Chapter 138

"You're Quanhui?" The man's voice was icy cold.

With features that bore a five-part resemblance and a condescending tone, Fu Tingjun didn't need to ask to know this was her long-unseen elder brother, Fu Tingzheng.

Was this the attitude a brother should have?

Today was neither a rest day nor a holiday for Fu Tingzheng, yet he was at home... No doubt her sister-in-law had told him, and he had deliberately waited here to intercept her.

The hopes in Fu Tingjun's heart deflated in an instant.

She replied bluntly, "I am. And who might you be?"

At this, the veins on Fu Tingzheng's forehead bulged, and he snapped, "I am your elder brother!"

Fu Tingjun smiled. "Since you're my elder brother, and your younger sister has come to visit, why are you blocking the gate and refusing to let me in?"

Wasn't the Fu family refusing to acknowledge her as their daughter?

If so, she couldn't just barge into the Fu residence at will. But since Fu Tingzheng now acknowledged himself as her brother, she had the right to step through the Fu family's gates.

Fu Tingzheng had assumed that with his mastery of the Four Books and Five Classics and his knowledge of poetry and propriety, lecturing Fu Tingjun would be a simple matter. He never expected that in just a few words, Fu Tingjun would seize on his weak point. He flew into a rage. "Who is your brother? After committing such scandalous deeds, you still have the nerve to show your face here! What does the Fu family's 'Admonitions for Women' say? What does 'Biographies of Exemplary Women' say? You were raised with family teachings from a young age, yet you've ignored all instruction. I didn't believe it before, but seeing your sharp-tongued demeanor now, I'm inclined to believe it. Grandmother and Mother wasted their affection on you. The Fu family has no daughter like you, and I, Fu Tingzheng, have no sister like you!"

Fu Tingjun trembled with rage and sneered, "You'd rather believe outsiders than your own flesh and blood. You don't want me as a sister, and I don't care to have you as a brother. But whether the Fu family has me as a daughter is for Father and Mother to decide—it's hardly your place. You're not qualified to say such things. As for whether I can enter this door, this isn't your house, and it's not for you to decide."

Fu Tingzheng said smugly, "This is Father's wish."

Her brother had always been close to their father, so his attitude was clearly influenced by him.

Fu Tingjun's heart turned cold, but she refused to back down on the surface. She sneered, "You say it's Father's wish, so it's Father's wish. Well, I say coming home is Father's wish too! Stop waving a chicken feather as a command arrow and spouting nonsense." She lifted her skirt and stepped onto the gate's threshold. "Get out of my way!"

"How dare you!" Fu Tingzheng bellowed, spreading his arms to block the gate.

"What wouldn't I dare?" Fu Tingjun pushed forward.

"Jiezhi!" From the courtyard came Fifth Master Fu's slightly weary voice. "Let her in. Don't make a scene at the gate and give the neighbors something to laugh about. She may not care about face, but we still have to live with ours!"

Hearing this, Fu Tingzheng reluctantly acknowledged with a "Yes," shot Fu Tingjun a vicious glare, and stepped aside to let her pass.

But Fu Tingjun stood frozen for a moment, her expression faltering.

She hadn't expected that to stop her from seeing her mother, her father would also be at home.

Clearly, they despised her that much.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she straightened her back and walked in.

Fifth Master Fu stood with his hands clasped behind his back under the eaves of the main hall, the summer morning sun gilding him with a golden edge.

He gazed at Fu Tingjun with cold indifference and said flatly, "Why are you so insistent on seeing your mother?"

She hoped her marriage could receive her parents' blessing—if not her father's, then at least her mother's.

And deep down, she harbored a secret hope: to learn from her mother why the Fu family had abandoned her.

But she couldn't say that.

If her father knew, he would be even less likely to let her see her mother.

"And why is Father afraid to let me see Mother?" Fu Tingjun met Fifth Master Fu's gaze directly, refusing to retreat.

A sharp glint flashed through Fifth Master Fu's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

"Your mother is pure of heart, and you are the child she carried for ten months," he said unhurriedly. "No matter how outrageous the things you've done, your mother always believes you have your reasons. These past two years, your mother has suffered the murder of your maternal uncle's entire family and then your abduction by bandits. Her spirit has been damaged; she is like a candle flickering in the wind, unable to withstand even the slightest disturbance. Yet you insist on stirring up trouble—demanding to hold your eldest cousin-in-law accountable, seeking justice for your maidservant. Tell me, how could I dare let you see your mother? Wouldn't that be disregarding her very life? So whether you argue or make a scene, I will never allow you to see her. You might as well give up that hope!"

"Since you know that my mother carried me for ten months in her womb, shouldn't she be happy to see me safe and sound? How could that worsen her illness?" Fu Tingjun remained unmoved, pressing relentlessly. "As for seeking redress for my elder cousin-in-law's fault and demanding justice for my maidservant—am I, a weak woman, not supposed to have my father and brothers stand up for me? How does that implicate my mother? Otherwise, why would we women need a natal family? Isn't it precisely so that when we're wronged, we have someone from our own family to fight for us?"

"You—" Fifth Master Fu was left speechless.

Fu Tingzheng, standing nearby, immediately jumped in: "How dare you speak to Father like that? Of all virtues, filial piety comes first. You've thrown 'filial obedience' to the wind—no wonder you'd do something so shameless. Besides, someone like you—how could we possibly stand up for you? Stop twisting words here."

