Chapter 234: Probing (Bonus Update Seeking Pink Tickets)
While Fu Tingyun and Zhao Ling were still on the road, Consort Wu had already returned to Alley Street.
After changing her clothes and washing her hands and face, she went first to pay her respects to Madam Yu.
Madam Yu was reclining against a pillow on the kang by the window, her eyes closed, listening to her personal maid read the Lotus Sutra aloud.
Upon hearing that Consort Wu had arrived, she opened her eyes, sighed softly, and then instructed the maid, "Let her in."
The maid complied and left.
The personal maid dutifully set aside the sutra and turned to lift the curtain for Consort Wu.
Consort Wu thanked the maid quietly, then stepped forward to kowtow to Madam Yu.
"You're back," Madam Yu said with a nod and a smile.
Consort Wu answered softly with a "Yes," standing respectfully to the side with her hands clasped. "Thank you, Madam, for allowing me to offer incense at Tanzhe Temple," she said, but she said no more—the child's death was her pain, and Madam Yu's as well.
Madam Yu suddenly realized this.
She couldn't help but scrutinize Consort Wu more closely.
Her thin, pale face, her demure and submissive demeanor—and then she remembered that this woman had nearly given birth to the long-awaited heir of the Yu Family. Her heart softened unexpectedly, and she gestured to the embroidered stool by the kang, inviting Consort Wu to sit and speak.
The personal maid was startled.
Since when did concubines ever get to sit in Madam Yu's presence?
Consort Wu was the first.
She glanced quickly at Consort Wu, then tactfully poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.
Consort Wu hurriedly stood to receive the tea, about to express her thanks, when Madam Yu said, "This is Guilin Downy Tips, different from Xinyang Downy Tips. Try it and see if you like it."
Consort Wu replied honestly, "Madam, this humble one knows nothing about tea. I fear I might fail to appreciate your kindness."
Madam Yu was surprised, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes. She said generously, "Then just drink it to quench your thirst. The journey must have been exhausting."
"Thank you for your concern, Madam," Consort Wu said. "The carriage was smooth and steady, so I didn’t feel any discomfort." Only then did she take a sip of the tea.
"That’s good," Madam Yu said with a smile, also lifting her cup for a small sip. Then she asked about the incense offering: "Did the monks mention any taboos?"
This past July, Consort Wu had suffered a miscarriage, and Fan Shi had been present at the time.
The bloody scene had caused Fan Shi to faint on the spot.
Perhaps because of the shock, Fan Shi had twice shown signs of miscarriage, barely managing to keep the pregnancy. When the child was born, it was frail and weak, too feeble even to suckle. Only through the relentless day-and-night care of Fan Shi’s wet nurse—who squeezed milk into a silver spoon to feed the baby drop by drop—did the child survive. Even so, the infant was like a flickering candle in the wind, its life hanging by a thread. For the full month ceremony, only relatives and close friends were invited, as they dared not make a grand celebration for fear of disturbing the child.
Madam Yu couldn’t shake her unease. She couldn’t help but feel that the child’s frailty was somehow connected to the lost grandson—that child had not even had the chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation. Surely, it must harbor some resentment. So she had sent Consort Wu to Tanzhe Temple to perform a ritual ceremony for the child, hoping to dispel its lingering grievances."The master only advised that it's best to observe vegetarianism on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month," Consort Wu said softly, her voice tinged with melancholy. "I told the master that I'm currently on an extended vegetarian diet, and the master said that was even better. You needn't worry, Madam."
Madam Yu was taken aback. "You're on an extended vegetarian diet? How come I didn't know?"
Consort Wu lifted her head with a faint smile. "Such a trivial matter isn't worth troubling you with, Madam."
Madam Yu fell silent for a long moment.
Ever since Consort Wu's miscarriage, her son had devoted himself entirely to caring for Fan Shi and hadn't set foot in Consort Wu's quarters again.
At the time, Madam Yu had thought that since Consort Wu was already in such a state, she must at all costs protect the child in Fan Shi's womb, so she turned a blind eye. But heaven had other plans—Fan Shi gave birth to a daughter.
She had always felt Fan Shi didn't have the bearing of a woman destined to bear sons, and now her intuition had proven correct.
Madam Yu couldn't help but comfort Consort Wu: "Since the master said observing vegetarianism on the first and fifteenth days is sufficient, you don't need to keep an extended vegetarian diet. I'm still counting on you to regain your health and bear children for the Yu family!"
Consort Wu responded with a compliant "Yes," offering no further comment.
Madam Yu sighed inwardly.
Such a fine young woman—why couldn't De Pu see her worth at all?
What kind of bewitching potion had Fan Shi given him to make him so utterly infatuated?
At this thought, her expression darkened.
Noticing this, Consort Wu's heart stirred slightly. She lowered her voice and said, "Madam, today at the temple, I encountered Madam Zhao..."
Madam Yu was stunned.
Consort Wu was never one to chatter—why bring this up today?
The thought flashed through her mind, and her expression froze momentarily.
Wait—what had she said?
Madam Zhao?
Could it be Fu Tingyun?
No... How could Consort Wu possibly know Fu Tingyun?
For some reason, whenever Madam Yu thought of the family's troubles, Fu Tingyun's mocking face would appear in her mind, leaving her tossing and turning sleeplessly.
"Madam Zhao?" Her voice grew slightly urgent. "Which Madam Zhao?"
