Chapter 100: Feng Dahu
One evening, Lu Shi from next door quietly moved away without anyone knowing her destination.
Qi Taitai felt somewhat unaccustomed to losing her gossip partner, while Fu Tingyun was left with a sense of melancholy.
Mo Yi had become Zhao Ling's superior, and Zhao Ling would need to rely on him frequently in the future. Since Fu Tingyun had openly clashed with Lu Shi, allowing her to remain by Mo Yi's side was risky—who knew what kind of pillow talk she might whisper? Dripping water wears through stone, and no one could guarantee Mo Yi would always maintain goodwill toward Zhao Ling.
She couldn't take that risk!
With these thoughts, Fu Tingyun hardened her heart.
Zhao Ming, entrusted by Zhao Ling, brought her some rice, flour, sugar, and a letter.
In the letter, Zhao Ling inquired about Master Xie's mourning ceremony. He mentioned that he had just arrived at Nianbo Garrison and was swamped with tasks, making it impossible for him to leave. He asked her to hold the mourning ceremony at home and promised to accompany her to the Great Buddha Temple for a ritual ceremony for Master Xie's entire family once he returned to Zhangye.
Fu Tingyun tucked the letter away.
That evening, as Zheng Sanniang assisted her with her bath, she mentioned Zhao Ming: "He voluntarily followed our Ninth Master to Nianbo Garrison and has now become its assistant commander. You should have seen him—the first time he came, there was an air of arrogance in his words, but now he's completely different. Not only does he call my husband 'brother,' but when he heard A Sen was the master's sworn brother, he even gave him two or three taels of silver, saying it was for buying writing supplies."
Such behavior was only human nature.
Fu Tingyun asked listlessly, "Did A Sen accept it?"
"No!" Zheng Sanniang laughed. "A Sen said, 'Those who eat others' food speak softly; those who take others' gifts are bound by obligation.' Who knows what Zhao Ming wants? So he refused outright, saying it was on your orders."
Fu Tingyun smiled.
A Sen had learned some straightforward principles from Zhao Ling.
She asked Zheng Sanniang, "Did Zhao Ming mention Ninth Master?"
"How could he not?" Zheng Sanniang placed the scented soap and towel by the bathtub and chuckled. "He kept boasting about how close he was with our Ninth Master. He also talked about Nianbo Garrison. He said the Wu Family had been there for three or four generations. Since Wu Ying died without heirs, they were discussing adopting a distant relative's child to inherit Wu Ying's name, then going to the capital to secure the child's succession. Knowing that Ninth Master's temporary appointment as Nianbo Garrison's chiliarch was Marquis Yingchuan's doing—and that he'd officially take the Commander of One Thousand Households Position once he earned more military merit—the Wu Family has been causing trouble behind his back. But Zhao Ming also said Ninth Master is formidable, decisive, and backed by Marquis Yingchuan. At most, the Wu Family can stir up a few waves, but they'll never topple him. He added that Marquis Yingchuan's father, the Duke of Fuguo, was recently appointed Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, enjoying great imperial favor. So when Marquis Yingchuan wrote to the capital, the former Deputy Commander Liu was immediately impeached, and the Military Appointments Bureau followed his wishes to appoint Lord Wang as deputy commander." Her voice brightened with joy. "Miss, do you think our master might also become a deputy commander if he stays with Marquis Yingchuan?"
"Do you really want to stay in Zhangye forever?" Fu Tingyun asked with a smile as she undressed.Zheng Sanniang caught a glimpse of Fu Tingyun’s snow-white figure, its curves undulating like mountain ridges, and was momentarily dazed. After a pause, she asked, “Miss, do you not wish to stay in Zhangye anymore?” Her mind still lingered on that breathtaking sight, her tone carrying a hint of absentmindedness.
Fu Tingyun wanted to be with Zhao Ling—it didn’t matter where!
Resting her cheek on the edge of the bathtub lined with a handkerchief, Fu Tingyun remained silent for a long while.
She had followed Zhao Ling’s advice and held a private mourning ceremony for her uncle at home, quietly removing the white hair ribbon from her dark tresses. Yet she still wore her silver-threaded white gauze blouse and indigo horse-face skirt. With the incident involving Feng Dahu, she became even more reluctant to leave the house. These subtle changes went unnoticed by others.
Perhaps because Lu Shi had moved away, the two young ladies from the Wang family began visiting frequently, sometimes even staying overnight.
Fu Tingyun would do needlework with them, occasionally offering guidance. Sometimes, she would tell them stories from Buddhist scriptures or teach them poetry. Once A Sen finished his studies, he would come over to help Fu Tingyun split threads or hold fabric. The younger Miss Wang would tease A Sen, who would retort, and the two would bicker noisily, filling the house with laughter. Even Linchun would sit on the doorstep, unwilling to leave, making the home lively and cheerful.
Yet, deep down, Fu Tingyun still felt a sense of loss, often sitting blankly on the kang when alone.
As someone who had been through similar emotions, Zheng Sanniang vaguely guessed Fu Tingyun’s thoughts. As July approached, she asked, “For the Ghost Festival, Qi Taitai mentioned many people will float lanterns on the Ruoshui River. Shall we go too?”
Among three thousand weak waters, I only take one ladle to drink.
Fu Tingyun was tempted but hesitated, fearing it might invite trouble.
Just then, Qi Taitai rushed over.
“Miss Fu, Miss Fu, have you heard?” she panted, beads of sweat on her forehead. “A few days ago, someone broke into the Xiping Marquis’s estate outside Liangzhou City and shot Feng Dahu dead with arrows!”
“What?” Fu Tingyun stood up in shock.
