Chapter 59 Hatching Another Evil Plot

"How is it you?!"

Never expecting to meet the kind-hearted girl in the colorful dress from yesterday again in Fu Yanqing's residence, Zhao Dezhao was immensely surprised. The girl clearly had not expected Zhao Dezhao to become an honored guest in her own home either, and let out a cry of sheer astonishment.

"Tong'er, you know His Highness?"

Fu Yanqing, having just opened his eyes, sensed something amiss and turned to ask the girl in the colorful dress. She hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "I ran into him in the city yesterday, but I didn't know his status at the time."

"What on earth is going on? Explain yourself clearly!"

Fu Zhaoshou's tone was extremely harsh as he immediately barked out the question. Daring not to conceal anything, the girl simply gave an honest account of her chance encounter with Zhao Dezhao on the street yesterday. Upon hearing this, Fu Zhaoshou flew into a rage and scolded, "Absurd! Don't forget who you are. Showing your face in public and drawing attention to yourself—if others found out, they would think our Fu family lacks upbringing!"

The girl did not dare to talk back. Fortunately, Fu Yanqing intervened in time, saying, "Sanlang, show some respect in front of His Highness and Grand Marshal Ding. Tong'er had good intentions and did nothing wrong; do not scold her arbitrarily."

With that, Fu Yanqing turned back to Zhao Dezhao and Ding Deyu, saying, "Forgive my presumption, Your Highness and General Ding. This youngest son of mine was born with a fiery temper; he is blunt and speaks his mind. Please do not take offense at any discourtesy."

"Grand Tutor is too kind. Such a trivial matter—how could we juniors possibly harbor any petty resentment?"

Zhao Dezhao and Ding Deyu spoke modestly in unison. Then Zhao Dezhao asked with curiosity, "Grand Tutor, may I ask how this young lady is related to you?"

"She is my granddaughter, with the single-character given name Tong. She is the daughter of my eldest concubine-born son, Zhaoyan. Zhaoyan passed away early, so she was raised by my side," Fu Yanqing explained briefly before instructing the girl named Fu Tong, "Tong'er, quickly pay your respects to His Highness, Grand Marshal Ding, and your Senior Martial Brother Liang."

"This humble maiden pays her respects to the Imperial Highness of this dynasty, to Grand Marshal Ding, and to Senior Martial Brother Liang."

Obeying her grandfather's instructions, Fu Tong immediately bowed in a very well-behaved manner, lowering herself gracefully before Zhao Dezhao and the others. Perhaps driven by a sudden surge of unchaste desires or a momentary brain freeze, right in front of Fu Yanqing and his son, Zhao Dezhao reached out with his filthy claws. Not only did he help Fu Tong up, but he also seized the opportunity to grasp her tender white hand, leering as he said, "Young lady, there is no need for such elaborate courtesy. Please, rise quickly."

Social mores in the Northern Song Dynasty were far more open than those in the Southern Song, yet a rake who would brazenly hold a young woman's hands in public like Zhao Dezhao was still extremely rare. Taken aback, Fu Tong had no idea how to react; she simply raised her head to look directly at Zhao Dezhao, meeting his gaze and clearly seeing the obscenity, baseness, and greed within his eyes.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

It was only after Fu Zhaoshou coughed heavily twice that both Zhao Dezhao and Fu Tong snapped out of it. Naturally, Zhao Dezhao hastily let go, and Fu Tong whipped her hand back as if startled by a ghost, a sudden blush suffusing her face.

"There is nothing more for you here. Return to your room!"

Fu Zhaoshou's attitude toward his niece grew even harsher as he suppressed his anger to keep from erupting on the spot. Daring not disobey, Fu Tong hastily muttered an acknowledgement, bowed once more to Zhao Dezhao and the others, and then briskly left the inner hall. Zhao Dezhao kept his head still while his eyeballs uncontrollably shifted direction, greedily stealing several more glances at Fu Tong's graceful figure.

The events that followed held little nutritive value. The reason Fu Yanqing had invited Zhao Dezhao, Ding Deyu, and the others to a banquet was merely to fulfill his duties as an elder statesman of the court; he had no genuine desire to cozy up or cultivate relations with them. Zhao Dezhao and Ding Deyu attended merely to go through the motions out of respect for Fu Yanqing. Naturally, there was no sincere exchange between them, merely a superficial discussion of the military campaign during the recent Northern Expedition.

Such an uninteresting banquet naturally came to an early end. After offering pre-New Year greetings to Fu Yanqing with a feigned display of respect, Ding Deyu took the lead in bidding farewell, clearly disliking the constrained atmosphere of the Fu family. Fu Yanqing, who was likewise just going through the motions, did not press them to stay overly long. After exchanging a few hypocritical pleasantries, he ordered his youngest son to escort Zhao Dezhao and the others out of the estate.

