Chapter 88: Fighting
Watching Wang Furen's retreating figure, Fu Tingyun secretly sighed in relief.
This way, her conflict with Feng Shi and her brother would remain a simple personal grudge. Even if Liu Fuzongbing wanted to shield his favorite concubine, he would have to exercise some restraint—at the very least, he could rein in Feng Shi and give Fu Tingyun some breathing room.
She turned and returned to the quarters Wang Furen had arranged for her.
It was a modest two-room annex. The Zheng couple and A Sen stayed in the southern section, while she occupied the northern side. When she entered, Zheng Sanniang was tidying up.
"Miss, you're back!" Zheng Sanniang poured her a cup of tea and handed it over, whispering with a smile, "I heard from others that below the commander-in-chief is the deputy commander, and below the deputy commander is the assistant commander. I never expected Wang Furen's residence to be so cramped!"
Since Zhao Ling had enlisted in the military, everyone had become very attentive to military ranks, titles, and garrisons, learning quite a bit about such matters.
"Keep your voice down. We're in someone else's home—walls have ears," Fu Tingyun chided Zheng Sanniang with a glare. "That's all the more reason to be grateful Wang Furen took us in!"
During her first visit, she had also been surprised to see the Wang family living in just three main rooms plus this two-room annex. Fortunately, Wang Canjiang had gone to Xining; otherwise, she would have felt too embarrassed to seek refuge here.
Zheng Sanniang nodded repeatedly.
Wang Furen's housekeeper arrived with a maid, bringing toiletries. "Miss Fu, please make do with these."
"Thank you, Housekeeper," Fu Tingyun said politely. Because of their arrival, the housekeeper had to vacate the room she shared with two maids for their use.
"Don't mention it, don't mention it," the housekeeper replied warmly. During their previous encounter when passing by Fu Tingyun's home, Zheng San had greeted her proactively, leaving a favorable impression. "If you need anything, just let me know. Make yourselves at home."
Fu Tingyun thanked her again, and the housekeeper withdrew with the maid.
Someone peeked in through the doorway.
Fu Tingyun looked over and saw a round, rosy-cheeked face like a little apple.
It was Second Miss Wang.
Fu Tingyun smiled and beckoned her over.
The girl immediately scampered inside, beaming. "Sister Fu, Sister Fu! Why did you come back so soon after leaving?" she asked with childlike innocence.
Fu Tingyun couldn't help but laugh. "There's some trouble at home, so I'll be staying with you for a few days. Is that alright?"
"Great, great!" The girl clapped her hands happily, her round eyes wide with excitement. "Then... can you help me embroider a handkerchief?"
Fu Tingyun blinked in surprise.
Second Miss Wang pouted. "In a few months, it'll be my grandmother's birthday. Mother asked me to embroider a handkerchief for her, and my elder sister is making a pouch. But I've already tried several times and ruined every one..."
Fu Tingyun chuckled. "The gift itself may be small, but the sentiment is precious. It doesn't matter how well you embroider—what matters is that it's made by your own hands, carrying your sincerity." Seeing the girl's face fall at what sounded like a refusal, Fu Tingyun quickly added, "How about I teach you?"
Second Miss Wang's eyes lit up. "Yes, please!"
With only one housekeeper and two maids, the household had many chores to attend to daily.
Smiling, Fu Tingyun opened the box of sweets the housekeeper had brought earlier and offered it to the girl. "Here, have some candy."Second Miss Wang's eyes curved into crescents as she picked up a frosty white winter melon strip. "Sister Fu, this one is sweet and absolutely delicious!"
"Then have some more!" Fu Tingyun replied just as someone knocked on the door outside. "Sister Fu, is my younger sister here?"
Upon hearing this, Second Miss Wang's face fell with dismay. "I'm here, elder sister!" she called out loudly.
Eldest Miss Wang entered and curtsied to Fu Tingyun. "Sister Fu, pardon the intrusion." She then took her sister's hand. "Sister Fu has just arrived and hasn't even unpacked yet, yet you come here to cause trouble. Come back with me. Once Sister Fu has settled in, Mother will naturally arrange for us to pay our respects properly. How could you barge in like this without considering whether it's convenient?" She spoke with the authority of an elder sister.
"It's quite alright, I wasn't busy anyway!" Fu Tingyun quickly came to Second Miss Wang's defense.
Second Miss Wang shot Fu Tingyun a grateful look.
Eldest Miss Wang then led her sister away to take their leave.
Even after they left, Fu Tingyun could still hear Eldest Miss Wang's scolding: "Can't you be more composed? Mother said Miss Fu comes from a distinguished family. If you act like this, she'll laugh at you, don't you know..."
Fu Tingyun couldn't help but smile faintly. After freshening up and drinking a cup of hot tea, her mind gradually settled as she pondered the purpose of Wang Furen's visit.
What kind of person could this Liu Fuzongbing be?
She hoped this was just another of Feng Shi's fabrications meant to deceive her.
With rumors circulating that Commander Lu was being hidden by Marquis Yingchuan, could Xiping Marquis be involved in this somehow?
As Fu Tingyun was lost in thought, Wang Furen returned.
She came straight to the side chamber where Fu Tingyun was staying.
Zheng Sanniang served tea before quickly taking Linchun outside to give them privacy.
Wang Furen and Fu Tingyun sat on the heated brick bed to talk.
