Chapter 237

Since it was a game of chess, how could it possibly be finished in just a moment?

Fu Tingjun pondered to herself.

Zhao Ling was about to leave for Guizhou to take up his new post. Teacher Yao had once assisted the Emperor in "clearing the court of malcontents," so he was surely a man of great strategy. Though they said they were playing chess, perhaps Zhao Ling had seized the opportunity to consult Teacher Yao on strategies for governing Guizhou... It would be best not to disturb them.

With this thought, she smiled and instructed the young novice who had come to deliver the message: "Go back and tell Lord Zhao that I will take this opportunity to accompany my fifth brother-in-law and fifth sister on a stroll around the temple. If he finishes his game, he can come find us then."

The young novice smiled and departed with the message.

Fu Tingjun quickly apologized to her fifth brother-in-law, saying, "That Teacher Yao is in retreat at the temple and has the temperament of one who has left the secular world—he does whatever comes to mind..."

Teacher Yao was someone whose scholarly title had been stripped by the late Emperor. In the past, no one thought much of it, but now that the current Emperor had ascended to the rightful throne, those close to the Emperor had become rather reticent about Teacher Yao. Many people didn't know who Teacher Yao was, and her fifth brother-in-law was among them.

He smiled nonchalantly and said, "No matter. Ninth brother-in-law must have found a kindred spirit." He added, "This is my first time at Tanzhe Temple. I heard of its fame back in Xi'an, and seeing it today, I must say it lives up to its reputation. Ninth sister, do you know of any good places to visit here at Tanzhe Temple?"

Fu Tingjun was grateful for her fifth brother-in-law's thoughtfulness and smiled as she introduced the temple's attractions: "...There are the upper and lower pagoda courtyards, where eminent monks of past generations are buried... The Guanyin Hall is where a princess of the previous dynasty took her vows... Behind the temple on the mountain are two springs—one called Dragon Spring, the other Hong Spring—and where the two converge is called Dragon Pool. The water from Dragon Pool is sweet, clear, and pure, with a reputation no less than that of Yuming Spring..."

If her fifth brother-in-law's earlier words had been mere pleasantries, now his eyes lit up with genuine enthusiasm for Tanzhe Temple. "Then we really must take a good look around." He glanced at Fu Tingjun's abdomen and hesitated slightly.

Fu Tingjun knew he was concerned about her pregnancy and not wanting her to overexert herself, so she quickly smiled and said, "I'll just have tea here. Fifth brother-in-law and fifth sister should go together. On ordinary days, Tanzhe Temple is packed with people—it's rare to have such peace and quiet today."

Both her fifth brother-in-law and fifth cousin-sister were tempted, yet still hesitant.

Fu Tingjun knew they were worried about her, so she smiled and said, "I'll rest right here in the hall, and Yuwei will be looking after me. It's no trouble."

Though the opportunity was rare, Fifth Sister looked at Fu Tingjun's slightly rounded belly and declined: "...Husband, you go ahead! I'll stay here with Ninth Sister and have a good heart-to-heart chat." She added, "Tanzhe Temple is so vast—with the back mountain and the pagoda courtyards, just thinking about it makes my legs ache. I won't go."

Since his wife was tired, Fifth Brother-in-law didn't insist.

Fu Tingjun had Zhenzhu pass word to the guest monk to arrange a young novice to guide her fifth brother-in-law, while she, Fifth Sister, and Yuwei had tea in the side hall.

The winter sunlight was mild, but the side hall was spacious and the light didn't reach inside, making it rather cold.

Yuwei was about to instruct a novice to bring in a brazier.

"Never mind!" Fu Tingjun laughed. "This hall is too large—even if we brought a brazier in, it wouldn't do much good."

Yuwei thought that was true, so she took off her fur-lined jacket. "Drape this over your knees! That will keep you warmer." Looking up and seeing Fifth Cousin-Sister sitting nearby, she quickly instructed the young maid beside her to find a padded jacket—"...for Fifth Madam to drape over herself as well."

