Chapter 277

When A Sen saw Zhao Ling, it was already past the early morning hour. The family sat together for breakfast, and then A Sen followed Zhao Ling to the study, emerging only an hour later.

Fu Tingjun asked him, "Did you greet Madam Wang properly?"

A Sen's expression was somewhat strange as he murmured, "Even if Yuechuan hadn't sent word to me, I would have come back today!"

Fu Tingjun was puzzled.

A Sen explained, "The old lady came together with Aunt Cheng... It wasn't specifically for the marriage between Jingtong and me... It seems she wanted Mother-in-law to return for a visit, to seek justice for Aunt Cheng... Aunt Cheng even pulled Jingtong aside to discuss the matter... Mother-in-law told me to come back early, to avoid getting dragged into it as well."

"How could this happen?" Fu Tingjun frowned.

She had originally thought that since Madam Wang had been filial to her mother all these years, her mother had been moved, and so had come all the way despite her advanced age to attend A Sen and Jingtong's wedding. She had been happy for Madam Wang when she heard about it. She never imagined it would turn out like this.

Fu Tingjun couldn't help but sigh and said, "It's good that you came back. What did Ninth Master say?"

"He asked me to go to Pucheng to meet some people." Those matters were unknown to Fu Tingjun, and explaining them would take too long. A Sen decided to explain them to Fu Tingjun when the opportunity arose later, so he kept his words brief: "I'll leave tonight. I probably won't be back until after the beginning of winter."

Though the time was long, it wouldn't delay the wedding.

"I'll pack your luggage for you." Fu Tingjun calculated as she walked out with A Sen, saying, "How did you explain it to your father-in-law and mother-in-law?"

"I said there was a problem with the business in Xi'an and that you asked me to go back and check on it," A Sen said with a smile. "When Father-in-law heard this, he gave me several name cards, saying that if it wasn't a major issue, I shouldn't bother Wu Xin. He said he still had some acquaintances serving as garrison commanders at the guard posts there, and I could seek them out if needed."

Fu Tingjun laughed upon hearing this and said, "The county magistrate is not as good as the one in charge on the spot. Your father-in-law's words make sense."

"That's what I thought too," A Sen said with a smile. "Besides the name cards, I also had Father-in-law help me write a few letters—since they're acquaintances of his, I should visit them when I see fit."

"A Sen has really grown up!" Fu Tingjun couldn't help but stop in her tracks, smiling as she looked A Sen up and down. "You handle things meticulously, more and more like Ninth Master."

"Of course!" A Sen behaved before Fu Tingjun like a child before his mother, always maintaining an innocent heart. Hearing Fu Tingjun's praise, he said smugly, "You should see who I grew up following." This made Fu Tingjun burst into laughter.

Two days later, Zhao Ling also left.

The imperial edict for celebrating the Grand Empress Dowager's seventieth birthday was officially proclaimed.

For a time, this was all anyone in the capital talked about.

Mo Yi's wife even made a special visit to see Fu Tingjun: "Tell me, what would be good to send as a gift?"

For those eligible to offer congratulations to the Grand Empress Dowager, the lowest rank for titled ladies outside the palace was the fourth-rank Gongs. Under such circumstances, besides daily necessities and seasonal clothing, to stand out, people would usually try to prepare one or two items that expressed their personal sentiments to include among the gifts. Fu Tingjun had no official rank. Her previous two visits to the palace to offer New Year's greetings to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress had been special exceptions due to Zhao Ling's military victories. Whether she would be invited to the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday celebration was still uncertain. What Zhao Ling and Fu Tingjun had discussed was to prepare for both possibilities—if she didn't attend, they would simply send valuable items as per custom; if she did attend, since Fu Tingjun had excellent calligraphy and the Grand Empress Dowager was a devout Buddhist, she would copy the Lotus Sutra as an offering.

