Chapter 178

Although she had long anticipated that Yu Jingxiu would turn to Zuo Junjie after being rebuffed at her door, Fu Tingjun was still taken aback when it actually happened.

She looked Jin Yuanbao and the others up and down as she asked urgently, "Are all of you unharmed?"

"Fine, fine!" A Sen said with a grin. "We caught the ones who came sneaking around and gave them a thorough beating in the cellar. They either ended up with broken arms or broken legs—they took a real loss. In the end, we even kept two of them as witnesses. This time, they're probably in for serious trouble."

Yu Jingxiu's family had disciples and old connections throughout the realm; two mere hired hands wouldn't wound Yu Jingxiu where it truly hurt. A Sen was still young, and Fu Tingjun and Jin Yuanbao were not as optimistic as he was, but Jin Yuanbao still added, "Rest assured, sister-in-law. No matter how Yu Jingxiu plays his hand, we hold the moral high ground in every matter. He'll have a headache dealing with that." Then he continued, "We captured Zuo Junjie the day before, and Yu Jingxiu came calling the very next day. I figured he must have people watching us, so on the night he came, I arranged to move Zuo Junjie elsewhere. Even if he digs that courtyard three feet deep, he won't find Zuo Junjie."

Fu Tingjun breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Yucheng sneered, "He probably saw that we've been busy discussing wedding arrangements these past days, so he chose this moment to strike. The question is whether he wants to silence Zuo Junjie or snatch him away."

"Killing a man is far simpler than snatching one, so naturally he wants to silence him!" Jin Yuanbao said. "Otherwise, if it alerted the Shuntian Prefecture or the Five City Military Patrol, even with the Yu family's influence, under the emperor's very nose, it would be a serious mess." Then he laughed and said, "Whether he wants to silence him or snatch him, what matters now is telling Zuo Junjie about this so he doesn't treat Yu Jingxiu like some savior. If it ever comes to a court confrontation, at least he won't switch sides at the critical moment!"

Neither of them said where Zuo Junjie was hidden, and Fu Tingjun didn't ask—some things are better left unknown.

As they spoke, a commotion arose from outside.

Fu Tingjun assumed Fifth Master Fu had come to make a scene again. She had already instructed Zheng San and the others to simply shut the main gate and ignore him, so she didn't pay it much mind and continued speaking with Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng. "Be careful. Since Yu Jingxiu could send people to deal with Zuo Junjie, he might also send people to cause trouble for you." She also instructed A Sen, "Don't go to the academy these next few days. I'll ask for leave from your teacher on your behalf. Just stay home and review your lessons—wait until this blows over."

Jin Yuanbao nodded in agreement, but Yang Yucheng said dismissively, "He probably doesn't know what we do for a living. The men he sent were quick enough, but compared to those of us who once lived on the edge of a blade, they fall a bit short. Otherwise, his men wouldn't have ended up beaten senseless by us."

A Sen also said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. We're tougher than him and his bookish friends."

Hearing this, Jin Yuanbao shot them both a glare and said, "Sister-in-law's words make sense. Just do as she says—caution is the mother of safety!"

Yang Yucheng was about to retort when a man's voice tinged with amusement suddenly reached their ears: "What's happened? That you're all discussing 'caution is the mother of safety'?"

The familiar voice stirred everyone in the room.

"Ninth Master!" Fu Tingjun murmured as she stood up, tears blurring her vision in an instant.

Meanwhile, A Sen, Jin Yuanbao, Yang Yucheng, and the others crowded around him, both startled and delighted.

"Ninth Master, when did you return?"

"Didn't you say you'd only march back to the capital in mid-May? Why are you back at the start of April?"

"Has something changed with the campaign in Guizhou? Or did His Majesty have some instruction?"

Everyone asked questions in a flurry, their concern plain to see.

"The campaign went quite smoothly," Zhao Ling said with a smile, answering the crowd, but his gaze turned toward Fu Tingjun—so earnest, so focused, as if she were the only person in the world, as if his words were meant only for her. "It was originally scheduled for mid-May, but His Majesty had matters to inquire about, so I volunteered to return to the capital early."

Fu Tingjun blinked hard, trying to stop the tears from streaming down, but her eyes grew moist nonetheless, her face glistening with wetness.

Eleven months and three days of separation, over three hundred days and nights of longing...

She smiled and lowered her head, quietly dabbing at the tears at the corners of her eyes, then called out loudly to Zheng Sanniang: "Hurry to Penglai Pavilion and order a feast to be brought back!"

...

The night had grown deep, yet a lamp still burned in the inner chamber on the east side of the main hall.

The dim yellow light seeped through the window lattice papered with Korean paper, warm and serene.

Zhao Ling gently stroked his daughter's soft black hair, a hint of melancholy on his face. "When I left, she was still like a little kitten. Now she's all grown up and neat, but she doesn't recognize me."

Fu Tingjun, who was sitting across from him mending his socks, couldn't help but smile behind her hand. She paused her needlework and said, "She was only shy at first. Later, didn't she cling to your arm and refuse to let go?"

Otherwise, why would Youyou be resting here?

Zhao Ling laughed. "That's true. Once she knew I was her father, she didn't want anyone else—only me!" As he spoke, his brows lifted slightly, revealing a hint of pride.

