Transmigrated As A Scholar Chapter 59

Chapter 59 

Just as their carriage and horses reached the city gates, Qiao Hezhi spotted the Qiao family carriage from the carriage window. He gently tugged on Fang Yu's sleeve and said joyfully, "My parents have come to meet us."

Before his words fully faded, delighted calls reached their ears: "Hezhi! Worthy Son-in-law!"

Fang Yu lowered his head with a soft laugh. His father-in-law and mother-in-law were truly beyond compare. Without even knowing the exact time of their arrival in the city, they had simply waited at the gates—such affection was no less than that of one's own parents.

He helped Qiao Hezhi alight from the carriage. Their return journey had been rainy, the road even bumpier than on the way there, and the trip had taken nearly a full day longer. Qiao Hezhi's legs were unsteady from the long carriage ride, but excited to see his parents, he hurried to get down and nearly tumbled from the carriage step. Fang Yu, sharp-eyed and quick to react, swiftly reached out and caught him in his arms.

"Oh dear, be careful!" Mother Qiao rushed forward in fright, her hands outstretched. She sighed in relief only after seeing Qiao Hezhi safe in Fang Yu's arms. "You silly child, always so hasty. It's fortunate your husband is so patient with you."

Fang Yu smiled. "Hezhi seldom travels far. This journey was too long; he's just worn out."

Qiao Xinnian said, "No matter. Rest well for a couple of days once you're home. I'll have your mother-in-law prepare some tonics for you. You've been gone for so long, it must have been hard. Was everything smooth on the road?"

"Smooth, everything went smoothly."

"Truly heaven's blessing! Your mother-in-law and I received the letter with the good news early this morning. Achieving such results in the exam is no easy feat, worthy son-in-law. We must hold a banquet to thank your teachers, and open the granaries to distribute grain!" Qiao Xinnian's joy was evident as he clasped Fang Yu's hand, but then he seemed to realize his own overexcitement. "But it's just harvest season now; distributing grain isn't suitable. Let's change it to distributing cloth, meat, and vegetables instead!"

Seeing Qiao Xinnian's enthusiasm, Fang Yu was deeply moved. "You are too thoughtful, Father-in-law."

"Alright now, the important thing is that they've returned safely. Let's not block the road; we can talk more once we're home." Mother Qiao chided Qiao Xinnian gently for holding the children up with his chatter. "We can discuss and arrange everything properly back once we're home. The children must be tired."

"Then, Mother and Father, please come to our house with us first," Qiao Hezhi suggested, looking at Fang Yu. "Is that alright?"

Fang Yu nodded. "Alright."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group was about to board the carriages and head to the Fang residence.

"Master! Zhengfu!"

Fang Yu turned. In the distance, he saw Xuezhu running toward them, his face etched with panic. Fang Yu joked lightly, "Xuezhu, you're a bit late to meet us today."

Xuezhu bowed hastily, his anxious expression not easing. Fang Yu sensed something was wrong. "What is it? Has something happened at home?"

"Master, the Old Madam... the Old Madam has passed away."

The sudden news struck everyone present into stunned silence. Without stopping to ask for details on the spot, they hurried toward the residence.

"Old Madam! How could you bear to leave us behind and go! Your heart is so cruel—why didn't you take me with you?"

"Now that immense wealth and honor have come to our family, how could you bear to leave without even taking a look? Wuwuwu..."

When Fang Yu and Qiao Hezhi rushed into Changshou Hall, overwhelming wails, theatrical as opera singing, rose and fell around them. Seeing the young ger and woman kneeling by the bed wiping tears, Fang Yu immediately felt a surge of irritation and rebuked angrily, "Shut up!"

His authoritative voice pressed down from above. The two were startled into immediate silence. Though they had often heard Madam Chen describe how handsome Fang Yu was, this was their first time seeing the man himself. Faced with this young, dignified Master Jieyuan, their eyes lingered, unable to look away.

"Master, you... you've finally returned. The Old Madam, she..." The young woman covered her face and began to weep halfway through her sentence. "It's truly pitiful. She didn't even get to see you one last time, Master."

Fang Yu couldn't be bothered with them. He saw an elderly woman lying on the bed with the curtain drawn aside, her complexion still ruddy. She had clearly passed away not long ago. The servants in the room all had red-rimmed eyes, each one looking at Fang Yu, not daring to speak.

His own feelings were indeed complex. Although since his arrival, Madam Chen had repeatedly caused trouble, stirring up constant discord in the household, and he had intimidated her, he had still hoped she would live peacefully. If the family could coexist without incident, he and Qiao Hezhi would have respectfully supported and cared for her as a mother in the future. Yet she had repeatedly refused to settle down.

Even so, on his way back, he had been considering building a house in Fangju Village, assigning a few capable servants to attend to her, letting her live out her old age in her hometown. He had never wished for her death. On the hurried journey back, Xuezhu had explained the cause. He never imagined his own academic success would be the thing to end her life.

He didn't kill her, yet she died because of him. He closed his eyes, remaining silent for a long while.

Qiao Hezhi's eyes were already red. Though he knew Madam Chen was not his husband's birth mother, every morning Fang Yu would take him to pay respects to her. They had never neglected their filial duties.

Even though Madam Chen had often looked down on him and they had never gotten along, hearing this tragic news now—that she was gone so suddenly—still left a knot in his heart. It was all too abrupt.

"She was fine when we left. How could this happen?"

The young ger and young woman huddled near Madam Chen exchanged a glance. The ger trembled and said, "M-Master, please accept our condolences."

"If... if Zhengfu hadn't been so determined to go to the prefectural city, leaving all household affairs behind, the Old Madam wouldn't have been so angered that it planted the seeds of illness. Perhaps she wouldn't have succumbed to a sudden emergency today. Even if Zhengfu dislikes the two of us, he... he shouldn't have left all the heavy responsibilities of the household entirely to the Old Madam."

