Chapter 111: It Is the Fu Family!

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In Tiao County, the morning sun had just risen.

Beneath countless tiled roofs stretched a maze of broad avenues and narrow lanes. Wheels rumbled along the streets as carriage after carriage rolled over the bluestone paving, creaking with every turn. Pedestrians streamed past one another. Men shouldered their wares and threaded through the crowds, while grocery shops, tea houses, and cloth merchants stood one after another, each radiating the bustle of daily life.

“Have you heard? More than a hundred thousand bandits from Shanggu Commandery in the north have all headed for Taiyuan Commandery...”

“That news is ancient by now. Who doesn’t know that Wei Dao’er is after Taiyuan Commandery, with his sights set on proclaiming himself emperor? I hear his men are fully armed and armored, and that they even have siege equipment...”

Amid the pedestrians, there were still many who murmured about the matter.

Zhang-shi and Tai-shi walked along the street, each carrying a bamboo basket filled with provisions. Listening to the rumors, neither woman looked pleased. In silence, they returned home.

At the Fu residence, Fu Rui, Fu Zhi, and Old Liu were working together to hold down a sheep. As the animal struggled desperately to break free, Tao-shi seized the opportunity to bind its hind legs. Only after considerable effort did they finally subdue it.

“Let us go.”

The old master saw his eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang-shi, and his granddaughter-in-law, Tai-shi, return. He slowly rose and spoke to everyone.

Fu Rui went to the front courtyard and found a thick wooden pole. He and Old Liu lifted the sheep and carried it out of the residence, while Fu Zhi hoisted a shoulder pole.

“Sister-in-law, let us go!”

Zhang-shi came to Tao-shi’s side. Seeing how much thinner Tao-shi had grown in recent days, she did not know what words of comfort to offer. She could only remain beside her sister-in-law with her daughter-in-law.

At the Li residence, the household was exceptionally lively that day. Not only were the servants and maids rushing about, but every member of the Li clan had returned as well. Aside from Li Chengzhi, who was in Pingyao County, even those living elsewhere had come back to the Li residence.

“Feng Renyi of the Feng clan of Xindu, one gold piece as a gift!”

“Fang Renyu of the Fang clan of Qinghe, one gold piece as a gift!”

“Yan Shigu of the Yan clan of Langya, one gold piece as a gift!”

“Cui Yuzhe of the Fang clan of Qinghe, ten gold pieces as a gift!”

When the old master and the Fu family arrived at the entrance of the Li residence, they saw that the long, open street outside had already been lined with carriage after carriage. Clan servants and coachmen came and went in a stream, making the place resemble a bustling market.

At the sight of this, not only Zhang-shi, Tao-shi, and Tai-shi, the three women, grew uneasy; Fu Rui, Fu Zhi, and even Old Liu looked no better.

The old master was nervous as well, but when he saw his family, he merely waved his hand and signaled them to proceed toward the Li residence.

It was Old Madam Li’s birthday celebration. The Fu family could not compare with the other clans, but no matter how others looked at them, they would still enter the Li residence.

“Old Master Fu!”

The brothers Li Chenggao and Li Lingchuan had been receiving guests at the gate. Seeing the Fu family arrive, they hurried forward to welcome them.

“Where are your father and your uncles?”

The old master looked at Li Lingchuan. There were so many guests; could the two brothers really manage everything alone?

“Father and Uncle are inside. There are many guests today. Not only have the other great clans come, but Commandery Governor Yuan of Wuyang has come as well. Father, Fourth Uncle, and Fifth Uncle are all too busy to leave.”

Li Lingchuan explained the situation to the old master.

The old master nodded. Seeing that many people were looking over curiously and that other eminent clans were approaching, he did not wish to delay the brothers. He led Fu Rui, Fu Zhi, and the others into the Li residence.

“Fu Zihou of the Fu clan of Huaiyang: ten gold pieces, ten bolts of silk, and ten treasures.”

The old master announced this to the servant recording the gifts. Zhang-shi and Tai-shi came forward with their bamboo baskets, lifted the cloth covers, and took out what lay inside. Fu Rui and Old Liu set down the sheep, while Fu Zhi lowered his shoulder pole. When the cloth covering it was removed, it too was filled entirely with silk.

At this sight—

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Not only the servant keeping the register, but all the eminent clans gathered nearby drew a sharp breath. They were astonished by the generosity of the gift.

This was merely a birthday banquet. Indeed, it was said that Old Master Li and Old Madam Li had not wished to hold a celebration at all, but in the end, someone had persuaded them, and Old Madam Li had changed her mind.

This family would surely take first place among all the gifts.

The members of the great clans exchanged glances, each thinking the same thing.

Yet when they saw the three characters recorded in the register—Fu Zihou—they suddenly remembered. Was this not the young man who, several months earlier, had led a force of prisoners against the bandit Zhang Jinchen and relieved Qinghe County? The Emperor Yang Guang had later bestowed upon him the title of Martial Valor Commandant and appointed him Colonel of the Taiyuan Eagle-Raising Commandery.

However, rumors had it that the young commander had recently been surrounded by more than a hundred thousand bandits in Jinyang, and that he was trapped in the eastern city, isolated and without reinforcements.

What a pity.

At the thought, everyone shook their heads.

That young man was indeed a hero, but what a pity. He would likely be unable to escape this calamity.

They had heard that there were no defensible heights in eastern Jinyang. Faced with an army of more than a hundred thousand bandits, the best outcome might be for him to abandon the city and surrender.

Who would have thought that this entire family belonged to that young man’s clan?

How pitiful.

