Chapter 260: Persuasion
Yu Jingxiu couldn't conceal his astonishment as he gazed at Fei Shi with evident surprise.
Fei Shi lowered her head and smiled, though her expression carried a trace of helpless bitterness. "Who wouldn’t want to be liked by everyone? But one must have the fortune for it!" Raising her head again, she smiled at Yu Jingxiu once more—this time, her smile was devoid of the earlier sorrow, replaced entirely by gentle understanding. "But let’s not dwell on such matters. It’s rare for you to visit me, Master. I wouldn’t want to spoil your mood." She then added cheerfully, "A few days ago, Zhen Jie’er had a bit of a cough. Since I haven’t left the house these past few days, I’m not sure if she’s feeling better now. I remember my frail cousin would cough at the slightest breeze, and my aunt would always instruct me to stew pears with Sichuan fritillary and rock sugar for him. Perhaps we could try the same for Zhen Jie’er?"
As she spoke of such domestic trivialities, Yu Jingxiu visibly relaxed. "Zhen Jie’er isn’t like other children. Such remedies won’t work on her," he replied.
"It seems I oversimplified things," Fei Shi conceded gracefully, admitting her mistake without resistance.
Just then, a young maidservant entered and announced, "Master, Cousin, it’s time for the evening meal..." Her eyes flickered toward Yu Jingxiu as if silently asking whether he intended to stay for dinner.
A few words of conversation, and now she wanted him to stay for a meal? If he stayed for dinner, would she next try to keep him overnight?
Yu Jingxiu’s brow furrowed slightly in displeasure.
But Fei Shi merely smiled and said, "Master, you should hurry back. The mistress might worry if you’re late."
At least this Fei Shi knew her place.
Yu Jingxiu’s expression softened.
However, Fei Shi waved the maidservant away. "Leave us for now. I still have a few words to say to the master."
The young maid dared not linger and immediately curtsied before withdrawing.
Yu Jingxiu tensed. "What is it?" he asked.
Fei Shi took two steps forward, then knelt before him in a formal and solemn curtsy. "Master, there are two things I’ve kept in my heart, hesitating whether to speak of them. But since you’ve come to visit me today, I thought—perhaps this is heaven’s will?" Her expression grew grave as she met his gaze, her demeanor now radiating solemn resolve. "I know this may be presumptuous, but I can no longer hold back. I must speak!"
Yu Jingxiu’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Fei Shi continued, "Before I arrived here, I often heard the madam speak of you—how gentle and courteous you were to others, how sincere and forthright in character. At the time, I thought you must be an easy person to get along with. Yet since my arrival, I’ve rarely seen you laugh heartily. Most of the time, you seem distant and indifferent. I couldn’t help but wonder—does the master have some burden on his mind? So I began paying closer attention to your affairs. And the more I observed, the more concerned I grew..."
Praise disguised as criticism?
This Fei Shi was quite the character.
Yu Jingxiu arched an eyebrow. Though he remained silent, a flicker of disdain crossed his features.
Yet his curiosity was piqued.
He was eager to hear what Fei Shi would say next.Fei Shi seemed lost in her own thoughts, completely oblivious to Yu Jingxiu's unusual demeanor. A trace of worry lingered at the corners of her eyes and brows as she said, "The master has no heir under his knees, and the lord and lady are already past fifty, which naturally causes them great anxiety. The master holds his principal wife in high esteem and naturally hopes for a legitimate son. The principal wife is gentle, virtuous, and devoted—her heart and eyes are solely for the master. Since the master has such intentions, the principal wife naturally wishes to comply with his desires. This, however, has inadvertently caused some discord with the lady. No matter how carefully the principal wife treads around the lady, the lady remains displeased..."
How dare a mere concubine speak so boldly of such matters!
Yu Jingxiu could bear it no longer. With a loud "smack," he slammed his hand on the kang table, his face darkening with a murderous glint. "You have some nerve!" he roared.
At this, Fei Shi immediately dropped to her knees before Yu Jingxiu and said solemnly, "I have spoken out of turn. The master may beat me, scold me, or even cast me out—I will bear it without complaint. I only beg the master to let me finish." Without waiting for his response, she continued, "As the saying goes, harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all endeavors. Outsiders may blame the principal wife entirely, but in my humble opinion, the fault lies entirely with the master!"
Her words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Yu Jingxiu momentarily breathless. When he finally recovered, his face flushed crimson with rage. Pointing at Fei Shi, he laughed bitterly. "Well, well, well! What sensationalist nonsense! Truly the seed of chaos. Very well, enlighten me—where exactly have I erred?"
Fei Shi met his gaze and kowtowed deeply. "It is my fault for displeasing the master. But having entered the Yu Family, I am now one of its members. Our fortunes rise and fall together. For the sake of the Yu Family and for my own sake, I must speak the harsh truth if I believe it to be right." Then, boldly, she asked, "Is it wrong for the lady to wish for grandchildren to dote on, or for the ancestral line to continue?"
Yu Jingxiu stared at Fei Shi's resolute expression, her face now stern with determination, and found himself calming down.
Fan Shi had never won his mother's favor. If it had initially been because she wasn't the daughter-in-law his mother had wanted, why did his mother still harbor such deep-seated resentment toward Fan Shi even after she had entered the household, gone out of her way to please her, and even borne Zhen Jie'er? This was something he truly couldn't comprehend.
