Fu Tingyun directly refused Concubine Wu’s request: “What is improper should not be spoken of, what is improper should not be viewed. In this matter, I cannot conveniently intervene. Please go back and relay this to Concubine Wu.”

“Ah!” Lianxin was quite surprised. She opened her mouth wide, several times about to speak but stopping herself, and finally hung her head in disappointment as she withdrew with Zhenzhu.

Yu Wei snickered: “This Concubine Wu, bringing her embarrassment to our home!”

Fu Tingyun, however, felt something stir in her heart.

Concubine Wu was not the type of person who was unaware of propriety. Why would she send her maid to ask such things of her…

She thought of Concubine Wu’s inexplicable goodwill toward her and couldn’t help falling into deep thought.

Seeing this, Yu Wei dared not disturb her and quietly poured her a cup of tea.

Fu Tingyun gave her instructions in a low voice: “Find a way to inquire whether the Wu family is aware of the matter in Needle Craftsman Alley.”

Yu Wei was quite surprised but responded formally with a “Yes.”

Fu Tingyun dismissed those attending her and sat alone in the room drinking a cup of tea before going to the children’s quarters to check how their rooms were being arranged.

People were coming and going in the rooms—some making beds, others organizing trunks and boxes—but everything was in order.

Fu Tingyun nodded slightly and spent the entire afternoon with the children.

In the evening, she found herself unable to sleep, so she got up and wrote a letter to Zhao Ling.

Besides informing Zhao Ling in detail about everything that had happened at home these days, she also told him about Concubine Wu suddenly sending someone to ask for her help: “…I don’t know what Concubine Wu’s intentions are, so I’ve sent Yu Wei to find out whether the Wu family knows about this matter.” Putting down her brush, she couldn’t help but dip it in ink again and add a few more lines to the letter, “If what Concubine Wu says is true, wouldn’t Yu Jingxiu’s actions back then be a joke? Thinking about it now, it’s fortunate that we broke off the engagement with the Yu family.”

After venting like this, Fu Tingyun felt much better and wholeheartedly began preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

By the end of August, Anxin suddenly returned to the capital.

Fu Tingyun was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked him: “What happened? Why have you returned?”

Anxin smiled and said: “The Ninth Master said there were matters at home and instructed me to return to await your orders.” As he spoke, he took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Zhenzhu, who was attending to Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun took the letter from Zhenzhu’s hand and asked him, puzzled: “Matters at home? What matters at home? And he sent you back to the capital?” As she spoke, she suddenly thought of Concubine Wu’s matter.

Although Madam Wu was enthusiastic towards her, Fu Tingyun maintained a relationship with Madam Wu that was neither too close nor too distant. Usually, she found this arrangement quite suitable, but when she sent Yu Wei to inquire about the Wu family’s affairs, the disadvantage became apparent—they had spent over half a month but still hadn’t clarified whether the Wu family knew about the Needle Craftsman Alley matter.

Could it be about Concubine Wu’s situation?

The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

If she couldn’t find out anything in the capital, how could Zhao Ling know in such detail from Guizhou?

With this in mind, she smiled and asked Anxin about his journey: “…Was everything smooth?”

Anxin bowed respectfully and answered: “Thank you for your concern, Madam. Everything was fine on the road.”

Fu Tingyun nodded with a smile, and seeing he was travel-worn, she said: “Go and rest first! We can discuss any matters tomorrow.”

Anxin respectfully complied and withdrew to rest.

Fu Tingyun opened Zhao Ling’s letter.

As usual, Zhao Ling first asked about the children in his letter, then apologetically mentioned her pregnancy: “…I’m afraid I won’t be by your side again when you give birth. You must take good care of yourself, and if anything happens, you can ask Third Sister for help.” Regarding the Needle Craftsman Alley matter, his tone was unexpectedly different from what Fu Tingyun had anticipated, “…Such matters might be common knowledge, or perhaps only known to those close to the Yu family. If it were the former, rumors should have reached me here. Since I don’t know about it, it seems this matter is still being concealed, and Yu Wei probably won’t be able to find out much. That’s why I’ve sent Anxin back—you can assign him to handle whatever you need. However, I find it strange that Concubine Wu would tell you these things. As for Miss Min’s situation, you might want to investigate it thoroughly, as there should be something to discover. Regarding Concubine Wu, since she has been kind to us, if she has any difficulties and brings them up, and you find them hard to resolve, you can consult with Manager Ye, or write to me, and I’ll think of a solution!”

Fu Tingyun’s heart began to race.

Zhao Ling had come to the same conclusion as her.

Concubine Wu was just a concubine, and even if she were jealous, it wouldn’t be her place to take the initiative. Even if she were ignorant of her position and overturned the vinegar jar in jealousy, she should have consulted with Madam Wu, who was directly related to her, rather than approaching Fu Tingyun, someone who had a rift with the Yu family.

It seemed that Concubine Wu’s supposed request for help through her maid was more like a roundabout way of informing Fu Tingyun about this matter.

Although keeping a mistress would damage Yu Jingxiu’s reputation, it wasn’t an unforgivable sin. Even if word got out, people would only say that Madam Fan was jealous, not that Yu Jingxiu was immoral.

What could truly affect Yu Jingxiu, after much consideration, could only be an issue with Miss Min’s identity.