Because nothing had been decided, Fu Tingjun couldn't discuss it openly with Madam Mo. She simply addressed the matter at hand and offered suggestions: "How about embroidering a table screen? Designs like the Peaches of Immortality Offering Longevity, the Ten-Thousand-Year Pine and Stream, or the Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity... are all very auspicious."

The Grand Empress Dowager's seventieth birthday would fall on the twenty-first day of the second month next year, so there was still time.

Madam Mo fretted, "If I just hire embroiderers from Jiangnan to do it, I might as well send antique bronze flower vases or incense burners from previous dynasties. If I embroider it myself—first, I'm getting old and my eyesight isn't what it was in my youth; second, my embroidery skills compared to the Embroidery Bureau are probably not even a tenth as good. If I send it to the palace and people laugh at it, that's a small matter. But if someone tries to find fault and impeaches our general for 'great disrespect,' it would backfire. Better to think of something else!"

That was true.

Fu Tingjun nodded and said with a smile, "How about I accompany you for a stroll on the streets? Maybe we'll find something suitable."

Madam Mo naturally agreed.

The two of them, guarded by maidservants and elderly female attendants, first went to Gulou Street, then to West Street and East Street.

Every silver shop, embroidery shop, and antique store was bustling with people, and there were more male customers than female visitors.

Madam Mo looked at Fu Tingjun and sighed, "You can see everyone is worrying over this birthday gift."

Fu Tingjun comforted Madam Mo, saying, "If it really doesn't work out, we'll just have to make sure we don't make any major mistakes on the surface."

As the two were talking, they happened to run into Madam Wu and Mrs. Hao.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised, and after exchanging pleasantries for a while, they learned that the others had also come to the streets to look around for the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday celebration. After chatting for some time, they each went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Madam Mo returned home and rummaged through her belongings, even writing a letter back to Julu to ask her family to search the storeroom for a suitable birthday gift. Fu Tingjun, on her part, prepared her brush and ink and began copying the Lotus Sutra.

Unexpectedly, Manager Ye came to visit in person.

Fu Tingjun was somewhat surprised.

To avoid any suspicion, he usually had his eldest daughter-in-law relay messages whenever there was anything.

She went to the hall in the southern compound to receive Manager Ye.

It turned out that Manager Ye had come to deliver something to her.

"This is a glass table screen depicting Magu presenting peaches of longevity. Someone had it custom-made long ago as a gift for Prince Zhuang, but for some reason never came to pick it up. It's been sitting in the storeroom of Baoqing Tower for seven or eight years now," he said, then brought out a brocade box. "And this is a stone plate with natural cloud patterns, shaped like a peach, with lingzhi mushrooms presented as an offering of longevity... It's not usually considered anything special, but at a time like this, heh heh, it's something you couldn't buy even with money." With that, he opened the brocade box. "Madam, take a look—doesn't it resemble lingzhi presenting longevity?"

It was a peach-shaped plate made of stone, with natural cloud-like patterns on its surface. At first glance, it looked like a pair of lingzhi mushrooms placed side by side. As for the glass table screen, there was no need to elaborate. Glass is fragile, and since household furnishings had to be changed according to the four seasons, most people used rosewood, chicken-wing wood, or pear wood. Glass screens were rarely seen.

"I figured that Ninth Master would also need to send a birthday gift, and since he couldn't send antiques, I found these two items instead." The Zhao family's foundation was modest—if they sent antiques, people would inevitably wonder where the money came from. Manager Ye said tactfully, "So I found these two pieces. They may not be worth much, but they have excellent auspicious meanings. Madam, do you think they'll be of use?"

"They'll be of use, they'll be of use!" Fu Tingjun was overjoyed, stroking the stone peach plate as she smiled. "Ninth Master and I were just worrying about what to give the Grand Empress Dowager for her birthday! Thank goodness for Manager Ye—otherwise I truly wouldn't know what to do." She then told Manager Ye about accompanying Madam Mo on her outing. "No wonder Manager Ye has risen to the third seat at Datong Firm—with that kind of foresight, you're far beyond what ordinary people can match. We should learn more from Manager Ye." Her face was full of gratitude.

