortable life; it's time to set some rules for them."

To avoid these sisters-in-law from meeting each other as if they were enemies.

"Yes, I understand."

Madam Kang agreed to all of them. Madam Pei looked at the precious flowers and plants in front of her, but was annoyed by these troublesome matters and lost interest.

At this time, Mingxiang, who had left the capital less than a day prior, returned to the Dali Temple.

When Pei Yanzhi saw him, he frowned and then heard him say, "My lord, Lu Weimin is currently preparing to come to the capital. He was invited by Prince Qing."

"The Lu family and Prince Qing?"

Relationship chart of characters who have appeared in the Pei family (will be added later for easier understanding).

Mrs. Pei (direct descendant)

First son: Pei Feng

Madam Pei, Qin Bijun; eldest son by his principal wife, Pei Yanzhi; and third son by his concubine, Pei Mingxiu.

The third young lady, Pei Xinyan (the legitimate daughter of Old Madam Pei, married into the Duan family), is already married.
Second wife (born of a concubine): Second Master Pei Zhiyuan
Pei's second wife, Dong Yan, his concubine, Yu Zhen, and his fourth son, Pei Yongcheng.
Fourth branch (born of a concubine): Third Master Pei Changqing (unmarried) - Concubine Wanyi
The titles for the First Madam and the Old Madam have been corrected in the previous text.

拶(zǎn) punishment
The torture of finger-crushing was a cruel method used on female prisoners in ancient times. It was also called "clamping torture" and was mostly used to extract confessions rather than to punish them.

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(End of this chapter)