Chapter 302: Stepping Forward
Consort Wu didn’t want Lianxin to go to the Wu Family to gather information. If the Wu Family already knew about the situation and still allowed her brother-in-law to act recklessly, it would clearly mean they had no intention of intervening. If the Wu Family was unaware, then her brother-in-law had traveled all the way to the unfamiliar capital for her sake without seeking their help—proving he didn’t trust them to stand up for her.
Yet she couldn’t suppress the burning desire in her heart.
For so many years, she had dreamed of what her life might have been like if she had never entered the Yu Family.
Especially when she thought of the child she had lost…
Even though she knew Consort Fei had ulterior motives, she gritted her teeth and let Consort Fei cover for her, allowing Lianxin to go to the Wu Family.
Madam Wu was shocked when she heard the news. Staring at Lianxin, who stood before her waiting for instructions, she flew into a rage. "This isn’t some common household taking in a concubine that can be bought back with silver! No wonder your master was furious enough to want to sell her!" she snapped. Then she added, "Who put such an idea into that brother-in-law’s head? Are we not his relatives? For such a major matter, he didn’t even consult us—does he have no respect for our family?" She called for her trusted Housekeeper. "Go with Lianxin and fetch that brother-in-law. I want to see what game he’s playing!"
Her tone made it clear she intended to reprimand Consort Wu’s brother-in-law.
Lianxin’s heart tightened.
If Consort Wu could leave the Yu Family, she could too. Then she wouldn’t have to marry one of the Yu Family’s servants and be tied to their fortunes forever.
No wonder Consort Wu’s brother-in-law hadn’t dared to consult Madam Wu about such a serious matter—Madam Wu’s loyalty lay entirely with the Yu Family!
The thought made her grieve for Consort Wu. Seeing that Madam Wu was insisting she fetch the brother-in-law, she hurriedly said, "Madam, I’ve never met him. If not for the master mentioning it, none of us would have known about this..."
"All the more reason to summon him for questioning," Madam Wu insisted, pressing Lianxin to hand him over. "The capital is full of powerful figures. If he acts recklessly and offends the wrong people, even our protection might not save him from trouble. The priority is to find him quickly."
Lianxin looked miserable but had no choice but to tell Madam Wu everything she knew.
Madam Wu’s expression grew inscrutable as she listened, her lips parting as if to speak—when a young maid’s voice came from behind the door curtain. "Madam, Yu Wei from the Zhao Family next door is here to see you."With Grand Secretary Tian retiring, Hao Jianfeng was promoted to Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and concurrently Minister of Rites. Meanwhile, Official Wu, recommended by Hao Jianfeng and Qian Donglin, was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel. Though still a vice minister, the saying went, "The Ministry of Personnel is noble, the Ministry of Revenue wealthy, the Ministry of Justice mighty, the Ministry of Rites poor, and the Ministry of Works lowly." Thus, a vice minister of Personnel was far more prestigious than one of Rites. Since hearing this news, Madam Wu hadn't been able to stop smiling.
Coincidentally, Shen Rensi was promoted to a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Personnel during this reshuffle. Madam Wu thought that since she was part of this faction, she ought to thank Fu Tingyun. After the Lantern Festival came the Dragon Head-Raising Festival on the second day of the second lunar month—a perfect occasion to host a banquet at home. She personally delivered an invitation, only to find Fu Tingyun absent, having taken her children to Tanzhe Temple to visit Zhao. Embarrassed, Madam Wu left the invitation and returned.
It seemed she would have to wait for Yu Wei to reply.
Madam Wu didn’t bother with Lianxin and eagerly invited Yu Wei inside.
A mere maid from the Zhao household, yet the Wu family addressed her as "Miss," and Madam Wu herself warmly welcomed her in...
Lianxin observed the scene, her eyes flickering. Pretending not to notice the subtle gesture from Madam Wu’s personal housekeeper signaling her to leave, she remained in the room.
Upon entering, Yu Wei noticed a maid standing before Madam Wu and found it odd.
Regardless of the reason, she was here as Fu Tingyun’s representative—a guest. Madam Wu should have dismissed the maid, yet she allowed her to stay.
Yu Wei couldn’t help but study the maid a few times.
The more she looked, the more familiar the maid seemed.
Madam Wu, annoyed by Lianxin’s oblivious presence but unable to scold her in front of Yu Wei, noticed Yu Wei’s glances. Worried that Yu Wei might mistake Lianxin for one of her own maids and report back to Fu Tingyun, making her seem incapable of managing her household, she explained with a smile, "This is Consort Wu’s maid. She says she has something to discuss with me."
Yu Wei suddenly understood. Remembering that it was Consort Wu who had tipped off Fu Tingyun about Yu Jingxiu and Min Shi, she felt a warmth toward the maid by association and smiled kindly.
Lianxin’s eyes brightened, but before she could speak, Madam Wu’s housekeeper forcibly dragged her out and shoved her into a side room. "Wait here. Once Madam gives the word, I’ll take you to find that young master."
Lianxin obediently agreed and cracked open the window to watch.
Soon, she saw Madam Wu’s housekeeper cheerfully escorting Yu Wei out.
She abruptly flung the curtain aside and rushed out.
"Miss Yu Wei! Miss Yu Wei!" Lianxin cried desperately, "Our young master wants to redeem our mistress, but the Yu Family refuses! Our mistress sent me to beg Madam Wu—please ask Madam Zhao to put in a good word for her with Madam Wu. Our mistress will remember her kindness for life—"
Before she could reach Yu Wei, an experienced maidservant clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her back into the side room.
