Chapter 88 Concealment
The news that Fu Yunxiu had been betrothed by the Emperor to the sister of the Protector General quickly spread throughout the entire Fu family.
For a time, many people came to inquire about the veracity of the news. The once deserted Marquis's mansion had become as bustling as a market in recent days.
As the only mistress of the Marquis's mansion, Madam Liu is extremely busy every day.
His Majesty has said that he will bestow a marriage upon the heir of the Marquis of Cheng'an's family. In other words, His Majesty has decided that Fu Yunxiu will be the heir, so it is a foregone conclusion that he will inherit the title.
It was for this reason that the clan chief personally came to the Marquis's residence to inquire about the situation.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Fu Ang frowned deeply, the wrinkles on his forehead so deep they could trap a fly.
"I saw it all clearly. When the clan leader came out of the Marquis's residence, he was chatting and laughing with Fu Yunxiu, saying things like, 'Don't worry, don't worry, I definitely will.'"
"You old scoundrel." Before the servant could finish speaking, Fu Ang threw a water glass at the man's face.
The man was so frightened that he flinched, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Master, please calm down, Master, please calm down. Everything I said is true, and I would never dare to deceive you."
Fu Ang knew he couldn't vent his anger on him. After taking a deep breath, he finally calmed down a lot. "Let's go down first."
"Yes." The servant responded, closed the door, and left. Fu Ang pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the clothes rack next to the bed in the bedroom.
The garment on it was unfinished; its well-fitting cut and meticulous stitching spoke volumes about the maker's intentions.
This was originally a gift that Chen wanted to give him for his fortieth birthday. That's why she had been sneaking around lately, even defying his orders to go out secretly.
Unfortunately, before the gift was finished, she died the day before his birthday, poisoned by the woman he loved most.
Fu Yunxiu!
Fu Ang's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. If it weren't for Fu Yunxiu's interference, this tragedy would never have happened.
Recalling his past interactions with the Chen family, Fu Ang's hatred intensified. "Fu Yunxiu, back then I was able to silently end the life of your cowardly father, and now, I can naturally do the same to you. Just you wait and see."
In the main hall of the Marquis's mansion, Fu Yunxiu looked at the list of betrothal gifts prepared by the steward and suddenly sneezed.
Yesterday, I had some drinks with the clan elders and was exposed to the wind. This morning, I felt unwell all over.
Mantou brought over some tea and, seeing Fu Yunxiu's pale face, said worriedly, "Young Master, perhaps we should call a doctor to take a look."
These past few days, the young master has been working himself to the bone, and he often can't sleep well at night. Even with an iron body, this will eventually cause problems.
Fu Yunxiu shook his head, "It's nothing, I just caught a chill, I'll be fine in a couple of days."
Seeing that Fu Yunxiu was stubbornly refusing to listen, Mantou had no other choice. If it were any other day, he could have asked Aman to persuade him.
Thinking of Aman, Mantou's already somewhat unsettled brows furrowed even more deeply.
Fu Yunxiu frowned as he heard him sighing deeply in his ear. "Is there something you want to say?"
“Young master,” Mantou smacked his lips, considering how to begin, “I met Aman this morning.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunxiu paused in flipping through the gift list, then quickly resumed his work. "What did she say?"
"She didn't say much, just asked what I'd been busy with lately, and that she hadn't seen me in a long time," Mantou said. "And judging from her expression, she was waiting for me on purpose."
Fu Yunxiu and Shen Jiao's wedding date has been set for the fifth day of next month, which means there are only half a month left. The six betrothal rites have now reached the stage of betrothal, and all that remains is for the Marquis's family to send the betrothal gifts to the General's Mansion to inform the bride's family of the wedding date, and then they can just wait for the wedding procession.
During this time, everyone in the Marquis's mansion was busy with Fu Yunxiu's wedding, but thanks to his special instructions, the matter was kept completely under wraps. Even the servants of the Marquis's mansion were repeatedly warned by Madam Liu not to spread the word.
So until now, Aman still doesn't know that Fu Yunxiu is getting married.
