Chapter 263

Magistrate Cen was in his forties, fair-skinned and plump, his eyes narrowing into slits when he smiled.

Seeing Hao Jianfeng enter, he immediately stepped forward to greet him, bowing with respect yet warmth: "It's been some time since we last met. I trust you've been well? I heard last time that the Grand Madame was slightly unwell, and your wife brought the young master to attend to her... Has the Grand Madame recovered? Is this the young master's first visit to his hometown? Is he settling in well?" His tone was most cordial, like a spring breeze.

Hao Jianfeng nodded with a smile, gesturing with slight reserve toward the armchairs in the room, saying "Sit down and let's talk," then added: "The Grand Madame merely caught a slight chill. My wife took the opportunity to bring my son back to visit his hometown—he was born in the capital and doesn't know a single relative here." Having spoken of his own affairs, he turned to Magistrate Cen's matters: "Well then? Have the formalities been completed?"

"Completed, all completed!" Magistrate Cen said with a beaming smile, "It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, how could I have obtained such a fine post, and how could the paperwork have been processed so quickly!"

"This is also your good fortune." Hao Jianfeng felt most gratified within, yet his expression remained humble. He shifted the conversation to Fifth Master Fu, "...He has returned to his hometown to observe mourning for his parent."

Magistrate Cen had served nine years as a county magistrate before finding an excuse of "both serving as officials in Shaanxi" to attach himself to Hao Jianfeng, after which he rose smoothly to the position of prefect. Regarding Hao Jianfeng's affairs, he dared not claim complete knowledge, but he knew them like the back of his hand. Recalling how a colleague had once proposed a match between Hao Jianfeng and a young lady of the Fu family, only to be rejected, and how Hao Jianfeng had subsequently treated Director Fu coldly, Magistrate Cen assumed Hao Jianfeng was simply savoring his vindication—Hao Jianfeng was a fairly upright man, and with his sights set firmly on the position of Grand Secretary, despite his grudge against the Fu family, he would not let personal feelings interfere with public duty or recklessly make trouble for Director Fu or seek revenge. That would be far too lacking in character. But if Director Fu were to fall on hard times, it was only human nature for Hao Jianfeng to take some schadenfreude in it.

He was happy to add fuel to the fire.

"So both of the Fu family's gentlemen are returning to their hometown to observe mourning?" Magistrate Cen laughed. "You wouldn't know it, but the Fu family has been declining year after year. First their Ninth Miss suddenly passed away from illness, then their relative by marriage—that Juren Zuo Junjie—also suddenly disappeared. People in Huayin are all saying that Juren Zuo had lost his mind, wanting to marry the Fu family's Ninth Miss, so he falsely accused her of having an illicit affair with him, and the Ninth Miss, unable to bear the humiliation, took her own life. Seeing the situation turning against him, Juren Zuo abandoned his estate and fled. To protect the Ninth Miss's reputation, the Fu family only said she died of illness. Then their widowed eldest daughter-in-law, unable to endure the Fu family's neglect, hanged herself from the main beam of the Fu ancestral hall. Later, a wealthy merchant came bearing thirty thousand taels of silver as betrothal gifts, wanting to marry the Fu family's Fourteenth Miss... It's all been chaos—nothing like the Fu family of old."

The implication being: you, Lord Hao, are fortunate you never married into the Fu family, or you too would be dragged down by such in-laws!

Hao Jianfeng, however, felt a surge of delight within.

Truly, one could search far and wide without finding something, only to obtain it without any effort at all.

He had been worrying about how to investigate the Fu family's affairs, and Magistrate Cen had brought it up unprompted—and precisely what he wanted to know.

But Juren Zuo falsely accusing the Fu family's Ninth Miss of having an illicit affair with him in order to marry her... Who would go about things that way?

That wasn't courtship—that was practically making an enemy!

He thought of the things he had heard before.

Father and daughter at odds... all because Yu Jingxiu and Fan Dashen's daughter had been secretly exchanging gifts and wanted to break off the engagement... Juren Zuo falsely accusing the Fu family's Ninth Miss of an illicit affair... the Ninth Miss taking her own life rather than bear the humiliation... the Emperor making the decision, the Grand Empress Dowager bestowing the marriage between Zhao Ling and Madam Fu... Yu Jingxiu scheming for the position of Left Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Personnel... the ever-low-key Madam Fu, who rarely associated with anyone, actually sending word to the Emperor, using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, installing her third brother-in-law in the position of Left Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel...