The young woman continued, "The Old Madam was already advanced in years. Toiling day and night, worrying about the Zhengfu's safety on the road and the Master's exam results, burdened with anxiety constantly... That... that's why she suddenly passed at this very moment of joyful reunion when the Master returned. Wuwuwu..."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Hezhi's gaze sharpened. He had never imagined these two could be so malicious, insinuating through their words that the Old Madam's death was due to being angered by him. Before his departure, he had properly arranged all household affairs. How could he have let Madam Chen overexert herself? The accusation of causing a mother-in-law's death was no small matter—it wasn't just something for the magistrate's court; it was something that could lead to... He stood up shakily from the bedside and slowly walked toward Fang Yu. "Zi... Ziruo..."

Fang Yu patted Qiao Hezhi's back soothingly. "Don't overthink it. This has nothing to do with you."

"M-Master, the Old Madam was your own mother. She endured hardship to raise you so you could achieve your current honors. Y-You must not let partiality stop you from seeking justice for the Old Madam."

The young woman wept on the floor, her tears falling like rain. "Although this servant was not fortunate enough to serve the Old Madam for longer, she was the kindest and softest-hearted, treating us servants as her own children. Even if speaking out of turn today is disrespectful and the Master punishes me for it, this servant is willing to accept the punishment out of gratitude for the Old Madam's kindness."

Fang Yu stared at the two kneeling on the floor, his gaze devoid of any warmth. "Kindness? The Old Madam indeed showed you immense 'kindness,' scouring you from who knows where and bringing you into the residence. Taking advantage while those in charge were away, you swaggered about and put on airs as if you were mistresses yourselves."

"M-Master, please investigate clearly! This servant... we only ever acted according to the Old Madam's instructions!"

Fang Yu swept his hand, sending a teacup from the table crashing to the floor beside the two maids. The loud bang made them jump.

"In a time of mourning, I originally had no time to deal with trash like you. Yet you can't wait, rushing forward as if afraid you'd be overlooked, begging for punishment! How dare you slander the Zhengfu with such reckless words? He is not someone for the likes of you to discuss and defile!"

"The Old Madam was already somewhat overweight. Servants were assigned to advise her to eat more vegetarian dishes and walk more often. But you were ever so 'considerate,' constantly coaxing her to stay in her courtyard all day, even driving away the originally assigned servants to outside the courtyard. The physician confirmed the Old Madam had consumed excessive sweets recently, causing her blood pressure to rise, leading to a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and death!"

Fang Yu's eyes were cold and stern. "Not only do you show no remorse, you have the nerve to speak of the Old Madam's kindness to you? What a big joke!"

"Guards! Seize these two vile servants and take them away. Have them brought before the magistrate for judgment on a later date!"

Upon hearing this, their faces filled with terror. Not daring to utter another false word, they immediately kowtowed, pleading for mercy. "Master, we're wronged! Master, it must be that physician's misdiagnosis due to poor skill!"

"This servant would never dare harm the Old Madam!"

Watching them being dragged away, Fang Yu rubbed his temples. Madam Chen had truly reaped what she sowed, buying such people into the household. He felt somewhat weary. "Decline all invitations. Begin preparations for the funeral. Hire a skilled yin house geomancer to select a good burial site. We will send the Old Madam off with proper ceremony and dignity."

[A yin house geomancer (阴宅风水师, yīnzhái fēngshuǐ shī): a Feng Shui specialist who specifically selects and assesses burial sites (yin houses) for the deceased, using geomancy to determine locations believed to ensure peace for the dead and bring fortune to their living descendants.]

Xuezhu acknowledged, "Yes."

Qiao Hezhi's eyes were still red. "I... I'll go help with the preparations too."

Fang Yu held him back. He knew what was on Qiao Hezhi's mind and sighed softly. "Don't take those vile people's words to heart. The conflicts weren't just a day or two old. If she were the type to fall ill from such anger, she would have gotten sick long ago. Why wait until now? The physician also said it was due to overly excited emotions upon hearing the good news, combined with her excessively high blood pressure."

"It's fortunate you didn't allow those two to serve you tea formally. Otherwise, the future troubles would have been endless." He pulled Qiao Hezhi closer, stroking his hair. "Don't blame yourself. You must be tired from the rushed journey back. Rest properly first. If you fall ill too, I'll truly be overwhelmed. Leave the matters here to me."

Seeing how firmly Fang Yu protected their son, Qiao parents had nothing more to say. After offering Fang Yu some words of comfort, they went to help arrange the funeral matters.

"To think such a tragedy occurred just as our son-in-law achieved such honors. He surely had hope of passing the next year's Metropolitan Exam." While grieving for his son-in-law's loss, Qiao Xinnian couldn't help but lament, "Now, with the three-year mourning period, he'll miss the exam schedule. He'll have to wait for the next Metropolitan Exam cycle."

Madam Qiao naturally understood this too and consoled, "The deceased is paramount. At a time like this, it’s impossible to uphold both mourning rites and pursue the imperial examinations—this is simply an unavoidable hardship. To speak a little bluntly, Madam Chen was already advanced in years; a day like this would have come sooner or later anyway. Even if things had gone differently, our son-in-law would eventually have had to withdraw from official life to observe the mourning period. If, in the future, he truly distinguishes himself—by placing among the top three scholars and entering court service—he would still have had to request leave to return home for mourning. That would have been an even more difficult position for him."

"Perhaps this is for the best now. Consider it extra time for study and preparation. Fang Yu is still young anyway. It's not too late for him to take the exams when he's even more steady and mature."

"That seems to be the only way."