Chapter 257

The court and the inner chambers are the same—either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.

Lord Ji said dismissively, "This is other people's business. Why should we meddle so much?"

Madam Ji had already been brushed aside by Madam Yu earlier, and now her husband was accusing her of sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Her temper flared. "A thousand-li dike can collapse from an ant hole. I'm just worried that Grand Secretary Yu might not be judging people clearly. You didn't see it—when Madam Wu told me all this, she had a thoroughly gleeful look on her face. Inside and outside the capital, people like her are probably not few in number. If the Yu family still treats that Lord Fu as a guest of honor, won't they invite ridicule? You might be able to stand it, but I can't bear to lose face!"

Lord Ji felt his wife was overreacting today and smiled to soothe her. "It's not as serious as you make it sound. What hasn't Grand Secretary Yu been through? What kind of person hasn't he seen? He has his own judgment on this matter."

Madam Ji thought her husband's words made sense, and since it was indeed other people's business, her mood gradually calmed. She turned to speak of Shen Renshi: "...Whose connections did he use?"

Lord Ji smiled. "The connections of Zhao Ling, the commander-in-chief of Guizhou."

Madam Ji was stunned. "How is that possible?"

"Why not?" Lord Ji chuckled. "Apparently, he and Lord Zhao are co-brothers-in-law. It was Mrs. Zhao herself who personally delivered the recommendation for Lord Shen. The emperor gave the word, Qian Donglin rolled up his sleeves and went all out, and the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Liansheng, watched over the whole process from start to finish..."

Madam Ji was taken aback, then curled her lips in disdain. "Sworn sisters, I suppose?" She sighed. "People these days are becoming less and less particular. As long as they can get promoted and make money, they'll do anything. Shen Renshi, a civil official, actually forming kinship ties with a military officer. No wonder morals are declining. Take the Wu family, for instance—they're at least a third-rank vice minister. As long as they don't make mistakes, after a few years of grinding it out, they'd have a chance at becoming grand secretary. But instead, they sent their clan relatives to the Yu household as concubines! I don't know what she was thinking!" At this point, her expression suddenly froze, and she sat bolt upright from where she had been reclining against the pillow. "Husband, there's something strange about this!" Without waiting for Lord Ji to speak, she continued directly, "I know Mrs. Zhao. She's very low-key, rarely even leaves her house—truly the demeanor of a proper young lady from a great family. How is it that she suddenly seems like a different person, meddling in Lord Shen's affairs? And Lord Zhao isn't even at home! A woman of the inner chambers, running around everywhere—isn't that, isn't that too out of line?" She spoke with a face full of confusion.

Every day, countless people in the court schemed and calculated to get by. Lord Ji hadn't given much thought to the appointment of Shen Renshi, a lowly seventh-rank official, nor had he been particularly concerned about Madam Ji's worry that Lord Fu might drag down the Yu family and thereby affect him—after all, Lord Fu had risen through Grand Secretary Yu's patronage. He was Grand Secretary Yu's man. If he tried to climb a higher branch and change his allegiance, the scorn of the scholarly class alone would drown him.

But now, hearing his wife's words, he felt a knot tighten in his chest.

Indeed! On the surface, there was nothing remarkable about this, but upon closer reflection, every detail seemed strange.

If Shen Renshi and Zhao Ling were merely co-brothers-in-law through sworn sisters, and Shen Renshi was currying favor with a military officer and consorting with eunuchs, wouldn't he fear being spat upon by civil officials? Even if he secured the position of Left Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Personnel, without allies, could he hold his ground? If one enters officialdom but cannot rise, why enter at all? He might as well stay home and be a country farmer. Acting this way, didn't he fear being ostracized by his colleagues? Suppressed by his superiors? Cutting off his own future?

Could Shen Renshi really be such a fool?

Lord Ji pondered and couldn't help saying, "Could they really be co-brothers-in-law? But I've never heard of the Fu family having such a prominent relative. The emperor has always been especially fond of Zhao Ling. Wasn't it because of a single word from the emperor that Lord Fu's earlier appointment to a provincial post fell through? If such a connection existed, why didn't they use it back then?" The more he spoke, the more he felt like he was sinking into a fog. But he was an easygoing man—if he couldn't figure it out, he'd set it aside for now. He smiled and said, "I'll go ask Hao Jianfeng and see if he knows anything."

Previously, although Grand Secretary Shen concurrently held the position of Minister of Personnel, most of his energy was devoted to affairs of the Grand Secretariat, leaving the matters of the Ministry of Personnel to fall on Hao Jianfeng, the Vice Minister. Now, although Qian Donglin also concurrently held the post of Minister of Personnel, firstly, with his shallow seniority, he might not necessarily understand the affairs of the Ministry; secondly, having just taken office and been appointed Senior Grand Secretary, apart from Chen Danting, he was the youngest among them. It was impossible for the other Grand Secretaries not to have their own thoughts. Whether he could establish a foothold in the Grand Secretariat would depend on whether he could win the approval of the majority of Grand Secretaries within these three months. He would certainly focus his attention on the Grand Secretariat and have no time to attend to Ministry of Personnel matters. Thirdly, Lord Ji had never really taken Qian Donglin seriously before, their acquaintance being merely superficial. Now that Qian Donglin had been promoted to Senior Grand Secretary, the relationship naturally needed to be cultivated. However, with none of the Grand Secretaries having made any move, Lord Ji did not want to be the first to step forward and be mistaken for someone who "stoops and scrapes." The best option would be to approach Hao Jianfeng, with whom he had some friendship.

Madam Ji nodded, but felt a nagging sense of unease in her heart. Yet when asked why, she could not articulate it.