He remained silent, waiting to hear what Fei Shi would say next.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible smile flashed in Fei Shi's eyes.
"The principal wife reveres the master as her heaven, obeying him in all matters—is that wrong?" she pressed.
Yu Jingxiu still said nothing.
Fei Shi's tone softened. "There must be distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs. For a family to thrive, rules must not be broken. Even I am aware of the master's concerns—how much more so the lady and the principal wife? Given this, why does the lady place all the blame on the principal wife?"
Yu Jingxiu found himself listening intently.
Fei Shi then continued leisurely, "In the end, it is because the master has chosen the wrong approach!"
In the span of a single cup of tea, this was already the second time Fei Shi had accused him!
This time, Yu Jingxiu didn't fly into a rage. Instead, he regarded Fei Shi with keen interest.Fei Shi spoke unhurriedly, "Other matters I don't know about, so I won't comment. Take the matter of the young master taking a concubine, for instance! What elders bestow cannot be refused. Since the first and third madams have sent my cousin from the Chen family, by rights this is an inner household matter. The young master shouldn't interfere at all—just leave it entirely to the young madam..."
Yu Jingxiu hesitated, on the verge of speaking.
If it were entirely left to Fan Shi, with his mother being such a strong-willed person and occupying the moral high ground as mother-in-law, how could Fan Shi possibly refuse!
"If the young master is unwilling, he could discuss it privately with the young madam—directly refusing the madam, even if it's the young master's intention, would inevitably saddle the young madam with the reputation of being unfilial and jealous. It would be better to accept the girl first," At this point, Fei Shi's face reddened slightly, "Where the young master chooses to stay at night—could the madam possibly control that? As a compromise, even if the madam asks, the young madam can simply say the young master doesn't favor her. Then seize the opportunity to discuss with the madam about selecting a few young, beautiful, and well-mannered maids for the young master's chambers. If the young master takes a liking to any, he can keep her. This way, there's no need for the young master to take a concubine, yet it would reassure the madam. Over time, the madam would naturally feel the young madam shares her intentions and would be willing to confide in her. Eventually, the madam would understand what kind of person the young madam truly is, and when occasional disagreements arise, the madam would be more understanding of the young madam's difficulties.
"Instead of how things are now. The young master always steps forward ahead of the young madam, making the madam unaware and thinking the young madam has been whispering in the young master's ear, naturally displeasing her and leading to misunderstandings about the young madam. And the young madam, being so pure and kind-hearted, cannot utter a single word of complaint to the young master when misunderstood by the madam, only to suffer more grievances." After finishing, Fei Shi added tactfully, "Young master, in this matter, your good intentions have indeed led to bad outcomes!"
Fei Shi's words gave Yu Jingxiu pause for thought.
It really was just as she said.
Sometimes, fearing Fan Shi would suffer under his mother's strong will, he tried to shield her, only to make matters worse. His mother would then think Fan Shi had been complaining to him, and the more he explained, the more convinced she became. Over time, he stopped explaining, and his mother grew increasingly displeased with Fan Shi.
Yet if he didn't intervene, Fan Shi was no match for his mother.
As if reading his thoughts, Fei Shi said gently, "The madam acts for the young master's good, and the young madam does the same. At heart, the madam and the young madam share the same intentions. Since that's the case, why can't they find common ground? The young master should try to step back and let the young madam learn to get along well with the madam."
Could he really step back?
Yu Jingxiu was deeply hesitant.Fei Shi said, "If you don't believe me, why not have Madam Fan persuade you in front of Madam Yu to visit Consort Wu? I think Madam Yu would be very pleased to hear that. As for whether you go or not, as long as you make up your mind, I'm sure Madam Yu won't blame you." With that, she stood up with a gentle smile and said softly, "Master, it's getting late. I imagine Madam Fan is waiting for you to have dinner. Although my words may be one-sided, I am an outsider observing with a cool head. You might want to discuss this with Madam Fan when you return—perhaps my suggestion could be useful!"
Yu Jingxiu wanted to give it a try.
Over the past few years, caught between his mother and Fan Shi, he had felt nothing but frustration and bitterness, with no one to confide in. These matters had often weighed on his mind, preventing him from fully focusing on his official career.
After organizing his thoughts, he returned and discussed the matter with Fan Shi.
Fan Shi understood that her husband wanted to help mend the relationship between her and her mother-in-law. Knowing that he disliked Consort Wu, she reasoned that even if something did happen between them, Consort Wu had suffered a miscarriage that damaged her health and might not conceive again. At first, she felt awkward about the idea, but after some reflection, she let it go. After whispering with Yu Jingxiu for a while, she carried Zhen Jie'er and went to see Madam Yu.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they sat down, Madam Yu brought up the matter of elevating Fei Shi to the status of a concubine.
In the past, Yu Jingxiu would have refused outright. But this time, he exchanged a glance with Fan Shi.
Fan Shi, aware of her mother-in-law's determination and having just discussed this with her husband, agreed with a smile. She even asked Mo Zhuan to fetch the almanac and, adopting a humble tone, inquired of Madam Yu, "What do you think would be an auspicious day?"
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Fortunately, it wasn't too late... O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of Chapter)
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