The carriage pulled up at the gates of the Marquis's Mansion. As Pei You stepped out, she saw two guards leading another carriage away to be stabled.
Before she could fully grasp the situation, Chen Yunxin shed her usual reserve and pride, her face beaming with smiles as she lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and flung herself like a jubilant bird into the arms of a man standing by the entrance.
"Eldest Brother! Xiner missed you so much."
Pei You's curious gaze fell upon the man. He had sharp, well-defined facial features, and a heavy, brooding gaze that radiated steadiness. His high-ridged browbones and firmly pressed lips gave him an air of stern seriousness, resembling that of a strict head of the household.
So this was the Eldest Brother?
Chen Yunwen offered a faint reprimand. "You're a grown young lady now, yet you still act so devoid of measure. Stand up properly."
Though it was a scolding, one of his hands gently stroked Chen Yunxin's hair, clearly receptive to her display of reliance. Catching sight of Pei You standing off to the side, Chen Yunwen's expression remained calm.
Pei You tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze. "Greetings, Eldest Brother."
Without sparing Pei You even a glance, Chen Yunwen took his cloak from a guard and draped it gently over Chen Yunxin's shoulders. "The wind is picking up today. Take care not to catch a chill."
Chen Yunxin nodded obediently, casting Pei You a look of provocative triumph from a corner out of Chen Yunwen's line of sight. So what if the Ninth Prince had accepted her? She would forever be her brothers' only sister, the apple of her parents' eyes, pampered since childhood!
After a fleeting moment of disappointment, Pei You quickly comforted herself. Her moist eyes unobtrusively swept across the bright daylight and the blazing sun toiling away overhead, then glanced at the rabbit-fur cloak on Chen Yunxin, and ultimately decided to keep quiet.
Mother Du hurried out from within. "Young Master, Young Miss, the Madam and the Marquis are both waiting inside. Let us go in."
Pei You stepped across the threshold, entering the cool shade with a sigh of relief. Chen Yunxin also reined in her girlish coquettry, stealthily loosening the cloak a fraction as she walked inside.
Chang Wan had heard early on that her eldest son was returning and had been waiting in the chambers.
The moment Chen Yunwen returned, she took his hand, tears seemingly shimmering in her eyes. "You've grown thin, so thin..."
Even Chen Boyuan, who was usually devoid of smiles, wore a rare grin. "Your mission accompanying the Crown Prince to inspect Hezhou was well handled; His Majesty even praised you publicly during the morning court session."
So that was why she hadn't seen this eldest brother upon her return. Pei You's gaze swept over the features shared by Chen Boyuan and Chen Yunwen. In truth, both the eldest brother and the petty third brother bore a greater resemblance to their father. She wondered what the second brother, whom she had never met, looked like...
As she was thinking this, she heard Chen Boyuan ask, "Where is your second brother, Yunyan? Why didn't your group return together?"
"The Crown Prince had other arrangements and kept Yunyan at the Crown Prince's Mansion."
Hearing this, Chen Boyuan was even more delighted. "Splendid, my two fine sons."
Suddenly, his smile vanished, and he said sternly, "Tomorrow's Hanshi Banquet at the palace—Pei You, you must go as well." The thought gave Chen Boyuan an inevitable headache. Pei You lacked all understanding of propriety, and if she made a fool of herself at the palace banquet, it would still be the Marquis's Mansion that lost face.
Chang Wan furrowed her brows in deep distress. "What does a country girl know of such things? Better she not go."
Naturally, Chen Boyuan had no wish to take Pei You either, but he had no choice as this was the Emperor's demand. How could an emperor not see through the minds of his courtiers? No doubt on the very day Pei You entered the Capital, the Emperor had already detected the Marquis's Mansion's intent to swap brides.
The Ninth Prince was the son to whom the Emperor openly showed partiality, and their bride-swapping was essentially tweaking a tiger's whiskers. Since the Emperor had specifically raised this requirement, Pei You had to go whether she liked it or not.
Pei You pressed her lips together. Being disliked once more brought a twinge of grievance to her heart, but she still raised her clear, bright eyes and explained earnestly, "Mother, although I don't quite understand the rules you speak of right now, I will study them diligently..."
Hearing this, Chang Wan merely looked at her with disdain. Even the etiquette and rules that youths of Capital noble families were required to learn could easily go wrong; for Pei You to imagine she could master everything within a single day was nothing short of daydreaming.
Chen Yunxin leisurely added fuel to the fire. "Sister, perhaps you can manage by learning some simple surface-level rules, but the young ladies of the Capital's noble families always possess one or two real talents. If you go without any such accomplishments, you'll only humiliate yourself."
Pei You had actually learned a bit of dancing from Auntie Wang who lived next door, but she hadn't even mastered seven-tenths of Auntie Wang's grace, so she pressed her lips together and remained silent.
If she had known, she would have studied dancing properly with Auntie Wang. Thinking of her own habit of casting aside the fishnets after two days of fishing, Pei You furrowed her delicate brows in deep regret.
Seeing Pei You's darkened and sorrowful expression, Chen Yunxin felt a surge of triumph. So what if she was the true young lady bearing the bloodline of the Marquis's Mansion? Having spent over a dozen years in a village, wasn't she still a good-for-nothing?
