Chapter 75 Ancestral Hall Meeting 2
Fu Ang stood up in surprise and instinctively asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Why can't we be here?" Fu Yunting asked.
"The clan leader is holding a meeting in the ancestral hall to discuss the position of family head. Isn't it normal for the three of us brothers, as members of the Fu family, to be here?" Fu Changze continued, "Or is it that no one in the clan informed the three of us brothers beforehand, which is why Uncle is so surprised?"
Although it was a question, Fu Changze's gaze never left his second uncle. Fu Ang felt guilty under his gaze and subconsciously turned his head, only to meet the clan leader's scrutinizing eyes.
Fu Ang: "..."
Helpless, Fu Ang could only argue, "What nonsense are you talking about? I watched the clan chief and I deliver that letter together."
Now that things had come to this, how could the clan leader not understand the reason behind it? He was just a little scared, though, that Fu Ang had already reached out to the person next to him.
Only then did everyone realize that Fu Changze should, in principle, be waiting to be beheaded in the Jinwuwei prison.
"I never expected that Yunxiu would actually rescue the person." The speaker was an uncle, the oldest and most senior among the clan elders. He stroked his white beard, looked at Fu Yunxiu standing below him, and praised him repeatedly, "I said long ago that Yunxiu had the demeanor of his grandfather, and indeed, I was right."
“Indeed, indeed,” someone chimed in, “Didn’t Fu Xuan plan to pass the title to him years ago? It’s a pity he was in poor health. Now… he does look quite good.”
"Yes, yes, I think he is the most outstanding among all the younger generation."
Although the group was whispering, their voices were quite loud. Fu Ang's face turned green with rage, and he wished he could rush up to them and tear them to pieces.
A bunch of old scoundrels, that's not what they said just now.
When Madam Fu saw that Fu Yunting had arrived in time, she finally felt a great weight lifted from her heart. However, when her gaze fell on Fu Yunxiu and Fu Changze, who was standing unharmed beside him, her expression turned sour.
In the Marquis's mansion, Madam Liu, who had been chanting sutras and praying for blessings before the Buddha, was so overjoyed to hear that Fu Changze had returned safely that she forgot to dress up and went to the ancestral hall dressed in plain clothes without applying makeup.
Fu Ang's men tried to stop them, but the men Fu Yunxiu had brought earlier were all carrying long swords. Unless they were tired of living, who would dare to stop them?
Madam Liu walked around the screen wall and saw a familiar figure standing in the council hall. Her legs went weak and she could no longer stand up.
Fangyi, who was supporting her, was startled. "Madam, Madam, what's wrong?"
The sudden sound broke the tense atmosphere in the council hall. Fu Changze heard the sound, turned around and saw Madam Liu lying on the ground. He jumped over the railing and rushed over in three steps, "Mother, Mother, what's wrong?"
As Fu Changze spoke, he was about to carry Madam Liu to find a doctor, but Madam Liu stopped him.
“Mother is alright,” Madam Liu said, stroking his cheek with a pained expression. “You’ve lost weight.”
"It is my fault for being unfilial and causing my mother worry," Fu Changze said.
“No,” Madam Liu shook her head, “It’s good that you’re back safe and sound, it’s good that you’re back safe and sound.”
Overwhelmed by the intense emotions of grief and joy, Madam Liu took a while to recover before finally regaining her strength. "Changze, help your mother up."
"Alright." Fu Changze helped her stand up, and Madam Liu composed herself before slowly walking into the council hall.
The tender scene between mother and son that had just unfolded was naturally witnessed by everyone present. While the others didn't think much of it, Madam Fu found it all hypocritical.
Using this charade of maternal love and filial piety to fool this group of pedantic old men was a desperate tactic. Unfortunately, her son was already out of the picture the moment the Liu family fell.
"What are you doing here in this important ancestral hall?" Madam Fu preemptively asked, her tone full of accusation.
“Sister, what you say is very interesting. If you can come to the ancestral hall, why can’t I?” After saying that, she looked at the clan chief at the head of the table. “I heard that the clan chief is holding a meeting in the ancestral hall today. I’m just here to join in the fun. I hope that won’t be a problem!”
In the past, the clan chief might have righteously refused to let her leave, but today's events have become a farce, so what does it matter whether Liu is here or not?
The clan chief sneered, his tone anything but friendly, "Whether it's in the way or not, we're already here, aren't we?"
Fu Changze helped Madam Liu sit down in a chair. A group of people, each with their own thoughts, stood silently in the hall, staring at each other.
