Chapter 818
Tit for tat
The visitor said this to Cui Wenying because he saw her tired body, red eyes from crying, and a blank, worried face. He believed that Cui Wenying's haggard and pained appearance was due to the deaths of her husband Lu Zhenyuan and daughter Lu Wan'er.
Upon hearing the voices, Cui Wenying feigned an even more pained expression as she looked at the person. She discovered that the person was none other than Pei Chengyuan, the deputy commander who often worked with her husband Lu Zhenyuan, and his son Pei Yifeng.
At this moment, Pei Chengyuan looked at Cui Wenying with a sorrowful expression, while his son Pei Yifeng stood beside him.
As usual, Cui Wenying said to the visitor, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Pei!"
Although Pei Chengyuan and Lu Zhenyuan have a pretty good relationship in private, Lu Zhenyuan's three sons, Lu Yunqiao, Lu Yunmin, and Lu Yunqi, are very familiar with Pei Chengyuan's son, Pei Yifeng, but their relationship is not so good. In fact, they both look at each other with a very dislike.
The three brothers, Lu Yunqiao, Lu Yunmin, and Lu Yunqi, are the kind of people who are very honest and kind. However, Pei Yifeng is an only child and was spoiled by his parents since childhood. He is the kind of person who is willful and willful.
After Pei Chengyuan finished speaking, he noticed that his son, Pei Yifeng, remained unmoved. So, Pei Chengyuan reached out and tugged at the back of Pei Yifeng's robe. Pei Yifeng looked at his father, and Pei Chengyuan quickly gave him a wink. After receiving his father's signal, Pei Yifeng reluctantly walked up to Cui Wenying and pretended to be grief-stricken, saying to her, "Madam Lu, please accept my condolences!"
Cui Wenying nodded to him, and then the father and son began to bow and pay their respects at the mourning hall of Lu Zhenyuan and Lu Wan'er.
Pei Chengyuan and Lu Zhenyuan were of similar age and were of the same generation. Although Pei Chengyuan's official rank was one level lower than Lu Zhenyuan's, it was acceptable for him to bow and pay his respects.
However, Pei Yifeng was different. He was a junior in front of Lu Zhenyuan, and according to traditional customs and etiquette, he should kneel down instead of bow when worshipping.
The three brothers, Lu Yunqiao, Lu Yunmin, and Lu Yunqi, had always been at odds with Pei Yifeng. Moreover, they were already deeply grieving over the deaths of their father and sister. When they saw Pei Yifeng actually kneeling and bowing at their father's and sister's funeral hall in a way that was not in accordance with custom, Lu Yunqiao, Lu Yunmin, and Lu Yunqi looked at Pei Yifeng with great anger.
Lu Yunqi, the youngest son of the Lu family, angrily addressed Pei Yifeng, saying, "Pei Yifeng, what's wrong with you? Why don't you kneel and pay your respects when you come to mourn my father and sister?"
Lu Yunmin, the second son of the Lu family, looked at Pei Yifeng with great dissatisfaction and said, "It is said that the dead should be respected, and my father is your elder. Your way of bowing is too improper!"
As the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Yunqiao was more mature and composed than his two younger brothers. Although he knew that it was inappropriate for Pei Yifeng, as a junior, to only bow to their father Lu Zhenyuan's memorial tablet, he did not want to get angry with him over such a matter. He felt that he knew what kind of person Pei Yifeng was, and as long as Pei Yifeng did not do anything too outrageous to him or take advantage of him, there was no need to be angry with him.
Seeing his two younger brothers acting this way, he quickly said to them, "Second brother, third brother, shut up! We are guests, so don't be rude!"
Upon hearing his elder brother Lu Yunqiao's words, the brothers Lu Yunmin and Lu Yunqi said to him, "Brother, it's not that we're being rude, but among all these people, only Pei Yifeng, a junior, is standing here to mourn our father. His actions are clearly disrespectful to him!"
Lu Yunqiao glared at the two brothers and said loudly, "Enough... The house is already in such a mess, do you think it's not chaotic enough already? Shut up!"
The brothers Lu Yunmin and Lu Yunqi wanted to say something more, but seeing their elder brother's expression, they could only swallow back the words they wanted to say and remained silent.