But Aman wasn't stupid. Mantou felt that he must have sensed something, which was why he waited for him on purpose.
But without the young master's orders, he dared not tell her the truth.
"Let's keep it a secret for now," Fu Yunxiu sighed. Ten days had passed since he returned from the capital. Apart from the night he returned, he had deliberately avoided Aman for the past ten days and had never seen her.
Even when he missed her terribly, he would wait until Aman was asleep and then sneak into Wutong Garden to see her.
He didn't know how to tell Aman the news of his upcoming marriage. He was even more ashamed to face Aman's loving eyes when she looked at him.
She didn't want to see Aman's bright smile dimmed because of her.
He was even more afraid that Aman would leave him.
So, let's keep it a secret as long as we can.
“But young master…” Mantou thought that it was better to have a short pain than a long one. Rather than keeping Aman in the dark and letting her doubt herself, it would be better to tell her the truth directly and get it over with.
Before he could finish speaking, the gatekeeper rushed in with a letter, interrupting him. "Young master, a letter has arrived from the capital."
Fu Yunxiu took the letter and looked at the signature; it was from Shen Yan.
Upon opening the envelope, the words on it made Fu Yunxiu frown.
The letter said that His Majesty had sent him to inspect Lizhou in a couple of days, and he estimated that he would be gone for five or six days. During this time, his sister Shen Jiao would be temporarily taken care of by him.
In other words, Shen Jiao is coming to Yongzhou.
He and Shen Jiao were already engaged after the betrothal ceremony, so Shen Yan's actions were not inappropriate, but Fu Yunxiu just felt uneasy.
Deep down, he didn't want Shen Jiao to arrive ahead of schedule.
But if I refuse, I don't have a suitable reason.
After a moment's thought, Fu Yunxiu finally sent a letter to Shen Yan, expressing his warm welcome.
*
In the Wutong Garden, Aman sat in the pavilion, her chin resting on her hand, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a huge mosquito.
She hadn't seen Fu Yunxiu for ten days. When she asked the people from the Marquis's residence, they were always vague and avoided eye contact, as if they were hiding something from her.
When asked, Mantou only said that the young master was busy vying with the second master for the title, so he couldn't spare the time.
Mantou probably didn't know that when he lied, his hands would unconsciously fiddle with the hem of his clothes.
So what exactly are they hiding from me?
Recalling the word "happy event" that Hongxing had let slip that day, a thought quietly sprouted in Aman's heart, but she quickly dismissed it.
She preferred to believe that the Third Young Master had been exonerated and that the people of the Marquis's mansion were celebrating for him, rather than that the Young Master was going to marry a new bride.
After all, the young master had said that he would only marry her in this lifetime.
Realizing that her thoughts were getting increasingly absurd, Aman simply stopped thinking about it, put on her straw hat, and went to the backyard to pick flowers.
That night, Aman suffered from insomnia again.
Fu Yunxiu stood outside her window all night, listening to the person inside tossing and turning, sighing and lamenting, and felt his heart aching.
Cowardly as he was, selfish as he was, he didn't know how to speak, and dared not speak.
*
The day Shen Jiao arrived at the Marquis's residence, it rained heavily in Yongzhou.
The magnificent carriage stopped in front of the Marquis's mansion. The coachman brought out a stool, and Ku Zhu got out first. After opening her umbrella, she lifted the curtain and said, "Miss, please be careful."
The Hou family was already waiting at the gate. When Madam Liu, who was in charge, saw Shen Jiao get off the carriage, she came up to her and said, "The ground is slippery from the rain, Miss Shen, please watch your step."
"It's alright, thank you for your concern, Madam Liu." Shen Jiao said, but when her gaze fell on Madam Liu, she quickly looked her up and down.
Shen Jiao had thoroughly investigated everything about the Marquis's residence. She knew that Madam Fu was currently bedridden and that Madam Liu was in charge of the entire household. She also knew that Madam Liu was originally just a concubine of the Marquis of Cheng'an, and was later promoted to the rank of equal wife.
