Chapter 96

The eldest and second young ladies of the Wang family were sitting quietly on the heated brick bed, doing their embroidery.

The morning sunlight fell upon them, tracing a golden outline around their figures.

Seeing Fu Tingjun enter, both young girls beamed with joy and hopped off the bed. The eldest said, "Sister Fu, have you finished handling matters at home?" The second asked instead, "Sister Fu, didn't A Sen come with you?" As she spoke, she peered behind Fu Tingjun.

A Sen was already ten years old, and since spring had begun, he had started growing taller again. Fu Tingjun felt it was somewhat inappropriate for him to accompany her to see the two young ladies, but looking at the second young lady's clear, limpid eyes, she felt she was perhaps being overly cautious.

"He's outside!" Fu Tingjun said with a smile, and the second young lady had already run out: "A Sen, why don't you come inside?"

A Sen blushed, mumbling, not knowing quite what to say.

The second young lady had already tugged at his sleeve: "Do you want to see the plum blossoms I embroidered?" She held up the handkerchief for A Sen to look at. "Isn't it pretty?"

A Sen's face was bright red, his hands and feet at a loss, looking utterly flustered. He glanced at it hastily and hurriedly said, "Pretty, pretty!"

The second young lady was quite displeased and pouted: "You didn't even look carefully before saying it's pretty, pretty—you're clearly just humoring me!"

A Sen became even more embarrassed: "No, no. It really is pretty?"

"Really?" The second young lady's eyes sparkled as she tilted her head to ask him, "Then, what part is pretty?"

"Um..." A Sen was tongue-tied, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the handkerchief, searching until sweat broke out on his forehead, yet he couldn't find what was pretty about it.

"Jingyi, don't be naughty." The eldest young lady gently scolded her younger sister, earning a funny face from the second young lady in return.

The eldest young lady shot the second young lady a warning glare, then spoke softly to A Sen: "A Sen, you haven't come by in a while. What have you been up to?"

A Sen breathed a sigh of relief, his demeanor much more at ease: "I've been following the young lady in reading and writing!"

"Then what books have you been reading?"

The eldest young lady had the bearing of a proper elder sister.

"I'm still reading the Thousand Family Poems ," A Sen said. A maidservant brought tea over, and he inclined his body in thanks before sitting back down. "The young lady said that when autumn comes, she'll send me to the county school to pay respects to a teacher and formally begin my education." He puffed out his chest with pride.

The second young lady teased him: "Shame on you! You're already ten years old and only now starting your education."

"You!" A Sen glared at her.

The eldest young lady quickly interjected with a smile: "What do you know? Sister Fu teaching A Sen to read is already his education. But since the world doesn't allow women to serve as teachers, Sister Fu has to find A Sen a proper tutor instead."

She gave A Sen a way to save face.

A Sen looked at the eldest young lady with gratitude.

The eldest young lady didn't notice; she was busy admonishing her younger sister: "If you don't know something, don't speak recklessly. Understood?"

The second young lady was somewhat unconvinced, but recalling that her mother had said Sister Fu's calligraphy was excellent and clearly showed training under a renowned master, she felt there was some truth to it. She huffed a couple of times but ultimately didn't argue.

A Sen felt greatly vindicated and no longer bothered with the second young lady.

Fu Tingjun found the whole scene quite amusing and pressed her lips together in a smile.

Li Niang came in: "Miss Fu, Concubine Feng has left."

Fu Tingjun followed Li Niang to the main hall.

Madam Wang was directing a young maidservant to brew fresh tea. Seeing Fu Tingjun enter, she said with some emotion, "I've never seen Feng-shi so humble and subservient." Then she invited Fu Tingjun to stay for the midday meal.

"There are still Daoist priests at home performing exorcism rites!" Fu Tingjun thanked Madam Wang for helping her inquire about Zhao Ling's news and politely declined her kind offer.

"There will be plenty of time in the future!" Madam Wang didn't stand on ceremony with her. "Come by and sit with us whenever you have nothing to do." She saw Fu Tingjun out the door.

As she walked out of the General's residence, Fu Tingjun felt as though someone was following her. She turned around, but behind her there was nothing at all.