Amid the commotion, Yu Wei didn’t catch most of Lianxin’s words. But the words "Yu Family refuses" struck her sharply—she was all too sensitive to anything involving the Yu Family.She immediately stopped and asked Madam Wu's personal housekeeper, "What exactly is going on here?"
The housekeeper looked embarrassed and briefly recounted the situation: "...Don't you think it's ridiculous? It's not like she's lacking food or clothing, nor has she been beaten or scolded. Yet she actually asked Madam Wu to help her request to leave. What kind of family is the Yu Family? How could they possibly agree to this..."
Anything the Yu Family opposed, Yu Wei felt was worth doing.
Suppressing her excitement, she hurried back to the Zhao residence with light steps. Without regard for Fu Tingyun still doing accounts, she pulled her aside into a side room and told her about the matter.
Fu Tingyun's expression turned peculiar, as if she had mistaken salt for sugar, and she remained silent for a long while.
Yu Wei grew anxious and tugged at her sleeve. "Madam, say something! Wouldn't it be wonderful to help Consort Wu? Not only would we be rescuing her from misery, but we'd also be humiliating that Yu Jingxiu—his concubine would rather leave than stay with him. It just shows how despicable he is." Her eyes shone brighter than usual, clearly more interested in the latter outcome.
Fu Tingyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Let me have A Sen look into this carefully first. We shouldn't jump to conclusions. If Consort Wu truly intends to do this, then we should help her."
Yu Wei agreed cheerfully and urged A Sen to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, when Madam Wu learned that Lianxin had blabbed everything in front of Yu Wei, she sat deep in thought.
If Consort Wu returned home, it would be a slap in Yu Jingxiu's face. The Zhao and Yu families were at odds, so the Zhaos would surely be delighted to see this happen. Logically, as Consort Wu's elder, and given that Consort Wu had no children, was disliked by Yu Jingxiu, and had no prospects in the Yu household, Madam Wu ought to speak up for her... The crucial point was that the Yu Family was declining. In the recent official reshuffling, Grand Secretary Yu had only secured a seventh-rank compiler position in the Hanlin Academy. Meanwhile, Zhao Ling was reportedly about to be recommended by Qian Donglin for the position of Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou... Rather than bearing the stigma of injustice for the Yu Family, it would be better to go with the flow and earn Fu Tingyun's favor.
The more Madam Wu considered it, the more she felt she should stand up for Consort Wu. She summoned her housekeeper and said, "Go relay my orders—have the steward find that foolish son-in-law of ours no matter what. Only if he formally invites me can I rightfully intervene on Consort Wu's behalf!"
The housekeeper was accustomed to Madam Wu's fickleness and immediately passed on the instructions. Because they were relatives, the steward managed to locate Consort Wu's brother-in-law before A Sen could.
Though Consort Wu's brother-in-law was shrewd, having traveled extensively and seen much of the world, he was ultimately just an ordinary merchant trading southern goods in the north. His wife had often spoken of past events and repeatedly warned him before he left, telling him of Madam Wu's coldness and advising him not to seek help from the Wu Family. She had even said the Wu Family might not only refuse to help but could also obstruct them. With no other options, he had resorted to bluntly intercepting Yu Jingxiu at the government office.
Now, escorted by Madam Wu's steward into the Wu Family's opulent hall, his demeanor betrayed wariness and unease.
Once Madam Wu made up her mind, she would ensure everything was flawless.Seeing this, she chuckled lightly. First, she clarified the generational hierarchy with Consort Wu's brother-in-law, then brought up Consort Wu's matter: "If you intend to take her back, does your father-in-law know? How much silver are you prepared to spend? I need to have a clear idea so I can speak confidently with the Yu Family and give Madam Zhao a proper account."
Although Consort Wu's brother-in-law didn't know who Madam Zhao was, judging by Madam Wu's tone, he understood this person had played a significant role in persuading Madam Wu to intervene with the Yu Family. He hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Madam. This matter was discussed between my father-in-law and my wife. My father-in-law even wrote a letter for me to carry, fearing others might not believe us. It will serve as proof for the officials when the documents are exchanged." At this point, he looked somewhat embarrassed and lowered his voice, "Our two families have pooled together two thousand taels of silver." He added, "I know this amount means nothing to the Yu Family, but we truly can't afford more..."
Two thousand taels... Madam Wu pondered. Back then, she had accepted one thousand taels as betrothal gifts from the Yu Family. Two thousand taels seemed reasonable now.
After a brief consideration, she said, "There's no time like the present. You shall accompany me to Grand Secretary Yu's residence today!"
Consort Wu's brother-in-law was overjoyed and thanked her profusely before setting off with Madam Wu to Alley Street.
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The story is nearing its conclusion, and this might be the last chance for The Flourishing Flowers to compete in the Pink Vote rankings. Dear readers, your support is greatly appreciated—please cast your precious votes!
Thank you all!
PS: I'm torn between starting a new story in December or next January... Though the synopsis has been rehearsed countless times in my mind, the thought of maintaining daily updates is a bit daunting.
O(∩_∩)O~
Lastly, recommending Liu Anhua Ming's new work Beauty's Law —
Born into a military household, ancestors engaged in lowly trades, living in slums... quite tragic, isn't it?
But this lady specializes in comedy!
Watch as a modern female lawyer reincarnates into an ancient female litigator. Though poor and powerless, her cunning wit and silver tongue pave the way to prosperity.
Domestically, she reforms a wicked stepmother and relatives; abroad, she debates scoundrels, tyrants, and even royalty.
Her goal: Excel in courtrooms, survive jail cells, outshine phoenixes, and crush cockroaches.
A certain woman draws the curtains and whispers, "Sir, how may I assist you?"
And to that one over there—spare the chatter; my consultation fees apply!
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(End of Chapter)
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