The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1204 - 1183: Confrontation

Chapter 1204: Chapter 1183: Confrontation

Upon entering the front hall, Yue Wei immediately began apologizing to County Magistrate Fu with his wife and child. In front of their in-laws, he scolded his son vehemently. Of course, scolding his wife was out of the question, even though he himself wanted to do so badly, but that had to be done in private. In front of his son and outsiders, he still had to give his wife some face.

County Magistrate Fu did not say whether he accepted the apology or not but just kept sighing. After glancing at Yue Dalang and then his wife, he sighed again, a look of difficulty on his face.

Eventually, he simply took Yue Wei’s hand and said, "In-law, how about we talk in the study instead?"

Mrs. Fu also took the opportunity to take hold of Old Madam Yue, and with a feigned smile said, "Then, Mother-in-law, please let me entertain you. Let the master go ahead."

Yue Wei felt something was strange, so he followed County Magistrate Fu to the study.

With a face full of guilt, he said, "Brother Ziliang, I truly feel ashamed for failing the trust you’ve placed in me..."

After a sigh, County Magistrate Fu waved his hand and said, "Enough, enough, please have a seat, Brother Guizhong."

Seeing that County Magistrate Fu had finally softened a bit, Yue Wei quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

County Magistrate Fu said, "I was indeed furious when I first heard about this. I only have two daughters, and Second Lady is the wisest one among them. I’ve always cherished her in my heart, but I never expected..."

The shame on Yue Wei’s face deepened.

"At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to take her back home, but it was Second Lady who persuaded me. She said that marriage is about forming a good relationship between two families. If we were to become enemies over her issue, it would not look good. And besides, you were not at home when it happened, so it’s not your fault."

Yue Wei didn’t nod; he felt somewhat uneasy.

County Magistrate Fu said, "It’s just that while I know what kind of person Brother Guizhong is, it’s difficult to explain to my wife. She has always been fond of our children, and Wen Hua is very close to her elder sister. Caught in the middle, I, sigh—"

Yue Wei: "..."

What could Yue Wei do? He could only nod, saying with a sigh, "It’s not the sister-in-law’s fault, it is indeed a failing on the part of my Yue family, for ultimately Second Lady has been wronged."

County Magistrate Fu then waved his hand, "Let’s leave that be. If you ask me, let women and children sort it out themselves. Come, let’s drink, just drink." He had a look of resignation.

Yue Wei hesitated, feeling this was out of character for County Magistrate Fu, but indeed it was consistent with his usual thoughts and practices.

He believed that women should take good care of the household, so that men could focus on their struggles within court politics.

County Magistrate Fu had already taken up a liquor jug and started pouring wine for Yue Wei. Meanwhile, a servant quietly brought in snacks to accompany the drink, reporting that everything was still harmonious in the front hall, and neither the Madam nor the young masters had come to blows.

The two masters in the room let out a sigh of relief at the same time, then looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.

The atmosphere instantly relaxed. County Magistrate Fu filled another cup of wine for Yue Wei and asked with a smile, "Brother Guizhong, I’ve just arrived in the capital, and on my way here, I heard that the political climate in the capital has changed. I wonder if Brother Guizhong is doing well?"

Yue Wei quickly replied, "What, Brother Ziliang, you heard about it on the road?"

County Magistrate Fu nodded, "It’s quite the commotion. I overheard some passing merchants talking about it, saying that the Prince of Yizhou is now under house arrest. I was immediately concerned since Brother Guizhong currently holds a position in the Censorate."

Yue Wei then sighed, "Lately the situation does change rapidly. We tread carefully, not daring to make a single mistake. The matter of the Prince of Yizhou has implicated many, and even three people from our Censorate have been taken."

County Magistrate Fu was shocked, "How can this be?"

"One of them was too deeply involved with the Prince of Yizhou, while the other two were detained because they continuously petitioned for the Prince’s judgment, and the Empress Dowager’s faction dug up their past misdeeds to bring them down. Hence, everyone at court feels insecure now."

After all, no one can guarantee their own absolute integrity; if they stand out too much, both the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Yizhou’s factions, if they target them, have quite terrifying attack power.

County Magistrate Fu remained silent for a long while before saying, "So, Brother Guizhong, you..."

Yue Wei laughed and said, "I am just going with the flow, submitting a petition daily following the officials for the judgment of the Prince of Yizhou, nothing that draws attention to me."

