Chapter 114: Making Plans
Fu Tingyun widened her eyes as she looked at the middle-aged man before her, feeling as though she had seen him somewhere before, yet unable to recall where. A trace of confusion flickered in her gaze.
Lao Chai gave a bitter smile and whispered, "Miss Fu, do you still remember the shop in Yongjing County that sold Hui headscarves?"
"Ah!" Fu Tingyun suddenly remembered and couldn't help but exclaim, "You—how did you end up like this?"
At that shop in Yongjing County selling Hui headscarves, she and Zhao Ling had encountered Ye Shouxin, the third shopkeeper of Datong Company.
Back then, Shopkeeper Ye had been dressed in fine silks and furs, exuding an air of elegance. But now, he was so emaciated that his entire appearance had changed—his face sallow and gaunt, his clothes shabby, looking utterly destitute. There wasn’t the slightest resemblance to his former self, which was why Fu Tingyun hadn’t recognized him.
Shopkeeper Ye quickly gestured for her to lower her voice and said with a bitter smile, "Please, Miss Fu, don’t draw attention. Just call me Lao Chai. As for your great kindness, allow me to repay you generously once I’m out of danger..."
Though she didn’t know what had happened, since Zhao Ling had entrusted this man to her, it meant he wanted to help him. She readily complied, addressing him as "Lao Chai," and replied warmly yet politely, "You speak too seriously. Everyone faces difficulties now and then. You look exhausted—you must have had a hard journey." She then called for Zheng San and said, "This is Lao Chai, a friend Ninth Master made in Yongchang Garrison. Please see to his rest."
Zheng San had first met Shopkeeper Ye at an inn in Yongchang Garrison.
As an escort guard who traveled the martial world, Zheng San naturally had sharp instincts. But he never could have imagined that the third shopkeeper of Datong Company—someone who could mobilize millions in silver at will—would suddenly appear in his home in such a state. Once Fu Tingyun reminded him, he immediately recognized Shopkeeper Ye. Though inwardly shocked, he only showed a brief flicker of surprise in his eyes, sensing there must be more to the situation. He calmly acknowledged the request and respectfully led Lao Chai away to rest.
Shopkeeper Ye, after all, was a man who had traveled far and wide. Seeing that even a minor steward in Zhao Ling’s household carried himself with such composure, he nodded inwardly in approval, his tense nerves relaxing slightly as he followed Zheng San to the adjacent room to rest.
A tiger stranded in the plains might be bullied by dogs, but it was still a tiger.
Zheng San didn’t dare neglect him. He brought out a newly made lilac-colored lined robe for Shopkeeper Ye to change into, personally fetched hot water for his bath, and waited until he had freshened up. Then, Zheng Sanniang, following Fu Tingyun’s instructions, brought over a bowl of chicken soup.
Shopkeeper Ye was deeply moved and thanked the couple sincerely.
"Please don’t stand on ceremony—this is all on Miss Fu’s orders," Zheng Sanniang said with a smile. "She also mentioned that Ninth Master is drinking with that Lord He in the main hall, and they likely won’t finish anytime soon. If you’re tired, Lao Chai, you can rest in our room first. My child and I will move to the side room next to Miss Fu’s quarters. If anything comes up, Ninth Master will surely give instructions, so you can rest easy!"
Zheng Sanniang was subtly reminding Shopkeeper Ye that since he was posing as Ninth Master’s servant, he should be careful not to reveal his true identity while guests were present.
"Then I’ll rest for now," Shopkeeper Ye understood immediately and replied, "If Ninth Master has any orders, please call for me, Zheng Sanniang.""Don't worry, I'll definitely tell you if anything happens," Zheng Sanniang said with a smile as she took Shopkeeper Ye's empty chicken soup bowl back to the kitchen.
Fu Tingyun was preparing camel hoof stew when she heard Zheng Sanniang's report. She nodded and instructed Zheng Sanniang to take the freshly made pancakes she had just cooked to the main hall.
Zheng Sanniang complied. While serving the dishes, she overheard Magistrate He Xiulin admiring Fu Tingyun: "...I never expected her to be such an excellent cook."
"She's very capable," Zhao Ling praised Tingyun with a smile as he refilled He Xiulin's empty wine cup. "I'm also going to see the Marquis tomorrow. Why don't we go together?"
He Xiulin had met Zhao Ling on the post road to Zhangye after the banquet. After Zhao Ling introduced himself, they became acquainted. During their journey, He Xiulin found Zhao Ling to be articulate and, despite his youth, already acting as Commander of One Thousand Households at Nianbo Garrison with Marquis Yingchuan's support—someone worth befriending. Hearing Zhao Ling's suggestion, he immediately agreed with a smile: "Great! Let's go together then."
Zhao Ling then complained about his meager salary: "...If not for the family's constant financial support, life would be truly difficult!"
He Xiulin laughed heartily: "If we had to live on our salaries alone, we'd all be starving."
The two conversed happily, drinking until the beginning of the hai hour (9-11 PM) before parting.
He Xiulin stayed overnight in Zhao Ling's quarters.
Early the next morning, Zhao Ling gave some instructions and went with He Xiulin to the General Military Headquarters.
By noon, it began to rain again—this time heavier, until dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the rain poured down in torrents.
"Spring rain brings warmth, autumn rain brings chill," Fu Tingyun remarked worriedly to Zheng Sanniang as they sat on the kang doing needlework, watching the waterfall-like rain from the eaves. "I wonder what Ninth Master is doing? Getting caught in such heavy rain is no joke."
"Anxin, who serves Ninth Master, seems quite sharp-witted," Zheng Sanniang comforted Fu Tingyun. "He'll surely act according to circumstances."
