Chapter 174

"There are no parents who are not in the wrong, and no children who are not in the wrong either." Fu Tingjun stood beneath the grape trellis in the courtyard, gazing at the fiery sunset clouds on the horizon, and said calmly, "Besides, that Young Master Yu, being the heir to three branches of the family, should be all the more cherished. If he wished to break off the engagement, even if the elders were unwilling, with enough clamoring and threats, there would always be ways to make them yield. Yet he chose a devious path and resorted to such a scheme that endangered lives..." She mused, "And what of the two masters of the Fu family? They have served as officials abroad for many years, are well-traveled and knowledgeable, and are thoroughly familiar with the laws of this dynasty. How could a few words from Young Master Yu have frightened them into helpless submission, obediently taking orders from a mere stripling? That defies all reason!"

Jin Yuanbao, standing beside her, raised an eyebrow at her words and said hesitantly, "What is your meaning, sister-in-law?"

"I think the only way to unravel this mystery is to work through Zuo Junjie." Fu Tingjun said, turning to smile at Jin Yuanbao. "So I'd like to ask Uncle Jin for a favor—no matter what, we must not let anything happen to Zuo Junjie. As long as Zuo Junjie is in our hands, whether we confront the Yu family or seek an explanation from the Fu family, they will have to tread carefully..."

"Rest assured, sister-in-law." Jin Yuanbao hastily made a bow to Fu Tingjun. "As long as I, Jin Yuanbao, am alive, Zuo Junjie won't have a chance to slip through our fingers."

Seeing his solemn expression, as if he were swearing a life-or-death oath, Fu Tingjun felt uneasy.

Man proposes, heaven disposes. Who could say for certain how such matters would turn out? He had already helped her so much—how could she bear to add to the weight on his shoulders?

"How could Zuo Junjie compare to Uncle Jin's precious life?" She laughed. "Uncle, please don't say such things—it makes us seem distant. If I were to ask for your help again in the future, I'd feel uneasy about it."

Jin Yuanbao realized his expression had been too grave, and smiled sheepishly at her words, changing the subject: "Sister-in-law, do you plan to go to Sixi Hutong first? Or to the Yu residence first? I hear the Yu family lives on Jiajie Lane off Chang'an Avenue—it takes a good half hour by carriage from here. Yang Yucheng is keeping watch here, so nothing will go wrong. As it happens, I have a few days off—why don't I drive the carriage for you and show you the way? You'll have an extra hand at your disposal!"

He was worried she might encounter danger, wasn't he?

Fu Tingjun felt grateful, and Jin Yuanbao's concerns were not without merit—this matter was so strange, who knew what else they might run into?

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Fu Tingjun smiled and shared her plan. "I intend to have A Sen go to the Yu residence early tomorrow morning to deliver a letter to Young Master Yu, inviting him to meet at the Dongshun Teahouse nearby. I'll take the opportunity to clarify a few things. When the time comes, I'll certainly need both uncles to be present to help me speak a few words."

Jin Yuanbao was somewhat surprised. "Won't you go to Sixi Hutong first?"

After all, that was her father...

"No need." Fu Tingjun said coldly. "If the master still cherished any father-daughter affection, even if he had been forced to plot my death initially, when I didn't die and came to his door, he should have privately acknowledged me... But the master has repeatedly driven me away, time and again. Even Ninth Master has suffered on my account. Clearly, in the master's heart, I have long been an outsider. Now that we've finally captured Zuo Junjie, going to him for help would be handing him a handle against us—how is that different from digging our own grave?" She added, "Whether it's the Yu family or the Fu family, we must be on our guard!"

Without the consent of the Fu family elders, even if Young Master Yu had three heads and six arms, he could not dissolve the engagement.

Jin Yuanbao had harbored some doubts when he first heard of this matter, but out of respect for the father-daughter bond between Madam Fu and her father, he had refrained from voicing them. Now seeing that Fu Tingjun had come to this realization herself, he couldn't help but let out a long, relieved sigh, and laughed, "I'll be staying at home these few days. Once you've set the date, sister-in-law, just have A Sen come and call for me."

The two discussed a few more details before returning together to Shijia Hutong.

Fu Tingjun bathed, sorted through her thoughts, and by the bright candlelight wrote a letter in the study, concisely relaying Zuo Junjie's words to Young Master Yu and requesting a face-to-face meeting.

A Sen received the letter and rose early the next morning. As he was dressing, Yanqing rushed in: "Second Young Master, Second Young Master! Someone's outside—he claims to be Yu Jingxiu, and he wants to see the mistress."

A Sen was startled. He hastily fastened his lapels and hurried out the door: "Let's go, let's go see!"

On the way, he nearly collided with Zhenzhu, who was carrying hot water to attend to Fu Tingjun's morning toilette.

"Where is Second Young Master off to in such a hurry?" Zhenzhu muttered. "So early in the morning..."

"Go quickly and tell sister-in-law that Yu Jingxiu has arrived." A Sen tossed back these words without turning his head, and strode out through the hanging-flower gate in three quick steps.

Zhenzhu hurried to inform Fu Tingjun.

Fu Tingjun was taken aback. She had Zhenzhu notify Jin Yuanbao on one hand, and called for Yuwei to help her wash and dress on the other.

"What is he doing here?" Fu Tingjun sat before the mirror, gazing at the woman with slightly furrowed brows reflected in it, puzzled. "By all rights, he shouldn't have learned so quickly that Zuo Junjie is in our hands!"

"Could it be about something else?" Yuwei offered half-hearted reassurance. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. After all, this is our home. He's just a guest—no matter how overbearing he might be, what can he really do? There's no need to worry. Once you meet him, you'll naturally find out."

