Chapter 238

Fu Tingjun turned around in surprise and saw Concubine Wu chasing after her, panting heavily.

"Mrs., Mrs. Zhao," her eyes were red, her face pleading as she looked at Fu Tingjun, "I, I wanted to say a few words to you... Just a few words!"

Fu Tingjun thought of the sorrow in Concubine Wu's voice when she said "my child is gone," and hesitated for a moment.

Fifth Sister-in-law watched and inwardly cried "trouble."

Ninth Sister had always been soft-hearted since childhood, but this soft-heartedness needed to be timed appropriately. Such secret matters were not something even relatives should meddle in, let alone matters of the Yu family.

A concubine's son had died... good riddance! Better yet, if the legitimate wife's son had died too.

That Yu Jingxiu was vicious and cunning—may he die without descendants, and that would be justice!

She stepped forward and grabbed Fu Tingjun's hand: "It's getting late, let's hurry back to the side hall! Otherwise, Ninth Master and the others will finish their chess game and have to search everywhere for us!" She didn't even glance at Concubine Wu.

"Mrs. Zhao!" Concubine Wu called out urgently, tears streaming down her face, "I know you are a good person. I, I just have something I want to ask you for advice. I beg you..." As she spoke, her knees bent as if she was about to kneel.

Yuwei stamped her foot in frustration.

Looking at her mistress's expression, she seemed somewhat soft-hearted. If Concubine Wu actually knelt down, even if her mistress wanted to let the matter go, it would be hard to refuse.

Quick-witted and quick-moving, she rushed forward in three steps and, before Concubine Wu's knees could touch the ground, helped her up: "Concubine Wu, please don't do this. You are a concubine of the Yu family—how could we let you bow so formally to our mistress?" Then she added with pointed meaning, "Is Concubine Wu here alone to burn incense? Why is it that I don't see your personal maids or attendants? Should we help you find them? It's freezing cold out here—it wouldn't be good if Concubine Wu caught a chill!"

As if she hadn't understood Yuwei's implication, Concubine Wu nodded gratefully toward Yuwei and explained: "Today is the death anniversary of my child. I reported to Madam Yu, and she specially arranged for a carriage to send me to Tanzhe Temple to offer incense for the child. The weather is too cold, so I sent my personal maids and attendants to rest in the side rooms," she said, glancing at Fu Tingjun, "I wanted to be alone for a while, to say a few words to the child..." The pleading in her eyes grew even stronger.

Fifth Sister-in-law cursed inwardly, "What bad luck."

Look at the day she had chosen...

"My sister is with child," she said bluntly, not knowing that Concubine Wu's child had been miscarried, "Since you're performing a memorial rite, it's better to keep your distance!" With that, she tugged at Fu Tingjun to leave.

Concubine Wu's tears fell in a cascade.

Yes, a miscarried child was an evil spirit—if it disturbed Mrs. Zhao's child, that would be terrible.

She lowered her head: "Mrs. Zhao, I'm sorry, I didn't think it through... I truly didn't mean any harm..." Her face was already filled with guilt.

Fu Tingjun sighed, reached back to hold Fifth Sister-in-law's hand, and said, "Let me say a few words with her."

"Ninth Sister," Fifth Sister-in-law furrowed her brows, "That's a matter for the Yu family—what does it have to do with us? Not taking this opportunity to stir up trouble against that Yu Jingxiu is already repaying evil with good. Now you want to meddle in the affairs of their family's concubine..." She grew anxious, "Be careful—I'll go tell Third Sister!"

A warm current flowed through Fu Tingjun's heart.

"I know." She said softly, "I'll just say a few words with her in front of the main hall. Nothing will happen." With that, she squeezed Fifth Sister-in-law's hand tightly before letting go, and said to Concubine Wu, "Follow me." Then she walked toward the camellia tree.

Concubine Wu was startled, and forgetting her tear-streaked face, hurriedly followed.