Just then, Zhao Ling and Anxin came running through the rain.
Both were drenched.
Fu Tingyun and the others busied themselves—some preparing ginger soup, others heating water, and others fetching dry clothes. It took quite some time before Zhao Ling and Anxin were properly settled.
As Zhao Ling drank his ginger soup, he asked Shopkeeper Ye: "How is he? Is he alright?"
Zheng San answered: "...He slept from yesterday until noon today before waking. He has seven or eight knife wounds. Though none are life-threatening, they're all bloody and mangled. I think we need to find some wound medicine."
Remembering the wound medicine left by Wang Furen, Fu Tingyun quickly said, "I have some wound medicine here, though it leaves ugly scars."
"At a time like this, life comes first," Zhao Ling said with a laugh. "Who cares about scars?"
Fu Tingyun immediately retrieved the wound medicine from her chest and gave it to Zheng San, who went to treat Shopkeeper Ye. Zhao Ling then patted the edge of the kang beside him and smiled: "I know you have many questions for me. Let's sit and talk."
Seeing him assume a "I'll confess" attitude before she could even ask, Fu Tingyun felt both annoyed and amused. She sat beside the kang and teased, "Then what does Ninth Master think I want to ask?"
Zhao Ling pretended to ponder deeply: "Probably where I went on the fifteenth of August?"This scoundrel knew she was worried, yet he didn’t say a word yesterday!
Fu Tingyun didn’t want to give Zhao Ling the satisfaction, so she said, “I just want to know how Shopkeeper Ye ended up in such a state.”
“He was carrying a large amount of gold and spices this time when he was ambushed by bandits on the road. He escaped to Taiping Fort and was accidentally rescued by me.”
Fu Tingyun was slightly taken aback. “If that’s the case, Ninth Master should have taken him to see Marquis Yingchuan. Why hide him in our home? Unless the bandits who robbed him are connected to Marquis Yingchuan?”
A glimmer of admiration flashed in Zhao Ling’s eyes as he lowered his voice. “The bandits have no ties to Marquis Yingchuan—they’re linked to Xiping Marquis.”
This only confused Fu Tingyun further.
“For years, rumors have circulated in the underworld that Xiping Marquis has been harboring a group of bandits who specialize in robbing merchant caravans passing through Jiayuguan,” Zhao Ling said, his expression turning cold and stern. “With my current strength, I’m not yet capable of confronting Xiping Marquis, who has guarded Liangzhou for centuries. So, I sent Sanfu to investigate the bandits, hoping to obtain evidence of Xiping Marquis’s support for them. This way, we can sow a little discord between Marquis Yingchuan and Xiping Marquis… You see, their relationship is already quite delicate.”
For some reason, Fu Tingyun thought of Xiao Shi and pricked up her ears to listen.
“The court granted Marquis Yingchuan the Pingqiang General’s seal, putting him in charge of the Regional Military Commission, yet they also allowed Xiping Marquis—whose family has guarded Liangzhou for generations—to remain in power. Clearly, the court intended for Xiping Marquis to keep Marquis Yingchuan in check. Marquis Yingchuan understands this, which is why he has tolerated Xiping Marquis’s provocations—Xiping Marquis is mediocre and incompetent, no match for Marquis Yingchuan at all. If Marquis Yingchuan were to upset this balance, the court would surely send someone else to restrain him. Rather than engage in another fierce struggle, it’s better to maintain the current stalemate.”
Fu Tingyun nodded slightly in understanding.
“And now, I intend to break that stalemate.” As Zhao Ling spoke, his eyes gleamed with unwavering confidence, making him appear even more imposing. “Once I obtain proof that Xiping Marquis supports the bandits robbing merchant caravans, I’ll plant some clues to make Xiping Marquis believe Marquis Yingchuan was behind it. If Xiping Marquis tries to compromise but Marquis Yingchuan can’t return the evidence, their relationship will become irreconcilable. Only two outcomes will follow: either Marquis Yingchuan, fed up with the harassment, will decisively eliminate Xiping Marquis, or he’ll deal him a crushing blow, forcing him to stay docilely in Liangzhou forever.” Here, he smiled at Fu Tingyun. “In either case, Xiping Marquis won’t have the energy to trouble us anymore.” Then he added, “On Mid-Autumn Festival, Sanfu came to report that the bandits had mobilized en masse and gathered at Jinta Temple, not far from Jiayuguan.” His gaze turned apologetic as he looked at her. “You know the only men I can rely on are Yang Yucheng and Jin Yuanbao. Yang Yucheng was detained by Lu Cheng at Zhuanglang Garrison, and Jin Yuanbao was kept at Jiayuguan by Marquis Yingchuan before being sent to the capital on some pretext. So, I had to go to Jinta Temple myself.”
He was exhausting himself for their future…Fu Tingyun quickly said, "I know you must have encountered something urgent. The Mid-Autumn Festival comes every year—we can always go see the lanterns together next year."
Zhao Ling suddenly seemed to remember something and smiled. "Wait here!" He then dashed through the rain to his own inner chamber in the western wing of the main house, only to return shortly after, still in the rain.
"I... bought you something... for the Mid-Autumn Festival..." He pulled out a small red lacquered box with gold tracery from his robe, his face slightly flushed. "See if you like it?"
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Dear sisters and brothers, these irregular updates over the past two days aren't normal. This chapter is the update for June 16th. Tomorrow I'll be sending my child to school, so there will only be one update. Things will return to normal once I'm done with these busy days. Please bear with me.
O(∩_∩)O~
(End of Chapter)
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