A little earlier, at Skywater Bridge.
After returning from her business trip, Pei Xiangjun had faced nearly a month's worth of miscellaneous affairs. She had worked in the accounts room until nightfall before roughly putting everything in order.
She returned to the Pei Family residence feeling rather tired. The house was very quiet.
Pei Xiangjun went straight to the rear courtyard and found her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Zhang, sitting in the tea room, needle and thread in hand, her face filled with a gratified smile.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, what has you so happy?"
"Third Madam, you're here. Sit down. This morning, Luo'er refused to admit defeat and took it upon himself to go out with Jingtang on business. In the end, Jingtang fought single-handedly all the way from Paulownia Street to the West Market and thoroughly awed him. After coming back, he kept praising how formidable Jingtang was, then packed his bedding and returned to the Academy. It seems he felt the pressure and realized that if he didn't study, there would be no place for him in the Pei Family in the future."
Pei Xiangjun was not surprised. She sat down across the tea table.
"Jingtang really is formidable. He handled things quite well on this trip too. It's just... he was a little reckless..."
Madam Zhang poured Pei Xiangjun a cup of tea.
"You mean what happened with Zhou Huaili? If Jingtang could resolve the trouble afterward, that wasn't recklessness. That was real ability..."
"Ah..."
Pei Xiangjun had meant the matter of the Cult Leader's Wife, but she really did not dare let her eldest sister-in-law know about that. After some thought, she said tactfully:
"Jingtang met a wandering heroine out in the martial world. She's from the Sky-Pacifying Sect..."
Madam Zhang's gaze sharpened, and she asked warily:
"The