Chapter 9

Fu Tingjun nodded and said in a low voice, "This time, Lü'e will stay in the hall with Nanny Fan and the others to keep them company. If anyone asks about Hanyan, just say I called her into the inner chamber and you don't know what she's doing."

The two maids looked at her pitifully. "Ninth Miss, what should we do?"

What should they do?

Nanny Chen said nothing, but studied her eyes carefully.

Fu Tingjun had no appetite at all. Yet she thought to herself that at this moment, everyone was probably watching for her to make a misstep, so she had to remain calm and composed, betraying not a hint of disorder.

Fu Tingjun instructed Lü'e, "Have Nanny Fan fetch some water to help Hanyan wash up, then go tell Master Guohui that Hanyan is injured and ask her to come take a look."

Fu Tingjun's expression changed drastically, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

Of four sons and four daughters born, only her eldest brother Tinggui and she had survived to adulthood.

Fu Tingjun then cautioned Hanyan, "The dogs are all in the courtyard... climb out through the window of the eastern wing... if you're discovered, throw a few steamed buns to feed the dogs. I once heard my wet nurse say that this is how country folk deal with vicious dogs... I've climbed that tree before—it's sturdy, and its branches reach beyond the wall. Take several handkerchiefs with you, tie them to the treetop, and climb down along them, and you'll be able to get out of Biyun Nunnery... Once you're out of Biyun Nunnery, there's a post road where carriages pass by from time to time... Don't be stingy with silver—hurry back to the city... On my end, I can stall for at least an hour... My wet nurse has a sworn sister who works as a rough-work servant in the outer courtyard, surnamed Mi, and she has received favors from me before... Don't go straight back to the mansion. First find Old Woman Mi and ask about the situation at home. If all else fails, have her find a way to pass a message to my mother. Mother will think of a way to bring you into the inner courtyard... I'll also write a letter inquiring after the elders at home for you to carry. If by any chance..." she said in a low voice, "with the letter as proof, you won't be wrongly accused of being a runaway maid!"

The longer things dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for her.

If things fell apart, Nanny Chen would guard her even more strictly afterward.

At this point, what was there left to hesitate about?

They weren't afraid of her encountering danger...

Hanyan found several sturdy handkerchiefs and tied them together into a long rope.

Hanyan carefully put them away, and everyone ate lunch in silence.

She must be letting her imagination run wild, letting her imagination run wild...

Hanyan was somewhat surprised.

Hanyan was already kneeling before her.

After the meal, Nanny Fan and the others, as usual, used the excuse of wanting to enjoy the cross-draft breeze and sat in the hall chatting. Lü'e brought over tea and naturally sat down among them. Fu Tingjun and Hanyan withdrew to the inner chamber. Fu Tingjun helped Hanyan climb out through the window lattice of the eastern wing, then closed the window and sat quietly on the bed, waiting for Nanny Chen to come.

Nanny Chen's eyes dimmed slightly. She lowered her eyelids, a bitter smile curling at the corners of her mouth. Slowly bending her knees, she performed a blessing salute and said in a low voice, "Ninth Miss, take good care of yourself," then turned and left.

No, no, no!

Heaven's way is governed by nine.

The dumbstruck Lü'e let out a flustered "Oh," glanced at Nanny Chen, and timidly tugged at Nanny Fan, who was also standing there frozen. "You... you help us fetch some water!"

A letter had come from the mansion... First Madame said... she would return in a few days... and told you to be cautious...

At this thought, Fu Tingjun's mouth went dry and her forehead was covered in sweat.

From then on, she was treated differently from all her other sisters.

"Ninth Miss," Nanny Chen said, her face as heavy as water, with undisguised anger in her brows, "do you have anything you wish to say to me?"

Her eldest brother was twelve years her senior.

The first time it bloomed, news came from the capital that her father had placed first in the metropolitan examination. Later, when the eldest legitimate great-grandson was born, when her grandmother recovered from a long illness, and when her eldest uncle and father were promoted, all coincided with its blooming season. Her grandmother had always regarded it as an auspicious omen.

Not only did she send Nanny Li to personally tend that purple magnolia, but she also went to Jiuxian Temple to obtain yellow talisman charms, and invited Master Guohui to perform a Daoist ceremony.

Hanyan let out a dejected "Mm."

Fu Tingjun paced back and forth in the room, anxious, restless, and with a faint simmering anger.

She looked at Hanyan and said resolutely, "You leave at noon today."

Her grandmother couldn't help but mutter, "Could we have offended the flower spirit?" Yet in her heart she wondered, could it be that her allotted years were coming to an end?

The window lattice covered with Korean paper was pure white, and the red lanterns under the eaves cast a crimson glow upon it.

The flowers all bloomed overnight.

She felt slightly moved. "Miss, rest assured, I will find a way to see Fifth Madame."

If she were her grandmother, what would she do?

Fu Tingjun nodded.

A dark shadow flashed by, and the window opened and closed silently.

The year she was born, spring came especially late. It wasn't until mid-March that the wind no longer carried a chill against one's face.

He who hesitates is lost.

"Could it be waiting for Ninth Girl to be born?" her grandmother mused to herself.

"I'll handle things on my end." Fu Tingjun's brows carried the courage of one who has burned her bridges.

Her grandmother gradually grew despondent.

"What if Nanny Chen insists on coming in to check, like last time?" Lü'e glanced at Hanyan and asked worriedly.

By now, the sky had darkened, and red lanterns hung beneath the eaves of Jingyue Hall.

If she were Eldest Aunt, what would she do?

Hanyan shook her head and began to sob softly.

Grandmother was overjoyed.

The purple magnolia still refused to bloom.

Who wrote the letter? What did Eldest Aunt want Nanny Chen to do? Who was coming back? Why the special reminder for Nanny Chen to be cautious?

