Chapter 97

In late May, General Wang Yi, who had just been promoted to Vice Commander, returned to Zhangye with the Marquis of Yingchuan. Wang Yi remained stationed in Zhangye, while the Marquis stayed for a day to make administrative and military arrangements before leading the troops of the five garrisons of Ganzhou northward to Jiayuguan, where they would support Lord Peng, the Assistant Commander of Suzhou, who had been locked in fierce battle with the Tubo for over two months.

On the night the Marquis stayed in Zhangye, Jin Yuanbao suddenly returned.

"Commander Lu saw that Ninth Master was highly skilled in martial arts, so he made him a scout. When Commander Lu was surrounded, Ninth Master was at Chenjiaba, three hundred li away. Yang Yucheng was with his centurion at Gaojiazhai, a hundred li away. Ninth Master sensed something was wrong and, against all objections, took six men willing to follow him and rushed toward Commander Lu. Yang Yucheng, meanwhile, set out after his centurion received Commander Lu's distress signal. They met on the road. Yang Yucheng's centurion died while rescuing Commander Lu, and Commander Lu, gravely wounded, drifted between consciousness and delirium. At that point, Ninth Master held the highest rank, and his fierce fighting earned the admiration of the others, so they naturally deferred to him as their leader," Jin Yuanbao said with a smile, sitting in the armchair in Zheng San's inner chamber in the west wing, sipping tea as he recounted the events. "Earlier, Ninth Master had felt Commander Lu's march was too reckless, but his words carried little weight then, and Commander Lu paid him no mind. Later, things turned out exactly as Ninth Master had predicted—they fell into the enemy's trap. After my centurion and I were scattered, I remembered that Ninth Master had once said the Tianti Mountain terrain was complex, good for both hiding and ambushes, so I figured that if Ninth Master were defeated or wounded because of Commander Lu, he would most likely head for Tianti Mountain. Unexpectedly, I met Ninth Master on the way, already bringing Commander Lu there."

His expression was full of relief and emotion, but the others listened with hearts surging.

"Brother Yuanbao, how did the Marquis of Yingchuan end up taking you on as his field clerk?"

The reason Jin Yuanbao could come home this time was that he had been made the Marquis's field clerk and was about to follow him to Jiayuguan.

Jin Yuanbao's face reddened. "Later, we met the Marquis and settled Commander Lu in. The Marquis summoned Ninth Master for questioning. Ninth Master recommended me and Yucheng to the Marquis, saying I was skilled in arithmetic and capable of managing accounts and supplies, and that Yucheng was a formidable fighter with the courage to move mountains. The Marquis asked Ninth Master, 'And what talents do you have?' Ninth Master smiled and said, 'I have nothing but loyalty and brotherhood toward my men!' The Marquis laughed at that, kept me by his side as a clerk, and had Yucheng stay with Ninth Master by Commander Lu's side. He also asked Ninth Master, 'Do you know why?' Ninth Master said, 'When the lord is humiliated, his vassal dies; the same holds for a commander and his men!' The Marquis nodded with satisfaction and sent Ninth Master with Yucheng to Commander Lu, while I stayed with a secretary surnamed Zhan by the Marquis's side, handling registration and record-keeping."

"Oh, Brother Yuanbao," Zheng Sanniang exclaimed, a bit belatedly, "doesn't that mean you've been promoted?"

"No, no!" Jin Yuanbao waved his hands repeatedly, embarrassed. "I still draw a scout's pay; I'm just serving under the Marquis now."

"That's still wonderful!" Fu Tingjun said with a smile. "Following the Marquis, you'll always have more opportunities ahead."

Jin Yuanbao said with some unease, "No matter what, I was brought up by Ninth Master. If I'm to pledge allegiance to anyone, it should be Ninth Master."

The world shifts and changes; who knows what the future holds. But at this moment, Fu Tingjun believed Jin Yuanbao spoke from the heart.

