“Now? You want me to go to the Wu residence!” Concubine Wu stared at Lian Xin in astonishment. “What happened?”

Lian Xin hung her head even lower.

“It’s, it’s my fault,” she began to sob. “I went to inquire about how the Master lost the position he was seeking… Madam Wu found out… She, she wants you to go over for questioning.” As she spoke, she burst into loud wailing, “I, I didn’t mean to… I never thought they would report it to Madam Wu…”

To think they were discovered by Madam Wu!

Concubine Wu’s mind was suddenly in chaos, not knowing what to do, but she still asked: “Did you find out where Madam Zhao is from?”

“Yes, I did,” Lian Xin sniffled. “They said Madam Zhao is from Shaanxi Province, and the person who took the Master’s position is someone called Shen Rensi, who was in the same examination year as the Master, from Hancheng in Shaanxi…”

Concubine Wu’s heart pounded wildly.

Both from Shaanxi… a grudge… strong wine… lost position…

She felt like she understood something, yet at the same time knew nothing…

Meanwhile, Lian Xin continued crying beside her ear: “The sedan chair Madam Wu sent is waiting at the side gate… Her maid has already informed the Lady, saying that you were thoughtful and remembered the third young madam’s birthday, wanting to join in the celebration… The Lady has agreed and asked me to relay the message to you…”

Concubine Wu had no choice but to collect herself. Somewhat dazed, she allowed Lian Xin to help her get ready, took leave of Lady Yu, and boarded the Wu family’s sedan chair.

Since Madam Wu was present, the third young madam’s birthday celebration was just a family dinner at home. When Concubine Wu arrived, the Wu family members were playing mahjong in the flower hall.

When a maid announced Concubine Wu’s arrival, Madam Wu remained motionless, continuing her game. She merely glanced up at Concubine Wu during a play pause and casually said, “You’re here.”

As for the other members of the Wu family, they didn’t even look at Concubine Wu.

Even when Concubine Wu was still a maiden in the Wu household, she never had a place in the Wu family’s flower hall, let alone now that she was a concubine in the Yu family.

The Wu family’s attitude made Concubine Wu feel more at ease.

She stood there quietly, and after Madam Wu finished a round of mahjong and stood up to coldly say “Follow me,” she curtsied to the people in the room and followed Madam Wu to a small resting chamber next to the flower hall.

Madam Wu sat on a luohan bed and pointed to a brocade stool beside her, gesturing for her to sit down to talk.

Concubine Wu thanked her and sat down.

After a young maid served tea, Madam Wu dismissed the servants, and her gaze toward Concubine Wu became sharp: “What mischief are you up to? How the Yu family’s Master lost his position—is that something you should be inquiring about? You just need to stay properly in the Yu family’s rear courtyard. As long as they don’t deprive you of food or clothing, that’s enough. Why are you meddling in so many affairs? I thought you were quite honest and sensible, but why have you suddenly changed? Fortunately, I discovered this today. If someone else found out and told Lady Yu, what would she think? Don’t you use your brain at all?” She continued, “Let me be clear from the start: if the Yu family discovers any improper behavior of yours and wants to beat or punish you, don’t expect me to lose face by pleading on your behalf!”

Feeling as if a fire was burning inside her, Concubine Wu’s face flushed bright red.

You didn’t say this when you sent me to the Yu family.

Now that I’ve lost my child and Master Yu ignores me, your tune has completely changed.

How can someone be so heartless?

Thinking of this, she could no longer contain herself and said stiffly: “No matter how improper I am, it can’t compare to the Yu family, who made an enemy of Madam Zhao, and now Madam Zhao wants to destroy the Yu family!”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Madam Wu was both shocked and horrified. Her hand swept across the teacup beside her, making a clattering sound. “Be quiet!” Her eyes flickered with unsettled fear. “What, what have you heard?”

Concubine Wu’s expression became somewhat dazed.

She was frightened by her own words!

She didn’t know why she had said such things!

How could she fix this now?

If this were spread out, how would the Yu family and Madam Zhao let it go? Wouldn’t Madam Zhao suffer an undeserved calamity because of her?

The thought flashed through her mind, and Concubine Wu fell to her knees before Madam Wu with a thud: “I, I, I was talking nonsense… Please don’t listen to me, Madam… It was all my assumption…” Her face had turned as white as plain silk. “This has nothing to do with Madam Zhao, truly! It was all my wild talk…”

But Madam Wu wasn’t listening to Concubine Wu’s explanation at all.

Her eyes were somewhat unfocused, her mind filled with Master Wu’s buzzing voice: “…It’s a good thing you weren’t involved in what happened afterward.”

“Before Zhao Ling returned home, he had already thoroughly investigated the Zhao family. As soon as he returned to Songjiang, he put on an act of ‘If the Zhao family hands over the people who bullied his family, he would let bygones be bygones; otherwise, he would file a lawsuit before the Emperor,’ forcing Lord Zhao Eight to make the Zhao family’s Sixth Grand Master apologize to Zhao Ling’s mother in the ancestral hall before the entire clan and compensate Zhao Ling with family property.”

“Who would have thought that a few days later, the authorities suddenly arrested the only son of the Zhao family’s Sixth Grand Master, claiming that five years ago during a water dispute with the neighboring estate, it was the Sixth Grand Master’s only son who led the servants to beat their people to death. Now the neighboring family had reported him, demanding a life for a life.”

