Who Was His Junior Sister?

When Zhao Ruyu wasn't involved, Fu Yunlang remained quite clear-headed. He should have understood from Zhang Changshen's attitude that the probing was over and he could go back.

But the buyer was Zhao Ruxi, and Zhang Changshen was putting on such an attitude, Fu Yunlang couldn't stand.

However, he was very careful with his words to avoid causing trouble for his father.

He said, "I am young and of low rank, how dare I instruct you, sir, on how to conduct yourself? But I truly do not understand. That Lady Wei used her maid to commit murder, and both mistress and servant were from the Marquis of Suiping's Residence's household. At that time, the Earl of Suiping's Residence had not yet divided its property, so these crimes were committed by people from the Earl of Suiping's Residence. If you, Lord Zhang, say that Miss Zhao is the aggrieved party, I truly cannot understand, which is why I am seeking Lord Zhang guidance."

Wu Zong couldn't listen to this any longer.

Zhang Changshen might not be familiar with Fu Yunlang, but Wu Zong knew him.

Ever since Fu Yunlang returned from Jiangnan, he had repeatedly asked Qin Chong to inquire about the Lady Wei.

Qin Chong used to hang out with Fu Yunlang and others. Because he was always teasing cats and dogs, his family was worried that he might get into trouble, so they asked Wu Zong for help to get him a job at the Court of Judicial Review, doing odd jobs in the yamen.

Fearing that he might accidentally make a mistake and reveal information about the Court of Judicial Review, Qin Chong asked Wu Zong if he could tell Fu Yunlang about these matters.

Wu Zong found it strange at the time, and only after asking Qin Chong did he learn that Fu Yunlang and Lady Wei's adopted daughter, Zhao Ruyu, who was also the girl from the Xu Family who had been swapped with Zhao Ruxi, were in love with each other, and their families were even considering marriage. With Lady Wei's incident, their marriage was very likely to fall through. That's why Fu Yunlang was particularly concerned about this matter.

"Young Master Fu mean that the Earl of Suiping's Residence deserves his punishment and is not the aggrieved party, so they are not qualified to buy this estate?" He asked Fu Yunlang calmly, with a smile on his face, looking very kind.

Wu Zong was handsome and had a warm, approachable demeanor. Compared to Zhang Changshen, who stood beside him with a sullen face, Fu Yunlang improved considerably.

However, Fu Yunlang knew that these officials were all very shrewd and worried that he might bring trouble to his father and brothers if he was not careful. So he carefully chose his words: "I am only asking for advice, I have no intention of questioning you in the slightest."

"So that's what you mean?" Wu Zong pressed.

Fu Yunlang had a gut feeling that this seemingly kind Lord Wu was up to no good.

Kang Shilin was completely absorbed in painting and disliked all gossip. He didn't publicize his taking Zhao Ruxi as his apprentice.

Since their master didn't mention it, the disciples couldn't bring it up with others without a reason. Therefore, Fu Yunlang was unaware of the relationship between Zhao Ruxi and Wu Zong.

Even knowing the visitor's intentions were hostile and that the other party might use this against him, Fu Yunlang considered the meaning of those words and nodded, "Yes."

That's just how it is. He's just stating the facts; what's there to be afraid of?

"Then I'm puzzled. These past few days, Young Master Fu Er has been sending people to the Court of Judicial Review to inquire, seemingly trying to exonerate the Lady Wei and shift all the blame onto Wei Qiu. Are you not doing this for the Earl of Suiping's Residence, but for the Wei Family?"

"I..." Fu Yunlang choked, unable to speak.

He hadn't expected that Wu Zong knew he had inquired about the Lady Wei.

"I... I didn't." He knew this was no small matter. If anyone used this as leverage, it would definitely cause his father a lot of trouble.

"I didn't mean to exonerate the Lady Wei. I just heard about it after returning from Jiangnan, so I asked Qin Chong about it out of curiosity. That's all."

Wu Zong didn't intend to force him to admit it. It was a matter between a man and a woman, and they hadn't even formally discussed or engaged yet. For a Principal Fifth Rank official like himself to question a junior about such a matter would be beneath his dignity.

He just wanted to expose Fu Yunlang's feigned confidence.

Wu Zong turned to Zhang Changshen and said, "Forget it, sir. The Marquis of Pingnan has served the border with great merit. If my junior sister were to take this estate, people would gossip, saying she's trying to compete with the border soldiers for profit. My junior sister has no power or influence; how could she bear such a accusation? You should give this estate to the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence. Fortunately, it's only a verbal agreement and hasn't been transferred yet, which saves a lot of trouble."

Both were seasoned shrewd old foxes; Zhang Changshen and Wu Zong exchanged a glance and immediately understood his meaning.

He immediately said, "That's great, then I won't be caught in the middle anymore."

He said to Fu Yunlang, who looked completely bewildered upon hearing the words "Junior Sister," "In that case, I'll send someone to inform the Beining County. Young Master Fu Er can send someone to handle the transfer at any time."

"No. May I ask who Lord Wu's junior sister is?" Fu Yunlang asked.

Wu Zong had already stood up and smiled, "This is my private matter, and I don't think there's any need to report it to Young Master Fu Er."

He turned to Zhang Changshen and said, "Sir, I'm going to do my work." Then he walked out.

Zhang Changshen had already picked up his teacup; he was seeing the guest out.

Fu Yunlang felt he had done something stupid, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, so he had no choice but to take his leave.

As he walked out, he wondered to himself: When did Zhao Ruxi become Wu Zong's junior sister? Who is Wu Zong's master? Oh, right, it's Mister Kumu. Why did Mister Kumu take Zhao Ruxi as his disciple? Was it because she's good at drawing jewelry?

He walked out of the Court of Judicial Review in a daze, got into the carriage, and sighed.

Should I tell my brother about what happened today? If he does, he'll definitely scold me, saying I can't even handle such a small matter. Oh well, it's done, there's no need to tell him. The process isn't important, the result is.

Lord Zhang and Lord Wu still give the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence a lot of face, don't they? Brother, you'll be Gao Xing to know that, won't you?

Zhang Changshen came out of the reception hall and went directly to Wu Zong's room.

Wu Zong put down his pen, looked at him without saying a word.

Zhang Changshen tapped the armrest a few times and said, "I'm going to the palace. You go..."

Wu Zong refused. "No, I'm not going anywhere." He waved the things in his hand, "I'm busy, I don't have time."

Zhang Changshen looked at Wu Zong for a while, and seeing that he was unmoved, he had no choice but to stand up. "Alright then, I'll go to the palace." He walked out with his hands behind his back.

Wu Zong raised his eyebrows, stood up refreshed, and waited until Zhang Changshen was far away before going to the place where Zhao Ruxi was painting.

He waved for the people in the corridor to stand back, then lowered his voice and said, "Junior sister, I've already discussed the matter of teaching painting with the master. He's gone to the palace now. Once the emperor's decree comes down, you can start your classes. One class per province, and I'll help you schedule the time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruxi's eyes lit up.

She understood what "one class per province" meant: a class must have at least ten students.

How many provinces does the Great Jin have again? It certainly doesn't have fewer than China. China has twenty-three provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, plus two special administrative regions. The Great Jin Dynasty must have at least twenty or thirty provinces, right?

Her senior brother didn't haggle over the price; he was definitely sticking with the price set by their master. 1,500 taels per person! Wow, she could almost see countless coins flying towards her.