Chapter 150

At dawn the next day, Fu Tingjun woke up.

Zhao Ling held her close, unwilling to let go, and coaxed her in a low voice: "Sleep a little longer, sleep a little longer before getting up."

Thinking of last night's intimacy, Fu Tingjun felt her body go soft, and she nestled in his arms, not wanting to get up.

Zhao Ling's hand was already wandering over her body restlessly.

Fu Tingjun shivered.

If this continued, who knew when they would make it to Sixi Lane today?

She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and resolutely caught his hand: "Let's go to Sixi Lane first... alright?" There was a hint of pleading in her voice.

Zhao Ling truly couldn't bear to let her go, but still hummed in agreement, caressing her for a while longer and kissing Fu Tingjun thoroughly before finally releasing her.

Fu Tingjun's face was flushed crimson, and it was a long while before she tremblingly called for Kou'er to come in and attend to her.

After breakfast, Master Lyu and Yuwei stayed home to do the accounts, while Zheng San drove the carriage, and Zhao Ling and Fu Tingjun personally carried the gifts as they went to Sixi Lane.

It was the tenth day of the month, and Fifth Master Fu happened to be home for his day off.

When the servant boy opened the door and saw them, he trembled with fright and ran swiftly into the main hall.

After nearly half a stick of incense's time, Young Mistress Fu finally lifted the curtain of the main hall and came out to greet them, her expression slightly stiff: "Son-in-law, daughter, you've come." She forced a smile and led them toward Madam Fu's residence, without inviting them into the main hall for tea.

Fu Tingjun asked calmly, "Did Father and Elder Brother go out early this morning?"

Young Mistress Fu's expression froze slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, "Yes!" without saying anything more.

Fu Tingjun sneered inwardly.

She suspected that seeing Zhao Ling accompany her back, and unable to vent their anger, they had claimed to have gone out and left Young Mistress Fu to deal with them.

That was fine too—if they didn't want to see her, she didn't want to see them either.

Fu Tingjun curled the corner of her mouth and followed Young Mistress Fu to Madam Fu's place.

Madam Fu was wearing a crimson padded jacket of Hangzhou silk embroidered with treasure vases and peonies, her hair neatly coiled into a round bun secured with a silver hairpin. Her spirits were much better than before, and it was clear she had taken great care to dress herself up.

Xiuzhu's Wife, who was attending to Madam Fu, smiled as she brought in a teacup: "Madam calculated that the son-in-law and daughter would definitely come today. She had me find this crimson padded jacket first thing this morning..."

Madam Fu chuckled at this and cast a meaningful glance at Xiuzhu's Wife, who immediately smiled and handed a small red lacquered box with gold tracery to Zhao Ling: "This is Madam's gift for you."

According to custom, on the day of the wedding, Zhao Ling should have kowtowed and offered tea to his mother-in-law, and the mother-in-law would give the new son-in-law a gift.

This was compensation for Zhao Ling, wasn't it?

Zhao Ling accepted it gladly.

Madam Fu was very pleased, smiling and nodding slightly as she asked with concern about their wedding.

To put her mother at ease and to amuse her, Fu Tingjun picked out some interesting stories to tell Madam Fu. As Madam Fu listened, her delight was written all over her face. Zhao Ling then found an excuse to step away, allowing Fu Tingjun and her mother to speak privately.

Madam Fu smiled and sighed, saying, "I won't ask if you're doing well—seeing how Zhao Ling is, he's clearly a considerate and attentive person."

Fu Tingjun nodded with a blush.

Madam Fu gently patted her hand, deeply gratified, and gave her the usual admonitions about being a good wife and woman, then somewhat reluctantly urged her to leave: "Since you arranged the wedding yourselves, you must have many people to entertain and many matters to attend to. When you have free time later, you can come see me again."

Her mother was determined not to let her owe anything more to the Fu family, wasn't she?

Though Fu Tingjun was reluctant to part, thinking of her mother's good intentions, she rose to take her leave.

The doors of the main hall remained tightly shut, and from beginning to end, she never saw her father or elder brother.

Fu Tingjun sighed inwardly.

On the way, she asked Zhao Ling, "You won't blame Mother for not even keeping you for a meal, will you?"

Before she could finish, Zhao Ling was already shaking his head: "What are you saying? I understand Mother-in-law's intentions, and I truly admire her character." He added, "No wonder your temperament is so spirited—you must take after her."

Fu Tingjun smiled awkwardly and said, "Ever since I was little, Mother has constantly reminded me to restrain my temper no matter what—probably because I fall so far short of the word 'gentle and obedient'..." Then she let out an "Ah!" and said, "Why didn't Mother say anything today? Could it be that because I'm married now, she wanted to spare my dignity?" By the end, she was muttering under her breath.

Zhao Ling laughed heartily and teased her, "It must be because you married me—Mother-in-law knows I'll yield to you in everything, so she didn't need to instruct you." Then he whispered in her ear, "I think you're gentle and obedient enough..."

"You rogue." Fu Tingjun's face flushed at his words, and she gave him a light tap, which only earned her an even more hearty laugh from Zhao Ling.

"How about we go to Penglai Pavilion for lunch before heading back? I heard from some colleagues who've lived in the capital for a long time that their Hangzhou cuisine is quite authentic, and their squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is their signature dish," he said. "We're already out anyway—there's no rush to get back early, is there?"

"Go to a restaurant?" Fu Tingjun was quite tempted by the idea, and besides, it would save Zheng Sanniang from wondering why they'd returned without having lunch. "But do I look presentable like this?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" Zhao Ling said dismissively. "You're a married woman now, and our family doesn't have the strict rules of those grand noble households."