When someone brings charcoal in the snow, the recipient is naturally delighted, but the giver also feels a sense of satisfaction knowing they've helped someone out of a tight spot.

Manager Ye smiled broadly and said modestly, "I just hope Madam doesn't think I'm being meddlesome." He then chatted with Fu Tingjun for a while before taking his leave, without even accepting payment for the two items.

Fu Tingjun felt it was hard to let it go, so she estimated the cost and had two sets of silver hair ornaments made at Baoqing Tower—one for Manager Ye's wife and one for his eldest daughter-in-law. But that's a story for later.

With the birthday gift settled, her mind was at ease. Every morning she washed her hands, burned incense, and copied three hundred characters of the Lotus Sutra.

After several days passed, Madam Wang came to visit.

Her expression was somewhat dim, and she tactfully conveyed her mother's purpose in coming, adding, "Good thing you had A Sen go to Xi'an Prefecture on business—otherwise A Sen would probably have suffered along with me." For once, a rare trace of sadness and helplessness showed between her brows.

Fu Tingjun didn't feel it appropriate to press further, so she only smiled and asked when she had returned and whether the old lady and Madam Cheng were in good health. She also set a date to visit the old lady and Madam Cheng in a couple of days.

Seeing that Fu Tingjun didn't press further, Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and took her leave.

A few days later, Fu Tingjun went to the Wang residence to visit the old lady and Madam Cheng.

Both of them looked somewhat haggard, and even their smiles seemed forced. When they heard that Fu Tingjun's husband was the commander-in-chief of Guizhou, the old lady and Concubine Cheng treated Fu Tingjun with noticeably more warmth.

Fu Tingjun sighed inwardly at the sight, sat for a short while, and then took her leave.

Perhaps because they had things on their minds, the Wang family didn't press her to stay longer.

After the Beginning of Winter, the protocols for the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday celebration were finalized. Anything in the market with the character "longevity" on it began to rise to absurd prices, and provincial governors from all over had started preparing their birthday tributes. Those from closer provinces, such as Shandong and Shanxi, would set out in the twelfth month and deliver their gifts before the tenth day of the first month, with the presentation of tributes beginning after the Lantern Festival. Those from farther provinces, such as Yunnan, Guizhou, and Fujian, had to set out now, or they wouldn't make it in time for the Grand Empress Dowager's birthday.

It was at this time that Zhao Ling quietly returned to the capital.

Fu Tingjun was both startled and delighted, and asked in a low voice, "How did things go?"

"Even smoother than I imagined." Zhao Ling closed his eyes, lounging lazily in the pinewood bath tub, while Fu Tingjun attended to his washing. "The Marquis of Xiping has had a difficult time these past few years under He Fu's control. Although Feng Laosan has been earning him a good deal of money, the Marquis of Xiping's household is large with many expenses, and still cannot make ends meet. A few days ago, when the Marquis of Longping celebrated his birthday, the gift the Marquis of Xiping's household sent was actually the birthday gift Yingchuan had given him a few years prior—and it was recognized by someone from the Duke of Fuguo's household. Because of this, the Marquis of Xiping placed all his hopes on Grand Secretary Yu, but with little results, and he has grown somewhat impatient. Feng Laosan feels that if things continue this way, the Marquis of Xiping will only go from bad to worse, and something serious might even happen. He asked me to promise that if he helps me investigate matters concerning the Marquis of Xiping and the Yu family, and something goes wrong, I would protect the safety of their main lineage. I agreed. If we're lucky, perhaps all we'll need to do is add fuel to the fire at the right moment—we might not even need to show ourselves... As for He Fu, he's most likely already learned that I privately returned to Shaanxi. He sent people to warn the Feng family that as long as their merchant caravans don't smuggle contraband, Jiayuguan Pass will remain open to them freely..."