After Rebirth, She Becomes the Revenge Queen
Chapter 62 - 061: The General Says He Is Curious About a Woman!

Chapter 62: Chapter 061: The General Says He Is Curious About a Woman!

"The people inside the Fu family said it?" Du Su asked, "Who did you hear it from?"

Madam Du the Third glanced at him and whispered, "Doesn’t Fu Yun have a concubine? It was from someone I sent out, who got the news from the people in their concubine’s quarters."

"Shameful!" Du Su glared and scolded her, "You’re a proper wife of an imperial official, the renowned Third Mistress of the Du family! And yet you go and inquire about news from people at the side of a concubine’s quarters! If your sister-in-law finds out, she’ll scold you to death!"

Madam Du the Third, feeling lost and helpless, stood up and her voice unconsciously rose, "What’s the harm in just gathering some information? How does that bring shame to the General? And besides, is this what I wanted? Am I not thinking for Brother Cheng’s lifelong happiness?

"The status and rank of the Fu family are way below ours, but let’s not speak of that, at least they should bring someone healthy and fertile into the family, right? But their eldest daughter, ever since she came to the capital, I’ve inquired about so many families, and hardly anyone has seen her! Those few who did, all say how frail she is, how she can’t withstand anything!

"A girl like this, not to mention having children, or managing a household, she can’t even keep herself alive! Am I supposed to marry an ancestor into the family? Besides, if she passes away shortly after marriage, turning a celebration into a funeral, what would outsiders say about us who don’t know the truth?

"And Brother Cheng, who would have to marry again after losing a wife, what kind of high-born lady could he still find?

"We only have two sons now!

"If this happens, our third branch won’t even compare to the second branch, and we’ll be unnecessarily inferior to Brother and Sister-in-law!"

After this long speech, Du Su fell silent.

The third branch of the Du family were not blood brothers, but were the closest cousins in the entire clan. So even as cousins, Du Su and his second cousin Du Yan lived close to the National Guardian General Du Xun’s mansion.

The second branch had always managed better than the third and was more valued by Du Xun, so these cousins had a quiet rivalry. But in recent years, Du Su had been sent away on an official position, leaving Du Yan in the capital to become even closer with the General Mansion. So Du Su had made great efforts to have Du Xun transfer him back to the capital, all to stay connected to the General’s Mansion.

The marriage arrangement with the Fu family indeed became a worry for Du Su.

According to his wife’s words, the future of the third branch was indeed concerning.

"So what do we do now?" Du Su spread his hands, "I can’t keep playing dumb. If I do, the General’s Mansion might even start questioning us."

Madam Du the Third sat back down, sighed, and rested her head on her hand: "Let me probe the Fu family’s situation and then decide. A few days won’t make a difference."

...

Fu Zhen immediately set a date with Mrs. Fu to go to Baihe Temple to fulfill their vows, which was set for March 14, three days later.

Firstly, each of them had matters to attend to over the next two days. Earlier, Fu Yun tried to wrest control of the main kitchen from Mrs. Fu, reminding her that Mrs. Liu had likely planted many people there, requiring her immediate attention for rectification to prevent future troubles.

Meanwhile, Fu Zhen needed to await Pei Zhan’s guards and the news from the Li family. As for Fu Yun’s promotion, she wasn’t very concerned. Since Pei Zhan had promised her, the matter would surely be taken care of.

Secondly, the fifteenth was the full moon, a proper day for incense offerings. Going on that day would seem more sincere. By going a day early, they could avoid stumbling in the dark and missing the schedule. For Mrs. Fu, it would mean ample time to visit Cheng Kong, and for Fu Zhen, it would allow her to explore the ruins while spending the night at the temple.

As Pei Zhan said, they had to retrieve that dagger to believe Fu Zhen, making this task urgent.

Meanwhile, the Pei family’s side, in the evening the Cheng family brought good news to Pei Zhan, that the Yunnan Dan Shen root, verified by Doctor Hu, was of excellent quality, so the decoction was now being consumed.

Pei Zhan selected two guards at night, relayed Fu Zhen’s request to them, and instructed them to report to the Fu family at dawn.

Before sending them off, he pondered briefly and recalled them, saying, "After you arrive at the Fu family, besides following Miss Fu’s instructions, investigate the internal situation there, especially concerning Miss Fu and report back to me promptly."

The guards looked up, "Master, is there something wrong with Miss Fu?"

Pei Zhan’s expression remained unchanged: "No. I’m just curious."

Why would he be curious about an unmarried young lady? The guards didn’t dare to say more or ask further, each coughed and bowed, exiting the room.

Pei Zhan lifted the wine jug, poured himself a cup, and drank it against the flickering reflection of the lamp in the cup.

These two were smart and capable attendants he had chosen, having handled tasks significantly more important than this. In truth, he didn’t need them for such a trivial matter.

But Pei Zhan still chose them.

The young lady of the Fu family, seemingly frail and pale to an absurd degree, was indeed full of suspicion.

Whether it was what Pei Zhan himself saw or what he inquired, this woman named Fu Zhen appeared to be on the brink of death.

The Fu family was not a complicated household; their background was clean, traceable for five or six generations without issue.

On the surface, being confirmed as the Fu family’s daughter, there was nothing to be worried about.

But her vibrant spirit so poorly matched her fragile appearance. Anyone with a frail body couldn’t have such a good spirit, and if their spirit was good, their physique shouldn’t be so weak.

These two extremes simultaneously presented themselves on her, and though Pei Zhan had seen countless people, he was seeing someone so peculiar for the first time.

If, on that night, she had been watching someone else’s family, Pei Zhan would have quickly lost interest.

But she was climbing the walls of the Liang family!

How could he let someone keep an eye on the Liang family right under his nose?

The words she spoke at first he didn’t believe a single one of them.

Even today’s mention of a murder case, though detailed and seemingly vivid as if it occurred before her eyes, Pei Zhan couldn’t fully trust it.

No solid evidence, right?

Furthermore, why did Mrs. Fu coincidentally appear there?

"Master."

Guard Guo Song entered, "From the Liang Mansion, the Great General sent someone, inviting you over for a chat."

Pei Zhan lifted his eyes.

Guo Song continued, "It’s said that Vice Minister Xu brought two jars of Tianquan Villa’s fine wine. The Great General felt it wasn’t enough fun for them alone, so they came to invite you."

Pei Zhan lowered his eyes again, "I’m not going. Let them drink by themselves."

Guo Song approached, "Master, you’ve declined three occasions where Vice Minister Xu was present. If you refuse again, it might lead to misunderstandings. The Great General and the Prince have official matters to discuss lately, too."

Pei Zhan cast a sideways glance at him, sat for a moment, and then said, "Prepare the horse in an hour."

If he went over there in an hour, they would probably have had enough to drink by then.