Chapter 6: Sudden Upheaval
The mere thought of it made Fu Tingyun's temples throb violently.
Since Bi Bo's family had left, she had been confined to Azure Cloud Temple—free to move about within its grounds but not allowed to leave; permitted to read and write, but only under Housekeeper Chen's supervision; allowed to converse freely with Guo Hui Da Shi, but always under the watch of two sturdy maids. It was as if they feared she might sprout wings and fly away at any moment. Yet, after Bi Bo's family departed, there had been no word from home. Even the letter she had painstakingly entrusted to Guo Hui to deliver to her mother had been intercepted by Housekeeper Chen.
"Ninth Young Miss, we are merely following the Old Madam's orders," Housekeeper Chen said, her gaze cold and tinged with disdain. "Please do not make things difficult for us."
Furious and humiliated, Fu Tingyun slammed the door in Housekeeper Chen's face with a loud "bang!"
Lying on the bed fully dressed, she buried her face in the pillow and wept, imagining the chaos that must have erupted at home.
Her head ached, her nose was stuffy, and confusion gnawed at her.
Her grandmother had long since retired from managing household affairs, leaving Aunt in charge. Housekeeper Chen was Aunt's most trusted aide, holding the keys to the family's treasury. Not only did the household stewards and maids treat her with deference, but even her aunts, mother, and uncles showed her respect. Yet Housekeeper Chen had always remained humble and courteous, earning even her grandmother's praise. She was not the type to fawn over the powerful or bully the weak—so even if Fu Tingyun were under suspicion, Housekeeper Chen wouldn't disregard propriety like this!
The thought flashed through her mind, and she abruptly sat up.
What if she wasn't under suspicion at all?
Housekeeper Chen was Aunt's confidante, and Aunt was the one most trusted by her grandmother. If Aunt obeyed her grandmother in all matters, then Housekeeper Chen obeyed Aunt in all matters.
Could it be that Zuo Junjie had somehow convinced her family to believe his lies?
Her eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Unable to sit still any longer, she went straight to Housekeeper Chen.
"...What did Grandmother say before you came here?" She stood rigidly in the center of the room, her gaze locked onto Housekeeper Chen's eyes.
Housekeeper Chen met her stare unflinchingly. "The Old Madam said that the weather is unbearably hot, and Ninth Young Miss has just suffered from heatstroke. If you were to return now, the journey would be exhausting, and if you fell ill again, what then? It would be better for you to stay at the temple a while longer until the weather cools. However, since the temple is rather remote, and it wouldn't be proper for male guards to reside here, I was tasked to bring a few capable maids to attend to you."
Such words might fool an ignorant young girl, but not her.
She had no patience for Housekeeper Chen's evasions and cut straight to the point. "Housekeeper Chen, did Zuo Junjie say something—"
Before she could finish, Housekeeper Chen hissed sharply, "Ninth Young Miss, flies don't land on an unbroken egg. If you had conducted yourself properly, nothing Zuo Junjie said would matter. Out of all the young ladies in the family, the Old Madam favored you the most. Even if you care nothing for the Fu family's reputation, think of the Old Madam—her hair white with age, already halfway to the grave. You should at least spare her further distress!" Her eyes reddened as she spoke. "You should go back now. Stay quietly in your room, and you'll still retain the dignity of a young lady. But if you continue spouting such nonsense, I won't hesitate to discipline you on behalf of the Old Madam and the First Madam, even if it means being accused of disrespect!"
Fu Tingyun had never expected Housekeeper Chen to view her this way.Do the elders at home think the same way?
Her mind buzzed as blood rushed to her head. "Mother Chen, don't you know what kind of person I am? How could you believe an outsider's words..."
Mother Chen, however, seemed unwilling to engage further and directly opened the door. "Ninth Miss, it's hot outside. Please return to your room and rest."
A few maids stood under the eaves, watching the commotion. Caught off guard by the sudden opening of the door, they couldn't scatter immediately and instead awkwardly turned away, pretending to be chatting idly.
She didn’t want to leave like this, nor did she wish to argue with Mother Chen in front of those maids. Biting her lip, she stood rooted to the spot.
"Ninth Miss!" Mother Chen turned her back. "We servants are looked down upon wherever we go, always bowing our heads. But the moment people hear we're from the Fu family, their eyes change, their tone softens... You may not care, but we hold it dear as life itself... We only hope for the Fu family to prosper, for the young masters to pass the imperial exams and become high officials, for the young mistresses to be bestowed with imperial titles and become clan matriarchs, so we too can walk with our heads held high..."
"If even you wish for the Fu family's success, how much more so for me?" She lowered her voice, interrupting Mother Chen, her tone urgent as she defended herself. "If you truly feel this way, you should help me even more."
"Ninth Miss!" Mother Chen's voice sounded weary. "The Dowager married into the Fu family at fifteen, rising from granddaughter-in-law to Dowager. The First Madam took charge of the household at twenty-seven, going from needing an abacus for accounts to knowing the sums at a glance—she's overcome countless hurdles... Rest assured, if there's even a sliver of hope, they won't wrong you. Please don’t add to their troubles."
The word "wrong" was emphasized, clearly implying something else.
In the end, she still wasn’t believed.
Suddenly, her heart grew cold with despair.
Of course—when it came to choosing between the First Madam and her, whose words were more credible? For Mother Chen, the answer was obvious.
To say more would only invite humiliation.
With heavy steps, she returned to her room.
