Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 530

Chapter 530: Winning Over

The private room had a charcoal brazier and a heater for brewing tea.

An Zhi didn’t like stuffy environments, so the window was open at an angle, allowing a bit of cold wind to blow in from outside, but it warmed up before it reached An Zhi.

After An Zhi sat down, Madam of Yun sat down next to her at a small table.

Soon, an embroiderer brought in a teapot, spring water, and several plates of pastries. “Manager Zhang has gone to the storeroom to find materials. Please wait a moment, ladies. If you need anything, just let us know.”

With that, the embroiderer left the private room.

The door to the private room was ajar, and the occasional sound of footsteps could be heard outside, but this did not interfere with An Zhi’s conversation.

“Since Minister Yun’s stroke, I haven’t seen Madam of Yun. She must have been very busy these past few days,” An Zhi said, pushing the pastries towards Madam of Yun.

Madam of Yun’s first reaction to this was that An Zhi was going to be sarcastic, but considering An Zhi’s attitude today, it didn’t seem like it. In short, something felt off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Seeing Madam of Yun staring at the pastries, An Zhi continued, “I’ve heard some rumors before. I don’t know if they’re true, but most gossip from outsiders can’t be trusted, like the rumors that Pei Que made Pei Yu annul my engagement—they’re all baseless. Madam of Yun, don’t you think so?”

What were they? About Pei Que and his nephew, or a veiled reference An Zhi hadn’t mentioned?

For a moment, Madam of Yun’s thoughts were in turmoil.

“An Zhi, I don’t quite understand what you mean,” Madam of Yun said.

“I see.” An Zhi looked down at the tea, which was no longer hot, picked it up, and took a sip. “That’s alright then. I just wanted to say that if the Pei and Yun families weren’t so antagonistic, I think we could be friends. After all, our past experiences are quite similar in some ways. It’s just that I was one whose engagement was annulled, while you were one whose engagement was annulled.”

The moment the words “annulled engagement” were uttered, Madam of Yun became restless.

Few people knew why Madam of Yun married Yun Shengxing, and even if Yun Xingbang and the others found out later, they wouldn’t spread the word.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Your affair with Pei Que is your own business; I don’t know anything about it.” Madam of Yun took a deep breath as she spoke, thinking others wouldn’t notice her unease, but An Zhi knew it the moment she inhaled.

Even influencing someone required a gradual approach. An Zhi decided to stop here for today. “I was just being sentimental; please don’t take offense, Madam of Yun.” Seeing Zhang Lan bring in the new fabrics, she stood up and said, “Let’s take a look together. Fabrics that Shopkeeper Zhang searched for so long must be of good quality.”

Madam of Yun lost interest in choosing fabrics and quickly picked out two bolts before leaving.

When she came out of Shuiyun Studio, she felt someone was watching her, but when she turned around, there was no one there.

Even after getting into the carriage, Madam of Yun couldn’t help but peek out.

Zhenzhu asked, “Madam, shall we go to the other courtyard today?”

Madam of Yun thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I still feel that An Zhi said those things on purpose, and how does she know I ever broke off an engagement?”

“Madam, don’t panic. You and the young master didn’t have any written agreement when you met face-to-face, so it wasn’t an engagement, much less a broken engagement.” Zhenzhu was a servant born into the household; her mother was Madam of Yun’s dowry maid, so she knew some of Madam of Yun’s past. “Even if Madam of Pei knows some things, Master knows about you and the young master, so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“But Master doesn’t know that I…” Madam of Yun suddenly stopped mid-sentence, realizing they were outside. Always wary, she quickly changed the subject… “But I have a feeling An Zhi wants to say something to me today. First she says I’ve worked hard, then she says we might become friends, and so on… Is she trying to win me over?”

Zhenzhu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “It seems so, but you and Madam of Pei had a quarrel, and the Pei and Yun families don’t get along. Why would Madam of Pei want to win you over?”

“Yes, why would she want to win me over? She’s the Madam of the Pei family, and I’m the Madam of the Yun family. Two powerful families that don’t get along can’t possibly forgive and forget.” Madam of Yun thought and thought but couldn’t come up with an answer. “I’ll calm down first; maybe I’ll figure it out in a while.”

While Madam of Yun was at a loss, An Zhi calmly ate her snacks.

She gestured for Binglu and the others to eat, saying, “It’s still windy outside; let’s sit down first. All of you, come and eat something; don’t go hungry.”

Binglu and Chunlan, having served their young madam for a long time, understood her temperament and didn’t refuse, sitting in the lower seats.

After finishing a piece of lotus cake, Binglu thought of how Madam of Yun had left and whispered, “Madam, do you think Madam of Yun understands what you mean? Even if she does, will she really be with us?”

“She’s been able to secretly kiss under Yun Shengxing’s nose for over ten years; she must understand what I’m saying,” An Zhi smiled. “But what I said alone certainly won’t be enough to give her the courage to help me. But now Yun Shengxing has had a stroke, and Yun Xingbang might be suspended from his post. Among the Yun family’s legitimate sons, only Madam of Yun’s son remains. Even if Yun Zhenbang is useless, he’s still Madam of Yun’s biological son.”

People were all hypocritical; they all thought their own children were better, and Madam of Yun was no exception.

An Zhi offered Binglu a sip of tea to soothe her throat. “Threats are best avoided; bribery is far better, ensuring a clean break in the end. Otherwise, she won’t sleep and will inevitably overthink things.”

Although An Zhi knew about Madam of Yun’s affair, she didn’t intend to use it unless absolutely necessary.

After finishing the snacks, the wind outside still hadn’t subsided. Thinking about the fabric she’d bought, An Zhi had the carriage detour to the An Mansion and also to visit her brother.

Upon arriving at the An Mansion, An Zhi first visited her stepmother. Unexpectedly, her father was also there and was summoned to his study alone.

An Chengye hadn’t been doing well these past few days. Because of his outburst at Baohua Hall, the Yun family members now bullied him whenever they saw him. Previously, most of them ignored him, but now he was extremely distressed.

“My dear daughter, I have something to discuss with you.” An Chengye brought An Zhi some hot goji berry tea. “I’m not a very ambitious person. Even though you married a good husband, I haven’t dared to go out and bully others. I just want to live a peaceful life and not cause any trouble.”

An Zhi had heard about the Baohua Hall incident and knew that Pei Que had tricked her father, but she wondered if she could just say it directly. “Next time, if Father doesn’t want to, he can just talk to Pei Que directly. You’re an elder, and he’s your son-in-law. You don’t need to be afraid of him.”

“I…I am afraid of him,” An Chengye sighed. “Before you married him, when he saw me, his face looked like King Yama coming to claim my life, so dark and frightening. Even now that I’m his father-in-law, I’m still afraid of him. I’m not asking you for anything else; just talk to Pei Que and tell him not to let me go in the future, alright?”