Chapter 291: Clarity
Fu Tingyun straightforwardly rejected Consort Wu's request: "What is contrary to propriety should not be spoken of, nor looked upon. Such matters are not for me to interfere with. Please convey this to Consort Wu."
"Ah!" Lianxin was taken aback. Her mouth hung open as she hesitated several times, wanting to speak but holding back. Finally, she lowered her head in disappointment and withdrew with Zhenzhu.
Yu Wei sneered, "This Consort Wu has truly lost all shame, bringing her disgrace to our doorstep!"
Yet Fu Tingyun felt a stirring in her heart.
Consort Wu was not the type to act without propriety. Why would she send her personal maid to speak of such matters...
Recalling Consort Wu's inexplicable goodwill toward her, Fu Tingyun fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Yu Wei dared not disturb her and quietly poured her a cup of tea.
Fu Tingyun then whispered to her, "Find a way to inquire whether the Wu Family knows about the affairs of Needlemaker Alley."
Yu Wei was surprised but solemnly replied, "Yes."
After dismissing her attendants, Fu Tingyun sat alone in the room, sipping her tea, before heading to the children's quarters to inspect how their rooms were being arranged.
The rooms bustled with activity—maids making beds, others organizing trunks—yet everything was orderly.
Fu Tingyun nodded slightly and spent the entire afternoon with the children.
That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and eventually rose to write a letter to Zhao Ling.
In it, she recounted the recent events at home in detail, including Consort Wu's sudden request for help: "...I don’t understand Consort Wu’s intentions, so I’ve tasked Yu Wei to discreetly inquire whether the Wu Family knows of this matter." Setting down the brush, she couldn’t help but dip it in ink again to add a few more lines: "If what Consort Wu says is true, then Yu Jingxiu’s past actions would be nothing short of a farce. Looking back now, it’s fortunate we ended the engagement with the Yu Family."
Having vented her thoughts, Fu Tingyun felt much lighter and devoted herself wholeheartedly to preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
By the end of August, Anxin suddenly returned to the capital.
Fu Tingyun was startled and urgently asked, "What happened? Why have you returned?"
Anxin smiled. "Ninth Master said there’s a matter at home and sent me back to assist you." He then took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Zhenzhu, who was attending to Fu Tingyun.
Fu Tingyun took the letter from Zhenzhu and asked in confusion, "A matter at home? What matter? And why send you all the way back to the capital?" As she spoke, she suddenly thought of Consort Wu’s affairs.
Though Madam Wu had always been warm toward her, Fu Tingyun maintained a polite but distant relationship with her. While this had seemed fine before, it became a hindrance when she sent Yu Wei to investigate the Wu Family—after weeks of effort, they still couldn’t confirm whether the Wu Family knew about Needlemaker Alley.
Could it be related to Consort Wu?
The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
If she couldn’t uncover anything in the capital, how could Zhao Ling, far away in Guizhou, know such details?
With this in mind, she smiled and asked Anxin about his journey: "...Was everything smooth?"
Anxin bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your concern, madam. The journey was uneventful."
Fu Tingyun nodded with a smile and, seeing his travel-worn appearance, said kindly, "Go and rest for now. We can discuss matters further tomorrow."Anxin respectfully acknowledged and withdrew to rest.
Fu Tingyun opened Zhao Ling's letter.
As usual, Zhao Ling first inquired about the children, then expressed regret about her pregnancy: "...It seems I won't be by your side during childbirth again. You must take good care of yourself. If anything comes up, you can ask Third Sister for help." However, his tone regarding Needlemaker Alley surprised Fu Tingyun: "...Such matters might be common knowledge or known only to the Yu Family's inner circle. If it were the former, rumors should have reached me by now. Since I haven't heard anything, it's likely still being kept under wraps, and Yu Wei probably won't uncover much. That's why I sent Anxin back—you can entrust any tasks to him. But I find Consort Wu's words to you rather peculiar. You should investigate Miss Min's background thoroughly—that might yield some answers. As for Consort Wu, since she's shown us goodwill, if she faces any difficulties and requests your help with something you find troublesome to handle, you can discuss it with Shopkeeper Ye San or write to me, and I'll think of a solution!"
Fu Tingyun's heart pounded.
Zhao Ling's thoughts aligned with hers.
Consort Wu was merely a concubine. Even in matters of jealousy, it wasn't her place to take the lead. Even if she had overstepped due to pettiness, she should have consulted Madam Wu, who was directly involved, rather than approaching Fu Tingyun, who had conflicts with the Yu Family.
This suggested that Consort Wu's claim of sending a maid to seek help was merely a pretext to relay this information to her.
While keeping a mistress might tarnish Yu Jingxiu's reputation, it wasn't an unforgivable crime. Even if it became public, people would blame Fan Shi for being jealous rather than accuse Yu Jingxiu of misconduct.
The only thing that could truly trouble Yu Jingxiu, she surmised, was if Miss Min's identity was problematic.
But if even Consort Wu had noticed issues with Miss Min's identity, how could Yu Jingxiu—possibly blinded by infatuation—and Grand Secretary Yu, a man of vast experience, have missed it?
She was deeply skeptical.