Hanyan and Lü'e entered side by side.
"Ninth Miss, we noticed you haven’t been sleeping well these days and wanted to ask the nuns for some mung beans to make you some cakes. But Mother Fan, who serves Mother Chen, stopped us from leaving!" Both looked uneasy—Lü'e kept her head bowed while Hanyan spoke cautiously, watching her expression. "Mother Fan even told us not to act on whims anymore, to stay quietly in Tranquil Moon Hall and not wander around. If we need anything, we should tell her directly, and she’ll report to Mother Chen. If Mother Chen agrees, she’ll move heaven and earth to get it for us. But if Mother Chen refuses, we shouldn’t complain about her disobedience..."
One thing after another—no one cared about the thoughts of two young maids.
Finally sensing the gravity of the situation, they came to her for answers.
Yet she was trapped in the nunnery, unable to move, unable even to send a letter home. Meanwhile, Zuo Junjie stayed freely in the Fu household, saying whatever he pleased.
Gazing at their youthful faces, she felt a momentary daze.
Hanyan and Lü'e looked at her expectantly, as though she could surely provide an answer to ease their worries.The two young maids had the courage to come to her with their confusions. Having been carefully raised by her mother for over a decade, how could she be inferior to mere maidservants when faced with adversity?
She couldn't just sit idly by and let Zuo Junjie spread his slanderous lies outside, twisting right and wrong, could she?
Something stirred deep within her.
She straightened her back.
Since the path through Guo Hui Da Shi had been blocked by Housekeeper Chen, and Housekeeper Chen herself couldn't be relied upon, she had to find her own way out.
After some thought, she recounted the entire incident truthfully to Hanyan and Lü'e.
Both turned deathly pale with shock.
"Whether you trust me or not, my mother assigned you to serve me because she trusted you," she said earnestly, gazing at them. "I hope you can help me. When we see Mother again, the truth will become clear."
Their mother's judgment had indeed been sound. Without hesitation, both knelt before her: "Ninth Young Miss, we'll follow your lead."
The gloom that had weighed on her for days finally lifted slightly.
"I want you to secretly deliver a message to my mother."
Both looked surprised, with Lü'e expressing fear: "I... I don't know the way."
Hanyan, being bolder, said: "I'll go—there's always someone to ask for directions."
She gave Hanyan an encouraging smile, but thinking of her current predicament, her expression darkened again: "I must return to defend myself," she said, the words she'd buried deep now spoken aloud, her eyes and brows taking on a determined cast. "But I don't know what the situation at home is like now. Rushing back blindly might backfire and make things worse. Tell my mother my thoughts and see what she says. Then I'll know how to proceed."
Hanyan nodded repeatedly.
She whispered instructions to them.
Soon, Hanyan and Lü'e began causing disturbances—sometimes disappearing suddenly, leaving the older servants searching frantically; other times locking themselves in their room for hours, ignoring all knocks at the door.
At such times, she would emerge to scold the servants.
As time passed, everyone grew weary of the constant running around and began complaining: "...After all, the Ninth Young Miss is still a young lady. No wonder she's frustrated with us like this. As long as she doesn't leave the temple, I think we should let her be."
Housekeeper Chen, cautious by nature, agreed internally but said: "Just check what the Ninth Young Miss is doing every hour. As for the two maids, give them more work so they won't have time to run around."
When she learned of this, she secretly rejoiced.
But she still hadn't found a good way to escape—the Azure Cloud Temple was largely self-sufficient, with its own fields, gardens, and well. Except for two nuns who went down the mountain every ten days with bamboo baskets to buy daily necessities like oil and salt, the temple gates remained closed to visitors. Hiding in the supply cart wouldn't work. The temple had seven or eight burly nuns patrolling at night, along with over a dozen dogs let loose after dark. Slipping out in the darkness wasn't feasible either. Then she noticed an old locust tree in the backyard whose branches extended beyond the wall—a ray of hope in her predicament.
She called Hanyan and Lü'e to discuss: "...Hanyan, keep the servants occupied with idle chatter so they won't assign you tasks. Lü'e, stay in the room to cover for me. I'll scout the backyard at noon and return within an hour.""Let me go instead," Hanyan said. "Housekeeper Fan and the others don't bother us much these days."
"I'm not sure this will work," she shook her head. "If Housekeeper Chen finds out, she'll just scold me at worst. But if it were you, she'd probably resort to household discipline. It's better if I go."
That's how she ended up making that trip to the backyard at noon... and nearly got strangled to death...
※ ※ ※ ※ ※
"How infuriating!" Fu Tingyun unconsciously clenched her fists and slapped the edge of the bathtub. It was unclear whether she was venting her anger at Zuo Junjie or the strange man who had nearly choked her to death.
"Ninth Young Miss!" Hanyan and Lü'e stared at her in shock.
"It's nothing!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Help me wring my hair dry. I want to lie down for a while."
Housekeeper Chen's voice came from outside the door: "Has the Ninth Young Miss awakened yet?"
Hanyan and Lü'e exchanged nervous glances at Fu Tingyun.
Her voice was hoarse, and there were still red marks on her neck. The moment she spoke or showed her face, the truth would be exposed. If Housekeeper Chen asked about it, what should they do?
※
I've been struggling lately... Everyone seems dissatisfied with the book title and synopsis... Then Futian helped me revise the synopsis... As for the title... still working on it... And this has seriously affected my writing progress...
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel