Chapter 179

There's such a thing!

Fu Tingjun was quite surprised.

She didn't remember any of that at all.

First Master Fu looked at her and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Did you think the legacy of a family was such a simple matter? You girls were raised by us like orchids—afraid the wind would blow too hard on you, afraid the rain would soak you..."

Fu Tingjun fell silent.

What was the use of talking about it now? Could they go back to how things were before?

She gestured toward the teacup in front of First Master Fu and said, her mood somewhat low, "It's some fine Maojian tea that my husband brought back from Guizhou. Please have a taste, Uncle."

Sensing that Fu Tingjun didn't want to pursue that topic, First Master Fu also lost interest. He picked up the teacup and took a few sips—he couldn't really taste anything—but still politely praised it as "good tea."

Like the calm before a storm, Fu Tingjun also exchanged pleasantries with him. "I thought it would be some time before we heard news from you, Uncle. I never expected you to come in person. Have you had the chance to see Lord Fu?"

Addressing her own father as Lord Fu made Fifth Master Fu's brow twitch slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Then, as if something occurred to him, his gaze dimmed. After a moment of silence, he said, "I received your father's letter at the start of the new year. I originally planned to send Fugui over to check on things, but after much deliberation, I felt it was better for me to come myself..."

Fu Tingjun was taken aback. "Didn't you come because you received my letter?"

First Master Fu also looked surprised. "You sent me a letter some days ago?"

The two stared at each other.

Fu Tingjun then recounted the whole sequence of events to First Master Fu, not omitting the fact that Yu Jingxiu had sent people to the cellar where Zuo Junjie was hiding.

The more First Master Fu listened, the tighter his brow furrowed. By the end, he could barely contain his anger.

He took several gulps of tea, and his expression eased slightly.

"There are no parents in this world who are wrong. Your father was certainly at fault, but your temperament is far too stubborn as well." First Master Fu offered a brief assessment, then paced back and forth across the hall with his hands clasped behind his back for quite some time before stopping to ask her, "When will Lord Zhao return?"

Men handle external affairs; women handle domestic ones.

Although this matter involved Fu Tingjun, she was already a married woman, and for such a major issue, it was only natural to consult her husband.

Fu Tingjun understood this in her heart, but having always been one to discuss matters with Zhao Ling on equal footing, she still felt a bit choked before saying, "My husband received the imperial summons yesterday and returned to the capital. He went to the palace this morning to report to His Majesty, and after leaving the palace, he still needs to go to the Ministry of War and the Five Armies Supervisory Office. He probably won't be home until very late. I'll send a servant to inform him—if he can come back earlier, he'll hurry home as soon as possible..."

"Nonsense!" Before she could finish, First Master Fu cut her off with a stern rebuke. "The affairs of state take precedence over personal matters. How can you delay official business for private concerns?" Having delivered this admonishment, First Master Fu suddenly realized he had overstepped his bounds—Fu Tingjun was, after all, no longer a member of the Fu family... He paused, then softened his tone slightly. "In that case, I'll come back to visit once Lord Zhao has finished his official duties!"

Just leave like that?

Fu Tingjun had still hoped that seeing First Master Fu would reveal the truth, and she had intended to argue with him about her eldest sister-in-law's faults...

She couldn't help but block First Master Fu's path. "Uncle, if my husband were to follow his original schedule and only return in May, would you wait in the capital until May?"

First Master Fu was momentarily stunned.

Fu Tingjun continued, "The situation between me and the Yu family has become irreconcilable. I've been thinking—if Yu Jingxiu doesn't give me an explanation within the next couple of days, I'll go make a scene at Grand Secretary Yu's residence. At worst, we'll all lose face. After all, the Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager already know about my situation. But the Yu family is different—Young Master Yu is the heir to three branches of the family, and he's currently serving in the Messenger Office, with a bright future ahead of him, just at the very beginning of his official career. And since my husband is someone close to the Emperor, I imagine Grand Secretary Yu will give the matter careful consideration."

The Messenger Office handled the delivery of imperial edicts, investitures, and similar matters. Though its rank was not high, its officers served directly at the Emperor's side. And Yu Jingxiu, being a top-ranked scholar (zhuangyuan) who concurrently held the position of Seventh-Rank Compiler, could well be appointed as a vice minister in one of the Six Ministries if he were fortunate enough to win the Emperor's favor.

"Are you threatening me?" First Master Fu's shock turned to fury.

You can use the Yu family to threaten me—why can't I use the Yu family to threaten you?

Fu Tingjun sneered inwardly, but her words were sincere and candid: "I ask that you set aside these petty squabbles, Uncle. This matter has left me no choice but to fight. Surely you wouldn't have me sit back and wait for my own destruction?"

First Master Fu was speechless.

Fu Tingjun stood there as still as a tree, waiting patiently.

After a long while, First Master Fu sank dejectedly into the armchair, looking as though he had aged ten years in an instant. He said in a low voice, "Open the doors and have all the household servants retreat to a distance of ten feet."

Fu Tingjun rejoiced inwardly, but maintained her composure as she gave the orders.

During this time, First Master Fu's expression had been tinged with hesitation.

Could it be that this involved some unsavory matters from the older generation, which was why he couldn't speak openly in front of her, a younger member of the family?

If he couldn't speak in front of her, could he possibly speak with confidence in front of Zhao Ling?

I'm afraid that seeing Zhao Ling would only lead to another round of verbal sparring.

Fu Tingjun grumbled inwardly, but she knew this was a rare opportunity. She stepped forward a few paces and stood meekly before First Master Fu, hoping that this would reduce his resistance somewhat.

"Eldest Uncle..." she called out softly.

"Oh!" First Master Fu looked up as if waking from a dream, looking at her as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Fu Tingjun waited quietly.

