Chapter 271: The Setup
Seeing Fu Tingyun agree, Zhao Ling was naturally delighted. The two began discussing hiring tutors for the children—aside from a martial arts instructor, Youyou was already six years old and needed a proper teacher for her formal education. Fu Tingyun believed that, as a woman raising children alone, it would be best to hire a Confucian scholar over sixty. However, Zhao Ling thought that older scholars, especially those who had struggled in the imperial examinations, tended to be rigid and might turn the children into dull learners. He preferred someone younger.
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help feeling somewhat disheartened.
Zhao Ling also knew this matter wasn’t easy to resolve and suggested, “Why don’t you discuss it with Third Sister someday and see if Third Older Cousin's Husband has any suitable candidates?”
That seemed the only option.
Fu Tingyun nodded.
Just then, Zhenzhu came in to announce, “Lord Jin is here!”
Hadn’t they said Zhao Ling had returned to the capital in secret?
Fu Tingyun looked at Zhao Ling in confusion.
Zhao Ling lowered his voice to explain, “I need someone to assist me. Yuanbao is meticulous and prudent—he’s the most suitable.” Then he instructed Zhenzhu, “Let him in.”
Zhenzhu complied and left.
Meanwhile, Fu Tingyun told Yu Wei to remind the household to keep Zhao Ling’s return strictly confidential.
Yu Wei acknowledged the order solemnly.
Soon, Zhenzhu returned with Jin Yuanbao.
Fu Tingyun promptly invited Jin Yuanbao to join them for breakfast.
“No need,” Jin Yuanbao said with a smile. “I’ve already eaten.” He added, “I’ve also brought a few trunks.”
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but admire his thoughtfulness.
Bringing trunks would allow them to claim, if questioned, that he was merely delivering items on Zhao Ling’s behalf.
The children greeted Jin Yuanbao one by one.
He chuckled and picked up Youyou, saying, “Our young lady has grown so tall.”
Youyou preened. “I’m even taller than Cousin Yuanxiao now.”
Jin Yuanbao laughed heartily and pulled out small toys—clay figurines, pellet drums, and the like—from his sleeves, gifting them to Youyou, Xi Ge'er, and Xu Ge'er.
The children were overjoyed.
Knowing the men likely had serious matters to discuss and that the children had finished eating, Fu Tingyun took her daughter and sons to the western study. There, she supervised Youyou’s calligraphy practice and told Xi Ge'er a story.
About half an hour later, Jin Yuanbao emerged from the inner chamber with a grave expression and bid Fu Tingyun farewell.
“When will you leave?” she asked.
“Tonight,” Jin Yuanbao replied, aware that Zhao Ling kept no secrets from Fu Tingyun regarding external affairs. “Ninth Master will depart in two or three days. There are still a few people he needs to meet.”
Fu Tingyun nodded and had the children say goodbye to Jin Yuanbao before personally escorting him to the inner gate.
Once she returned, Zhao Ling asked her, “When will A Sen be back?”Lord Wang and Wang Furen regarded Zhao Ling as A Sen's parental figure and hoped he could preside over A Sen and their eldest daughter Jing Tong's wedding. However, they had never found the right opportunity. Now that Zhao Ling had gone to Guizhou, such a chance seemed even more remote. After discussing with Zhao Ling, the two families set the wedding date for the eighteenth day of the eleventh month this year.
Upon receiving the news in Fuzhou, Wang Furen's mother decided to come to the capital to attend A Sen and Jing Tong's wedding. By the time Wang Furen found out, her mother had already reached Yangzhou. Startled, Wang Furen took her two daughters to Tongzhou to welcome her. Fu Tingyun, recalling the past estrangement between Wang Furen and her mother, thought Wang Furen must be overjoyed that her mother was willing to attend Jing Tong's wedding. She thus sent A Sen along to assist with any errands as a gesture of respect to both Wang Furen and her mother.