"The one who lives next to Official Wu," Consort Wu replied, her eyes flickering over Madam Yu. She noticed Madam Yu's usually steady hands trembling faintly, and inexplicably, her own heart settled, her tone growing even gentler. "I saw her once before when I was with the Wu family. I heard her husband is the deputy commander of Xuanfu, named Zhao Ling..."
She didn't know Zhao Ling had since been promoted.
So it was her after all!
Madam Yu pressed urgently, "What—what did she say to you?" Her tone betrayed a hint of tension.
It seemed her guess was correct—the Yu family had wronged Madam Zhao.
Otherwise, someone as strong-willed as Madam Yu wouldn't be so unsettled merely upon hearing about an encounter with Madam Zhao.
Madam Yu must be afraid that Madam Zhao would reveal the reason for the rift between their families.
Consort Wu thought of Fu Tingyun's gaze, so clear and bright because of her forthrightness.
Only someone with a heart as pure as the moon could have such luminous eyes, couldn't they?
She pondered silently, but her expression remained respectfully deferential as she answered Madam Yu: "Lord Zhao accompanied Madam Zhao there. It seemed Madam Zhao is pregnant again—she had a whole retinue of maids and matrons around her, and her elder sister was also there tending to her. So I kept my distance..."
"She—she's pregnant again?" Madam Yu's face was a picture of astonishment.
Consort Wu nodded. "Her belly is already showing."“So soon!” Madam Yu murmured to herself. “Zhao Ling only returned in May… She already has a son and a daughter…”
Though her voice was soft, Consort Wu, sitting beside her, heard every word clearly.
Madam Yu’s tone carried not just shock but also a faint undercurrent of jealousy, resentment, and even hatred…
Given the Yu Family’s sparse lineage, shock and jealousy were understandable—but why the resentment and hatred?
For a moment, Consort Wu’s heart clenched in unease.
She quickly glanced at Madam Yu and noticed her hands had unconsciously tightened into fists.
Madam Zhao was known for her kindness and generosity—what could have happened that made her unwilling to forgive the Yu Family at all?
Lost in thought, Consort Wu made her way back to her courtyard.
By custom, she ought to pay her respects to Fan Shi.
But ever since Fan Shi’s eldest daughter, Zhen Jie'er, was born, Fan Shi had devoted herself entirely to the child. Disdainful of Consort Wu for having lost her own child, Fan Shi had excused her from morning and evening greetings—sparing her any encounters with Yu Jingxiu as well.
Consort Wu walked straight past the side rooms to the back room.
After her miscarriage, Yu Jingxiu had moved her to this secluded corner under the pretext of “rest and recuperation.”
Her personal maid, Lianxin, thought she was being overly cautious: “If the young mistress hadn’t pushed past you that day, you wouldn’t have fallen. If you hadn’t fallen, you wouldn’t have lost the baby. Even Madam Yu thinks you were wronged—why must you tiptoe around like this? Didn’t she say she’s counting on you to carry on the Yu Family line?”
In just over a year, the once-naive Lianxin had changed considerably.
“Nonsense!” Consort Wu scolded her. “Madam was just being polite—how can you take it seriously? If not me, there’ll be someone else. Best not to gossip about such things.”
Before Lianxin could reply, Consort Wu turned and entered the inner chamber, instructing, “Go to the kitchen and see if there’s anything to eat. I’m hungry.”
For months, Consort Wu had barely eaten. Delighted, Lianxin hurried off to the kitchen.
Consort Wu settled onto the kang by the window, draping a thin quilt over her knees, and wondered whether she should visit the Wu residence to consult Madam Wu.
But she dismissed the thought almost immediately.
After her miscarriage, Madam Wu had come to see her but left after barely a few words, citing her need for rest—and never returned.
If Madam Wu had been someone she could rely on, she wouldn’t have sent her into the Yu Family in the first place.
Lost in these thoughts, Consort Wu called out loudly for Lianxin.
Only then did she remember Lianxin had gone to the kitchen.
As she was about to lie down, a voice answered from outside, “Consort Wu, has that maid Lianxin been disobedient? You called, and she didn’t even respond!”
The voice was soft and gentle—none other than Mama Shu.
Surprised, Consort Wu stepped down from the kang. “I just sent Lianxin to the kitchen and forgot about it myself.”
As she spoke, Mama Shu lifted the door curtain and entered, followed by Zelan, a third-tier maid from Madam Yu’s household.
Puzzled but not one to pry, Consort Wu turned to pour tea for Mama Shu.
Zelan quickly stepped forward to take the teacup. “Please sit and talk with Mama, Consort. Let me handle the tea.”What kind of show is this now?
The thought flashed through Consort Wu's mind as Housekeeper Shu smiled and said, "Madam knows you only have Lianxin as your maid, which must be quite inconvenient, so she's assigned Zelan to serve you." Raising her voice, she called out, "Zelan! Come here and kowtow to Consort Wu."
Consort Wu stared at Zelan, who had kowtowed and now stood with hands folded, awaiting her orders, unable to regain her composure for quite some time.
Having only one maid by her side wasn't a new situation—why would they think of assigning her more help now?
In a flash of insight, she suddenly recalled today's events.
Could it be that Madam was afraid she might interact with that Madam Zhao again?
She was merely a concubine—why would Madam fear her contact with Madam Zhao?
Consort Wu wasn't foolish; she simply hadn't devoted much thought to such matters before. But now that she began to ponder, things she'd previously overlooked gradually surfaced in her mind.
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Sisters, brothers, it's the end of the month—time for double pink votes! I humbly request your pink vote support!
O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of Chapter)
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