Pei Zhi felt as if his eyes had been seared by something, and his throat turned dry.
Pei Zhi did not like this woman.
From the moment he learned Wei Qinglv was to marry his elder brother, he had investigated everything about her background. She was an illegitimate daughter of the Wei Family, a "lean horse" raised in Yangzhou—not even a proper lady of a noble house. How could such a woman be a wife to the Pei Family?
He had voiced his objections to his brother, but his brother had brushed them aside, insisting that since the betrothal gifts had been sent, he had a responsibility toward her.
Pei Zhi had left in a fit of anger, and it was only when his brother fell gravely ill and passed away that he regretted not being by his side. Consequently, he projected all his resentment onto Wei Qinglv. He began to have people secretly watch his widowed sister-in-law.
As expected, less than a month into her widowhood, she had begun consorting with an old flame. He had known she intended to elope, but he deliberately let her go, allowing the adulterer to carry the news back to the Wei Family and ensuring the scandal became common knowledge.
This would give him the grounds to drive her out.
Yet, at this moment, because of this woman he detested, his chest and lungs felt as though they were burning, and an unspeakable physical reaction surged within him.
His heart faltered for a moment, and he abruptly shoved her away. "Sister-in-law, conduct yourself with dignity."
Dignity?
What dignity? Her life was on the line!
Wei Qinglv clearly did not grasp his meaning; her mind was blank. At that moment, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, and the voice of the coachman reached them from outside: "Young Master, we have arrived home."
Wei Qinglv’s breathing hitched.
In her past life, it was after returning to the Pei Family that the Wei Family, fearing they would offend the Peis, had proposed that she be drowned in a pig cage. She had fainted from terror, and when she awoke, she had already been issued a letter of divorce and was being sent back to the Wei Family in an ox cart. She had never known what had caused the Wei Family to change their minds, but she had come perilously close to dying here.
Pei Zhi cast a cold, detached glance at her deathly pale face. "Sister-in-law, get out."
Wei Qinglv’s heart quailed, and she began to retreat.But she thought, since Heaven had given her a chance to live her life over again, would it really let her die here?
Wei Qinglv took a deep breath and held onto the side of the carriage to step down. But unexpectedly, her legs gave out. Her body swayed, and she began to plunge toward the ground. Afraid that she would end up disfigured, she squeezed her eyes shut.
A split second later, a strong, shapely arm caught her around the waist and pulled her back.
Her soft body collided with the hard frame behind her.
She heard a muffled, low groan.
Wei Qinglv's lovely face flushed crimson. She knew exactly what she had bumped into, and that pesky thing was hard to ignore.
Pei Zhi felt a dull ache flare up between his thighs where she had struck him.
He masked his discomfort, but then he remembered her background as a trained courtesan. Since she was already a married woman and had likely committed adultery with her lover, she undoubtedly knew exactly what she had run into. At this thought, his handsome face turned even more grim.
"Get out," he commanded, his voice chillingly cold.
Wei Qinglv was momentarily speechless. Being snapped at for no reason left her feeling quite aggrieved, but she could only blame her own uselessness. Why did her legs have to give out at a time like this?
Pei Zhi strode ahead at a rapid pace, leaving Wei Qinglv with no choice but to hurry after him as they returned to the Pei estate.
When they reached the central hall, the members of the various households of the Pei family were already gathered there.
The atmosphere felt heavy, akin to a formal tribunal.
Wei Qinglv's heart tightened.
"What a shameless daughter of the Wei Family," a voice sneered. "Widowed for less than a month, and already so eager to seek out a secret lover. It is truly scandalous."
The speaker was Second Madam Pei of the Second Household, who had always been at odds with the First Household. Her sharp, piercing gaze swept over, looking as though she wanted to strike Wei Qinglv dead on the spot.
Wei Qinglv remembered her. This was Second Madam Pei.
In her past life, when the Pei family had been stripped of their status and their properties seized, only the Second Household had managed to preserve their wealth and official titles.Everyone speculated that the Second Household of the Pei family had betrayed their own kin in exchange for glory and merit. Yet, when Pei Zhi returned to Chang’an and seized power, he did not punish the Second Household. Instead, he allowed them to use his reputation to elevate their own standing and influence throughout the city.
No one understood the truth behind this—including her.
But during her time in the Pei household, she had known that Second Madam Pei wanted her own son, Second Young Master Pei, to vie for the title of Duke. Pei Zhi might have lacked seniority and popular support, but his claim was legitimate by blood. Second Young Master Pei, while not the designated heir, possessed prestige in the military and had earned significant merit, giving him a claim based on capability. If First Madam Pei failed to handle the current situation impartially, she would struggle to maintain authority, and Pei Zhi would likely lose his chance to become the next Duke.
First Madam Pei, with her refined, cold features and the dignified air of a matriarch, knitted her brows slightly after hearing the Second Madam’s words. She turned her gaze toward Wei Qinglv. "You are young. I understand that you do not wish to be a widow. It was the Pei family that asked you to marry into this house to bring good luck, and we have only delayed your life."
At these words, Wei Qinglv was stunned. She never expected the First Madam to put herself in her shoes and consider the matter from her perspective. Her heart warmed instantly.
Second Madam Pei frowned and sneered, "Sister-in-law, have you been ill so long that you’ve lost your wits? This kind of shameless adulteress is already lucky to have married into the Pei family. If she isn’t grateful and instead commits adultery, must we thank her?"
"First Madam, Second Madam is absolutely right..." the elders of the Pei family chimed in one after another.
Wei Qinglv remained relatively calm.
From the side, a pretty voice rang out with a touch of light, malicious intent. "In my opinion, there’s no need for Aunt and Mother to deliberate. At best, she’s just a cheap woman; a beating with a heavy staff to kill her would suffice."
Sixth Miss Pei curled her lips in a display of viciousness, her expression suggesting that this was only right and proper.
Watching Sixth Miss Pei, a surge of intense emotion rose within Wei Qinglv. In her past life, it was this very Sixth Miss Pei who had brought Chu Zihang to meet her and urged him to take her away. She had intimidated the naive, inexperienced Wei Qinglv, claiming that if she did not leave with Chu Zihang, the Pei family would find a way to have her buried alive with her late husband once the mourning period for the eldest son ended, forcing her into a spirit marriage with the Chu family’s eldest son. How could she not be afraid?
In the countless nights she later spent at the Wei family home, she finally understood: this had been a trap set by Sixth Miss Pei and her mother, Second Madam Pei. They had used her as a blade to destroy the First Household's standing among the people of the Pei clan and to strike at Pei Zhi’s still-precarious position as the future Duke.
Pei Zhi, who had remained silent, narrowed his cold eyes, seemingly about to speak.
At this moment, Wei Qinglv stepped forward. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with sorrow, and she lowered her head with a delicate, fragile grace, sinking to her knees with a thud. "Mother-in-law, Qinglv knows she was wrong, but I never intended to elope with anyone..."
Her soft, seductive voice was filled with a mournful, winding sadness. Both Second Madam Pei and Sixth Miss Pei frowned in unison. Even Pei Zhi, who had yet to say a word, glanced at this sister-in-law of his—a woman he perceived as possessing nothing but beauty and a complete lack of intellect.
First Madam Pei furrowed her brow slightly. "Good child, get up and speak."
Wei Qinglv wiped the frost of tears from her eyes, and tears began to fall like pendants. "Young Master Chu and I have no secret affair. It was only that someone threatened me, saying that if I did not leave with him, the Chu family would eventually force me to enter a spirit marriage with my late husband."
As these words left her lips, the entire room fell into stunned silence.