Chapter 220: The Fu Family
"...People in Huayin all say that with the family now in the hands of the Eldest Master, it's likely to decline. Many think this way. Not long ago, Steward Ding requested to be released from servitude, which angered the Dowager so much she didn’t speak for days. But for some reason, Steward Ding and his family were still freed. My cousin and others privately speculated that Steward Ding paid a large sum of silver and, since his family had managed the Fu family’s estates for two generations, had close ties with some local clerks. The Fu family recently had a dispute with the Shi family over water rights for the estates, and it was through these clerks’ connections that they managed to suppress the Shi family. Steward Ding asked those clerks to speak on his behalf, forcing the Fu family to let him go. Then rumors spread that the family was no longer what it used to be—just an empty shell—so anyone with enough silver could get their way." Yi Tong paused here, her expression hesitant.
Fu Tingyun was utterly stunned.
A steward daring to request freedom from servitude, and the Fu family unable to control even their own servants, having to yield to the influence of petty clerks...
Seeing Yi Tong hesitate, Fu Tingyun pressed urgently, "What other absurd rumors are there?"
Yi Tong glanced at Yu Wei.
Instead of avoiding Yi Tong’s gaze, Yu Wei said frankly, "Sister Yi Tong, over these years, Madam has traveled north and south with Ninth Master. When Ninth Master went to the northwest, Madam took charge of everything at home. She’s no longer the young lady who stayed sheltered in the inner chambers. There are no outsiders here—just speak your mind. Madam can handle it."
From her tone, it seemed Yu Wei already knew what Yi Tong was about to say.
A flicker of suspicion crossed Fu Tingyun’s face.
Only then did Yi Tong lower her voice and say, "A merchant family offered thirty thousand taels of silver to propose marriage to Fourteenth Sister. The Eldest Madam refused, but the Dowager..."
Fourteenth Sister was the illegitimate daughter of Fourth Master Fu.
Fu Tingyun stood up in shock. "How could this happen?" Her face was full of disbelief. "Who said this? Who else knows about it?"
If she didn’t believe it was true, why ask who else knew?
Perhaps, deep down, despite her shock, she couldn’t deny the possibility...
Yi Tong pondered this, her eyes tinged with melancholy. "The matchmaker has already met with the Dowager. It’s just that the Eldest Madam refuses to relent, so it hasn’t been finalized yet." After a slight hesitation, she added, "But sooner or later, this matter will be settled—Fourth Madam is very pleased with this match and even quarreled with the Eldest Madam over it."
Fu Tingyun slumped back into her seat.
Suddenly, she remembered the disdainful expression Zhao Ling had worn when he heard about the Fu family’s three Chastity Memorial Arches...
Had he foreseen this outcome?
Fu Tingyun felt lost, murmuring, "Has the Dowager gone senile? If Fourteenth Sister is married off like this, how will her married sisters face their in-laws?"
"Exactly..." Yi Tong’s expression was equally somber. "Who knows what the Dowager is thinking!"
Indeed!The Grand Lady had married into the Fu family at the tender age of fourteen or fifteen. From being a granddaughter-in-law, she had endured to become the Grand Lady, presiding over the household affairs of the Fu family. All her children were her own flesh and blood. Before marriage, she hadn’t realized it, but after marrying and experiencing the hardships of fleeing famine with Zhao Ling, she now looked back and saw how extraordinary the Grand Lady truly was. Such a person, despite her age, shouldn’t have made the mistake of self-destruction and ruining the family, should she?
The thought flashed through Fu Tingyun’s mind, and her expression froze. Her gaze toward Yi Tong suddenly became vacant, devoid of focus.
“Madam, Madam,” Yi Tong was startled and quickly stood up, “What—what’s wrong with you?”
Yu Wei, standing behind Fu Tingyun, only then noticed her mistress’s strange behavior.
She too was greatly alarmed and gently nudged Fu Tingyun’s shoulder, calling out anxiously, “Madam, Madam!”
Fu Tingyun snapped out of it as if waking from a dream.
She let out a long sigh, her expression turning somber. In a low voice, she asked Yi Tong, “In the past two years, have the two masters sent any silver home? Or has the family encountered any difficulties that required their guidance?”
Yi Tong was puzzled but carefully thought it over before shaking her head lightly. “No.”
“I see,” Fu Tingyun murmured, her somber expression now tinged with bitterness. “Granddaughters may be important, and the Fu family’s reputation may matter, but compared to sons, these are nothing… Without sons, there would be no Fu family…”
Though her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, Yi Tong and Yu Wei, who were wholly focused on her, heard every word clearly.
The two exchanged a bewildered glance.
Yu Wei, emboldened by the years she had spent with Fu Tingyun, who treated her like family, whispered, “What has Madam realized?”
Fu Tingyun now understood why she had been forced to drink that poisoned medicine by the First Madam.
She had always believed it was done behind the Grand Lady’s back. But given the Grand Lady’s shrewdness and capability, it was impossible for her not to notice the irregularities.
The Grand Lady had noticed—but compared to her son’s future and the Fu family’s legacy, she had simply chosen the lesser evil.
That was why, even knowing Fu Tingyun was alive, the Grand Lady hadn’t sent her a single message.
At first, Fu Tingyun had thought the Grand Lady felt guilty, unable to face her wronged granddaughter… Now, she realized she had been too naive.
