Chapter 12 Jumping Up and Down

Inside the Cihui Pavilion of the Anyi Marquis's Mansion, the descendants of the three branches of the family gathered together, creating a scene of harmonious joy.

Madam Wang beamed with joy, her smile lingering for a long time. It was rare for her to show such kindness and gentleness towards the eldest son's family.

Jiang was skilled at serving, and was now obediently serving food to Wang. Whenever Wang's gaze lingered on a dish for a moment longer, Jiang would promptly add a piece of food to it.

Wang Shi patted her lips with satisfaction, gently patted Jiang Shi's hand, and said with a hint of pride, "You are a lucky man. His Majesty is sentimental and still remembers the affection between my family and my mother. Now he sees the goodness of the second son and puts him to good use. He has finally made it through all these years. When he returns from this mission, the second son's official position will definitely be promoted. You can just wait to enjoy the good fortune."

Jiang smiled and agreed, "Mother is right. This month I have been copying scriptures and praying for blessings in the small Buddhist hall every day. This morning I heard magpies chirping outside the window. They were bringing me good news."

Madam Wang frowned with worry again: "He left in such a hurry that I didn't even have time to pack him a few more clothes. The border is bitterly cold, I don't know if the second son's body can withstand it."

Jiang quickly reassured her, "Mother, please don't worry. Your daughter-in-law has already ordered people to prepare warm clothes and will send them over tonight. They will definitely arrive in time."

Hearing this, Madam Wang felt somewhat relieved and nodded with satisfaction: "You are becoming more and more competent now, which shows how well our Marquis's mansion takes care of its people. I will feel at ease entrusting the management of this mansion to you in the future."

“We are, after all, His Majesty’s own family, and we are more reliable than outsiders. His Majesty is wise and naturally understands this. With Father’s abilities, he will surely return safely. Grandmother should dote on her grandson more.” Prince Fu Hongxuan smiled and agreed, his nonchalant demeanor as he diligently served food to Madam Wang while subtly giving her a wink.

Madam Wang immediately knew what he was planning. She gave him a disapproving look and then asked Fu Jingyu, "Yu'er, Qing'er in your room is always well-behaved. Since you don't want her to be part of your dowry, why not send her to the mistress? It would be a way for you to show your filial piety."

Upon hearing this, Fu Jingyu's expression immediately became tense. She couldn't believe that the old shrew had no shame. She wasn't asking Qing'er to serve her at all. Did she think she hadn't seen the quarrel between the grandmother and granddaughter? To do such a thing was truly shameless.

Fu Yan'an also frowned, but as a man, he couldn't interfere in matters of the inner quarters. At this moment, he was glad that Qing'er was already of good birth and didn't have to be controlled by the old lady.

Madam Lin's face paled. The old lady was using the guise of filial piety to pressure her daughter in public, but Qing'er was already of good birth, and her daughter knew she wouldn't get any credit if she spoke up. She looked troubled: "Being filial to one's mother is naturally the duty of the younger generation, but..."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Wang slammed her chopsticks down, her face cold as she surveyed the eldest son's family: "Today is a joyous occasion for the household, and look at the faces of you all! Anyone who didn't know better would think I, this old woman, have died and you're all here mourning! Eldest son, you weren't born of me, nor were you raised by me. I don't expect any filial piety from your family. All I want now is a maidservant. What? Am I not even worthy of a single maidservant from your eldest son's family?"

Uncle Fu Chenghuai smiled, and although he was old, you could still see in his eyes that he was a handsome man who was no less handsome than Fu Yan'an in his youth. As if he hadn't heard Wang's scolding at all, he smiled good-naturedly and said, "Mother, what are you saying? My second brother has always been conscientious in his duties at the Ministry of Works. He earned this job with his own abilities. As his elder brother, I can only be happy for him. My feelings are the same as my third brother's."

Madam Wang was unconvinced and sneered, "Don't try to fob me off! You always talk a good game. All I want is a maid who can serve me, and you're already making excuses. What can I expect from your main branch?"

Fu Heng, who had been silent all along, slowly put down his silver chopsticks and glanced at the group of nannies and maids standing behind Wang Shi. Wang Shi's nanny, An Mama, shuddered, her back covered in cold sweat, and she subconsciously shrank her shoulders.