Still harboring lustful thoughts as he was about to board his carriage, Zhao Dezhao could not resist turning back for one last look at the Fu family gates, hoping against hope that a miracle might occur. Liang Zhouhan, standing nearby, perceived Zhao Dezhao's thoughts and smiled, saying, "Your Highness, forget it. She is unsuited for you. Although she is Grand Tutor Fu's granddaughter, she is born of a concubine. Her status and standing are vastly inferior to yours; she is not qualified to be your Princess Consort. At the same time, she is too high for a mere concumbency yet too low for a principal wife—the Fu family would never agree to let her be your concubine."

Realizing the truth in these words, Zhao Dezhao could only let out a long sigh, inwardly lamenting with regret, "We share no affinity despite our encounter; what a pity. Since coming to this era, this is the first time I've managed to set my heart on a woman."

After ensuring the Song soldiers spent the New Year as comfortably as possible, Ding Deyu and Zhao Dezhao led their troops eastward on the second day of the first lunar month, returning along the main road to Bianliang, Kaifeng. Emperor Zhao Kuangyin was highly satisfied with the gains of this Northern Expedition and dispatched Zhao Guangyi to welcome Ding Deyu and his victorious men outside the city gates, while also setting up a banquet within the imperial palace to personally host the officials and wash the dust of travel from Ding Deyu and the others.

A dog cannot change its nature of eating filth. No sooner had he returned to Bianliang than the filial nephew Zhao Dezhao, right under everyone's noses, once again hoisted his resourceful second uncle onto the fire. In his capacity as a Censor-in-Chief, Zhao Dezhao submitted a memorial during the imperial banquet, impeaching Xiang Gong, the garrison commander of Luoyang, for corruption, bribery, and dereliction of duty. This incompetence had allowed bandits to run rampant within Henan Prefecture, to the extent that robbers were openly and brazenly mugging citizens in broad daylight on the streets (historical fact).

Not only that, but after satisfying Fu Zhaoshou's desire to see him offend a major regional official, Zhao Dezhao also very kindly claimed credit on Fu Zhaoshou's behalf. He acknowledged that it was Fu Zhaoshou who had reported Xiang Gong's various illegal activities to him face-to-face, which was how he had uncovered them. He earnestly implored his indulgent father to issue an imperial decree commending and rewarding Fu Zhaoshou for his courage in exposing a high-ranking minister of the court.

Just as in history, upon learning that Luoyang, one of the four capitals, had been ruined into such a state by Xiang Gong, Zhao Kuangyin flew into a rage. He immediately issued a decree stripping Xiang Gong of his official post and ordered General Jiao Jixun of the Right Martial Guards to succeed him as the Garrison Commander of the Western Capital, dispatching him to Luoyang to rectify official discipline, administrative practices, and local public security.

The matter did not end there. Having decisively replaced the crucial post of Luoyang's garrison commander, Zhao Kuangyin turned to Zhao Guangyi and asked, "Guangyi, where is your brother-in-law, Fu Zhaoshou, right now?"

"Replying to Your Imperial Majesty, Zhaoshou is currently in Bianliang. My father-in-law had him bring New Year gifts to Kaifeng as a tribute to this junior, and he has not yet returned," Zhao Guangyi replied truthfully, gritting his teeth.

"Very well, bring him into the palace tomorrow. I want to personally reward him for his courage in exposing a high-ranking regional official!"

Zhao Kuangyin meant this as a kindness, but Zhao Guangyi was so furious his stomach nearly burst. In his heart, he cursed his foolish and ignorant brother-in-law—who else could he have provoked? He had to provoke this wicked nephew of his, who was slipperier than an oiled eel! And now look at this—a major regional official of the highest tier had been mortally offended because of his own family!

Next, barely enduring until the banquet ended, Zhao Guangyi rushed to the residence of his close second brother-in-law, Fu Zhaoyuan, to find his younger brother-in-law who was temporarily staying there. Naturally, Zhao Guangyi poured all of his pent-up fury onto the younger man, roaring, "Are you out of your mind or just stupid? You actually incited His Highness to impeach Xiang Gong? Did you think he was a three-year-old child for you to manipulate? And now look at you! All of Xiang Gong's relatives and friends have marked you down for this!"

Always terrified of this brother-in-law, Fu Zhaoshou dared not talk back and could only swallow his grievance to explain, "I never expected he would pull such a stunt on me—while genuinely memorializing to impeach Xiang Gong, he exposed me at the same time, making Xiang Gong lay all the blame at my door!"

"Remember! From now on, when dealing with that wicked nephew of mine, you must be careful, careful, and thrice careful! Think things through three times before doing anything! Otherwise, just wait for disaster to strike!"

After roaring out the lesson he had summarized through blood and tears, Zhao Guangyi finally closed his mouth to catch his breath, his chest heaving violently. Beside him, the second brother-in-law, Fu Zhaoyuan, finally spoke up, "Your Highness, I believe you really ought to find a way to curb His Highness's growing arrogance. He has genuinely distinguished himself in this Northern Expedition. If his momentum is not suppressed as soon as possible, your humble subject fears he might threaten your position as the Mayor of Kaifeng."

"You think I don't want to?" Zhao Guangyi said with a helpless tone and a stomach full of bitter frustration. "But this brat is simply too cunning; he is utterly impregnable. Not only can we not lay hold of any dirt on him, but his inner circle is sealed tight, impervious to even a needle. It leaves Your Highness completely at a wit's end!"

