Chapter 250

"Did you find out anything?" Madam Yu asked her husband urgently.

Grand Secretary Yu remained silent, casting a cold, stern glance at Yu Jingxiu before saying in a low voice, "Let's talk in the study."

Madam Yu quickly followed Grand Secretary Yu toward the study.

Yu Jingxiu, however, felt a sudden pang of unease, a foreboding sensation rising within him.

Once inside the study, Madam Yu helped Grand Secretary Yu change his clothes. Father and son took their seats according to rank, a young maid served tea, and Madam Yu dismissed the attendants, closed the door herself, and sat down beside Grand Secretary Yu.

Only then did Grand Secretary Yu speak: "Do you know who Third Cousin of the Fu family married?"

Madam Yu was taken aback.

What did this have to do with the Fu family?

The Fu family was far away in Huayin, and the engagement between their families had long been called off. How would she know who Fu Tingjun's Third Cousin had married?

"I hadn't paid attention to that," Madam Yu said. "Should I go inquire—Madam Wu lives next door to the Fu woman!"

Yu Jingxiu, however, jumped to his feet: "Could it be that this Shen Renshi is the husband of the Fu woman's Third Cousin?"

When he had lured Zuo Junjie into giving false testimony, he had investigated the Fu family thoroughly.

Fu Tingjun's Third Cousin, in order to marry a man with scholarly honors, had become the second wife of a widower. He vaguely remembered that the widower's surname seemed to be Shen...

Seeing his father nod in confirmation, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Impossible! Impossible!" Yu Jingxiu exclaimed. "Back then, I investigated all of the Fu family's in-laws. They were merely called a family of officials in an obscure place like Huayin—in the past fifty years, none of their relatives had produced an official above the third rank, let alone had any powerful backing at court. Otherwise, I would never have dared to move against the Fu family..."

Before he could finish, he heard Grand Secretary Yu give a cold "hmph" and say sternly, "You foolish boy! You dare bring up that matter again!"

Yu Jingxiu quickly stopped speaking, but his face flushed crimson, still wearing an expression of utter disbelief.

Seeing this, Grand Secretary Yu's anger flared, his face turning pale: "That Shen Renshi is indeed the husband of the Fu woman's Third Cousin. He went through the Fu woman's connections—when the Emperor summoned Qian Donglin and Chen Danting, Shen personally spoke to Qian Donglin. Qian Donglin, eager to repay the Emperor's favor, threw himself into the fray. Fearing his position was unstable after just entering the Grand Secretariat, he even brought Grand Secretary Shen along to the Ministry of Personnel..." At this point, he grew greatly exasperated and sneered, "I've seen people with poor table manners, but never anyone as graceless as Qian Donglin—a Grand Secretary, fawning and flattering to such a degree, not even handling his own duties first, but rushing to help the Emperor solve his problems... One can only imagine what kind of Grand Secretariat this will be in the future..."

Yu Jingxiu knew that his father's complaints all stemmed from losing the position of Left Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel this time... Even when Grand Secretary Shen had been Senior Grand Secretary, he had only occasionally paid lip service to the Emperor's wishes, yet no one had dared to be negligent with matters the Emperor assigned.

Madam Yu, however, cared nothing for these matters. All she knew was that Fu Tingjun had now stepped forward to help her third brother-in-law snatch away the lucrative post that should have gone to her son.

"How is this possible?" She was utterly shocked, shaking her head repeatedly. "No, impossible! She's just a woman—what ability does she have to influence affairs at court... If Zhao Ling were home, that would be one thing, but Zhao Ling is in Guizhou now..."

"This news came from the Hall of Heavenly Purity; there can be no mistake." Grand Secretary Yu couldn't figure it out either, and he analyzed, "Since the Emperor personally arranged her marriage to Zhao Ling, it's clear the Emperor favors Zhao Ling greatly. The Fu woman's ability to pass messages to the Emperor is most likely through Zhao Ling's influence..."

