Ms. Lu felt guilty that she made Pei Wanyue sad.
“I’m not suspecting you. I just want you to know that I can protect you no matter who you offend in this house, but not Xie Pinggang. Even I am terrified of him. Although he looks crude and reckless, in reality, he’s much wiser than your Uncle Xie. He works at the Criminal Division and has investigated many cases. If you really made a mistake, I’m afraid you can’t deceive him!” Ms. Lu explained immediately.
Pei Wanyue held her head slightly low.
“I didn’t do it.” Pei Wanyue was persistent. “Who needs that piece of jade and their donation to get into the Royal Academy? I got my own way. There’s no need to s-steal—”
“What did you say!?” Ms. Lu was stunned.
“I said I got my own way,” repeated Pei Wanyue.
Although she said that, Ms. Lu was even more suspicious now.
How long had it been since her daughter had gotten here? What kind of solutions would she have?
“Mother, I got to know some people at the Gulan Academy. One of the girls’ uncles is a third-grade official. She told me that if I really want to get into the Royal Academy, she can get her uncle to write a recommendation letter for me. Mother, I don’t have to pay! Even though I’m not from the Xie family, I can get in as well.” Pei Wanyue’s eyes betrayed her nervousness, as well as her anticipation.
However, Ms. Lu fell in a daze upon hearing that.
A third-grade official was someone that was even higher in the hierarchy than her husband.
“Since that official can recommend someone, why didn’t he recommend his relative, like that young lady that you mentioned?” Ms. Lu caught the point.
Pei Wanyue’s face paled. “My friend doesn’t want to go to the Royal Academy, so she thought she would give me the letter—”
“Did you… use the jade as the trading chip!?” Ms. Lu suddenly thought of another possibility, “Pinggang said that the jade could be used to make anyone from the Royal Academy a master. Countless people want it. Tell me, did you trade the jade for her to become a disciple while you earned a place in the academy!?”
Pei Wanyue gnashed her teeth. “I didn’t.”
Ms. Lu lifted her hand suddenly, attempting to hit her. However, she could not do it when she saw her daughter’s stubborn face. She was so angry that she wanted to break things.
“Y-You’re so reckless!” Ms. Lu felt terrible. “I know you want to go to the Royal Academy, but the Gulan Academy is one of the top three academies in the world. Why did you do that!? Do you think your plan is seamless? What if that girl accidentally has a slip of the tongue!? The Xie family will try their best to save your dignity, but do you think you’ll be included in the Xie family’s genealogy book if they find out!?”
Ms. Lu had wasted her efforts. She had already persuaded Xie Niushan, and he was getting more lenient.
Xie Pinggang was a careful person. He did not want to put her daughter’s name into the genealogy book. However, as long as the family lived harmoniously for some time and after becoming more familiar with each other, it would be a piece of cake for Pei Wanyue to be included in the genealogy book!
Unexpectedly, her daughter had now done something like this…
Even if there was no solid proof, would Xie Pinggang be willing to let her daughter into the family if there was the slightest suspicion?
“Then let it be! I don’t care!” Pei Wanyue snarled.
“Reckless!” Ms. Lu pointed at Pei Wanyue. “You’re killing me! The Xie family isn’t well-loved among the officials, but they’re more powerful than business families! As long as Xie Niushan is willing to treat you like family, you’ll become the family’s direct daughter with the fame of an official. When that happens, you’ll be able to marry a man from an official’s family!”
It was difficult to match-make the Xie family members mainly because people were scared of Xie Niushan and Xie Pinggang, who had killed barbarians before. Some people were willing to marry the rest of the family’s children as long as they had a lower standard!
Even if they did not marry an official, they should marry a talented graduate with a bright future, right?
That was not the case for a lady from a business family. In order to be married to an official, she could only be the concubine or marry a widower. How many of them could become the first wife directly?