Finally, Third Uncle couldn't hold back any longer and spoke first, "I say, are we still going to discuss this matter? In this sweltering heat, if we're not going to discuss it, I'm going back."
"That's right. If we're not going to discuss this further, we'll head back now." With that, he got up to take his leave.
The two people speaking were senior members of the clan, and even the clan leader had to give them some face. Fu Ang had finally managed to set up this game, so how could he allow it to fall apart like this?
He winked at Uncle Fu, who understood and quickly stood up to stop him, "Hey, uncles, please wait a moment. The ancestral hall is already open, and the matter hasn't been resolved yet. It wouldn't be appropriate to leave like this!"
Then he looked at the clan chief and asked, "Clan chief, don't you agree?"
The clan chief thought to himself that everything was in chaos and there was nothing to discuss, but he still nodded in agreement.
“That makes sense, then let’s continue.” He cleared his throat and said sternly, “Who will be chosen to succeed Fu Ang as the head of the family?”
"Clan leader," Madam Liu interrupted before the clan leader could finish speaking, "the Fu family has no shortage of talented young men who can inherit the position of family head. Is it not biased for you to only recommend the second branch?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Madam Fu suddenly scoffed, "Young talent, my sister isn't referring to your son Changze, is she!"
After saying this, Madam Fu covered her face with her handkerchief and chuckled, looking as if she were mocking Madam Liu for her delusions.
Madam Liu was not angry. She said gently, "Our family is naturally excellent. However, I have a better candidate to take over the position of head of the family."
"Oh, I wonder who you mean by the best candidate, sister?" Madam Fu asked.
Madam Liu chuckled: "Naturally, it's Fu Yunxiu, the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion."
"You..." Madam Fu did not expect that Madam Liu would not recommend her own son to take the position, but instead pushed Fu Yunxiu forward.
Although she had previously said that Fu Yunxiu was the eldest son of the main branch, her purpose was merely to buy time, not to actually push Fu Yunxiu to the position.
In her heart, the most suitable candidate for the title should be Fu Yunting.
"Liu, are you out of your mind?" Seeing the clan elders below nodding repeatedly at Fu Yunxiu, Madam Fu finally couldn't sit still any longer. "The matter of inheriting the title is not something you can just spout nonsense about."
Faced with Madam Fu's anger, Madam Liu remained calm. "Sister, why do you say that? Yunxiu is the eldest son of the legitimate wife and is exceptionally talented. When the Marquis was alive, he often said that Yunxiu was the only choice to inherit the title. So, I was merely reiterating the Marquis's idea. What's wrong with that?"
“The Marquis has been gone for so long, why are you bringing up the past now? Besides, Yunxiu once said that he had no interest in the title,” said Madam Fu.
“Mother, you are mistaken,” Fu Yunxiu interrupted before Madam Fu could finish speaking, “I said I had no interest in the title before because Father had just passed away and I was afflicted with illness and didn’t have much time left. I was disheartened and that’s why I said those words. Now that I’m well, and the Marquis’s mansion has raised me so well, I should naturally shoulder the responsibility of being the eldest son of the legitimate wife since I have received such kindness from the Marquis’s mansion.”
It means that he also wants to compete for this title.
If Fu Yunxiu's earlier statement about vying for the position of family head was merely an angry outburst, then when Madam Fu and Madam Liu confronted each other and constantly rejected him, he made up his mind.
Since Madam Fu doesn't think highly of him, he'll just do the opposite of what she wants.
"You, you..." Madam Fu pointed at Fu Yunxiu, trembling with anger. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a complete sentence, "Do you really have to take your brother's things? Oh dear, how could I have given birth to such an unfilial son!"
“Mother,” Fu Yunting said, his words were so harsh that even he couldn’t bear to listen. “What do you mean by saying that my eldest brother stole it from me? He is the eldest son, and this title should have been his rightfully.
"You unfilial son, you're going against me too!" Madam Fu's eyes were bloodshot as she threw a cup, which shattered at Fu Yunting and Fu Yunxiu's feet. "Who do you think I'm doing all this for?"
Madam Fu was so angry that she fell backward into her chair. Fu Yunting was startled and rushed over to check on her. Fu Yunxiu subconsciously reached out his hand, but quickly withdrew it.
He expressed his demands in front of the clan elders today, and I imagine his mother wouldn't want to see him either.
The proper meeting had turned into a farce. The clan leader had no intention of continuing the discussion and slammed his hand on the table. "Enough. If that's the case, then today's meeting is over. We'll discuss the matter of the clan head another day."