"Then what do we do now?" Madam Yu was more concerned about her son's future. "Are we just going to let it go? Is there any room for change?" Having been married to Grand Secretary Yu for many years, coming from a prominent family, and holding the title of First-Class Lady, she was not without insight. Since the Ministry of Personnel had already issued the official document, there was no possibility of reversal, yet she still clung to a sliver of hope and couldn't help asking her husband.

"I remember now," Yu Jingxiu suddenly realized from the side, "that Shen Renshi was in the same examination year as me—thirteenth in the second tier..." At this thought, he felt both shame and anger. He had been the top scholar (zhuangyuan) of that year, with three ancestors who had served as Chancellors of the Imperial Academy, and his father was a Grand Secretary. Who did this Shen Renshi think he was? Just a country gentleman from Hancheng, barely scraping into the third tier as a jinshi... How dare he compete with him, and actually push him out... "Mother!" He stood up indignantly. "It's merely a sub-seventh-rank position in one of the Six Ministries. If I don't get it, so be it. The Messenger Office is also a place that produces talent—not to go far back, Grand Secretary Shen and Grand Secretary Tian both started as messengers in the Messenger Office. Within two years, I'll be promoted."

Madam Yu's greatest worry was that her son would become despondent because of this, so she quickly said, "That's the right way to think. What figure in history ever achieved fame without facing some setbacks!"

Grand Secretary Yu frowned, hesitating as if he wanted to speak but held back. After a moment of silence, he said, "Why don't you go to the Censorate? Serve as a touring censor. For one, you can take this opportunity to learn more about the people's conditions; for another, you can meet some people... Although serving in the Messenger Office means constantly attending to the Emperor, water can carry a boat but also capsize it. You already have this experience; if you achieve some tangible results, with my support, your promotion will come faster."

Yu Jingxiu was stunned.

Was his father really so pessimistic about him?

Did he have to rely on his father to get promoted?

But looking at his father's grim expression, and thinking about how the loss of the position of Left Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Personnel was inextricably linked to him, he couldn't help but tightly close his mouth and seriously consider his father's proposal.

His father had entered the Grand Secretariat from the position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and had deep connections there. His successor, Ye Bi, although having a rift with his father, had retired last year due to illness. The current Left Censor-in-Chief had once been his father's subordinate...

Yu Jingxiu respectfully bowed to his father: "I will follow your arrangements, Father."

Grand Secretary Yu nodded and said, "This matter is just our plan for now... Go rest! As for the Left Supervising Secretary position in the Ministry of Personnel, don't dwell on it."

Yu Jingxiu understood that his father was warning him not to publicize their intention to secure the Censorate position, nor to complain about losing the Left Supervising Secretary post—after all, their interest in that position had merely been an idea. If word got out, everyone would know they had failed to secure the appointment. Some were already gloating over Grand Secretary Yu losing his position as Chief Grand Secretary; if they learned he couldn't even secure a minor 7th-rank position for his son, there would surely be those who would kick a man when he's down.

He respectfully acknowledged, "Yes," and withdrew.

But in his heart, he wondered why his father had become so cautious. Was there something he was hiding?

Thinking of this, he stopped and asked Mo Yan, who followed behind him, "Where is Mr. Huang now?"

Mr. Huang was Grand Secretary Yu's advisor.

Mo Yan quickly said, "I'll go find out right away."

"No need," Yu Jingxiu said thoughtfully, "I'll go to the side courtyard to find him." With that, he hurried off to the side courtyard.

In the study, Madam Yu, having recovered her composure, asked Grand Secretary Yu with concern, "Depu is already 7th-rank. Is even a lateral transfer so difficult?"

In front of his wife, Grand Secretary Yu no longer concealed anything. He said gravely, "What I fear is that Madam Fu won't let this go—sometimes what's said to be good doesn't come to pass, but what's said to be bad often does."

