Chapter 270

The Zhao family were military officers, while the Hao family were civil officials—the former guarding the frontier, the latter holding high positions at court, each minding their own business. Apart from the matter of Hao Jianfeng, what else could Madam Hao possibly need her help with?

Fu Tingjun pondered silently to herself.

Madam Hao had been ingratiating herself with Madam Wu and approaching her and Third Cousin these past few days. Counting the days, it was about time the real purpose came to light. And there was still Zhao Ling's instructions to consider!

"Madam Hao, you flatter me," she said with a smile. "I am but a woman of the inner quarters with shallow knowledge, skilled only in needlework and embroidery. How could I presume to deserve such words from you? Yet as the saying goes, 'Strangers in a foreign land, acquaintance is fate.' If there is anything you need my help with, please do not hesitate to speak. Though I am but one person with limited strength, with Madam Wu here to offer guidance, even if there are difficult matters, we can discuss them together and surely find a way through."

Madam Hao smiled and replied, "Who in the capital does not know that the wife of Lord Zhao, the Commander-in-Chief of Guizhou, is virtuous and wise, one of the most clever people around? If even Madam Zhao cannot accomplish something, then no one can!" After a few words of flattery, she got to the point. "...It is like this—the other day, my husband acquired a set of chess pieces, said to be an antique from the previous dynasty. My husband is quite good at appraising calligraphy and paintings, but he is not skilled in miscellaneous items. I heard that Madam Zhao plays an excellent game of chess, so I wanted to ask you to help take a look and see whether this set of Go pieces was worth the purchase or if we were cheated."

Fu Tingjun's brow arched slightly at this, and she could not help but feel a measure of admiration for Hao Jianfeng.

Teacher Yao was fond of playing Go, and Hao Jianfeng using an antique Go set to test the waters was a brilliant move—it was elegant and quietly established a connection with Teacher Yao without being obvious. What surprised her even more was that her third brother-in-law had racked his brains without managing to procure a set of chess pieces from the previous dynasty to thank Teacher Yao, yet Hao Jianfeng had quickly acquired one.

She wondered—had he learned of Teacher Yao's fondness for Go through his own investigation, or had he received guidance from her third brother-in-law?

The thought flashed through her mind as she smiled and said, "Though I know how to play chess, I do not know how to appraise antiques from the previous dynasty. However, if Madam Hao trusts me, you may leave the Go set here. Once I have consulted a friend who is knowledgeable on the matter, I will give you my answer..."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Hao was already beaming with joy and said hurriedly, "I trust you, I trust you... If I cannot trust Madam Zhao, then there is no one in this world worth trusting!" She added, "If I did not trust Madam Zhao, I would not dare to ask for your help." With that, she brought out a brocade box. "Please, Madam Zhao, do have someone take a look for me."

Fu Tingjun opened the brocade box to find a pair of old rosewood Go bowls inside. Within the bowls, the black stones were like lacquer and the white stones like snow. Though she could not tell what material they were made of, they were pleasing to the eye.

"Then Madam Hao, please await my reply!" Fu Tingjun handed the brocade box to Yuwei to put away.

Madam Hao thanked her profusely.

Madam Wu then asked about Third Cousin: "...Weren't you saying the other day that you were looking for an agarwood screen? I went to visit Lady Li the other day, and she had an agarwood screen standing in her room, exquisitely crafted. When I asked, it turned out she had bought it on West Street. I was just about to send word to Madam Shen, but Madam Hao dragged me over here instead."

"Thank you, Madam Wu," Fu Tingjun said with a smile. "You have kept such a small matter in mind all this time."

"Whether the children's clothes are warm enough, where the master's earmuffs are stored, reminding the kitchen to prepare a hotpot when the weather turns cold... Aren't these the small matters we women concern ourselves with!" Madam Hao chimed in with a laugh. "Even if you asked me to handle the big matters, I wouldn't know how!"

Fu Tingjun and Madam Wu both laughed at her amusing words.

The atmosphere in the room grew even warmer.