Fu Heng pointed at her, his voice calm and devoid of warmth, yet each word was like an ice pick: "Is it because she is old and her legs are weak, making it difficult for her to serve Mother? Or is it because she is now in poor spirits and unable to train the servants below? It's as if the people around Mother are not as capable as Yu'er's maids. Cihui Pavilion is not a place to retire, and we cannot tolerate them fooling you."

Hearing her youngest son's concern for her, Old Madam Wang's heart softened, and her eyes welled up with tears. Her youngest son was cold and taciturn, and with an old woman between them, he had never spoken so much to her before. But as she listened, she felt increasingly uneasy.

Fu Heng's narrow eyes were filled with icy coldness: "Was it the cunning servants around Mother who came up with this bad idea? Did they instigate Mother to swallow her pride and have the servants from the younger generation serve her? I've only ever heard of elders pitying the younger generation for being young and inexperienced, and bestowing servants upon them to help them. I've never heard of elders wanting to compete for the servants from the younger generation's rooms! What? Are the people around Mother no longer useful?"

"Guards, drag this disrespectful, arrogant old hag away! Beat her until she's finished! Let the whole household watch as a warning to others." With that, his eyes suddenly turned fierce, his imposing presence intimidating. He coldly glanced at Fu Hongxuan, who stood silently like a quail beside him, giving Wang no chance to speak: "Mother, don't worry. I will select someone more clever and sensible to send to you. The people around Yu'er are naturally no match for those I personally train; I guarantee Mother will be satisfied."

Granny An, not wanting the fire to spread to her, was terrified and screamed, "Madam, save me..."

Before she could finish shouting, Mo Jian called two servants forward, who covered An Mama's mouth and swiftly dragged her away.

Madam Wang was stunned by her youngest son's ruthless methods. When she came to her senses, she heard Granny An's heart-wrenching screams: "Why don't you tell them to stop? Third son, what are you doing?"

Fu Heng, unusually gentle, explained to her, "Since my son returned to the manor, I have noticed many things that have gone too far, and every single one of them is related to this old scoundrel. It seems that she has been deceiving Mother behind her back and is used to acting arrogantly in the manor. Now that we have dealt with her, we can restore the manor to its former glory."

Old Madam Wang remained silent. Her gaze fell upon the murderous glint in her youngest son's eyes as he looked at Fu Hongxuan. What did she not understand? What could Granny An possibly do? Nothing more than cover up her eldest grandson's shameful deeds. How could she not know? But if she exposed it now, where would she put her old face?

Madam Wang tried to argue, "She was my dowry maid, and she has served me for many years. Even if she has not done anything meritorious, she has certainly worked hard. If you beat her to death, wouldn't that discourage the servants?"

Fu Heng remained unmoved: "The Fu family's century-old foundation should not be allowed to be controlled by servants. Mother's kindness must have its limits; it must not lead to the violation of ancestral family rules."

Wang knew perfectly well that she couldn't possibly win an argument against her third son, who was exceptionally talented. She said urgently, "Tell them to stop! If they don't like her, just send her away. Why take her life?"

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Jian had already entered the hall, clasped his hands in a solemn manner, and reported: "Reporting to Master, the person is no longer breathing."

Wang felt a sweet, metallic smell rush to her head, her vision went black, and she fainted instantly!

"Mother! Mother! Wake up, don't frighten your daughter-in-law!" Jiang cried out in alarm, rushing over to support Wang's limp body, her voice trembling: "Quickly call a doctor, quickly call a doctor!"

Fu Hongxuan was also greatly alarmed and rushed forward to pinch the old lady's philtrum: "Grandmother, Grandmother, you must take care of yourself..."

What should have been a pleasant dinner turned into chaos in an instant, with servants rushing in and out, while only the eldest son's family and Fu Heng stood by coldly, unmoved.

The night was deep, but the study of Master Fu Chenghuai was brightly lit by candlelight, illuminating the paper windows. The courtyard was silent, with only a servant keeping watch outside.

The two brothers, Fu Chenghuai and Fu Heng, sat quietly on the couch, silently sipping tea. Although they were more than ten years apart in age, they were both raised by their grandmother.

In his youth, Fu Chenghuai even tutored Fu Heng. In terms of their relationship, the two were somewhat like brothers.

After finishing his tea, Fu Heng cut to the chase and said, "His Majesty has expressed a great deal of dissatisfaction with the Second Prince. Is he really worth your two years of fuss?"