With those words, Zhao Guangyi let out another long sigh, his expression growing even more helpless. Fu Zhaoshou, however, looked dismissive and said, "Your Highness, you overestimate this Highness of ours. Is he really impregnable? If he were truly impregnable, why would he be salivating over a concubine-born granddaughter of our Fu family?"

"A concubine-born granddaughter?" Having close ties with his father-in-law's family, Zhao Guangyi was stunned for a moment before realization dawned on him. He asked, "Are you talking about Fu Tong? What about her? How did she get mixed up with my nephew?"

Since his brother-in-law asked, Fu Zhaoshou answered truthfully, describing in detail how Zhao Dezhao had drooped and drooled over his niece with lustful eyes, his tone full of mockery and sneering derision—a grand imperial prince, no less the eldest legitimate imperial son, acting so infatuated over a concubine-born girl.

To Fu Zhaoshou's surprise, upon hearing this account, his brother-in-law did not echo his disdain for Zhao Dezhao. Instead, Zhao Guangyi closed his eyes and began to calculate carefully. After a long while, Zhao Guangyi suddenly opened his eyes, turned to his second brother-in-law, Fu Zhaoyuan, and said, "Zhaoyuan, there is something you must help me with."

"You are too polite, Your Highness. We are all family; is there any need to use polite words like 'help'? Whatever your instructions are, please speak, and this foolish brother will do his utmost!"

Fu Zhaoyuan hastily patted his chest. Zhao Guangyi nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very well, please ask our father-in-law to adopt Fu Tong as your own legitimate daughter. Have her move back to Luoyang to live in your household, addressing you as her father, and then I shall take her as my adopted daughter."

"What?" Fu Zhaoyuan nearly doubted his own ears and asked in astonishment, "Your Highness, you aren't joking, are you? My niece is born of a concubine—how could she possibly qualify to be your adopted daughter?"

"It doesn't matter, I don't mind such things."

Zhao Guangyi waved a magnanimous hand, indicating he cared nothing for distinctions between primary and secondary wives. Fu Zhaoyuan, however, insisted on getting to the bottom of it and asked, "But why? Out of nowhere, why would Your Highness think of taking her as an adopted daughter? And why make me adopt her as my own?"

"Brother, must you make Your Highness spell it out?" Zhao Guangyi finally revealed a treacherous smile and retorted, "Have you even thought about it? Once Father-in-law adopts Fu Tong as your daughter, she becomes a legitimate daughter of the Fu family. Once she possesses the status of a grand tutor's legitimate granddaughter, doesn't she become qualified to marry my nephew as his Princess Consort?"

Fu Zhaoyuan finally woke up to the truth and hurried to say, "Your Highness, you mean you want to plant Fu Tong by His Highness's side to keep an eye on his every move?"

Zhao Guangyi smiled and exhorted further, "After you bring your niece back, you must treat her well, striving to make her view you as her true biological father. The news of me taking her as an adopted daughter must be kept secret. Provide her with the finest food, clothing, and travel accommodations—I will pay for it all."

Hearing this, Fu Zhaoyuan smiled as well, his expression quite ferocious. "Who would have thought that this maid born to a concubine would have such good fortune."

Since these were arrangements personally made by Zhao Guangyi, through the efforts of the Fu brothers, Fu Tong—who had previously held a very low status in the Fu family—was quickly and secretly brought back to Bianliang. Complying with her grandfather's orders, she was adopted by Fu Zhaoyuan as his daughter. Disregarding the jealousy and opposition of his own biological daughter, Fu Zhaoyuan bestowed upon this concubine-born niece the finest treatment possible: she ate delicacies from land and sea, wore robes of damask and satin, and her daily provisions rivaled those of an imperial princess of the dynasty.

Having grown up accustomed to swallowing insults and enduring hardship at home, Fu Tong was naturally deeply grateful for this. Sensing that the time was ripe, Zhao Guangyi personally stepped forward: on one hand, he officially took Fu Tong as his adopted daughter, while on the other, he had Fu Zhaoyuan reveal the truth to her so that she knew all of this was personally orchestrated by Zhao Guangyi.

The dagger was revealed at last. Having finally disclosed his intentions and objectives to his foster daughter, along with making all kinds of generous promises, Zhao Guangyi smiled and asked Fu Tong, "Tong'er, how is it? Are you willing to do these things for your foster father?"

Hesitating for only a moment, Fu Tong made up her mind and answered softly, "Rest assured, Foster Father. This daughter is willing."

With that reply, the image of Zhao Dezhao's slightly dark, chubby, ugly face involuntarily flashed through Fu Tong's mind, and the light in her eyes turned exceptionally complex.

"Very well." Zhao Guangyi nodded in satisfaction and added with a veiled warning, "My good daughter, rest easy. Once this is accomplished, Foster Father will certainly secure an official title of honor for your birth mother. As for her treatment in Luoyang, you need not worry; Foster Father will have people take good care of her. Understand?"