The words “good person”—the old steward had also said them.

“How was she good?”

“How should a good person be good?”

Zhu Xuangui was puzzled. “She was just a good person, a very good person.”

Xie Zhifei: “Explain in detail.”

Zhu Xuangui’s old face instantly flushed red.

Concubine Fu was his father’s concubine;

For a son to discuss his father’s concubine—this, this wasn’t proper!

Seeing him unable to open his mouth, Xie Zhifei changed his questioning approach.

“Compared to your mother, which do you think was better, Concubine Fu or her?”

Not giving Zhu Xuangui time to think carefully, he forcefully slapped the table and barked: “Speak!”

Zhu Xuangui jumped. “Concubine Fu was better.”

The faces of Xie Zhifei’s group simultaneously changed slightly.

Seeing their shock, Zhu Xuangui quickly explained:

“Don’t misunderstand. My mother was actually also very good, just too strong-willed. Everything had to follow strict rules, everything had to obey her. If she said go east, you had to go east. If she said go west, you had to go west.”

Xie Zhifei: “What about Concubine Fu?”

“Whatever you said to Concubine Fu was fine. She never argued or defended herself. Everything became unhurried when it reached her.”

Zhu Xuangui: “When Father got angry, no one could calm him down, but Concubine Fu would smile at him and his anger disappeared. We brothers were spared so many beatings because of this.”

Xie Zhifei: “Concubine Fu protected you all?”

“Protected us tightly.”

Zhu Xuangui’s brows and eyes softened recalling childhood.

“Our Zhu family had strict discipline. Beatings were routine. When whips dipped in water struck, they could beat the soul out of you.”

Once, he was thinking about the crickets kept in his room and got even the simplest Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches wrong.

Father flew into a rage and punished him with thirty lashes.

He was so young then—thirty lashes would have killed him.

Mother tried to intercede but couldn’t. A few words later, she clashed with Father, making him beat even harder.

Finally, Concubine Fu rushed in and recklessly shielded him tightly in her arms.

Father told her to move aside, but she wouldn’t.

Father became ruthless, the whip striking Concubine Fu directly.

Five lashes, beating Concubine Fu until her skin split and flesh tore, blood soaking her back. Only then did Father stop.

Concubine Fu’s body was already weak. Those five lashes took two full months to heal before she could get out of bed. From then on, Father’s hand was never as severe.

He remembered Concubine Fu’s kindness his entire life!

Xie Zhifei: “So among the four brothers of the first branch, you were closest to Concubine Fu?”

“Not me—Fifth Brother was closest to her.”

Xie Zhifei turned to glance at Yan Sanhe, who lightly closed her lashes, signaling him to continue.

“Why was Fifth Brother closest to her?”

“When Fifth Brother was young, his health was poor. Concubine Fu especially doted on him, caring for him more meticulously than any wet nurse.”

Zhu Xuangui: “Before age three, Fifth Brother was practically raised in Concubine Fu’s courtyard. Later Father got angry, and only then was Fifth Brother brought back.”

Xie Zhifei: “Why did your father get angry?”

Clearly a callow youth who understood nothing!

Zhu Xuangui: “At night, Fifth Brother liked clinging to Concubine Fu to sleep. With a child lying beside him, naturally it was inconvenient.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhifei immediately regretted asking, with Yan Sanhe still behind him—she was still an unmarried young woman…

Suddenly, a finger lightly poked his back.

Xie Zhifei was startled. She wanted him to continue along this topic?

“Your Fifth Brother clung to Concubine Fu, so where did your Fourth Brother Zhu Xuanjiu sleep?”

“He had a wet nurse, naturally slept with the wet nurse.”

“So your father was very fond of Concubine Fu?”

Zhu Xuangui: “Not only Father was fond—Mother also doted on her.”

“That’s strange.”

Xie Zhifei deliberately laughed coldly. “A mere concubine actually has such miraculous ability to make the legitimate wife not only tolerate her but cherish her?”

“What’s strange about that?”

Zhu Xuangui wore an expression of “you young folks have seen nothing.”

“Mother and Concubine Fu were cousins. They were close when they were young ladies, closer than real sisters.

Besides, Concubine Fu wouldn’t live long. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, three hundred were spent ill. Not only did Mother feel heartache—we brothers all felt heartache too.”

Hearing this, Xie Zhifei’s heart stirred.

A sickly concubine cherished not only by the man and woman, but by all the younger generation as well—this woman must have had extraordinary qualities.

“Zhu Xuangui, you’re a clever man. I wouldn’t randomly ask about Concubine Fu. This case is related to her.”

Xie Zhifei slapped the table with a “bang.” “You’re covering for her like this—be careful trouble lands on your head.”

“What am I covering for? Good is good, bad is bad. Why would I slander a dead person?”

Zhu Xuangui suddenly became angry.

“I’ve lived for decades and never seen any woman who could compare to her. Even the Bodhisattva’s heart isn’t as soft as hers. What case? Case your mother’s head—nine times out of ten, you people at the Five City Military Commission got it wrong.”

Not enough cursing.

Zhu Xuangui pointed at Yan Sanhe and Li Buyan behind Xie Zhifei and continued cursing:

“Perfectly good young ladies, not wearing proper clothes, not arranging proper hairstyles. Late at night mixing with men, not understanding any rules or propriety.

You women can’t compare to even one of Concubine Fu’s fingers. You only know how to be jealous and petty, making trouble out of nothing. One moment wanting this, the next wanting that, a tiny grievance and you can’t wait for the whole world to know.”

Who’s making trouble out of nothing?

Li Buyan was about to explode, but seeing Yan Sanhe’s gaze sweep toward her, she had to swallow it down.

Yan Sanhe pressed her voice low at Xie Zhifei’s ear: “Was she literate? What flowers did she like?”

Xie Zhifei’s ear burned hot, his tone also softening.

“Zhu Xuangui, I hope we got it wrong too, which is why I’m asking so carefully. If the case concludes at my Five City Military Commission, the Embroidered Uniform Guard won’t be involved.”

Zhu Xuangui: “…”

So this fellow isn’t turning on his own family!

“Was Concubine Fu literate?”

“Yes!”

Zhu Xuangui: “Not only literate, she could tell stories. My Fifth Brother loved listening to her stories when he was young.”

Xie Zhifei: “What kind of stories?”

“Many kinds—Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, Investiture of the Gods, one hundred eight heroes of Liangshan Mountain… never tiring of listening.”

Zhu Xuangui sighed.

“When we were young, we brothers all loved going to her courtyard. We’d run wild and make a ruckus there, and she never got angry. She’d have her maids make us delicious food in all sorts of ways.”

Xie Zhifei: “What flowers did Concubine Fu like?”

“Seems like winter plum. Several garments she made for Mother had winter plum embroidered on them.”

Saying this, he clapped his hands: “Right, it should be winter plum. Father’s study’s beautiful vase always had winter plum inserted in it come winter.”

“Ask him if Concubine Fu would go to temples.”

Xie Zhifei’s mind was a mess of porridge, but his face remained calm as still water.

“Right, would Concubine Fu normally go to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha?”

“She didn’t burn incense or worship Buddha. Mother believed in that. When Concubine Fu’s health was good, she’d also pull her along to temples.”

“Which temple?”

“Mother liked temples outside the city, no fixed one.”

Zhu Xuangui: “If Concubine Fu went along, she wouldn’t go outside the city. They’d go to nearby Jietai Temple. Concubine Fu couldn’t sit in a carriage that long.”

Jietai Temple?

Xie Zhifei suddenly felt breathless.