Chapter 301

Third Cousin's husband still had a hint of suspicion in his eyes, and Fu Tingjun couldn't very well explain openly, so she could only say vaguely, "It's getting late. Let's head back first and talk about it later!"

This was indeed not a good place for conversation.

Third Cousin's husband nodded and smiled. "I searched all the way here without seeing you. I thought you'd stay the night at Tanzhe Pool, but I didn't expect you to rush back overnight."

The city gates had already been closed when he left the city, so there was no way they could get back in now.

As he spoke, Third Cousin's husband smiled and clasped his hands in a salute toward the man on horseback who appeared to be the leader of the escort party escorting Fu Tingjun and the others. He first introduced himself, then humbly expressed his thanks to the leader.

The leader had noticed earlier that when Third Cousin's husband urgently tried to lift the carriage curtain while the Zhao family's coachman remained unmoved, they were surely relatives or close family friends. He hadn't approached but had simply stood quietly watching. He was originally one of the Emperor's personal guards and had served by Teacher Yao's side—he had seen all sorts of people. Though only a minor centurion, he carried himself with considerable pride. Seeing Third Cousin's husband's respectful manner, a slight smile appeared on his face, and after introducing himself, he exchanged a few polite pleasantries.

Third Cousin's husband then smiled and said, "If you don't mind, sir, I'll go ahead to the Peace Inn up the road and book a few of their best rooms. We can rest for the night and enter the city at dawn tomorrow. What do you think?"

The Peace Inn was the finest establishment along this road.

By making this offer, Third Cousin's husband was both showing respect to the leader and expressing gratitude for his escorting Fu Tingjun and the others into the city.

The leader's smile grew a bit warmer.

"Lord Shen need not worry," he said tactfully. "Since the Grand Master asked me to see Mrs. Zhao home safely, I will deliver her to Shi Family Lane without incident."

Since the man had spoken so definitively, Third Cousin's husband couldn't press the matter further. He said a few vague words and then turned to walk back with Fu Tingjun and the others.

When they reached the city gate, all they could see were blazing torches and soldiers in heavy armor.

Third Cousin's husband watched as the leader pulled something from his bosom and showed it to the soldiers guarding the gate. The soldiers' expressions changed dramatically, and one turned and ran toward the gate tower. Before long, amid the heavy creaking of hinges, the city gate slowly opened, leaving just enough space for a carriage to pass through.

Third Cousin's husband lowered his head, barely managing to suppress his shock, and smiled as he entered the city alongside the leader.

That night, lying beside his wife, he admonished her: "Did you see that? The Emperor has even entrusted the capital's defense to Teacher Yao. Think of the trust and esteem the Emperor places in him! Someone like that—given our current status and position—is he someone we can cultivate a connection with? You're usually such an astute person. How could you have done something so foolish today? Fortunately, Ninth Sister went to Tanzhe Temple for Youyou's sake. If you had egged her on to seek Teacher Yao's help, the Emperor would have known before you'd even left the door." Then he sighed. "Ninth Sister is truly Zhao Ling's capable helpmate—clear-headed and composed, and her ability to read the situation is beyond what any ordinary woman could match."

Third Cousin was both ashamed and embarrassed, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "I... I know I was wrong... I won't speak carelessly to Ninth Sister again."

An old husband dotes on his young wife. And besides, they had always gotten along well.

Third Cousin's husband's heart softened immediately, and his voice grew gentler: "How could you possibly know about matters outside the household? This isn't your fault. If anything, I shouldn't have mentioned such things to you. You only wanted what was best for Ninth Sister."

Third Cousin nodded.

Third Cousin's husband thought for a moment, then instructed his wife: "If anything like this happens again, consult Ninth Sister more often. She's a remarkably perceptive person."

Third Cousin murmured in assent, then said hesitantly, "Then... what about Chunbing's matter..."

Third Cousin's husband smiled bitterly: "Don't bring that up again. Better not to mention it, so we can all still face each other."

Didn't Third Cousin know that well enough?

But whenever she thought of the look in her son's eyes when he gazed at Youyou, her heart ached for him.

She couldn't help but let out a soft sigh and consulted her husband: "Should we not arrange Chunbing's betrothal so early? When the child is a bit older, he'll see things more clearly. We don't want to create an unhappy match that brings discord to the household."

In the end, she still couldn't bear to give up entirely.

Third Cousin's husband saw through it all clearly. He thought to himself that a daughter-in-law would likely spend more time with his wife than with Chunbing, and if the bride didn't please his wife, it would probably bring discord to the household anyway. So he smiled and said, "Fine! This way Chunbing can focus on his studies for a few more years."

Third Cousin breathed a sigh of relief and quietly kept an eye on Youyou's marriage prospects.

It turned out that Lady Meng had indeed come seeking Youyou's hand for the second son of the Marquis of Yingchuan. But no sooner had the matchmaker hinted at it to Fu Tingjun than the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree betrothing the Marquis of Yingchuan's second son to Qin Feiyu's eldest daughter. The capital's nobility was thrown into an uproar, whispering among themselves, yet on the surface maintaining a strangely calm facade.

All eyes now turned to the appointment of the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou.

At the cabinet assembly, Zhao Ling was among the many waiting outside.

The Emperor looked through candidate after candidate, but none were satisfactory. In the end, he issued an edict appointing Zhao Ling as the Guizhou Regional Commander with authority over all garrisons and military commissions in Yunnan and Guizhou. As for the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, that position would be filled once a suitable candidate was found.

