Mrs. Wang was about to speak but hesitated.

Fu Tingyun was still beside her, and this topic was truly inappropriate to continue discussing.

Thinking of this, she looked toward Fu Tingyun, only to see her staring blankly in the direction where the two men had disappeared.

Such matters must be quite shocking for Fu Tingyun!

With this thought, Mrs. Wang gently called out, “Miss Fu.”

Fu Tingyun came back to her senses.

Mrs. Wang smiled, “Let’s go inside quickly! After all this commotion, I fear the house must be in complete disarray.”

Fu Tingyun, thinking of A-Sen and Linchun still hidden in the wardrobe, hurriedly responded, “Yes,” and asked Mrs. Qi to help invite Master Shanning from the Seven Stars Temple tomorrow to perform a ritual: “…After such an incident, I’ll need to deal with the officials and probably won’t be able to get away!”

Mrs. Qi was always enthusiastic about such matters. She immediately patted her chest: “Don’t worry, leave this to me. Others would charge at least five taels of silver for a ritual, but I’ll bargain for you—it won’t cost more than four taels!”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Qi,” Fu Tingyun sincerely expressed her gratitude.

Though Mrs. Qi loved to talk, she also had a warm-hearted side.

After Fu Tingyun returned home, Zheng San immediately closed the door.

Mrs. Qi and the neighbors, however, remained in the alley discussing what had just happened.

The main room was no longer suitable for receiving Mrs. Wang, so Fu Tingyun invited her to sit in A-Sen’s room while she quickly entered the inner chamber, calling A-Sen’s name as she opened the wardrobe on the kang bed.

“You’ve finally returned!” A-Sen, who had been stifled inside, exclaimed with relief.

Linchun in his arms also imitated A-Sen’s tone: “You’ve finally returned!”

This delighted Fu Tingyun, who hugged Linchun and gave her a kiss: “Good Linchun, you’re so well-behaved, hiding in the wardrobe without making a sound. Tomorrow I’ll have your father buy you candy.”

Linchun giggled happily.

A-Sen put on a cheeky face: “I was good too. I also want candy.”

Fu Tingyun gave a half-smiling “hmph.”

A-Sen felt guilty and smiled awkwardly. Looking up and seeing Mrs. Wang, he jumped off the kang as if seeking refuge, ran to Mrs. Wang’s side, and greeted her with a bow, calling her “Madam.”

Everyone loves children who are close to them.

Mrs. Wang smiled and nodded, rewarding A-Sen with a four-fen silver coin bearing the image of the top imperial scholar: “Here, buy yourself some candy!”

“It’s neither New Year nor a festival, you’re being too kind,” Fu Tingyun tried to stop him, and A-Sen didn’t dare accept it.

“Take it!” Mrs. Wang insisted sincerely. “You listened to me and thought of me in times of danger—we’re like family. Don’t be so reserved.” She continued smiling, “And don’t try to save money on my behalf. I had quite a substantial dowry when I married. But it’s like the saying: marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog. Your Master Wang’s salary isn’t much, so I can’t be too extravagant. Just take it, don’t worry about saving it for me.”

Accepting others’ sincerity appropriately is also a form of respect.

Fu Tingyun smiled and indicated for A-Sen to accept it, then thanked Mrs. Wang on his behalf.

Zheng San’s wife brought tea.

Fu Tingyun noticed some scratches on her palm and chided: “Didn’t I tell you to stay at home? Why did you go out too?”

According to her original instructions, after Zheng San dealt with the others, Zheng San’s wife was supposed to hide in the wardrobe with Linchun and A-Sen until dawn.

“I thought, since you had Zheng San say you went to spend the night at Mrs. Wang’s, it would seem strange if you didn’t have an attendant with you,” Zheng San’s wife murmured. “I, I won’t do this again. I’ll follow your instructions next time!”

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang advised: “San-niang is just being loyal, Miss Fu. There’s no need to be too harsh.”

Fu Tingyun could only shake her head with a smile.

After hiding in A-Sen’s room, Zheng San’s wife had a sudden idea. She had A-Sen help her climb over the wall, then hid beside the stone lion in front of the Commander-in-Chief’s mansion. Only when Fu Tingyun came out did she follow along with the sedan chair.

“Are you injured anywhere else?” Fu Tingyun asked gently.

“No, no,” Zheng San’s wife smiled. “A-Sen tied a handkerchief to a stool and wedged the stool in the window frame. I climbed down using the handkerchief, but my foot slipped when I reached the ground, and my hand scraped against the wall.”

Mrs. Wang laughed upon hearing this: “Miss Fu, I truly didn’t expect you to have such courage, not waiting for Captain Zhao to return, but dealing with Feng Dahu yourself!” By the end of her words, her tone had changed to one of admiration.

“You flatter me, Madam.” Fu Tingyun also felt somewhat emotional. “I just understand that no matter when, people can only truly rely on themselves.”

“Indeed!” Mrs. Wang nodded, her eyes showing appreciation. “Take this incident, for example. The Feng siblings are so arrogant that even if you stayed at my place, Concubine Feng would still find ways to scheme against you. We’re out in the open while they operate in the shadows—impossible to guard against completely. If she succeeded in her schemes, regret would come too late. Better to take the initiative, set a trap, even use gold and silver as bait to lure Feng Dahu in, rendering him unable to act against you.” She continued with a smile, “However, I didn’t expect you would dare to scheme against me as well.”

