climb
Fu Wenyang tried to pull strings everywhere to see Fu Mingjie in prison. Although he didn't get to see him in the end, he did find out that Fu Mingjie's case was being jointly tried by the Imperial Envoy and the Crown Prince.
A young master from the capital? Fu Wenyang seemed to be deep in thought.
As soon as he returned to the Fu family home, Zhao Xialan came out to greet him. She asked anxiously, "Third brother, what did the authorities say? When will they be able to release your second brother?"
Fu Mingjie shook his head. As usual, he bribed the officials, hoping they would turn a blind eye to his misbehavior. However, none of the officials who had a good relationship with the Fu family treated him well.
"Second Brother, this case is being handled personally by the young master, there's nothing I can do about it."
"What can we do? The master can't be hurt!"
"There is only one way to save my second brother now."
Zhao Xialan looked anxious and urged, "What's the solution? Tell me quickly!"
"As far as I know, Second Brother's case is being handled by a young master from the capital. If Yan'er can get on his good side, getting Second Brother out of prison is just a matter of him snapping his fingers."
Fu Wenyang was somewhat apprehensive when giving Zhao Xialan advice. He knew that if Fu Mingjie was convicted, he wouldn't be able to escape either, and the entire Fu family would be plunged into utter ruin. He could only try his best to protect Fu Mingjie. However, being a shrewd person, he didn't directly tell Zhao Xialan to send Fu Yan'er away. Instead, he suggested that Fu Yan'er try to curry favor with the young master to save the Fu family.
Fu Wenyang sighed, feigning difficulty, "Second sister-in-law, I'm doing this for the good of my second brother and Hao'er. As long as Yan'er can win that man's favor, all of our family's crises will be resolved."
Zhao Xialan was still somewhat self-aware, and she hesitated before saying, "The young master is a member of the royal family, he may not be interested in Yan'er."
"Second sister-in-law, how do we know it won't work if we don't try? Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Yan'er's appearance is one of the best in Yuzhou." Fu Wenyang coaxed patiently.
Although Zhao Xialan was reluctant, Fu Wenyang was right about one thing: if Fu Mingjie fell, Yan'er, Hao'er, and she would all have a hard time. Although she loved Fu Yan'er, Hao'er was the foundation for her to gain a foothold in the Fu family.
Having made up her mind, Zhao Xialan no longer hesitated. She brought a plate of pastries to Fu Yan'er's room, lingered on Fu Yan'er for a moment, and finally said, "Yan'er, you must know what happened in our family."
Fu Yan'er was extremely anxious at this moment, "Mother, what should we do? Father must not be hurt!"
Facing her own daughter, Zhao Xialan hesitated: "There is a way, but..."
"But what? Mother, explain yourself clearly!"
Zhao Xialan said in a deep voice, "Yan'er, as long as you become the young master's woman, your father will have a chance to live."
"What?" Fu Yan'er's mind went blank, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. She couldn't believe that her mother, who always doted on her, would push her out.
"Mother, are you going to send me away?"
"It's all my fault for being so incompetent." Zhao Xialan wiped away her tears with her embroidered handkerchief and choked out, "Your father has suffered such a calamity, and only you can save him now."
Fu Yan'er angrily knocked over the pastries in front of her. "You don't even know what kind of person that young master is, and you're going to send me away?"
"No, listen to your mother." Zhao Xialan forcefully grabbed Fu Yan'er's hand, forcing her to calm down. "Your mother has already inquired. The young master is so young and handsome. Your mother wouldn't..."
"I won't listen! I won't listen!" Fu Yan'er was almost in a breakdown, she covered her ears and shouted.
Zhao Xialan's tense expression softened slightly, and she sighed heavily, "Yan'er, I won't force you if you don't want to go, but once your father is in trouble, the Fu family will fall into Uncle's hands, and then we..."
Zhao Xialan didn't elaborate on what she was saying afterward, but Fu Yan'er already understood what she meant. Just like her uncle had done, her father would only take over after he died.
