Chapter 133: Every Sip and Bite Is Predestined

“You silly girl! What’s going on? You’re here as a guest during a holiday, and yet you break something!”
Feng Lan glared at Jin Su with anger, then quickly knelt down to pick up the porcelain shards. After gathering them all and wrapping them in a handkerchief, she sat back down, putting on a flattering smile as if the broken cup incident had never happened.
Having seen Feng Lan’s flattery toward the old lady Gu, her betrayal when the Zhang family faced trouble, and now her pretended remorse, Zhang Yue felt deep disgust. He originally thought Zhang Fu had used his power to force the Jin family to lose their position as prefect, but now that he knew it was due to a murder case, his unease diminished slightly. Only upon seeing Jin Su’s deathly pale face did his heart stir a little.
“Aunt Feng,” Zhang Yue took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone free of anger. “The past is past. Since you said my uncle was accused by the Judicial Department over a murder case, there’s no need to talk about forgiving minor faults. As for matters like the second wife—our Zhang family isn’t that despicable as to take a sister instead of an elder sister.”
Feng Lan’s face turned purple from anger at Zhang Yue’s words. She tugged at the hem of her clothes before forcing out a smile. “What are you saying, Brother Yue? It’s the Jin family’s fault. We’re just making up for past mistakes. If not for Su Er’s sister’s obsessive and almost insane behavior, I would have brought her here. As for the marriage…”
At this moment, Zhang Yue had no patience to listen to Feng Lan’s endless explanations. Looking at Jin Su, who had stood there dumbfounded after breaking the cup, he thought she was born into the wrong family. First, they tried to push their daughter on him like a product, then rushed to distance themselves, and now they came knocking again… Had Feng Lan ever truly thought about her daughter? Just as he took a deep breath to send her away, Jin Su suddenly stepped forward and bowed deeply.
“Third cousin, could you step back a bit? I have something to say to you alone.”

“Jin Su, you…” Feng Lan stood up with a frown, managing to utter a few words before her expression shifted to one of shock and joy. “Look at my memory—you cousins haven’t seen each other in ages; you should talk alone. Ah, I’ve been cooped up for so long that I feel dizzy. I’ll go outside for some fresh air to clear my head.”
Zhang Yue felt it was somewhat improper, but he really didn’t want to face Feng Lan, so he didn’t stop her as she hurried out. Seeing Jin Su’s pale face as she clutched her handkerchief tightly, he pondered for a moment before saying, “I told my elder brother everything about you going to the dock to see them off last time. He stayed in the cabin for a few days and never mentioned it again.”
“I didn’t expect things to turn out like this back then,” Jin Su said with a bitter laugh before lifting her head proudly. “It was indeed my parents who were at fault, but my elder sister has already tormented herself with guilt for life. When my father lost his position, I initially thought it was your family’s revenge. But after learning about that case, I really had nothing to say. Adulterers killing for money—my father actually accepted eight hundred taels of silver and turned a poisoning case into one of sudden death. If it weren’t for the subsequent murder case, I might still have been in the dark… This world is truly blind—all these bizarre things keep happening to us!”
“That’s why I’ve accepted my fate. I feel no resentment or hatred!” She wiped her tear-filled eyes forcefully and said slowly, “My elder sister may seem gentle, but she’s actually more resolute than me. That’s why she abandoned everything in a fit of anger. But I can’t do that. My father may not have been a good official and may have been despised by the people, but he’s still my father. My mother may have fawned over the powerful and been willing to abandon me to protect herself, but she’s still the mother who gave birth to me and raised me. My father is still working at the Dali Temple, but my grandmother plans to divorce my mother on the grounds that she’s disobedient for having no sons.”
Zhang Yue had always thought Jin Su was more clever than Jin Heng, but after hearing her words, he realized the term “clever” hardly applied to her. Because of Zhang Chao’s unjust rejection, he naturally disliked Feng Lan and her husband, but Jin Su, as a woman, could still speak such words under such circumstances, which truly shocked him.
“Nobody expected such an outcome. Now that things have come to this, your mother’s proposal is absurd. I don’t think my elder brother will agree. As for the grudges between our families, I’m just a younger generation and can’t comment, let alone promise anything.”

