Chapter 26 – The Grand Tutor of the Current Dynasty, Lord Pei, Is Getting Married!

Su Liluo had all her attention on Jiang Shiyuan and didn’t notice at all that there was someone standing beside her—none other than the illustrious Grand Tutor Pei himself.

Wasn’t the refined and aloof Grand Tutor known for his cold nature and love of quiet? What was he doing here in this noisy, crowded marketplace?

Su Liluo thought she must be mistaken. But that imposing aura—there was no one else in the capital who could match it, except Pei the Grand Tutor.

“L-Lord Pei,” Su Liluo stammered out another greeting.

Pei Che turned his head at the sound, his gaze sweeping over her lightly.

Su Liluo felt like she was being pricked by thorns. She reacted instinctively, hurriedly shoving the two sugar cakes she had snatched earlier back into Jiang Shiyuan’s hands.

“These sugar cakes—I don’t want them anymore.”

She dropped the cakes and turned to flee in embarrassment.

The sugar cake vendor was left behind, calling out pitifully, “Miss, Miss, don’t go! I’ve already wrapped up your sugar cakes!”

Jiang Shiyuan watched Su Liluo ’s panicked retreat in confusion. Did the sun rise from the west today?

Normally, Su Liluo would pester her for half a day and find an opportunity to mock her, but today she had run off at just the sight of Pei Che?

Sure, Grand Tutor Pei was intimidating, but not that scary.

Jiang Shiyuan pursed her lips and glanced subtly at the man beside her—he was really quite good-looking.

Pei Che happened to be looking at her as well, and their eyes met. Jiang Shiyuan immediately felt like she’d been caught spying, her face warming. But Pei Che didn’t seem to notice and instead asked about Su Liluo.

“She always treats you like that?”

If she was this petty about just a snack, what about everything else?

Jiang Shiyuan hadn’t expected his attention to shift to her.

A warmth rose in her heart, followed by a faint bitterness.

How could people be so different?

She wasn’t even bothered by Su Liluo ’s childish antics. What hurt more was how Shen Luchu always sided with Su Liluo without knowing the full story.

Pei Che could immediately see right from wrong. But Shen Luchu hadn’t once treated her fairly in all these years.

Jiang Shiyuan looked again at the man beside her, bathed in warm autumn sunlight, his gaze fully focused on her.

He was waiting for her answer, as if this were something very important.

Jiang Shiyuan smiled faintly and said, “Lord Pei, would you believe it if I told you Su Liluo is actually my biggest patron? I hope every day she comes to challenge me.”

Pei Che didn’t quite understand but seeing the bright look in her eyes and the smile on her lips, she certainly didn’t seem like someone feeling wronged.

“Grand Tutor, does the compensation you mentioned earlier still stand?” Jiang Shiyuan suddenly asked.

Pei Che nodded. “What else do you want?”

“The sugar cake was good. One isn’t enough—I want lots more.”

With that, Jiang Shiyuan brazenly stepped forward and took a silver ingot directly from the coin pouch in Pei Che’s hand. She turned and gave it to the vendor.

“Boss, that girl just now is a friend of mine. She was only joking around. I’ll buy all your sugar cakes today. Here’s the money. As for the cakes—please deliver them to the nearby charity hall and say…”

She paused and looked at Pei Che, her eyes shining like stars. “Say that the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, Lord Pei, is getting married and he’s treating the children of the charity hall to sugar cakes.”

Beside her, the corner of Pei Che’s mouth had already curved upward at some point. With a casual flick of his hand, he tossed the heavy coin pouch to the sugar cake vendor.

“No need to set up your stall anymore. For the next month, just make sugar cakes for the charity hall, and say—”

“The future wife of the Grand Tutor is about to be wed, and the whole charity hall is invited to celebrate.”

Holding two sugar cakes in her hands, Jiang Shiyuan felt her heart pounding wildly at the phrase ‘future wife of the Grand Tutor’. Her face burned like fire under the sunlight.

The Grand Tutor… doesn’t seem to dislike me as much as before.

…

Su Liluo hadn’t gone far. After blending into the crowd, she nervously looked back.

Seeing Jiang Shiyuan and Pei Che disappear, she finally stopped and let out a long breath.

“That scared me to death!”

Su Liluo patted her chest, which was heaving from panic.

Zhi Chun hurried to wipe the sweat from Su Liluo ’s forehead and asked in confusion, “Miss, why are you sweating so much?”

Su Liluo held her chest and said, “If you’d ever been grounded by Pei Che as a child, you’d be scared too.”

Zhi Chun had only started serving Su Liluo in recent years and didn’t know the past. She asked curiously, “Lord Pei once grounded you? But Miss is the daughter of the Minister of Rites—even the Minister himself rarely scolds you. How could Lord Pei do it?”

