The two gold hairpins weighed just one liang and two qian, and the pair of gold rings didn’t exceed four qian. Though not particularly valuable, they were gold ornaments, notable for their exquisite craftsmanship and auspicious meaning, especially as imperial gifts. Zheng Sanniang, Yu Wei, and others gathered around to admire them for a long time. Yu Wei even found a small red lacquered box decorated with gold to store the hairpins and rings: “…Keep them to wear when receiving guests in the future, and they can be passed down to the young mistresses.”
Young mistresses?
Fu Tingyun was momentarily confused before realizing who Yu Wei meant, which made her blush deeply and reminded her of Yu Wei’s situation.
Yu Wei had been carefully selected by her mother to help her win over her future husband. Not only could she read and write, sew and keep accounts, but she had also learned to play double-sixes and sing simple tunes. Fu Tingyun had promised to take Yu Wei with her when she married, but now…
After some thought, she called Yu Wei: “Let’s talk in the warming room.”
According to the regulations for official residences, first and second-rank officials could have five-bay main halls with nine rafters, three-bay gates with five rafters, green painted doors with beast-faced tin rings; third to fifth-rank officials, five-bay main halls with seven rafters, three-bay gates with three rafters, black painted doors with tin rings; sixth to ninth-rank officials, three-bay main halls with seven rafters, one-bay gates with three rafters, black doors with iron rings. Either because they feared the house would be difficult to sell if it exceeded the permitted rank, or because the original owner was only a sixth-rank or lower official, this residence had a one-bay gate with three rafters, black-painted iron door rings, and the main hall and side rooms had only three bays each. Taking advantage of a loophole in the regulations, the eastern room of the main building adjoined a small side room, with one bay serving as a passageway to the rear courtyard. The western room adjoined two small side rooms, with the western room serving as a study and the two side rooms as storerooms. The side rooms to the right of the hall each had an additional small room. Zhao Ling slept in the western side room, Fu Tingyun in the eastern room of the main building, and the small room attached to the eastern room served as a warming room.
Yu Wei followed Fu Tingyun to the warming room.
Seeing Fu Tingyun’s hesitant expression, the intelligent Yu Wei more or less understood.
Without waiting for Fu Tingyun to speak, she knelt before her: “Miss, you’ve been busy these past days, and I didn’t want to trouble you with certain matters. Now that you’re getting married, I don’t know if there are any taboos, so I’ll take this opportunity to tell you—ever since meeting you, I’ve been maintaining a complete vegetarian diet.” As she spoke, she kowtowed three times to Fu Tingyun. “Please grant me your blessing!”
Fu Tingyun was quite surprised.
Eating a complete vegetarian diet was the practice of a lay Buddhist.
Having become a lay Buddhist, matters of romantic feelings must be completely cut off.
Had Yu Wei sensed her intentions and was afraid she would make excuses because of her promise? Or was this truly what she wanted?
Fu Tingyun took Yu Wei’s hand: “Let’s sit down and talk.”
Yu Wei didn’t refuse and sat on a small stool nearby.
Fu Tingyun told Yu Wei about her agreement with Zhao Ling, and said: “…It’s not that I’m narrow-minded and can’t tolerate others, but because that person is the Ninth Master. Even with our closeness, I would feel like there’s a grain of sand in my eye. I’d rather break my promise to you than not advise you about this.” She spoke frankly, “But you don’t have to go to such extremes—you’re still so young, why become a lay Buddhist? I will help you find a good family to marry into.”
“Miss, please don’t say that,” Yu Wei said urgently. “I am a sincere vegetarian.” Her expression gradually darkened. “I am a person burdened with deep sin. If not for me, how would you have suffered such great injustice? If not for me, how would Zhe Liu and Jian Cao have died? If not for me, how would Zuo Junjie have targeted Mo Xiang… It’s all because of me…” As she spoke, she knelt again before Fu Tingyun, tears streaming down her face. “Miss, if I had any face, I would have ended my life long ago, but I cannot die in peace without seeing Zuo Junjie! That’s why I’ve shamelessly remained by your side, only hoping that someday when you find Zuo Junjie, you’ll let me see him once, to ask him ‘why.’ Then when I meet Zhe Liu and Jian Cao in the afterlife and they question me, I’ll have an answer!” After speaking, she covered her face and sobbed.
Fu Tingyun’s eyes also reddened.
Yu Wei had taken all the blame upon herself.
The calculated against the unsuspecting—even a tiger has moments when it dozes, let alone when the person was her most trusted Mo Xiang.
“Don’t be like this,” Fu Tingyun choked. “I don’t blame you, and I’m sure Zhe Liu and Jian Cao wouldn’t blame you either…”
Before she could finish, Yu Wei was already shaking her head in grief: “That’s because Miss is kind-hearted, but I know in my heart that even if I died a thousand times, ten thousand times, I couldn’t escape my guilt…”
Yu Wei’s was a sickness of the heart, and a heart sickness requires a heart remedy. No matter what she said now, it wouldn’t help; she could only gradually console her over time.
“Alright,” Fu Tingyun broke into a smile through her tears. “Let’s not keep talking about these sad things. Remember to bring Zhen Zhu and Kouer tomorrow morning to help pack. We’ll move to Bensi Hutong in the next couple of days.”
Yu Wei quickly wiped her tears.
It was a joyous time for her mistress; how could she keep going on about such messy matters!
Although her eyes were still red, she had already put on a smile: “Don’t worry, Miss. Everything will be packed tomorrow.”
The two no longer spoke of the past, instead discussing which items to take with them and which to leave in the storeroom.
Master Lü had found a foreman near Xianguo Temple to come and see which areas needed to be whitewashed and which needed to be painted. People from the wedding shop also came to inspect the place to prepare for setting up the wedding canopy in the courtyard. He was extremely busy.
