Chapter 208: Chapter 208: An Unworthy Wife Ruins Three Generations
Although Mr. Ren felt that his daughter was excellent in many ways, he wasn’t blindly confident enough to think others would overlook her status and marry her.
In this world, marrying a wife emphasizes matching social status. Even if the statuses don’t match perfectly, they shouldn’t differ too much. Otherwise, the imbalance could cause chaos in the household.
Even though Mr. Pei is in a second marriage, the Ren Family still cannot hope to rise to such a connection.
Mr. Ren sighed with disappointment, but something crossed his mind as he looked at his daughter, struggling to speak.
Qu Fulan found this father-daughter duo quite amusing as they both enjoyed being hesitant in their speech.
But as the situation had developed to this point, it had become an internal matter for the Ren Family, which she, an outsider, should not be involved in. Even as a friend, she should maintain appropriate boundaries.
Qu Fulan stood up to take her leave, giving space to the father and daughter.
After Qu Fulan left, Mr. Ren wanted to speak but hesitated.
The saying goes that a father knows his son best, and the reverse holds true as well. With one look at her father’s expression, Ren Hua knew what was on his mind and immediately said, "Father, don’t think about it. I won’t become anyone’s concubine."
If she had wanted to be a concubine, she would have married a long time ago, why wait until today?
The fate of becoming a concubine was not something Ren Hua wanted to dwell on.
Mr. Ren’s expression turned awkward, "Others, no. But Mr. Pei is somewhat different..."
Before he could finish, even Mr. Ren couldn’t continue.
It’s a well-known fact that the status of a concubine is low, and the main family could sell her off as they pleased.
Even if Mr. Ren had been momentarily blinded by the immense power of the Pei Mansion, he regained his senses in time.
Once he gained clarity, he began to worry about other matters.
"But if Mr. Pei insists on taking a concubine, what should we do?"
Ren Hua thought her father was overthinking it, "I’m no celestial being to make Mr. Pei disregard my wishes and insist on it. Besides, Mr. Pei is not that kind of person."
As for the Pei Family, the Second Madam had heard some rumors, feeling both happy and worried.
The happiness was that her son had taken a liking to someone for once. Marrying a girl he likes is better than marrying someone he doesn’t like.
By rights, when remarrying, her son shouldn’t adhere to the requirements of a first marriage, but there should be a limit, which is what worries the Second Madam.
No matter the circumstances of the Pei Family, they would not marry a merchant’s daughter; otherwise, if word got out, what would others think of the second branch of the Pei Family?
Having one Third Madam was already enough to vex the old lady.
Thus, the Second Madam called her son over to question him personally.
"The previously considered Miss Tan was not quite suitable, and the arrangement with the Tan Family was canceled. I saw a few satisfactory matches in the booklet with the old lady. You should take a look later. If you find someone suitable, we can arrange a meeting, how about it?"
Inquiries about marriage from his mother weren’t uncommon. In the past, Pei Yuan would casually meet someone who caught his eye. But now that he had someone in mind, he naturally wouldn’t see anyone else.
Yet, it wasn’t the time to reveal his thoughts; otherwise, his mother wouldn’t agree. He wasn’t sure about the progress of his second brother’s endeavors either.
Pei Yuan cautiously replied, "I’ve been very busy with affairs lately, let’s discuss this later."
The Second Madam, realizing this was typical of her son, didn’t press further. She hinted, "Yuan, even if the conditions for your second marriage are relaxed, remember the saying, ’a foolish wife can ruin three generations.’
Pei Yuan wasn’t dim-witted and immediately caught her underlying message. He straightforwardly asked, "Mother, where did you hear these rumors?"
The Second Madam didn’t deny it, "What you’ve done is obvious to anyone with eyes. If you want to take a concubine, I won’t object. As for anything else, you shouldn’t act recklessly."
That was clearly a disapproval. Even though Pei Yuan had anticipated it, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
At this point, all that remained was to see if his second brother could persuade the old lady. Once she agreed, his mother would naturally not oppose her will.
The Heir Pei always acted according to a plan, carefully choosing the timing and conditions to maximize his influence in negotiations.
However, this particular situation was unexpected.
A couple of days ago was the Marquis of the Pei Mansion’s birthday, but he was still defending the border, leaving the old lady longing for her son.
At such a time, it wasn’t appropriate to trouble her with marriage matters.
The Heir Pei had calculated the day perfectly, ensuring the old lady’s mood had improved, and planned to bring it up today.
But the old lady already knew, and she questioned him instead. Were it not for Pei Ji’an’s quick wit, the truth might have been exposed.
"Where did the old lady hear it? I haven’t heard anything," Pei Ji’an calmly replied.
"You’re always busy outside, so naturally, you don’t know what’s happening at home. It was your second aunt who told me. She said your elder brother took a liking to that new friend of your third sister’s, a girl from a merchant family. Your second aunt specifically sought my counsel, hoping you could help persuade Yuan to prevent him from making a foolish mistake."
Ah, now they wanted him to advise his elder brother.
The situation was unfolding quite differently from the Heir Pei’s expectations.
"What does the Heir plan to do?" Qu Fulan poured him a cup of tea, poured one for herself, lightly brushed the cover, and took a sip.
In such a large Pei Mansion, no matter how cautious Mr. Pei was, it was inevitable for keen-eyed individuals to notice and gossip. With so many mouths, secrets couldn’t be kept.
At this point, investigating how the news spread was meaningless.
Truthfully, Qu Fulan initially found it incredible that Mr. Pei wanted to marry Ren Hua. But upon further consideration, it didn’t seem surprising. Ren Hua was beautiful, and it was natural for men to like her.
If Ren Hua could marry Mr. Pei as a second wife, even if she became a stepmother, it would be a great opportunity for her.
Unfortunately, if the Second Madam and the old lady were unwilling, the matter would be harder to handle.
The ultimate outcome regarding Ren Hua was still uncertain.
However, the situation for Feng Mei’er was quite dire.
Having deliberately prolonged her illness, she thought she could achieve something during her sickness, only to accomplish nothing.
The Third Miss and others came by briefly each day, but there wasn’t enough time to form ties.
The key was that Qu Fulan hadn’t visited her, as if her letters were beneath notice, leaving Feng Mei’er angry but helpless in the Pei Mansion.
She assumed Qu Fulan would at least come to see her off on her departure, giving her a chance to say something.
Instead, she received terrible news.
"Mr. Feng’s corruption and wrongful killing have been exposed, and now higher authorities are holding him accountable."
Feng Mei’er was so disoriented by the news that she almost fainted, but she knew she couldn’t fall apart. Rallying and seeking help was her priority.
So she quickly decided to see Qu Fulan—they were friends, and she must help her with this favor.
Yet, the instructed servants of the Pei Mansion blocked her request with expressionless faces, "Miss Qu is busy. She doesn’t have time to come over. Miss Feng’s things have been packed, please leave."
Feng Mei’er wanted to raise a scene, but the servants, with insincere smiles, said, "This is the Pei Mansion, not a place for Miss Feng to throw tantrums. Cause any trouble, and don’t blame us for being unkind! Lastly, let me convey the Princely Heir’s message: ’Isn’t she fond of threats? Then expose her family’s secrets and see how she can threaten others again?’