The three of them chatted about this and that for quite some time. Seeing that it was getting late, Fu Tingjun invited the two to stay for a meal. They did not stand on ceremony and remained at the Zhao residence for lunch. Afterwards, Madam Hao pulled Madam Wu along to visit Third Cousin: "...This is a good opportunity to tell her about the agarwood screen, and we can also beg a cup of tea."

Madam Wu nodded with a smile and invited Fu Tingjun to join them.

"Another day!" Fu Tingjun declined politely. "Once I have finished handling the matter Madam Hao entrusted to me, I will invite everyone over for tea."

"Then it is settled," Madam Hao said. Seeing how efficiently she worked, she was both surprised and delighted, and showered her with praise before setting off with Madam Wu to visit Third Cousin at Hat Lane.

Fu Tingjun then sat down and wrote a letter to Teacher Yao, explaining that Hao Jianfeng wanted someone to appraise the authenticity of the Go set, and asking whether Teacher Yao had time. She then had Zheng San take Baoshu to Tanzhe Temple to deliver the letter.

Before the hour of You (5-7 PM), Baoshu returned from Tanzhe Temple, accompanied by the young acolyte who served by Teacher Yao's side. He had come on Teacher Yao's orders to collect the Go set.

Fu Tingjun hastily wrapped the brocade box and handed it to the young acolyte.

The next day, Third Cousin came to inquire about the matter, and upon learning that Teacher Yao had sent someone, she could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fu Tingjun couldn't stop laughing, and her laughter made Third Cousin feel embarrassed. Third Cousin pretended to be angry and gave Fu Tingjun a light smack, saying, "The well-fed don't know how the starving suffer. If this matter succeeds, won't Hao Jian and Tu Shufeng have to look at your Third Brother-in-law in a new light? Then your Third Brother-in-law will gain more support—isn't that good for his career?"

"I'm the mercenary one, I'm the mercenary one!" Fu Tingjun laughed even harder, teasing Third Cousin. "I don't appreciate Third Sister's heartfelt concern for Third Brother-in-law."

Third Cousin reached out to pinch Fu Tingjun's cheek. "Keep running your mouth!"

"I wouldn't dare again!" Fu Tingjun laughed and dodged to the side.

As the two sisters were playfully bickering, Yuechuan announced from outside the door, "Madam, Teacher Yao has sent someone to deliver the Go set."

Fu Tingjun was startled.

So soon!

She couldn't help but exchange a glance with Third Cousin.

Third Cousin urged her hurriedly, "Why not call the person in and ask?"

Fu Tingjun nodded and called the young novice in.

The novice smiled and said, "My master said this is a relic of Master Shide from the previous dynasty, extremely precious. Please ask Magistrate Hao to keep it safe. He also said that since Magistrate Hao has taken the trouble to acquire such a fine item, he must be a kindred spirit. When Magistrate Hao has free time, he would like to invite him for a game of Go."

Third Cousin could no longer contain her joy, her face lighting up.

Fu Tingjun also broke into a delighted smile. "I'll send someone to return the Go set to Magistrate Hao right away."

The novice smiled and took his leave.

But Fu Tingjun called him back.

"Teacher Yao rarely finds someone who can play Go with him, so I shouldn't meddle in the middle," she said with a smile. "I think it's better to have Zheng San make a trip to Tanzhe Temple to ask Teacher Yao's opinion. If Teacher Yao agrees, let Zheng San take you along to Magistrate Hao's residence to return the Go set. First, this way Teacher Yao's intentions can be conveyed directly to Magistrate Hao, so we won't risk miscommunicating by passing messages back and forth. Second, you can go along to learn the way. In the future, if anything comes up, you can speak directly with the Hao family. What do you think?"

Both the novice and Third Cousin were surprised by this. Since there was an outsider present, Third Cousin couldn't ask questions and had to suppress her confusion. The novice, thinking of how warmly Teacher Yao had always treated the Zhao family, felt this was unnecessarily complicated but still smiled and agreed.

Fu Tingjun then instructed Zheng San to make the trip to Tanzhe Temple, and had Baoshu accompany the novice to the reception hall in the outer courtyard to rest.

