Chapter 176

A Sen ground the inkstick while Fu Tingjun wrote a letter to her eldest uncle in the main hall of the southern wing. She then handed it to Jin Yuanbao. "The sooner this reaches my eldest uncle, the better. If it's too late, I'm afraid we'll miss all the excitement!"

"Rest assured, sister-in-law." Jin Yuanbao smiled. "I know exactly what to do."

Fu Tingjun nodded with a smile.

Zheng San hurried in. "Madam, Lord Fu from Sixi Lane has arrived!"

So soon!

Fu Tingjun and Jin Yuanbao exchanged a look that said "just as expected."

"Sister-in-law," Jin Yuanbao said in a low voice, "shall I accompany you to receive Lord Fu?"

But Fu Tingjun smiled and said, "No need. Go quickly and arrange for the letter to be delivered!"

Jin Yuanbao was quite surprised. "Sister-in-law, with an outsider present, Lord Fu will surely have some reservations..."

Though Zhao Ling had said nothing, Jin Yuanbao could still piece together from various clues how Fifth Master Fu felt about Zhao Ling and Fu Tingjun. With Zhao Ling present, things were manageable, but now that Zhao Ling was far away in Guizhou, Fifth Master Fu would inevitably put on the airs of an elder, and Fu Tingjun would certainly suffer for it.

Fu Tingjun shook her head upon hearing this, signaling him to say no more.

Jin Yuanbao's lips parted slightly, ready to persuade further, when Fu Tingjun's voice reached his ears: "Zheng San, go tell Lord Fu that our master is not at home, and there are only womenfolk in the household, so it's truly inconvenient to receive guests. If Lord Fu has nothing urgent, why not wait until our master returns to discuss it? But if there is something urgent—" She paused mid-sentence, then swept her gaze across everyone in the room, as if uncertain whom to entrust with the task, and said thoughtfully, "Then have Yuwei help relay the message!"

Far from going out to greet him, she was giving every appearance of not taking Fifth Master Fu seriously at all, as if she meant to slam the door in his face.

Everyone in the room was taken aback.

Jin Yuanbao called out anxiously, "Sister-in-law!" and said, "This might not be such a good idea..."

"What's not good about it?" Fu Tingjun smiled and cut him off before he could continue. "Fifth Master Fu is a Director of the Bureau of Appointments at the Ministry of Personnel, while our master is a Grand General who received the imperial decree to campaign against bandits in Guizhou. Civil and military officials walk different paths; we've never had any dealings with each other. If there's any connection between us, it's merely that we're both from Shaanxi. But how many people from Shaanxi are there in the court? I can't very well disregard the proprieties between men and women and appear in public to entertain every fellow townsman who comes calling, can I? That would be asking far too much!" With that, she winked at Jin Yuanbao and instructed Zheng San, "If Fifth Master Fu is displeased, you may relay my words to him verbatim. Fifth Master Fu comes from the Huayin gentry and is known for his strict adherence to family decorum—surely he will understand my reasoning."

Young Master Yu had gone to Sixi Lane, and there was no need to guess why—he surely intended to ask Fifth Master Fu to intervene, using filial piety to pressure her into dropping the matter.

How could she possibly let him succeed!

Hadn't Fifth Master Fu repeatedly declared that she was no daughter of his?

Fine then—she simply wouldn't be a daughter of the Fu family.

That being the case, if Fifth Master Fu came to see her, she would receive him in strict accordance with proper etiquette. Surely that couldn't be considered improper?

Fu Tingjun laughed coldly to herself.

Zheng San acknowledged with a smile and left.

"Sister-in-law's plan is excellent." A Sen clapped his hands in approval. "This is what they call turning his own weapon against him. Let's see if he dares to give you a cold shoulder again."

How could anyone talk like that?

Jin Yuanbao couldn't help but glare at A Sen.

A Sen stuck out his tongue and hid behind Fu Tingjun.

Fu Tingjun smiled and patted his shoulder, then said to Jin Yuanbao, "His words match my sentiments exactly."

Jin Yuanbao gave an awkward smile.

A Sen made a face at Jin Yuanbao.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside.

It seemed Fifth Master Fu was quite displeased with her words...

As Fu Tingjun pondered this, the noise drew closer and closer, and she could hear Fifth Master Fu's indignant roar: "...I'd like to see what you can do to me!"

"Sister-in-law!" A Sen nervously tugged at Fu Tingjun's sleeve, while Jin Yuanbao stepped forward several paces, shielding Fu Tingjun behind him.

A warmth spread through Fu Tingjun's heart. She reassured them, "It's fine! With Zheng San's skills, ordinary men are no match for him. He's merely restrained by Lord Fu's status and reluctant to block his way..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fifth Master Fu stormed in, bristling with rage: "Fu Tingjun, is this how a child treats her elder?" Behind him stood Zheng San, his expression awkward.

Fu Tingjun smiled and nodded at Zheng San, then looked toward Fifth Master Fu. "Lord Fu speaks strangely. Don't you have only one son and one daughter? According to your own words, your daughter passed away four years ago at Biyun Nunnery in Huayin. How is it that I suddenly became your daughter? Have you encountered something unclean these past days, that you speak such nonsense?" She then called out loudly for Zheng Sanniang and said, "Which temple's abbot did Madam Wu say was very efficacious the other day?" She pursed her lips at Fifth Master Fu, a trace of mockery showing between her brows. "Lord Fu, though your official duties are demanding, you must still take care of your health. In my view, you should find time to visit a temple and pay your respects, lest you be entangled by unclean things, bewitched and muddle-headed. If you make a mistake in official matters and lose your seat at the fifth rank, that would be a loss outweighing a gain. You know, that is a lucrative post—countless people have their eyes on it!"