In this way, Zhao Ling became the de facto Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou.

Those with keen insight had already discerned the implications.

The Emperor did not want the Zhao family to form marriage alliances with the frontier commanders guarding the Nine Border Passes.

Mo Yi could not help but sigh to Madam Mo: "If I had known this would happen, I should have settled the matter earlier. With four sons, they could have picked whichever one they liked!"

Madam Mo found this both amusing and exasperating, and teased him: "Are you saying the sons I bore are so lacking?"

"That's not it at all," Mo Yi laughed. "I just feel it's a pity that Madam Fu has become someone else's mother-in-law." He added, "Tell me, if Youyou could marry into our family, wouldn't we have a granddaughter as beautiful as Youyou? How proud I would be! At the very least, we'd have grandsons like Xige'er or Xu Ge'er!"

Madam Mo could not help but give Mo Yi a hard pinch: "You and your reckless tongue! How can you say such things so casually!"

"What's wrong with it?" Mo Yi said dismissively. "I already mentioned it to Zhao Ling when I was in Xuanfu. Zhao Ling hemmed and hawed—he must have been worried that our sons wouldn't amount to much when they grew up and wouldn't be worthy of their Youyou. I'm telling you, you need to discipline our sons well from now on. We must make Zhao Ling regret his hesitation." His brow was full of vexation.

Madam Mo shook her head, not knowing what to say.

Yuwei, meanwhile, stamped her foot: "The way Teacher Yao handled this... how will our eldest young lady ever find a husband now?"

Fu Tingjun, however, smiled: "I think it was handled quite well. I don't want Youyou to marry into those noble families anyway. The affairs in such households are far too complicated. I don't want Youyou to be troubled by such matters all day long."

Yuwei felt deflated.

Fu Tingjun smiled and comforted her: "Youyou is still young. Who knows what things will be like in a few years? Perhaps Ninth Master will return to the capital and take a sinecure at the Five Armies Supervisory Office, and then it won't matter what kind of family Youyou marries into. Or perhaps Ninth Master will win more and more victories, and the Emperor, on a whim, will bestow a marriage upon Youyou by imperial decree... Don't borrow trouble worrying about things that haven't happened."

"Imperial-bestowed marriages usually look only at family standing and not at the groom himself. What if she ends up marrying some idle good-for-nothing?" Yuwei muttered quietly. "Wouldn't it be better to marry the young lady to the young cousin? At least we've watched him grow up—his family has a clean reputation, he's virtuous and upright despite his youth, and he treats the young lady well, giving her the best of everything..."

Fu Tingjun's heart jolted.

Zhenzhu came running in: "Madam, Madam, Anxin wishes to see you."

If Anxin had come to see her, it was most likely about the matter of the craftsmen's alley.

Fu Tingjun quickly composed herself.

Anxin had already been detained in the capital for over a year over this matter. Although Zhao Ling's letters had said nothing, not having his trusted aide by his side must have caused some inconvenience. Besides, the matters that needed investigating were mostly concluded. As the saying goes: catch adultery in the act, catch thieves with the goods. Miss Min was still in mourning, so the Yu family could not possibly let her enter their household at this time. Without her entering that household, there was no evidence for certain matters, and no amount of talk would help. Since they now had Young Master Guo as a handle, it would be better to keep a close watch on Miss Min's side and make plans once something changed.

She pondered this as she made her way to the main hall.

Fu Tingjun entered the main hall.

Anxin greeted her with a grave expression.

Fu Tingjun felt a sense of foreboding at the sight, and her own expression turned serious: "What has happened?"

Anxin looked at her with a strange expression and said in a low voice: "Young Master Guo has met with misfortune!"

Fu Tingjun's heart tightened.

Anxin continued: "We had someone following Miss Min's personal nurse, and we saw that nurse follow Young Master Guo back to his hometown from a distance. After Young Master Guo entered his home, the nurse rented a secluded house nearby and wandered around the Guo residence every day in coarse clothing. She discovered that Young Master Guo would go to a nearby tavern every few days to drink a few measures of wine. The nurse then bribed a local loafer in the county to stage a quarrel with Young Master Guo, and had him beaten to death."

"Ah!" Fu Tingjun was horrified. "How could this happen? Didn't you have someone following that nurse? Why didn't they stop it? That's a human life!"

Anxin said regretfully: "The person I sent was a military scout. When they are out gathering intelligence, they cannot reveal themselves no matter what happens—that's their training. And we never imagined that a mere woman could have such a ruthless heart. By the time we realized something was wrong, I wasn't there, and the scout didn't know what to do. By the time I received word, Young Master Guo had already died of his injuries."

Fu Tingjun frowned deeply. "Does Ninth Master know about this?"

"I haven't had the chance to tell Ninth Master yet," Anxin said. "I was thinking of returning to Tongren Prefecture in the next couple of days to give Ninth Master a detailed account of everything that has happened and seek his advice."

What had started as an attempt to get a handle on Yu Jingxiu and teach him a lesson had now escalated into a case of murder, which changed the situation entirely. It was indeed necessary to go back and inform Zhao Ling.

Fu Tingjun agreed. "Then go back in the next few days. As for Miss Min, unless something important comes up, don't contact that woman in the kitchen anymore. We wouldn't want Miss Min to discover her and put her in danger."

Anxin acknowledged the order respectfully and withdrew.

The military scout that Anxin had brought along to help stood silently under the eaves like a shadow.

Seeing Anxin emerge, he approached with steps as light as a swallow's and asked in a low voice, "What did the lady say?"