This boyish side of Zhao Ling made Fu Tingjun chuckle softly.

"Don't wake the child!" Zhao Ling said in a hushed voice, unable to tear his eyes away from his daughter's face even for a moment. "Look at her—she's so beautiful... Her little cheeks are rosy, and her eyelashes are thick, long, and curled, arching like little fans..." He leaned down and kissed Youyou's cheek.

Disturbed from her deep sleep, Youyou pouted her lips in displeasure.

Zhao Ling looked as if he'd discovered something rare. Though eager, he kept his voice low as he said to Fu Tingjun, "Look, look—she's furrowing her brow." Then he marveled, "How is she so clever? She knows everything!"

Who wouldn't furrow their brow and pout when disturbed from sleep?

Everything he said was nonsense!

Fu Tingjun barely restrained herself from dousing her husband with cold water, but her heart felt sweet.

"Get some rest!" she said, tidying up her needlework. "You've been traveling day and night without getting off your horse, and tomorrow you still need to go to the palace..." Her voice trailed off, and her expression turned hesitant.

Seeing this, Zhao Ling took Fu Tingjun's hand. "I'll stay here with Youyou tonight. You go sleep in the side room!"

Fu Tingjun—she was still in mourning!

"Ninth Master!" Her face flushed crimson, and she felt a pang of guilt.

Zhao Ling cupped her face and gave her a feather-light kiss on the cheek. "Go now, before I can't hold back... and we end up making a spectacle of ourselves..."

Fu Tingjun's face burned hot as she turned and hurried into the side room where Youyou was settled.

After Madam Fu's death, she had been grief-stricken. Worried for her health, Zhao Ling had her wean Youyou, and the wet nurse continued to feed the child. The following month, her monthly cycle had returned...

She lowered her head to look at her chest, fuller than before her marriage, and her waist, still as slender as a willow branch... She gritted her teeth and made up her mind, walking to the door—only to hesitate and slump back down on the edge of the bed.

"Ah Jun!" Zhao Ling's sigh came from the inner room. "Stop pacing back and forth—you're making my heart restless. I have no time tomorrow, but the day after, I'll find a moment in the morning to go to Shuntian Prefecture and sound out the prefect's stance first."

Fu Tingjun gasped, jumped onto the bed, and pulled the covers over her head.

It was too, too embarrassing...

She felt her entire body burning.

After the midday meal, they drank tea in the main hall. Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng recounted everything that had happened over the past few days to Zhao Ling in full detail.

When he heard that Yu Jingxiu was involved, Zhao Ling wasn't particularly surprised. He simply nodded slightly and said with penetrating insight, "That explains everything." Fu Tingjun was nearly driven mad—if not for the presence of Jin Yuanbao and the others, and her concern for Zhao Ling's dignity, she would have rushed over, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded to know what else he knew.

At the thought, Fu Tingjun felt a fresh surge of irritation.

After the evening meal, Jin Yuanbao and the others retired to their rooms early. She had wanted to properly question Zhao Ling, but he had pulled her into his arms and showered her with kisses, making her forget all about it...

Fu Tingjun shyly turned over and hugged Youyou's little pillow to her chest.

...

Early the next morning, after seeing Zhao Ling off, Fu Tingjun sat before her vanity mirror doing her makeup. No matter how she looked at herself, she thought she had dark circles under her eyes.

Zhenzhu held the mirror while Yuwei held the lamp. They both looked left and right but couldn't see any dark circles.

"Is that so?" Fu Tingjun murmured. "Could I have been seeing things?"

Yuwei rarely made a witty remark: "A woman adorns herself for the one who delights in her. You're so concerned, madam—it must be because Ninth Master has returned!"

"Nonsense!" Fu Tingjun was always casual with Yuwei and spat at her playfully. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

The maidservants in the room all covered their mouths and giggled.

Fu Tingjun was mortified.

Kou'er hurried in, looking somewhat flustered. "Madam, there's a man outside claiming to be your eldest uncle. Zheng San told him you don't see anyone from the Fu family, but he said he's come all the way from Jinhua..."

The letter had only been sent four or five days ago, and her eldest uncle had already rushed over...

Fu Tingjun's heart tightened. She instructed Kou'er to invite First Master Fu to the southern hall for tea, while urging Yuwei to hurry with her makeup. Within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she was fully dressed and on her way to the southern hall.

Members of the Fu family, whether male or female, were exceptionally handsome. Compared to Fifth Master Fu, First Master Fu was in no way inferior in appearance and bearing, though he carried an extra layer of sternness that seemed to emanate from the very depths of his bones.

Seeing Fu Tingjun, he let out a soft sigh.

"I still remember when you were little—you and your sisters were practicing calligraphy in the waterside pavilion. When guests arrived at the house, the nannies led you all to the garden to play. The other children obediently followed their nannies to the garden, but you alone ran straight up to Nanny Chen, insisting on knowing exactly why you couldn't stay in the pavilion, and only then did you go to the garden." First Master Fu stood there quietly, a hint of regret in his expression. "At the time, I thought to myself, how stubborn this child's temper is. I even told your Eldest Aunt about it, asking her to temper your disposition. Who would have thought that over a decade later, you'd still have the same temperament? Truly, one can change mountains and rivers, but never one's nature!"