Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 002

Chapter 2: Breaking off the Engagement

“Brother Pei, please take a seat.” An Chengye respectfully gestured for Pei Que to be seated.

The Pei family was more prestigious than the An family, and Pei Que held a higher official rank than An Chengye—a third-rank official, while An Chengye was only a fourth-rank official.

Furthermore, Pei Que had a reputation for being difficult to get along with, and An Chengye had done something wrong that day, fearing that he might anger this powerful figure.

An Zhi, respecting the seniority of her father and Pei Que, called him “Fourth Uncle.”

In her previous life, Pei Que had come to take Pei Yu home and apologize to An Zhi, so An Zhi was happy to see him.

However, Pei Yu started to look uneasy, his face pale, and he bowed respectfully to Pei Que, “Fourth Uncle.”

An Rong didn’t know who Pei Que was, but hearing Pei Yu call him “Uncle,” she assumed he must be a relative and politely called him “Fourth Uncle” as well.

Pei Que frowned. “Young lady, calling me ‘Uncle’ is not appropriate, is it?”

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

An Rong looked embarrassed, opened her mouth, but noticing Pei Que’s disapproving gaze, she nervously moved behind Pei Yu.

Pei Que’s gaze was like a sharp knife, piercing through her.

Pei Yu noticed An Rong’s actions and stepped forward. Since everyone was here today, it would be a waste of time if they didn’t accomplish what they came for. Although he feared his fourth uncle, for An Rong’s sake, he mustered up the courage to introduce her to Pei Que: “Fourth Uncle, this is the second young lady of the An family, and also my…”

“Wait.” Pei Que paused mid-sentence, his hand holding the teacup suspended in mid-air. His eyes narrowed, a mocking smile playing on his lips as he looked at Pei Yu. “I’ve never heard of a second young lady in the An family. Pei Yu, have you forgotten your own status? She’s just a mistress’s daughter, so don’t try to curry favor with your uncle.”

An Zhi had heard this remark before and again marveled at the harshness of this fourth uncle’s words.

Seeing An Rong’s pale face and her trembling lips, An Zhi silently applauded Pei Que in her mind, and her gaze unconsciously shifted to him.

The Pei family had a long history of distinguished service, being a prominent and influential scholar-official family across three dynasties. Pei Que was the youngest son of the patriarch, pampered since childhood, and known for his eccentric behavior, yet he was incredibly capable and the most arrogant young man in the capital.

However, one thing was strange: Pei Que had been of marriageable age for two years, but he hadn’t yet been engaged. This led to many rumors about him. Some said Pei Que was in love with the eldest daughter of the Xue family, but fate intervened, and Xue Mengyao entered the palace and became the Emperor’s woman. Pei Que remained celibate for her. Others said Pei Que was homosexual, which explained his lack of an engagement. Pei Que was the designated heir of the Pei family, and no ordinary elder dared to interfere with his marriage arrangements.

Perhaps she had stared too long; An Zhi noticed Pei Que looking at her and quickly shifted her gaze back to Pei Yu.

Pei Yu wasn’t as capable as Pei Que, but he was also a pampered young aristocrat. He was the eldest son of the main branch and had passed the imperial examinations last year, a rare achievement among scholar-officials. With his handsome face and gentle, courteous manner, he was actually more popular with the women of the capital than Pei Que. Originally, given An Zhi’s family background, she wasn’t considered a suitable match for Pei Yu. It was only because her mother and Pei Yu’s mother were close friends that this arranged marriage was made.

Therefore, An Rong, the illegitimate daughter, was even less suitable for the Pei family.

An Zhi thought about it. Now that she had someone to back her up, she didn’t need to take the lead anymore. She quietly sipped her tea, ready to watch the show unfold.

“Fourth Uncle, Father An, Pei Yu and An Rong truly love each other. Please give us a chance.” Pei Yu knelt down. Seeing this, An Rong also knelt, her eyes filled with tears, her lips pursed, looking pitiful as she half-raised her head.

Pei Que tapped the table with his long index finger. He could see through An Rong’s true nature at a glance; only his foolish nephew still treated her like a precious jewel. “Pei Yu, if you want to take a concubine, you don’t need me to agree to such a trivial matter.”

“No, Fourth Uncle, I want to marry Rong properly and give her a legitimate status,” Pei Yu interrupted.

“SPLAT!”

