Chapter 215: Unexpected
Madam Wu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
Initially, the Zhao family had only mentioned that some elders had overstepped their bounds, taking advantage of Zhao Ling's status as a collateral branch and his mother's widowhood with no one to support them, attempting to seize their family property. Such incidents were common among wealthy families. Now that the Zhao family was willing to humble themselves to settle this matter and had shown sufficient "sincerity" to enlist her help, she was happy to act as a mediator. But if things had reached the point where elders were to kneel before their juniors... the situation was likely far more complicated than it seemed.
Even if the Zhao family's "sincerity" was genuine, if handling it would burn her hands like a hot potato, it simply wasn't worth it.
She immediately felt inclined to withdraw, and resentment grew in her heart over the Zhao family's deliberate concealment of the truth.
However, having just accepted their favors, she couldn't outright turn hostile. Thus, she had to maintain appearances and scold the Zhao family: "Who is Zhao Ling now? He's the Emperor's trusted confidant, a young general fresh from victory! Their household isn't some vegetable garden gate—you can't just come and go as you please! Even I have to wait for the right opportunity to visit the Zhao family, and you want me to bring along your Eighth Madam? Whose terrible idea was this?" Then, softening her tone slightly, she added, "Don't worry too much. The Double Ninth Festival is coming up in a few days, and it's customary for me to send gifts. I'll take the chance to sound out Madam Zhao's stance then."
The Zhao family representative hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Madam Wu." Then, hesitantly, they asked, "What gifts do you plan to send? We can't possibly let you spend your own silver for our family's affairs. Would five hundred taels be enough?" With an ingratiating smile, they added, "As you know, we’re rather narrow-minded. If we’ve misspoken, please forgive us and don’t laugh at us."
A visit to the Zhao family would cost her at most ten taels... even if she had to ask Fu Tingyun for a favor, twenty taels would be the limit.
Madam Wu mulled it over and found the Zhao family’s representative quite sensible. Her earlier resentment eased somewhat, and her expression softened as she vaguely replied, "I’ll figure something out."
In other words, she agreed to accept the five hundred taels.
The Zhao family representative breathed a sigh of relief.
They weren’t afraid of Madam Wu making exorbitant demands—what worried them was if she refused the silver and the matter remained unresolved. If Zhao Ling were to take action later, the price would far exceed what Madam Wu was asking now.
With a flattering smile, they tentatively asked Madam Wu, "What do you think about trying to approach Lord Zhao as well?"
Madam Wu couldn’t hide her surprise. "You mean you haven’t already tried reaching out to Lord Zhao?"
She had assumed the Zhao family had turned to Fu Tingyun only after hitting a wall with Zhao Ling.
"We did!" the Zhao family representative admitted awkwardly. "But perhaps we didn’t find the right connections—Lord Zhao simply ignored us." Then, buttering her up, they added, "You, Madam, are truly well-connected, managing to speak with Madam Zhao so quickly."
Madam Wu’s heart suddenly flared with anger.
Just how much more had this Zhao family hidden from her?
Her voice sharpened as she demanded, "What exactly is going on? According to you, Lord Zhao left home when he was young. But there are many people with the same name, and your Zhao family has always operated mainly in the south. How did you recognize Lord Zhao? And how did you learn about his family affairs?" By the end, her tone had turned stern.The Zhao family members, seeing Madam Wu's anger, felt their hearts pounding with unease. They quickly put on a smile and said, "We truly haven't hidden anything from you, Madam. Our Eighth Master learned about Lord Zhao's affairs entirely due to a slip of the tongue by Shopkeeper Ye San of the Datong Company after drinking. When our Eighth Master later inquired, Shopkeeper Ye San denied everything. This made our Eighth Master increasingly suspicious, so he sent people to investigate for over half a year before daring to confirm it. Thus, although we knew Shopkeeper Ye San was on good terms with Lord Zhao—and that he became the chief shopkeeper of the Datong Company's capital branch because Zhao Ling introduced him to Qin Feiyu, a trusted minister—it was still difficult to ask Shopkeeper Ye San to intervene..."
Madam Wu found the Zhao family's reasoning sound, yet she vaguely sensed something amiss. Unable to pinpoint what it was, she had no choice but to let it pass and offered some lukewarm reassurances like, "Don’t worry. Madam Zhao is busy with her brother-in-law’s betrothal these days. Once she’s free, I’ll visit her immediately."
Though the Zhao family sensed Madam Wu’s indifference, they had no better alternative. Having already sought her help, backing out now would mean losing all their prior efforts. Moreover, finding someone with Madam Wu’s influence would be difficult. Swallowing their pride, they bowed repeatedly and pleaded earnestly.
Irritated by their lack of tact, Madam Wu frowned and said, "If you’ve investigated the Zhao family, you should know Madam Zhao holds the reins. If you can’t sway her, don’t even think about convincing Lord Zhao."
At this point, the Zhao family could only apologize and take their leave.
Once outside, they couldn’t help but feel aggrieved, and their expressions darkened when reporting back to Eighth Master Zhao.
