Chapter 44 Chapter 44 "To be honest, even if Ji Liulang is gone...
Zhou Congshan's initial suspicions were primarily those of Concubine Zhang and her son. This was because the Prince of Yan was the second son, and since the Crown Prince had passed away, he was the oldest surviving prince and already married. His biological mother was the highest-ranking member of the harem, overseeing inner palace affairs. She had both the motive and the authority to command the imperial physicians' orders. No matter how one looked at it, they were the most suspicious.
Moreover, in the two years since the Crown Prince's death, Concubine Zhang and her son have indeed shown extraordinary ambitions, but their methods are often not in line with their ambitions, resulting in many jokes. This has allowed the low-key Concubine Xu Hui and her son to catch up and create an equal situation.
Could it have been Concubine Xu Hui and the Prince of Qin who did it? Zhou Congshan felt they might have had the intention, but they probably didn't have the power. After all, at the time, mother and son had to depend on Concubine Zhang for their livelihood. They could barely protect themselves, let alone murder the Crown Prince?
She was lost in thought for a moment, but couldn't come to any conclusion. When she came to her senses, she saw Fang Ying also lost in thought, holding her tea. She smiled and joked, "What are you thinking about? So engrossed? Are you calculating where the army is?"
"..." Fang Ying glared at her angrily, "You were the one who got lost in thought first, and you're trying to turn the tables on me."
Zhou Congshan said with a grin, "Honestly, it's been seven days since Ji Liulang left. Don't you miss him at all?"
"He's accompanying the emperor, so what's there to worry about? Yesterday at home, my wife and my second uncle calculated the distance and said that the emperor must have arrived in Luzhou and may have already met my father-in-law. Has your father sent any news?"
"No, my father never wrote home until he won when he led his troops to war."
"..." It's not like she's writing a battle report, she still has to wait for victory. Fang Ying really felt that men were sometimes inexplicable, but since she was talking about her elders, she didn't say anything. She just said, "Well, there will be a battle report in a few days. Then I'll be leaving first. I have to make sure my stepmother cleans up Second Mother's room."
Zhou Congshan stood up to see her off, but Fang Ying stopped her and said, "It's cold outside, don't bother seeing me off. I've been coming here quite often lately, so why not skip the formalities?"
"I'll take you to the door, just consider it as taking two more steps."
The two said goodbye at the door. Fang Ying went out and got on the car outside the Chuihua Gate to leave the Zhou Mansion. When she returned to the Fang family, it was not yet noon.
She had already thought of her excuse on the way. After entering the main hall and sitting down with Pan, she said, "After my last visit, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that what mother said made sense. Father is very busy at the government office during the day, and when he comes home he has to look after the two children's homework. It's really hard work."
"Yes, especially since there was another important case in the past two days, the master didn't even want to say a word when he returned home..."
"So I thought about it and decided it would be better to find a female teacher for Er Niang. This way, she could not only learn to read and write, but also math and etiquette. Unfortunately, such a person is hard to find right away, so I have to keep an eye out for it. So I asked the Zhou family's sister for help."
She was only busy talking to herself, and Pan was overwhelmed by her words. At this point, she interrupted, "Don't bother with this. For a young lady like her, you still have to beg others..."
Fang Ying had guessed she would say this, so she persuaded her in words she could understand: "If it were still the past, it would be fine if Mother said this, but now our family is getting better and better, and we can't plan like before. Second Mother should learn more skills so that she can marry well and become the mistress of a wealthy family. If she marries well, we sisters can look after her family together, and when Dalang and Erlang go to school and become officials, we can help each other."
She knew that Pan's mind was slow, so she paused briefly, took a sip of tea, and then continued, "Take me for example. If I hadn't studied in the Ji Mansion as a child and learned to read, and if I hadn't been able to help my sister-in-law manage the household and relieve my mother-in-law's worries, would I have been so valued by the Ji family just for the sake of a good marriage?"
"That's what you said, then..."
"I told Sister Zhou about our family's situation - ah, Sister Zhou is Uncle Zhou's daughter. Didn't mother see her when we had a banquet last time?" Fang Ying explained as if she had just remembered.
Mrs. Pan was shocked: "Why are you bothering me like this..."