From the way the family was dressed, one would have thought they should have been proud of the young man. Yet in the future, either he would die, or they would become objects of ridicule because of him.

In any case, there could be no good ending.

Within the Li residence, the members of the Fu family supported the old master into the courtyard. They immediately saw that it was filled with people engaged in conversation.

Some young scholars spoke together, while those with rank and standing were accompanied by members of the Li family. The sight made the Fu family feel even more out of place.

Fortunately, upon learning of their arrival, Li Liyan personally came out to welcome the old master, Fu Rui, Fu Zhi, and Old Liu into the main hall. Before long, Changsun Nonggui led Li Cha to the front courtyard to greet Zhang-shi, Tao-shi, and Tai-shi, intending to take the three women to the rear courtyard.

While they were speaking, Zhang-shi, Tao-shi, and Fu Zhi all noticed the bandage around Li Cha’s neck and could not help feeling puzzled.

“This girl was distraught before and nearly died. These past few days, I have not dared let her out of my sight.”

Changsun Nonggui spoke to the three of them.

At these words, the three women were all stunned. Li Cha, who had kept her head lowered the entire time, was stunned as well.

Li Cha had actually tried to kill herself?

“Look at her. She is the sixth daughter of the Li family. I hear she caused her own mother’s death when she was little, and then the third son of the Li family died as well. Many people outside are saying that Martial Valor Commandant Fu Zihou was cursed because he was betrothed to her, and that was why he ended up trapped in eastern Jinyang...”

“I heard that too. She truly is an ill-omened, accursed woman...”

Hearing the faint voices of discussion, Li Cha’s eyes, already red with shame and guilt, filled with silent tears. Her clenched fingers pierced her palms, and a trace of blood slowly seeped out.

The thought of taking her own life, which had never entirely left her, surfaced once more.

If it had not been for her, perhaps he would never have fallen into danger.

Li Cha was terrified that one day the figure in her heart would suddenly leave her, just as her mother and her third uncle had.

“Who said that?”

Tao-shi stopped and glared angrily at the young scholars beneath the pavilion.

“None of us from the Fu family has said a word, yet you dare gossip about us? Which families do you belong to? Who taught you to read and write? Step forward and say it to our faces! You hide behind others and twist words all day long. How is it that you are now worse than even a woman like me?”

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Zhang-shi had not lost her temper in a very long time. Now, however, her long-vanished ferocity instantly returned to her face. She rolled up both sleeves, stepped forward, and pointed at the scholars.

“This is the Li residence. You dare speak ill of the Li family, knowing they will not act for the sake of their reputation. But she is also a daughter-in-law of our Fu family. Who gave you the right to speak of her?”

When it came to cursing people in the street, Tao-shi could not compare with Zhang-shi. And when it came to defending one’s own, no one in the Fu family surpassed Zhang-shi.

Faced with Zhang-shi’s sharp tongue and the clear implication that she would not let the matter rest until everything had been explained, the scholars beneath the pavilion looked at one another. None dared make a sound, and all wore uneasy expressions.

In the front courtyard, Tao-shi’s angry words naturally drew everyone’s attention. After hearing Zhang-shi, the onlookers quickly understood what had happened.

As a daughter-in-law of the Li family, Changsun Nonggui did not step forward to mediate this time. She simply raised a hand and stroked the weeping Li Cha’s head, then looked toward the scholars. Her silence made her position unmistakable.

In the end, several respected elders and a few middle-aged men came forward to smooth things over. No one dared discuss Li Cha any further, and the disturbance finally subsided.

Seeing Tao-shi and Zhang-shi defend their own so fiercely, everyone in the front courtyard grew wary.

After all, if the matter escalated and Old Master Li, the other clansmen in the main hall, or the officials came out, no one could say who would end up humiliated.

....................................

Within the main hall of the Li residence, Cui Yuzhe stood behind his clan uncle in a daze.

His younger sister was missing.

His youngest sister, Cui Wenjin, had never gone to the Luoyang Li family residence. Li Huanzhu had never even seen her.

Whenever Cui Yuzhe thought of this, it felt as though the sky itself had collapsed. His father, mother, clansmen, and even his elder sister, who had already married, had all mobilized their in-laws’ connections to search for news, yet they had discovered nothing.

“Where in the world is my sister?”

What frightened Cui Yuzhe most was the possibility that she had been abducted and murdered.

Behind a wooden table, Cui Lixing sat on his knees. Because of his connection to the Boling Cui clan, and because he did not hold office in Duke Dou’s army, he could represent Duke Dou at Old Madam Li’s birthday celebration without being overly concerned about the other officials and generals of the Sui court.

With Old Master Li’s return, many important figures had come to the Li residence to offer their congratulations, particularly Yuan Baozang, the Commandery Governor of Wuyang.

As far as Duke Dou was concerned, the Bohai Gao clan, the Lanling Xiao clan, and the Fanyang Lu clan were secretly supporting him. All that remained was to lead his troops in conquering cities and seizing territory.

Sieges and battles were not easy. If Yuan Baozang could be persuaded, Wuyang Commandery would fall into their hands with ease.

Given Duke Dou’s present strength and prestige, Cui Lixing was confident that he could persuade Yuan Baozang.

Just as Cui Lixing watched Li Shaozhi speaking with Yuan Baozang, watched Old Master Li above them wearing an expression of disdain while Old Master Fu talked incessantly, and secretly lamented the young man named Fu Zihou as he imagined the battles to come, he suddenly saw his servant hurrying toward him.

“My lord! News has arrived from the south!”

The servant quickly handed Cui Lixing a slip of paper.

Hearing that the message had come from the south, Cui Lixing immediately took it, unfolded it, and read what was written inside.

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