Fu Tingjun, with a hint of meaning, said, "When brothers are of one mind, they can cut through metal," then changed the subject. "Have you had any news of Sanfu and Shizhu?"

Say what one will, no one can stop the changes time brings.

A long road tests a horse's strength; time reveals a person's heart.

Jin Yuanbao believed he would not change, so he didn't dwell on it. His expression dimmed slightly. "No news of Sanfu yet. Shizhu was wounded in the leg and is recuperating at Tianti Mountain. He should recover in two or three months."

No news of Sanfu... Fu Tingjun pictured that honest, simple face and fell silent.

The others grew quiet as well.

Sensing the somber mood, Fu Tingjun asked, "Do you know what Ninth Master is doing now?"

Jin Yuanbao's spirits lifted at the question, and he smiled. "Ninth Master saved Commander Lu's life, so the Commander trusts him completely—he consults Ninth Master on everything from battle strategy to grain allocation. Capturing the leader of the Wuhe'er tribe alive this time was also thanks to Ninth Master's valor and skill in battle. Commander Lu now follows Ninth Master's advice almost without question."

"Then why is it that you got promoted but Ninth Master didn't?" A Sen, displeased, pouted and challenged Jin Yuanbao.

"Rewards come only after the battle is won," Fu Tingjun said with a smile, draping an arm around A Sen's shoulder. "If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

Jin Yuanbao breathed a sigh of relief.

He had truly been afraid that Fu Tingjun and the others might misunderstand.

Fu Tingjun then asked him with a smile, "Can you stay home tonight? What time do you leave tomorrow?"

Jin Yuanbao's room was right next to A Sen's. These past days, she had been resting in A Sen's room, and even so, she sometimes felt afraid, with Zheng Sanniang often coming over to keep her company. If Jin Yuanbao stayed home for the night, the sleeping arrangements would become a problem.

"I'm afraid I can't stay home tonight," Jin Yuanbao said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "After the Marquis meets with the various officials of the General's Office, he'll be convening the chiliarchs and centurions tonight to discuss the campaign against Jiayuguan. Secretary Zhan has asked me to help with the record-keeping." He added, "Tomorrow morning, after the Marquis of Yingchuan makes his offerings to heaven and earth and pays respects at the shrine of loyalty, they'll depart—scheduled to leave the city at the hour of Si."

"Then let me make you some food to take along!" Fu Tingjun said. "If it's inconvenient to eat on the road, you can share it with your colleagues—it's a token of affection from family!"

Jin Yuanbao was a man well-versed in the ways of the world, so he didn't refuse but thanked her with a smile.

Everyone bustled about, and Jin Yuanbao spoke with Fu Tingjun alone in the room: "Ninth Master instructed me that once the fighting is over, I'll find an excuse to go to the capital. Please be patient, Miss Fu, and wait a few more days."

If she hadn't held that hope in her heart, this would have been good news for her, wouldn't it? But now... she felt a sense of apprehension, like a traveler nearing home, wishing time could stand still, so that some things might not have to be carefully pondered.

Her fingers unconsciously traced the vivid peonies on the teacup as Fu Tingjun's mind wandered slightly.

Jin Yuanbao, however, had his own considerations. He said thoughtfully, "Miss Fu, I noticed the main hall's doors are tightly shut... You haven't been resting in the main hall?"

Madam Wang had not agreed to Madam Feng's request, and Madam Feng had made a great scene over it, sitting disheveled at the entrance of the second hall, cursing and throwing a tantrum. Fortunately, Madam Wang did not consider herself the Deputy General's wife merely by moving into his official residence, so she let Madam Feng carry on. Those who sought to curry favor with the new Deputy General's wife naturally dealt with Madam Feng. In the end, Madam Feng was arguing in the front hall with those who had come to urge her to move, while the former Deputy General, Lord Liu, was carried out by two of his trusted men, bringing his son and bundles of valuables, slipping away through the back gate. By the time Madam Feng returned to find Lord Liu to stand up for her, all that remained in the rear hall of the official residence was the dying Feng Dahu and a room in complete disarray.