"That's all right. I'm good friends with her. She came up with a plan for me. It's hard to find a female tutor, and we don't have a place to hire one right now, so she's going to lend me a maid who can write and do math. Mother, don't think she's just a maid; she once served Mrs. Zhou."
"Oh, that's also..." Pan was speechless and stammered for a while before she could speak, "There's nowhere to put it!"
"I told you that, but this sister who used to serve the Madam is very kind and likes children. She said it's okay and that I can just share a room with Second Mother for now. I thought there's an empty bed in Second Mother's room, so it's not a problem. We just have to move those big boxes out, otherwise they'll be in the way."
Pan was an old daughter in her natal family. When she was little, she was lazy and didn't like to read and write. It was a time of chaos and her parents didn't have the energy to take care of her, so they just let her do whatever she wanted. As a result, she has little knowledge and is not very smart. But there is one thing she has: she has great faith in the powerful and wealthy.
"Madam Zhou is the late queen's biological mother, right?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Yes. Their family has produced two queens." Fang Ying knew her stepmother's temper and said this deliberately.
Pan immediately remembered the prophecy of "three queens from one family" and hurriedly stood up and ordered, "Quick, quick, get some people to move the boxes from Er Niang's room to the side room..."
She walked out while talking. Fang Ying drank the tea in the cup, then stood up, put on the fur coat that Lichun was holding, and went to the side room.
Fang Quan, Fang Sheng, and Fang Yi, three siblings, were gathered in the main hall to watch the fun. When they saw her come in, Fang Quan ran over first, took her hand, and called out sweetly, "Sister."
"Yes." Fang Ying reached out and touched her head, smiling, "I've found a teacher for you. I'll bring him over the day after tomorrow. He'll live with you and teach you how to read and do math, as well as some etiquette for dealing with people. You have to listen to him and study hard, understand?"
Fang Quan nodded heavily: "Yes, I will study hard and not embarrass my sister."
Fang Ying smiled and said, "That gentleman's name is Chu Yin. You can just call her Sister Chu Yin."
Fang Sheng listened to their lively conversation and couldn't help but interrupt and ask, "What about me? Why didn't my sister find me a husband?"
"You?" Fang Ying's gaze swept from her younger brother to Pan, who was standing at the doorway of the inner room, pretending to be indifferent but clearly listening attentively. "It's not my turn to look for your husband. Daddy knows what's going on. Just wait, you'll have your day to cry later."
Fang Sheng didn't understand: "Why am I crying?"
Pan couldn't hold it in any longer, so she turned around and asked with a smile, "You're still asking why? The other day your father asked you about your homework, and you couldn't answer. Did you cry?"
Fang Sheng then realized that looking for the teacher was not a good thing. He snorted, turned around and ran back to his room. Fang Yi saw his brother running away and chased after him.
Fang Ying pulled her sister to sit on the chair and asked her if the paper and pen she gave her last time were useful. Fang Quan answered that they were useful, and she was curious about what kind of person Sister Chu Yin was. The two sisters chatted for a while amid the noise of the maids moving boxes back and forth.
After all the boxes were moved out and the maids cleaned up again, Fang Ying walked to the door, took a look around, and nodded. "It's much more spacious. Mother, do you have new bedding and bed curtains at home? If not, I'll have them delivered tomorrow."
"I'm afraid there aren't any new ones. We didn't make new quilts this year, so about 80% of them are new."
"Used ones won't work. I'll have someone deliver it to you. I can't let them down."
After saying this, Fang Ying returned to the main room and asked Lichun to bring in the bag of copper coins she had brought with her. "This sister Chu Yin has been living in Sister Zhou's courtyard since the death of the Madam. Her food, clothing, and other expenses are not comparable to those of ordinary maids. After she came, mother paid more attention to her diet and tried her best to cook according to her taste. I know that this will increase the family expenses..."
She glanced at Lichun, who then placed the money on the table in front of Pan. Fang Ying continued, "Take these for now, mother. If you don't have enough, tell me."
Pan quickly declined: "No, why would it come to this? The family can still afford it..."
"Then consider it as my filial piety to my father and mother."
"No, I can't accept it. The master has already told you. It's not easy for you to stay in the Ji family. So many sisters-in-law are watching you..."