The Shen family had a family rule against taking concubines, and Shen Jiao, relying on Shen Yan's status, felt superior to everyone else. Therefore, no matter how dignified, composed, and elegant Madam Liu was, in Shen Jiao's eyes, she was always just a concubine.
Seeing Madam Liu's hand reaching out to help her, Shen Jiao felt disgusted and subtly avoided it.
Madam Liu's outstretched hand missed its mark, and when she looked up, she caught a fleeting look of disgust in Shen Jiao's eyes, instantly losing any goodwill she might have towards this pampered young lady from the capital. Adding to this was Shen Jiao's slightly upturned, slanted eyes.
This Miss Shen is probably not someone to be trifled with.
However, Madam Liu had been in the Marquis's mansion for many years and had seen countless people. She wouldn't take Shen Jiao's behavior to heart.
After welcoming them into the main hall, Shen Jiao realized that Fu Yunxiu was nowhere to be seen and asked, "Where is the young master?"
"That's right, Yunxiu has recently taken over some of the Marquis's business and is busy at the shop right now. But he instructed us to make sure Miss Shen is treated well," said Madam Liu.
"Really?" Shen Jiao forced a smile. She had a feeling that Fu Yunxiu's apparent concern for the business was a pretense; his real intention was to avoid her.
The two exchanged pleasantries in the hall for a while, and then Madam Liu led her to her lodgings.
Yunxiang Pavilion is a place next to the East Garden. It has beautiful scenery and good lighting, but it is also the place furthest away from Fu Yunxiu's Ningyu Hall.
Shen Jiao looked around and saw that everything inside was complete, showing that she had put a lot of thought into it. She could only nod and say, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam Liu."
“I’m glad Miss Shen is satisfied. Miss Shen must be tired from your journey. Why don’t you rest for a while? If there’s anything you need, just let Cui Liu know.” Madam Liu beckoned, and the maid named Cui Liu stepped forward gracefully and bowed. “Greetings, Miss Shen. I am Cui Liu, and I was assigned by Madam to serve you.”
After Madam Liu and her entourage left, Shen Jiao finally shed her dignified facade and began to scrutinize the room with a furrowed brow.
“Miss, you’ve really been wronged,” Ku Zhu echoed, but what made her most indignant was Fu Yunxiu’s behavior. “The young master is really something. You’ve come all the way from the capital, and he won’t even come to greet you.”
"Didn't I already guess this would happen?" Shen Jiaoqing scoffed.
If he rushed to greet me, it would seem fake.
Seeing that her young mistress wasn't angry, Ku Zhu didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, she asked, "When does Miss plan to meet that concubine?"
"No rush." Shen Jiao raised her hand lightly, and the bright red nail polish left a trail of shadow in the sunlight, like a blood-stained blade.
That night, Shen Jiao finally met Fu Yunxiu at the dinner table. He was still handsome and charming, but he was always indifferent to her, as if they were strangers meeting for the first time and not engaged.
Shen Jiao had anticipated Fu Yunxiu's attitude. Therefore, at the dinner table, she and the ladies whom Madam Liu had invited to keep her company talked the most.
The group chatted about the local customs and traditions of Yongzhou, and about strange and interesting things happening in the capital. Eventually, the conversation turned to the couple's wedding.
The Marquis's betrothal gifts have already been sent to the General's Mansion; now, only the final wedding ceremony remains of the six rites.
So they wanted to ask if Shen Jiao had any ideas about the wedding arrangements.
Even though Shen Jiao was arrogant, she was still somewhat embarrassed when it came to her marriage.
"Everything is up to the ladies to decide." Shen Jiao's cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice was barely audible.
"I'm finished eating, please enjoy your meal." Fu Yunxiu stood up, his face ashen, and stormed off.
"This..." The ladies looked at each other, not knowing what had happened.
Knowing Fu Yunxiu's distress, Madam Liu smiled and smoothed things over for him, "Perhaps he's just shy and embarrassed. Let's continue, don't worry about him."
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