Chapter 6

Nanny Chen did not avoid her gaze but met it with a firm stare. "Grand Madame said that the weather is hot, and Ninth Miss has just recovered from heatstroke. If you return now, you'll inevitably suffer the fatigue of travel again—what if you get heatstroke once more? It would be better to stay at the nunnery for a few more days and return when the weather cools. However, this nunnery is too remote, and the household guards cannot stay here long, so she had me bring a few capable matrons to attend to Ninth Miss."

A thought flashed through her mind, and she suddenly sat up.

From outside the door came Nanny Chen's voice: "Has Ninth Miss awakened already?"

"Ninth Miss!" Hanyan and Lü'e stared at her in astonishment.

She did not want to return like this, nor did she want to argue in front of those coarse matrons and Nanny Chen, so she stood there biting her lip.

She had no heart to play cat-and-mouse with Nanny Chen, so she came straight to the point: "Nanny Chen, is it that Zuo Junjie has said something..."

Nanny Chen was cautious by nature, and though she agreed inwardly, she still said: "You just need to check on what Ninth Miss is doing every hour. As for the two young maidservants, give them some tasks, and they won't have the leisure to run about."

She whispered something into their ears.

Hanyan was bolder: "A mouth under the nose—I'll go."

Ever since Bi Bo's Wife had left, she had been confined in Biyun Nunnery—she could move about freely, but could not leave; she could read and write, but only through Nanny Chen's hands; she could chat with Master Guohui, but only accompanied by two coarse matrons. It was as if she might sprout wings and fly away the moment they blinked. Yet after Bi Bo's Wife left, there had been no word from home at all. The letter she had painstakingly managed to send to her mother through Master Guohui had also been intercepted by Nanny Chen.

Looking at the two young faces, she felt a moment of dazed confusion.

"Ninth Miss, we noticed you haven't been sleeping well these past few days, so we wanted to ask the nuns at the nunnery for some mung beans to make you some mung bean cakes. But who would have thought that Nanny Fan, who serves under Nanny Chen, would block us from leaving the door!" Both their expressions were somewhat displeased. Lü'e kept her head down, while Hanyan spoke while carefully gauging her reaction. "That Nanny Fan also said we shouldn't act on whims anymore, that we should stay put in Jingyue Hall and not go wandering about. If we need anything, we should tell her directly, and she would report it to Nanny Chen. If Nanny Chen agrees, she said she'd move heaven and earth to get it done for us; but if Nanny Chen doesn't agree, then don't blame her for not following orders..."

The word "wronged" was spoken with extra emphasis, clearly carrying another meaning.

Even two young maidservants had the courage to come and ask her when they encountered something they didn't understand. She had been carefully educated by her mother for over a decade—was she going to prove less capable than a mere maidservant when the moment of crisis arrived?

"How infuriating!" Fu Tingjun's hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and she slapped the edge of the bathing tub. Whether it was to vent her anger at Zuo Junjie or at that strange man who had nearly crushed her to death, she herself didn't know.

She smiled encouragingly at Hanyan, but thinking of her current predicament, her face darkened again: "I want to go back and defend myself," she spoke the words buried deep in her heart, and a hint of resolve appeared at the corners of her eyes and brows. "But I don't know what the situation at home is like right now. I'm afraid that if I rush back rashly, I might make things worse and ruin everything instead. Tell my mother what I've said, and see what she thinks. Then I'll know what to do."

"...Before you came, what did Grand Madame say?" She stood straight in the middle of the room, staring intently into Nanny Chen's eyes.

Since the path through Master Guohui had already been blocked by Nanny Chen, and Nanny Chen herself could not be relied upon, she had no choice but to think of her own way.

After spending a long time in the library, everyone grew weary of the constant running about and complained one after another: "...Ninth Miss is, after all, a young lady. It's no wonder she feels stifled with us watching her like this. I think as long as the young ladies don't leave the nunnery, it should be fine."

"Ninth Miss!" Nanny Chen turned her back. "We servants bow our heads and are looked down upon wherever we go. But the moment people hear we're from the Fu family, the way they look at me changes, and their tone of voice softens considerably... You may not care, but we treasure it as if it were our very lives... We only hope that the Fu family prospers, that the young masters all pass the imperial examinations and become high officials, that the young ladies all receive noble titles and become matriarchs of great houses, so that we too can walk with our heads held high..."

Lying fully clothed on the bed, thinking about how much chaos must be unfolding at home, she couldn't help but bury her face in the pillow and cry.

She couldn't just sit and wait for death, letting that Zuo Junjie spout nonsense outside and twist black into white, could she?

Suddenly, she felt utterly disheartened.

She walked back to her room with heavy steps.

"Ninth Miss, we are merely acting on Grand Madame's orders," Nanny Chen looked at her with a gaze that was cold and tinged with disdain. "Please don't make things difficult for us."

"This plan may not even work," she shook her head. "If Nanny Chen discovers it, she'll only scold me a few words. But if it were you, it might well result in corporal punishment. It's better that I go."

Unfortunately, she was trapped in the nunnery and couldn't move, unable to send even a single letter home; yet Zuo Junjie stayed at the Fu residence, free to say whatever he pleased.

She called Hanyan and Lü'e over to discuss the matter: "...Hanyan, just chat with those matrons about household trivialities to keep them occupied, so they won't order you two around. Lü'e, stay in the room to be ready to receive me at any moment. I'll take advantage of the noon hour to scout the back courtyard, and I'll be back within an hour."

That was how her noon trip to the back courtyard came about... and she nearly got strangled to death...