The eldest son, Fu Chenghuai, wanted his mother to suffer the unbearable pain of watching her second son and his father die without a burial place. However, he could not disregard the Fu family and could only take advantage of this trip back to deal with his second son and his father.

The eldest brother, Fu Chenghuai, was usually gentle and composed, but on this one matter, he acted recklessly and madly.

He had only been back for two years when the Marquis's mansion was in complete chaos. The second son and his father had become so arrogant and unscrupulous that they were neither human nor ghost.

The second son, Fu Jizong, had long been spoiled by his mother. He was always jumping around and only knew how to use underhanded tricks in the inner quarters; he had no brains at all.

In the past two years, the second son, Fu Jizong, not only sided with the eldest prince, but also went down a dark path. He was also instigated to use his position in the Ministry of Works to sell weapons blueprints to an enemy country, making it difficult for him to recover from the crime of treason. If it weren't for the eldest prince's scheme, how could the second son have been so cunning?

This way, the Crown Prince can also get rid of the First Prince at the same time—a brilliant scheme to kill two birds with one stone.

Fu Chenghuai dropped his pretense in front of him, his expression indifferent: "Since you know, why are you still trying to persuade me?"

Fu Hengwan said indifferently, "I know you can't swallow this. If you really want revenge, why not give him a dose of medicine? Once he's in bed, he'll be in excruciating pain. Wouldn't that be satisfying?"

Fu Chenghuai stared at Fu Heng and scoffed, "You were born of her after all, so you still have some compassion for her. Back then, she relied on the Empress Dowager and the imperial power to ruin my family and cause you to be born with a sin on your shoulders. It's a shameful mark that you can't wash away. The Fu family fell into obscurity. Have you forgotten all of this? Now, I will naturally make her taste the bitterness of being slowly devoured and powerless to stop it."

Fu Heng shook his head, disagreeing with him: "You've already got what you wanted, why bother with anything else? Yu'er is already a sure thing to be the Crown Princess. You're making the Grand Elder bear the crime of treason, hurting the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred of your own, what's the point?"

"Blame it on the second son's bad luck to be born into her womb. My mother's life is between me and her." Fu Chenghuai's eyes were bloodshot, and he suddenly laughed strangely and happily: "Otherwise, why would you have taken action? You made him accompany the grain rations, intending for him to be loyal to the country. By giving His Majesty an explanation, no one would be accused of treason. Tell me, what do you think her reaction would be if she knew that you personally eliminated the second son?"

Fu Heng's slender eyes coldly glanced at Fu Chenghuai's slightly manic appearance, feeling only disgust.

Fu Heng sighed: "Now that this matter is over, brother, you should put your mind back on the right track. Yan An is of marriageable age and should have been engaged long ago. Don't let a small matter cause a big loss and ruin our important matters."

Fu Chenghuai pondered for a moment and nodded: "Don't worry, I will ask your sister-in-law to make the arrangements as soon as possible."

The following day, Meng Qingci found an excuse to mention to Fu Jingyu that he wanted to leave the mansion as soon as possible.

Fu Jingyu knew that she had heard about the changes in the manor and had no intention of forcing her to stay. She only asked, "Are you really sure? My brother is a rare and affectionate man. Considering that you are someone who leaves from my side and will have a respectable future, are you really willing to give up?"

Meng Qingci remained silent: Was this a test, an attempt to use her to win over her own brother?

"Very well, then I won't keep you any longer." Fu Jingyu could only sigh and tease her with a smile: "It's my brother's fault for not being lucky enough to keep such a lovely girl like you."

Meng Qingci replied respectfully with her eyes lowered, "Master, please don't joke. I am a lowly servant and unworthy of the young master."

Fu Jingyu waved her hand: "Something just happened in the manor. You should wait a couple of days before you leave, so as not to draw too much attention."

Meng Qingci secretly breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again in gratitude.

Fu Jingyu then instructed, "There is only one more thing. My third uncle helped me cover up the matter at the Grand Princess's residence, and he also helped you yesterday. Go to the storeroom and select some of the best medicinal herbs as a thank-you gift, and send them over for me."

Meng Qingci accepted the order and left.

Fu Jingyu watched Qing'er's departing figure, her eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.

A note from the author:

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Thank you for the nutrient solution that brought me instant wealth! [Cat emoji] [Orange candy emoji]

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