20demayo Chapter 313 Good Husband Mr. Fu
Chapter 313 Good Husband Mr. Fu
Could it be that her family background was really as she claimed, that she was just an ordinary commoner? Just as everyone in the garden was having different thoughts, Aoki came over with a middle-aged man who was over thirty years old.
This man was Fu Fen'er's father, currently one of the Vice Ministers of the Court of State Ceremonial, a fourth-rank official. To achieve such a high-ranking position at such a young age was quite remarkable. After arriving in the garden, he first glanced in the direction of his wife, a hint of disgust unconsciously flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"My lord, what brings you here?" Lord Fu bowed to Shen Jingheng.
"Lord Fu, why don't you ask Madam Ling first and see what she has to say about tonight's events?" Shen Jingheng said, looking at the person who was bowing respectfully before him.
Recently, he had also gotten to know all the officials in the Court of State Ceremonial. This Lord Fu came from a poor family, but he was indeed well-read. After entering the Court of State Ceremonial, he was highly regarded by Hu Youcai, the then Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. In the end, Hu even married his youngest daughter to him and promoted him to the position of Vice Minister before retiring. Reaching the position of Vice Minister at his age was quite a success.
I heard that Lord Fu is deeply grateful for his father-in-law's kindness, and he treats his wife with utmost respect and affection in the family. Even though she hasn't given him a son after many years of marriage, he has no complaints and has no intention of taking a concubine. He cherishes his only daughter as the apple of his eye.
As for Madam Fu, she was pampered by her parents, brothers, and sisters when she was still at her parents' home, and was further pampered by her husband after marriage. Therefore, her already spoiled temper became even more arrogant.
Upon hearing Shen Jingheng's words, Lord Fu hurriedly went to his wife and asked softly.
"Madam, has something happened?"
"Master..." When Madam Hu saw him arrive, she was so aggrieved that she didn't care that there were many people around. She grabbed his sleeve and started sobbing like a little girl.
Lord Fu looked up at the people around him, smiled apologetically at them, and then whispered words of comfort to Madam Hu.
"Madam, please don't cry. All the ladies are here, and the master is waiting too. Please tell your husband what happened." His voice was very gentle, drawing envious glances from the surrounding ladies. Although Madam Hu was a bit foolish, she was truly blessed. In her maiden home, she was pampered by her parents and siblings, and now in her husband's home, she was so protected by her husband. If they had caused such a shameful incident, their husbands would never have spoken to them so gently.
Although she was reluctant to talk about it, Madam Hu knew she couldn't avoid it. So, she tearfully recounted the whole story, but all the blame fell on her maid, Green Silk; she herself was innocent.
He glanced back at the other protagonist of the incident, only to meet a pair of clear, black and white eyes. The clarity in those eyes seemed to see right through his falsehood and depravity. He hurriedly looked away, unable to meet Xia Yu's gaze any longer.
Although Madam Hu blamed all the faults on Lüchou, the two had been married for many years. How could Lord Fu not know his wife well? She was stupid, clumsy, and liked to think she was clever.
He felt his internal organs were being burned alive by rage, and he really wanted to strangle the idiot in his arms, but thinking of his two brothers-in-law, he clenched his fists tightly before gently patting Hu's back. He sighed.
"Madam, how could you be so foolish? You didn't wear that ring when you went out today, how could you have completely forgotten about it?"
Hu, who was still sobbing, looked up at him blankly when she heard his words, not understanding why he would say such a thing. After all, he was the one who helped her down from the carriage, and he had seen the ring at that time.
Seeing her confused look, Lord Fu cursed her inwardly as an idiot, but still gently reminded her, "Last night at dinner, you said that the ring was a little loose and would fall off if you weren't careful, and you were planning to send it to be repaired. So today, before you left the house, you took off the ring and put it on the dressing table."
After saying that, he turned to his daughter beside him and asked...
"Fen'er, you were there too, do you remember this?"
Fu Fen'er thought for a moment before suddenly looking up at her mother.
"Yes, Mother. Now that Father mentions it, I remember that when we were all dressed up, you rushed into the room and took off your ring, saying that the size was too loose and you were afraid it would fall off if you weren't careful at night, so you didn't wear it."
Mrs. Hu turned her gaze to her daughter. "Is that so?" she asked. "I clearly remember that's not the case."
However, Lord Fu gave her no more time to consider or doubt, and immediately pulled her to Shen Jingheng's side, bowing deeply in gratitude.
“My lord, I have already investigated this matter thoroughly. My wife took off her ring at home before leaving, so it was not lost; she simply misremembered. As for that maid, Green Silk, it was due to my and my wife’s lax management of the household that such a disgraceful incident occurred. Please forgive us, my lord. I will certainly strictly discipline my servants when I return.”
After saying this, he bowed deeply in the direction of Grand Tutor Li.
"Grand Tutor, my wife mistakenly believed the servants' slander and misunderstood Miss Zhang, causing her to suffer injustice. Tomorrow, I will personally visit Miss Zhang's residence with gifts to apologize."
"Hmph, putting everything else aside, shouldn't your wife apologize to my granddaughter first?" Grand Tutor Li didn't look at Lord Fu and his wife, but at Xia Yu.
“Miss Zhang, it was my wife who misunderstood you and caused you to suffer. I apologize on behalf of my wife.” As he spoke, he actually went to bow to Xia Yu.
Xia Yu quickly avoided Fu Daren's greeting. Fu Daren was a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, and Xia Yu was just an ordinary person. How could he accept Fu Daren's courtesy?
"You're too kind, Lord Fu. How could I possibly accept such a courtesy from you?" Xia Yu said, bowing to Lord Fu again.
Hearing Xia Yu's words, everyone present turned their attention to Madam Hu. Xia Yu had just said that she couldn't accept Lord Fu's apology, but Madam Hu held no official title. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone understood that Madam Hu was expected to apologize on the spot.
With so many people watching, Hu's face flushed red with anger, and she was about to lash out again. But then she felt the hand gripping her arm suddenly tighten, and she looked up at her husband who was supporting her. When she saw the pleading in his eyes, Hu's heart was deeply shaken.
Although she was very unwilling, she still bowed her head and greeted Xia Yu.
"Miss Zhang, I misunderstood you by believing the maid's words. Please forgive me for any offense I may have caused."
Despite the various stares from those around her, Ms. Hu finished her apology, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Xia Yu certainly wanted an apology, but she couldn't just stand there and accept Hu's greeting, so she quickly turned around and only accepted half of Hu's greeting.
"Fortunately, things have been cleared up, and my innocence has been restored. If it weren't for Lord Fu personally confirming that the ring was forgotten at home, I'm afraid I would have had to prove it with my death. My mother taught me from a young age that women should have good virtues and speak virtuously. Madam Fu is the wife of an official, and her every word and action is a role model for ordinary people. I hope that Madam will restrain her family members and not let the servants affect Lord Fu's career."
Xia Yu's voice was very similar to Liu's; it was gentle and soft, and just by listening to her speak, one could tell she was an extremely gentle young lady. However, the meaning behind her words was quite malicious, implying that she lacked good character and was prone to making irresponsible remarks.
After hearing Xia Yu's words, Lord Fu felt a sense of lingering fear. If this matter wasn't handled properly, and Miss Zhang were to prove her innocence with her death, regardless of whether she ultimately died or not, given Grand Tutor Li's personality, the matter would definitely escalate to the Emperor's ears. And given the Grand Tutor's position in the Emperor's eyes, no one would be able to protect him then.