"Surely not!" Madam Yu retorted, though she half-believed it. "Are we just going to let her hold us by the throat like this?" Then she pleaded with Grand Secretary Yu, "Hurry and think of something! This concerns Depu's future!"

"I know." Grand Secretary Yu's eyes flickered. "I was just about to ask someone to find out how Fu Tingjun managed to petition the Emperor."

...

In the main hall of the inner courtyard on Shijia Hutong, Seventh Brother-in-law laughed heartily and cheerfully: "So it was Teacher Yao who directly petitioned the Emperor?"

Although she hadn't obtained the go board, she had bought a rare edition from the previous dynasty—a handwritten copy of the Lotus Sutra by the eminent Master Huiwu of that era. This delighted Fu Tingjun greatly.

After dinner, Third Brother-in-law and Seventh Brother-in-law were still in high spirits, moving to the inner courtyard hall for tea, chatting with Fu Tingjun and Third Cousin, who had also dined in the inner courtyard, about the day's events.

"If it weren't so, how could Grand Secretary Qian be so assertive?" Third Brother-in-law laughed, his brows raised with enthusiasm. "He's borrowing the tiger's might—Grand Secretary Shen has been entrenched in the Ministry of Personnel for years, and his own foundation is unstable, so he's using this opportunity to establish his authority..."

"If anyone objects, they can just invoke the Emperor's name," Seventh Brother-in-law chimed in with a chuckle before Third Brother-in-law could finish. "Then anyone who dares to question it will find themselves caught between two fires!" He gave a thumbs up. "This Grand Secretary Qian is no simple man!"

"Who among those who become Grand Secretaries is simple?" Third Brother-in-law said dismissively with a smile. "Still, Grand Secretary Qian is indeed a formidable figure. Chen Danting once served as magistrate in Pingxiang, which borders Huguang. The Emperor's former residence was there, so it's somewhat fate that he caught the Emperor's eye. But for Grand Secretary Qian to enter the Grand Secretariat directly from the position of Hanlin Academy Chancellor—that's not something just anyone could accomplish."

"Doesn't the Hanlin Academy Chancellor also hover right under the Emperor's nose every day?" Seventh Brother-in-law laughed. "Anyway, I think if you want to be promoted, you need to make sure the Emperor remembers you exist..."

As the two discussed major court affairs, Third Cousin noticed Fu Tingjun sitting quietly listening and, fearing she might be bored, smiled and interrupted: "Court affairs are endless to discuss. It's getting late—Ninth Sister still needs to go to Tanzhe Temple tomorrow. Let's call it a night! She should rest early."

"Look at us, once we start talking, we just can't stop!" Seventh Sister's husband said, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly as he stood up. "Let's call it a day then! Once Third Sister's husband is settled in, I'll come by again for a drink."

"You're welcome to come for a drink anytime—why wait until I'm settled!"

With laughter and chatter, everyone headed back to their own homes.

That night, Fu Tingjun wrote a letter to Zhao Ling without delay, telling him everything she had heard, and ending with the question: "Should I submit a secret memorial to thank His Majesty?" Then early the next morning, she summoned Zheng San and instructed him to deliver the letter to Lin Chi: "Tell him it's a matter of urgency, and ask Master Lin to do us a favor—the sooner it reaches Guizhou, the better."

Zheng San acknowledged the order and left.

Fu Tingjun sat down for her morning meal, leaving Yuwei at home to care for the children, and took Zhenzhu with her, preparing to go to Tanzhe Temple.

But Yuechuan came in to report: "Madam, there's a young novice monk who says he's from Tanzhe Temple and wishes to see you!"

Fu Tingjun was quite surprised and quickly had Yuechuan bring the young novice in.

The novice respectfully bowed to Fu Tingjun and said, "I serve Master Zhenghe. The Master said he already knows the full story. Since you have just completed your month of confinement, it's not suitable for you to be traveling about. You should rest well at home—there's no need to come to him. When Lord Zhao returns, have him come keep the Master company over a game of chess."