Fu Tingyun didn’t understand what it meant when Miss Tang’s arm suddenly stiffened and then gradually softened, but Zhao Ling saw it.

A flash of sharpness crossed his eyes as he gestured for Fu Tingyun to stand behind him. He said gravely, “Miss Tang, forgive me for my humble position and limited influence. Beyond helping you find someone to mediate the conflict between the Tang and Feng families, I cannot offer any further assistance. It’s getting late, Miss Tang should retire early! The Hungry Ghost Festival is approaching, and I imagine Miss Tang will want to pay respects to Master Tang. Nianbo Suo is a small place without any famous ancient temples, so I won’t detain Miss Tang any longer. Do you plan to return to Xi’an Prefecture or your hometown in Pucheng? If the person I ask agrees to act as an intermediary, I’ll need to know where to send the message.”

Miss Tang’s face instantly turned as pale as mourning clothes.

“Lord Jiu…” she murmured, looking at Zhao Ling with shock on her face, as if she couldn’t believe what she had heard.

Zhao Ling’s expression grew even colder: “Miss Tang, early tomorrow morning, Miss Fu and I will be purchasing offerings to pay respects to my parents during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Inspector Zhao Ming will escort you out of Shaanxi Command. I won’t see you off, so I wish Miss Tang a safe journey. Until we meet again!”

Miss Tang said nothing, standing silently for a long while before turning to leave.

The courtyard fell silent.

Fu Tingyun stepped forward and gently tugged at Zhao Ling’s sleeve.

Zhao Ling smiled at her, though his smile seemed somewhat desolate.

“The first time I met Miss Tang was when I was doing a salt smuggling business with Master Tang—Miss Tang managed the Tang family accounts and settled the profits of that deal with me. Later, Master Tang proposed several times to match Miss Tang with me, all of which I politely declined. Master Tang felt he had lost face and wanted to dissolve our partnership. I had just started then, and without Master Tang’s support, business would have been very difficult. It was Miss Tang who stepped forward, arguing that ‘business is business, personal matters are personal matters,’ and persuaded Master Tang to continue our business relationship.” He shook his head. “I never imagined it would end up like this.”

“All feasts must come to an end,” Fu Tingyun comforted him. “At worst, we can find other ways to repay Miss Tang’s kindness in the future.”

“Let it be!” Although Zhao Ling was young, he had seen many joys and sorrows, always feeling that gatherings and partings were fated. After a moment of reflection, he let it go. “Some things, others can’t help with. She needs to come to terms with it herself.” Thinking of the hostility Miss Tang had shown toward Fu Tingyun earlier, he asked softly, “Were you frightened?”

“No!” Fu Tingyun smiled, then after a moment’s thought, frankly said, “Though Miss Tang’s affection for you makes me a bit jealous—you’ll have to make it up to me properly.”

Zhao Ling was taken aback.

Fu Tingyun had already handed him her teacup: “Then your punishment is to pour me a cup of tea!” She winked at him.

Zhao Ling couldn’t help but laugh.

Fu Tingyun was teasing him to cheer him up!

He immediately felt ashamed: “It’s all my fault.” He poured a cup of tea and respectfully handed it to Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun hadn’t expected Zhao Ling to suddenly change from his roguish manner to such obedience. Taking the teacup, she burst out laughing.

Zhao Ling simply sat down, speared a piece of watermelon with a toothpick, and handed it to Fu Tingyun, saying with double meaning: “The watermelon is sweet!” He had regained some of his roguish demeanor.

Fu Tingyun couldn’t stop laughing.

Seeing her happy, Zhao Ling felt relieved, and tenderness showed in his expression.

“Nan’nan, thank you,” he said with emotion. “If not for you today, Miss Tang’s matter might not have been settled so quickly.”