After saying that, he left the council chamber.
"Hey, Fourth Uncle, Third Uncle, please wait a moment." One by one, the elders left. Fu Ang watched as his carefully laid-out chess game was ruined, and he gritted his teeth in anger.
I was absolutely certain that I hadn't sent a single letter to the capital, so why did the news still leak out?
"You've come here today specifically to cause trouble, haven't you?" Fu Ang glared at Fu Yunxiu, his clear black and white eyes filled with the desire to kill him, no longer bothering to pretend.
However, Fu Ang was truly wrong about Fu Yunxiu and the others. Their timely arrival today was purely a coincidence.
After receiving Aman's letter that day, Fu Yunxiu contacted Fu Yunting and shared his speculations about his father's death. The two then went to the prison to see Fu Changze. Fu Changze said that he had also heard his mother mention this matter.
The three hit it off immediately, feeling that no matter who became the head of the family, they could not let their father's killer get his way. So, after Fu Changze was released, the three of them rushed back to Yongzhou without stopping.
They only learned from the servants at the Hou residence that the clan head was holding a meeting in the ancestral hall that day.
So everything really was just a coincidence.
But how could Fu Yunxiu possibly admit it?
He chuckled softly, "So what if it is?"
“You,” Fu Ang was so angry he choked, but quickly calmed down, “What are you after? Yun Xiu, with your intelligence and talent, if you entered the court as an official, you would have a bright future. Inheriting a title is just a count, with no real power and a low salary. Why bother?”
Fu Ang spoke earnestly and patiently, appearing to be looking out for him.
Thinking about the black heart hidden beneath his second uncle's sheepskin, Fu Yunxiu could only laugh when he heard this, but he still pretended to think and nodded, saying, "What my second uncle says is very true."
Just as Fu Ang's face lit up with joy, he changed the subject, "But unfortunately, I have no great ambitions, so I've set my sights on this small title of Marquis."
"You, you really want to go against me?" Fu Ang saw that sweet talk was useless, so he simply stopped pretending. "Fu Yunxiu, you should think this through. You've been ill for many years, and I know everything about this Marquis's mansion better than you do."
“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Uncle,” Fu Yunxiu said with a light laugh. “And please make sure you keep your true colors hidden, otherwise you’ll lose more than just the position of family head.”
Fu Yunxiu's words had a hidden meaning, which instantly reminded Fu Ang of the sordid things he had done in the past. But he quickly dismissed it.
He handled the matter discreetly and quietly, so much so that few of those close to him knew about it. Fu Yunxiu was living in the Marquis's residence at the time, so how could he have known?
Moreover, Fu Ang observed Fu Yunxiu's eyes and found that they were clear and bright, without any hatred towards him.
Perhaps he was deceiving himself.
Having figured this out, Fu Ang quickly relaxed and said, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
“The truth will eventually come out. Since you don’t understand, Second Uncle, then think about it slowly. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.” With that, Fu Yunxiu bowed to Fu Ang and then glanced at Madam Fu at the head of the table.
Seeing that she was unharmed, he withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.
The play had ended, so Madam Liu naturally had no need to stay. She and Fu Changze followed Fu Yunxiu out of the ancestral hall.
"Yunxiu, Yunxiu," Madam Liu quickened her pace to catch up with Fu Yunxiu, "You don't need to take your mother's words too seriously. She's used to speaking without thinking, but that's not what she really thinks."
She wasn't speaking up for Madam Fu; she just noticed the fleeting sadness in Fu Yunxiu's eyes when he looked at Madam Fu earlier.
No child wants to be hated by their parents. Even someone as intelligent and outstanding as Fu Yunxiu would find it difficult to remain completely indifferent to Madam Fu's harsh words.
"Thank you for your hard work regarding Changze. Saying thank you would be too insincere. I'll say it again: if there's anything we mother and son can do for you in the future, we'll go through fire and water without hesitation."
"Second Aunt, you flatter me," Fu Yunxiu said. "But there is something I would really like to ask you."
“Tell me, and I will answer to the best of my knowledge,” said Madam Liu.
Fu Changze knew what his elder brother wanted to ask. This place really wasn't a good place to talk. "Mother, why don't we go back to the manor and talk about it? There are too many people around here."
“Oh, right, that’s right. Look at my brain.” Madam Liu also realized that what Fu Yunxiu was asking was probably not a small matter. “Then let’s go to the West Garden. I had Zheng’er brew some herbal tea before I came out. It’s perfect to drink now.”