History will repeat itself, only this time it's me who will be the one slinking out of the mansion instead of Fu Zhiqiao.
Fu Yan'er knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling uncontrollably.
“Yan’er, I know you have resentment in your heart, but your father has always loved you. Can you bear to see him locked up in a cell? Can you bear to let our family wander the streets? Don’t blame me for being heartless. The only way now is to let you try.”
That night, Fu Yan'er couldn't sleep.
The next morning, Fu Yan'er came to Zhao Xialan's room. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had made a great decision. "Mother, I'll go."
They share both glory and misfortune; if something were to happen to her father, she wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.
Zhao Xialan led the carefully dressed Fu Yan'er to Fu Wenyang's study.
Seeing that Fu Yan'er's clothes and appearance were extraordinary, Fu Wenyang praised her, saying, "Yan'er's beauty is even better than before. Your third uncle wishes you all your dreams come true."
Fu Wenyang got straight to the point: "Your third uncle has already found out for you. The road from the clinic to the government office is the prince's daily route. You just need to find the right moment to bump into him on this road."
Fu Yan'er nodded, a flash of hatred and disgust crossing her eyes as she lowered her head. "Thank you for your trouble, Third Uncle."
*
In the Qingzhou government office, after the correct medicine packets were replaced, the patients' symptoms were immediately relieved, and the pressure on the officials' shoulders gradually dissipated.
Xie Zhuo packed food from Tianfulou as usual to have dinner with Fu Zhiqiao, with Wang Qianxin following behind him carrying the food box.
Fu Yan'er hid around the corner, staring blankly at the person walking in front of her for a moment.
In the two or three years since the eldest branch of the Fu family fell, the second branch has been the main force in the Fu family. Fu Yan'er has gained a lot of experience during the years that Fu Mingjie has been in power, but just one glance made her feel the difference.
The young master was exceptionally handsome, with striking and refined features. His tall, slender figure and lean waist were captivating, drawing everyone's attention wherever he stood.
Fu Yan'er's heart was pounding.
She suppressed her complicated emotions, seized the opportunity, and ran out from around the corner, intending to create a scene of accidental collision.
Fu Yan'er stumbled and fell towards Xie Zhuo, but Xie Zhuo nimbly dodged to the left, causing Fu Yan'er to miss and fall to the ground.
"Are you injured, young lady?" Xie Zhuo asked with concern, but his body remained as straight as a pine tree, showing no intention of helping her up.
Fu Yan'er raised her head and looked at him pitifully: "I think I twisted my ankle, young master, could you help me up?"
She tilted her head slightly, revealing a hint of moisture in her eyes, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment, presenting a pitiful and fragile appearance.
Xie Zhuo remained unmoved. "Sorry, men and women should not touch each other."
Wang Qianxin, who was holding a food box behind her, didn't come over to help her, so Fu Yan'er just sat on the ground.
Gradually, people stopped and looked over.
When Xie Zhuo didn't come to help her up for a long time, Fu Yan'er felt both ashamed and annoyed. She could only give Xiao Qiu, who was hiding in the crowd, a wink.
"Girl? Where are you? Girl!" Xiao Qiu immediately pushed through the crowd and rushed out. "Who are you? What do you want to do to my girl?"
"Xiao Qiu, don't be rude." Fu Yan'er stood up with the help of her hand, gently scolded her, and then turned to Xie Zhuo and said, "I didn't mean to offend you, young master. Please don't take offense."
As she spoke, Fu Yan'er took a small step back.
"Hiss!" She leaned weakly against Xiao Qiu, who was very anxious. "Miss, Miss, what's wrong?"
Seeing Fu Yan'er's limping posture, Wang Qianxin put the food box on the ground and took a purse from his waist. "This young lady has sprained her ankle. I'll take you to the clinic to have it checked out. Consider this money as an apology."
"How rude of you! You hit someone and then tried to pay them off with money? Is my daughter someone who's short of money?" Xiao Qiu glared angrily.
