Chapter 64: Where To Go (Bonus Chapter for 520 Pink Votes)
By lamplight the next day, Fu Tingyun and Madam Lu returned to Willow Lane laden with packages.
Not only had Zheng San's thousand taels of silver been completely spent, but even the five taels Madam Lu carried with her, Fu Tingyun's three taels, and even A Sen's single tael had all been used up.
Sanfu, Shizhu, and Luwei rushed out to help carry the items.
A Sen stood on the carriage shouting excitedly, "Brother Sanfu, Brother Shizhu, Miss Fu bought us new clothes too!" His entire face beamed with joy.
Sanfu, Shizhu, and Luwei all looked surprised.
Fu Tingyun, assisted by Zheng Sanniang, alighted from the carriage and explained with a smile, "We didn't know where you'd be staying, and with the weather getting colder, having extra winter clothes will surely come in handy."
Sanfu grinned broadly while Shizhu scratched his head, both thanking Fu Tingyun sheepishly.
Master Lu came out carrying Linchun.
The middle-aged couple, having lost their own son, doted on the child. With Zheng Sanniang accompanying Fu Tingyun shopping, Master Lu had volunteered to look after Linchun.
"Miss Fu, you're back!" he greeted cheerfully.
Madam Lu stepped forward to pat Linchun's head and asked her husband, "Has Ninth Master returned yet?"
It was the 25th day of the eighth month, and Zhao Ling had left early that morning for the Regional Military Commission office.
"He returned at noon," Master Lu replied promptly. "He's been in the study with Yucheng and Yuanbao ever since."
Fu Tingyun paused. "They've been talking all this time?"
Master Lu nodded.
A flicker of concern crossed Fu Tingyun's face.
What matter would require discussion from noon until lamplight?
After a moment's thought, she asked, "Do you know where Young Master Yang and Young Master Jin have been staying?"
Master Lu shook his head. "Ninth Master summoned them to his study immediately upon returning. We don't know the details yet." Then he added reassuringly, "But there's no need to worry. Right after coming back, Ninth Master had me order a feast from Thirteen Hills to celebrate. It must be good news!"
Yet businesses also held farewell banquets when dissolving partnerships.
Fu Tingyun silently disagreed, unconvinced. After brief consideration, she headed toward the study.
The others exchanged glances but didn't stop her.
Entering the courtyard, Fu Tingyun heard Yang Yucheng's angry voice: "...That Mo Yi has gone too far!" The outrage was palpable.
She quickened her pace.
"Yucheng, don't be rash," Jin Yuanbao's calm voice interjected. "If it were me, I'd make the same demand—"
Before he could finish, Yang Yucheng cut in sharply.
"You?" His tone dripped with sarcasm. "We're not like you. You're always cool-headed, calculating every move. When Brother Hu—who saved you from prison—was killed by Deng Sanmao's men, you could still greet Deng calmly. We're not like that. We're hotheads who'd draw blades at the slightest provocation—"
"Yang Yucheng!" Jin Yuanbao roared. A chair crashed to the floor.
Their argument had escalated.
Fu Tingyun's anxiety grew.
Then Zhao Ling's icy voice cut through: "Yucheng." His tone brooked no argument. "You've crossed the line. Apologize to Yuanbao."
A heavy silence followed.
"My mistake," Yang Yucheng muttered contritely.
Fu Tingyun exhaled in relief.Jin Yuanbao sighed, "Forget it. We're brothers, and I know what kind of person you are." Then he changed the subject, "But hearing you say that really upsets me." His tone grew heavier, "Personally, since Brother Hu was killed by Deng Sanmao, I should have fought him to the death. But officially, even if I had confronted Deng Sanmao right then, with Feng Laosi in front and Tang Daishan behind, we would have been surrounded by enemies on three sides, leaving us no way out. If we endured the humiliation for the moment, dealt with Feng Laosi first, intimidated Tang Daishan, and then settled accounts with Deng Sanmao, we could have wiped him out in one fell swoop..."
"Yuanbao, stop," Yang Yucheng said, ashamed and embarrassed. "I was talking nonsense..."
But Jin Yuanbao wasn’t ready to let it go. He continued, "I know you’re righteous and eager to uphold justice, but from today onward, you’re no longer Yang Yucheng the salt smuggler—you’re now a squad leader in the Zhuanglang Garrison’s Nantongbao..."
A squad leader in Zhuanglang Garrison!
Fu Tingyun’s heart leaped with joy.
So Yang Yucheng and Zhao Ling had been assigned together!
She wondered where Jin Yuanbao, Sanfu, and Shizhu had been placed.
She considered making some noise to seize the chance to go in and ask, but Jin Yuanbao’s next words caught her attention: "Your words and actions don’t just affect you—they also reflect on Ninth Master, who recommended you. If you truly care about Ninth Master, you must endure temporary humiliation to secure a lasting future." He added, "Don’t think I’m exaggerating. That Mo Yi is just a Guerilla General under Marquis Yingchuan, yet his methods are already formidable. The Marquis himself must be a formidable figure—otherwise, Sixteenth Master wouldn’t befriend him, and he wouldn’t befriend Sixteenth Master. You mustn’t take this lightly."
"I know!" Yang Yucheng muttered, still unwilling. "But that’s exactly why I’m worried. Since Mo Yi has set his sights on Miss Fu, he won’t let this go easily..."
Set his sights on her?
What did this have to do with her?
