Chapter 94: Rumors
The courtyard was filled with swirling incense smoke. Shanning Daozhang, clad in a Taoist robe embroidered with a yin-yang bagua diagram on the back, stood before an altar laden with offerings, brandishing a peachwood sword while chanting and dancing. Two young acolytes, each holding a ritual implement in one hand and forming a mudra with the other, stood solemnly on either side of the altar. Outside the gate, layers of curious neighbors crowded around to watch the spectacle.
In the eastern chamber of the main house, the bloodstained bricks had been pried up, replaced with fresh yellow earth, and relaid with new bricks—leaving no trace of the bloody incident that had occurred there. Yet, Fu Tingyun still carried a knot of unease in her heart. She had moved into A Sen’s room, while A Sen squeezed into a single room with Zheng San and his wife.
At this moment, Fu Tingyun was fixing a stern gaze on A Sen, who shrank slightly under her scrutiny.
"Still going to spin lies in front of me?" When A Sen remained silent for a long time, she let out a cold snort. "How did two strange men suddenly appear in Consort Lu’s home? Don’t tell me you know nothing about this!"
She emphasized the words "two men" heavily.
A Sen’s eyes flickered nervously. "I—I really don’t know. Everyone says Consort Lu was fooling around with men—what does that have to do with me—"
"Enough with that vulgar talk!" Fu Tingyun’s cheeks flushed slightly as she scolded him softly. "You’re still young—don’t speak such crude words from now on." Then she continued, "On the day of the incident, the whole alley was crowded with onlookers. Who would be so blind as to climb over Consort Lu’s wall at such a time? Most likely, you caught the accomplices who came with Feng Dahu and then devised a way to dump them into Consort Lu’s home. Those men, seeing Feng Dahu meet such a fate, were terrified—not only of being arrested by the authorities, sentenced, and exiled, but also of being targeted by the Feng family for failing to protect him. They wouldn’t dare move while the officials were present, but once the authorities left, they’d flee for their lives—too desperate to care if anyone was watching. As long as they weren’t caught red-handed, even if the authorities uncovered something, they could still deny everything and maybe even escape blame… You calculated their thoughts and came up with this plan on the spot, didn’t you?"
A Sen didn’t dare respond, standing before her with his head lowered, his toes rubbing uneasily against the brick floor.
"A Sen!" Fu Tingyun’s voice was low. "The fact that you could think of such a scheme shows how clever you are. But have you considered this? By tossing two men over at once, the ignorant might believe it without question, but anyone with half a brain would spot the flaw—who would have two lovers at the same time—"
"Ah!" A Sen’s head jerked up in astonishment as he stared at Fu Tingyun. "Miss Fu—"
He had assumed Miss Fu had called him aside to reprimand him because she thought he had tarnished a woman’s reputation and acted too ruthlessly. Miss Fu was always kind and preferred to leave people a way out… He liked her. If she disapproved of his actions, she might grow to dislike him—the thought had weighed heavily on him. But now, from the sound of it, she was only criticizing him for being careless and leaving holes in his scheme!
He could hardly believe his ears.
Watching him, Fu Tingyun felt both exasperated and amused.What a bold child, so young yet daring enough to set a trap for Consort Lu like this. If the people on Consort Lu's side had discovered the dummy being thrown over—well, Fu Tingyun had already torn all pretense of civility with Consort Lu, so she didn’t care, but she feared Consort Lu might vent her anger on A Sen if she couldn’t find fault with Fu Tingyun herself. After all, he was just a ten-year-old boy. If Lu Shi was determined to take his life, even if he managed to escape, he would surely suffer. Amusingly, this child had been so audacious in scheming against Consort Lu, yet in front of Fu Tingyun, he was as docile and endearing as a kitten.
"Do you realize your mistake?" she asked A Sen sternly, deliberately putting on a stern face.
If A Sen didn’t understand Fu Tingyun’s intention by now, he wouldn’t be the clever boy she adored.
"I do, I do!" A Sen beamed, nodding repeatedly. "Next time something like this happens, I’ll just throw one dummy in," he chuckled. "I thought the more, the better. When I was little, I heard people cursing those shameless women, saying they were 'slept with by thousands, ridden by tens of thousands'..."
Fu Tingyun’s expression darkened.
A Sen shuddered and immediately clamped his mouth shut, pressing his lips into a tight line before raising his little face for Fu Tingyun to see—as if to say, I’ll listen to you and never use crude language again. Fu Tingyun’s lips twitched, and it took her a long moment to suppress the laughter that threatened to burst out. Still, a hint of amusement softened her gaze, easing the sternness on her face.
"And what else?" Fu Tingyun’s tone softened slightly.
But A Sen, still somewhat fearful, didn’t notice this subtle change. He gnawed on his finger, racking his brain. "And... and..." He truly couldn’t think of any other mistakes!
Fu Tingyun let out a dissatisfied hum.
A Sen immediately straightened his back as she usually demanded, standing obediently. "And... and..." His eyes darted around nervously.
"And you acted on your own, altering my plan. Why didn’t you tell me the moment you saw me?" Fu Tingyun pressed. "If I hadn’t noticed something was off, were you planning to keep it from me forever?"