"Father, rest assured, Xiner will perform admirably at the palace banquet," Chen Yunxin pledged with absolute certainty, earning an indulgent smile from Chen Boyuan.
Xiner was known in the Capital as a talented young lady; with her there, the Marquis's Mansion certainly wouldn't lose face at the palace banquet.
Chen Boyuan felt somewhat reassured. "Very well, Pei You must go, but Xiner need not worry. Performing well and gaining the favor of the Empress is far more important."
Pei You was left behind in Wanhe Courtyard to study etiquette, and by coincidence, the person Chang Wan arranged to teach her was none other than her old acquaintance, Mother Du.
Mother Du lowered her eyelids, looking at Pei You sitting upright, and spoke in an indifferent tone. "Miss Pei You, time is tight and the task is heavy, so this old servant must act with strictness. Do not hold it against me."
When Pei You saw her raise and display the ruler, she tilted her head slightly. Master Zhang used to lift this very same thing to frighten her when he was exasperated by her perceived slowness.
However, bodily decorum differed from book knowledge, and Pei You had no confidence in herself either. After all, even for something as simple as a spin, Auntie Wang would make her repeat it numerous times.
Perhaps she was simply uncoordinated. This realization made Pei You sigh, her shoulders drooping slightly.
This practice session dragged on directly into the afternoon. Having missed the midday meal, Pei You felt entirely hollow inside.
The fading sunlight cast its rays upon Pei You's face. As she held the hot tea required for the serving-tea etiquette, it scorched her tender, white fingers until they turned bright red.
Pei You fought hard to suppress the stray crystal tears welling in her eyes and held out the cup of hot tea.
Mother Du did not take it; instead, the ruler in her hand struck Pei You's arm, causing the boiling hot tea to splash onto her hand.
Seeing Pei You, her eyes swimming with tears from the scald yet holding the teacup steady nonetheless, Mother Du found no pretext to throw a tantrum. Throughout the entire afternoon's practice, it had been the same: this young lady from the village learned etiquette at a astonishing speed, essentially mimicking her to perfection after watching her perform it just once.
Aside from the blows Mother Du deliberately inflicted on Pei You out of fault-finding, there had been no legitimate reason to strike her at all.
"Very well, let us end the practice here for today."
With a sense of immense relief, Pei You placed the hot teacup down on the table. As she rubbed her slightly blistered fingers, a sharp ache seized the bridge of her nose, her eyes turning red, yet she refused to let a single tear fall.
Solitary and alone as she walked out of the side chamber, she saw Chen Yunxin coaxing Chen Yunwen in the courtyard. Catching sight of Pei You emerging, Chen Yunxin put on a gentle smile.
"Etiquette is difficult to learn. It is only natural that Sister cannot master it in a moment or two. When the time comes, just be sure to follow closely behind me."
Pei You's eyes were still red and unrecovered, her small, delicate nose similarly flushed, making her look like a little flower battered by a rainstorm.
It seemed Mother Du had followed her instructions well and taught this wretched girl a lesson. Satisfied, Chen Yunxin held a pair of emerald cat's-eye earrings out before Pei You. "Eldest Brother just gave me these as a gift. It's a pity they are Eldest Brother's token of affection and cannot be given to Sister."
"Persian gemstones are precious, and only Xiner, with her nobility and grace, can match them." Chen Yunwen's gaze toward Pei You was ice-cold. He had just heard that Pei You had tried to snatch Xiner's ornaments the moment she arrived; being from the village and dazzled by wealth, she truly lacked upbringing.
"No matter how precious the jewelry, it cannot mask the vulgarity of the wearer."
Pei You looked at Chen Yunwen in slight bewilderment. Sensing his blatant disdain, she aggrievedly pressed her lips together. Yet the quality of this pair of cat's-eyes was merely average; their color was dull and oppressive, far inferior to the pair lying at the bottom of her own jewelry box.
"I have a pair that looks much better, though they are back in the village. If there is a chance, I can give them to you," Pei You said with a curved smile.
"Do you take these materials for ordinary stones found anywhere?" Chen Yunwen sneered upon hearing this. "These were a Persian tribute, bestowed by the Crown Prince himself."
Pei You's round, almond-shaped eyes blinked slowly as her mind processed Chen Yunwen's words, before she finally spoke after a moment, "So you're saying these ugly stones are very precious?"
"Impudent!" Chen Yunwen rebuked angrily. "Just because gifts were only brought for Xiner, do not let your jealousy make you babble nonsense."
Startled, Pei You looked at Chen Yunwen in nervous apprehension and weakly retorted, "I didn't..."
Chen Yunxin tugged at Chen Yunwen's sleeve. "Eldest Brother, please don't be angry because of Pei You. After all, she is Eldest Brother's true sister..."
"Pei You's behavior is unruly and petty, not worth a ten-thousandth of Xiner. In this household, you will never need to compromise or wrong yourself!" Chen Yunwen quickly spoke to comfort her.
"Since you've just returned, Xiner's mind is bound to wander, and she didn't eat her midday meal. I see no need for you to attend the evening meal in the estate either." With that final remark, Chen Yunwen turned and left, taking Chen Yunxin with him.
As the cooling breeze brushed against her fair, tender cheeks, Pei You felt a chill through her body. Stunned for a moment, she finally walked out of Wanhe Courtyard.