Chapter 185: Marquis Yingchuan (Bonus Chapter for Pink Votes)
By evening, when the couple met again, both were so exhausted they could barely speak.
Fu Tingyun hastily washed up and retired to the side chamber with Youyou for the night.
Waking at midnight for tea, she noticed a dim yellow light seeping through the bamboo curtain separating the inner chamber. After a moment's hesitation, she draped on her robe and entered.
Zhao Ling sat by the window on the heated kang in his underwear, reviewing a gift list. Hearing movement, he looked up and smiled at her—a bright, unaffected smile that unexpectedly set her heart pounding.
Blushing, Fu Tingyun straightened her posture as if to hide something and gracefully perched on the bedside. "What are you looking at, Ninth Master?" she asked softly.
Without answering, Zhao Ling handed her the list.
To her surprise, it was Marquis Yingchuan's gift register.
She looked at Zhao Ling in confusion.
With a deep sigh, he said quietly, "Did you notice? Though Marquis Yingchuan sent lavish gifts for Youyou's birthday, on the actual day he didn't even send a respectable steward..."
Fu Tingyun was taken aback.
Zhao Ling wasn't petty—if he mentioned this, there must be meaning behind it.
Sobering, she said, "I assumed it was because the Duke of Fu's household hasn't divided their estate yet."
The Duke's residence had also sent gifts—merely two ordinary children's outfits—with a third-tier steward delivering congratulations.
"I suspect there's more to it," Zhao Ling mused, staring at the list. "At our wedding, apart from the Duke's household, Marquis Yingchuan also sent gifts and had stewards attend the banquet..."
Suddenly enlightened, Fu Tingyun recalled Xiao Yiniang's recent message: "...asking me to visit when free. I dismissed it, thinking the Duke's household too complicated. Could these matters be connected?" She added, "Shall I visit the Duke's residence to return courtesy, using their gift-giving as pretext to meet Xiao Yiniang?"
"No need," Zhao Ling said, smiling. He felt Fu Tingyun had suffered enough and didn't want her troubled by this. "If Marquis Yingchuan has business, he'll summon me directly. As for Xiao Yiniang, better not meet her. I've heard since the original Lady Mei's death, her two sons were raised by the Dowager. Now that Marquis Yingchuan is leaving for Liaodong, protocol dictates Xiao Yiniang should accompany him. But the Dowager claims old age makes educating the young masters difficult, so Xiao Yiniang—Lady Mei's former maid, loyal and proper—must stay to assist, while another virtuous woman tends to the Marquis in Liaodong..."
Fu Tingyun gasped. "How did Marquis Yingchuan respond?"
"He agreed," Zhao Ling said. "Reportedly, the Dowager selected a distant cousin's granddaughter from her maternal clan."
This made Fu Tingyun even more reluctant to meet Xiao Yiniang.
Yet unexpectedly, within days, Xiao Yiniang came calling in person.She apologized to Fu Tingyun with a guilty expression, "The Marquis will be departing for Liaodong in a few days, and I will stay behind to care for the two young masters. Originally, I thought that the Marquis's smooth journey to Liaodong was all thanks to Lord Zhao's strategy. With the Marquis traveling thousands of miles away, if anything were to happen to the two young masters, having Lord Zhao in the capital would be a great help. That's why I wanted to meet with Madam Zhao. But when the Marquis found out, he scolded me harshly, saying that as an outer court official, it would be a major taboo for him to associate with Lord Zhao, who remains in the capital as an inner court official. If Lord Zhao were stationed at the border, he would be a key official, and any association might raise suspicions of factionalism. By doing this, I would be putting Lord Zhao in a position of disloyalty and impropriety. I was terrified upon hearing this and came specially to apologize to Madam Zhao. Please convey my apologies to Lord Zhao and ask for his forgiveness for my thoughtless mistake."
Fu Tingyun's heart was instantly thrown into turmoil.
So, the lavish gifts Marquis Yingchuan had sent on Youyou's birthday were both an expression of gratitude for Zhao Ling's strategy regarding the troop rotation and a clear demarcation—from now on, their relationship would be purely that of colleagues, with no trace of their former master-subordinate bond.
After seeing Xiao Yiniang off, Fu Tingyun urgently called for Zheng San: "Ninth Master has gone to the Ministry of War. Go there and wait for him. As soon as you see him come out, tell him to return home immediately—I have urgent matters to discuss."
Zheng San acknowledged and left.
Distracted, Fu Tingyun played cat's cradle with Youyou.
Yan Qing came in to report, "Madam, Yu Huaian, the steward from the Yu Family, is here again. He says he's come to deliver Dragon Boat Festival gifts for our household."
Fu Tingyun frowned slightly and said, "Just have him leave the gift list and go."
Yan Qing was taken aback.
Realizing her abruptness, Fu Tingyun softened her tone, "Tell him Ninth Master is at the yamen, and the household is full of women, making it inconvenient to receive guests. Have him leave the gift list, and Ninth Master will go to express his thanks upon returning."
It still amounted to having Yu Huaian leave the list and go, just phrased more politely.
Yan Qing sighed in relief and went to the reception hall in the southern wing.
Yu Wei hesitated before asking, "Should we prepare some return gifts?"
"What return gifts?" Fu Tingyun said dismissively. "I have no intention of maintaining ties with their family. They can send gifts if they wish, but expecting reciprocity from me? They're not worthy of that."
Having received clear instructions, Yu Wei brought out the list of Dragon Boat Festival gifts to be sent.