That evening when Zhao Ling returned, he wrote the wedding invitations in the study.
Master Yan suddenly came to visit.
Zhao Ling quickly put down his brush and welcomed Master Yan to the south hall to serve him tea.
Fu Tingyun heard about this and was curious, wanting to quietly go to the south hall to see what this Master Yan looked like.
After all, this Master Yan was the Emperor’s military advisor!
But on second thought, she abandoned the idea.
As a military advisor, he must be a man of profound wisdom and deep calculation. If she were caught spying by him noticing some trace of her presence, it would be too embarrassing.
She called Yu Wei: “Go serve tea, and by the way, listen to what Master Yan is saying.”
Yu Wei went gladly.
Soon she returned with a delighted expression to report: “Master Yan asked the Ninth Master if he had arranged for a matchmaker and a fortunate person. He also said that if the Ninth Master hadn’t decided yet, he had an old friend working in the Hanlin Academy, and he could help ask him to be the matchmaker and fortunate person!”
Fu Tingyun had been worrying about this very matter and couldn’t help but feel elated at the news. She asked: “What did the Ninth Master say?”
Yu Wei smiled: “Of course, the Ninth Master agreed, and even invited Master Yan to stay for a drink, which Master Yan graciously accepted. Zheng Sanniang is lighting the fire to cook now!”
Fu Tingyun quickly said: “Take those two jars of fine Jinhua wine from the storeroom to the south hall.”
Yu Wei acknowledged and left.
The drinking continued until the second watch of the night.
Seeing that the light in Fu Tingyun’s room was still on, Zhao Ling knocked on her window and stood outside the lattice to say: “Master Yan has invited Mr. Ji from the Hanlin Academy to be your matchmaker, and the elder daughter-in-law of Chen Yunsheng, the Forward Commander of the Jinwu Guard, to be your fortunate person. On my side, the matchmaker is Mr. Miao from the Hanlin Academy, and the fortunate person is the wife of Li Yunxiang, the Left Deputy Commander of the Banner Guard.” He added, “I’ve requested ten days of marriage leave from the Commander, but before that, I can’t take more time off. I’ll take you to Bensi Hutong tomorrow after I finish my duties.”
Fu Tingyun opened the window.
Moonlight illuminated her face, making it as pure as jade. Zhao Ling stared at her, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
“What’s the matter? Are the wives of Mo Yi and the others not in the capital?” Fu Tingyun asked with slightly furrowed brows.
Their hearts being in tune, Zhao Ling smiled at her words: “The Emperor is not that kind of person. Stop being so suspicious.”
Hopefully that was the case.
Fu Tingyun muttered to herself.
The next day, escorted by Zhao Ling, she went to the Sun family’s home in Bensi Hutong.
The Sun family residence was a quadrangle with three bays in the front. Mr. Sun was a traveling merchant who was away from home for ten months of the year. Mrs. Sun lived with two old servants and her daughter. They had built a wall between the east and west side rooms and the south rooms to create a second gate, leaving only a three-foot passageway between the south rooms and the second gate. She was only renting out the westernmost room of the south building.
Fu Tingyun liked this layout—it saved her from having to socialize with the Sun mother and daughter.
Yu Wei had arranged everything, and the wedding shop delivered thirty-two loads of dowry items.
Fu Tingyun went to Sixi Hutong.
Neither Fifth Master Fu nor Fu Tinggui was home. Young Madam Fu was delighted to see her and quickly led her to Madam Fu’s quarters.
Madam Fu, upon learning that all the wedding preparations were in order and that Fu Tingyun had had an audience with the Grand Empress Dowager, couldn’t help but press her palms together, uttered “Amitabha,” and looked at Fu Tingyun with eyes narrowed to slits: “The old madam used to say you were fortunate, and truly her words have come to pass.”
With the Grand Empress Dowager’s blessing of the marriage, even if Zhao Ling’s feelings for her daughter were to fade someday, he wouldn’t dare treat her daughter carelessly.
Fu Tingyun had no idea what her mother was thinking and smiled with compressed lips: “It was Zhao Ling who petitioned the Emperor!”
“I know Zhao Ling is good,” Madam Fu teased her daughter. “But you don’t need to tell me once and again!”
“Mother!” Fu Tingyun pouted coquettishly, making Madam Fu laugh heartily, the sickly appearance of earlier completely gone.
Fu Tingyun then inquired about her mother’s health. Madam Fu insisted it was nothing serious. Mother and daughter talked intimately for a long time. As noon approached, Young Madam Fu came in to ask where to set the meal, but Madam Fu waved her hand and said: “Quanhui, since you’re no longer part of the Fu family, I think there’s no need for you to stay and eat the Fu family’s food.”
She appeared to want her to make a clean break with the Fu family.
Fu Tingyun was slightly taken aback, but seeing her mother’s firm attitude, and considering that she truly didn’t want to face Fifth Master Fu and Fu Tinggui again, she hesitated briefly before agreeing. Young Madam Fu, however, took a while to recover, and when she did, she couldn’t help but murmur: “I, I prepared a few things to add to your trousseau, Miss.”
Madam Fu asked: “Were they bought with your money or with the family’s money?”
Young Madam Fu quickly replied: “With my money.” Then she added in a small voice, “You know Jiezi’s temperament…”
Madam Fu nodded: “Then you may give them to Quanhui!”
Young Madam Fu acknowledged and hurriedly fetched a small box to give to Fu Tingyun: “It’s just two silver hairpins and a pair of bracelets, part of my dowry. Please don’t think them too humble, Miss.”
Fu Tingyun thanked her repeatedly, spoke a few more words with Madam Fu, and then left accompanied by Young Madam Fu.