"She said the old madam would arrive in a couple of days," Fu Tingyun said with a smile. "They should be back soon. But even when they return, since the old madam has just arrived and A Sen is the new son-in-law visiting for the first time, he probably won’t be free to leave immediately."
Zhao Ling thought for a moment and said, "Then we’ll wait until he returns." His tone suggested he intended to make use of A Sen.
"Father and son go to war together; brothers hunt tigers side by side." Fu Tingyun thought it would be good for Zhao Ling to take A Sen to Xi'an Prefecture. Not only were they well-acquainted, but they were also directly involved in the feud with the Feng family and knew the situation best. If Zhao Ling truly seized an opportunity to undermine the Yu Family, Jin Yuanbao and A Sen would never cause any trouble.
"Then I’ll have Yue Chuan inform A Sen," she mused. "He can come back when he has time."
"Agreed." Zhao Ling nodded and headed to the study. "I need to write a few letters."
Fu Tingyun followed him in, grinding ink for him as she said, "As you mentioned, the Feng family has allied with the Xiping Marquis. Although Wu Xin is on good terms with you, there’s still a degree of separation—you’re in the southwest, and he’s in the northwest. The Xiping Marquis, after all, is a noble of the court. Why would he suddenly change sides? Do you think there’s some scheme behind this?"
"What scheme could there be?" Zhao Ling chuckled. "If the Xiping Marquis had any grand ambitions, he wouldn’t have been successively pushed to this point by Marquis Yingchuan and He Fu. As for the Feng family, they rose from humble origins—like Daoist An from Jiugong Mountain. No matter how skilled in martial arts, in the eyes of the world, they’re just wandering Jianghu swordsmen. No matter how much Feng Laosan does for the Xiping Marquis, to the Marquis, he’s just a more obedient and capable pawn than the usual lackeys. If all remains peaceful, fine. But if trouble arises, the Xiping Marquis will surely sacrifice the pawn to save the king. The Feng family might take the blame for him, but worse, they could be abandoned outright. Generations of effort to cleanse their reputation could vanish in an instant. Feng Laosan is clever—he’s likely realized the stakes and is taking a desperate gamble by reaching out to me. After all, Feng Laosi, the one who had a grudge with me, died by my hand. When we were fleeing, though Feng Laosan acted in his own interest, he did let us go—that’s an undeniable fact. There’s still some lingering connection between us. If I were him, I’d take the chance too."
Fu Tingyun smiled faintly. "Ninth Master, you’ve left out one more reason, haven’t you?"
Zhao Ling paused, amused. "What reason?""Ninth Master's righteousness towers to the skies, keeping promises with utmost sincerity and an open heart," Fu Tingyun said with a smile. "That must be one of the main reasons Feng Laosan decided to reconcile with you, right?"
Zhao Ling was quite surprised, then looked slightly embarrassed. "Every hero needs allies. Unlike the Feng family, who are powerful and influential, I'm just one man trying to establish myself. Naturally, I must be trustworthy and keep my word—it's the foundation of being a decent person!"
Fu Tingyun pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh.
Zhao Ling pulled her onto his lap. "Help me hold down these letters."
She sat on his knee, watching as he wrote letters to Mr. Zhao and a few former subordinates from the Golden Crow Guard.
Kou'er came in with tea, gasped at the sight, and retreated with a flushed face.
Fu Tingyun pouted playfully. "Look what you've done!"
Zhao Ling chuckled, then set down his brush and asked suggestively in a low voice, "What are Youyou and the others up to?"
Her cheeks flushed like dawn clouds as she murmured, "Housekeeper Tong is keeping them busy playing string games indoors."
"Then we shouldn't idle either." With a mischievous grin, he tossed aside the brush, scooped her up, and headed for the western side room.
Remembering Zhao Ling's flustered expression that morning, Fu Tingyun softened and half-heartedly protested, "But we haven't even had lunch yet!"
"Who said we have to wait until after lunch to—" He nudged the partition door shut with his foot.