The thought flashed by in an instant.

Hao Jianfeng could no longer contain his surprise and delight, to the point that he heard nothing of what Magistrate Cen said afterward. Instead, after a brief moment of consideration, he said outright: "You've come from the west—have you heard the rumor that the Marquis of Xiping offended Zhao Ling, the Commander-in-Chief of Guizhou, and that Zhao Ling has been putting obstacles in the Marquis's path at every turn, making life very difficult for him?"

"I've heard it, I've heard it." Magistrate Cen laughed. "It's not just me—all the officials along the northwestern route are discussing this matter! It's caused quite a stir. That Zhao Ling truly isn't one to fear trouble—he's flat-out declared he's going to deal with the Marquis of Xiping!"

"Oh!" Hao Jianfeng was quite surprised, raising an eyebrow involuntarily and leaning slightly forward. "What exactly happened? Tell me all about it."

Lord Cen said with a smile, "I heard that in the early years, when Zhao Ling was still a general banner officer in Zhuanglang Guard, a distant relative of the Marquis of Xiping—so distant they were barely connected—somehow took a fancy to Zhao Ling's wife. That Mrs. Zhao was quite a formidable character. She hid herself at the home of Wang Dan, the then Deputy Regional Commander of Gansu, but left a few starving mad dogs in her own house. The Marquis of Xiping's relative sneaked in under cover of darkness and was bitten half to death. Zhao Ling, upon learning of this, was still not satisfied. He traveled a thousand li in secret and killed the Marquis of Xiping's relative."

"The Marquis of Xiping felt he had lost face and made a fuss around Zhangye for the better part of a year. Only after the Marquis of Yingchuan countered him with both soft and hard measures was the matter finally smoothed over. The Marquis of Xiping had long forgotten the affair, but Zhao Ling remembered it all along and declared he would repay tit for tat. He instigated Wu Xin, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, to make things difficult for the Marquis of Xiping. Add to that the fact that He Fu, the Commander-in-Chief of Gansu, had never been fond of the Marquis of Xiping, and the Marquis was left in a miserable state. Thinking that he had no prior grievance with Wu Xin, he simply went to confront him directly. Wu Xin, being straightforward, told the Marquis of Xiping plainly that he had received a favor from Zhao Ling and was now acting on Zhao Ling's commission—he had no choice in the matter. The Marquis of Xiping trembled with rage but could do nothing about it. This gave He Fu great amusement, and he said that when he came to the capital one day, he would definitely seek out Zhao Ling and also meet Mrs. Zhao."

What nonsense was all this!

Hao Jianfeng could hardly suppress a smile.

Lord Cen, however, sighed and said, "It's no wonder Zhao Ling climbed to the rank of full second grade in just five or six years. With this sort of skill alone, one has to admire him!" He added, "But then again, Zhao Ling's nerve was truly extraordinary. At the time, he was only a lowly general banner officer, yet he dared to ride alone to Liangzhou to kill a man..." At this point, he couldn't help but shudder. "A man like that—one simply cannot afford to provoke him!"

Hao Jianfeng's expression shifted. He exchanged a few absent-minded pleasantries with Lord Cen, then yawned at an opportune moment.

Lord Cen immediately took the hint and rose to take his leave. "You should rest. It's getting late, so I'll return to the guild hall. I'll come see you again in a couple of days—I can stay in the capital for ten days."

Hao Jianfeng smiled and exchanged a few courteous words, then had his steward see Lord Cen out. He immediately called for his personal attendant: "Prepare the carriage. We're going to Lord Wu's residence."

He'd only just returned!

The attendant grumbled inwardly but dared not delay for even a moment. He promptly ordered the coachman to ready the carriage and accompanied Hao Jianfeng to Shijia Hutong.

Lord Wu and Madam Wu were just there discussing their strategy. When they heard that Hao Jianfeng had returned, they immediately welcomed him into the study for a talk.

