Fu Tingyun hadn’t expected that the Emperor would forget Zhao Ling yet still remember her.
When the Emperor rescued them, he had done so without expecting anything in return and hadn’t given it much thought afterward.
She couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
As for the “loved ones” the Emperor mentioned, he must have been referring to the Grand Empress Dowager, right?
At that time, the Emperor was operating under the pretext of “purging corrupt officials,” and he couldn’t exactly say he had his eye on the throne. He could only use the Grand Empress Dowager as an excuse.
As she pondered this, she heard Zhao Ling continue: “Later, after we sent out the proclamation, our troops were blocked at Handan. Not only that, but the Emperor’s general Ding Kewen died in battle. Fearing the Emperor would become disheartened, his advisor Shi Tingyi asked us guards to console him. Instead, the Emperor spoke to us about personal matters to comfort us. It happened to be my shift that day, and he asked when we would get married. I thought that if the Emperor truly succeeded to the throne, making careless remarks in front of him would cause trouble later. So I simply told the Emperor about our situation…”
“What did the Emperor say?” Fu Tingyun asked urgently.
She feared the Emperor might think she had disgraced her family.
“The Emperor said that judging by how you chose death over dishonor at the City God Temple, there must have been some misunderstanding. He said it would be good if we could find that Zuo Junjie,” Zhao Ling explained. “However, the Emperor also said that in this vast sea of people, if we can’t find Zuo Junjie, should we never marry? If you wanted to return to the Fu family, it would be difficult to explain to the Yu family, and it wouldn’t be good for your reputation either. He suggested that after he meets with the Grand Empress Dowager, he would ask her to give her blessing to our marriage. This way, everything would be proper and rightful.” Zhao Ling smiled as he continued, “These days, the Emperor is busy with his ascension to the throne. Once he has more free time, I will request him to issue the decree…”
A marriage bestowed by the Grand Empress Dowager was an immense honor.
Moreover, since the Emperor knew the truth of their situation, even if people gossiped behind their backs, they would only dare to do so in private. Zhao Ling’s career wouldn’t be hindered by their relationship.
Her greatest worry was now being resolved so smoothly, and Fu Tingyun was naturally delighted.
But just as the joyful smile bloomed on her face, her expression darkened, and she lowered her eyelids.
While the bestowed marriage was wonderful, it would be better if she could see her mother first.
Thinking of this, she forced another smile.
Zhao Ling always kept her concerns in his heart. Now that he was serving at the Emperor’s side and could barely find time to come home, she didn’t want to burden him with this worry.
But what kind of person was Zhao Ling? Though her expression changed quickly, he had already noticed.
In a soft voice, he asked her, “What’s wrong?”
Fu Tingyun’s first instinct was to brush it off, but then she realized they were discussing their marriage, and she didn’t want Zhao Ling to misunderstand. After hesitating for a moment, she expressed her true feelings: “…It would be nice if I could see my mother!”
Zhao Ling raised his eyebrows but didn’t look surprised. After a moment of silence, he said, “Why don’t I accompany you back there?”
Wouldn’t that be adding fuel to the fire?
“I think it’s better to wait a while,” Fu Tingyun replied. “If we still haven’t heard anything by then, it wouldn’t be too late for you to accompany me.” Not wanting to dwell on this topic, she asked him, “Are you still serving as the Emperor’s guard? Did you come back because you had some free time, or is it your day off?”
“I’m still serving as the Emperor’s guard,” Zhao Ling smiled. “I came back in my free time, but I need to return before the hour of shen.”
It was already the hour of wei.
Although Fu Tingyun had many more questions for him, considering that he couldn’t stay home for even an hour, she decided to ask him in detail later—after all, Zhao Ling was now in the capital, so there was no rush.
She hurriedly called for Zheng San-niang and instructed her to prepare some of Zhao Ling’s favorite dishes.
Zhao Ling stopped her, saying gently, “I’ve already eaten at the palace. I came back just to see you.”
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but smile, saying, “How can palace food compare to home cooking? I’ll make some of your favorites for you to try.”
Zhao Ling no longer insisted.
Zheng San-niang smiled in acknowledgment and turned to leave.
Fu Tingyun asked about Zhao Ling’s daily life: “…When you left Huguang, it was early spring. Now it’s midsummer. Do you have complete sets of seasonal clothes?”
“The Emperor hasn’t officially ascended to the throne yet, so his position isn’t fully legitimized. The Imperial Guards haven’t been rotated, so the personal guards are still those of us who followed from his residence. Because we’re short-handed, we’re either sleeping or on duty. The palace provides food and lodging, so for now, we don’t need to add anything.”
Fu Tingyun took the opportunity to reproach him: “You may not need anything now, but when things stabilize, will you still be on duty day and night? If you had told me earlier, I would have brought the dozen or so summer clothes I made for you when I came to the capital. Ready-made clothes from shops never fit as well as those made at home.”
Zhao Ling smiled sheepishly and promptly admitted his mistake: “I won’t do this again.” He added, “Fortunately, Anxin is still in Zhangye. We can have him bring our things from there later.”
Since he had admitted his mistake, Fu Tingyun didn’t press the issue, but she thought she should find an opportunity to discipline Zhao Ling properly. Although what happened outside was men’s business, if men encountered problems outside, how could the women of the household not be involved?
Zheng San-niang came in: “The meal is ready. Where would you like it served, miss?”