Pei Que slammed his hand on the table. His thin lips showed no smile. “You can marry her as your primary wife, but you must leave the Pei family first. The Pei family cannot afford such disgrace.”

Pei Yu’s current reputation and status were all thanks to the Pei family. If he left, he would just be a penniless scholar. People always fawn over the powerful and trample the weak; anyone who wanted to cause trouble could easily humiliate him. An Rong hooked up with Pei Yu solely to escape her lowly status as a mistress’s daughter and live a better life, not to endure further hardship with him. She knelt before Pei Que, weeping, pleading, “Fourth Uncle… no, Master Pei, I don’t want any official title. Please don’t send him away. Yu, I won’t blame you. Don’t call off the marriage; I can’t burden you.”

An Zhi interrupted, “An Rong, I don’t want a man you’ve used. Don’t play the pitiful victim. The marriage must be called off.”

Pei Que glanced at An Zhi, then nodded at Pei Yu to stand up. “Get up. Apologize properly. I don’t have time to waste here. If your parents hadn’t fainted, I wouldn’t have come. Let’s finish this quickly; I have other things to do.”

Pei Yu pursed his lips. Remembering An Zhi’s demand for him to beg for forgiveness, he stubbornly refused to apologize. “Marriage should be based on mutual love. I did nothing wrong; I simply don’t love her.”

Pei Que was truly exasperated. He walked to Pei Yu and kicked him in the shin, making him kneel.

Pei Que bowed to An Zhi. “I apologize, Young Lady An. The Pei family’s upbringing is lacking. This marriage is indeed unsuitable. Please, state your demands.”

An Zhi knew when to stop. Since Pei Que had bowed to her, further insistence would seem unreasonable. She had prepared the token of agreement and had Binglu hand it to Pei Que, “Fourth Uncle Pei, from now on, our families will part ways. We will no longer be related by marriage.”

This was very straightforward. An Zhi wanted no more ties with the Pei family. She hoped Pei Que would take this message back to avoid future problems.

Pei Que merely smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, then turned to Pei Yu and ordered him to return home with him. Pei Yu remained motionless, still angry about Pei Que’s kick earlier.

“I’ll wait at the door for a while. If you refuse to leave on your own, I’ll have the servants tie you up and take you home,” Pei Que said.

“I’ll escort you,” An Zhi said gratefully, as she was thankful that Pei Que had come today. Otherwise, An Chengye wouldn’t have been so quiet and wouldn’t have allowed her to humiliate An Rong so easily.

Pei Que stopped and looked at An Zhi. The rain had stopped, and the faint sunlight sprinkled on An Zhi’s face, making her look even more delicate than the spring flowers in the garden. “Then, thank you.”

An Zhi was a woman, so she couldn’t escort Pei Que all the way to the main gate. She stopped at the screen. “Thank you, Fourth Uncle Pei, for today. Goodbye.”

Pei Que suddenly felt a tickle in his throat. He had many frivolous friends, and having spent time with them, he had witnessed many romantic encounters between scholars and beauties. He couldn’t help but ask curiously, “You want to thank me, but just with a few words of thanks? Do you think that’s enough?”

“Huh?” An Zhi glanced up, her beautiful eyes puzzled as she looked at Pei Que.

In her previous life, she hadn’t agreed to the engagement breakup, so she hadn’t had this conversation with Pei Que, and she hadn’t expected him to ask such a question.

Seeing the young girl stunned, with a blush on her fair cheeks, Pei Que, who had seemed assertive before, now looked a little more innocent. He wanted to tease her further but then realized it wasn’t appropriate. He pursed his lips and retracted most of his words, only asking, “I remember, you reached your coming of age last year, right?”

An Zhi nodded. She glanced at Pei Que with a puzzled expression but then met his dark eyes and quickly averted her gaze, pretending she hadn’t looked at him. But she didn’t know that Pei Que had seen everything.

If it weren’t for the three-year mourning period, An Zhi would have married Pei Yu last year. The one-year delay had changed everything and made her see many things more clearly. An Zhi didn’t understand what Pei Que meant by his question. After answering, she didn’t hear Pei Que reply, but she did hear his footsteps as he left.

When she looked up again, Pei Que was gone.

An Zhi let out a long sigh, silently admiring Pei Que’s power. Even without saying anything harsh, his aura was so intimidating that she felt breathless.