At this moment, Madam Wu’s face had turned somewhat pale.
She stuttered as she asked Master Wu: “Is this true?” Her face was full of doubt.
Master Wu looked very troubled: “I asked Hao Jianfeng about it. Didn’t he serve as a counselor in Shaanxi before? I originally just wanted him to inquire about Shen Rensi, but who would have thought that Hao Jianfeng, seeing that Shen Rensi was quite formidable and had even knocked down Yu Jingxiu, was also inquiring about his background. So one question got a precise answer—Shen Rensi is the son-in-law of the Fu family from Huayin.” Fearing that Madam Wu might not know, he explained, “That’s the one who serves as Lang Zhong in the Ministry of Personnel.” He added, “According to Hao Jianfeng, he almost formed a marriage alliance with the Fu family back then, so he knows something about the Fu family’s affairs.”
“At that time, the ninth miss of the Fu family was engaged to Yu Jingxiu, the son of Grand Secretary Yu. This was one of the reasons why he wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Fu family. Later, somehow, the ninth miss of the Fu family died of illness, and the engagement was broken.” At this point, Master Wu paused and said in a low voice to his wife, “Madam Zhao’s maiden name is also Fu. Do you think Madam Zhao might be the miss from the Fu family?”
Madam Wu was startled: “No, that can’t be, right?” Though she said this, inexplicably, she felt in her heart that it was quite possible. Otherwise, how could two families, one in the north and one in the south, develop such a deep grudge?
She immediately became agitated: “I think instead of making wild guesses here, you should find time to ask Hao Jianfeng again… They are all in the Ministry of Personnel now, and he is Hao Jianfeng’s subordinate. If there’s anything to ask, with Hao Jianfeng intervening, they can’t refuse.”
Hearing his wife say he was “making wild guesses,” Master Wu felt somewhat displeased and frowned: “What wild guesses? I have a basis for saying this. Think about it, the Fu family has always had a clean reputation, and their daughters are all known for their loyalty and chastity. Even if the ninth miss of the Fu family died of illness, she was still engaged. According to custom, the Fu family should have had the Yu family welcome her spirit tablet into their home, so that the ninth miss of the Fu family would have a place to receive offerings in the future. Taking a step back, even if the Fu family was wary of Grand Secretary Yu, they should have made a scene with the Yu family, since the daughter gave up the position of the main wife, the Yu family should have provided some compensation. But look now, the two officials from the Fu family, one is just a fifth-rank Lang Zhong, and the other is just a fourth-rank Prefect. This is too easy on the Yu family…” As he spoke, he stroked his sparse beard and pondered, “…Could it be that the Fu family is in the wrong and can’t speak strongly?”
What could make a young lady be in the wrong, apart from not maintaining a chaste reputation?
Madam Wu immediately became excited: “If Madam Zhao is the ninth miss of the Fu family, what do you think happened back then?”
“How would I know?” Master Wu could tell what Madam Wu was thinking, and he immediately glared at her sternly, “Don’t do anything rash. Zhao Ling is not someone to be trifled with. If you make him unhappy, he’ll want to destroy your family and cut off your lineage. Look at how he dealt with those people from the Zhao family… Don’t bring trouble to our family!”
Madam Wu trembled upon hearing this and hurriedly said: “I know, I know. I’m just talking to you about it. I wouldn’t dare to make a sound about it to anyone else.” But still feeling dissatisfied, she muttered quietly: “If by any chance Madam Zhao is the ninth miss of the Fu family, does Commander Zhao know about Madam Zhao’s background?”
Seeing that she was still preoccupied with this matter, Master Wu slammed his palm on the kang table with a “bang”: “If you dare to treat my words as wind in your ears, I’ll send you back to your maiden family.”
What kind of treatment is this?
Just for muttering a few words, he wants to send her back to her maiden family!
They’ve been husband and wife for over thirty years!
Thinking of this, Madam Wu couldn’t help but tear up: “Master, your heart is too harsh! I’ve followed you for so many years, when have I ever caused you trouble? Back then, if I hadn’t sold my dowry farmland, could you have gone to the capital for the imperial examination? Later, when you were posted elsewhere, if I hadn’t shamelessly gone back to my maiden family to borrow silver, could you have arranged for official robes, sedan chairs, and private secretaries? Now, just for saying one more sentence, you want to send me back to my maiden family. Have these many years been easy for me…”
Master Wu, having his old secrets exposed by his wife, turned red with anger. However, every word his wife said was the unvarnished truth, without any exaggeration, so even if he wanted to refute, he had no grounds to do so.
Just as he was about to leave in anger, a young maid reported from behind the door curtain: “Master, Madam, Official Hao has arrived!”
Both husband and wife were startled.
Master Wu lowered his voice and scolded Madam Wu: “Go wash your face quickly. What kind of appearance is this? It’s completely improper!” Then he instructed the young maid, “Please invite Official Hao to the study to sit.”
The young maid acknowledged and left.
Madam Wu took out her handkerchief, hastily wiped her face, and quickly called her maid to assist her.
Master Wu took the opportunity to leave the inner chamber.
Madam Wu wondered why Hao Jianfeng would come today when it was neither a festival nor a rest day.
Could it be because of the Fu family matter?
Thinking of this possibility, Madam Wu became restless.
That Zhao Ling treasured his wife like a precious jewel. After returning, he didn’t go anywhere else but took the Fu woman sightseeing everywhere. Once, when they returned from outside, she saw with her own eyes that Zhao Ling carried Fu down from the carriage… If Fu’s conduct was compromised, would Zhao Ling still hold her in his mouth, fearing she would melt, and cradle her in his hands, fearing she would break?
