Anxin smiled and said, “The Ninth Master instructed me to handle your task well. So I came up with this idea.”

“It’s been a few years, and Anxin has matured quite a bit!” Fu Tingyun praised.

Anxin scratched his head, embarrassed.

“Go ahead with your work then!” Fu Tingyun smiled, “Let me know if anything comes up.”

Anxin responded with an “Aye” before bowing and withdrawing.

A few days later, he came to report to Fu Tingyun: “Miss Min’s father was ultimately sentenced to immediate execution, carried out after autumn. Seeing her father pass away like this, Miss Min cried bitterly until she fell gravely ill. Yu Jingxiu, noticing that the Min family had no one to take charge, sent Chengxin to help Miss Min arrange her father’s funeral matters.”

Fu Tingyun was startled and pondered: “If Miss Min’s father has already passed away, why is she still hiring a kitchen helper in Needle Craftsman Alley? It doesn’t seem like she’s preparing to escort the coffin back home, but rather settling in to live there.”

Anxin said: “According to that woman, after Miss Min’s father’s death, Yu Jingxiu sent someone to deliver a message to Miss Min’s mother, only to discover that Miss Min’s mother had already passed away from anxiety and fear in mid-July, and her brother went missing after their mother’s death. Miss Min suspects her mother and brother were harmed by the Min family clan members and is afraid to return home, so she asked Yu Jingxiu for help. Yu Jingxiu promised to help investigate this matter, and seeing that Miss Min had become emaciated from not eating or sleeping well these days, he took it upon himself to hire a kitchen helper for her, intending to help her properly recuperate.”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but frown and asked: “So this means Miss Min doesn’t plan to return to her hometown?”

“Most likely that’s her plan,” Anxin said cautiously. “I’ve found out that Yu Jingxiu helped Miss Min temporarily place her father’s coffin in the Fire God Temple outside Dian Gate, and the temple has accepted money for incense offerings for three years. Chengxin went to Miss Min’s hometown, and from what I gather, they plan to first lay Miss Min’s mother to rest, then clarify what happened to Miss Min’s brother before sending Master Min’s coffin back to be buried together with Madam Min.”

As Fu Tingyun listened, she felt something was off: “Even if Master Min doesn’t have brothers or nephews within the five degrees of mourning, how could there be no one in the Min family to manage these affairs? After all, Master Min had passed the imperial examination and brought glory to the Min family. Wouldn’t the Min family be afraid of being criticized by neighbors for acting this way?”

Hearing this, Anxin smiled and said: “I’ve already sent someone to Miss Min’s hometown to investigate this matter. We should have news in about ten to fifteen days.”

Fu Tingyun nodded and privately said to Yu Wei: “Since Miss Min has fallen to the point of needing Yu Jingxiu’s charity, it seems this legal case has left her family destitute. If clan members harmed her mother and brother, there must be a reason, right?”

“Who can clearly explain clan matters?” Yu Wei said. “Take our master for example—how unjustly the Grand Madam died, yet could our master say anything? Not only could he not speak up, but he also earned a reputation for being ruthless and vengeful. Don’t you think that’s unfair?”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but sigh deeply and said: “Let’s see if Anxin can find out anything.”

“We don’t need Anxin to investigate; I already know this Miss Min is no good,” Yu Wei curled her lip in disdain and said, “Both her parents have died, her only brother is missing, yet she can still stay comfortably in the capital—her heart is cold…” As she spoke, her gaze shifted slightly and she smiled, “However, she does make a good match with that Yu Jingxiu.”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but smile, thinking of Zhao Ling.

Her heart suddenly felt as sweet as nectar, and she no longer wanted to think about these messy affairs. She asked about the fabrics at home: “If I remember correctly, Manager Ye Three sent several bolts of crimson cotton during the Dragon Boat Festival. Find them for me—I want to make a robe for the Ninth Master. In a few days, there should be a letter from him, and we can have someone take it to Guizhou for him to wear during the New Year.”

Yu Wei smiled and responded, “Yes,” then found those bolts of crimson cotton. Fu Tingyun sprinkled powder to mark the cutting lines and personally sewed New Year clothes for Zhao Ling.

Before the clothes were finished, Zhao Ling’s letter arrived, and someone brought two trunks back.

The messenger was a clerk from the Right Military Governor’s Office, around thirty years old. Having been immersed in official duties for a long time, even a simple-minded person would have become shrewd. While Yuechuan and Baoshu carried the trunks to the inner courtyard, he animatedly shared his experiences in Guizhou with the Zhao family servants: “…Lord Zhao executed all the captured bandits but released only one to bring a message to the bandit leader, saying: ‘I will come to kill you at the second watch tonight.’ That night at the second watch, horns were blown and cannons fired. When the bandits heard this, they all fled, leaving behind countless weapons and armor. Now, those bandits in Guizhou flee at the mere mention of Lord Zhao’s name, while the common people shed grateful tears when they hear it.” His speech made Zheng San and others both excited and proud, and the Biluochun tea originally prepared for the clerk was replaced with West Lake Longjing.

When Fu Tingyun heard about this, she couldn’t help but smile.

Yu Wei, who was organizing the trunks, also felt proud by association and consulted with her: “What should we do with these furs that the Ninth Master sent back?”

“Put away that tiger skin,” Fu Tingyun smiled, “When the Ninth Master returns, we’ll lay it in his study. As for the gray squirrel fur, let’s make a fur coat for Taoist An.”