Eighth Master Zhao knew full well this was an unpleasant task, akin to offering warmth only to be met with coldness. After comforting the messenger, he pondered Madam Wu’s words and eventually instructed, "In that case, go and gather information about Madam Zhao. Instead of spending on Madam Wu, focus everything on Madam Zhao. If you can’t approach her immediately, at least learn her preferences so you’ll know how to act when the time comes."
The woman departed to carry out his orders.
Meanwhile, Madam Wu sat by the window in a daze after seeing the Zhao family off. Only when Official Wu returned from his duties did she snap out of it and help him change.
Noticing her distraction, Official Wu asked, "What’s the matter? You seem preoccupied."
"Nothing, nothing," Madam Wu replied hastily, not wanting him to know. But meeting his concerned gaze, she hesitated.
After years of marriage, how could she hide anything from him?
Official Wu pressed, "Whose affairs are you meddling in this time?"
Madam Wu gave an awkward smile and, after a moment’s thought, confessed everything about the Zhao family’s request to reconcile with Zhao Ling.
Official Wu’s expression shifted from surprise to stern disapproval. He lowered his voice and chided, "How could you be so reckless! You should have discussed this with me before getting involved!"Madam Wu had been uneasy to begin with, but upon hearing Official Wu's words, her face paled and her voice grew urgent: "What's wrong? Is there something amiss?"
Official Wu said gravely, "Think about it—what kind of place is Datong Company? What kind of person is Shopkeeper Ye San, who has risen and fallen multiple times? If he were the type to spill secrets after drinking, how would the owner of Datong Company dare entrust him with managing the capital branch? And of all things, he just happened to mention Zhao Ling's affairs..."
Before he could finish, Madam Wu's face turned as white as paper.
"My lord," she clutched his sleeve tightly, "are you saying... this was all intentional on Shopkeeper Ye San's part?" As the words left her mouth, her brows furrowed deeply. "But... what would Shopkeeper Ye San gain from this?"
"Fool!" Official Wu couldn't help exclaiming. "Without Zhao Ling's instructions, would Shopkeeper Ye San dare reveal this matter to the Zhao family? Now that the Zhaos know about Zhao Ling's affairs, as you've seen, they're so afraid of his retaliation that they'd rather pay him off to settle past grievances. Without making a sound, Zhao Ling has made the Zhao family cough up all the properties they seized from him years ago—and even managed to profit handsomely from it... Even an honest official couldn't settle family disputes like this. Going to court wouldn't have achieved what he has—gaining benefits while preserving his reputation!"
Madam Wu was dumbstruck: "Then... what should I do?"
"What can you do now?" Official Wu was also frustrated. "I told you long ago not to meddle in these messy affairs, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've given Zhao Ling leverage..." As he spoke, the thought of how Zhao Ling had effortlessly ensnared the Zhao family sent a chill down his spine. "No, I must go speak with Official Qin..." He abruptly stood up and ordered Madam Wu, "Quickly, help me change!" His expression showed rare panic.
Madam Wu watched in alarm, her limbs feeling almost numb, and hastily called for maids to assist Official Wu. She circled around him anxiously: "Surely this doesn't concern us? I was merely passing along a message... I meant well..."
Official Wu glared at her and said sternly, "Enough! Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. When he registered at the Ministry of Personnel, he listed his residence as Chang'an County in Shaanxi. Even the Emperor often remarks that he has the bearing of a northerner despite being southern—clearly, he doesn't want people knowing about his family affairs. You've poked a hornet's nest and still don't realize the danger you're in!"
Madam Wu's legs gave way, and she slumped onto a nearby embroidered stool, tears streaming down her face: "What are we to do? What are we to do?" Then, in a fluster, she steadied herself against the moon-gate partition and stood up. "I... I'll go see Madam Zhao! You don't understand—Lord Zhao respects and adores Madam Zhao deeply. Not only does he never touch women from the military camps, but even when frontier merchants send him stunning beauties, he refuses them all... If I speak to Madam Zhao, as long as she agrees to intervene, Lord Zhao will surely let bygones be bygones!"
At this point, they had to try every possible solution—any path that might work was worth taking!
"Then go quickly!" Official Wu said, straightening his clothes and heading out.
Bolstered, Madam Wu freshened up and set off for the Zhao residence.Fu Tingyun was discussing A Sen's marriage with Yu Wei when she heard of Madam Wu's visit. Though inwardly annoyed, she instructed Zhenzhu, "Please show her into the main hall."
Zhenzhu promptly went and soon ushered Madam Wu in.
Fu Tingyun stepped forward with a smile, but before she could utter a word, Madam Wu tearfully grasped her hands. "Dear sister, you must save me this time!"
Fu Tingyun was momentarily stunned.
Madam Wu then rapidly recounted the incident: "...I truly meant well, trying to help Lord Zhao resolve this official matter..." She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "If not for my husband, I wouldn't have known I'd caused such trouble... Even my husband admits I was wrong and has gone to beg Lord Qin to intercede... Knowing how highly Lord Zhao regards you, I came straight to you..."
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O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of Chapter)
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