Using the pretext of stolen property, Zheng San quickly found several idle gang members who regularly loitered around Tanzhe Temple to help search for Zuo Junjie.

By sunset, when Fu Tingyun and her party needed to return to the city to avoid being late, there was still no news of Zuo Junjie.

Fu Tingyun was somewhat disappointed and instructed Zheng San: “In addition to the agreed-upon payment, give them another twenty taels of silver. Just tell them that although the item stolen by the beggar isn’t valuable, it was a gift from my mother and is very important to me. Ask them to keep an eye out, and if they can help us find that beggar, there will be another fifty taels of silver as a reward.”

Zheng San acknowledged and left.

Yu Wei was reluctant to give up. But seeing Fu Tingyun’s protruding belly, she bit her lip and said, “Madam, why don’t I stay behind and continue searching…”

“No! It’s too dangerous,” Fu Tingyun immediately rejected without even thinking. “Let’s go back first and discuss it with the Ninth Lord before taking further action.”

Although Yu Wei complied, her expression darkened slightly.

Zheng San lifted the carriage curtain.

“Madam, it’s fortunate you gave an extra twenty taels of silver,” he said with a pleased expression. “Those idle gang members told me that the beggar who stole the item came to Tanzhe Temple from Tongzhou about half a year ago. He’s staying in a broken house not far from Tanzhe Temple, in an area controlled by someone called Lu Ashu. They’re going to speak with Lu Ashu and ask him to hand over the person within three days… They told us to just wait at home for their news.”

“Truly, snakes have snake paths, and rats have rat ways,” Fu Tingyun revealed a pleased smile. “Keep a close eye on this matter, and make sure to find that beggar.” As she spoke, her expression gradually grew cold. “Spend money where necessary, don’t hesitate, just come to me for silver.”

Zheng San responded with a “Yes,” conversed briefly with those people again, and then drove the carriage back to the city.

“Go to Sixi Alley,” Fu Tingyun instructed Zheng San.

Zheng San was slightly taken aback but quickly turned the horse’s head toward Sixi Alley.

In the carriage, Yu Wei looked at Fu Tingyun in surprise: “Madam, are you…”

“I want to tell my father about Zuo Junjie begging at Tanzhe Temple…” Fu Tingyun said, her expression gradually becoming grave.

And then what?

Would the Fifth Master joyfully help Madam find Zuo Junjie? Or would he loudly rebuke Madam for causing trouble and stirring up a matter that had already been settled?

Yu Wei quietly looked at Fu Tingyun, waiting for her to continue, but saw Fu Tingyun tightly purse her lips and then turn her face away, looking out the carriage window.

That calm gaze, that composed expression… at this moment, somehow evoked a strange feeling.

Like the calm before a storm, there was a tense atmosphere of impending calamity.

Yu Wei couldn’t help but shudder.

For the first time, she wondered if her relentless pursuit to clarify what had happened in the past might also be harming her mistress.

In silence, they quickly arrived at Sixi Alley.

The aroma of dinner wafted from every household; it was dinnertime.

When the Fifth Master Fu heard the servant announce that “Madam Zhao” had arrived, he pretended not to hear and handed his bowl to his daughter-in-law: “Another bowl.”

The young mistress Fu came to her senses, uttered an “Oh,” and hurriedly took the bowl to serve more rice.

Fu Tinggui glared fiercely at his wife and scolded in a low voice: “Such flustering, what kind of manner is this!”

The young mistress Fu, full of grievance, said, “It’s my fault,” and handed the bowl to the Fifth Master Fu with both hands, eyes brimming with tears.

The Fifth Master Fu took the bowl, picked up a piece of chicken, mixed it with rice, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly, showing a faint smile: “Hmm, this dish is not bad.” He continued eating with satisfaction.

The little sister-in-law was still waiting outside!

Should they invite the little sister-in-law in or not?

The young mistress Fu sat as if on pins and needles.

The servant who had come to report stood there, neither able to advance nor retreat, constantly looking to the young mistress Fu for help.

The young mistress Fu smiled bitterly.

Fu Tingyun’s voice was heard: “Everyone is having dinner?”

The Fifth Master Fu’s hand holding the chopsticks paused in midair, a flash of sharpness passing through his eyes.

Fu Tinggui stood up in panic and shouted: “What are you doing here?” The chair behind him fell over with a “clang,” adding a touch of awkwardness to his already unimpressive shout.

The young mistress Fu heaved a great sigh of relief, smiled kindly at Fu Tingyun, and hurriedly poured a cup of tea. Yet she dared not call her “Little Sister-in-law,” and instead mumbled vaguely, saying “Please have some tea.”

With a “bang!” the Fifth Master Fu’s chopsticks slammed heavily on the table, causing the dishes and bowls to clatter.

Before the Fifth Master Fu could speak, Fu Tingyun smiled at the young mistress Fu, said “Thank you,” and took the teacup.

“Today I went to Tanzhe Temple to offer incense and not only encountered Madam Yu and her daughter-in-law,” she gazed directly at her father sitting at the head of the table with burning eyes, “but also encountered Zuo Junjie!”

“What did you say?” The Fifth Master Fu looked at Fu Tingyun in horror, his face turning deathly pale in an instant, his lips trembling uncontrollably. “You, you say you met Madam Yu and Zuo Junjie?”

“That’s right!” Fu Tingyun stepped forward, staring at her father. “I not only met Madam Yu but also Zuo Junjie!”

A flash of terror crossed the Fifth Master Fu’s handsome face: “Did Madam Yu recognize you? And what did you say?” His tone revealed unmistakable urgency.

