Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 540

Chapter 540: Brainless

Even if intuition wasn’t a good thing, only the truly intelligent people outside could figure out the reason behind this.

“Binglu, you few, give the orders later,” An Zhi said. “If you encounter anyone from the eldest son’s family, let them have their way with the verbal exchanges, but if they go too far, handle it according to the rules.”

Letting them have their way a little, even if it was just to let the eldest son’s family have a bit of a verbal advantage, was fine. People were always prone to making mistakes when they were feeling triumphant.

An Zhi stood there, wondering what Pei Yu would think if he knew about this. After all, with Pei Yu’s intelligence, he should be able to guess the Emperor’s intentions; only Madam Li and her daughter would be happy.

After Binglu and the others went to deliver the message, An Zhi sat alone for a while. When Binglu returned, she looked flustered, saying that the old master had fainted from anger after learning about Pei Xue’s matter.

When An Zhi rushed over, the doctor had already taken the old master’s pulse.

The old master in the inner room was still unconscious. An Zhi called the doctor to the outer hall to inquire, “How is the old master?”

“The old master was injured once before, all from getting angry. His physical health is manageable, but he’s troubled by too much worry, and it’s hard for him to calm down.” The doctor was specially employed by the Pei family, and he was the one who had been treating Pei Huaijin’s health, so he knew the situation well. “We’ll have to see how things go after the old master wakes up.”

An Zhi had also learned some basic medical principles while studying poison identification with the poison master. Hearing the doctor’s words, she sighed deeply.

Turning her head towards the inner room, she told the doctor she was sorry for the trouble and was about to send someone to inform Pei Que when Madam Li arrived hurriedly with Pei Xue.

The eldest and fourth branches of the family were separated by a wall, so they could easily learn about each other’s affairs.

Before Madam Li even entered the room, she choked up and asked what was wrong with the old master.

Pei Xue stood behind Madam Li, feeling a little guilty, but upon meeting An Zhi’s gaze, she noticeably straightened her back.

An Zhi, her belly now quite large, couldn’t stand for long and sat down on a chair to the side. Looking at Madam Li, she said, “Father fainted after hearing that the Emperor wanted Xue’er to enter the palace. Don’t you understand how he is now?”

Regarding her daughter’s future entry into the palace, Madam Li felt a little guilty in front of the other members of the Pei family. But more than anything, she was excited by the prospect of her daughter entering the palace. Hearing from An Zhi that the old master had fainted because of Pei Xue, Madam Li refused to believe it. “You can’t say such things carelessly! Xue’er entering the palace will be an honor for our Pei family. Father has always lived with your fourth branch of the family; why don’t you say it’s because you haven’t taken good care of him?”

An Zhi calmly replied, “Whether it’s true or not, Father will say when he wakes up.” Arguing now was pointless and a waste of energy.

Soon, the second and third branches of the family arrived.

When Madam Xu arrived, sensing the somber atmosphere and thinking of Pei Xue’s upcoming entry into the palace, she congratulated Madam Li in a high-pitched voice, “Our Xue’er is the only one after the Emperor’s ascension to the throne; her future will definitely be different.”

Madam Li liked the flattery. She glanced at An Zhi, who was engrossed in drinking tea, completely ignoring their conversation. She couldn’t wait to gloat. Madam Li smiled faintly. “We’ll talk about the future later. Thank you for your concern, Second Sister-in-law. We’ve known each other longer, after all.”

Madam Xu, always fond of stirring up trouble, saw that she had stirred up conflict between Madam Li and An Zhi. She took a sip of her tea, wisely ceasing her discussion of Pei Xue’s topic, and instead turned to ask about Madam Meng’s daughter’s marriage.

Since her miscarriage, Madam Meng had distanced herself from Madam Xu, replying casually that there was no rush. Madam Xu immediately retorted, “How can there not be a rush?”

“A young woman’s prime is only a few years. If you parents don’t take care of her soon, she might marry a heartless man, ruining her life.” Madam Xu’s words were genuinely heartfelt.

Madam Meng heard Madam Xu’s sigh but pretended not to hear; she had her own thoughts. Turning to An Zhi, she intended to ask how she felt about being pregnant but first heard the doctor in the inner room say that the old master had woken up.

Hearing that the old master had woken up, the people in the hall went into the room together.

Madam Xu, the most outspoken of them all, burst into tears as soon as she entered, “Father, you’re finally awake! If anything had happened to you, how could we live!”

An Zhi and the others remained silent, first glancing at the old master on the bed.

Pei Huaijin had actually been awake for a while. The doctor had checked his pulse to confirm there was nothing serious before sending a servant to fetch someone, so after drinking some water, he had already recovered.

“Eldest daughter-in-law…cough cough.” Pei Huaijin tilted his head slightly, his white hair falling onto the jade pillow. “Are you a reincarnated turtle, so stupid you’ve lost your brain?”