"You were right after all," Wang Furen said, her expression grim. "When I mentioned this matter to Lord Liu, he flatly denied it, calling it mere rumor. He said Feng Shi must have heard it from someone else too—that women love to gossip, especially uneducated ones like Feng Shi—and told me not to take it seriously. Then he pressed me about who had told me this. To avoid causing you trouble, I didn't mention your name. But judging from this, it's almost certain that Feng Shi was just spouting nonsense. There are things you might not know—if not for Marquis Yingchuan, Lord Liu would have been promoted to Gansu Regional Commander. Because of this, Lord Liu has always resented being subordinate to Marquis Yingchuan. He allied with Xiping Marquis to sideline Marquis Yingchuan, but Marquis Yingchuan is no pushover. After several confrontations, not only did Lord Liu and Xiping Marquis gain no advantage, they ended up being sidelined themselves. Left with no options, they can only hope Marquis Yingchuan keeps winning battles to earn the Emperor's favor and get recalled to the capital..."
Fu Tingyun stared at Wang Furen in astonishment.
Who would have thought... to reach such heights in officialdom as Marquis Yingchuan—one could truly say he laughs in the face of his peers!
As she pondered this, Wang Furen analyzed the situation: "So if Marquis Yingchuan really did hide the defeated Commander Lu, he would never let Lord Liu find out about it."
Fu Tingyun's hopes stirred anew.
"In that case, Centurion Zhao... is most likely unharmed!" she murmured, her eyes and brows alight with irrepressible joy.Sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Zhao Ling's rank was too low, so even if something had happened, the General Military Headquarters wouldn’t have known about it immediately.
Wang Furen, fearing the worst—that Fu Tingyun might not be able to bear the blow—tactfully said, "Don’t worry too much. Wei Shi should be back in a few days. By then, everything will be clear."
Zhao Ling served under Commander Lu, so news of Commander Lu would mean news of Zhao Ling... This was how Fu Tingyun had always reasoned. Hearing Wang Furen’s words, she nodded in agreement.
Wang Furen rose to take her leave. "I’ll go back to freshen up. We’ll have dinner together later."
Fu Tingyun escorted Wang Furen to the door, where they ran into Wang Furen’s personal Housekeeper.
The Housekeeper was in a hurry, her expression oddly caught between amusement and something else.
Wang Furen quickly asked, "What’s happened?"
The Housekeeper glanced at Fu Tingyun.
Seeing that the Housekeeper’s expression didn’t suggest any bad news, Wang Furen didn’t mind Fu Tingyun hearing and said, "There are no outsiders here. Speak plainly."
The Housekeeper burst into laughter. "Madam, there’s been a fight at Lord Liu’s place!"
Both Wang Furen and Fu Tingyun were momentarily confused.
The Housekeeper laughed even harder. "For some reason, as soon as Concubine Feng returned from outside, Lord Liu called her into the inner chamber and started berating her furiously. In the heat of the moment, he even kicked her! Concubine Feng ran out crying, grabbed her son from the side room, and threatened to jump into the river. Lord Liu chased after her all the way to the second hall, where Concubine Feng sat on the threshold, wailing, ‘If it weren’t for me bearing you a son, the Liu family would have no heir! I’ve served you with all my heart, and now you scold me for an outsider’s sake? I might as well die!’ The crowd watching was huge—more than half the people from the General Military Headquarters were there!"
Wang Furen and Fu Tingyun were stunned, vaguely guessing that this incident was related to Feng Shi’s accusation that Marquis Yingchuan had secretly harbored Commander Lu. Wang Furen couldn’t help feeling uneasy, but Fu Tingyun said, "We neither exaggerated nor fabricated anything. We’ve been honest and straightforward. Even if she comes to question me, I’ll answer her the same way."
Hearing this, Wang Furen laughed heartily. "It seems I was the one being overly cautious!" Her worries instantly lifted.
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After dinner with Wang Furen and the two young ladies of the Wang family, Fu Tingyun had Zheng San and the others come in to pay their respects to Wang Furen.
Wang Furen had met Zheng San and his wife before, but A Sen was unfamiliar to her. With his delicate features and lively demeanor, he radiated a cheerful energy that made him instantly likable. When A Sen bowed to her, she paid special attention and asked Fu Tingyun, "This is...?"
Remembering her sorrow that day over Zhao Ling having no one to honor his memory, Fu Tingyun paused briefly before replying, "This is Centurion Zhao’s sworn younger brother. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by Centurion Zhao. His name is Zhao Sen."
Zheng San, his wife, and A Sen were all surprised but, fearing Fu Tingyun had a reason for saying this, they lowered their eyes to hide their mixed emotions.Madame Wang, being a mother, couldn't help but feel compassion seeing A Sen so well-behaved. She rewarded Zheng San and his wife with two five-fen silver sycees, but for Zhao Sen, she presented a camphorwood sword: "I brought this from Fujian. Children can use it to practice swordsmanship when they're young, and when they grow up, keeping it in a chest can repel insects."
Fu Tingyun thanked her profusely.
Madame Wang then chatted with Fu Tingyun about her childhood in Fujian.
Meanwhile, Second Miss Wang beckoned to A Sen.
Remembering Fu Tingyun's words that as Ninth Master's sworn brother, he mustn't disgrace him, A Sen sat upright with solemn dignity and refused Second Miss Wang with his eyes.
Finding this amusing, Second Miss Wang kept staring at him.
Unaccustomed to being gazed at by a young girl, A Sen gradually grew restless, his face flushing crimson.
Nearby, Eldest Miss Wang covered her mouth in silent laughter.
A Sen's face grew redder and redder.
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Final four hours... Pink tickets...(>_
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