Chapter 258

While Fu Tingjun and her sisters were discussing matters, Madam Wu was walking out accompanied by Zhenzhu.

Her eyes flickered slightly as she asked Zhenzhu, "Madam Shen is ranked third, while your mistress is ranked ninth, yet they're only about ten years apart. Are they full sisters or cousins?"

Madam Wu was a frequent visitor, and since Fu Tingjun had made no effort to conceal anything, Zhenzhu had no idea that Madam Wu was merely testing her. Without the slightest suspicion, she smiled and said, "Madam Shen and our mistress are cousins!"

"I see!" Madam Wu's heart was pounding wildly, but her face remained calm and composed. "I thought as much—Madam Shen and your mistress don't look very much alike!" She then sighed and added, "Now that Grand Madame of the Fu family has passed away, your mistress will have to return to Huayin together with Fifth Master Fu, won't she?"

Zhenzhu would not engage in gossip about her master's household affairs.

She smiled and escorted Madam Wu to the hanging flower gate.

Madam Wu was greatly excited.

Zhenzhu had not denied it.

That meant Fu Tingjun was indeed the daughter of Physician Fu, the Ninth Miss of the Fu family.

She did not go home but went straight to Madam Ji's residence.

"Let me tell you something," she whispered mysteriously into Madam Ji's ear. "It turns out that Madam Shen and Madam Zhao are cousins—Madam Shen is ranked third, and Madam Zhao is ranked ninth." She then covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed. "This time, Lord Shen has really come up in the world!"

Madam Ji had been smiling demurely, but her smile froze on her face, and her almond-shaped eyes grew wider and wider. "What did you say? Madam Zhao is ranked ninth? Then wouldn't Madam Zhao be the Ninth Miss of the Fu family?" At this, she couldn't help shaking her head. "No, no! She must be from a collateral branch."

Madam Wu's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "Not a collateral branch—they're cousins within the third degree of mourning."

Madam Ji's expression suddenly turned very strange, and in the conversation that followed, her answers were off-topic and distracted.

Madam Wu had gotten what she wanted and took her leave with a satisfied smile.

Madam Ji, however, spent the entire afternoon restless in her room. The moment she heard that Lord Ji had left his office, she hurried to the hanging flower gate.

Lord Ji's expression was somewhat grave. Before Madam Ji could speak, he said, "Let's go back to our room first. I have something to tell you."

Madam Ji's heart tightened. She quickly followed Lord Ji into the inner chamber and dismissed the servants attending them.

"Madam Zhao and Madam Shen are cousins within the third degree of mourning," Lord Ji said with a grim face once the door was closed. "Physician Fu of the Ministry of Personnel is Madam Zhao's biological father..."

"So it's true!" Madam Ji listened, looking utterly dejected. "I knew it—back then, Madam Yu had taken a liking to the Ninth Miss of the Fu family because she was robust and healthy, good for bearing children, and since the Fu family was a distinguished clan of Huayin, they were sure to pay attention to health and longevity. Why would she suddenly pass away just like that..."

When Lord Ji saw that Madam Ji, though appearing incredulous at his words, did not seem surprised, he couldn't help asking urgently, "Have you heard about this already?"

Madam Ji quickly composed herself and told her husband about Madam Wu's visit.

Lord Ji's expression changed as he listened. "It seems quite a number of people know about this!" He paused, then added, "Hao Jianfeng seems to know about it as well."

"Even so, that's all in the past now. They've each married and are living well—surely they wouldn't dwell on old matters, would they?" Madam Ji, seeing the deep worry in her husband's brows, couldn't bear to add to his troubles and said against her true feelings, "Besides, we don't know what really happened back then. Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding!"

Lord Ji said nothing but began pacing back and forth in the room with his hands clasped behind his back.

Madam Ji dared not disturb him and watched him anxiously from the side.

It was a long while before Lord Ji finally stopped. He looked at Madam Ji with sharp eyes. "According to Hao Jianfeng, back then Madam Fu encountered refugees and was separated from her servants. The Fu family claimed she had died of illness to protect their reputation. But from Hao Jianfeng's tone, he clearly doesn't believe a word of it. When I pressed him further, he only fobbed me off with that same story. I suspect there's more to this than meets the eye. See what else you can find out about what really happened back then."

Madam Ji hesitated. "But this is, after all, a private matter of the Yu family..."

“How can you be so muddled!” Lord Ji said. “What kind of person is Zhao Ling? He’s nothing more than a regional commander who relies on imperial favor and got lucky in a few battles. Yet he managed to snatch the position that Grand Secretary Yu had his eye on and had already put word out that he was securing for his own son. Think about it—how much resentment must Zhao Ling harbor against the Yu family to do something so utterly ruthless and face-slapping? What I fear is that this isn’t the end, but the beginning. Before long, we might all get dragged into it. Today Hao Jianfeng told me something—” He recounted how Zhao Ling had treated Sixth Grand-Uncle Zhao and Eighth Grand-Uncle Zhao. “…He’s still young, but just because he suffered oppression from his elders as a child, he ran away from home. Now that he’s risen to prominence, he actually supports a collateral branch replacing the main lineage, ignoring the ancestral hall, his ancestors, and the family legacy entirely. With a man like that, if he’s got his sights set on you, don’t you feel afraid?”

By the time Madam Ji heard Lord Ji describe how Zhao Ling had dealt with Sixth Grand-Uncle Zhao and Eighth Grand-Uncle Zhao, her face had already turned pale. Hearing this, she was even more terrified and quickly said, “But what if the Yu family wronged the Zhao family first?”

That was precisely what Lord Ji worried about most.

He pondered for a long while, then said in a low voice, “When righteousness calls, we can’t blame ourselves for setting aside family ties!”