Fu Tingyun’s heart pounded as she strained to listen.
"You’re overthinking it," Zhao Ling said with a laugh. "Mo Yi merely asked about how to settle family matters..."
But Jin Yuanbao, whom Yang Yucheng had described as always calm and composed, suddenly grew agitated. "Ninth Master!" he exclaimed urgently. "You can’t say that. Look at Mo Yi’s methods—in Linchun Town, he joked and laughed with you like a friend. But once in Xi’an, after learning you had capable brothers under you and seeing you delay meeting Official Wu, he turned on you without hesitation, ready to kill you. After you repelled the Divine Crossbow Camp and met Official Wu, he immediately visited you, revealed his identity, and even hinted that your assignment to Zhuanglang Garrison was due to his recommendation to Marquis Yingchuan—implying he could influence your future. He befriended you while also asserting dominance—that’s ‘intimidation.’ He knew you value loyalty and would bring us brothers into the military, so he quietly arranged this to make you grateful and indebted to him—that’s ‘favor.’ Combining intimidation with favor, adapting to circumstances—if someone like that has taken an interest in Miss Fu, how can you say we’re ‘overthinking it’ or that it’s just ‘a simple question’?"Mo Yi stepped forward and arranged for Jin Yuanbao and the others to be housed together with Zhao Ling?
Fu Tingyun found it hard to believe.
But why would Mo Yi be concerned about her?
Apart from her connection to Zhao Ling, she couldn’t think of any other value she might hold in Mo Yi’s eyes.
Yet, in that fleeting moment of realization, Fu Tingyun’s expression abruptly changed.
Generals in the field may disregard orders from the court. The families of military officers ranked third-grade or above were required to remain in the capital precisely to keep those generals in check. Zhao Ling and the Sixteenth Master had only met once, yet now Zhao Ling was leading a group of brothers to seek refuge with him. How could Marquis Yingchuan possibly restrain him?
To the outside world, she was his betrothed!
Fu Tingyun felt her palms grow damp.
Could it be that Mo Yi wanted Zhao Ling to send her to Zhangye?
"There’s always a way," Zhao Ling’s voice was calm, his tone somewhat distant, as if preoccupied. "Mo Yi hasn’t explicitly stated anything, so we’ll just pretend we don’t know. If he presses the matter, we’ll simply say that Zhangye is plagued by sandstorms, arid and lacking water, and that Miss Fu couldn’t adapt."
She had guessed correctly!
A chill ran down Fu Tingyun’s spine.
Jin Yuanbao, however, sounded furious: "Ninth Master, you can’t deceive yourself like this. Miss Fu would rather take her own life than lose her chastity in the face of bandits, yet she’d stay in Xi’an Prefecture because she fears the harsh conditions of Zhangye? Even if you could bring yourself to say such an excuse, and even if Miss Fu could endure it, Mo Yi would never believe it!" Here, as if realizing his tone was too heated, he quickly softened his voice and urged, "Besides, Miss Fu has no one to rely on in Xi’an Prefecture. It’d be better for her to come with us to Zhuanglang Garrison..."
"No!" Zhao Ling’s tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation. "The frontier is no place for a woman. I’ll make it clear to Mo Yi."
No, no, no, this couldn’t happen.
Zhao Ling had finally gotten this chance to clear his name. Mo Yi might even become his superior in the future. This matter couldn’t be handled so bluntly.
Fu Tingyun raised her hand to knock on the door.
But as her fingertips brushed against the hard, black-lacquered wood, her heart trembled, and she withdrew them.
Her mother in the capital was suffering greatly because of her. How could she stand by and do nothing?
And her father.
Had he returned before or after she was forced to drink the medicine?
If he had returned before, why hadn’t he intervened? He was the only official in the family now. Even if it had been her grandmother’s decision to force the medicine on her, out of respect for his position, her grandmother should have hesitated.
If he had returned afterward, why hadn’t he investigated the matter thoroughly? Instead, he had her brother bring their mother to the capital, as if the whole incident were her fault and the parents had no choice but to retreat in shame.
And then there was her uncle.
At home, a woman obeys her father; after marriage, her husband; and after his death, her son. No matter how senior her grandmother was in the family hierarchy, and no matter how domineering her aunt might be, they were still women. Her uncle had served as an official outside and was well-traveled. Upon returning, he took charge of family affairs. Whoever’s idea it had been to force the medicine on her, it couldn’t have escaped his notice. Why had he allowed it?
She wanted to wait in Xi’an Prefecture for news from the capital.
She wanted to see her mother.
She wanted to know the truth behind why she had been forced to drink the medicine.
She wanted to tell her father that she was innocent.She wanted to ask her uncle why he would rather believe the one-sided words of an outsider like Zuo Junjie than ask her whether the affair was true.
She even thought that after Zhao Ling finished his own business, she would ask him to find a reliable person to escort her to the capital.
Xi'an Prefecture was only about a month's journey from the capital.
She wanted to stand before her parents and her uncle, face to face, and ask for the truth.
Whether it led to life or death, she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
But now, what should she do?
If she stayed in Xi'an Prefecture, how would Zhao Ling explain it to Mo Yi?
If she went to Zhangye, how would she deal with all the grief, sorrow, confusion, resentment, and anger that had been stuck in her throat like a fishbone...?
She stood blankly in the courtyard, at a complete loss.
※
O(∩_∩)O~
(End of Chapter)
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