Fu Tingyun noticed "Duke of Fu's Residence" and "Marquis Yingchuan" at the top of the list. After some thought, she set it aside, saying, "I'll discuss this with Ninth Master later. Isn't the Dragon Boat Festival still seven or eight days away?"
Yu Wei smiled in agreement and turned to Youyou, "Shall I play cat's cradle with you?"
Youyou immediately scrambled onto Fu Tingyun's back, clinging to her and crying, "Mama, mama, mama..." as if afraid Fu Tingyun would stop playing with her.
Everyone burst into laughter.
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Meanwhile, Yu Huaian was seething with silent fury.
In the capital, no one had ever dared to slight him like this.
Representing the Yu Family to deliver gifts, he was received by a mere servant of the Zhao household—not even offered a cup of tea before being dismissed...
When reporting back to Madam Yu, Yu Huaian couldn't help but show his displeasure.Madam Yu calmly lifted her teacup and smiled faintly, saying, "Back then, when the father of Grand Secretary Shen's chief steward Shu Hong passed away, the master sent you all the way to Huzhou, Shu Hong's hometown, to attend the funeral. The eldest and third masters were quite disapproving at the time. Yet in the end, it was thanks to Steward Shu's efforts that the master gained Grand Secretary Shen's favor... Some things shouldn't be judged by their immediate appearance."
Yu Huaian bowed his head in acknowledgment and retreated cautiously.
Housekeeper Shu approached with a crystal plate of cherries, smiling as she offered them. "Madam, please try these. I picked each one myself—every single one is sweet."
Madam Yu nodded, listlessly ate one cherry, then set down the toothpick.
Housekeeper Shu hesitated, as if wanting to speak but holding back.
Wiping the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, Madam Yu said, "If you have something to say, speak up. This stammering—who did you learn it from?"
Housekeeper Shu quickly replied with a smile, "I was just thinking how kind you are to that young lady from the Fu family. Even though General Manager Yu is so busy, you still insisted he personally go to visit..."
"What do you know?" Madam Yu sighed. "In this matter, our family has wronged her... especially De Pu... I'm doing this to accumulate blessings for him."
Housekeeper Shu fell silent.
A young maid entered and announced, "The young master is here."
Madam Yu glanced at Housekeeper Shu, who promptly dropped the subject and stepped forward to lift the curtain.
Yu Jingxiu strode in gracefully, dressed in a lake-blue Hangzhou silk long gown.
Joy welled up in Madam Yu's eyes at the sight of him.
She hurriedly ordered the maids to serve tea and snacks, then took her son's hand and asked with concern, "Why are you back so early today?"
"His Majesty went to the Western Gardens, and there wasn't much to do, so Lord Hu dismissed us early," Yu Jingxiu replied, sitting beside his mother and massaging her shoulders. "I stopped by Jiangxiang Garden to buy a few catties of your favorite assorted pickles and even asked the shopkeeper to add extra radish... You'll have another dish for dinner tonight."
Madam Yu smiled warmly at this.
Yu Jingxiu then brought up the matter of the Dragon Boat Festival gifts. "...I heard Huaian went to Shi Family Alley early this morning?"
Madam Yu's smile faded slightly as she gave a displeased hum.
Yu Jingxiu chuckled. "No matter what, Huaian is our family's general manager. It's hardly fitting for him to personally deliver gifts. Next time something like this comes up, just leave it to me..."
His tone was light, as if casually chatting with his mother.
But Madam Yu arched an eyebrow and ordered the attendants, "All of you, leave us."
The servants were surprised but quickly curtsied and withdrew.
Once they were alone, Madam Yu said, "The Office of Transmission keeps you busy from dawn till dusk. Did your wife tell you about Huaian delivering the gifts?"
"No, no," Yu Jingxiu replied, a flicker of regret crossing his face. He had only noticed his wife's low spirits these past few days and, unable to discern the reason, had inquired further. That was how he learned his mother often viewed his wife in a negative light. He should have phrased it more tactfully—now his mother would likely blame his wife again. The thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly added, "I ran into Huaian at the gate...""Huai'an isn't one to gossip, otherwise he wouldn't have become the chief steward of Alley Street," Madam Yu coldly interrupted him. "That Zuo Junjie—have you found him yet?"
His father had specifically told him not to inform his mother. How did she know?
Caught off guard, Yu Jingxiu was stunned.
Madam Yu's sharp gaze, tinged with frost, fixed on him as she said, "You haven't found him, have you?"
"Mother!" Yu Jingxiu was flustered.
Madam Yu's expression grew even colder, though her tone remained calm. "What I despise about your wife is her petty nature. At a time like this, all she cares about is jealousy and squabbles. If she were truly virtuous, she should be finding ways to help you through this crisis! As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face. Since you can't find Zuo Junjie and your meeting with the Zhao couple ended badly, I have no choice but to focus on these small matters, hoping to move Fu Shi and leave you a way out." Her eyes grew even more piercing as she continued, "This should have been your wife's responsibility. Unfortunately, not only does she fail to realize it, but even seeing me do it, she doesn't understand my efforts... Now I have to humble my old face to endure the cold shoulders of others!" With a self-deprecating smile, she added, "Who would have thought that after half a lifetime of prestige, in my twilight years when I should be enjoying the pleasures of grandchildren, I'd be reduced to groveling before a junior!"
"Mother!" Yu Jingxiu hung his head in shame and embarrassment.
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Throwing flowers—I finally managed an extra update!
(>_<)
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