Hao Jianfeng recounted his encounter with Lord Cen. Lord Wu drew in a sharp breath and said thoughtfully, "I've heard people say the same—that Zhao Ling holds his wife in the highest regard. When he was fighting in Guizhou under the Marquis of Longping, after the Miao people were defeated, the Marquis of Longping offered him two beautiful Miao girls. Zhao Ling refused them. The Marquis thought he was rejecting them because they were Miao, so he spent a fortune to buy two very refined 'thin horses' from Yangzhou and gave them to Zhao Ling. Zhao Ling accepted them but immediately passed them on to Li Zai, the Commander-in-Chief of Guangxi. Moreover, in all these years of campaigning, he has never once visited prostitutes or indulged in debauchery, and his subordinate officers have been the most disciplined in this regard because of his example. I think we need to consider this matter with the Yu family carefully before making any move."

Hao Jianfeng immediately agreed: "That's exactly what I was thinking! The timid fear the fierce, and the fierce fear those who have nothing to lose. I'd say this Zhao Ling is exactly the type who has nothing to lose. If he sets his sights on you, it's not a pleasant feeling."

Lord Wu nodded repeatedly.

Fu Tingjun, however, was filled with melancholy.

So that was why he was helping Wu Xin secure the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission—he was still thinking about the matter of Feng Dahu.

She hadn't been harmed, and she had already severely punished Feng Dahu once. Why wouldn't he let it go?

The Marquis of Xiping was from a distinguished meritorious family—a military house guarding the border for the emperor. For Zhao Ling to go head-to-head with the Marquis so recklessly, the Marquis would surely not let the matter rest. Could this put Zhao Ling in danger?

At the thought, she grew restless. She immediately sat down and wrote a letter to Zhao Ling, telling him what Concubine Wu had said, and sent Zheng San to Lin Chi's residence that very night, entrusting the letter to Lin Chi to be delivered to Guizhou. Even so, she still felt uneasy and carefully mulled over Concubine Wu's words again and again in her mind.

The Marquis of Xiping was in the northwest, while Grand Secretary Yu was from the Jiangnan region. How had their two families come to be connected?

Would Zhao Ling's actions give people the impression that he was "disregarding the greater good for personal grudges"?

They had a rift with Grand Secretary Yu—would Grand Secretary Yu seize on this as an excuse to impeach Zhao Ling?

She was so anxious she felt feverish.

But compared to Madam Yu on Jiaxiang Lane, her anxiety seemed rather trivial.

"Is that really what the Marquis of Xiping said? Zhao Ling actually killed someone over a thousand li away for Madam Fu..." Madam Yu stared blankly at Grand Secretary Yu pacing before her, murmuring, "Depu was the one who instigated Zuo Junjie to frame Madam Fu! How could he let Depu off! I was foolish... not thinking through the gravity of this... instead hoping to make peace with the Zhao family..." Her voice grew urgent as she cried out to Grand Secretary Yu, "Husband, we cannot let Depu go to the Censorate. If he is assigned to inspect the Nine Border Garrisons, what will become of us? Though Zhao Ling comes from a distinguished family, he has wandered the martial world since childhood—not a trace of aristocratic bearing about him. He is petty and vindictive. What if he colludes with those bandits to harm Depu?" Covering her face with her hands, she wept, "Depu is our only son!"

Grand Secretary Yu's temples bulged with anger as he said, "You cannot keep indulging him like this! If he continues this way, he will bring about even greater disaster."

Madam Yu did not understand his meaning and looked at her husband in bewilderment.

Grand Secretary Yu sighed in frustration at her lack of understanding and said, "Tell Depu directly: if Concubine Wu and Miss Fei show no signs of pregnancy within six months, Lady Fan will be sent back to Nanjing, and we will take two more concubines for him."

Madam Yu frowned at this: "But the eldest grandson from a concubine, after all..."

"You are always worrying about this and that—he exploits your weaknesses precisely because of that!" Grand Secretary Yu thundered. "This time, he will not have his way." He snorted coldly. "The people my third brother sent, he drove them away at will. Our Yu family has stood for a hundred years—he has set a precedent!"

Madam Yu opened her mouth as if to speak, then held back.

After Grand Secretary Yu left, she went to Yu Jingxiu's courtyard.