Seeing her sincere refusal, Fang Ying was a little surprised. But then she thought, this was money after all, not just something she had brought back before, so she said more earnestly, "It's okay. Even if it wasn't true, my sister-in-law will still be picky. Don't worry, I've told my wife that when Liu Lang comes back, I'll tell him that I didn't bring the money back secretly."
Mrs. Pan still hesitated: "I dare not make the decision. Let's wait until the master comes back."
Fang Ying didn't force him, and the two of them sat for a while longer. Fang Chengxun finally returned home, and upon entering, he instructed his wife, "From today on, when my uncle comes again, don't let him in. Just say I'm working on a case and need to leave. If you have anything to say, wait until I finish this case."
Mrs. Pan was shocked. "What case? Why can't we let my second brother in?"
"Don't ask, just do as I tell you." Fang Chengxun said with a stern face, "This matter concerns my career. If you let him in, and something happens, you go to his house and don't come back."
Pan was so frightened that her face turned pale. In front of her stepdaughter, she felt embarrassed. Her eyes turned red and two lines of tears flowed down.
Although Fang Ying and her stepmother had no real affection for each other, she couldn't bear to watch this scene. She took two steps forward, supported Pan, and frowned as she advised, "Father, if you have something to say, please speak politely. Mother is just asking a question and hasn't said she won't listen to you. Why do you have to say such harsh words and hurt Mother's feelings?"
Fang Chengxun glanced at his daughter, frowning as he asked, "Why did you come back today? Have you heard about this case, too?"
"Half."
Fang Chengxun turned and walked towards the east room, "Come in and talk."
Fang Ying shook hands with Pan before following her in.
"Sit down." Fang Chengxun had already sat down on the couch and pointed to the chair below him. "Did Liu Lang get back any letter?"
Unexpectedly, his first question was about Ji Yanlang. Fang Ying was stunned for a moment before answering, "Not yet, but my wife and my second uncle speculated that they should have arrived in Luzhou."
Fang Chengxun nodded. At this time, the maid came in to serve tea. He paused for a moment, waiting for the maid to leave before asking, "What did you hear about the Zhang family case?"
Fang Ying then recounted the story of the battle between the Imperial Concubine and the Concubine Hui in the palace, and how it had been linked to the case of Zhang Xiong outside the palace. Finally, she added, "I went to see the younger sister of the Zhou family today, and she told me that the Fourth Prince went to see His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu yesterday and was given a good scolding by him."
"Yes, this matter has spread throughout the government office." Fang Chengxun nodded. "Don't worry, you heard what I said just now. No matter what connection your uncle has with Zhang Xiong, I will handle this case impartially."
What did he mean? Was that harsh tone just now meant to show her?
"You just said half of it was true, so what is the other half?" Fang Chengxun asked.
Fang Ying was still confused, but she calmed down after hearing what he said and told him again how she borrowed Chu Yin from Zhou Congshan to teach Fang Quan.
Fang Chengxun heard this and also felt that for the sake of his second daughter, there was no need to go through so much trouble. However, after hearing his eldest daughter say that everything was already decided, he didn't know what to say. He just nodded and said, "It's hard for you to worry about Second Mother all the time."
Fang Ying took the opportunity to bring up the matter of money again, "Mother doesn't dare to take it, so please accept it, Father. The weather is getting colder, and firewood and charcoal alone are quite expensive, not to mention anything else. With another person, the food must be more refined and not neglected. If we have to save money elsewhere, it would be my inconsiderateness and a burden to the family."
"Did you tell Madam when you came back with the money?"
"I've already told you. Don't worry, father. I've just told you about this. When Liu Lang comes back, I'll tell him too. I didn't take the money secretly."
Fang Chengxun thought about it and nodded, "That's fine."
"Then my daughter will go back first. It's late today, so I won't be home for dinner. Father is busy with work, so please eat more and take care of yourself."
"Yeah." Fang Chengxun nodded, "Let's go back."
Fang Ying got up and went out, saying goodbye to Mrs. Pan, and by the way, she agreed to pick up Chu Yin the next day and send her over. Then she went out and got on the car to go home.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Ji Liulang: I’m not at home, and I don’t know if my wife misses me?
Fang Ying: I’m busy.
Kirokuro: ...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