Yu Wei was quite surprised and hesitantly asked: “What about the Young Miss and Young Master…”

“The children are still young and at an age where they’re always jumping around. Just make their padded jackets thicker. Unlike Taoist An, who is elderly and frail and feels the cold air acutely even when the weather is just slightly chilly,” Fu Tingyun smiled and said, ‘Later, when we have suitable materials, we can make fur coats for Youyou and the others.” She then instructed her to categorize the tea and medicinal herbs that Zhao Ling had sent back: “With the Ninth Master in Guizhou, it would be inappropriate not to send some Guizhou specialties as festival gifts.”

Yu Wei smiled and complied.

Anxin requested an audience.

Fu Tingyun had Zhenzhu bring Anxin in and smiled: “I feel like I’m watching a play.”

Anxin smiled and said: “It is indeed like watching a play.”

Fu Tingyun smiled, dismissed her attendants, and asked him: “What happened over there?”

“We’ve figured it out,” Anxin said in a low voice. “After Master Min passed the imperial examination, he helped his clan and neighboring village’s wealthy households dispute some farmland. Later, when Master Min got into trouble, the Min family had no one who could contend with those wealthy households. Those wealthy households then instigated some idle troublemakers from the Min family to extort Madam Min, which made her anxious and angry until she fell ill. Miss Min’s brother disappeared during the chaos when the Min family was helping prepare Madam Min’s body for burial. Some rumors spread that Miss Min’s brother was kidnapped and sold. Yu Jingxiu also knows about this but instructed Chengxin not to tell Miss Min. In front of Miss Min, they only said that her mother died from illness and her brother went missing. He even asked Provincial Administration Commissioner Jiang from Shandong to help find Miss Min’s brother.”

Fu Tingyun listened in astonishment: “He asked a colleague to help Miss Min find her brother?”

“Yes!” Anxin said, “I heard that Commissioner Jiang assigned Prefect Pei from Shandong to handle this matter, and Prefect Pei is known for his gossiping…”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but laugh: “Is there any other information?”

“That’s all we’ve found out for now,” Anxin said. “If there’s anything else, I’ll report to you immediately, Madam.”

Fu Tingyun nodded but secretly wondered whether Madam Yu had noticed, given how much attention this was drawing.

…

Like all mothers, Madam Yu had loosened her grip on certain matters once her son had become a top scholar with a promising future and had married. By the time she heard that her son was helping Miss Min find her brother, it was already March of the following year.

She trembled with anger and summoned Madam Fan to question her: “…Did you know about this?”

Madam Fan was completely stunned.

After they had quarreled about the Needle Craftsman Alley incident, they hadn’t spoken for a full two months, and eventually Yu Jingxiu had been the one to concede. She thought the matter had passed without a trace, never imagining that Yu Jingxiu still maintained contact with the people in Needle Craftsman Alley.

Madam Yu could tell from Madam Fan’s expression that she had questioned the wrong person.

Her lips quivered, and for a long while, she didn’t know what to say, feeling both disappointed and dejected. She waved her hand, dismissing Madam Fan, then slumped back against the large pillow, looking haggard and finding it difficult even to eat.

Matron Shu watched anxiously and tentatively suggested: “Perhaps we should summon Concubine Fei to ask?”

Madam Yu sneered: “That troublemaker.”

After Madam Fan had fallen ill with angina, Madam Yu had confined Madam Fei to her room to copy Buddhist scriptures and had Concubine Wu attend to Madam Fan during her illness. Concubine Wu was gentle and cautious, and as time passed, Madam Fan’s previous coldness and distance toward her had diminished.

“It’s better than the Young Madam knowing nothing,” Matron Shu thought Madam Fei was much more straightforward than Madam Fan. “The Young Master occasionally speaks with Concubine Fei.”

Madam Yu considered this and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Matron Shu immediately went to summon Concubine Fei.

When Madam Yu asked about Miss Min’s situation, Concubine Fei candidly replied: “The Young Master told me…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Madam Yu’s teacup crashed against her, leaving tea leaves all over her skirt.

“Please calm down, Madam,” Madam Fei showed no panic, only a helpless bitter smile as she said, “These days, Concubine Wu has been attending to the Young Madam during her illness, and I rarely see the Young Madam, so I had to tell Concubine Wu and ask her to hint at it to the Young Madam…”

To even involve Concubine Wu!

A flash of surprise crossed Madam Yu’s eyes. Although she knew in her heart that Madam Fei was trying to deflect blame, the anger in her heart prevented her from controlling her emotions.

“Summon Concubine Wu,” she ordered Matron Shu harshly, her temples throbbing.

Matron Shu dared not delay and immediately called Concubine Wu in.

Concubine Wu, however, looked completely bewildered: “The Young Madam knows about this matter! Previously, the Young Madam and Young Master even quarreled over it.” As she spoke, she glanced at Concubine Fei with some confusion and said, “Concubine Fei even advised the Young Madam before, saying that the Young Master was acting chivalrously… that’s why I didn’t speak up in front of the Young Madam.”

One too dull, one too clever.

Madam Yu looked at the two women before her, her head splitting with pain, and reluctantly ordered: “You may withdraw.”

Concubine Wu curtseyed and withdrew, but Concubine Fei, after bowing, bit her lip and stood there, appearing hesitant.

Madam Yu felt disgusted, and her expression grew colder.

Concubine Fei suddenly knelt, looking up at Madam Yu with sincere eyes: “Madam, please allow me to say a few words.”