Seeing that no outsiders remained in the room, Third Cousin quickly tugged at her sleeve. "Helping Teacher Yao pass along a message would be doing the Hao family another favor! Teacher Yao clearly intended exactly that—that's why he sent the novice over so quickly to give you his reply. This is an opportunity others could only dream of. Why are you pushing it away?"

"The civil and the martial are separate spheres, and besides, our Ninth Master is a great general guarding the frontier," Fu Tingjun said with a smile. "If it weren't for Third Brother-in-law being in the Ministry of Personnel, even if we knew about this matter, we would pretend not to, let alone help connect Magistrate Hao and Teacher Yao. Whether it's Teacher Yao or His Majesty, it's enough that they know Ninth Master has this intention. As for other matters, it's not convenient for us to get involved—lest we overdo it and invite gossip that displeases His Majesty."

Third Cousin was stunned, then sighed with admiration. "No wonder Ninth Brother-in-law's imperial favor has grown year after year. Setting everything else aside, few can match his decisiveness and boldness in seizing the moment. It just goes to show that success isn't simply a matter of good luck."

Fu Tingjun smiled gently but said nothing.

When Third Cousin returned home, she naturally shared her impressions with Third Brother-in-law.

Although Third Brother-in-law also admired the Zhao couple's ability to take things up and let them go, he showed no sign of astonishment. Instead, he laughed and said, "Otherwise, how could Zhao Ling have stirred up half of Shaanxi into such turmoil!"

"Ah!" Third Cousin's eyes widened. "What happened now?"

"Look at you—you'd think Zhao Ling was some kind of troublemaker!" Third Brother-in-law teased her a bit, then said, "It's Feng Laosan. Somehow he found out about our family's connection to Zhao Ling, and begged Fourth Uncle to bring him to see me. He wants me to pass a message to Zhao Ling—he wants to reconcile with him."

"And what did you say?" Third Cousin asked urgently, thinking of how warmly Fourth Uncle had always treated her husband and fearing he might agree to relay the message out of obligation. She added, "After all, this is Zhao Ling's affair. He's always had his own opinions—better we stay out of it."

"Rather than letting Feng Laosan run around like a headless fly and stir up gossip about Zhao Ling, it's better to help him deliver the message to Zhao Ling and let them clear things up face to face. Maybe it's exactly what Zhao Ling wants!" Third Brother-in-law said calmly. "As for what Zhao Ling plans to do, a nobody like Feng San can't influence that. Don't worry about this—I have my own judgment."

But how could she let it go when it concerned her own sister's family?

She inevitably found an opportunity to question her husband in detail. "What did Zhao Ling say?"

"I don't know," said Third Cousin's husband. "I wrote a letter and originally planned to tuck it into the military office's official dispatches to be sent to Guizhou. But who would have thought Feng Laosan got wind of it and insisted on personally delivering the letter to Zhao Ling. Seeing how anxious he was and that he'd already lost his composure, I gave him the letter."

Third Cousin pondered for a long while, then went to Fu Tingjun's place and recounted the whole affair to her, adding in explanation: "Your brother-in-law just operates that way—he likes things to be straightforward and clear-cut. He meant well."

Fu Tingjun, however, felt that Third Cousin's husband had handled it better this way. Zhao Ling didn't know many people to begin with, and among those Feng Laosan might find to speak on his behalf, suitable candidates were even rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. If he were to run around desperately seeking anyone and everyone like someone in a panic consulting every doctor, Zhao Ling's reputation for being overbearing and abusing his power would only be confirmed.

So she said a few words to comfort Third Cousin.

Seeing that Fu Tingjun wasn't taking it to heart, Third Cousin set the matter aside and turned to asking about Teacher Yao and Hao Jianfeng: "...How are things now?"

"Madam Hao came by a couple of days ago," Fu Tingjun said with a smile. "She said Mr. Hao had specially taken a few days off and spent a day at Tanzhe Temple, where he happened to run into Grand Secretary Qian, who had come looking for Teacher Yao to play chess... From the looks of it, they should have managed to strike up a conversation."