Fu Tingyun blushed: “Please forgive me, Madam. It was because I wasn’t confident Feng Dahu would take the bait, so I had to keep you in the dark as well. But I knew Madam’s courage matches any man’s, and that you would save me in times of danger. That’s why I dared to do something so bold. You have every right to blame me—I only ask that you don’t resent me, as I regard you as an elder…”

“Alright, alright!” Mrs. Wang interrupted Fu Tingyun with a smile. “If I truly resented you, I wouldn’t have accompanied you on this trip.” She then asked curiously, “How did you know someone would inquire about your whereabouts from my mama?”

Fu Tingyun replied shyly: “There’s no special trick to it. Seeing how indulgent Deputy Commander Liu is toward the Feng woman, I figured she wouldn’t give up easily. To scheme against me, she would first need to know my whereabouts. With me staying at your home, she wouldn’t dare ask you directly about me, but would certainly find ways to inquire from your mama. So I specifically instructed the mama that if anyone asked, she should say I had hidden money at home and returned because I was worried about it. Anyone hearing this would find it reasonable.”

Mrs. Wang nodded continuously: “Wouldn’t this be like Sun Tzu’s Art of War—know yourself, know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated in a hundred battles!”

“Madam, if you keep talking like that, I’ll have to find a hole to crawl into,” Fu Tingyun said bashfully.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” Mrs. Wang said, her smile gradually fading. “When Feng Dahu sneaked into your room, you were hiding in the west room. What if the two dogs had gone berserk and bitten you too? What would you have done? If you had run out from the main room while Feng Dahu was tangled with the dogs, and if Zheng San hadn’t dealt with Feng Dahu’s accomplices in time, they might have seen you running out and raised an alarm, exposing your whereabouts—what then? If neighbors heard the commotion and gathered at your door, encountering you face to face, what would you have done? The Commander-in-Chief’s mansion observes curfew, so you waited outside until dawn before seeking me out. What if the guards hadn’t let you in? What if someone had spotted you? What then?” She continued seriously, “Miss Fu, this matter was like walking along a cliff edge—one careless step, and you would have been shattered. Have you considered what would happen to Captain Zhao if something happened to you?”

Those two dogs had been purchased when she was planning the whole affair and had been starved for several days. While hiding in the west room, she had also been very afraid… When she slipped into the Commander-in-Chief’s mansion disguised as a woman, anyone lifting her headscarf would have exposed her—at that moment, she had been extremely nervous… She never wanted to experience such things again.

But if she hadn’t acted, what would have awaited her?

Weighing both options, if faced with such a situation again, she would probably still take the risk, still take a chance.

Fu Tingyun lowered her head without saying a word.

Seeing this, Mrs. Wang heaved a long sigh.

“Miss Fu, what am I to do with you!” Her voice contained a hint of laughter. “What I mean is, besides relying on yourself, you also need to learn to trust others. If you encounter such situations in the future, remember to consult with me. I believe that with my help, at least you won’t have to wander outside the Commander-in-Chief’s mansion until dawn!”

“Mrs. Wang!” Fu Tingyun looked up in surprise, her dark eyes sparkling like morning stars, bright and brilliant.

Mrs. Wang smiled and patted her hand: “Will you remember?”

Fu Tingyun’s lips gradually formed a radiant smile: “I will remember. In the future, I’ll consult with you about any matters.”

Mrs. Wang nodded with satisfaction and called to her mama: “Li Niang, take a bottle of wound medicine from my trunk to Deputy Commander Liu. Tell him that because Captain Zhao’s household usually has only one male servant for odd jobs, with the rest being children and women, they got some dogs for night patrols. Unexpectedly, last night thieves visited and were bitten by the house dogs. Miss Fu was staying at my home at my invitation, and when we received the news early this morning, we rushed to the back street together, only to discover that the person bitten by the dogs was Young Master Feng. This wound medicine is passed down from my ancestors and is famous throughout Fujian. Let him try it on Young Master Feng, and if it works well, I’ll send word to Fujian to have a few more bottles brought over.”

Everyone was stunned.

Mrs. Wang smiled: “Silly child, if Feng Dahu dies, it would be mutually assured destruction. That Feng woman would overturn heaven and earth—she’s capable of anything. You are porcelain, she is an earthen pot—why should we lower ourselves to her level? By trying to save Feng Dahu, firstly, to save her brother’s life, she’ll have to stay quiet for some time. We can use this opportunity to send word to Marquis Yingchuan, who will surely stand up for us when he learns of this. Only then can the danger truly be eliminated. Secondly, with her using my medicine every day, thinking about suffering such a loss for nothing yet having to endure it—just the thought of it, given her character, would surely make her heart bleed. If her heart bleeds, I think it would give us some satisfaction too. Thirdly, I just caught a glimpse of Feng Dahu, and in that state, I think he should live. At least, whenever anyone looks at him, they’ll wonder why he ended up in such a condition, and whenever he looks at himself, he’ll remember how he came to be in such a state… Isn’t that better?”

Fu Tingyun was dumbfounded.

Mrs. Wang smiled at her.

“The older the ginger, the spicier it is!” After a while, Fu Tingyun finally uttered.

Mrs. Wang laughed behind her sleeve: “You flatter me, you flatter me.”

“But I wonder how effective Mrs. Wang’s wound medicine is?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Mrs. Wang said. “Once, someone had their leg bitten off by a fish in the sea, and it was our family’s wound medicine that helped the scab form. However, after the scab fell off, the wound was extremely disgusting!” Having said this, she chuckled.