She felt increasingly restless.
She merely wanted to know if Madam Zhao was related to the Fu family. If there was a connection, she certainly wouldn’t speak of it. If there wasn’t, she could use this opportunity to clear Madam Zhao’s name. Perhaps it might even make Madam Zhao grateful, thereby forming a close friendship with her!
They say that the reason why Master Yu didn’t get the position of Left Giving Official in the Ministry of Personnel was because Madam Zhao intervened… Back then, the Emperor even had the Grand Empress Dowager arrange her marriage! Her influence is so great, and her husband has been in the position of Vice Minister of Rites for six or seven years. Didn’t the Emperor replace both Grand Secretary Shen and Grand Secretary Mo in one go? Perhaps with Madam Zhao’s high connections, her husband could also get a new position!
Madam Wu found reasons for herself and secretly instructed her maid: “Go to the Master’s study and find a way to listen to what the Master and Official Hao are saying.”
The personal maid understood and left quietly.
Soon, the maid returned: “The main door is tightly closed, and all the servants inside have been sent to the courtyard. The Master’s servant is guarding the door. It’s impossible to get close!”
Hearing this, Madam Wu felt she was eight or nine out of ten right in her guess.
She waited anxiously in the room for Master Wu to return.
Master Wu didn’t return until after the second watch of the night.
Madam Wu hastily went to meet him and saw that his face looked ashen.
Her heart pounded wildly, and she quickly asked: “What’s wrong? What did Hao Jianfeng say?”
Master Wu dismissed the maids and old women in the room, personally closed the door, and led Madam Wu into the side room next to the inner chamber. Only then did he say in a low voice: “Madam Zhao is indeed the ninth miss of the Fu family!”
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu felt as if her heart had skipped several beats, and for a long time, she couldn’t catch her breath.
Master Wu was preoccupied with his thoughts and didn’t notice Madam Wu’s abnormal reaction.
He paced in circles in the room, wringing his hands and stamping his feet, muttering: “Hao Jianfeng was also exploring the depth of Shen Rensi’s background, which led him to Madam Zhao… Shen Rensi was forthright and didn’t deny his relationship with Fu. He only said that at that time, Huayin was plagued by bandits, and Fu got lost. For the sake of her reputation, the Yu family claimed she died of illness. If that’s the case, when a daughter returns from calamity, the Yu family should be delighted. Even if they couldn’t acknowledge her openly for the sake of their reputation, they could have interacted privately or recognized her as an adopted daughter. How come there’s no interaction at all between the Zhao family and the Fu family? This doesn’t make sense!”
Madam Wu, however, perked up upon hearing this and said: “I remember now, when Commander Zhao first moved in, there seemed to be someone visiting the Zhao family—a carriage with official green curtains was parked at the front door. I didn’t pay attention at the time, but thinking about it now, could it have been Master Fu coming to see Madam Zhao?”
“No, that’s not right,” Master Wu shook his head. “Hao Jianfeng said that the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Henan was already in his seventies at that time, too old and frail, and could die or retire at any moment. Coincidentally, the position of Deputy Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Henan became vacant. Many in the court were eyeing this position, thinking that if something happened to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Henan, they could take over. Grand Secretary Yu had also recommended Master Fu. If Madam Zhao could defy Grand Secretary Yu and arrange for her cousin’s husband to get the position of Left Giving Official in the Ministry of Personnel, why would she stand by and watch when it came to her own father’s promotion? This shows that their relationship is very strained.”
“Moreover, when Hao Jianfeng asked about Master Fu, Shen Rensi said twice, ‘Master Fu is my humble wife’s uncle, who has been in the capital for many years. My humble wife came to the Shen family at the age of fifteen. Hancheng is remote, and I only met Master Fu a few times after coming to the capital,’ seeming to want to distance himself…”
“So what exactly happened?” Madam Wu was increasingly confused. “For a daughter to dare not support her father, if it were someone else, they might have slapped her already, but Master Fu swallowed his anger…”
“That must mean he did something wrong to his daughter,” Master Wu said with certainty. “It’s probably not just a matter of wronging his daughter, but also failing in righteousness. Otherwise, Master Fu wouldn’t be so guilty.” Thinking about the rift between the Zhao family and the Yu family, he added, “Perhaps this incident was caused by the Yu family…” As the gossip about the Grand Secretary’s family continued, he also became curious and instructed his wife, “Aren’t you on good terms with Madam Ji? Find a way to inquire about the Yu family’s affairs. Perhaps we might have unexpected gains!”
Madam Wu was surprised: “Didn’t you say that we can’t afford to offend someone like Zhao Ling, and that I shouldn’t meddle in their family affairs?”
“Why don’t you use your brain?” Master Wu was angry at her stupidity. “If the Zhao family is in the wrong in this matter, we naturally need to keep our mouths shut three times over; if the reason is on the Zhao family’s side, we should at least speak up for their grievances… Do you understand? Hao Jianfeng has the same intention!”
Madam Wu suddenly understood, but then expressed concern: “What if Grand Secretary Yu finds out…”
Master Wu glanced at Madam Wu with contempt: “Are we going to beat drums and gongs and shout it all over the streets?”
That’s true!
Their goal was to please Zhao Ling, not to go to the Emperor on Zhao Ling’s behalf. They only needed to say a few fair words in front of Zhao Ling. Even if Grand Secretary Yu found out, they were speaking the truth, and Grand Secretary Yu couldn’t accuse them of slander!