Su Liluo ’s thoughts drifted back to ten years ago. Back then, she had competed with Jiang Shiyuan over a friend, and Pei Che, who had temporarily been invited to teach, found out.

She still didn’t know how he found out. She only remembered that one day, Pei Che—whom she’d never interacted with before—suddenly visited the Minister’s estate.

Her father was thrilled, treated him as an honored guest, and even brought out his prized Da Hong Pao tea.

Who would’ve thought Pei Che had come to tattle on her?

He revealed everything she had done without holding back. Her father had initially planned to scold her a few times and chalk it up to childish games.

But Pei Che didn’t let it go. Despite only being a teenager himself, he acted like an old scholar and pressured her father until he gave in.

“Yuan’er is my first student. I don’t want her to think her teacher only speaks empty words and can’t even uphold basic fairness.”

Pei Che had spoken so directly that her father didn’t dare offend him and immediately grounded her for half a month.

Five days were because of Jiang Shiyuan. The other ten days were because she wasted her father’s prized Da Hong Pao.

It was the worst punishment Su Liluo had ever received.

Since then, she could never forget Pei Che’s grim face—it had become a shadow of her childhood.

Afterward, she toned herself down, but her father still felt it wasn’t enough and sent her far away to live with relatives.

She wasn’t brought back until three years ago, when she came of age.

From that point on, she hated Jiang Shiyuan even more.

She just hated her. Anything Jiang Shiyuan liked, she would snatch away—no matter the cost.

If Jiang Shiyuan liked the incense at Chenxiang Workshop, Su Liluo would bribe the shopkeeper to intercept her every time she visited, always making her leave empty-handed.

If Jiang Shiyuan liked a man—even if Su Liluo didn’t—she’d snatch him away.

Thinking of this, Su Liluo remembered her original purpose today: “Still haven’t found out where Pei Ziye is exactly?”

She had come to the temple fair for Pei Ziye. Word was that he would be attending.

Zhi Chun frowned. “Miss, don’t you think it’s strange? In such a public place, shouldn’t Pei Ziye be the one accompanying Jiang Shiyuan? Why is it Grand Tutor Pei?”

The Grand Tutor was a lofty man—he didn’t seem like someone with time to wander around with a girl.

Zhi Chun suddenly had a flash of insight and gasped, “Miss, could it be that Jiang Shiyuan isn’t marrying Young Master Pei… but Grand Tutor Pei?!”

Su Liluo froze.

Then she quickly waved it off. “Impossible! There are so many noble ladies in the capital—why would Grand Tutor Pei choose Jiang Shiyuan?”

Zhi Chun said softly, “But just now, when I saw them standing together, they looked perfect.”

Her eyes sparkled with admiration, and an odd auntie-like smile crept onto her lips.

Su Liluo thought back to that scene—a refined gentleman and a breathtaking beauty. Standing side by side, they really did look…

…damn compatible.

Su Liluo ’s expression fell. She had compared all the noble ladies in the capital, and honestly, no one was more beautiful than that seductive vixen Jiang Shiyuan.

Jiang Shiyuan’s face was the one thing that truly defeated Su Liluo.

Still, she didn’t believe it.

If the Grand Tutor wanted to marry Jiang Shiyuan, he would’ve done so ten years ago. Why wait until now?

She was more inclined to believe that Jiang Shiyuan had failed to win over Pei Ziye and was now trying to curry favor with his elder.

Back when she liked Shen Luchu, didn’t she first win over Marquis Shen?

Same old tricks just used again.

Su Liluo was convinced.

Just then, two familiar figures approached from ahead.

“Miss Su, what a coincidence! You’re here for the temple fair too?” Zhou Jingshen greeted warmly.

Su Liluo looked at Zhou Jingshen and the gloomy Shen Luchu walking beside him.

Shen Luchu didn’t greet her at all—he looked sullen and withdrawn.

Su Liluo, who used to fawn over him, didn’t respond either. The atmosphere grew a bit awkward.

Zhou Jingshen tried to smooth things over. “Miss Su, what have you been busy with lately? You didn’t even come to yesterday’s poetry gathering.”

“There’s been some family matters—haven’t had time,” Su Liluo replied vaguely.

Jiang Shiyuan has already abandoned Shen Luchu—why would she still waste time at his poetry gathering? She hated that pretentious nonsense anyway.

Even the dullest person could feel her brush-off.

Zhou Jingshen couldn’t help wondering—what was going on? The two people who once orbited Shen Luchu were suddenly acting like strangers.

It was precisely because of this that he’d dragged Shen Luchu out today for a stroll, hoping to lift his spirits.

But Su Liluo didn’t care what Zhou Jingshen thought—her sights were set on Pei Ziye now.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

She had barely spoken a few words when she tried to slip away.

Just as she turned to leave, Shen Luchu—who had been silent all along—suddenly asked:

“Su Liluo, have you seen Jiang Shiyuan?”