TGDS Chapter 85.2

The Good Dad System (Arc 12) Chapter 85.2: (Ancient Times) The People Around My Daughter Have All Been Reborn (5)

“Old Madam, please read the letter first.” Li Mama quickly interjected, changing the subject, not wanting Old Madam Pei to continue being sad. Ever since her young mistress began to yearn to learn some martial arts, she had always been reminded of her painful past.

“Alright, I’ll read the letter first.” Old Madam Pei didn’t say much more, sighed, and began to read this rare, long letter that she had never seen before.

…

When the grass grows and the orioles sing, it is the spring of February and March. In General Pei’s mansion, flowers, trees, and shrubs are planted everywhere. This was a rule established when the previous General Pei was still alive. Veterans returning from the army, often missing limbs, couldn’t do much heavy work. But if they were left idle and paid for nothing, they might develop bad habits or feel useless. So, they found many easy jobs, such as planting grass and flowers, which made General Pei’s mansion’s flowers among the best in the entire capital.

Pei Yuzhuo, dressed in neat men’s clothing, was wielding a short spear in the training ground by the backyard, looking quite skilled. Thick red cloth was wrapped around the spearhead to prevent accidental injury. Directly opposite her stood a plump, white man with only one hand, smiling at her. Perhaps because of his plumpness, his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled; he appeared to be a gentle, kind old man.

“Miss, you’ve basically mastered this spear technique, but your stance isn’t stable enough yet; you need to practice more.” The man’s name was Wang Bu’er. He originally worked as a cemetery caretaker in Pei Family Village. At the end of last year, after receiving a letter from Pei Naochun, he rushed to the manor to become Pei Yuzhu’s martial arts tutor.

“Okay.” Pei Yuzhu responded readily. Xiuyu, who was beside her, quickly came over and used a handkerchief to wipe her face, showing great concern.

Last autumn, she received a letter from her father. It was the first long letter she had ever received from him since she was a child. He wrote a lot in the letter—at that time, she couldn’t recognize all the characters and had to ask her grandmother for help to understand it all—he told her that when she was young, he hadn’t mentioned many things in his letters. Now that she was growing up and could read, he could write more.

He said that he was often away from the manor and hadn’t been able to fulfill his responsibilities as a father, to properly accompany and raise her. All he could do was write more letters to show his concern for her and hoped that no matter what happened, Pei Yuzhu could tell her honestly.

Father wrote an unusually long letter, attaching a rough map of the border—the kind that doesn’t involve military secrets. In it, he recounted his experiences on the frontier over the past few years: the fierce battles, the occasional glimpses of the local life, the mundane events that occurred during his leisure time, and the long-standing worries that had troubled him. He poured everything out, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

At the end of the letter, Father wrote: “The letter hasn’t been sent yet. There’s no war going on. I went to the western city with my guards to select some good local furs. I saw a girl about your age sitting there helping her parents tan furs. She said she wanted to take over their shop and continue selling furs. I immediately thought of you. I wonder where you are in the capital. Have you started thinking about it yet? What do you want to do after you grow up? Do you like making money and doing business? You could ask your grandmother to give you a small shop or estate to manage; or do you like embroidery and needlework? Or perhaps music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? Your father, at your age…” “I’ve already made a vow. My life’s ambition is to carry on your grandfather’s legacy, to pacify the borderlands, and to ensure the Great Xia’s borders are free from trouble for a hundred years. What about you?”

The letter ended with a carefully folded portrait, presumably painted by an artist from the border government responsible for drawing wanted criminals. The style was very similar, and it was almost as if the crime was written at the bottom. Old Madam Pei examined it for a long time but couldn’t see any resemblance between the portrait and her son. She even asked Granny Li to look, and she had the same opinion. Finally, she awkwardly guessed that perhaps Pei Naochun’s appearance had changed considerably after he went to the borderlands.

Those few days, Pei Yuzhuo was quite hesitant. She tossed and turned in bed like a pancake. Xiuyu, hearing her movements outside, suspected she was ill and came in several times, but couldn’t soothe her. In fact, the matter troubling her wasn’t complicated; she was wondering whether she should tell her father what she preferred.

She wasn’t clumsy; embroidery, playing the zither, calligraphy, painting, and chess weren’t too difficult for her. However, she could never understand what the teachers meant by “spirit.” They often said that her playing the zither and writing calligraphy were all form without spirit.

Pei Yuzhu knew these were things she could learn well, and she could become the well-bred young lady her grandmother hoped she would become. But at the same time, she clearly understood that the place she longed for wasn’t this small world she could see just by looking up. Although she knew it would be difficult, she didn’t want her life to be like her maternal aunts’, constantly busy worrying about the balance and status between concubines, illegitimate sons, and illegitimate daughters. That would surely be an unhappy life, wouldn’t it?

Just as she was tossing and turning, she suddenly touched the dagger she kept by her pillow. The dagger was very beautiful, but once opened, its sharpness would be revealed. It was a dagger capable of killing. It wasn’t bought from a jewelry store; it was a trophy. Her father had specially sent it from the border region along with a box of gemstones before her first birthday celebration. She later heard from her wet nurse that on that day, she didn’t hesitate at all, went straight forward, and grabbed the dagger.

Perhaps, fate had made its decision from the very beginning.

Pei Yuzhuo’s innate determination led her to make a decision immediately. She wrote back to her father, telling him, “Father, I want to learn martial arts and military strategy. If in the future…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but both father and daughter understood. In fact, she meant that if Pei Naochun were gone, “I also want to go to the battlefield to defend the border, or at least protect myself.” With a heart full of trepidation, she folded the letter and put it in an envelope, waiting for a reply. Before receiving a reply, she tossed and turned anxiously, wondering if her father would agree.

