Fu Tingyun leaned forward slightly, anxiety evident in her expression: “Don’t rush, start from the beginning.”

Jin Yuanbao took a breath to compose himself, then said: “Your situation is quite peculiar, and your father is an imperial official. I didn’t dare to visit rashly. So I first inquired about your mother in the neighborhood. The neighbors all said they only knew your mother had come to the capital to recuperate, but didn’t know her personally. For regular neighborhood interactions, it was always your sister-in-law who handled social affairs. They also mentioned that your mother was very ill. When she first arrived, doctors were called to examine her every few days. Lately, they haven’t been calling doctors, but your mother’s mama goes to the temple to offer incense on the first and fifteenth of every month…”

“How could this be?” Fu Tingyun involuntarily interrupted Jin Yuanbao. “Wasn’t it said that mother only claimed illness and went to the capital because she couldn’t bear the rumors and gossip about me?” As soon as she finished speaking, she fell silent. As the saying goes, heart sickness is hard to cure. Perhaps her mother was truly bedridden, her feigned illness becoming real due to mental distress caused by her daughter’s situation… “It’s all my fault, all my fault,” she murmured self-reproachfully. “If it weren’t for me, how could mother have fallen ill…” Tears slowly welled up in her eyes, but she composed herself and said, “If my mother is bedridden, why is it only her mama who goes to the temple to offer incense? My sister-in-law? What about my brother?”

Jin Yuanbao said: “Your father was promoted to Section Chief of the Personnel Appointment Division in the Ministry of Personnel this spring. His official duties are demanding, so he can no longer teach your brother. Therefore, he sent your brother to study with a famous retired Hanlin Academy scholar surnamed Chen in the capital. Your brother rises at dawn every day and must walk three li to reach Scholar Chen’s home, returning only at dusk. The household affairs are all managed by your sister-in-law…”

Fu Tingyun was surprised.

The Personnel Appointment Division, which oversaw the promotion and transfer of officials, was a coveted position, and its Section Chief was a fifth-rank official. Her father had previously been merely an Instructor Scholar at the Hanlin Academy, a junior fifth-rank position. To be promoted directly to Section Chief of the Personnel Appointment Division… it truly was a stroke of good fortune in his official career.

“Even so, with mother ill, how could my brother and sister-in-law simply ignore it?” she said gravely. “What happened next? Did you inquire from the doctors who had treated my mother about what illness she had?”

“I did inquire,” Jin Yuanbao paused, then continued. “They all said it was merely a matter of not adapting to the local environment, leading to digestive issues. They prescribed some remedies for regulating the stomach and intestines, saying she would naturally recover after some time.”

Her mother had been in the capital for almost a year. If it were merely a matter of adjusting to the local environment, would she be getting worse?

Fu Tingyun was skeptical: “Then what about the manservant following behind Xiu Zhu’s mama?”

Jin Yuanbao explained: “Since I couldn’t see your mother, I thought of approaching the servants, hoping to quietly send a message to your mother through one of them. I inquired about which servants had come with your mother from Huayin. To my surprise, the neighbors said that your household’s manager had complained that those who came with your mother from Huayin neither spoke the capital dialect nor knew their way around. If they got lost, people had to be sent to find them, so they were only assigned tasks within the inner quarters. External errands were all handled by servants who had been serving your father in the capital. Only Xiu Zhu’s mama, being your mother’s attendant, occasionally went out, but only to run small errands for your mother. I had no choice but to wait outside your family’s gate. When I finally saw Xiu Zhu’s mama, she was either accompanied by other mamas or followed by serving maids. I never found an opportunity to speak with her alone. I could only drop the silver bracelet into her basket, calculating that if she showed the items to your mother, your mother would certainly instruct her to find the person who left them. After she returned to Sixi Hutong, I waited patiently outside. Sure enough, within the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Xiu Zhu’s mama hurriedly came out. Just as I was about to speak to her, I noticed a manservant following her…”

From his tone, it sounded as if she were being held captive.

Fu Tingyun was terrified by this thought.

She widened her eyes and remained silent for a long while.

Jin Yuanbao said quietly: “That manservant was dressed in ordinary youth’s clothing, cracking melon seeds, occasionally teasing birds in other people’s cages, sometimes joking with people, but always keeping a moderate distance behind Xiu Zhu’s mama. Even she hadn’t noticed… that’s why I didn’t dare approach.”

She had originally thought that once she contacted her mother, everything would become clear. Instead, what awaited her were more mysteries and greater confusion.

Her expression downcast, she said: “You’ve traveled back and forth from Zhangye to the capital in such a short time; you must be exhausted. Go and rest!” Then she asked, “How many days can you stay in Zhangye? When will you return to Jiayuguan?” Thinking of how the Marquis of Yingchuan had summoned Zhao Ling and exposed his past, she frankly told Jin Yuanbao about this matter. “What should we tell the Marquis of Yingchuan?”

Jin Yuanbao was alarmed to hear that the Marquis of Yingchuan knew about their backgrounds, but by the time Fu Tingyun finished speaking, he had calmed down and pondered: “This is better—we can say we still had unfinished business on the road, and this trip to Xi’an Prefecture was to make a clean break with our past. The Marquis of Yingchuan will surely understand.”

Fu Tingyun also thought this was a good idea. She called for Zheng San’s wife to escort Jin Yuanbao to rest.