“So quickly?” Fu Tingyun was surprised.
“I started preparing as soon as the Ninth Master entered,” Zheng San-niang smiled. “I thought the Ninth Master and Miss would have many things to discuss, so I’ve been waiting in the kitchen!”
Fu Tingyun blushed.
Zhao Ling, however, thought Zheng San-niang was becoming increasingly capable.
Fu Tingyun asked Zhao Ling’s preference: “How about setting up the meal in the south room’s hall? You’ve been away for days, and everyone has been missing you. It would be nice to share a meal with Master Lü and the others.”
“That sounds good!” Zhao Ling readily agreed, and they went together to the south room’s hall.
“I have to be on duty tonight, so I can’t drink. I’ll have to wait until my day off to drink to my heart’s content!”
“Naturally, the master’s duties come first.” Zhao Ling had allied himself with the right person; Master Lü was so happy he could barely see, how could he mind such matters?
A-Sen kept pestering Zhao Ling with questions.
Yu Wei was setting out the bowls and chopsticks.
Fu Tingyun called her over and had her kowtow to Zhao Ling.
This was the ceremony of acknowledging one’s master.
Yu Wei had been pleased when she saw Zhao Ling head straight to the main room to see Fu Tingyun upon his return. Seeing him consistently prioritize Fu Tingyun in his words and actions added to her happiness. Therefore, she earnestly gave Zhao Ling three kowtows.
Zhao Ling observed that although she was a maid, her demeanor was graceful and her expression dignified. He was quite satisfied and spoke some words about “cherishing fate and blessings” before sitting down at the round table in the hall.
Everyone chatted and laughed through the meal. Seeing that it was getting late, Fu Tingyun accompanied Zhao Ling to the main gate: “Please don’t worry about matters at home. At this time, everyone is trying to show their loyalty to the Emperor. Don’t neglect this; serving the Emperor wholeheartedly is what’s important. If anything comes up, I’ll have someone send you a message.”
Zhao Ling had come on foot, wearing an ordinary blue silk robe, yet he still exuded a dashing and handsome air.
He waved to Fu Tingyun: “I understand. Go back inside and rest! I’ll come see you whenever I can.”
A neighbor’s matron, who had seen this, asked Zheng San-niang about Zhao Ling: “Such a handsome young man, who is he to your household? How come we never see him visiting?”
“He is our master,” Zheng San-niang replied. Fu Tingyun, living alone in such a large residence, had sparked all sorts of talk, and Zheng San-niang had been worried about not having an opportunity to clear things up for Fu Tingyun. “He used to serve in the Emperor’s residence. This time, he came to the capital with the Emperor. Our young miss came ahead to take care of some trivial matters.” She added, “Since he served in the Emperor’s residence, once the Emperor ascends the throne, our family will be holding a wedding.”
As it involved her marriage, Fu Tingyun felt somewhat shy. She hadn’t even told Yu Wei about the bestowed marriage. But Zheng San-niang, having grown up in a village, had no qualms about using ambiguous language to impress others.
The matrons were indeed stunned.
They hadn’t expected that this family had connections to the Emperor’s residence!
Their gaze toward Zheng San-niang changed. Even the servants from the Li family who came to do menial work became much more respectful.
Yu Wei discussed with Fu Tingyun: “Since we’ll be staying in the capital for a long time, would you consider hiring a matchmaker to buy a few servants? It’s not quite appropriate to always borrow people from other households.”
When the contract of servitude isn’t in your household, there’s no obligation for loyalty to your family.
“Let’s wait until the Ninth Master’s position is settled before deciding this,” Fu Tingyun said. Zhao Ling was currently just an ordinary guard, but having followed the Emperor, he would certainly be assigned a position, though it was unclear whether he could remain in the capital. “First, help me with something—go to Four Happiness Alley and tell them I’ll be visiting early tomorrow morning.”
Yu Wei was startled.
Fu Tingyun continued: “I’ve figured it out. They’re prepared to drag this out with me. But I don’t have that patience. Tomorrow we’ll go to Four Happiness Alley. I want to see what he can do to me.”
Now that Zhao Ling had returned to the capital and they had their residence, keeping their marriage in limbo would inevitably lead to rumors. Naturally, the sooner they married, the better. She wanted to resolve this matter before Zhao Ling settled in.
“I’ll go to Four Happiness Alley right away,” Yu Wei understood and left immediately. She returned at dusk to report: “The young mistress said the Fifth Master is still angry and suggested we wait a few more days. I told her that it wouldn’t be easy for the Fifth Master to calm down. It would be better for the young miss to speak with him directly; after all, they are father and daughter. No matter how angry he is, seeing her face to face would dissipate half of his anger. The young mistress listened and said she would inform the Fifth Master and his wife.”
“You spoke well,” Fu Tingyun praised Yu Wei. She prepared eight gift boxes and, early the next morning, took Yu Wei with her to Four Happiness Alley.
Four Happiness Alley was quiet, with only the thick old locust tree standing there, its lush foliage a vibrant green.
Yu Wei stepped forward to knock on the door.
After just one knock, the door creaked open as if someone had been waiting for them.
A man in his late twenties emerged, dressed in scholarly attire. He was tall with fair skin, wearing a cold expression that seemed somewhat gloomy.
He stood under the eaves of the ornate doorway, his icy gaze sweeping past Yu Wei to settle on Fu Tingyun.