Lü'e gave a heavy "mm" in acknowledgment.

Behind her followed Hanyan, limping, her clothes in disarray, her spirits low.

Nanny Fan and the others shifted uneasily in their stance.

If she were Eldest Uncle, what would he do?

The silence made the atmosphere tense and strained.

Nanny Chen assumed her voice had changed due to a surge of emotion and didn't think much of it.

For the Fu family to marry her off to Zuo Junjie, they would have to break off the engagement with the Yu family.

Fu Tingjun felt defeated.

Nanny Chen kept such a close watch on them; Hanyan's disappearance couldn't possibly be hidden from her. Once discovered, there would surely be a falling out. Since a confrontation was inevitable, the discomfort in her throat and the painstaking planning of these past days—whether Nanny Chen knew or not—no longer mattered. Moreover, the bigger the scene, the harder it would be for Nanny Chen, as the one in charge, to extricate herself, which would buy Hanyan some time.

Lü'e escorted Master Guohui out, then came to attend to Fu Tingjun's evening meal.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, she could no longer get out of bed.

And her mother.

Among the sisters, she ranked ninth.

"Victory to the king, defeat to the bandit!" What was there to say?

What did this mean?

"We've all done our best." Fu Tingjun took her hand. "Focus on recovering your health first. Heaven never seals off all paths—I'll think of other ways."

"Ah!" Hanyan and Lü'e both gasped in surprise.

After writing the letter, Fu Tingjun wrapped all the silver—about five or six taels—in a plain handkerchief, then found a pair of silver bracelets and a pair of silver earrings from her vanity case, and gave them all to Hanyan: "If the silver isn't enough, these bracelets and earrings can come in handy too."

The blossoms were like lotuses, the size of small cups, with purple petals and crimson centers, fragrant and profuse—three parts more vivid and three parts more intense than in previous years.

Her voice was a bit hoarse, yet full of concern.

That day, Fu Tingjun waited until the hour of You before Nanny Chen finally arrived, late.

Her mother often held her close and said, "Tingjun is Mother's little padded jacket!"

The purple magnolia in Grandmother's room, a birthday gift sent by Aunt from Nanjing, was covered in buds but refused to bloom.

Fu Tingjun stopped in her tracks.

Hanyan, however, burst into tears: "Miss, this servant is useless."

Nanny Fan looked hesitant and glanced toward Nanny Chen.

Nanny Fan hurriedly called for someone to fetch water.

If she were her mother, what would she do?

Master Guohui knew some medicine; in summer she made Liuhua Soup, and in winter she made Fanmu Pills, both sent to the Fu family. The Fu servants would ask the matriarch for some Liuhua Soup when suffering heatstroke in summer, and use Fanmu Pills when catching colds with fevers in winter.

Fu Tingjun met her gaze calmly.

Both the Yu and Fu families were prominent; without a proper reason, breaking off the engagement was simply impossible.

...

She forced herself to drink a bowl of porridge and eat some pickled vegetables, then went to check on Hanyan and ask about her condition before returning to her room.

Lü'e went to the kitchen and asked them to serve a plate of vegetarian buns at lunch.

"It's fine!" Fu Tingjun comforted her. "Man proposes, heaven disposes." Then she looked her over. "Where exactly are you hurt? Don't hold it in—if it leaves lasting damage, that would be terrible."

A young maid came in to report: "The Fifth Madam has given birth to a young miss!"

Zuo Junjie had used her undergarments to coerce the Fu family, already disregarding all decency. Under such circumstances, the Fu family, fearing to harm the precious, would hardly dare to confront Zuo Junjie. If the matter escalated, how could the Fu family explain themselves to the Yu family? And where would the face of both families go? Especially the Yu family—of such distinguished standing—would they let such humiliation pass lightly? Then instead of forming a marriage alliance, they would become enemies, and such consequences the Fu family could not bear.

But once the thought arose, she couldn't suppress it.

Ninth Miss's considerations were truly thorough, especially writing a letter for her to carry.

Fu Tingjun's gaze grew sharper.

Lü'e let out a long sigh of relief and ran toward Master Guohui's courtyard.

As long as she could see her mother, there would be a turning point.

What exactly did the family intend?

Hanyan had sprained her ankle and suffered some minor abrasions. Master Guohui applied well water to Hanyan's injuries and left a few plasters: "Apply these for a few doses and it'll heal." She asked no further questions.

The more Fu Tingjun thought, the more alarmed she became; the more she thought, the more frightened she grew.

Keeping her at Biyun Nunnery all this time—even when Nanny Chen sent word that they might encounter bandits, there was no plan to bring her back...

If she were the head of the Fu family, what would she do?

The thought flashed by, and Fu Tingjun held her breath.

The Fu family couldn't very well tell the Yu family, "Our Ninth Miss has been involved in an illicit affair," could they? Nor could they say, "Our Ninth Miss has some foul disease."

Nanny Fan and the others brought in water, and soon Master Guohui also arrived.

"Ninth Miss, it was this servant who ruined your important matter." Tears streamed down her face. "I slipped and fell while coming down the mountain, twisting my ankle. After finally making it down, I had to wait a long while before a carriage came by... That delay cost us time, and we had barely left Qixia Mountain when Nanny Chen intercepted us..."

Fu Tingjun rose slowly, casting a cold, sharp glance at Nanny Chen, and asked Hanyan, "Where are you hurt? Is it serious?"

That day was the eighteenth of May.

Fu Tingjun let out a cold "hmph" and said forcefully, "There's no need to look at Nanny Chen. No matter how senior she is, she is still a servant of the Fu family. Unless our Fu family is about to fall, the order of rank and respect must always be upheld." Then she turned to Nanny Chen, "Nanny Chen, does what I say make sense?"