Since meeting Miss Tang, Zhao Ling had informed her that he had a fiancée. Miss Tang had appeared generous and forthright, even joking about becoming handkerchief friends with Fu Tingyun. Until just now, he had thought Miss Tang was only concerned about preserving the Tang family’s wealth… Now it seemed he had been careless.

But Fu Tingyun was puzzled about something else.

Zhao Ling was not an indecisive person, yet with Miss Tang, he showed an unusual level of patience.

She suddenly recalled their first meeting, when Zhao Ling had mentioned the Fu family’s chastity memorial arch with a slightly disdainful tone.

Fu Tingyun softly called “Lord Jiu” and asked, “How did your mother pass away?”

Zhao Ling’s smile stiffened slightly. After a moment, his expression gradually relaxed.

“My family was originally from Zhuozhou. Later, when chaos engulfed the land, we fled to Jiangnan and settled in Songjiang,” he said slowly. “We did business in tea, silk, and porcelain. Over several generations, we became one of the wealthiest merchant families in Songjiang. Although my ancestor was from a branch of the Zhao clan, he was skilled in worldly affairs, and our family prospered. My father was intelligent from a young age. In the 17th year of Pingxi, he took the Ministry of Rites examination and ranked 16th, passing the palace examination in the second grade, and was selected in the court examination as a Hanlin Academy Bachelor. In the 22nd year of Pingxi, he was specially appointed as the Prefect of Shuoping in Shanxi. At that time, Shuoping Prefecture was suffering from a severe drought, and after my father took office, he began repairing the irrigation systems. In the 25th year of Pingxi, my father fell ill from overwork and died in office. My mother, carrying me as a young child, escorted his coffin back home. My father was an only son, my grandfather had already passed away, and most family affairs were handled by my father’s milk brother, Zhou Sheng. Some members of the Zhao clan, coveting our family property, took advantage of us—a widow and an orphan—and falsely accused my mother of having an affair with Zhou Sheng. Unable to bear the humiliation, my mother hanged herself outside the Zhao clan ancestral hall on the ninth day of the last month of that year.”

Fu Tingyun was shocked.

She had thought such stories only existed in operas and novels, never imagining that life could contain such malice.

No wonder he particularly sympathized with women who remained strong despite adversity.

And that included her.

Fu Tingyun found it both amusing and touching. She wanted to ask why he had chosen her, but on second thought, since he had chosen her, she must have exceptional qualities. Dwelling on such questions would only show a lack of self-confidence.

However, Zhao Ling’s father had been a scholar from the 17th year of Pingxi. If her father knew this, he would surely have a good impression of Zhao Ling.

She noticed that Zhao Ling was reticent about his origins, and hearing him repeatedly mention the Zhao clan, she worried he might be reluctant to discuss his family matters. So she tentatively asked, “Do you hate the Zhao family?”

“At first, I hated them quite a bit,” Zhao Ling smiled. “But later, after experiencing more of life, I sometimes think that if I hadn’t run away from the Zhao family and had stayed, I might now be a useless person who knew nothing except eating, drinking, and playing. So as they say, ‘Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and blessing may harbor misfortune.’ Every sip and peck is predetermined by heaven.”

Fu Tingyun’s heart ached for Zhao Ling. She gently held his hand and asked, “How old were you then?”

“Seven!” Zhao Ling smiled, returning her grip. “I was too young to understand. I remembered how happy I was when I followed my father in Shuoping, like living in paradise. I wanted to return to Shuoping to find my childhood playmates or seek out my father’s friends.”

Fu Tingyun allowed him to hold her hand without pulling away, only asking with concern, “Then how did you end up trading horses in Liangzhou?”

“While wandering, I met my master. He was a Taoist priest who had been severely injured in a fight and couldn’t use his strength. He made a living by performing rituals for people. My master saw that I was literate and needed a young acolyte to burn incense and ring bells, so he forced me to become his disciple. Later, seeing how quickly I learned, he began teaching me martial arts intermittently. When I was eight, I formally became his disciple. He took me to settle in Tianyi Temple in Zhangxian County and wholeheartedly taught me reading, writing, and martial arts. When I was thirteen, my master passed away. I wanted to return to Jiangnan, but I had no money. Hearing that horse trading was profitable, I went to Liangzhou.”