"No, no!" A Sen waved his hands frantically, but no words of defense came out.
Just as Fu Tingyun had said, he had indeed intended to keep it from her forever. He just hadn’t expected her to figure it out so quickly."A Sen, I know you wanted to stand up for me and teach Consort Lu a lesson," Fu Tingyun said earnestly. "That Consort Feng and I have never met—it's only natural she'd help her own blood brother. But Ninth Master and General Mo share intricate connections, and General Mo specifically arranged for Consort Lu to learn etiquette from me. Besides being neighbors, we also have a teacher-student bond. For her to help Consort Feng scheme against us disregards all propriety, shame, and our relationship—it's utterly despicable. I truly appreciate what you've done for me. But this is a serious matter. Behind Feng Dahu stands Liu Fuzongbing, and even Marquis Yingchuan must show deference to Xiping Marquis. If we're going to act, we must leave no loopholes—no room for anyone to catch us out. You acted impulsively and altered my plan without telling me. You should have informed me immediately so we could assess whether there were any flaws, whether they could be fixed, or if we needed another way to cover this up... By keeping silent, if someone connects the incident at Consort Lu's house to ours, we'll be cornered. Remember, if I can spot the flaws, others might too!"
Her words sent a chill down A Sen's spine. He quickly replied, "Miss Fu, this was entirely my fault. I won't hide anything from you again." As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion erupted outside—women's voices raised in argument.
A Sen froze, but Fu Tingyun was already instructing, "Go see what's happening!"
He hurried out the door.
It was Mama Lu from next door, shouting, "Which damned liar is spewing this filth? May she bear sons without assholes! Our mistress follows every rule—when the general's away, she never steps beyond the inner gate. All the neighbors know this! How could she possibly sneak around with a man without anyone noticing?!"
"We saw it with our own eyes—we're not making it up!" someone muttered. "If it weren't for the burglary at the Zhao residence bringing the authorities to investigate, the adulterer wouldn't have panicked. Afraid the thieves might confess there were accomplices still at large, and the officials would search house by house, he scrambled over the wall right after they left..."
A Sen was stunned.
He prided himself on his sharp memory—that voice sounded exactly like the owner of the grocery store Zheng San frequented!
But before he could listen further, the voice was drowned out by buzzing chatter: "Exactly! Otherwise, why would those two rush to climb the wall?"
Another voice chimed in, "What do you mean 'sneaking around'? Of course it's done in secret—no one's supposed to know..."
Qi Taitai's shrill voice cut through: "Mama Lu, whether your mistress is an adulteress isn't for us to decide—only General Mo can say when he returns. Isn't that right?!"
"Yeah, that's right!" The crowd erupted in laughter, thick with schadenfreude.
"You foul-mouthed shrew, I'll teach you to spread lies—" As A Sen reached the gate, he saw Mama Lu grab Qi Taitai by the hair and slap her repeatedly.
A man stepped in to break it up, causing Mama Lu to stumble and nearly fall.
The Lu family's maids and servants rushed to her aid, clawing at the man in retaliation."My husband was just trying to break up the fight, and you dare hit him?" The burly cook from Chen Limu's household charged forward, grabbing one of the Lu family's maids like a chicken and flinging her aside.
"How dare you lay hands on our people!" The Lu family's housekeeper rushed forward without backing down...
Chaos erupted outside Fu Tingyun's gate, distracting the two young acolytes at the incense table who kept sneaking glances outside.
Shanning Daozhang performing the ritual frowned at the disturbance.
Zheng San stepped out, bowing repeatedly: "We've invited the Daoist priest to perform an exorcism here. Please, honored ladies and madams, do us this courtesy."
No one paid him any heed.
With no other choice, Zheng San pulled A Sen back inside and slammed the door shut with a loud "bang."
Shanning Daozhang's expression relaxed slightly as he refocused on chanting the incantations.
Zheng San kept hold of A Sen all the way to the eastern wing room.
"Young Mistress, as you instructed, I spent half the day chatting with the sundry shop owner yesterday while shopping. Today when that Mama Lu from the Mo family mentioned those two flower thieves, the shop owner used what I'd said yesterday to counter her..."
A Sen's eyes widened, darting between Fu Tingyun and Zheng San: "Young Mistress... Brother San..."
Zheng San gave him a light tap on the head: "You little rascal, don't get cocky just because you're treated as a young master now. There's still much for you to learn!"
"I never thought of myself as a young master..." A Sen pouted, muttering resentfully.
Both Fu Tingyun and Zheng San laughed at this.
"Remember this well—we're family. No matter what happens, we must discuss everything together and overcome difficulties united," Fu Tingyun said solemnly to A Sen.
A Sen straightened up seriously: "Young Mistress, I'll remember that!"
Suddenly, loud banging erupted at the main gate: "Third Master Zheng! Third Master Zheng!"
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Every Monday, I secretly vow to add an extra chapter that day. But when the clock strikes 5 PM and I look at the few hundred words I managed to write during work breaks on my screen, I know—even if I ignore everyone now—there's no way to add that extra chapter... And so my wish spectacularly crumbles... (>_
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