“It’s true, it’s true!” Qi Taitai chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude. “It happened twelve days ago. They say the man wore black clothes and a bamboo hat—only his chin was visible. He rode alone straight to the Feng residence at the Xiping Marquis’s estate, shot Feng Dahu three times with arrows, then galloped away. By the time the Xiping Marquis’s men reacted, he was long gone. The Xiping heir sent out five to six hundred retainers to scour the area around Liangzhou, but they couldn’t find a trace of him. The Xiping Marquis was furious and brought over two hundred retainers to see Marquis Yingchuan, asking him to mobilize the Liangzhou Garrison to hunt down the killer. Right now, the Xiping Marquis is still at the General Military Headquarters!”
Alone… wearing a bamboo hat… dressed in black…
For some reason, Zhao Ling’s image involuntarily surfaced in Fu Tingyun’s mind.
Her mouth went dry. “Aside from Feng Dahu, did this man harm anyone else?”"No," Qi Taitai shook her head. "Only Feng Dahu was killed. I heard some people tried to stop him afterward, but he just used his horsewhip to sweep them aside without harming anyone." Her tone carried a note of admiration. "If only Marquis Yingchuan hadn't agreed to let Xiping Marquis mobilize troops from Liangzhou Garrison! That Feng Dahu should have been killed long ago!" Then she added with some confusion, "Why didn't he kill Feng Dahu earlier? Why wait until Feng Dahu returned to Xiping Marquis's residence before making his move? Going into someone's home to kill—didn't he realize it would provoke Xiping Marquis? Even if Xiping Marquis didn't care about Feng Dahu, such a blatant slap in the face would be impossible to ignore! Now that Feng Dahu was already a useless wreck, he still went to such lengths to kill him. It must have been a blood feud. If he knew it would come to this, why didn't he act sooner..." Her gaze settled on Fu Tingyun. "Do you think it's possible he didn't know Feng Dahu was his enemy before? Now that he knows, he's determined to kill Feng Dahu no matter what? After all, Feng Dahu's last scheme was aimed at harming you!"
"I—I—I don't know!" Fu Tingyun's heart pounded violently, blood rushing to her head until her face flushed crimson. "Everyone in my family is here. No one has traveled far recently."
"True," Qi Taitai said. "Now that Chiliarch Zhao holds the Commander of One Thousand Households Position despite his lower rank, everyone knows he's one of Marquis Yingchuan's most trusted men. What kind of person is Feng Dahu? If Chiliarch Zhao had just said the word, Xiping Marquis—who wouldn't dare cross Marquis Yingchuan now—would have trussed Feng Dahu up and delivered him to Chiliarch Zhao as an apology. There was no need to send someone to kill Feng Dahu in Xiping Marquis's own home..."
Fu Tingyun didn't register anything else Qi Taitai said after that.
In a daze, she saw Qi Taitai out, then lay alone on the kang. One moment, she saw Zhao Ling smiling gently at her; the next, he gazed at her helplessly; then he frowned, or his brows arched sharply, his expression murderous...
Was he involved?
Did he do it?
Fu Tingyun kept asking herself, feeling as though she had found the answer yet still lost in a fog, unable to see the path ahead.
Outside, Linchun's carefree laughter rang out.
Fu Tingyun bolted upright like a startled bird. "Zheng San! Zheng San! Go find out—has Marquis Yingchuan agreed to let Xiping Marquis use Liangzhou Garrison's forces to hunt down Feng Dahu's killer?"
Zheng San looked puzzled but obeyed.
Fu Tingyun lit three sticks of incense, bowed three times reverently before the shrine of Sakyamuni, then sat quietly in the nearby Grand Tutor chair, waiting for Zheng San's return.
When Zheng San returned, he was drenched in sweat. "Marquis Yingchuan has already approved Xiping Marquis's request to mobilize Liangzhou Garrison's troops to apprehend the killer." As he spoke, his expression betrayed a knowing concern.
Fu Tingyun's heart suddenly raced.
Gritting her teeth, she ordered Zheng San, "Go to Nianbo Garrison at once and inform Ninth Master about this."
But Zheng San hesitated. "Miss, right now... it's better to stay still than to act."If this matter was truly Zhao Ling's doing, he must have found an excuse to leave Nianbo Garrison. Nianbo Garrison and Liangzhou Garrison are located to the south and north respectively. If he hasn't returned to Nianbo Garrison yet or if he told people there he was going back to Zhangye... wouldn't searching for him expose his whereabouts!
"Understood!" Fu Tingyun nodded, though her heart was filled with bitterness.
Was this really Zhao Ling's doing?
Soon, the entire city of Zhangye was abuzz with discussions about the incident.
Even Wang Furen remarked with a smile, "Familiar with the layout of Xiping Marquis's residence like the back of his hand, moving through Liangzhou as if it were unguarded territory, leaving no trace along the way. My husband says this person is truly a talent. If found, he would surely ask Xiping Marquis for the favor of keeping him at the General Military Headquarters." Her tone turned playful by the end.
But Fu Tingyun couldn't bring herself to laugh.
She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Since Zhao Ling had written asking if everything was alright at home, he hadn't returned.
The thought struck her suddenly, sending a chill down her spine.
If he had known about Feng Dahu back then... given his temperament, how could he have let it go so easily... it must be him, it must be him... only he would have such capability... even Zheng San suspected upon hearing...
Was this why he hadn't come home... feeling too ashamed to face her?
Fu Tingyun counted the days on her fingers.
Zhao Ling wrote her a letter every month. She would wait another half month. If he didn't come to see her after that, she would go to him.
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A quiet question for everyone: It's already chapter 100, are you still saving up chapters to read?
(>_<)
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