“The Zhao Grand Master had no choice but to take out all his savings to fight the lawsuit with the neighboring family. Even his daughter-in-law’s jewelry was pawned.”

“In the end, they lost the lawsuit. The son was sentenced to military exile at the border. When his wife heard this, she abandoned her son and ran away…”

“Think about it, Zhao Ling is one of the Commander-in-Chiefs of the border. They all know each other well and need to help each other in battles. If he wanted to deal with the son of the Zhao family’s Sixth Grand Master, he would just need to hint at it, without saying a word, and there would be plenty of people eager to please him who would take care of it.”

“By this time, the Zhao family’s Sixth Grand Master must have realized that several years had passed since the incident, yet only now did the neighboring family file a complaint. There must be someone instigating this, someone who wanted his family destroyed. And besides Zhao Ling, who else had such power? To save his grandson’s life, the Zhao family’s Sixth Grand Master simply hanged himself in the Zhao family ancestral hall, giving Zhao Ling closure.”

“At this point, the Zhao family members became furious.”

“They felt that although what the Sixth Grand Master did back then was wrong, he had already compensated Zhao Ling with silver. During the lawsuit with the neighboring family, Lord Zhao Eight, as the clan head, should have helped. Otherwise, the Sixth Grand Master wouldn’t have had to hang himself in the ancestral hall.”

“Then clan members came forward saying that when the Sixth Grand Master’s son got into trouble, the authorities had called in Lord Zhao Eight for questioning…”

“The Zhao family was in an uproar.”

“Everyone felt that Lord Zhao Eight had gone too far. Not only disrespectful to elders but also causing discord among relatives and watching them die without helping.”

“Then people from the branch families started shouting about re-electing the clan head and put forward Zhao Qi…”

“Even in killing, one doesn’t strike the head. Zhao Ling merely lost his parents and had his property taken away, yet he wanted to cut off someone’s lineage. Such a person—we can’t afford to offend!”

Thinking of this, Madam Wu couldn’t help but shudder.

She grabbed Concubine Wu, who was kneeling on the ground, her expression showing some terror: “Tell me clearly, what exactly is going on?”

Fearing that Madam Wu might misunderstand Fu Tingyun, Concubine Wu explained in detail how she had encountered Fu Tingyun at Tanzhe Temple, how she saw a familiar face and wanted to chat with Fu Tingyun, but Fu Tingyun told her that she had a grudge with the Yu family, and how Lady Yu panicked after learning that she had met with Fu Tingyun and secretly sent Yu the steward to Xi’an… She told Madam Wu everything: “…I just spoke hastily and made a wild guess…”

“Wait,” Madam Wu interrupted Concubine Wu. She hadn’t taken Concubine Wu’s self-reproach to heart, but rather murmured, “Madam Zhao personally told you she doesn’t get along with the Yu family… Then Master Yu lost the position he was seeking… Then Shen Rensi got the position, and Shen Rensi is from the same place as Madam Zhao…” As she spoke, she called loudly for her maid to come in and asked, “Is the Master back?”

The personal maid quickly replied: “The Master just returned and is changing clothes in his room!”

“Don’t move,” Madam Wu instructed Concubine Wu after hearing this. “Wait for me to come back.” Then, surrounded by maids and older women, she went to the main room.

Master Wu was about to go to the flower hall when he saw his wife rushing over. He smiled and said: “What’s this? You’re not playing mahjong today?” Seeing her hurried expression, he asked, “What’s the matter with you?”

Without another word, Madam Wu pulled Master Wu into a side room and repeated what Concubine Wu had just told her.

Master Wu was greatly alarmed and no longer went to the flower hall. He said: “I’ll go to Hao Jianfeng’s place right away to inquire about Shen Rensi’s background. You should also find a way to inquire if there’s any connection between the Zhao family and Shen Rensi.”

Madam Wu left at once.

When they met again in the evening, Madam Wu said: “I’ve found out—the Zhao and Shen families seem to be very close. When Madam Zhao was in confinement after childbirth, Madam Shen was constantly by her side, taking care of her, and her two sons also stayed at the Zhao residence. The Zhao family members call Madam Shen ‘Third Auntie.’ I thought she was Madam Zhao’s sister, but now it seems they might be sworn sisters.”

Master Wu was sweating profusely: “That Shen Rensi got the position of Left Giving Official in the Ministry of Personnel through the Zhao family’s connections. And the Zhao family sought the Emperor’s favor.” He couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh. “When I asked Hao Jianfeng, he asked me if I had any way to get to know this Shen Rensi. He said the Emperor seems to value this person highly. The Imperial Eunuch Liensheng from the Ceremonial Office even specially sent a junior eunuch to the Ministry of Personnel to inquire whether Shen Rensi’s matter had been taken care of…”

“So, so what do we do now?” Madam Wu was dumbfounded. “If the Yu family and the Zhao family start fighting, won’t we also suffer?”

Master Wu couldn’t help but reproach her: “I told you early on not to get involved in such matters, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what’s happened—you’ve gotten yourself entangled in it!”

Madam Wu’s face was full of grievance.

She thought: If you hadn’t agreed back then, could I have sent a Wu family relative to be a concubine? Now that we can’t dissociate ourselves, you blame me.

But she dared not say such words. She could only say: “Why don’t we bring Concubine Wu back? After all, she’s nothing but a decoration in the Yu family now!”