Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Imperial Edict Enters the Mansion

Pei Yuanzhou suddenly turned around, and the moment his line of sight met Eunuch Feng’s, he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Eunuch Feng?”

Eunuch Feng seemed not to hear him and quickly stepped forward to help Shen Qiuci, who had fallen to the ground, “Is the Heir’s Madam of the mansion alright?”
Only after seeing that Shen Qiuci was not injured did he coldly glance at Pei Yuanzhou, “Your servant dares to say something unpleasant, even if the Heir had a disagreement with the Madam, he shouldn’t have laid hands on her. The Madam’s body has just started to recover, how could it withstand your rough handling?”

Pei Yuanzhou was speechless, “I didn’t! She herself…”

“It’s not related to the Heir, I was just careless,” Shen Qiuci wiped away the tears from her face and forced a smile as she said to Eunuch Feng, “The snow made the road slippery, and I wasn’t careful. I’m afraid I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Eunuch Feng.”

Pei Yuanzhou quickly stepped forward and wrapped Shen Qiuci in his arms, pretending to brush off the snow from her clothes, “It’s all because I didn’t protect you well. Are you hurt, Madam?” Shen Qiuci suppressed her disgust and shook her head.

Pei Yuanzhou asked with a smile, “What brings Eunuch Feng to the Shen mansion today?”

Eunuch Feng’s expression was calm, “I have received the emperor’s edict and was on my way to the Marquis mansion to read it out. Since the Heir is here, why don’t you come with me?”

“Imperial edict?” Pei Yuanzhou was taken aback, “What imperial edict?”
Eunuch Feng sneered: “Naturally, it’s good news.” With that, he waved his dust whisk and strode away.

Meanwhile, in the Danyang Marquis Mansion.

In a warm room that felt like spring, the old madam lay reclined on a warm seat, indulging in Fushou paste. Xue Yinshuang sat obediently beside her, holding a moxa stick to warm the old lady’s knees.

As the mist swirled, the old lady smiled and stroked Xue Yinshuang’s forehead, saying in a gentle voice: “You, little girl, are considerate. You remembered that the cold weather would make my knee pain act up, and you specifically learned the method of moxibustion from Master Lang.”

Xue Yinshuang smiled shyly: “Serving mother is within my duties. Seeing mother comfortable makes me feel at ease.”

“Your little mouth is always so good at flattering,” the old madam chuckled.
Suddenly, her expression turned gloomy: “Compared to you, that Shen woman is like heaven and earth!”

She took a long drag on her pipe and sighed: “I’m getting older, and she’s been getting on my nerves every day. In the past, three pipes of Fushou paste were enough, but now even five pipes can’t calm down my anger!”

Xue Yinshuang said: “As long as mother is happy, we won’t begrudge spending any amount of silver on Fushou paste. Besides… after today, I think mother won’t have to suffer from her temper anymore.”

The old madam snorted: “Not suffer from her temper? Unless she dies, then I’ll finally be able to let out the breath I’ve been holding!”

Upon hearing this, Xue Yinshuang smiled but remained silent. Yesterday, Shen Qiuci didn’t return all night, and it seemed that she had probably been taken care of by the assassins. She was just waiting for Pei Yuanzhou to bring back the news of Shen Qiuci’s unexpected death, and then she would become the master of the Marquis mansion, rightfully dominating the Shen family’s property and indulging in extravagance. Just thinking about the comfortable life ahead made her want to smile from ear to ear.

Just as she was basking in her pleasant thoughts, the flustered and hasty arrival of Steward Zhang broke her dream.
“Ma, Madam! Master Heir and the Eldest wife have returned!” The old madam frowned at her, “So they’ve returned, what’s with all the commotion?”
Xue Yinshuang’s expression froze on her face, and she stuttered, “You said… the eldest wife is also returning?”

Steward Zhang nodded repeatedly and added, “Please hurry to the courtyard to greet them, madam. Eunuch Feng from the emperor’s side has also arrived with an imperial edict!”

Upon hearing the words “imperial edict”, the old madam’s eyes lit up. She hurried towards the courtyard, and as soon as she saw Eunuch Feng, she smiled warmly, “Oh, Eunuch Feng, what brings you here today? Come, come, let’s go inside and sit down, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up?” “No need,” Eunuch Feng coldly declined her kindness, without wasting any words, he directly took out the imperial edict and announced in a loud voice: “The Danyang Marquis mansion receives the imperial edict!”

Hearing this, the entire Marquis mansion knelt down in unison, ears perked up to listen to Eunuch Feng’s proclamation: “By the emperor’s decree, it is hereby declared:”

“Pei Yuanzhou, the Heir of the Danyang Marquis mansion, is of gentle nature and fulfills his duties diligently. He gets along harmoniously with the daughter of the loyal duke, takes good care of her during her illness, and often thinks of the loyal duke’s righteousness, vowing to inherit his legacy and be loyal to the country without regret. The emperor is pleased with this virtuous subject.”

“Last year, the Danyang Marquis passed away, and Beloved Minister Pei should have mourned for three years before inheriting the title.”
“However, the emperor specially permits Beloved Minister Pei to inherit the title of Danyang Marquis immediately. Additionally, a reward of ten thousand taels of silver is bestowed to celebrate the recovery and return of Duke Zhongyong’s daughter. By imperial order.”

After the imperial edict was read, the entire Danyang Marquis mansion fell silent for a moment. After a while, when they realized what had happened, they became excited and knocked their foreheads on the ground, making a loud thudding sound. Unable to conceal their wild joy, they shouted: “Your subjects (wives) kneel and thank the emperor’s benevolence! Long live our emperor, long live, long live, long live!”

Pei Yuanzhou struggled to suppress the corners of his lips from curling up and raised his hands high above his head, waiting respectfully to receive the imperial edict. Eunuch Feng glanced at him with a downward gaze, heavily pressed the edict into his hands, and then sneered: “The imperial edict has been read, and I need to return to the palace to report my mission. I’m leaving first.”

When he said this, the smiles on everyone’s faces froze.
Was he leaving already?
Didn’t the emperor say that Pei Yuanzhou would inherit the title immediately and receive a reward of 10,000 taels of silver?
Pei Yuanzhou couldn’t help but ask: “Eunuch Feng, didn’t the emperor say that I would inherit the title immediately? Where are the documents for inheriting the title?”

The old madam also asked: “Yes! What about the reward silver?” She looked at the two young eunuchs behind Eunuch Feng, each holding a yellow pear wood box with dragon patterns, and quickly stepped forward to open one of the boxes. Seeing that it was indeed filled with silver notes, the old madam was overjoyed and reached out to take it.

However, Eunuch Feng waved his dust whisk and swatted her hand away. The old madam frowned and stared at him, “What do you mean by this, Eunuch Feng?”
Eunuch Feng lightly stroked the box, smiling slightly, and said: “The things inside should have been given to the Heir after the edict was read, but now…”

Then, he forcefully closed the box lid, his expression turned cold, and he said: “These things cannot be given yet!”