Seeing this scene, Pei Yifeng couldn't help but sneer. He looked at the Lu brothers, Lu Yunmin and Lu Yunqi, and said, "Look at you two... look at you. Your eldest brother is the most sensible. We came here specifically to mourn Lord Lu, which is already a very kind and righteous act. And you still want to make demands of me? You really don't know what's good for you!"
Lu Yunmin and Lu Yunqi had initially decided not to argue with Pei Yifeng anymore after listening to their brother's words, but they were shocked that he would actually say such a thing. The two brothers glared at him angrily.
The youngest, Lu Yunqi, angrily spoke first to Pei Yifeng, saying, "Pei Yifeng, don't go too far! What do you mean that coming to mourn my father means you have feelings and intentions? At least half of the Pei family's success today is thanks to my father! How could you say such a heartless thing? It's truly chilling!"
Pei Yifeng said, "Hehe, how ridiculous. Lu Yunqi, stop trying to glorify your Lu family. Our Pei family's success today is all thanks to my father. If it weren't for my father's bravery and skill in battle, would your father have helped our Pei family?"
Hearing Pei Yifeng's words, Lu Yunqi angrily said to him, "Pei Yifeng, you really are an ingrate! Your father made a mistake in his early years. If it weren't for my father's protection, your father would be dead by now. Where would your Pei family be today? And where would you, Pei Yifeng, be today! You don't even know how you showed any gratitude and are disrespectful to my father! I really don't know how Lord Pei could have given birth to such an ungrateful ingrate!"
Pei Chengyuan, as Pei Yifeng's father, showed no intention of stopping his son from speaking like this, which greatly displeased Lu Yunqi. He had spoken to Pei Chengyuan in a way that was meant to give him a warning. Pei Yifeng, upon hearing Lu Yunqi's words, angrily retorted, "Lu Yunqi, who do you think you are? Don't always talk to me with that superior air. You should know that your Lu family's proud pillar, Lu Zhenyuan, is dead. The pillar of the Lu family has fallen. Do you think you're still the same Lu family as before? From now on, your Lu family will only continue to decline, while our Pei family will be someone you can't even reach. Haha, you really don't recognize your own status, daring to order me around? Aren't you courting death?"
As soon as Pei Yifeng uttered these words, just as Lu Yunqi was about to speak, the usually taciturn eldest brother, Lu Yunqiao, spoke up. His usual gentle demeanor vanished, and he glared at Pei Yifeng with a sharp, piercing gaze, saying, "Pei Yifeng, please watch your words. My father has already passed away. It was wrong of you, a junior, not to kneel in respect. I simply didn't bother arguing with you. Now you dare to say, in front of my father's memorial tablet, that our Lu family will continue to decline? Yes, my father was the pillar of the Lu family, that's true. Although he is no longer in this world, as the eldest son of the Lu family, I will absolutely uphold the entire Lu family and will not allow such a thing to happen!"
After listening to Lu Yunqiao's words, Pei Yifeng first gave Lu Yunqiao a cold look, and then burst into laughter. He pointed at Lu Yunqiao and said, "Hahaha... Lu Yunqiao, if I remember correctly, this is the most I've ever heard you say today. Someone like you who doesn't even fart usually, can support the entire Lu family? That's pure wishful thinking and overestimating yourself!"
When the brothers Lu Yunmin and Lu Yunqi heard Pei Yifeng speak of their elder brother in this way, they immediately became very angry and said to Pei Yifeng, "My elder brother knows how to speak to people. He usually can't be bothered to talk to a petty person like you. If you hadn't touched a nerve today, he wouldn't have said so much!"
Pei Yifeng sneered again upon hearing the brothers' words, saying, "A tiger's scale? You think someone who wouldn't dare utter a word normally would have a tiger's scale? He's just a spineless pushover who can be bullied by anyone, yet he's acting like a bully."
Lu Yunqiao was furious when he heard Pei Yifeng say that. He slammed his hand on a chair next to him, and with a loud bang, the chair shattered into pieces.
Everyone looked at Lu Yunqiao with surprise. For a moment, everyone was stunned. Even his mother, Cui Wenying, was shocked by her eldest son Lu Yunqiao's actions. She had never seen Lu Yunqiao lose his temper like this before. Moreover, her son Lu Yunqiao did not know any martial arts at all. How much pain must his hand have been in when he smashed the chair to pieces with one palm?