This was why the whole affair seemed so peculiar, leaving her uncertain.
After much contemplation, Fu Tingyun summoned Anxin.
She asked him, "Did Ninth Master only instruct you to follow my orders, or did he give any other directions?"
Anxin stood respectfully with his hands at his sides. "Ninth Master said that if the matter proves difficult, I should seek assistance from Lord Yang Tong."
Not Qin Feiyu, not Lin Chi, nor Tao Mu—but Yang Tong, who, like Zhao Ling, had a martial background. Did this mean Zhao Ling believed unofficial channels would be more effective than official ones in this situation?
Fu Tingyun began to understand and tasked Anxin with investigating Needlemaker Alley.
Anxin remained expressionless and departed to carry out his orders.
A few days later, he returned with a report: "Not only is the Wu Family unaware of the situation in Needlemaker Alley, but even the neighbors know nothing of a Yu Xiujing."
Surprised, Fu Tingyun hesitated. "Does this mean the whole thing is just a rumor?"
Anxin shook his head, stepped closer, and said in a low voice, "Although we didn't see Yu Jingxiu visiting Needlemaker Alley, we found several men's straight robes and undergarments in Miss Min's quarters."Fu Tingyun couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
Anxin suggested, "What do you think, should we meet with Consort Wu?"
"No need," Fu Tingyun gently shook her head.
Consort Wu held no status in the Yu Family, like duckweed floating on water. If the Yu Family discovered she had contact with her, who knew how they would deal with Consort Wu? Though I did not kill the man, the man died because of me. If anything happened to Consort Wu, she would surely feel both sorrow and regret.
She told Anxin, "Don't concern yourself with Consort Wu. Finding a way to gather information about that Miss Min is the best course of action."
Anxin lowered her head in acknowledgment and withdrew.
After sitting in silence for a long while, Fu Tingyun called for Yu Wei and spoke intimately with her: "...I truly never expected they would end up like this!"
Yu Wei, however, was visibly pleased: "This is retribution! Who told her to marry Yu Jingxiu against her conscience back then?" She added, "She thought she was picking a sweet date, but it turned out to be a crooked tree. She deserves it!"
Fu Tingyun couldn't help but laugh: "You seem even happier than I am?"
"Of course," Yu Wei said with a smile. "You're always worrying about this and that, afraid of being 'impolite.' I come from humble origins and don't know about such things. I just rejoice when I hear 'good begets good, and evil begets evil.'"
Fu Tingyun was stunned.
Searching her heart, she realized she did feel a faint sense of schadenfreude seeing Yu Jingxiu and his wife at odds. But she had already decided to put the Yu Family's affairs behind her and wanted to truly let go, keeping her word.
Seeing Fu Tingyun lost in thought, Yu Wei grew uneasy. She softly called out, "Madam," and whispered, "I'll brew you a fresh cup of tea."
"Isn't there still more than half a pot left?" Fu Tingyun snapped out of her reverie, her expression turning serious. "You're right. Deep down, I am actually quite pleased too." She blinked at Yu Wei. "I hope Young Master Yu will 'return with his illegitimate son'—that would be truly interesting." As soon as the words left her mouth, she paused.
Could it be that Zhao Ling was also planning this?
Unable to contain her excitement, she grasped Yu Wei's hand and asked, "Tell me, if Yu Xiujing wanted to take Miss Min as his concubine, what do you think would happen?"
Yu Wei's eyes lit up, and she beamed: "That would truly be a slap in Fan Shi's face!"
Fu Tingyun's heart jolted, and her smile faded: "Do you think Fan Shi would refuse if Yu Xiujing insisted on taking Miss Min as his concubine?"
Yu Wei was taken aback.
Fu Tingyun said gravely, "I suspect there's more to this story!"
"Are you suggesting Miss Min might not want to enter the Yu Family as a concubine?" Yu Wei hesitated. "But who would choose to be an illegitimate mistress over a concubine?"
"Exactly!" Fu Tingyun murmured. "I wonder what tricks Yu Jingxiu is playing now?"
Yu Wei perked up, excited: "Madam, do you think Miss Min might have been deceived by Yu Jingxiu? If so, perhaps we could find a way to expose him... Let's see if he dares to harm others again!" By the end, her words carried a hint of gritted teeth."What exactly happened, we'll have to let Anxin investigate properly." Fu Tingyun said, suddenly recalling the words in Zhao Ling's letter. She couldn't help murmuring, "No wonder he had Anxin return... he probably anticipated this long ago... that fellow, how is he so clever? He only caught wind of it..." Her tone held equal parts exasperation and indulgence, but mostly joy.
Yu Wei covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Fu Tingyun shot her a glare before calling Anxin over: "Can we place someone near Miss Min? I'd like to know what kind of person she is."
Anxin smiled and replied, "Don't worry, madam. Just a few days ago, Miss Min was looking to hire a kitchen maid. I happened to know someone suitable and had her introduced through Miss Min's neighbor. After trying her out for a few days, Miss Min was quite satisfied and has already kept her on."
Fu Tingyun's eyes widened in surprise. "Was this your idea or Ninth Master's arrangement?"
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Happy weekend everyone!
O(∩_∩)O~
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(End of chapter)
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