Meanwhile, when Madam Wu returned home and told Lord Wu about her visit to the Ji household, Lord Wu flew into a rage on the spot: "If you speak so vaguely and ambiguously, how is anyone supposed to know what you're trying to say?"

Madam Wu said with grievance, "But I can't just say whatever comes to mind! If it turns out the Zhao and Shen families don't have that kind of relationship, and Lord Zhao finds out, wouldn't he hold a grudge against us!"

She was indeed truly afraid of Zhao Ling.

Lord Wu pondered for a moment and came up with an idea: "Why don't you go directly to the Zhao residence? Tell Mrs. Zhao that you heard Madam Shen is her sister, and that the two families live next door to each other. Regardless of the circumstances, you should fulfill your duties as a host and invite Madam Shen over for a meal, as a welcome dinner for her. Then, while you're there, find out whether the two are sworn sisters or actual biological sisters. If they are real sisters, what is Mrs. Zhao's rank among her siblings? Then you can verify with Madam Ji afterwards. You can also take the opportunity to get closer to Madam Shen. One who does not plan for the future will surely have troubles in the present. Previously, I thought Qian Donglin and Chen Danting were still far from the third rank, so I didn't pay them much heed, but who would have thought that in the blink of an eye they'd enter the Grand Secretariat! At this point, it's too late to cozy up to them—all those good opportunities in the past have been wasted. And who can guarantee that Shen Renshi won't be the next Qian Donglin or Chen Danting?" He sighed and lamented for quite a while.

Madam Wu, however, was overjoyed to hear this: "You're so clear-headed, my lord."

The next day, she went to Fu Tingjun's residence.

When Fu Tingjun heard that Madam Wu wanted to host a welcome dinner for Third Cousin, she was extremely surprised.

Madam Wu had always enjoyed cultivating relationships with the powerful and influential, and Third Cousin's husband was merely a low-ranking official of the seventh grade...

She wondered what scheme Madam Wu was concocting this time.

She pondered and said with a smile, "Please don't trouble yourself. My sister is busy moving these days and is completely overwhelmed..."

"That's all the more reason to invite Madam Shen over for a meal," Madam Wu hastily interrupted Fu Tingjun's words. "That way, I can also legitimately congratulate Madam Shen on her housewarming." Her attitude was very resolute.

Fu Tingjun found it quite a headache.

What on earth was this Madam Wu trying to do?

The two of them went back and forth, neither able to convince the other.

Just then, Yuechuan rushed in: "Madam, Third Madam has arrived!"

Well, there she was, delivering herself right to their doorstep.

Fu Tingjun helplessly instructed Yuechuan: "Please invite Third Madam to the inner chamber to speak!"

Yuechuan acknowledged and left.

Madam Wu smiled and leaned in: "See, Madam Shen and I are destined to meet, aren't we?"

Fu Tingjun could only offer a faint smile.

Hurried footsteps were heard from outside.

"Quanhui!" Third Cousin lifted the curtain and entered with a grave expression. "Grandmother has passed away..." No sooner had the words left her mouth than she noticed that Madam Wu was also in the inner chamber, and hastily swallowed the rest of what she was about to say.

Fu Tingjun, however, was greatly shocked: "Third Sister, how did you find out? When we went back to Shaanxi last year, didn't everyone say she was doing well? How could she suddenly..." As she spoke, the kindly face of her grandmother surfaced in her mind, and her eyes reddened involuntarily.

Seeing Fu Tingjun's reaction, Third Cousin's eyes also grew red, but she said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward to greet Madam Wu with a bow: "You're here as well!"

Madam Wu, having heard only half the conversation, felt her spirits lift.

Grandmother had passed away, and Madam Shen had personally come to inform Madam Zhao. Madam Zhao immediately became grief-stricken upon hearing the news... This meant they were not sworn sisters, then?

Madam Wu, somewhat excited, returned the greeting to Third Cousin and asked with concern: "Has an elder in your family passed away? Is there anything I can help with? Where will the funeral be held? I'd like to send some offerings."

"No need." Fu Tingjun said, her spirits low. "It's too far, and I wouldn't want to trouble everyone. Once the funeral arrangements are settled, it won't be too late to ask for your help then."

Madam Wu naturally couldn't stay any longer. She said a few words of consolation, such as "Please accept my condolences" and "Be sure to let me know once the funeral arrangements are made," before taking her leave.

Third Cousin immediately took Fu Tingjun's hand. "It was Fifth Uncle's side that sent word of the death. Fifth Uncle has already begun drafting his petition for mourning leave. Your Third Brother-in-law thinks I should go back. I came to ask what you plan to do."

"Third Sister, please help me prepare a few tables of sacrificial offerings and send a pair of elegiac couplets on my behalf," Fu Tingjun said in a low voice. "The kindness she showed me in the past, I remember... So I won't return to Huayin. That way, the Fu family won't have to explain anything awkwardly. As for mourning, even though she no longer considered me her granddaughter, I will still observe the proper rites. Consider it my final act of filial piety toward her."

"That's a good idea." Third Cousin nodded upon hearing this. "I'll take care of the offerings and elegiac couplets for you."

Fu Tingjun then asked about Chunbing and Yuanxiao. "...Are they going back with you as well?"

"The weather is too hot, so I plan to have them stay in the capital."

"Then let them come stay with me for a while," Fu Tingjun said. "That way, Third Brother-in-law won't have to worry about two things at once—attending to his official duties while also looking after the two children."

Third Cousin thought for a moment, then said, "Let me go back and discuss it with your Third Brother-in-law first." She stood up. "I still need to hurry back and pack the trunks, so I won't say more for now. If anything comes up, I'll send word to you."

Fu Tingjun nodded and saw Third Cousin to the door.