Fu Tingjun stopped beneath the flower tree, smiled, and pointed at her face: "Did you bring a handkerchief? Wipe your tears, won't you? The weather is cold—if water stays on your face, it's easy to get frostbite."

Hearing this, Concubine Wu's tears, which had just stopped, fell again. Smiling, she answered "Yes," and quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her face.

Only then did Fu Tingjun say: "Did you hear clearly what my Fifth Sister said just now?"

Concubine Wu hesitated for a long while before gently nodding, murmuring: "Is it because I'm a concubine..."

"That's not it." Fu Tingjun said frankly, "Logically speaking, even if you are a concubine, considering that Madam Wu and I are neighbors, if you had something to ask me, I should still look after you a bit. But there are some things you don't know—I have a rift with the Yu family..."

"Ah!" Before she could finish speaking, Concubine Wu let out a startled cry, "How, how could that be?"

She gaped at Fu Tingjun, frozen for a long time.

Fu Tingjun couldn't help but laugh at herself inwardly.

It was because she sensed Concubine Wu's inexplicable goodwill toward her that she decided to give Concubine Wu an explanation.

But even so, when Concubine Wu heard that she had a rift with the Yu family, she still looked utterly incredulous.

"Fifth Sister was right—what did the Yu family's affairs have to do with her? No matter how pitiable Concubine Wu was, she was still a member of the Yu household. By acting this way, wasn't she just like Mr. Dongguo, the foolish scholar who showed kindness to a wolf?"

For a moment, Fu Tingjun felt disheartened.

"Your matters are really not something I should be listening to," she said, nodding to Concubine Wu before turning to leave.

But her sleeve was caught by a pair of hands as thin as bamboo: "Mrs. Zhao, wait a moment!"

She had already said everything that needed to be said. This Concubine Wu was simply too tactless! It was a waste of her good intentions to give her a proper explanation.

Fu Tingjun suppressed her displeasure and turned around.

"Mrs. Zhao," Concubine Wu's pale face flushed with an unnatural redness, and her eyes sparkled with an unusual brightness, "thank you, thank you for treating me this way."

Fu Tingjun was quite surprised.

Concubine Wu continued: "That lady was right. You didn't have to concern yourself with my affairs at all, yet you spoke to me frankly... Though I may be somewhat dull, I can recognize your kindness." She smiled, and her melancholy face brightened like a flower meeting the sun. "Mrs. Zhao, you are a good person. If the Yu family has a rift with you, then clearly they are in the wrong. Good people will be rewarded—you will surely enjoy fortune and honor, and your household will be blessed with peace." She bent her knees in a curtsy to Fu Tingjun. "One who does not know cannot be blamed; please forgive my earlier rudeness. It's getting late, and I should be going—my maids and servants are still waiting for me in the side chamber." With that, before Fu Tingjun could respond, she gave another blessing curtsy and hurried toward the moon-gate in the east.

Who would have thought that Concubine Wu would conclude that because she thought Fu Tingjun was a good person, the Yu family's rift with her meant the Yu family was in the wrong!

She had no connection with the woman—how could she have decided that Fu Tingjun was a good person?

Watching Concubine Wu's retreating figure, Fu Tingjun opened her mouth as if to speak, then stopped.

Even if she called her back and asked for the reason, what use would it be?

Would it mean she could then take charge of the woman's affairs?

Fu Tingjun sighed and returned to Fifth Sister's side.

"What did you talk about with that concubine?" Though Fu Tingjun's voice was neither loud nor soft, Fifth Sister and the others were too far away to hear clearly even when straining their ears. Fifth Sister was worried that Fu Tingjun might have made some promise to Concubine Wu.

"Nothing much," Fu Tingjun said. "I told her frankly that I have a rift with the Yu family and it wasn't convenient for me to listen to her."

