By the time Ah-Sen saw Zhao Ling, it was already past the early morning hour. The family sat together for breakfast, after which Ah-Sen followed Zhao Ling to the study and didn’t emerge until an hour later.

Fu Tingyun asked him, “Did you properly say goodbye to Lady Wang?”

Ah-Sen had a strange expression and muttered, “Even if Yuechuan hadn’t brought me the message, I would have returned today anyway!”

Fu Tingyun was puzzled.

Ah-Sen explained, “The old lady came with Aunt Cheng… it wasn’t specifically for my wedding with Jing Tong… it seems she wants my mother-in-law to return home to uphold justice for Aunt Cheng… Aunt Cheng even pulled Jing Tong into discussing this matter… so my mother-in-law told me to return early to avoid getting involved.”

“How did this happen?” Fu Tingyun frowned.

She had initially thought that Lady Wang had been filial to her mother over the years, and the mother was touched, which was why despite her advanced age, she had traveled thousands of miles to attend Ah-Sen and Jing Tong’s wedding. Fu Tingyun had been happy for Lady Wang when she heard about it. Unexpectedly, the situation had quickly turned into this.

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but sigh, saying, “It’s good that you’ve returned. What did the Ninth Master say?”

“He wants me to meet some people in Pucheng.” Since Fu Tingyun didn’t know about those matters, explaining would take too long, so Ah-Sen decided to explain to Fu Tingyun when he had the opportunity later. Therefore, he kept it brief, “I’ll leave tonight. I might not return until after the Beginning of Winter.”

Although the time away would be long, it wouldn’t affect the wedding.

“I’ll go pack your luggage,” Fu Tingyun calculated as she walked out with Ah-Sen, asking, “What did you tell your father-in-law and mother-in-law?”

“I said there was a problem with the business in Xi’an, and you asked me to go check on it,” Ah-Sen smiled. “When my father-in-law heard this, he gave me several name cards and said if it wasn’t a major issue, I shouldn’t bother Wu Xin. He has several acquaintances who serve as commanding officers in the garrisons there, and told me I could find them if needed.”

Fu Tingyun smiled upon hearing this and said, “The local official is more helpful than a distant one. Your father-in-law’s advice makes sense.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Ah-Sen smiled. “Besides the name cards, I also had my father-in-law write several letters for me—since these are his acquaintances, it would be appropriate for me to visit them depending on the situation.”

“Ah-Sen has grown up!” Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but stop and look Ah-Sen up and down with a smile. “You handle matters meticulously, becoming more and more like the Ninth Master.”

“Of course!” In front of Fu Tingyun, Ah-Sen was like a child before his mother, always maintaining a childlike innocence. Hearing Fu Tingyun’s praise, he proudly said, “Well, just look at who raised me.” This made Fu Tingyun laugh heartily.

Two days later, Zhao Ling also departed.

The imperial edict for the Grand Empress Dowager’s seventieth birthday celebration was officially issued.

Suddenly, this became the talk of the capital.

Mo Yi’s wife even made a special visit to Fu Tingyun: “What do you think would be a good gift?”

For those eligible to offer birthday wishes to the Grand Empress Dowager, the lowest rank for women outside the palace had to be at least that of a fourth-rank Gongren. In such situations, besides everyday items and seasonal clothing, to stand out, people would usually find ways to include one or two items expressing their sincerity. Fu Tingyun had no official rank; the previous two times she entered the palace to congratulate the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress on the New Year were special exceptions due to Zhao Ling’s military victories. Whether she would be invited to attend the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday was still uncertain. Zhao Ling and Fu Tingyun had made two preparations: if not attending, they would send valuable gifts as usual; if attending, since Fu Tingyun had good calligraphy and the Grand Empress Dowager was a Buddhist, she would copy the Lotus Sutra as an offering.

Since nothing had been decided, Fu Tingyun didn’t want to discuss it with Lady Mo, so she just gave practical advice: “Perhaps you could embroider a screen. Images like ‘Peaches of Immortality,’ ‘Pines by the Stream for Ten Thousand Years,’ or ‘Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity’… they’re all very auspicious.”

The Grand Empress Dowager’s seventieth birthday would be on the twenty-first day of the second month next year, so there was still time.

Lady Mo worried, “If I just commission embroiderers from Jiangnan, it would be better to send Han Dynasty bronze flower vases or longevity incense trays from previous dynasties. If I embroider it myself, firstly, I’m older now and my eyesight isn’t as good as when I was young, and secondly, my embroidery skills compared to the palace needlework bureau are probably not even one-tenth as good. Sending it to the palace would invite ridicule at best, and if someone were to nitpick, they might accuse our general of ‘great disrespect,’ which would backfire. Let’s think of something else!”

That made sense.

Fu Tingyun nodded and smiled, “Why don’t I accompany you to browse the streets? Perhaps we’ll find something suitable.”

Lady Mo naturally agreed.

Escorted by their maids and female servants, they first went to Gulou Street, then to West Street and East Street.

Every silversmith shop, embroidery house, and antique store was crowded with people, mostly women rather than men.

Lady Mo sighed to Fu Tingyun, “Everyone seems to be worrying about this birthday gift.”

Fu Tingyun comforted Lady Mo, “If all else fails, we can just focus on not making mistakes in the formal aspects.”

As they were talking, they ran into Lady Wu and Mrs. Hao.

Everyone was surprised yet delighted at this chance meeting. They exchanged pleasantries for a while, learning that the others were also shopping for the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday. After catching up, they went their separate ways.

While Lady Mo returned home to rummage through her belongings and even wrote back to Julu asking family members to search the storerooms for suitable birthday gifts, Fu Tingyun prepared ink and brush and began copying the Lotus Sutra.