A Sen curled his lip and said, "Miss, you needn't turn around. It's a thin, small woman in her forties following behind us. I've seen this woman before—when Feng-shi went to General Mo's house that time, this woman was by her side."

In this world, no one can be liked by everyone, but knowing who particularly dislikes you at least allows you to be on your guard.

Hearing that it was one of Feng-shi's people, Fu Tingjun felt relieved and returned home in good spirits.

Daoist Shanning's ritual had already come to a pause, and Zheng San was just then entertaining the Daoist and his two young acolytes with fine food and drink.

Fu Tingjun had Zheng Sanniang go to the corner grocery store to buy several boxes of pastries, and she carried them over to Madam Qi's place.

Madam Qi had had her head broken by one of the Lu family's serving women. She was at home with a cloth bandage wrapped around her head, alternately groaning and cursing Madam Lu. Seeing Fu Tingjun arrive bearing gifts, she was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes, and she struggled to rise: "Among all the neighbors, it's Miss Fu who truly has heart and loyalty."

Fu Tingjun quickly pressed her shoulder. "Madam Qi, please rest!" Then she explained, "With what happened at home, I was scared half to death. If Madam Wang hadn't received news of Ninth Master this morning, I wouldn't have dared leave the house, and I wouldn't have known what was happening outside. The moment I heard you'd been wronged, I came to see you."

"Thank you so much, and for going to the trouble and expense." Madam Qi said the polite words, then launched into another tirade against Madam Lu, declaring that the moment Mo Yi returned, she would go and lodge a complaint against her.

Fu Tingjun neither dissuaded nor encouraged her, simply listening quietly.

Finally, when Madam Qi felt some of her anger had subsided, she immediately turned gossipy again: "I heard that Banner-bearer Zhao saved Commander Lu. Is that true?"

Fu Tingjun gave a concise account of what had happened.

Madam Qi listened with a beaming smile. "That's good, that's good." Then she added, "Now that Master Zhao has been promoted, don't forget our family if anything good comes your way."

"Now look at what you're saying," Fu Tingjun said modestly. "Just surviving with our lives is already a blessing—I wouldn't dare even think about promotions. Besides, even if he is promoted, he'd only be serving in a garrison under the command of the regional military commissioner. That's nothing compared to your Master Qi, who manages the storehouse at the Commander-in-Chief's office—easy work, safe, and enough to support the whole family." This sent Madam Qi into raptures, and she insisted Fu Tingjun stay for lunch.

Fu Tingjun thanked her profusely and declined repeatedly before finally managing to extricate herself.

In the afternoon, Daoist Shanning conducted another ceremony, and Zheng San accompanied him for the evening meal. The agreed price was four taels of silver, but following Fu Tingjun's instructions, he wrapped five taels for Shanning: "Daoist, we truly apologize. Our master is away from home, and the young lady is but a woman, so if there have been any breaches of propriety, we humbly ask for your understanding."

Shanning felt this household conducted itself very properly and was quite pleased. He smiled, expressed his thanks, told Zheng San to come straight to him if they ever needed anything, and left with his two acolyte attendants.

Zheng Sanniang was a bit worried: "Young lady, will this Daoist come around from time to time to sponge off us..."

Fu Tingjun explained, "People like him go from house to house and know many people. If we make him unhappy, a few wild words from him could ruin our reputation. As long as we can avoid offending him, we should."

Zheng Sanniang nodded.

Fu Tingjun then instructed the couple: "From today on, keep the gates tightly shut. Don't go out unless necessary. Wait until Ninth Master and the Marquis of Yingchuan return."

Since Madam Wang had arranged for someone to lodge a complaint with the Marquis of Yingchuan, matters involving the Marquis's official authority would surely be handled by him.

Zheng San and the others respectfully acknowledged the order, and from then on, they simply said Fu Tingjun had suffered a fright and closed the gates to all visitors.

Madam Lu came to visit several times, but each time Zheng San blocked her at the door.

The Marquis of Yingchuan's response came far more quickly than Fu Tingjun had imagined.