But if even Concubine Wu had noticed problems with Miss Min’s identity, even if Yu Jingxiu was too infatuated to remain vigilant, could it be that Elder Yu, who had weathered many storms, hadn’t noticed anything amiss?

She was very doubtful.

This made her feel that the whole affair was strange from every angle, and she was uncertain about how to proceed.

After pondering for a long time, Fu Tingyun called Anxin in.

She asked Anxin: “Did the Ninth Master give you any other instructions besides following my orders?”

Anxin stood respectfully with his hands down: “The Ninth Master said that if matters were difficult to handle, I should ask Official Yang Tong for assistance.”

Not seeking out Qin Feiyu, not Lin Chi, not Tao Mu, but Yang Tong—the Yang Tong who, like him, came from the martial world. Could it be that Zhao Ling felt this matter would be better handled using resources from the martial world rather than official channels?

Fu Tingyun vaguely understood and had Anxin help investigate the Needle Craftsman Alley matter.

Anxin’s expression remained unchanged as he complied and left.

A few days later, he returned to report to Fu Tingyun: “Regarding the Needle Craftsman Alley matter, not only does the Wu family not know, but even the neighbors are unaware of anyone named Yu Jingxiu.”

Fu Tingyun was surprised and hesitantly asked: “Could this mean the whole story is just a rumor?”

Anxin shook his head, stepped forward, and whispered: “Although we haven’t seen Yu Jingxiu going to Needle Craftsman Alley, we found several men’s robes and undergarments in Miss Min’s room.”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

Anxin then suggested: “Would you like to meet with Concubine Wu?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Fu Tingyun shook her head gently.

Concubine Wu had no status in the Yu family, like duckweed floating on water. If the Yu family discovered she was in contact with Fu Tingyun, who knew how they might deal with Concubine Wu? “Though I may not kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren may die because of me.” If anything happened to Concubine Wu, she would certainly feel both sad and regretful.

She said to Anxin: “Don’t worry about Concubine Wu’s side. Finding out about Miss Min would be the better strategy.”

Anxin bowed his head in acknowledgment and withdrew.

Fu Tingyun remained silent for a while, then called Yu Wei to confide in her: “…I never imagined they would end up like this!”

Yu Wei, however, showed visible delight: “This is karma! Who told her to marry Yu Jingxiu against her conscience back then?” She continued, “She thought she had picked a sweet jujube, but it turned out to be a crooked tree. She deserves it!”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but laugh: “You seem even happier than I am?”

“Of course,” Yu Wei smiled. “You’re always mindful of this and that, afraid of being ‘improper.’ I come from humble origins and don’t know these things; I just happily believe in ‘good is rewarded with good, evil with evil.'”

Fu Tingyun was stunned.

Examining her heart, she realized she did feel some schadenfreude seeing Yu Jingxiu and his wife at odds. But she felt that, having decided to no longer concern herself with the Yu family’s affairs, she should keep her word and truly let go.

Seeing Fu Tingyun lost in thought, Yu Wei became a bit anxious. She softly called “Madam” and said in a low voice: “I’ll brew you some tea.”

“Isn’t there still half a cup?” Fu Tingyun came back to her senses, composed herself, and said seriously, “You’re right; actually, I’m very happy too.” As she spoke, she winked at Yu Wei, “I hope that Master Yu will ‘bring his mistress home.’ That would be interesting.” As soon as she finished speaking, she was slightly startled.

Could it be that Zhao Ling had the same idea?

Unable to hide her excitement, she grasped Yu Wei’s hand and said: “Tell me, if Yu Jingxiu wanted to take Miss Min as a concubine, what would happen?”

Yu Wei’s eyes brightened, and she smiled happily: “That would truly be a slap in Madam Fan’s face!”

Fu Tingyun felt a jolt in her heart, and her smile gradually faded: “Do you think if Yu Jingxiu insisted on taking Miss Min as a concubine, would Madam Fan refuse?”

Yu Wei was stunned.

Fu Tingyun said gravely: “I think there’s more to this story!”

“Are you suspecting that Miss Min is unwilling to enter the Yu household as a concubine?” Yu Wei hesitantly asked, “But who would rather be a mistress than a concubine?”

“Indeed!” Fu Tingyun murmured, “I wonder what game Yu Jingxiu is playing now?”

Hearing this, Yu Wei perked up and excitedly said: “Madam, do you think Miss Min might have been deceived by Yu Jingxiu? If so, perhaps we should find a way to expose him… See if he dares to harm others again!” By the end, her tone was almost gritting with anger.

“What’s going on will require Anxin to investigate thoroughly,” Fu Tingyun said, suddenly recalling Zhao Ling’s words in his letter. She couldn’t help but mutter, “No wonder he sent Anxin back… he probably anticipated this… How clever he is! Just from hearing a bit of information…” Her tone was half reproachful, half indulgent, but mostly delighted.

Yu Wei covered her mouth and laughed.

Fu Tingyun glared at her, then called Anxin over: “Can we place someone by Miss Min’s side? I want to know what kind of person this Miss Min is.”

Anxin smiled and said, “Rest assured, Madam. A few days ago, Miss Min was looking to hire a kitchen helper. I happen to know such a person and had her introduced to Miss Min through a neighbor. After a few days’ trial, Miss Min found her suitable and has kept her on.”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help widening her eyes and asked: “Was this your idea or the Ninth Master’s instruction?”