Though she had sensed it coming, hearing her husband actually say it aloud still made Madam Ji bite her lip, a trace of helplessness flickering in her eyes.

…

Madam Yu was also feeling quite helpless at the moment.

She didn’t know what Yu Jingxiu was trying to do.

A man so clever in ordinary times—how could he not see things clearly?

Grand Secretary Yu had spent a considerable amount of silver greasing palms up and down to become Senior Grand Secretary. Besides the family’s public funds, there was also First Master’s private savings and Third Madame’s dowry money. Now that the position of Senior Grand Secretary hadn’t been obtained, though no one had said anything, the situation was different nonetheless. There were some matters where they ought to soften their stance. Otherwise, provoking resentment among family members would be a loss that outweighed any gain—the Fu family’s progeny was already sparse. If the main lineage couldn’t even stick together, then before long, the family genealogy might well end up in someone else’s hands.

Didn’t he even understand how to play along with insincerity?

When Concubine Wu had first entered the household, hadn’t he been quite adept at it? He’d used that very tactic on her. So why, when it came to the two young ladies, was he being so rigid and confrontational, making things impossible for everyone?

And then there was that Lady Fan. She went about all day looking like she couldn’t care less, not even helping to persuade Depu.

At times like this, one could see who truly had substance.

If she’d known it would come to this, she should never have agreed to this marriage, even if it meant Depu hating her!

Madam Yu then thought of how Fu Tingjun now had one daughter and two sons.

Zhao Ling spent three hundred and sixty days out of three hundred and sixty-five stationed at the border, yet she still kept having children one after another…

For no reason at all, resentment welled up in her heart.

Mama Shu noticed Madam Yu’s expression turning sour and asked with concern in a low voice, “Madam, shall I brew you a strong cup of tea?”

“No need.” Madam Yu took a deep breath, feeling a bit better, and asked, “Tell me, what do you think Madam Fei meant by what she said?”

After the morning meal, Madam Fei, First Madame’s personal attendant, had come over.

She had greeted Madam Yu with a smile and a bow, saying, “The two young ladies are of such delicate, willow-like beauty that they failed to catch the First Young Master’s eye, which has put you in a difficult position, Madam. Fortunately, before we departed, the First Madame and Third Madame both instructed that different flowers appeal to different eyes—what the two madames find good, you may not necessarily find good; what you find good, the First Young Master may not necessarily find good; and what the First Young Master finds good, the First Young Lady may not necessarily find good. If you’re not satisfied, they said to have me bring the girls back and select a few more presentable ones to send over again. As the saying goes, rich or poor, a wife brings joy to the New Year. I was thinking that if I hurry back in the next couple of days, the First Madame and Third Madame can have their candidates chosen and sent over, and it’ll be just in time for the New Year—perfect for a fresh start with new faces, bringing festive cheer to Grand Secretary Yu, you, the First Young Master, and the First Young Lady. I won’t delay any longer. Once the heat of midsummer passes and the weather turns cool, we’ll set out back to Nanjing.”

Mama Shu thought about Madam Fei’s words and said with a smile, “With your abilities, Madam, you ought to be the one managing the Yu household’s affairs. Yet not only have you never meddled in the household’s management, but whenever Third Madame has a request, you help with all your might. Who in the household doesn’t praise you for your virtue? Madam Fei is First Madame’s personal attendant and has always been most proper. I don’t think she seemed to be speaking with hidden meaning—rather, she truly did receive instructions from the First Madame and Third Madame before departing…”

As she spoke, she heard Madam Yu give a cold “hmph” and say, “You don’t need to comfort me. I can see clearly now—my sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law won’t stop until they get what they want! I don’t think we need to hide anything anymore. Let’s just tell Depu and his wife directly. Isn’t he so fond of his Third Aunt? Doesn’t he like to tell everything to his Eldest Aunt? If he doesn’t want to take a concubine, then let him go tell his Eldest Aunt and Third Aunt himself!”

Mama Shu had no choice but to acknowledge with a "yes" and went to relay the message to Yu Jingxiu.

Madam Yu, meanwhile, went to Grand Secretary Yu's study.

Grand Secretary Yu had a guest, so Madam Yu waited in the adjoining side room for about the time it takes three sticks of incense to burn. Only then did the guest, accompanied by Yu Huaian, leave the courtyard.

Madam Yu asked Grand Secretary Yu curiously, "Who was that?"

"The second son of the Marquis of Xiping," Grand Secretary Yu said dismissively, then turned to ask about the purpose of Madam Yu's visit. "...Is something the matter?"

Many people came to seek an audience with Grand Secretary Yu every day, yet to receive such courteous treatment—and for merely the second son of a border marquisate—Grand Secretary Yu spoke of it lightly, but it still left a deep impression on Madam Yu. However, she had matters on her mind and did not press further, instead bringing up the matter of Yu Jingxiu with her husband: "...He's so stubborn. What do you think we should do?"

Grand Secretary Yu pondered for a long while, then said, "Then let's try to get him to the Censorate sooner... Once he leaves the capital and sees the customs and ways of various places, it should be of some help to him."

"It seems that's the only way!" Madam Yu nodded gloomily.

...

Madam Wu, meanwhile, was speaking in hushed tones with her trusted personal maid: "Keep watch at the side gate yourself, and be careful. The moment Mrs. Zhao steps out, come and inform me."

The maid acknowledged and left, carrying a spring bench to sit on by the side gate, squinting through the crack in the door to keep an eye on the mouth of the alley.

By the afternoon, her neck had grown stiff, yet there was still no sign of movement from the Zhao household.

Rubbing her neck, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "When will this ever end!"

Before the words had even left her lips, she saw a carriage entering Shi's Alley.

Her spirits lifted, and she quickly pressed her eyes to the crack in the door.