"No need for all that trouble." Fifth Cousin-Sister smiled. "I'm not like Ninth Sister—I don't have two lives to worry about."

It was indeed a bit cold sitting here, and just drinking tea wasn't really the best way to pass the time.

Seeing the bright sunshine outside, Fu Tingjun thought for a moment and smiled. "Fifth Sister, the Guanyin Hall isn't far from here. Since it's where a princess of the previous dynasty practiced her devotions, there's a century-old camellia tree at the entrance. I reckon it should be in bloom right about now. Shall we go take a look together?"

Hearing that it wasn't far, Fifth Cousin-Sister readily agreed.

Yuwei then helped Fu Tingjun along, and they all went to the Guanyin Hall, not far to the east.

Perhaps because there were so few visitors today, the entrance to the Guanyin Hall was deserted. The camellia tree, as tall as a person, was covered in red blossoms the size of bowls, their weight bending the branches low. Behind the tree stood a grove of emerald bamboo, making the flowers seem even more brilliantly red, like fire.

Fifth Cousin-Sister was delighted at the sight. "How beautiful! This is the 'Zhuangyuan Red' variety, isn't it?"

"Exactly right." Fu Tingjun chatted with Fifth Cousin-Sister. "How did you know it's called Zhuangyuan Red? I remember back home you never cared much for flowers and plants—when did you develop such an interest?"

"It's all your brother-in-law's doing." Fifth Cousin-Sister laughed. "That year when your brother-in-law sat for the provincial examination, Mother-in-law somehow got hold of a pot of Zhuangyuan Red camellias, saying it was to bring your brother-in-law good luck, and asked me to help take good care of it..."

The sisters' conversation turned to Fifth Brother-in-law's scholarly pursuits: "...I can see that Fifth Brother-in-law is refined in speech and a man who loves reading. Could it be that too many household affairs are draining his energy?"

"My father-in-law thinks the same way, which is why I've had the opportunity to manage the Yao family's affairs." Fifth Cousin smiled bitterly. "Your Fifth Brother-in-law is indeed a scholarly man, but he's read so much that he can't help being bookish. His examination essays often take unconventional paths that don't quite please the chief examiners..."

"I see."

Meanwhile, Yuwei and the others, seeing that the sisters were sharing intimate words, tactfully kept their distance, standing about two zhang away from them.

Fifth Cousin's words became more direct: "But I think it's better this way... That year when Third Brother-in-law passed the imperial examination, before he even entered the capital, Third Sister's mother-in-law was already arranging to take a concubine for her son. She said that since Third Sister had to stay home to serve the elders, manage the household, and raise the children, Third Brother-in-law couldn't very well serve as an official away from home without someone to look after him. If she hadn't passed away early, Third Brother-in-law's chambers would have long been occupied by someone else..."

As she spoke, an unusual rustling sound suddenly came from the bamboo grove behind Fu Tingjun.

She couldn't help but turn her head.

She caught a flash of water-green silk.

Fu Tingjun's expression darkened. "Who's there?" she called out.

The person in the bamboo grove hesitated, not coming forward.

Yuwei and the others, hearing the commotion, had already begun to gather around.

The bamboo leaves rustled as a woman draped in a lake-green silk cloak and wearing a water-green Xiangjiang skirt stepped out timidly, her head lowered.

Fu Tingjun breathed a sigh of relief.

At least it wasn't some lecherous man!

Yuwei and the others also relaxed their expressions somewhat.

The woman bent her knees and gave Fu Tingjun a blessing salute.

"Mrs. Zhao," she murmured, "I didn't mean to... I was originally burning incense in the hall, and when I saw people coming, I wanted to avoid them... Who would have thought... that you'd be sharing such private words... I just wanted to stay out of the way..."

Her words were somewhat jumbled, but Fu Tingjun understood what had happened.