Unexpectedly, Manager Ye suddenly came to visit.

Fu Tingyun was somewhat surprised.

To avoid suspicion, he usually had his daughter-in-law relay messages.

She went to meet Manager Ye in the southern reception hall.

It turned out Manager Ye had come to deliver something to her.

“A glass screen depicting ‘Magu Offering Longevity’—someone had ordered it earlier as a gift for Prince Zhuang, but for some reason never picked it up. It’s been sitting in Baoqing Tower’s storeroom for seven or eight years.” As he spoke, he brought out a brocade box, “A stone tray with natural patterns resembling ‘Lingzhi Fungus Offering Longevity Peaches’… normally not considered anything special, but at this time, hehe, it’s something money can’t easily buy.” He opened the brocade box, “Madam, look, doesn’t it resemble lingzhi offering longevity?”

It was a peach-shaped tray made of stone, with natural patterns on its surface that, at first glance, looked like a pair of lingzhi mushrooms. The glass screen was even more remarkable. Glass was fragile, and since household decorations had to be changed according to the seasons, most people used zitan wood, chicken-wing wood, or pear wood. Glass screens were rarely seen.

“I thought the Ninth Master would also need to send a birthday gift, but couldn’t send antiques, so I found these two items.” The Zhao family’s assets were modest; if they sent antiques, people might question where the money came from. Manager Ye tactfully said, “I managed to find these two items. Although they’re not worth much, they have auspicious meanings. Madam, do you think they would be useful?”

“Yes, very useful!” Fu Tingyun was overjoyed, caressing the stone peach tray with a smile. “The Ninth Master and I were just worrying about what gift to give the Grand Empress Dowager! Fortunately, we have Manager Ye; otherwise, we really wouldn’t know what to do.” She then told Manager Ye about accompanying Lady Mo shopping, “No wonder Manager Ye holds the third position at Datong Trading Company. Just this foresight alone is beyond ordinary people. We should learn from Manager Ye.” Her face showed sincere gratitude.

Helping in times of need brings joy not only to the recipient but also gives the giver a sense of satisfaction for resolving an urgent problem.

Manager Ye smiled broadly and humbly said, “I’m glad Madam doesn’t find me meddlesome.” After chatting with Fu Tingyun about some casual matters, he rose to leave, not even asking for payment for the two items.

Fu Tingyun felt she couldn’t accept this, so she estimated the value and ordered two sets of silver hairpins from Baoqing Tower, sending one set to Manager Ye’s wife and one to his daughter-in-law, but that’s a story for another time.

With the matter of the birthday gift settled, her mind was at ease, and every morning she would wash her hands, burn incense, and copy three hundred characters of the Lotus Sutra.

After several days like this, Lady Wang came to visit.

Her expression was somewhat dim, and she tactfully explained her mother’s intentions to Fu Tingyun, saying, “It’s fortunate you sent Ah-Sen to Xi’an Prefecture; otherwise, he would probably be suffering along with me.” Her brows revealed rare hints of sadness and helplessness.

Fu Tingyun didn’t want to say too much, only smiled and asked when she had returned and if the old lady and Mrs. Cheng were well. She also set a date to visit the old lady and Mrs. Cheng in a few days.

Lady Wang, seeing that Fu Tingyun didn’t probe further, sighed with relief, exchanged a few polite words, and then took her leave.

A few days later, Fu Tingyun went to the Wang family to visit the old lady and Mrs. Cheng.

Both women looked somewhat dejected, and even their smiles seemed forced. When they heard that Fu Tingyun’s husband was the Provincial Military Commander of Guizhou, the old lady and Aunt Cheng treated Fu Tingyun with more enthusiasm.

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, sat for a short while, and then took her leave.

Perhaps because they had things on their minds, the Wang family didn’t try to keep her longer.

After the Beginning of Winter, the ceremonial arrangements for the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday were finalized. In the market, anything related to “longevity” began to command ridiculously high prices. Officials from various regions had started preparing birthday gifts. Those from nearby provinces like Shandong and Shanxi would wait until the twelfth lunar month to set out, aiming to arrive before the tenth day of the first lunar month, with the presentation of gifts beginning after the Lantern Festival. Those from more distant provinces like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Fujian had to depart now; otherwise, they wouldn’t make it in time for the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday.

At this time, Zhao Ling quietly returned to the capital.

Fu Tingyun was both surprised and delighted, and asked him in a low voice, “How did things go?”

“Even better than expected,” Zhao Ling said with his eyes closed, lazily leaning back in the pine wood bathtub as Fu Tingyun attended to his bath. “The Marquis of Xiping has been having a difficult time under He Fu’s control these past few years. Although Old Feng San has helped him earn a considerable amount of money, the Marquis of Xiping’s household is large and his expenses are great, so his income still doesn’t meet his expenditures. Some time ago, when the Marquis of Longping had his birthday, the gifts sent by the Xiping household were the same ones that Yingchuan had given him years before, and they were recognized by people from the Duke Fuguo’s mansion. Because of this, the Marquis of Xiping has placed all his hopes on Grand Secretary Yu, but with minimal results, and the Marquis of Xiping is already growing impatient. Old Feng San believes that if this continues, the Marquis of Xiping will only decline further and might even face serious trouble. He wants me to promise that if he helps me gather intelligence on the Marquis of Xiping and the Yu family, I’ll ensure the safety of his family’s direct line should anything happen. I agreed. If we’re lucky, we might only need to add fuel to the fire at the right time, without even having to take action ourselves… As for He Fu, he probably already knows that I secretly returned to Shaanxi. He sent people to warn the Feng family that as long as their merchant caravans don’t smuggle contraband, they can freely pass through Jiayuguan…”