Chapter 26: This Is Your Reward

Just as Lady Liang and Liang Shanru stepped out of the manor gate and were about to board their carriage, Old Master Liang and his entourage chased after them.

The old man’s son led the pack, moving so quickly he seemed to bring a gust of wind with him. When he stopped, he was still panting, clearly having run the entire way.

"Shanru, Shanru! The matter we discussed a couple of days ago..."

Before he could finish, Old Master Liang reached them.

Lady Liang, impatient, shielded Liang Shanru and pulled her back, while Pei Jingxing took the opportunity to step forward and block their path.

Seeing this, Old Master Liang furrowed his brows. "I know you look down on everyone and have no regard for us, but we are not here to be unreasonable. This was something Shanru agreed to with us just recently. We had no choice; for years, we’ve relied on the Marquis’s estate to get by. If he told us to make things difficult for Shanru, could we really have refused? But later, Shanru said there would be benefits for us—human hearts are made of flesh, and how could we not know that Shanru is to be pitied?"

He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze past Pei Jingxing to Liang Shanru. "Your father’s removal from the family genealogy went so smoothly, surely that was due in no small part to our efforts. You may not need us now that you are settling accounts with the Marquis of Changle, but Shanru, we did our best."

He spoke as if demanding a favor were a matter of course, acting as if Liang Shanru owed them a debt.

Lady Liang was about to snap at them, but Liang Shanru pressed her hand against her aunt’s arm to calm her. She moved with light, graceful steps to stand beside Pei Jingxing and asked with a skeptical tilt of her head, "What exactly did I promise you?"

Old Master Liang’s breath hitched, and the expressions of the Liang clansmen behind him shifted sharply.

One of them shouted first, "Are you planning to go back on your word now? There are so many of us here who heard you! The day you sent money to Liang Hu and his brothers, you clearly promised that as long as we spoke on your behalf before the Marquis, there would be benefits for us once the matter was settled. Now that your aunt has arrived and you think you have someone to back you up, you intend to deny it, is that it?"

Liang Shanru clicked her tongue, paused for a moment, and then bowed deeply to the group.

It was a perfectly executed, formal bow—more respectful than any she had offered the Marquis and his wife. Once she straightened up, she said with a faint smile, "I did say there would be benefits for you. This bow is my sincere thanks for your righteous support today."

A faint smile lingered in Liang Shanru’s eyes, but to Old Master Liang and the others, it looked like nothing more than mockery and disdain.

Her victor-like posture was infuriating; from start to finish, she had played them in the palm of her hand.

Old Master Liang, advanced in age, felt a surge of rage that left him struggling for breath. His son rushed to support him, cursing loudly, "To think you are a noble lady raised with proper upbringing! Your parents truly raised you to be nothing more than a shameless rogue! Liang Shanru, Heaven is watching what you do. That day, you clearly said..."

"What did I say?" Liang Shanru’s face darkened. "You remember well enough—I said there would be benefits for you. With your current status, is receiving a formal bow from me not a grand enough gesture? You have been given enough face."

She sneered and continued, "As for Heaven watching, perhaps you should reflect on your own actions before daring to speak such words to me! Do you have any other business?"

She tucked her hands into her sleeves, raised her eyebrows high, and turned back to Lady Liang. "My aunt and I have not seen each other for many years. If there is nothing else, do not hinder us from catching up."

Lady Liang patted her hand in relief and called out to Jingxing.

Pei Jingxing, who had been watching the scene unfold, finally understood why the Liang clan was so incensed. He was astonished by his young cousin’s behavior; he had seen many girls of her age in the boudoir, but none of them conducted themselves like her. It was quite novel.

Hearing Lady Liang call him, he understood immediately. He respectfully saw Lady Liang into the carriage. Seeing that Old Master Liang and his group were still trying to press forward, he extended his long arm to block them. "My cousin has already made herself perfectly clear. If you continue to pester her, you will have to deal with me. Do not think you can bully a young girl."

"Who is bullying whom now!" Old Master Liang bristled, stomping his feet and shouting, "I will go to the gates of the General’s Mansion! I will let all of Yangzhou City see what kind of character you, Liang Shanru, truly have! Going back on your word, mocking your elders—you have no respect left in your eyes, and no one can keep you in check anymore!"

Pei Yanzhou frowned upon hearing this.

Lady Liang had already taken Liang Shanru into the carriage. He stepped in front of Pei Jingxing, his usually calm expression turning cold and stern, his eyes like frosted ice. "Have my brother and I not made ourselves clear enough? Cousin Shanru is young. If you have anything to say, take it up with us. If you dare to make a scene at the gates of the General’s Mansion—"

Standing tall with his hands behind his back, he wore a smile that held no warmth. "Perhaps I should take you all to the capital and let you make a scene at the gates of the Duke of Weiguo’s mansion instead?"

In name, the current Duke of Weiguo was Liang Shanru’s maternal uncle, though in blood, he was only a cousin. The late Duke had only one daughter, Lady Liu, and had adopted the current Duke from within the clan to inherit the title. In the eyes of Old Master Liang and his kin, because the Duke’s mansion had sent many gifts to Yangzhou for Liang Shanru over the years but never sent anyone themselves, they assumed the Duke did not care for this niece.

But the moment the words left Pei Yanzhou’s lips, the implication changed entirely.

They, of course, dared not. Without these people, handling Liang Shanru would have been easy—they wouldn't have even needed Liang Zheng. But there were simply too many people backing her up.

Old Master Liang’s howling died down instantly, though he still put on a pitiful, teary-eyed display for the Pei brothers. "I am an old man, and because of Shanru’s business, I have offended the Marquis of Changle. How am I to rely on his support in the future? Young Master, we can no longer go on living like this. If we don’t look to Shanru, who are we supposed to turn to?"

Pei Jingxing was growing impatient. By his nature, anything that could be solved with money was not a problem at all. Even if these people were greedy, could their house not afford it? It was only that his cousin did not intend to do so.

Pei Yanzhou turned to leave, clearly done with them. Pei Jingxing blocked the path, giving Old Master Liang a warning glare. "You have hands and feet, yet instead of earning your own living, you insist on clinging to my cousin for money. Have you no shame?"

Old Master Liang stiffened. "You..."

"If you follow us any further, I will not be so polite," Pei Jingxing said expressionlessly, truly frightening the old man.

Seeing that they no longer dared to chase the carriage, he followed Pei Yanzhou and climbed up. The two brothers did not enter the carriage but sat on the driver’s bench, one on each side. With a low command to move, they left Old Master Liang and his group far behind.