Nanny Chen was Eldest Aunt's trusted confidante, and Eldest Aunt was the one Grand Madame trusted most. If Eldest Aunt did everything Grand Madame said, then Nanny Chen did everything Eldest Aunt said.

In the end, they still didn't trust her.

...

Something churned deep in her heart.

Mother's judgment was indeed sound—the two of them knelt before her without a second thought: "Ninth Miss, we'll follow your lead."

Hanyan and Lü'e looked at Fu Tingjun with some panic.

Indeed, on one side was First Madame and on the other was her—whose words were more credible, Nanny Chen didn't need to think twice to know.

They finally realized the gravity of the situation and came to ask her the reason.

Her head buzzed, blood rushing upward: "Nanny Chen, you know what kind of person I am! How could you believe the words of an outsider..."

Sometimes she would suddenly disappear, sending the matrons on a frantic search; other times she'd shut herself in her room for half a day, refusing to come out no matter how hard the matrons pounded on the door.

It was just that she hadn't yet found a good way out—Biyun Nunnery had fields, gardens, and a well, essentially self-sufficient. Except for two nuns carrying bamboo baskets down the mountain every ten days to buy daily necessities like oil and salt, the nunnery's gates were kept tightly shut on ordinary days, and no pilgrims were received. Hiding in the cart used for shopping trips down the mountain was out of the question. The nunnery had seven or eight burly nuns whose sole duty was night patrol, and they also kept over a dozen dogs that were released at night. Sneaking out under cover of darkness was also impossible. Then she inadvertently discovered that an old locust tree in the back courtyard had grown beyond the enclosing wall, and it felt like a sudden ray of hope after all her troubles.

Such words might fool naive young girls, but not her!

Her throat was hoarse, and there was still a red mark on her neck—the moment she spoke or showed her face, she'd give herself away. If Nanny Chen asked about it, what were they supposed to do?

Hanyan and Lü'e began to make a fuss.

Hanyan nodded repeatedly.

Nanny Chen, however, seemed unwilling to say more to her and directly pulled open the door: "Ninth Miss, the weather is hot. You should go back to your room and rest!"

Whenever this happened, she would come out and scold those matrons.

"Whether you trust me or not, since Mother sent you to serve me, she trusts you." She looked at the two of them sincerely. "I hope you can help me. When we see Mother, right and wrong will naturally become clear."

Grand Madame had long stopped managing affairs, with Eldest Aunt presiding over household matters. Nanny Chen was Eldest Aunt's most capable aide, holding the keys to the household treasury. Not only did the stewards and serving women treat her with great respect, but even the several aunts, Mother, and the younger aunts deferred to her. Yet she never overstepped her bounds, treating everyone with warmth and humility, earning even Grand Madame's high praise. She was not the type to fawn on the powerful and bully the weak—even if Fu Tingjun were guilty, that wouldn't justify a lapse in propriety!

One thing after another—no one would pay attention to the thoughts of two young maidservants.

Both showed surprise, and Lü'e said fearfully, "I, I don't know the way."

Did the elders at home think the same way?

Hanyan and Lü'e looked at her with expectant eyes, as if she must have an answer that would put their minds at ease.

Saying more would only invite humiliation.

Hanyan and Lü'e walked in side by side.

What if she weren't guilty?

"You wish for the Fu family's well-being, so how much more must I?" She lowered her voice, cutting off Nanny Chen's words, speaking urgently in her own defense. "Since you have such thoughts, Nanny, you should all the more help me."

"Ninth Miss!" Nanny Chen's voice sounded somewhat weary. "Grand Madame married into the Fu family at fifteen, enduring from granddaughter-in-law all the way to Grand Madame. First Madame took over the household at twenty-seven, going from needing an abacus to knowing the numbers at a single hearing—she's crossed countless hurdles... Rest assured, if there's even the slightest hope, they won't wrong you. Don't add to their troubles."

At the thought of all this, Fu Tingjun's temples throbbed.

"Let me go instead," Hanyan said. "Nanny Fan and the others don't come looking for us much anymore."

She was secretly delighted to hear this.

The gloom of the past few days finally lifted somewhat.

She straightened her back.

"I want you to secretly deliver a message to my mother."

The two turned pale with shock, their faces as white as silk.

The words had barely left her mouth when Nanny Chen lowered her voice and admonished, "Ninth Miss, flies don't land on unbroken eggs. If you conduct yourself properly and walk the straight path, nothing Zuo Junjie says will matter. Among the dozen or so young ladies in this household, Grand Madame favors you above all others. Even if you won't think of the Fu family's reputation, just look at Grand Madame's silver hair—she's already at the age of knowing heaven's will, one foot in the grave. You should settle down and be still!" As she spoke, her eyes gradually reddened. "You should go back! Stay properly in your room and preserve your dignity as a young lady. If you keep spouting such nonsense, I'll risk the charge of disrespect and discipline you on behalf of Grand Madame and First Madame."

Her head was pounding and her nose was stuffy, and on top of that, she felt utterly bewildered.

Her eyelids kept twitching. She could no longer sit still and went to see Nanny Chen.

Several rough-serving maids were standing under the eaves watching the commotion. They hadn't expected the door to suddenly open, and not daring to scatter at once, they sheepishly turned their heads away, pretending to be gathered together in idle chatter.

Could it be that Zuo Junjie had used some trick to make the family believe his words?

She hadn't expected Nanny Chen to think of her that way.

Humiliated and enraged, she slammed the door shut with a "bang," locking Nanny Chen outside.

She thought for a moment, then recounted the whole affair in detail to Hanyan and Lü'e.

"It's nothing!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Help me wring out my hair. I want to go to bed and rest for a while!"