Fu Tingjun looked at Fifth Master Fu.

Fifth Master Fu remained silent.

She was his daughter, yet he allowed her own elder brother to humiliate her like this!

On that midsummer morning, the sun climbed higher and higher, its blazing light falling directly on the faces of Fifth Master Fu and Fu Tingzheng. Fu Tingjun could clearly see the white pockmark on Fu Tingzheng's forehead left by his childhood chickenpox—yet the two men before her felt utterly foreign, as if she were meeting them for the first time.

If Mother wasn't staying in the side rooms flanking the main hall, then she must be in the rooms along the southern wall.

That place was so dark, and surely damp as well. Wasn't Mother ill? How could they have put her there?

Fu Tingjun walked straight toward the side rooms by the southern wall.

She felt that saying even one more word to the two men before her would be a waste of breath.

Fifth Master Fu's shouts, Fu Tingzheng's grabbing and pulling... brought tears to Fu Tingjun's eyes.

Yuwei hugged Fu Tingjun and sobbed: "Miss, it's all my fault. I should have told you sooner—I saw the young master..."

Fu Tingjun smiled bitterly: "He must have said something terrible, something even you couldn't bear to relay to me, which is why you kept it from me, isn't that so? You see, my own elder brother is worse than you."

"No, no,"—a woman couldn't be without a natal family, or she'd suffer for it—though Yuwei held Fu Tingzheng in contempt, she still spoke well of him: "The young master is in the capital; there are some things he doesn't know. Once we find Zuo Junjie, the young master will realize he was wrong..."

Fu Tingjun shook her head.

In the past, she had believed that as long as she could prove her innocence, everything would return to how it was. Now she realized that those wounds had long been etched into her very bones—she could never go back to the way things were...

She asked Yuwei to find out news of her eldest uncle: "Since I have no natal family to rely on, I'll have to depend on myself."

If her father wouldn't help her, she would go find her eldest uncle and eldest cousin-in-law herself.

A few days later, Yuwei went to Sixi Lane to waylay Young Mistress Fu. She left in the morning and didn't return until the afternoon.

"The Emperor performed ancestral rites today," she said after downing two cups of tea. "The crowds were enormous—all gawkers. I barely managed to squeeze my way back."

Only then did Fu Tingjun remember that today was the day the Emperor ascended the throne.

She asked with concern: "Have you eaten?"

"There were food stalls everywhere—I bought two sesame cakes and ate them." Yuwei smiled, then got to the point: "The young mistress said that last autumn, the eldest master was appointed Prefect of Jinhua."

Fu Tingjun was stunned.

Prefect of Jinhua—that was a plum post by any measure.

Why had the Fu family suddenly become so blessed in official appointments?

Like a flash of lightning, a thought suddenly struck her.

Her face went pale.

"No, no, no. It can't be!"

Fu Tingjun muttered to herself, suppressing the thought, and urgently asked Yuwei: "Did you ask who recommended and reinstated eldest uncle?"

Yuwei shook her head blankly.

Fu Tingjun said anxiously: "Go find that out right away."

Yuwei quickly acknowledged and hurried out the door.

Fu Tingjun paced restlessly at home.

A Sen ran in: "Miss, miss! Ninth Master sent someone with a letter!" She presented the letter to her as if offering a treasure.

They were both living in the capital, yet he'd sent someone to deliver a letter. Could something have happened?

Fu Tingjun hastily opened the letter.

It contained only two lines: first, that he had been appointed Commander of the Left Guard of the Feather Forest Guard; second, that the Imperial Guard had just rotated posts and he had much to attend to, so he would return in a few days.

The Feather Forest Guard, the Golden Wu Guard, and the Grand Banner Guard together formed the so-called Imperial Guard. Both the Feather Forest and Golden Wu Guards were sword-bearing attendants—the former responsible for defense, the latter for inspecting those entering and leaving the palace gates—while the Grand Banner Guard handled ceremonial duties. Each of these three guards was further divided into left, right, front, rear, and central divisions.

A Sen beside her asked eagerly: "What did Ninth Master say?"

Fu Tingjun told her the contents of the letter.

A Sen let out an "Ah!" her face full of delighted surprise: "So Ninth Master has become the head of the Imperial Guard?" Then she asked, "What rank is a Left Guard Commander? Is it higher or lower than Commander Lu?"

This made Fu Tingjun laugh, saying, "Both are rank three, but since Ninth Master serves by the emperor's side, it's a bit different."

A Sen didn't care about any of that. He only knew that Zhao Ling outranked even Lu Cheng, who governed the vast Zhuanglang Guard. His eyes curved into crescents as he ran out joyfully, exclaiming, "I'm going to tell Master Lyu and Zheng San!"

Fu Tingjun smiled wryly.

She had just put the letter away when Master Lyu came running over, panting: "They say Ninth Master has become a high-ranking official of the third rank?"

Fortunately, the letter contained nothing improper, so she simply handed it to Master Lyu to read.

Master Lyu's eyes grew moist as he read: "This is wonderful, truly wonderful. Now I can return to Xi'an Prefecture with peace of mind."

Fu Tingjun was taken aback: "You're going back to Xi'an Prefecture?"

Master Lyu smiled with narrowed eyes: "No rush, no rush. I'll return to Xi'an Prefecture only after you two are wed."

Fu Tingjun's face flushed crimson.