Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 535

Chapter 535: Acquaintances

Fusheng knew his background was shameful, at least not now. Although several years had passed, the past was as vivid as yesterday, and every time he thought of it, it still caused him excruciating pain.

Shaking his head again, a thin layer of tears welled up in Fusheng’s eyes.

“Get up and speak,” Pei Que said softly. “Patience is a good thing, but everything depends on timing. If you don’t seize this opportunity now, are you really willing to live a mediocre life? Or, when you think back to your parents, can you truly find peace and tranquility?”

After a pause, Pei Que withdrew his gaze from Fusheng. “It’s your own business; you decide for yourself. If you can accept what I asked, then you can continue with what you’re doing now. There are many people in this world; not everyone has to strive for success. Contentment is also a profound lesson.”

After speaking, Pei Que began to drink his tea seriously.

Fusheng stood there quietly for a long while. He had struggled before, and he had even had sleepless nights.

But what about now?

What were his thoughts now?

Fusheng couldn’t put his finger on it.

He had been by his master’s side for almost three years, and he had grown quite a bit. His parents’ dying words still echoed in his ears. Everyone aspires to higher positions, but his parents only wanted him to survive.

As the young man pondered, his fists clenched unconsciously, his brows furrowed, and a hint of sorrow flickered across his face.

While Fusheng was lost in thought, Pei Que’s braised pork knuckle arrived.

The master and servant emerged from the private room together. The restaurant was bustling with activity, filled with the clinking of glasses. Occasionally, a few people would stop and glance over. Those who recognized Pei Que would look away, while those who didn’t would stare intently.

Pei Que, accustomed to being watched, left the restaurant without changing his expression.

The carriage remained by the restaurant. Fusheng went to fetch the horse, while Pei Que waited at the door for a while. When Fusheng didn’t return, he went over.

Unexpectedly, he would run into an acquaintance here.

When Serlan saw Fusheng, she knew Pei Que was nearby. She exchanged a few words with Fusheng, and upon seeing Pei Que approaching, her smile instantly brightened. “Greetings, Minister Pei!”

Pei Que nodded slightly in politeness and looked at Fusheng, saying, “Go back quickly.”

Fusheng, annoyed by Princess Serlan’s persistent pestering, immediately went to fetch his horse upon hearing his master’s words. However, because Princess Serlan blocked the horse’s path, he had to excuse himself, but Princess Serlan showed no intention of moving.

Serlan came to the Jin Dynasty for a political marriage, but her luck was bad. She had just been betrothed to the eldest son of a prince, but within two days, her fiancé had an accident while collecting rent in the suburbs, falling halfway down a mountain and dying.

The death of her fiancé before the wedding was considered unlucky, so much so that she hadn’t found a new marriage partner yet.

Pei Que knew about Serlan’s situation; after all, he and his advisors had been struggling with this issue recently. A political marriage meant good relations between the two countries, and they couldn’t send Serlan back, but the royal families were reluctant to marry her.

Pei Que noticed Serlan’s brown eyes staring at him, and he was somewhat displeased. “Please, Princess, step aside; I must return.”

“Minister Pei smells so good,” Serlan leaned forward, sniffing, seemingly not hearing Pei Que’s words. “I’m actually hungry; would Minister Pei invite me to dinner?”

This girl from the northern frontier showed no shyness whatsoever when inviting a man to dinner.

Pei Que saw Serlan take a small step forward, so he immediately took a large step back, coldly saying, “The princess has servants and attendants; there’s no need for me to invite her.” He turned to Fusheng, “Let’s walk back.”

Fusheng responded with an “Yes,” loosened his grip on the reins, and strode after his master.

Watching Pei Que’s departing figure, Serlan wasn’t angry. She smiled and said to the maid beside her, “The men of the Central Plains are really interesting. They clearly think I’m beautiful, but they insist on this ‘don’t look at what’s improper’ thing.”

The maid frowned and replied, “Other men are all fake, but this Minister Pei seems genuinely indifferent.”

“Whether he’s interested or not doesn’t matter.” After arriving in the capital, Serlan discovered that men were as plentiful as grains of rice. With her former fiancé dead, finding a new one would be a real challenge. “Unless he insists on marrying me as his principal wife, I won’t bother with him. But I’m really curious; what kind of person Pei Que’s wife is.”

Serlan had been in the capital for some time. The other princess who had come for the marriage alliance had already married, so she had to attend more banquets and events to network with the noblewomen of the capital. With more outings, she naturally heard many things, especially the secrets of the Pei family. Many people talked about Pei Que’s wife, but unfortunately, she had never met her.

“She must be a great beauty,” the maid said. “If she weren’t beautiful, how could her uncle have stolen her nephew’s wife and dote on her so much? Besides, Madam of Pei is pregnant, and Minister Pei still hasn’t taken a concubine. Yesterday, when we went to the Xu family’s banquet, those ladies said Madam of Pei was jealous, but they were really just jealous—jealous that their husbands had taken concubines.”

The horse beside them snorted twice and grunted. Serlan, dodging to the side, said, “She’s definitely a beauty. I just want to know how beautiful she is, how she compares to me.”

“There will always be a chance to see her. The princess is going to live in the capital her whole life, so Madam of Pei won’t be out of reach. The door will open after the baby is born.” The maid wasn’t concerned about whether An Zhi was prettier than her young madam; she was more worried about her young madam’s marriage. “But Princess, since you don’t intend to marry Minister Pei again, why did you have to provoke him just now?”

Serlan glanced at the maid. “You don’t understand. I’m just not letting any opportunity slip by. If I can marry Pei Que, I’ll be much better than that… that lousy princess.”

Although they came to the Jin Dynasty together, because Serlan herself hadn’t had a smooth journey, and the other princess’s marriage was going more smoothly, she couldn’t help but compare themselves and didn’t want to remember the other person’s name.

The maid, sensing her young madam’s anger, dared not press the matter further and changed the subject, saying, “Princess, it’s getting late; shall we go back?”

“What’s the rush? Didn’t you see Pei Que’s carriage is still there?” Sellan sneered, mounting her horse. A princess raised in the northern frontier, riding and archery were second nature to her. “You two hurry up and get on too; we need to return the carriage.”

Pei Que chose to walk back to his residence, wanting to avoid further entanglement with Serlan. However, he never expected that Serlan was completely different from the women of the Jin Dynasty.

He had barely arrived at the Pei Mansion when Serlan arrived in her carriage.

Hearing the carriage stop, Pei Que withdrew his foot from the threshold and turned around to see Serlan giving him a bright smile.

At the same time, Chunlan, who was passing by on business, happened to hear Serlan sweetly call out, “Minister Pei!”