Chapter 256: Countermeasures
After downing a cup of wine, Third Older Cousin's Husband turned to find Hao Jianfeng missing. A quick glance revealed that Master Fu the Fifth's seat was also empty.
A single oversight in a hundred precautions! They still hadn’t managed to stop Master Fu the Fifth.
With a bitter smile, Third Older Cousin's Husband took another drink on his own, then excused himself from the noisy private room. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Hao Jianfeng and Master Fu the Fifth conversing in the stairwell.
Hao Jianfeng wore an indignant expression, while Master Fu the Fifth kept speaking with visible resentment.
Third Older Cousin's Husband sighed and beckoned his personal attendant. "Go inform the madam that it’s getting late. If we don’t set off soon, we’ll be delayed. Ask her to urge Lord Fu. If Lord Fu can’t leave immediately, have her depart first."
The attendant hurried off.
Third Older Cousin's Husband returned to the private room.
Having finally managed to speak with Hao Jianfeng, Master Fu the Fifth was reluctant to leave now, his words far from exhausted. Meanwhile, Hao Jianfeng had learned what he wanted to know and no longer cared whether he indulged Master Fu the Fifth or not.
After re-entering the private room and finishing half a cup of wine, Hao Jianfeng signaled to Lord Jiang that it was time to end the banquet. True to expectations, Lord Jiang abruptly stood up with a smile. "...We still have a journey ahead. If we delay any longer, we won’t make it to the next post station. Gentlemen, please continue drinking at your leisure. I’ll take my leave now. Next time I’m in the capital, I’ll treat you all to wine."
Since the gathering was meant to see Lord Jiang off, the banquet naturally concluded once the guest of honor departed.
The group escorted Lord Jiang to his carriage.
Master Fu the Fifth had spoken at length but still hadn’t secured Hao Jianfeng’s promise of assistance. Feeling it necessary to have a serious word with him, he waited until Lord Jiang’s carriage had gone. As Scholar Zhou, Lord Zheng, and others exchanged bows and farewells, he edged closer to Hao Jianfeng.
But Hao Jianfeng, feigning drunkenness, clasped his hands toward the crowd. "A thousand cups are too few among close friends, but today I’ve had a bit too much. I need to lie down, so I’ll take my leave first. My apologies for any discourtesy. Tomorrow, I’ll host a banquet at Penglai Pavilion to make amends." With that, he swiftly boarded his carriage, lowered the curtain, and the vehicle clattered away through Yangguan.
Master Fu the Fifth stood dumbfounded, an inexplicable unease creeping over him.
As he carefully recalled Hao Jianfeng’s every word and gesture, Lord Wang approached to bid farewell. "Lord Fu, may you have a smooth journey. When you return to the capital, we’ll gather properly again."
Master Fu the Fifth hastily returned the courtesy, exchanging a few pleasantries. The interruption left him no time to dwell on his doubts, forcing him to suppress them for the moment.
Meanwhile, the moment Hao Jianfeng’s carriage cleared Ten Mile Inn, he sat up, fully alert, and instructed the driver, "Head to Wu Daren’s residence in Shi Family Alley."
Not a trace of drunkenness remained.
The coachman acknowledged loudly and cracked the whip, steering toward Shi Family Alley.
Wu Daren had just returned from the yamen, and the two men met right at the gate.
"Let’s talk in the study," Hao Jianfeng said, giving Wu Daren a meaningful look.
Without a word of question, Wu Daren led him straight to the study. After a servant served tea, he dismissed all attendants and leaned in. "Is there something urgent?""Guess who I ran into today?" Hao Jianfeng's brows lifted with a hint of excitement. "I went to see off Jiang Sen, the Shandong provincial advisor, and at Ten Mile Inn, I encountered Fu Langzhong." He recounted the events to Official Wu. "...Turns out, Yu Jingxiu and Fan Dashen's daughter were secretly involved, leading to the engagement being called off. The Fu family had no choice but to agree, publicly claiming Fu Shi had passed away from illness. In reality, they sent her to the family temple to live as a nun. Then, when Huayin was struck by famine, the Migrant Bandits raided the temple. Fu Shi fled in panic with her maids and was rescued by Zhao Ling. Later, by the Emperor's decree and the Empress Dowager's blessing, she married Zhao Ling."
"Later, when Fu Shi sought him out, he dared not acknowledge his own daughter. Resentful, she chose to side with Shen Rensi rather than help him!"
Official Wu perked up, visibly intrigued.
"'The Fu family had no choice but to agree'?" He smirked at Hao Jianfeng. "And you believe such nonsense?"
Hao Jianfeng chuckled. "Who's right or wrong doesn't matter. What matters is we now understand the relationships between these families. If anything happens, we can strategize early."
Official Wu nodded in agreement.
He took a sip of tea and asked, "So, what's your plan?"
Instead of answering, Hao Jianfeng posed his own question: "What if I help Fu Langzhong persuade Madam Zhao?"
Such family disputes were messy—everyone had their own version of the truth, and meddling often made things worse, risking offense to both sides. It was a thankless task. As someone who'd overseen the Ministry of Personnel for years, dealing with people was Hao Jianfeng's expertise. He knew this well. His real aim was simply to find a natural way to integrate into the Zhao household.
Official Wu saw right through it.
"Bad idea," he replied without hesitation. "Zhao Ling holds grudges. We don't know his stance yet—charging in blindly would be unwise."