In mid-May, news had just arrived from Xining that Commander Lu had captured the chieftain of the Wuhe'er tribe. By the end of May, a censor had been dispatched to Zhangye—Deputy General Liu was impeached for disorder in the hierarchy of his wife and concubines, sentenced to forty strokes of the cane, and stripped of all his posts. The position of Deputy General of Gansu was filled by Wang Yi, formerly the Assistant Commander defending Zhuanglang Garrison. Mo Yi was promoted to Assistant Commander defending Xining Garrison, and Lv Rong, Registrar of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, was transferred to serve as Assistant Commander defending Zhuanglang Garrison.

Fu Tingjun hurried to Madam Wang's residence.

Madam Wang's place was already full of visitors who had come to offer congratulations.

Though joy brightens the spirits, Madam Wang looked no different from usual. She exchanged a few pleasantries with Fu Tingjun, then had Li Niang take her to the private quarters at the back.

The eyes of every lady and madam in the room fell on her retreating figure, and Fu Tingjun felt as though a fire were scorching her back.

Before long, Madam Wang came to see Fu Tingjun.

Fu Tingjun smiled and curtsied to Madam Wang. "Congratulations, congratulations!"

Madam Wang made no effort to hide her delight before Fu Tingjun. Accepting her felicitations, she said, "From the third rank to the full third rank—so many people get stuck at the lower third rank. Our master is already thirty-nine this year. If he didn't move now, he probably never would have. Truly, we have the Marquis of Yingchuan to thank!" Then she added, "You didn't come just to congratulate me, did you?"

Fu Tingjun smiled somewhat sheepishly, but she had no intention of hiding anything from Madam Wang. "I wanted to ask—how close is Lv Rong to the Marquis of Yingchuan?"

Madam Wang laughed. "I don't know how close Lv Rong is to the Marquis of Yingchuan, but I do know he's very close to our master. They passed the military examination in the same year."

Fu Tingjun was overjoyed. "In that case, the Marquis of Xiping is no longer a threat?"

And they would be safe.

Madam Wang nodded with a smile.

Li Niang came in: "Concubine Feng requests an audience."

Madam Wang raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I just give her a bottle of golden wound medicine a couple of days ago?" She paused thoughtfully. "Could it be that because Lord Liu has been stripped of his rank and reduced to commoner, she's afraid I'll stop giving her the medicine?"

To humiliate Madam Feng, Madam Wang only gave her one bottle of golden wound medicine each time, and once even delayed for half a month, using the excuse that the medicine from Fujian had not yet arrived.

"No!" Li Niang laughed. "The chief clerk of the General's Office ordered them to vacate the General's Mansion before nightfall today. Madam Feng came to plead for mercy, hoping the General's Office would grant a two-day extension."

Madam Wang sneered: "This is an official matter—how could it be my place, a woman confined to the inner chambers, to speak on it? She still thinks everyone is like her, daring to meddle in anything and say anything, until she manages away her husband's career and position, and then thinks all is well once it's gone."

Li Niang smiled and said, "Then I'll go persuade Concubine Feng to leave!"

Madam Wang nodded slightly, but as Li Niang turned to leave, she changed her mind: "I'll go see her myself, so she can learn what it means for a wife to obey her husband."

Seeing this, Fu Tingjun rose to take her leave: "Then I'll be going now. I'll come visit you when you have time!"

Madam Wang did not insist on keeping her. Under the gaze of all the ladies and madams, Li Niang escorted Fu Tingjun out of the General's Mansion.

Upon returning home, there was a letter from Zhao Ling.

Ever since he had safely arrived at the Marquis of Yingchuan's camp, he had written to Fu Tingjun every fifteen days—brief messages merely reporting his safety, nothing else.

Zheng Sanniang grumbled a little: "If he could just write one more line about the war, we could rest easy!"

"War matters are confidential and cannot be spoken of casually." Fu Tingjun was quite understanding on this point. "As long as he is safe and sound, that's what matters."

This time, however, Zhao Ling's letter contained one more sentence than usual: "...Is the household safe? Has anything happened?"

Fu Tingjun wrote back: "All is well, Ninth Master need not worry!" Yet she vaguely sensed that Zhao Ling had some awareness of Feng Dahu's matter.