Hearing this, Fifth Sister's tense heart relaxed, but she still said: "Why bother saying so much to her? In the future, stay as far away from such matters as possible. Those who know you will say you're simply kind-hearted; those who don't will think you're trying to stir up trouble in the Yu household! Don't let yourself get dragged into it. Understand?"

"I understand, I understand." Fu Tingjun quickly smiled and assured Fifth Sister. "Next time, I won't say another word to anyone in their family."

"Remember what you've said." Fifth Sister repeatedly admonished her, then went with Fu Tingjun to the side hall in the back.

Before long, Fifth Brother-in-law returned.

He asked: "Has Ninth Brother-in-law not come back yet?"

"Not yet," Fu Tingjun said with a smile.

Fifth Brother-in-law was filled with regret: "If I'd known, I would have wandered around longer!"

Fifth Sister glared at him upon hearing this: "Ninth Brother-in-law entrusted you to look after Ninth Sister. Ninth Sister, worried you'd be bored, asked a young monk to show you around the temple, and here you are complaining. If I'd known, I should have made you stay here and listen to our idle chatter."

Fifth Brother-in-law didn't argue, only smiling somewhat sheepishly.

Fu Tingjun felt that Fifth Sister was being too hard on her husband, so she quickly said: "Fifth Brother-in-law, where did you visit today? Was it enjoyable?"

"Tanzhe Temple truly lives up to its reputation as an imperial temple." Fifth Brother-in-law had a wealth of impressions to share after his tour, and Fu Tingjun's question hit just the right spot. His brows lifted with animation. "The pagodas in the upper and lower pagoda courts stand like a forest—the earliest one dates back to the Jin Dynasty. Among them is a stele inscription of majestic solemnity that captures the very essence of Liu Zhenqing's calligraphy. I made a rubbing of it..." He raised his voice to call for his personal attendant to bring in the rubbing he had just made to show Fu Tingjun. "...I plan to research it when I get home and determine whose calligraphy it is!"

Fifth Sister knew her husband's passion well, and she was skilled in calligraphy herself. Hearing this, she came forward with Fu Tingjun to look.

The side hall immediately became lively.

Had Yuwei not been keeping a careful watch, they might not have noticed when Zhao Ling returned.

On the way back, Zhao Ling laughed and said: "Fifth Brother-in-law and Fifth Sister are truly kindred spirits."

Fu Tingjun pursed her lips in a smile and told Zhao Ling about her encounter with Concubine Wu that day.

Zhao Ling said the same as Fifth Sister: "We don't go looking for trouble with them—they should be burning incense and thanking the gods for that. And yet they dare to come looking for you..."

Fu Tingjun noticed a flicker of coldness in his eyes and knew he was angered, so she quickly said, "She's just a concubine, what would she know? Besides, you're about to leave for Guizhou. It's better to focus your thoughts on the war situation there. Don't bother with these messy affairs. Didn't you say you trust me? I'll handle it properly." She then added, "What did Teacher Yao discuss with you today? Did you ask Teacher Yao for his views on the situation in Guizhou?"

"I only played chess with Teacher Yao; we didn't discuss anything else." Zhao Ling smiled and pulled Fu Tingjun into his arms, saying, "Sometimes saying too much isn't a good thing."

"Always so mysterious and enigmatic." Fu Tingjun nestled comfortably in his arms, murmuring softly.

Zhao Ling smiled. "After the New Year, Lord Wu Xin from Shaanxi might send his steward to pay respects at our home. If he brings any gifts, just accept them."

"What scheme is this now?" Fu Tingjun said. "Why would Lord Wu send us gifts?"

"It's nothing much." Zhao Ling said casually. "I helped him with a small matter. Being too rigid and upright only makes people keep their distance. Just do as I say. At worst, if he needs something, we can return the favor accordingly."

Matters outside were Zhao Ling's domain, and besides, what he said made perfect sense.

Fu Tingjun nodded and began discussing Teacher Yao's chess skills with Zhao Ling.