"At Jiang Sen's farewell, Lord Shen was also present," Hao Jianfeng said, eyes gleaming. "Whatever Lord Fu told me, Lord Shen will likely hear about it soon. What if we approach this through Lord Shen?"
Official Wu nodded approvingly. "Not a bad plan. But Shen Rensi is slippery—he might not be easy to persuade."
"This involves the Zhao family," Hao Jianfeng hinted meaningfully. "He's a Shen—if he blocks us from mediating between father and daughter, it’d be unreasonable, wouldn’t it?"
Official Wu shot him an appreciative glance.
Hao Jianfeng sighed heavily. "I’m out of options. If we wait until the grand secretaries make their positions clear, it’ll be too late. Qian Donglin and Chen Dan Ting might not even remember us." His tone was thick with resignation.
Official Wu’s expression darkened in response.
Footsteps echoed outside the door.
He frowned.
A servant announced from behind the curtain, "Sir, Madam requests your presence in the main hall."
Official Wu’s face hardened. "Did you not tell her I have guests?"
"I did!" The servant’s voice trembled but he dared not falter. "Madam said... Consort Wu has arrived, bringing many gifts for the Fourth Young Miss... She insists you come greet Consort Wu."Not to mention that Consort Wu was merely Yu Jingxiu's concubine—even if she were Grand Secretary Shen's concubine arriving with congratulatory gifts, it would be beneath his dignity to receive her in the reception hall.
Madam Wu would never make such a basic mistake.
That left only one possibility.
Consort Wu had brought news from the Yu Family.
And this news was of great importance to him.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Wu Daren stood up, saying to Hao Jianfeng, "I'll go take a look and be right back!"
Hao Jianfeng was well-versed in the Wu Family's connections and naturally knew who this Consort Wu was. The fact that Madam Wu had summoned Wu Daren back to the main house despite knowing he was entertaining a guest suggested that the Yu Family had sent some crucial news.
He, too, was curious about what had happened in the Yu Family.
Hao Jianfeng didn’t stand on ceremony. "I'll wait here for you," he said.
With the intricate relationships between the Zhao, Yu, and Fu families still unclear, Wu Daren needed someone sharp and level-headed to help analyze the situation.
"I'll be right back," Wu Daren assured him before following the servant to the main house.
Inside, Consort Wu sat with visible unease, wringing her hands as she murmured to Madam Wu, "Uncle... it's better if you speak to him... I've already said all I can. Repeating myself won't change anything..."
Madam Wu took Consort Wu's hand, her smile warm and reassuring. "Your uncle has far-sighted vision, unlike us women confined to the inner quarters. What I asked you about may not concern him, while what I didn’t ask might be exactly what he wants to know." She added gently, "Don’t be afraid. Your uncle is a kind man. Just speak freely—don’t hold anything back, or he might misunderstand."
The corner of Consort Wu's eye flickered to Madam Wu's fair, jade-like hand, meticulously maintained. She sighed inwardly.
Madam Wu’s words sounded pleasant, but her grip was like a vice—impossible to break free from. Clearly, she had no intention of letting her leave. What else could she do?
The third young mistress of the Wu Family had given birth to a daughter, and relatives naturally came to offer congratulations. As a mere concubine, she had no place among them. Yet after the child’s full-month celebration, Madam Wu had sent her personal housekeeper to summon her back, insisting, "You’ve always been closest to the third young mistress—you must visit." Though displeased, Madam Yu, seeing it wasn’t an official visit, still prepared gifts and allowed her to go.
She had been suspicious from the start—what did Madam Wu want with her? And sure enough, the moment she arrived, Madam Wu began probing for news about recent events in the Yu Family.It's unclear what Madam Yu said to the master, but a few days ago, he took in the two visiting cousins from Nanjing as bedroom servants, and they now serve in the main wife's chambers. However, being nominally relatives, the main wife couldn't order them around freely. Moreover, Zhen Jie'er had fallen ill again recently, which only added to the main wife's irritation. She decided to have the two cousins move in with her in the back room.
Miss Fei, who came from the Fei family on Madam's side, was obedient and quietly moved into the room next to hers. However, Miss Chen, who came from the third wife's side, was troublesome. Though she moved in, she went crying to the master, complaining that the main wife was intolerant and lacked the dignity of a household mistress. The master, annoyed, placed Miss Chen under house arrest.
Miss Chen immediately sought out Housekeeper Shu, demanding to return to Nanjing.
This infuriated the main wife so much that she was left speechless for a long time.
The master then declared he would send Miss Chen away.
Whether Miss Chen was trying to provoke the master or genuinely didn’t want to stay in the Yu Family, she promptly packed her belongings and went to Madam Yu. Kneeling, she bid farewell, begging Madam Yu to be merciful and allow her to take her dowry chests with her.
Madam Yu would never let a mere bedroom servant dictate terms.
Without another word, she had Miss Chen sent back to Nanjing.
After that, Madam Yu never spoke another word to the master.
No matter how much the master tried to jest and coax in front of her, Madam Yu remained silent.
In the end, Madam Wu summoned her and carefully inquired about these trivial matters in the Yu Family...
At this thought, she couldn’t help but look up at Madam Wu.
And in Madam Wu’s eyes, she caught a trace of worry and solemnity.
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Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend!
O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of Chapter)
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