Fu Yan'er bit her lower lip lightly, her face showing an embarrassed expression.
Wang Qianxin, a burly man in his thirties, had spent his years either studying with Xie Zhuo or going to the battlefield. He had no experience in handling such matters and was momentarily embarrassed. "Uh, well then, young lady, please wait here for a moment. I'll go find a sedan chair to take you to the clinic." With that, he ran across the street to borrow a sedan chair.
Seeing Wang Qianxin arrive with sedan chair bearers, Xie Zhuo picked up the food box from the ground and left. He needed to hurry back to have a meal with A Qiao, otherwise the food would get cold and not taste good.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Qianxin arrived with the sedan chair bearers, leaving Fu Yan'er with no choice but to get into the sedan chair.
Sitting in the sedan chair, Fu Yan'er couldn't help but lift the curtain and watch Xie Zhuo's departing figure. She couldn't help but feel a little tempted. This young master was not only of noble status but also exceptionally handsome. If she could marry such a man... she would be willing to be his concubine.
Thinking about her current situation, Fu Yan'er's eyes dimmed slightly.
*
Rumors of the Fu family selling counterfeit medicine somehow spread, causing a sharp drop in business for all the Fu family pharmacies in the city. Some people even blocked the entrances of the Fu family pharmacies with sticks in hand, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.
"The unscrupulous merchants almost killed my son by switching the medicine package."
"Everyone, come and see!" the woman accused viciously. "The Fu family pharmacy is so unscrupulous! They actually sell fake medicine. My son almost lost his life because of them."
"No way, the Fu family's shop sells fake medicine?"
The woman also told the other onlookers about her grievances, "You don't know, my son unfortunately contracted the plague. The government doctors prescribed medicine, but the people at the Fu family pharmacy cheated and substituted inferior medicine, causing my son to suffer for several more days and almost die!"
"So it was a problem with the medicine. No wonder my mother's condition didn't improve even after taking so much medicine."
“Madam, you’ve made a mistake. I’ve always gotten my medicine from the Fu family’s pharmacy, and I’ve never made a mistake.” An older woman spoke up for the Fu family’s pharmacy, and many others in the crowd echoed her sentiments.
"I'm not mistaken, Master Fu has been arrested and interrogated in the yamen."
Master Fu has been arrested and taken to the yamen.
This is big news.
"Third Master, what should we do? Now, no clinic, big or small, in or outside the city, wants to buy medicinal herbs from us anymore." The shopkeepers looked anxious as they came to Fu Wenyang for help.
"Please be patient, everyone. Please wait a few days, the matter will be resolved." Fu Wenyang was powerless to resolve the issue, so he could only send the shopkeepers away before thinking of other solutions.
Fu Wenyang found Zhao Xialan and asked if there was any progress on Fu Yan'er's side.
Fu Yan'er only met Xie Zhuo once on the street, and didn't even see his shadow. "I only saw the prince once, I didn't have any chance at all."
Fu Wenyang glanced at her and asked, "Now there's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Yan'er, are you interested?"
"What opportunity?"
Fu Wenyang gestured for her to come closer.
Fu Yan'er blushed after hearing this, then looked troubled. Her behavior had gone too far; using such methods was undoubtedly trampling on her dignity.
"Fortune favors the bold; opportunities only come once, it all depends on whether you can seize them."
In the Jinyu Garden of the Fu residence, Zhao Xialan anxiously pulled Fu Yan'er aside and asked, "Yan'er, what did your third uncle say? Is there any solution?"
"Mother, if saving Father will come at a great cost, do you still want me to go?"
"What price? Is there a price greater than your father's death? The most important thing right now is to rescue your father as soon as possible. If anything happens to your father, we're all finished!"
Fu Yan'er was stunned. After a moment, she suddenly stood up and resolutely walked towards the door.
"Yan'er, where are you going?"
Fu Yan'er pursed her slightly dry lips. "Go save Father."
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