Shortly after, Zheng San’s wife returned: “Miss, Jin Master says he’ll squeeze in at the Commander-in-Chief’s residence for the night and come back early tomorrow morning.”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but feel troubled.

The room next to hers had originally been Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng’s chamber. Now she had moved to A Sen’s quarters, adjacent to Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng’s room. Jin Yuanbao must have felt it was inappropriate, so he preferred to return to the Commander-in-Chief’s residence and squeeze in with the soldiers for the night.

Their spacious courtyard was now somehow insufficient.

Firstly, she had decided to marry Zhao Ling and move to Nianbo Guard. Secondly, since a bloody incident had occurred in this house, it couldn’t be sold for a good price while people still remembered the case, so she hadn’t thought about acquiring a new house.

Fu Tingyun lifted the curtain and called out to Jin Yuanbao, who was walking out accompanied by A Sen: “You can just swap places with Lord Zhao! How can you come home only to squeeze in somewhere else? If anyone should squeeze, it should be with family.”

A Sen had wanted to keep Jin Yuanbao but couldn’t convince him. Now that Fu Tingyun had spoken, he immediately grabbed Jin Yuanbao’s arm: “See, Miss Fu has said so!”

Jin Yuanbao’s lips quivered, and with a slightly flushed face, he responded with a “Yes.”

Zheng San and his wife helped prepare the room.

Fu Tingyun stood under the eaves, watching them come and go, her mind in turmoil.

What should she do?

Was her mother truly ill or just pretending?

Why would her father treat her mother this way?

Could there be some hidden circumstances?

Her brow furrowed deeply as Zhao Ling returned.

Seeing Jin Yuanbao, he was greatly surprised. But the people in the room were equally surprised to see Zhao Ling. One asked, “When did you return?” while another asked, “Why are you back so early today?” They all looked at each other and laughed, instantly creating a lively atmosphere.

Poor Jin Yuanbao, before he could catch his breath, he was pulled aside by Zhao Ling for questioning.

After learning about the situation in the capital, Zhao Ling lowered his head and pondered for a long time. When he raised his head again, determination was evident in his expression: “A Yun, I’ll have someone escort you back to the capital!”

“Ah!” Fu Tingyun looked at Zhao Ling in astonishment.

Zhao Ling nodded, his expression stern: “Regardless of whether your mother is truly ill, since there is such a claim, you should go back to see. I’ll come over next spring.” As he spoke, he realized his expression was too serious and softened his demeanor, saying, “Besides, if you return first and hint to your aunt, when I appear, it won’t seem too abrupt to her. There’s a saying: a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law grows fonder the more she sees him. Perhaps I’ll need to rely on your aunt to speak well of me to your uncle!”

Jin Yuanbao listened with widened eyes and took a while to recover. He looked at Fu Tingyun, then at Zhao Ling, and stammered: “You… you two, are you engaged?”

Fu Tingyun wished she could stuff a cloth in Zhao Ling’s mouth, but Zhao Ling smiled openly: “This matter is still pending; for now, it’s just a thought!” This made Fu Tingyun’s face turn red. She glared at Zhao Ling and said to Jin Yuanbao: “Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

Jin Yuanbao smiled awkwardly.

Zhao Ling suddenly turned serious: “Time is of the essence. It’s already September; any later, and the roads will be icy. I think you should pack up and set off tomorrow. Anyway, Yuanbao will stay in Zhangye for a few days. Any matters that can’t be handled in time can be left to him.”

So urgent!

Fu Tingyun was startled, and “It’s your birthday in a few days” slipped out.

Zhao Ling’s eyes brightened, looking straight at her as if seeing through to the bottom of her heart, revealing all the tender affection she had hidden inside.

She couldn’t help but murmur: “It’s just a delay of a few days…”

“A Yun!” He walked over, his tall figure like a jade mountain enveloping her. “I’ve already completed what I needed to do and will return to Nianbo Guard tomorrow… Next year, how about next year?” He coaxed her softly. “Next year, A Yun can properly celebrate my birthday, alright?”

His voice, like a warm current, flowed quietly through her heart, and she nodded involuntarily.

They still had many future years together…

…

The household bustled with activity at the break of dawn.

Zhao Ling had given her only one day. Although she had merely packed her trunks and bid farewell to neighbors like Mrs. Qi, Fu Tingyun was still running around in circles. To complicate matters, Madam Xiao chose this moment to visit.

Fu Tingyun cleared a path through the trunk-filled hall to invite Madam Xiao in for tea.

Madam Xiao politely declined: “…I heard you’re leaving today. You must have many arrangements to make, so I won’t add to your troubles.” She then took a cedar box from her maid’s hands and presented it to Fu Tingyun. “I just heard from Lord Zhao that you have an elderly family member who is unwell, and you’re returning to the capital to visit. There’s no time to prepare anything special, but here are two century-old ginseng roots that the Marquis once bestowed upon me. Take them with you as a small token of my regard.”

Fu Tingyun was surprised and gently refused: “No, no, no, they’re too precious. You should keep them for the Marquis!”

“Even if the Marquis needs them, he wouldn’t miss these two roots from me,” Madam Xiao smiled, placing the box on a nearby tea table. “You continue with your preparations; I should be getting back. The Marquis will be departing for Panglang Guard in a few days.” With that, she took her leave.