Kou'er, still holding the tea tray, went to find Yu Wei. "The master and mistress are in the study... What should I do with this tea?"
Yu Wei took a sip from the cup and smiled. "Don't worry about the tea. Go attend to your own tasks."
Relieved, Kou'er scurried away.
Yu Wei shook her head in amusement and went to join Youyou, helping Housekeeper Tong entertain the children.
By noon, there was still no movement from the study.
Yu Wei instructed Zhenzhu with a smile, "Tell Mother Zhou to bring over the dishes the young mistress and young master like, so they don't go hungry."
Blushing, Zhenzhu hurried to the kitchen to relay the message.
It wasn't until well past midday that Fu Tingyun called Yu Wei in to assist.
Zheng Sanniang promptly served the meals kept warm on the stove.
In the afternoon, Zhao Ling took the children to swing in the backyard, and they retired early that evening.
That night, Zheng Sanniang said to Zheng San, "After all these years, the master and mistress are still so devoted to each other." Her tone was full of warmth.
Zheng San shrugged. "They're a couple who've weathered hardships together."
After a moment's thought, Zheng Sanniang laughed. "True!" Then she glanced at him. "We're also a couple who've weathered hardships."
Perhaps due to the toll of their earlier struggles, Zheng Sanniang never conceived again, leaving them with only Linchun as their child.
Zheng San's face reddened slightly, and he coughed awkwardly, changing the subject. "That rascal Yue Chuan must have grown legs out of his backside. I just sent him to Tongzhou to deliver a message to A Sen—why isn't he back yet?"
Zheng Sanniang covered her mouth, laughing. "The round trip to Tongzhou takes seven or eight hours. Even if Yue Chuan had legs growing from his head, he couldn't make it back so soon!" She sat beside Zheng San and nudged him with her elbow. "Hey, what do you think about letting Linchun go to Guizhou with the master?"Linchun was already ten years old this year. Though he had studied under A Sen for several years, he couldn't settle his mind to it. Even now, he only recognized a few characters. Zheng Sanniang thought to herself that her son was six years older than Xi Ge'er, so he couldn't serve as a personal attendant. It would be better to let him follow Zhao Ling to Guizhou to broaden his horizons. In the future, he could either become a steward for the Zhao family or beg Zhao Ling's favor to secure him a position in the military.
This was exactly what Zheng San had in mind as well.
But their family had already received great kindness from Zhao Ling. Making such a request now would be overstepping their bounds.
He gruffly said, "Let me think about it," then pulled the quilt over his head and went to sleep.
Zheng Sanniang sighed and blew out the lamp.
His wife's words were like seeds falling on fertile soil, growing wildly in Zheng San's heart.
He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
After what felt like an eternity, someone knocked at the door and called softly, "Zheng San."
Pricking up his ears, Zheng San recognized A Sen's voice.
He hastily threw on clothes, grabbed the key from under his pillow, climbed down from the kang, and opened the main gate.
The sky was still full of stars, brilliant and dazzling.
A Sen, panting heavily, hurried inside while saying, "Quick, have Sanniang report to Ninth Master that I've returned."
Thinking of what Zhao Ling had done since his return, Zheng San grinned and said, "You'd better rest in the house first. We'll talk when it's light." Then he looked behind A Sen and, seeing no one, laughed, "Did you leave Yue Chuan in Tongzhou? Came back alone?"
A Sen nodded. "Ninth Master calling me back at this hour must mean there's urgent business..."
Zheng San grabbed A Sen by the nape and pulled him toward the house. "No matter how urgent, wait till daybreak. Listen to me, you won't regret it." Then he called to Zheng Sanniang, "Go make something good for A Sen to eat. I reckon he rushed back without even stopping for dinner."
As A Sen tried to speak again, Zheng Sanniang also smiled and said, "Just listen to my husband. Would we ever do you harm?"
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O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of Chapter)
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