Looking at the woman before her—her black hair pinned up with only a silver hairpin, no other ornaments on her person, and though her clothing was of decent material, it was half-old, in a style from several years past—Fu Tingjun judged her to be a woman from a fallen household. But since arriving in the capital, she had never had dealings with such people... Fu Tingjun couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Do you know me?"

At these words, the woman raised her head.

She had delicate features and a very pretty appearance. But she was terribly thin, which made her eyes seem especially large, giving her a pitiful look.

It seemed like she had seen her somewhere before?

Fu Tingjun smiled apologetically. "Forgive my poor eyesight—I can't recall at the moment which household you belong to..."

At this, the woman's face flushed red, and she murmured something in response.

Unfortunately, her voice was too soft—Fu Tingjun hadn't heard a word. Seeing that the woman seemed very introverted and shy, Fu Tingjun smiled brightly and asked again, "You're so quiet, sister—I didn't catch a single word you said."

The woman's expression grew even more embarrassed, but her voice was a bit louder this time: "This one's surname is Wu—I'm a relative of Madam Wu's..."

Fu Tingjun suddenly understood: "So you're Miss Wu!" But before the words had even left her mouth, she remembered that Miss Wu was now Yu Jingxiu's concubine, making the address somewhat inappropriate. She smiled and said, "So Concubine Wu has also come to Tanzhe Temple to burn incense?" She couldn't help but find it a little strange—why would the Yu family come to Tanzhe Temple at this hour? And it was somewhat vexing, always running into members of the Yu family at Tanzhe Temple...

Concubine Wu stammered out an acknowledgment.

Fu Tingjun had no intention of dealing further with anyone from the Yu family. She shot a glance at Fifth Cousin, then smiled and nodded at Concubine Wu. "Concubine Wu, please go about your business—we'll be on our way."

But Concubine Wu's expression froze, and her gaze fell on Fu Tingjun's abdomen. Instead of answering, she said, "Mrs. Zhao, you're... you're with child again!" Her tone carried a note of envy.

Fu Tingjun smiled and nodded.

Fifth Cousin, however, felt that the woman before them seemed somewhat unhinged. She stepped forward two paces to stand in front of Fu Tingjun, then took her arm and began backing away.

Though Concubine Wu's eyes were fixed on Fu Tingjun, they were dull and lifeless, her whole demeanor somewhat dazed—as if she hadn't noticed Fifth Cousin shielding Fu Tingjun and leading her away. Suddenly she said, "My child... is gone..." And two streams of tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

Fifth Cousin was also a woman who managed a household, and she could tell at once that there was a story behind this.

Her scalp went numb. She signaled Yuwei with her eyes to protect Fu Tingjun while hurriedly pulling Fu Tingjun toward the exit. As they walked, she asked, "Whose concubine is this?"

Yuwei and the others had already surrounded them before Fifth Cousin even gave the signal, forming a protective circle around Fu Tingjun and Fifth Cousin.

"She's Yu Jingxiu's concubine!" Fu Tingjun recalled the things Zhao Ling had told her, and looking at Concubine Wu's state, she too felt that something was off about her. She followed Fifth Cousin as they hurried away.

"Ah!" Fifth Cousin stopped in her tracks, staring at her in astonishment, her mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg.

Yuwei, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow and turned to glare at Concubine Wu.

"Kyoto is only the size of a palm," Fu Tingjun said with a smile, pulling Fifth Cousin along as they walked away. "Besides, this Concubine Wu is a relative of Lord Wu's household, which happens to be next door to mine. It's hardly surprising that we know each other!"

"Then why don't you move somewhere else?" Fifth Cousin frowned. "You're fine porcelain and she's a clay pot—it's not worth getting into a dispute with her."

Fu Tingjun knew that Fifth Cousin was worried that someone might see through her connection to the Yu family and ruin her reputation.

"Why should I be the one to move?" she said with a dismissive laugh. "I haven't stolen anything or robbed anyone. If anyone should move, it ought to be them!"

Fifth Cousin's lips parted slightly, as if about to say something, but behind them came Concubine Wu's voice: "Mrs. Zhao, please, wait a moment!"