First Master Fu let out a soft sigh and turned his face away.

"The imperial examination fraud case of the Bingchen year, twenty-third year of the Xiping reign, implicated a large number of people who could have gone down in history," he said in a heavy voice. "Among them were Zhuo Tingyi, who later became the emperor's military advisor, and Liu Shutong, who was famous for taking exams on behalf of others..."

Within the short span of half a month, this was already the second time she had heard someone mention the fraud case of the Bingchen year and the name Liu Shutong.

Fu Tingjun was somewhat surprised, but she listened even more attentively.

"That Liu Shutong was originally from a prominent official family in Minnan. He had a reputation for literary talent from a young age. After that great calamity, he couldn't help but become cynical and took up the business of taking exams for others. Yet he set a rule that he would not act unless offered several hundred thousand taels of silver. Despite this, people still came to seek his help, and he even succeeded. For a time, Liu Shutong's reputation soared among the scholarly community. The Yu family was determined to have Young Master Yu carry on the family legacy, so they spent a fortune to hire Liu Shutong to teach Yu Jingxiu the art of writing examination essays..."

With a buzzing sound, as if something had swept through Fu Tingjun's mind, but when she tried to discern what it was, it vanished without a trace.

She couldn't help but look up in astonishment, only to see First Master Fu's bitter face: "It turned out that Yu Jingxiu accidentally discovered that the essay that earned Fifth Brother the title of top scholar that year was actually a practice piece by Liu Shutong..."

"How could this be?" Fu Tingjun shrieked.

It was as if something had collapsed, making her legs go weak. She staggered and fell into the armchair beside her.

"How could this be?" she murmured, looking toward First Master Fu as if seeking help.

But First Master Fu had his eyes tightly shut.

As if by doing so, he could deny the matter altogether.

For a moment, the hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

"Now you know why, don't you?" After a long while, First Master Fu opened his eyes and said in a hoarse voice. "Do you still insist on going to the Yu family to demand an explanation?"

"I will go!" Fu Tingjun said loudly, springing to her feet. Her fair face was flushed red with indignation. "I will not only go to the Yu family to demand an explanation, but I will also go to the Fu family to demand one." She stared unblinkingly at First Master Fu, fire seemingly burning in her almond-shaped eyes. "Even so, the two families are bound by marriage—when one suffers, both suffer; when one prospers, both prosper. Why must they drive me to death? Was this your decision, Eldest Uncle? Or Lord Fu's? Or perhaps Grand Secretary Yu's?"

She pressed on relentlessly, question after question, leaving the guilt-ridden First Master Fu flustered and embarrassed. Feeling that his dignity had been violated, he flew into a rage and said angrily, "How dare you speak to your elder like that? Fifth Brother never expected Yu Jingxiu to be so ruthless—when threats failed, he directly incited Zuo Junjie to stir up trouble. By the time I learned the truth of the matter, there was no other way..." Seeing Fu Tingjun's eyes redden with urgency, as if she might devour him, his heart trembled and his momentum weakened by a fraction. Then, remembering that it was he who had ordered the medicine to be administered to Fu Tingjun, and that not only had she survived but was thriving even more, his momentum weakened by another fraction. And when he recalled that his mother had always praised Fu Tingjun as a woman of good fortune, and that the Yu family had made the betrothal precisely because of this—he was a man who believed in fate and following heaven's will, thinking this was Fu Tingjun's destiny—his momentum weakened yet again, and his voice dropped accordingly. "As for your eldest cousin-in-law... a chaste widow who preserves her virtue for thirty years and is over fifty years of age can only then petition the court... I have already had your Eldest Aunt place her under house arrest..."

After using her, they would use her eldest cousin-in-law too!

In the end, they simply wanted to gain without effort.

Fu Tingjun laughed in extreme anger: "How thoughtful of you! You killed me, and now you want to place eldest cousin-in-law under house arrest. Could it be that the men of the Fu family have grown accustomed to earning their reputation through women? When I was falsely accused, not only did you fail to come to my rescue, but you even had Eldest Aunt administer the medicine to me. Even if this was Lord Fu's decision, as the head of the family, you should have disciplined your younger brother and looked after your niece. Yet to this day, you still believe that everyone else is at fault and you bear no blame at all..."

She thought of the first time she met Zhao Ling, and the trace of disdain that flashed in his eyes when he heard she was a daughter of the Huayin Fu family.

So he had known all along.

The only ones who didn't know were those of them trapped in the middle of it all.

Fu Tingjun rose to her feet, her spine as straight and tall as a birch tree as she strode out, calling loudly for Zheng San: "Show our guests out!"

Zheng San, however, approached with a peculiar expression on his face: "Madam, Grand Secretary Yu from Jia Street has sent his chief steward, Yu Huaian, with a visiting card. He says the purple magnolias at his residence are in full bloom and he would like to invite Ninth Master and you to enjoy the flowers at his estate early tomorrow morning."

Yesterday Yu Jingxiu had failed to seize her by force, and today Grand Secretary Yu was already sending an invitation for the just-returned Zhao Ling and her to come appreciate flowers... They certainly moved quickly!

"What did you say?" First Master Fu, who had rushed out intending to reprimand Fu Tingjun, was overcome with a mix of surprise and delight. He hastily asked: "Yu Huaian personally delivered the visiting card inviting your master and mistress to view flowers at his estate?"

Zheng San glanced at Fu Tingjun. Seeing that her expression was as stern as still water, yet she showed no sign of objection, he nodded to First Master Fu.

First Master Fu hurriedly admonished Fu Tingjun: "This is a golden opportunity—don't do anything rash! Zhao Ling has returned victorious, and when it comes to rewarding his merits, the Grand Secretariat must still convene to deliberate..."