He said, "My position is lowly, and I have only recently arrived in the capital. Although my foundation is not stable, I do not have any conspicuous misdeeds."

Except for the recent family matters.

Thinking of this, Yue Wei smiled awkwardly at County Magistrate Fu.

County Magistrate Fu naturally understood that while this matter of his family was not a major issue, it was not minor either.

It was not a major issue because, even by the strictest official standards, he wouldn’t be punished for any crime; but it was not minor either, as his superiors could use the excuse of poor household management to suspend him from his duties.

It’s easy to be suspended as an official, but difficult to be reinstated.

For a family of humble origins like Yue Wei’s, suspension was essentially equivalent to being stripped of office, making it extremely difficult to be reinstated.

For someone as ambitious as Yue Wei, this was obviously a severe setback.

County Magistrate Fu lifted his cup to drink, hiding the smile at the corner of his mouth, and began discussing matters relating to the Prince of Yizhou.

The atmosphere in the study was harmonious, but the front hall was not.

As soon as County Magistrate Fu and Yue Wei left, Mrs. Fu looked coldly at Old Madam Yue.

Old Madam Yue’s rise to the status of the old madam was due to her son having taken a wife; in reality, she was only two or three years older than Mrs. Fu.

Originally, her husband was two ranks above County Magistrate Fu. Then, when Fu was promoted to marshal, her husband was also transferred to the capital. Even by the standards where capital officials are considered more prestigious than local ones, her husband was still one and a half levels above County Magistrate Fu.

But who could have expected that, in less than half a year, County Magistrate Fu would be promoted by another rank, becoming a Senior Historiographer?

The two families were now of equal rank, but Yue Wei was still a capital official and appeared to be a bit more noble than County Magistrate Fu.

However, the Yue family was at fault this time, and Old Madam Yue simply could not muster the confidence, becoming stiff under Mrs. Fu’s icy gaze as she stumbled through another apology.

Of course, she could not admit that she was heartlessly greedy for a grandson, neglecting the life of her daughter-in-law; she claimed it was due to her own lack of care towards her daughter-in-law, which led to Fu Wenyun’s difficult childbirth.

She then brought up the hardships of childbirth, explaining how at the time the midwife repeatedly said that the situation was hopeless, and in her desperation, she only thought of preserving the sole bloodline for Fu Wenyun...

As Mrs. Fu listened to her rambling on, she felt like spitting in her face, but thinking about how her daughter still had to be her daughter-in-law in the future, she held back.

But she couldn’t appear weak either, so she also spoke of the difficulty women face, and the challenges of childbirth, telling the story of how she almost had a difficult labor with Fu Wenhua. Eventually, her mother-in-law preferred to let the doctor prepare medicine for an abortion just to keep her safe.

Mrs. Fu, wiping away tears, cried out, "Back then, my mother-in-law said, ’Children can be had often, but a daughter-in-law is only one, even if I can’t have children, the master is still around. In time we can take a concubine to have children who could be raised on my lap just like my own.’ We never considered sacrificing the daughter-in-law for an unborn child."

Mrs. Fu glanced over with lifted eyelids at Old Madam Yue, whose face alternated between pale and ashen, and sharply commented, "Our Fu Family is not of those heartless and ungrateful, absolutely incapable of such deeds."

Yue Lan, standing aside, bowed her head deeply, listening.

Mrs. Fu continued, "Whose child doesn’t grow up in the palm of their parents’ hands? From such a young age, the Second Lady has grown up into what she is today; her father and I have poured so much effort into raising her. We do not expect our in-laws to treat her as their own daughter, but at least to regard her as a person."

Old Madam Yue’s face stiffened, and with trembling lips, she said, "Mother-in-law jests, I truly cherish the Second Lady like she’s my own daughter..."

Those were her words, but what everyone truly thought was beyond her control. Mrs. Fu did not bother to argue, deciding to follow her husband’s advice, and tomorrow have Wen Hua find an opportunity to invite Yue Lan out for another punishment.

Parents only know the pain for their own child. We’ll see how much you truly care.

With this thought, Mrs. Fu took Old Madam Yue’s hand, wiping away tears and said, "Since you’ve said this, I feel at ease. In my heart, I regard my son-in-law as my own son."

Hmph!