When the group arrived at the Marquis's residence, Madam Liu blocked their way and refused to let them in. Soon, two servants came out, each carrying a basin. One contained fire, and the other contained water, along with a branch of a small tree.
“You’ve all just come out of prison, you need to get rid of the bad luck.” Madam Liu explained as she took a pomelo branch, dipped it in water, and swept it over Fu Changze. Even Fu Yunxiu wasn’t spared.
“You also go in and out of the prison, so sweep up some things too.”
After they washed themselves with water, Madam Liu made them step over a fire basin, saying it was to remove bad luck.
After crossing the brazier, the group arrived at the West Garden. Servants brought out cool tea, which Madam Liu personally served to Fu Yunxiu, saying, "I'll offer this tea in place of wine to thank you for setting aside past grievances and saving Changze."
“Second Aunt, there’s no need for thanks. Actually, even if I hadn’t rescued him, Changze would have been fine; he would have just spent a little more time in jail,” Fu Yunxiu said.
“One thing at a time,” Madam Liu said.
Fu Yunxiu took the herbal tea and took a sip. A bitter taste instantly hit his tongue, making him frown involuntarily.
"This is a local specialty herbal tea from my hometown. It's good for clearing heat and relieving dryness, but the taste isn't very good. If you don't like it, there's sugar here," Mrs. Liu said.
"No, it's fine." Although she said that, she left the herbal tea on the table without touching it.
Madam Liu gave Lian Yu a signal, and the other man understood and served him tea.
Madam Liu looked at her son, who was staring at her expectantly, and handed him the remaining bowl with a hint of annoyance. "This is for you. I made sure not to add any sugar at all."
"Mother understands me best." Fu Changze chuckled, took the herbal tea, and drank it all in one gulp.
The Jinwuwei prison was damp and hot, and he had been craving this for a long time.
After Fu Changze finished his tea, Madam Liu took a handkerchief and carefully wiped the tea stains from the corner of his mouth. Fu Yunxiu was quite envious of the scene of motherly love and filial piety.
But it was just envy.
He is well past the age where he needs his mother.
Just now in the ancestral hall, Madam Fu's words, though hurtful, couldn't truly harm him. Not caring means not being hurt—this was a lesson he had learned over the years.
After the two had finished their tea, Madam Liu looked at Fu Yunxiu seriously and said, "What you want to ask is the truth about your father's death back then."
Seeing Fu Yunxiu's "How did you know?" expression, Madam Liu explained, "I had already vaguely guessed what you were saying to the second son in the ancestral hall just now."
Madam Liu was the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, and she was the one who handled Fu Xuan's funeral arrangements. Logically speaking, she should know much more than others.
In reality, Madam Liu knew very little about that Chen woman. She only knew that she was brought by the Marquis from Ganzhou, and that she was said to have been sold into servitude to bury her father when the Marquis encountered her, and that she happened to be quite beautiful.
The Marquis took her into the Wutong Garden and doted on her. The house that later caught fire was the west wing where Chen lived.
After the Marquis was rescued, Chen disappeared. At that time, the Marquis was in critical condition and kept worrying about Chen's safety.
Madam Liu had also sent people to look for Madam Chen, but there was no news.
“But your father did indeed inhale too much smoke and dust, which damaged his heart and lungs before he passed away,” Madam Liu said.
"Does Madam still remember that after Father was rescued, the doctor said that he might have been drugged with sleeping potion?" Fu Yunxiu said.
"That's true, but the doctor also said that it might be a coma caused by drinking alcohol..." Madam Liu said, realizing that something was wrong.
The fire started just before dawn. Even if the Marquis was known for his high alcohol tolerance, claiming he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and even if he had truly been drunk the night before, he should have sobered up by morning. How could he have fallen into a deep sleep and not even noticed the fire?
Unless someone deliberately got him drunk, or gave him a drug that would render him unconscious.
Seeing that she had finally come to her senses, Fu Yunxiu presented another piece of evidence, "Does Madam know that Chen Shi is very close to the people in Second Uncle's household?"
"You mean the Su family?" Madam Liu asked.
"You know?" Fu Yunxiu asked.
"I saw her picking out jewelry with Ms. Su on the street before." Ms. Su happened to be from Ganzhou as well. At the time, she thought the two were truly birds of a feather, but now it seems…
"Do you suspect that the Marquis's death is related to the Second Prince?" Madam Liu asked.
"It's not impossible," Fu Yunxiu said. But right now, he still needed evidence.
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