A full month passed, autumn turned to winter, and her father’s reply arrived. This time, it wasn’t just two letters; her father had written four. One was written to Wang Bu’er, who was short and skilled with a short spear, using clever techniques. Another was written to the old strategist who was living a retirement life in the suburbs. These two letters brought Pei Yuzhuo two tutors.

The other two letters, like the last one, were quite thick. The thickest one was addressed to Old Madam Pei. In the letter, Pei Naochun first inquired about her health, and then honestly and sincerely expressed his expectations for his daughter’s future. He played the victim, saying that he didn’t know when he would pass away, had no plans to remarry, and his only hope was to see his daughter learn some martial arts and military strategy so that the Pei family’s lineage wouldn’t be completely cut off.

“Mother, I know that women in the capital are valued for their talent, learning, music, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and household management. They should be proficient in everything. But my daughter in the Pei family don’t need to be like others. After marriage, women dedicate half their lives to men. Like Yu Zhuo’s mother, she married me and barely saw her husband before dying young. As her father, I haven’t done much. I just want her to be happy and do what she wants and enjoys.”

These words were a heavy blow to Old Madam Pei. In fact, she knew better than Pei Naochun how harsh the world was on women. She wanted her granddaughter to only learn the skills needed to be a housewife, but she didn’t dare to make any promises that she would marry a good man. Too many women were unhappy after marriage and got used to self-consolation. Like her, widowed in her youth and childless in middle age, wasn’t she also deceiving herself and living day by day?

Thinking of Pei Yuzhuo’s diligent daily practice of martial arts in private, she didn’t hesitate for long before agreeing. She ordered the martial arts training ground, which had been abandoned for quite some time, to be cleaned up and arranged accommodations for the two masters. In addition, to avoid suspicion, she also requested that Xiuyu accompany them every day, and if anything happened, other maids would take turns.

The letter to Pei Yuzhuo was much simpler, listing some recent events, big and small, on the frontier, and roughly sketching a frontier landscape that was completely unimaginable. She added a casual remark at the end that everything she wanted had been prepared, and that practicing martial arts and studying military strategy was not easy, so she shouldn’t give up easily.

Thus, under her father’s protection, Pei Yuzhuo began practicing martial arts. She was indeed very talented, progressing extremely quickly, making rapid progress, even Wang Bu’er praised her endlessly. In terms of military strategy, she also had many different perspectives. When she and the old strategist had lessons, they answered each other fluently, often arguing sharply, but quickly reaching a consensus.

Wang Bu’er demonstrated the spear technique to Pei Yuzhuo again. The moment he assumed the starting stance, his entire demeanor changed. Despite his short, stout build, there was no trace of comicality in his movements. The same short spear, in his hands, was like a deadly weapon; even a mere swing seemed to emit a chilling wind, inspiring fear in all who beheld it.

He quickly finished explaining and reverted to his amiable self, smiling broadly, saying that Miss had practiced enough for today and that the rest could wait until tomorrow. After all, Pei Yuzhuo was still young and couldn’t achieve mastery overnight.

“Miss, the Prime Minister’s second daughter has sent an invitation, saying she’ll be visiting this afternoon.” A guard approached from a distance, bowing before handing the invitation to Xiuyu.

“The Prime Minister’s second daughter is coming again?” Pei Yuzhuo frowned. In fact, since last year, Gu Yuniang had been visiting frequently, often engaging in idle chatter, making small talk. If it weren’t for Gu Yuniang’s ancestral worship in winter, Pei Yuzhuo probably wouldn’t have had a moment’s peace even then.

It wasn’t that Pei Yuzhuo looked down on the Prime Minister’s daughter; it was just that she had a vague feeling that Gu Yuniang’s intentions weren’t sincere. Occasionally, when the two sat facing each other, the other woman would look at her with a scrutinizing and assessing gaze, making Pei Yuzhuo feel extremely uncomfortable.

Pei Yuzhuo had a clear understanding of herself. Although her father held a high position, he wasn’t like other families with large clans, and he was rarely in the capital. To be honest, even for the sake of interests, there was no need to have much interaction with them. Besides, civil and military officials should avoid collusion; even someone her age understood this principle.

However, since the other party had sent a visiting card, she couldn’t say anything. She simply nodded and said that after her military strategy class, she would bathe and change clothes for the afternoon reception.

…

Gu Yuniang, holding her maid’s hand, carefully stepped down from the horse-riding stool. Her carriage had been arranged to enter through the side gate, and a groom from the Pei family was already there to help lead the horse to the back. Gu Yuniang subconsciously frowned, but quickly regained her composure. Even though she had seen it many times, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable whenever she saw the Pei family’s lame groom.

“Miss, we should go back early today,” the maid beside her whispered. She really couldn’t understand it. The second young lady was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s family. Prime Minister Gu was currently incredibly influential in the court, with carriages constantly flowing in front of his door, and many people wanting to curry favor with him. How could the second young lady be so foolish as to actively seek out people every day? Didn’t she realize that even the illegitimate third young lady had made friends with many other ministers’ illegitimate daughters?

“Fine, fine, I know.” Gu Yuniang pursed her lips, completely ignoring her words. She sneered inwardly, a hint of disdain creeping in. These people had no idea what had happened in the future. What she was doing now wasn’t just saving herself, but also saving the entire Gu family.