“Thank you, Third Cousin, for not wasting my time with empty words,” Jin Su said with a sad smile, her expression calm. “I know you didn’t want to hear what Mother had to say, which is why you sent her away. The Jin family has always been of low status; only Father has ever been an official. Although it was Father who agreed to the annulment, it’s not surprising that Grandmother took it out on my mother. Now that the Jin family is insignificant, I only hope you can persuade the Duke of Ying to drop this matter. No matter what the Judicial Department decides, we’ll accept it.”
After saying this, she knelt down and kowtowed three times before standing up.
Zhang Yue couldn’t stop her in time. As he reached out to help her up, Jin Su had already gotten up. At this moment, he couldn’t treat her perfunctorily like he had with Feng Lan before, but he still couldn’t promise anything: “Things have come to this. I can only pass on your words to my uncle.”
Seeing Jin Su’s relieved expression, he sighed deeply and then turned to leave the Western Flower Hall. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Feng Lan pacing anxiously in the courtyard. The cold wind blew strongly, turning her face red. From time to time, she blew on her frozen hands and stamped her feet lightly, yet she didn’t even notice him.
“Aunt Feng.”
Feng Lan was startled by his voice. Seeing Zhang Yue come out so quickly, disappointment appeared on her face, but soon she stepped forward quickly, smiling broadly. “That damned girl, Su, has such a strange temper. If I’ve offended you in any way, Brother Yue, please bear with me. Everything I said just now was sincere. I hope you can convey my message to the Duke of Ying…”
“Aunt Feng!” Zhang Yue felt the anger he had suppressed earlier surge back. He cut her off coldly, “I already said that some things can’t be fixed after the fact. Sister Su isn’t her sister’s substitute. As for your husband being under investigation by the Judicial Department, it’s a matter of duty. Using personal feelings to interfere with official matters is inappropriate. So please go back. What’s meant to be will be. It’s too late to talk about the past now. I hope you won’t forget that she’s your own daughter.”
At that point, he didn’t even bother to look at Feng Lan’s expression. Shouting to send her off, he left the Western Courtyard without looking back. Only after walking a long distance down the path did he stop and look thoughtfully toward the Western Flower Hall. If he had given in to his anger earlier, he might have ignored all notions of hierarchy and scolded Feng Lan harshly, instead of wasting words on that shameless woman.
What misfortune for the Jin sisters to have such a mother!

Entering the courtyard through the Chuihua Gate and passing through the corridor, he heard bursts of laughter inside, which somewhat relieved Zhang Yue’s oppressive mood. Thinking that although Zhang Qing was Feng Lan’s legitimate niece, given her impulsive nature, he didn’t know how angry she might get upon learning about this, he decided to keep the matter hidden for now. As soon as he entered, he saw Zhang Fu sitting at the east end of the kang, leaning on a pillow embroidered with golden snakes, while Zhang Qing and Meng Jun sat on chairs below, with Meng Jun talking cheerfully.

“It was Qing who picked out this marriage. Last time she visited the Xiangcheng Bo’s household, she met his youngest sister. That girl is only fourteen now. Though born out of wedlock, she’s gentle and considerate. The Xiangcheng Bo and his wife treat her very well and wouldn’t easily give her to families who discriminate between legitimate and illegitimate children, so they agreed right away. Qing sent a letter to Kaifeng, and the old lady immediately sent back the marriage proposal. Their birth dates match well, so now we’re just waiting for Chao Di to return from Jinxian Wei, after which the marriage can be arranged.”

Marriages between families of meritorious officials were common, and since Zhang Fu had been a comrade-in-arms of the late Xiangcheng Bo, Li Jun, he was pleased to hear this and said with a smile, “It’s thanks to you two for paying attention. Such a good match truly suits Chao Ge’s bold personality. Right, once your aunt and the others arrive in Beijing and Chao Ge returns, the marriage can be arranged.”

It was then that Zhang Yue realized his elder sister had been quite successful as a matchmaker, having arranged his elder brother Zhang Chao’s marriage. But after just meeting Feng Lan and her daughter, though happy, he couldn’t show much enthusiasm.

At that moment, Zhang Qing saw Zhang Yue enter, quickly stood up, pulled him over, and sat him down in the chair she had just occupied. Then she turned to Zhang Fu and said, “Uncle, you don’t know—my father-in-law also liked my eldest brother at first, but they gave up because their birth dates didn’t match. Now that my eldest brother’s marriage is settled, my second brother’s marriage has just started to take shape, while my third brother is highly sought after. My father-in-law and uncle both want to form another alliance with our family, so they want to marry our fourth sister to my third brother. Coincidentally, when I visited Lady Du last time, she also expressed the same interest.”

Zhang Fu was hearing about this for the first time. After asking a few questions, he laughed and said, “Brother Yue’s steady nature is even praised by the emperor—he naturally attracts people’s affection. But since he’s still young, there’s no rush. It’s fine to talk about marriage after he passes the imperial examinations. By the way, have you discussed this with your aunt and the others?”

“Grandma and my third aunt had already agreed to let me take care of them; otherwise, how would I have stepped in? Now that I have four younger brothers and two younger sisters, as the eldest sister, I naturally need to pay close attention.”