Madam Feng ran frantically from the General's Office toward the city gate, drawing pointing fingers and gossip along the way. But when she reached the city gate, there was no trace of Lord Liu to be found.

She grabbed the collars of the soldiers guarding the gate, demanding to know Lord Liu's whereabouts.

A fallen phoenix is worse off than a chicken—let alone a concubine who had been riding on borrowed authority.

Out of respect for the Marquis of Xiping's household, no one made trouble for her, but no one paid her any mind either.

So Madam Feng sat at the city gate, disheveled and filthy, staring blankly toward the southeast.

Those passing through the gate couldn't help but glance at her twice.

It was her two personal maidservants who finally found her. Borrowing the name of the Marquis of Xiping's household, they hired a carriage and loaded Madam Feng and her brother onto it, heading for Liangzhou.

The next day, the story had spread throughout Zhangye city.

As people discussed Madam Feng's affair, they also dredged up the incident of Feng Dahu's nighttime intrusion into Banner-bearer Zhao's home in Zhuanglang Guard. The conclusion reached was that Banner-bearer Zhao came from a prominent family in the capital, and the men around him were all elite guards selected from the eight hundred thousand Imperial Guards. Feng Dahu had brought seven or eight men and still couldn't match them.

This talk spread from outside to the back street, and suddenly Fu Tingjun's household became a lively spot. Knowing that she kept her doors closed, people came either to borrow two ounces of salt or two flints, but they would all stand on tiptoe and crane their necks to catch a glimpse of Zheng San before leaving.

Once people learned the reason, they teased Zheng San for a long time.

But Zheng San was quite troubled: "This is terrible now. If anyone sets their sights on our household, they'll probably first send someone capable of dealing with me."

A Sen dismissed his concern, puffing out his little chest: "What are you afraid of? Isn't I here?"

Zheng Sanniang, meanwhile, laughed at him: "Now that General Wang has become the Deputy General of the General's Office, who would dare to set their sights on our household!"

Almost everyone in Zhangye city knew of this matter, and with Jin Yuanbao's shrewdness and competence, it was impossible he hadn't caught wind of it.

Fu Tingjun didn't hide it from him. She told him the whole story and finally urged him: "Whatever you do, don't tell Ninth Master. He's currently in battle with Commander Lu. Once the fighting is over, I'll tell him myself." She added, "See? We're all perfectly fine now!"

Jin Yuanbao, accustomed to weighing gains and losses, nodded at her words: "Rest assured, Miss Fu. I know what to do."

Fu Tingjun breathed a sigh of relief.

Jin Yuanbao then said, "How about this—I sell this house and buy another one nearby?"

"Everyone knows there was a murder in our house, so it won't be easy to sell," Fu Tingjun had thought about this too. "And there's no suitable residence nearby to buy either."

Jin Yuanbao asked her to move his and Yang Yucheng's belongings to the east room of the main house where she had originally lived.

"We're not afraid of that," he said with a laugh. "You can take advantage of the improving weather to knock through these two rooms—one bright, one dark. The bright one can serve as a sitting room, and the dark one as an inner chamber." He added, "Anyway, we don't stay home more than a day in all four seasons."

"There's no rush for that either." Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire—Fu Tingjun couldn't agree readily. "Let's wait until Ninth Master returns before discussing it."

Jin Yuanbao didn't insist further and took his leave after sitting for a while.

The next day, before they left the city, Fu Tingjun had Zheng San deliver a basket of meat flatbreads and twenty taels of loose silver.

His colleagues, seeing the white gauze carefully draped over the basket, all winked and asked him, "Who is it after all? Not only sending food, but silver too?"

Jin Yuanbao chewed the meat flatbread slowly and deliberately, then said unhurriedly, "She's my sister-in-law!"