Zhangxian County was adjacent to Longxi County, both part of Gongchang Prefecture.

Fu Tingyun was both surprised and delighted: “So I guessed correctly? You lived in Zhangxian County for four or five years.”

Zhao Ling also smiled: “That’s why I said you were right when you said I was from Longxi County.”

They looked at each other and smiled, feeling the moonlight grow softer.

Fu Tingyun then asked Zhao Ling, “You smuggled salt to gather funds, then planned to return to your hometown in Jiangnan to clear your mother’s name?”

Zhao Ling nodded: “And to bury my mother’s remains with my father. My father’s grave also needs proper maintenance!”

Fu Tingyun felt somewhat guilty as she listened, but pouted: “Anyway, I won’t apologize—if you had returned to Jiangnan, how could I be with you!”

Such sincere directness, with a touch of coquettishness, melted Zhao Ling’s heart.

“Father and Mother, knowing I’ve found them a good daughter-in-law, surely wouldn’t blame me for not rushing back earlier!” he teased her.

She widened her eyes and glared at him: “You’re talking nonsense again.”

Zhao Ling laughed heartily, feeling as happy as an immortal.

…

The next day, when Fu Tingyun and Zhao Ling returned from buying offerings, Miss Tang had already left Ledu, escorted by Zhao Ming.

Miss Tang had not left a single word behind.

Zhao Ling didn’t mind and was busy discussing the Hungry Ghost Festival rituals with his subordinates, leaving early and returning late each day.

Some ladies came to visit Fu Tingyun and curiously asked: “Why haven’t we seen Miss Tang?”

“She followed her father’s dying wish and asked Lord Jiu to help oversee her family division,” Fu Tingyun smiled. “Lord Jiu couldn’t personally intervene and found another respected person for Miss Tang, so she hurried home.”

The lady responded with an “Oh” and asked Fu Tingyun about the Hungry Ghost Festival: “I wonder if there will be a ceremony this year? If so, at which temple?”

“I don’t know about these things either,” Fu Tingyun thought of Madam Qi and became more cautious when speaking with these official ladies.

The lady seemed somewhat disappointed, sat for a while longer, then rose to leave.

When Zhao Ling returned, she told him about this.

Zhao Ling smiled: “Both Buddhist and Taoist temples want to host the ritual ceremonies. They probably came to inquire about the government’s intentions, to see who would be entrusted with the event. Since the government is involved, there’s usually a generous reward. Those who recommend someone to the government would receive red packets.”

“How complicated!” Fu Tingyun smiled and shook her head.

Gradually, no one mentioned Miss Tang anymore.

The traces Miss Tang left behind were like dewdrops on a summer morning, quickly disappearing.

On the day of the Hungry Ghost Festival, Zhao Ling and Fu Tingyun went to the City God Temple together.

Fu Tingyun discovered that both Buddhist monks and Taoist priests were present in the temple. The monks were reciting the “Tripitaka” in the main hall, while the Taoist priests were reciting the “Supreme Three Officials Scripture” at the entrance. Everyone minded their own business, coexisting peacefully.

Fu Tingyun was dumbfounded.

Zhao Ling whispered in her ear: “There’s only benefit and no harm in invoking more deities.”

Fu Tingyun had to struggle not to laugh out loud.

After Zhao Ling presided over the Hungry Ghost Festival ceremonies, Fu Tingyun was surrounded by the official ladies who took her to the rear hall for tea and rest. After lunch, everyone went to the temple fair together. In the evening, after eating a vegetarian meal at the City God Temple, some people returned home, while others went to the Sumu River outside the city to release flower lanterns.