Fu Tingjun felt relieved and eagerly discussed Penglai Pavilion with Zhao Ling: "Do you really like Hangzhou cuisine? Which dish do you like the most? I'll try to learn how to make it someday."

"Not really," Zhao Ling laughed. "I followed my master to Shaanxi when I was very young, so I actually prefer Shaanxi-style noodles. The capital is the imperial city—things from all corners of the land gather here. Since we've come to the capital, we should naturally take the time to look around and see the sights."

Fu Tingjun was taken aback and asked, "You don't plan to settle in the capital long-term?"

Zhao Ling hummed in acknowledgment and said, "I took your advice. While Shaanxi was in chaos, I spent some money trying to register our household under Xi'an Prefecture, but since Xi'an Prefecture has always been well-ordered, it wasn't easy. So I settled for the next best option and registered under Chang'an County in Xi'an Prefecture. Fortunately, Chang'an County is only half a day's carriage ride from Xi'an Prefecture. Once I retire from office, we'll go back to Shaanxi together. If you want to settle in Chang'an County, we'll settle in Chang'an County; if you'd rather live in Xi'an Prefecture, we can stay there long-term too. What do you think?"

"When did you manage all that?" Fu Tingjun said with a coy pout. "You kept it from me again." Then, with a slight hesitation, she asked him, "You're not going back to Songjiang?"

"What would I go back for?" Zhao Ling wrapped his arm around Fu Tingjun. "I've taken a wife now," he said, placing his hand on her lower belly with anticipation in his voice, "and there will be children in the future. Once I've reported to the Emperor in a few days, I'll go back to Jiangnan with you, move my father's and mother's graves to Chang'an County, and we'll hire someone to write our family genealogy and establish our own branch. Why would we need to go back to Jiangnan? Besides, Jiangnan is rainy and damp—you might not get used to it."

Fu Tingjun felt sweet warmth in her heart and leaned her head against Zhao Ling's shoulder: "Wherever you go, I'll go. You don't need to worry about me."

Zhao Ling lowered his head, pressing his lips to Fu Tingjun's jade-white forehead: "Then we'll settle in Chang'an. When we do, we can stroll around Baoqing Street whenever we're free and eat vegetarian dishes at Guangren Temple."

"Alright!" Fu Tingjun said, the corners of her mouth curving up into a joyful arc.

...

They returned from Penglai Pavilion at just past two in the afternoon.

Master Lyu invited Zhao Ling to settle the wedding expenses, while Zhenzhu attended to Fu Tingjun's washing up.

Fu Tingjun let out a soft sigh.

Yuwei had regarded herself as an ill-omened person and was unwilling to enter her new bridal chamber.

She changed into her everyday clothes, and when Zhao Ling came back, Fu Tingjun personally helped him change as well.

Zhao Ling let her fuss over him with a smile in his eyes, chatting about household matters: "...I didn't expect the wedding to have over a hundred taels of silver left over. Yanqing will bring the silver in shortly—you should take it and keep it for everyday household expenses."

"There's no need for that much," Fu Tingjun laughed. "Twelve taels a month is more than enough."

Just as she was speaking, Yanqing came in.

He wasn't there to deliver the silver, but to deliver a wedding invitation: "The Marquis of Wuding is getting married on the twenty-fourth of the eighth month. He sent someone with a four-tray gift box and this invitation. Master Lyu invited the steward for tea, and the steward said he still needs to deliver invitations to the Marquis of Anping's household, so he'll come by again another time."

The two exchanged a look of bewilderment.

Although the new Marquis of Wuding was the Grand Empress Dowager's nephew, he was the youngest son born to her elder brother after he remarried following his exile to Tieling Guard. He was now twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and due to his special circumstances, he had never been able to marry.

They had no connection whatsoever to the Marquis of Wuding.

Zhao Ling took the invitation, examined it carefully for a long while, then handed it to Fu Tingjun: "It looks like we'll have to go drink wedding wine that day!"

Fu Tingjun noticed that the invitation didn't include phrases like "the entire household is invited," and knew she wouldn't need to attend. She smiled and said, "Perfect—I've made you a new bamboo-green straight robe. You can wear it to the wedding banquet."

The invitation had come out of nowhere, and Zhao Ling didn't want Fu Tingjun to go either. He laughed, "See, having a wife really makes a difference. In the old days, I never had new clothes to wear to wedding banquets!"

Fu Tingjun shot him a sideways glare.

Zhao Ling then exclaimed, "Oh, I almost forgot—tomorrow is the tenth, and there's a lantern fair on West Street. Shall we go see the lanterns tomorrow?"

Fu Tingjun's eyes lit up.

She had last seen the lantern festival when she was seven or eight, perched on Xiuzhu's shoulders. What remained in her memory were the brilliant, star-like lanterns, the vendors calling out their snacks along the river, and the bustling, jostling crowds.

Then there was the time she had released a lantern with Zhao Ling on the Su Mu River outside Lecheng.

The lantern market in the capital should be even more lively, shouldn't it?

Besides, when she and Zhao Ling had just gone to Penglai Pavilion for a meal, the four-story, upturned-eave building, the furniture made entirely of rosewood, and the authentic calligraphy of Lin Bu hanging on the walls of the private dining room had all left a deep impression on her—not to mention the exquisite dishes, each as beautiful as a flower, served on small sweet-white porcelain plates, and the soft, melodious tunes drifting faintly from the neighboring room...

Following Zhao Ling, she would encounter many people and things she had never seen before, wouldn't she?

"Alright!" Fu Tingjun said, smiling as she looked at Zhao Ling. "Tell me, what should I wear?"