Cui Wenying walked to her eldest son, Lu Yunqiao, and took his hand with great concern. After checking that he was alright, she said to him, "Qiao'er, be careful. You don't know martial arts. What if you hurt your bones by using so much force?"
After hearing Cui Wenying's words, everyone finally recovered from their shock.
Standing to the side, Cui Wenying hadn't intervened in the argument between the younger generation. She felt that Pei Yifeng was indeed in the wrong first, and thought that Pei Chengyuan, as Pei Yifeng's father, would stop his son's unreasonable behavior first. However, after so long, Pei Yifeng's words became increasingly unrestrained, but Pei Chengyuan still hadn't stopped his son's behavior, which made Cui Wenying very disappointed in Pei Chengyuan!
Since Pei Chengyuan, as an elder, was not speaking, Cui Wenying had no choice but to speak herself. She looked at Pei Chengyuan and said, "Lord Pei, it is really inappropriate for these younger people to argue in front of my husband's and daughter's memorial tablets today. It will disturb their peace. You should persuade your son instead!"
After hearing Cui Wenying's words, Pei Chengyuan said to his son Pei Yifeng, "Feng'er, don't be rude!"
Pei Yifeng looked at his father with some grievance and said, "Father, they were the ones who picked on us first. What's wrong with me arguing with them a bit?"
Then she looked at Cui Wenying and said, "Madam Lu, are you trying to order my father around by speaking to him like that? Now that your husband Lu Zhenyuan is dead, you are no longer the high and mighty Madam Lu you once were. Do you still want to order my father around? My father is the next general. Do you think you can command him?"
After Pei Yifeng finished speaking, Pei Chengyuan, who was standing to the side, quickly tugged at his son's sleeve and then gave him a wink, signaling him not to talk nonsense.
But Pei Yifeng didn't take it seriously at all. He raised his head high and said to his father, "Father, it's a done deal that you're going to be promoted to general. Can't we even talk about it? Why are you pulling me? Once you become general, will you be afraid of them?"
Even before you took office, the Lu family, now fragmented, is no match for you. Do you think we'd be afraid of them? Why should we listen to them? They should be listening to us!
Although Pei Chengyuan usually felt that his son Pei Yifeng was not particularly reliable, this time he felt that what his son Pei Yifeng said made some sense. He knew the Lu family very well. They did not have a strong foundation in the court and had only achieved their current status by relying almost entirely on Lu Zhenyuan's hard work.
Pei Chengyuan had obeyed Lu Zhenyuan for most of his life. Now that Lu Zhenyuan was dead, what was there for the Lu family to fear? Why should he still listen to him? He could completely break free from Lu Zhenyuan's control and no longer be suppressed by him.
Thinking of this, Pei Chengyuan was overjoyed. He pretended to be serious and said to his son, Pei Yifeng, "Feng'er, we came to Lord Lu's house today to mourn Lord Lu and Lu Wan'er. The Lu family is currently immersed in grief. Look, Madam Lu and his three sons' eyes are swollen from crying. Why are you mentioning the happy news of your father's promotion in such a sad atmosphere? It's not appropriate!"
Upon hearing his father's words, Pei Yifeng said, "Father, why can't we mention it? I don't see anything wrong with it. It's a fact that Lord Lu and Lu Wan'er have passed away, but it's also a fact that you are getting promoted. Both are facts, so why can't we mention them?"
Besides, didn't you see those three Lu family boys already bullying me? And Madam Lu even ordered you to teach me a lesson? I'm your son; if you want to discipline me, you can do so yourself. Why does she, an outsider, have to interfere? If I don't bring up your promotion now to deflate their arrogance, won't they be able to get away with anything against us?"
Although Pei Chengyuan didn't speak directly when he heard his son's words, he agreed with them in his heart.
The three sons of the Lu family became even angrier after hearing what Pei Yifeng said. The youngest, Lu Yunqi, said to Pei Yifeng, "Pei Yifeng, you are completely distorting the facts and making false accusations. It was you who was impolite first. We just gave you a hint, and you kept going against us. Moreover, your words became more and more outrageous. In the end, you even accused us of being bossy."
So you're going to specifically mention your father's promotion in front of us to dampen our spirits? I think you're just making a fuss over nothing! It's clearly you who have the spirit, okay? Besides, the spirit of the Lu family is none of your Pei family's business; you're not qualified! (End of Chapter)