“I avoided Madam Yu.” Fu Tingyun’s gaze was piercing as she stared directly at the Fifth Master Fu. “Madam Yu didn’t see me.” She noticed her father let out a long breath, his expression somewhat relaxed. “Zuo Junjie was begging near Tanzhe Temple. When he saw me, he ran like a frightened rabbit. Yu Wei chased him for quite some time but couldn’t catch him… Zhao Ling is on duty at the palace today, and I have no one to consult. But if we delay further, I fear Zuo Junjie will escape. I want to ask Father to help me capture Zuo Junjie so that we can clarify things face to face.”

“I understand,” This time, the Fifth Master Fu neither showed contempt nor ignored it, but said with a stern expression, “I will handle this matter. You should not interfere anymore to avoid stirring up trouble and causing many incidents. As for Madam Yu,” he pondered, “if Madam Yu asks, you should say that Huayin was chaotic at that time, and you got separated from your family. Your family thought you had died and reported to us, so we held a funeral in the name of death from illness…”

Listening to this, Yu Wei couldn’t hold back her tears.

The Fifth Master was finally willing to help her mistress… Once they caught Zuo Junjie and knew that the mistress had been wronged, the Fifth Master would surely reconcile with her. Then they could reunite as a family, and the mistress wouldn’t have to be at odds with the Fifth Master every day…

The more she thought about it, the happier she became, and she couldn’t help but look toward Fu Tingyun.

Yet she saw Fu Tingyun’s face as calm as water, without the slightest hint of joy!

She was bewildered.

…

Upon returning home, Anxin was pacing anxiously in the front courtyard.

Seeing Yu Wei supporting Fu Tingyun entering, his spirits lifted, and his face brightened slightly.

“Madam, at the hour of You, the Ninth Lord sent someone to ask if you had safely returned from Tanzhe Temple,” Anxin came forward and bowed to Fu Tingyun. “Seeing that you hadn’t returned, he sent someone every half hour to inquire. This is the fourth group of people that has come. If you didn’t return soon, I would have had to go out of the city to look for you.” As he spoke, he heard someone shouting from outside: “Brother Anxin, has the Madam returned?”

Anxin glanced at Fu Tingyun, quickly responded, and soon returned: “It’s someone sent by the Ninth Lord, asking if you’ve returned. Knowing that Madam has returned, he’s relieved—the Ninth Lord was extremely anxious. If you hadn’t returned, he was going to ask Lord Mo, who isn’t on duty today, to look for you. He also said that the Astronomical Bureau predicted heavy rain in the next few days, and the weather would turn cold. He asked you to have Zheng San check all the doors and windows, and reminded you to add clothing to avoid catching a cold.”

Fu Tingyun smiled and agreed, then entered the side gate with Yu Wei.

That night, she couldn’t sleep and called for Zhenzhu to light a lamp. She reclined on the kang bed to study chess manuals.

Seeing the light, Yu Wei knocked on the door.

“Let me keep you company, Madam!” She sat across from Fu Tingyun, wearing a light coat.

The spring nights in the capital were still a bit cool.

Fu Tingyun thought for a moment and instructed Zhenzhu to bring a thin quilt for Yu Wei: “You go rest. Having Yu Wei here with me is enough.”

Zhenzhu smiled, curtsied in acknowledgment, and withdrew.

Yu Wei then asked Fu Tingyun: “Madam, hasn’t the Master already agreed to help us? Why do you seem unhappy?”

Fu Tingyun fingered the chess piece in her hand, remained silent for a long while, and then said softly: “Have you noticed, when the Master heard that we had met both Madam Yu and Zuo Junjie, logically, whether for the sake of the Fu family’s reputation or to help clear my name, the Master should have been more concerned about Zuo Junjie. But the Master did exactly the opposite—his first question was about Madam Yu, and he even instructed me on how to explain if I meet Madam Yu again… Don’t you find this strange?”

She no longer referred to the Fifth Master Fu as “Father” but as “Master,” a form of address from a junior to a senior!

Yu Wei’s heart panicked, and she said: “The Fifth Master surely didn’t expect us to meet Madam Yu, so in his surprise, that’s why…”

Fu Tingyun shook her head, interrupting her: “Madam Yu once sent someone to visit Mother, and we both live in the capital. The possibility of meeting is quite high. If anything was unexpected, it should have been how we encountered Zuo Junjie, shouldn’t it?”

Yu Wei fell silent.

Fu Tingyun continued: “The Master wants me to say that because there were refugees in Huayin at that time, I got separated from my family, so they held a funeral for me in the name of death from illness. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it coincide perfectly with the rumors circulating in Huayin about me being kidnapped by bandits and losing my chastity? Where does this place the Ninth Lord? And where does it place me? How could I have the face to live proudly in this world? Is this the heart of someone who cares for me?”

“Madam…” A child should not speak of a father’s faults. Yu Wei looked at Fu Tingyun in fear.

Fu Tingyun suddenly smiled, her smile powerless and pale: “Yu Wei, I want to ask you, all these days you’ve been persuading me to reconcile with the Master, is that truly what your heart desires?”

Yu Wei very much wanted to say it was her true heart’s desire, but the words reached her lips and, looking at the flicker of grief in Fu Tingyun’s eyes, she only felt a pain in her heart, and those insincere words could no longer be spoken.

“From now on, don’t try to persuade me anymore,” Fu Tingyun smiled. “And don’t try to persuade yourself either.”

Yu Wei’s tears fell in streams.