"It can't be about anything else!" Fu Tingjun shook her head gently. "He reacted this quickly—it's clear Zuo Junjie's concerns weren't unfounded."

She changed into an ordinary rose-colored plain Hangzhou silk robe, gathered her jet-black hair into a peony bun, and adorned it with a double lotus flower pin before heading to the reception hall in the southern wing.

Jin Yuanbao was receiving the guest on Zhao Ling's behalf.

He was a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six, handsome of face and tall of stature, wearing a slightly worn sky-blue Hangzhou silk robe. His eyes blazed with intensity, and he radiated vitality—bright and gentle as sunlight.

Fu Tingjun was somewhat surprised.

She had never met Yu Jingxiu before.

Whenever the Fu family mentioned him, they always spoke of how devoted he was to his studies and how distinguished his ancestry was—but they had never mentioned that he was also striking in appearance and dignified in bearing.

Yu Jingxiu, seeing Fu Tingjun enter, gave a subtle flicker of his eyes.

He had seen Fu Tingjun once when he was young.

At that time, she had been sitting in his family's flower hall, head down, eating Goubuli steamed buns.

She had been tall, fair, and plump.

He had fled in a panic.

But now, her figure was still tall and willowy, her skin still fair and delicate as fine jade, her curves graceful as mountain landscapes—yet in his eyes, tempered by the passage of time, she had become enchanting, alluring, radiant and beguiling.

For some reason, Yu Jingxiu smiled wryly to himself.

But he quickly realized his lapse in composure, reined in his emotions, and rose with warmth tempered by reserve, taking the initiative to exchange pleasantries with Fu Tingjun. "You must be Mrs. Zhao? I am Yu, given name Jingxiu, courtesy name Depu, from Fengle Ward in Nanjing. Our families have been friends for generations, after all. It's just that I was devoted to my studies before, and afterward occupied with official duties, so I fear I've been somewhat remiss in social obligations. Had it not been for Madam Fu's passing—when I went to pay my respects and discovered that Lord Zhao and Mrs. Zhao had set up an altar for her—I might never have known that Mrs. Zhao had come to the capital! I had long wished to call upon you, but then Lord Zhao left the capital, which made it inconvenient. Only yesterday did I hear that your household had been visited by thieves, and thinking that Mrs. Zhao was home alone and might need assistance, I hurried over." He smiled amiably at Jin Yuanbao. "Little did I expect that Lord Zhao, concerned for his wife's safety, had already arranged for brothers to stay in the residence. I'm afraid I was rather slow to catch on."

His speech was gentle and cordial, his smile open and easy—the very picture of a cultivated gentleman.

Fu Tingjun's heart tightened.

If she had harbored any lingering doubts about Zuo Junjie's words before, after hearing Yu Jingxiu speak, she no longer had any.

Zuo Junjie had been captured by them, and Yu Jingxiu had fearlessly followed right on his heels, even mentioning their visit to pay respects to her mother. Clearly, this Young Master Yu had been watching her for at least half a year. And the fact that he only appeared after Zuo Junjie's exposure revealed the depth of his cunning...

Fu Tingjun let out a cold laugh.

When dealing with someone like this, the best approach was to seize the initiative. Otherwise, if he gained the upper hand, she might fall into his trap without even realizing it...

"The fact that my husband and I went to pay respects to my mother is something you know about, Lord Yu," she said, her gaze sharp as a blade. "I hadn't realized you kept such close watch over my husband—that every move he makes is under your nose. No wonder you knew about our household being robbed right away!"

Her sharp words were so at odds with her delicate appearance that a flicker of surprise crossed the young master's face. He quickly said, "Mrs. Zhao misunderstands. Learning of your visit to pay respects to Madam Fu was merely a coincidence. As for the robbery at your home, it was because the commotion two nights ago was quite loud—everyone in the capital was talking about it..."

"In that case, I must thank Lord Yu for his concern." Fu Tingjun was not buying it. She said coldly, "Fortunately, the thieves were discovered early, and the household suffered no great loss. Lord Yu can rest easy. When my husband returns, I will be sure to convey your concern." She straightened in her seat, her eyes fixed directly on the young master's, and spoke word by word. "Speaking of which, the thief is someone Lord Yu knows as well. His name is Zuo Junjie—he's related to our family by marriage. According to him, he met Lord Yu once four years ago and was instructed by you to falsely accuse me of having an improper relationship with him, all to achieve the goal of breaking off the engagement. I was quite astonished to hear this and was just about to go ask Lord Yu about it. But imagine my surprise—no sooner did you hear of the robbery at our house than you came rushing over. It seems Lord Yu is quite anxious about this matter as well..."

She had spoken so plainly that she expected Young Master Yu to be greatly shocked or flustered, or at the very least, somewhat embarrassed. To her surprise, Young Master Yu merely smiled slightly and said, "Mrs. Zhao and the book have hit the nail on the head. When I heard that Zuo Junjie had fallen into your hands, I was frantic with worry and rushed over immediately. However, I came not for my own sake, but for the dignity of both our families!"

Fu Tingjun sneered contemptuously.

Young Master Yu, however, paid it no mind, smiling gently like the warm spring breeze in March. "You must understand, the annulment of this engagement is not something I alone can decide. There are certain matters that Mrs. Zhao should consult your esteemed father about." With that, he shifted his tone, half serious and half teasing: "Of course, to be honest, I truly do not wish to form a marriage alliance with the Fu family, but not because of Mrs. Zhao's doing. Rather, it is because I deeply despise the two masters of the Fu family and have no desire to have such elders..." His every gesture and expression exuded an indescribable ease and freedom.