She had even been agonizing over whether to visit the Grand Lady!
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but curl her lips in self-mockery. “It’s a good thing Wu Laoye refused to acknowledge me. If he had, I might have died of disgust!”
The words came out of nowhere, leaving Yu Wei and Yi Tong staring at her with growing concern.
Talking about such things would only dampen spirits.
Fu Tingyun chuckled dryly. “What’s with those expressions? Can’t I mutter to myself without you interrogating me? Is this how you serve your mistress?” Her tone carried a hint of teasing.
The two couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
Yu Wei even laughed. “Isn’t this just flaunting seniority?”
“You’re calling yourself old now?” Fu Tingyun, eager to lighten the mood, teased back. “I certainly don’t feel old!” Then she turned to Yi Tong. “Do you have any suitable matches? Hurry and marry off this little sister of yours before she starts acting like an elder in my chambers!”Yi Tong joined in the fun, saying, "She's getting older, and there really isn't anyone suitable!"
"You all..." Yu Wei blushed furiously, not daring to scold Fu Tingyun, so she turned her anger on Yi Tong instead. "Is this how married women behave? Daring to say anything?"
Fu Tingyun and Yi Tong burst into laughter.
Housekeeper Tong led Youyou and Xi Ge'er inside.
Fu Tingyun introduced the children to Yi Tong: "This is Youyou, and this is Xi Ge'er!"
Yi Tong respectfully kowtowed to Youyou and Xi Ge'er as etiquette demanded.
Youyou called Yi Tong "sister."
Yi Tong quickly declined the honor and pulled two longevity locks from her pocket, handing them to Yu Wei. "These are my humble offerings for the young lady and young master... I just never had the chance to present them before."
Fu Tingyun noticed the locks were quite novel in design but somewhat crudely made, realizing Yi Tong had specially commissioned them. Deeply moved, she instructed Youyou and Xi Ge'er to thank Yi Tong.
Yi Tong turned sideways, unwilling to accept their formal gratitude.
"You served me—why shouldn't you accept their respects?" Fu Tingyun insisted, making the children bow properly.
The room buzzed with lively chatter.
Madam Lu's personal maid, Shihu, entered. "Madam, a certain Madam Yao requests an audience. She claims to be your Fifth Sister."
Fu Tingyun was stunned.
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at her, the quiet so profound one could hear a pin drop.
"How does she know I'm here?" Fu Tingyun exclaimed happily, though traces of confusion, hesitation, and bewilderment soon flickered across her face.
Yi Tong, understanding the situation, clenched her teeth and whispered, "It was me... I spread the news..." Her voice carried worry and fear.
Yu Wei quickly stepped beside Yi Tong, discreetly observing Fu Tingyun's expression as she added, "Madam, I was involved too..."
Fu Tingyun stared at them in surprise.
Yi Tong dared not speak further.
Yu Wei had no choice but to press on. "How can they bully you like this and act as if nothing happened? Who knows when you'll return after this visit, especially since you refuse to go back to Huayin... So I..." She trailed off as Fu Tingyun's expression darkened, not daring to continue.
Youyou and Xi Ge'er clung tightly to Housekeeper Tong, too afraid to make a sound.
"You certainly know how to make decisions for me!" Fu Tingyun shot Yu Wei a cold glance.
Yu Wei and Yi Tong trembled in fear and immediately dropped to their knees.
They bowed their heads, not daring to speak.
Fu Tingyun sighed deeply.
They had meant well.
To sever ties with her father and repay his upbringing, she had resolved not to clarify past events at the Fu family ancestral hall. Yet, she owed her close sisters an explanation.
If word could reach the Fu family this way, it would indirectly clear her name.
Her heart softened. "Both of you, rise. Never act on your own like this again," she said, her tone gentler now.
"We won't dare to again," Yi Tong and Yu Wei promised hastily, relieved smiles spreading across their faces as they realized Fu Tingyun had forgiven them.
Fu Tingyun then instructed Shihu, "Please invite Madam Yao in."
Shihu, already dumbfounded by the rapid shifts in the room, stammered an "Oh" before hurrying out.
Youyou threw herself into her mother's arms. "Mama, hold me!"
Xi Ge'er also wriggled toward his mother. "Mama, Mama, Xi Ge'er!"—meaning he wanted to be held too.Fu Tingyun was both exasperated and amused as she comfortingly hugged her children. Just then, Dendrobium led the fifth daughter of the Fu family inside.
"Quan Hui, it's really you!" The woman's eyes widened at the sight of Fu Tingyun holding a child. "You—you're really alive!" Before she could finish speaking, tears already shimmered in her eyes. "If you're alive, why didn't you come find me?" She took several steps forward, hand outstretched as if to grab her mischievous yet seemingly dignified younger cousin like in their childhood days. But her gaze caught on the golden hairpin in Fu Tingyun's locks—its dazzling glints shifting with the room's light—and in that instant, she suddenly realized: the cousin who once practiced zither with her in the pavilion and played pranks on their tutor had long vanished in the river of time. What stood before her now was the wife of a third-rank military commander—a man revered by the emperor for his Merit from supporting the emperor and garrisoned over Shaanxi, whose household received flattery from officials great and small across the province...
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O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of Chapter)
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