Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 780

Chapter 780: Family Learning

The Military Court managed all sorts of affairs, large and small, in the capital. It lacked the imperial authority of the Imperial Guards and the simplicity of the Six Ministries’ duties. Whether major or minor, anything happening in the capital involved the Military Court.

However, excessive involvement could bring both benefits and enemies.

For those seeking personal gain, the Military Court was an excellent place, offering opportunities to make friends with like-minded individuals. But for those aspiring to be honest officials, the Military Court presented a more challenging environment.

When An Chengye first entered the Military Court, he suffered considerably, but his patience and timid nature allowed him to remain unscathed until Pei Que joined.

Pei Que’s reputation was not great before, a reputation built up within the Military Court. They needed to be eloquent with civil officials and skilled in martial arts with military officers. Old Master Pei wanted to temper Pei Que’s temperament, hence choosing the notoriously difficult Military Court.

Hearing that Pei Que might return to the Military Court, An Zhi did not know whether to be happy or worried. “The Emperor is young and does not manage state affairs. Only Duke Cheng and Yun Xingbang are holding the fort. You should think carefully. If you go to the Military Court, you will be dealing with a mountain of miscellaneous matters. When you leave again, you will likely be burdened with a bad reputation.”

“Reputation is something we do not need to worry about too much,” Pei Que said indifferently. “We live our own lives. As long as we have power, no matter what others say, we can still live comfortably. Do not think so much, Madam. Zhang Huai’an said that if you were a man, you would definitely be a very shrewd strategist.”

An Zhi ate a couple of bites of pork knuckle and then stopped, sighing, “I wish I were a man. From a young age, I’ve always been better at studying than my brothers. Even Father said that if I were a boy, I would definitely pass the imperial examinations.”

This was not untrue, but An Zhi had not thought about the imperial examinations in her childhood. After her mother passed away, she had to support the An Mansion and guard against her father’s extramarital affairs, so she had no time for such thoughts.

If Zhang Qiong had not mentioned the girls’ school today, she really would not have thought about it.

“That would be terrible,” Pei Que pouted, snuggling closer to An Zhi and resting his chin on her shoulder. “If you were a man, would I not be without a wife?”

Pei Que nuzzled An Zhi’s neck, the silky touch lingering.

An Zhi felt ticklish from Pei Que’s rubbing and pushed his arm away in annoyance, but could not get rid of him. She turned and pinched Pei Que’s nose. “But when you go to work, I have nothing to do at home. Just thinking about having to compare myself to those ladies like before is exhausting.”

After returning to the capital, An Zhi deliberately avoided garden tours and spring outings, wanting to avoid hearing gossip. She only went out when absolutely necessary.

An Zhi always felt that her life should not be like this.

“You can do whatever you want, Madam. If you are willing, you can even open a school,” Pei Que said, hugging An Zhi from behind.

An Zhi laughed. “You are just talking nonsense. How could the world allow a woman like me to run a school? Besides, even if I dared to open one, no one would dare to come.”

“Anyone who dares to gossip, I will cut out their tongue,” Pei Que gestured. “I’m serious. I understand Madam’s concerns, but you can never control what others say. Now, Madam is teaching the three Zhang girls, and people are coming to school. Besides, Madam said that you’re teaching the three Zhang girls not to prepare them for the imperial examinations, nor to have them compete with men for official positions, but to help them become well-rounded individuals.”

Pei Que had always been fearless; he never hesitated. More often than not, others were wary of him.

But An Zhi was different. When her mother was alive, she wanted to strive for a good reputation. After her mother passed away, she felt she had to work even harder, not wanting to be looked down upon. From childhood to adulthood, she had lived entirely in the shadow of others’ opinions. It was not until she died once that she let go of many rules, but she’d always been that way since childhood, and some of her beliefs were hard to change.

An Zhi rested her head in Pei Que’s arms, feeling the warmth of his chest. In this world, only Pei Que dared to let her do those unconventional things.

However, establishing an academy was no easy task.

Money alone was not enough; she also needed others to support her.

Pei Que was willing to be her backer, and she did not want him to be overworked.

An Zhi silently breathed a sigh of relief and began to speak of the second branch of the Pei family. “After the second branch returned to the capital, Second Sister-in-law is like a completely different person. Before, when Second Brother was alive, she would find all sorts of ways to cause trouble for him. Now that he’s gone, she looks like a paper lantern, completely devoid of spirit. Third Sister-in-law told me that the second branch’s son, Kun-ge, will be twenty next year. He cannot take the imperial examinations right now, but he cannot fall behind in his studies, so she wants us to help find him an academy.”

The Pei family had a family school, but due to the troubles the Pei family experienced a couple of years ago, the entire family had become low-key. Therefore, the quality of the family school was not as good as that of the better academies outside.

Pei Que was the head of the family. Having received this honor, he must bear the responsibility. Most of the past grievances with the second branch had faded with Second Brother’s death.

Madam Meng came to speak to An Zhi because Madam Xu swallowed her pride and sent Madam Meng to sound out their intentions.

“This is easy to handle,” Pei Que said. “Kun-ge’er is quite good at his studies; he has real talent. Arranging a school for him is easy. As for Second Sister-in-law, we will still need Madam to send someone to look after her; after all, we are family.”

Regardless, the second branch was still on the Pei family genealogy. Unlike the first branch, where Pei Que and An Zhi did not even ask a question when Pei Xue was sent to a temple to practice.

Speaking of the first branch, Pei Yu next door just received a letter from Pei Xue.

The temple was bitterly cold, and meat was never eaten throughout the year.

Pei Xue was a pampered girl with the best of everything. But at the temple, even with servants attending to her, she had no appetite for the bland, watery food. Moreover, she had to get up early every day to chant scriptures and did morning and evening prayers with a group of cold-faced nuns.

After several months, Pei Xue lost a lot of weight, and by winter, she had caught a cold and had been ill ever since.

Pei Yu finished reading the letter and then burned it over a candle flame. The guard beside her said, “Master, the Young Lady is truly ill this time. The charcoal in the temple has a smoky smell that she’s not used to. She’s been sick on and off since winter began; she’s not faking it. Should we send someone to check on her?”

The eldest Pei family had already broken away from the Pei clan. Without their family’s support, and with Pei Xue’s awkward status, it was normal for the temple to look down on them.

After burning the letter, Pei Yu watched as the ashes drifted onto the floor tiles in a gentle breeze. After a long while, he said softly, “Be a little careful; do not attract too much attention.”