"You—" Fifth Master Fu trembled with rage at her veiled insults, unable to speak for a long moment.

But Fu Tingjun paid him no mind, scolding Zheng San instead: "Didn't I tell you? When the master is away from home, how can I, a woman of the inner quarters, receive guests? Why don't you hurry and see Lord Fu out!" She added with complaint, "Really now, you're a servant—it's understandable that you don't know these rules, but Lord Fu is a graduate of the Hanlin Academy, most versed in laws and etiquette. Can't you be a bit more clever and ask Lord Fu for guidance?"

Zheng San naturally knew Fu Tingjun was putting on an act with him, and immediately assumed a wronged expression, saying with a bitter face, "Lord Fu is an honored guest—how would I dare to be presumptuous!"

"Nonsense!" Fu Tingjun pretended to put on a stern face and rebuked him: "Confucius said, 'When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher.' How is asking Lord Fu for instruction presumptuous?" She then wore a look of sudden realization. "Ah, I see—it must be because you saw Lord Fu fly into a rage at a servant over a trifle, forgetting his own dignity, and felt he lacked the bearing of a scholar, so you didn't dare humbly seek his guidance..."

"Enough!" Fifth Master Fu was so furious the blood rushed to his head. He bellowed, "Stop playing the fool! I've come today about the dissolution of your engagement with the Yu family. If you want to know, find a quiet place, and I'll tell you everything that happened back then, in full detail. If you don't want to know, I'll turn and leave..." He then looked Fu Tingjun up and down with some impatience. "And don't come to me again asking questions and crying injustice!"

For a quarter of an hour, Fu Tingjun truly wanted to do as Fifth Master Fu suggested—find a quiet place and have the whole matter of those years properly discussed. But when she saw the impatience on Fifth Master Fu's face, her heart seized.

If Yu Jingxiu hadn't intervened, would he have told her what happened back then?

The answer was obvious.

The initiative was now in her hands, yet whether it was Yu Jingxiu or Fifth Master Fu, though they both needed something from her, they still put on airs before her—one relying on his family's prominence, the other on being her father... Was it because of this that they had done as they pleased with her back then? Was it because of this that they had been willing to treat a life so carelessly?

A wave of sorrow washed over Fu Tingjun.

If not for Zhao Ling, the weeds on her grave would probably be taller than a person by now.

Yet to this day, they had never felt regret or guilt for what they had done, but instead blamed her for not knowing what was good for her, for insisting on uncovering the truth of those years!

Did she have no other way without them?

Images flashed through Fu Tingjun's mind: First Master Fu, her grandmother, Zuo Junjie, Zhao Ling, Yang Yucheng, Jin Yuanbao... Some people waited twenty years in injustice before being vindicated. Her grievance was only four years old, and all those involved were still alive. Besides, she had a husband and friends as close as siblings to help her. What did she have to fear?

Courage surged through her.

"If you have something to say, say it right here, Lord Fu!" She gazed at Fifth Master Fu with bright, piercing eyes, her expression carrying an unyielding resolve. "I have done nothing wrong—what is there that cannot be spoken of openly and honestly?"

Fifth Master Fu was taken aback.

Fu Tingjun stood there quietly, staring fixedly at him.

Her gaze was so bright, her expression so composed, as if she had everything well in hand and all was within her control.

Fifth Master Fu thought of what had happened back then... and felt a pang of guilt. He thought of Yu Jingxiu's visit... and his scalp went numb. He could only darken his face and bellow, "Is this how you speak to your father? Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues. Don't think that just because you have the emperor's backing, you can trample on the bond between father and daughter..."

When he needed her compromise, he was her father; when he didn't need her, she became a stranger!

Fu Tingjun flew into a rage: "Father? How dare you speak to me of father?" Her almond-shaped eyes blazed as she advanced step by step toward Fifth Master Fu. "Back then, when I prayed day and night in Biyun Nunnery, where were you? When Nanny Chen forced that medicine down my throat and I cried out for my father, where were you? When I went to find you, overjoyed, what did you say? When I knelt before you, begging you to acknowledge me, what did you say? Now that Zuo Junjie has fallen into my hands and Young Master Yu has gone rushing to you in a panic, you suddenly remember that you are my father? Is there such a thing under heaven? For these four years, I have wanted to know what truly happened back then—what could make a father sacrifice his own daughter. But I know even more clearly that if I want to uncover the truth of those days, I cannot be manipulated by anyone!"

Her eyes seemed to burn with fire, and wherever her gaze fell, it scorched like a blaze, making Fifth Master Fu instinctively want to flee. He retreated step after step until his back pressed against the pillar of the covered corridor. Only then did he realize how he had lost his composure. His old face flushed red, and he glanced around—only to see faces filled with contempt and disdain.

"Lord Fu," Fu Tingjun halted, maintaining a deliberately distant space between herself and Fifth Master Fu, and said coolly, "If you wish to tell me what happened back then but feel that your words might touch upon others' private matters, I can have them withdraw for the time being. But if you intend to lure me to some secluded place to listen to your nonsense, I'm afraid I haven't the time. I must ask you to take your leave!"