Chapter 2 Upright and Lofty Integrity

"Miss Qing'er, please wait a moment." Chen Yourong chuckled leisurely, told the old woman to serve Meng Qingci a cup of tea, then turned and lifted the curtain to go into the side room to busy himself, where the abacus was being struck with a loud clattering sound.

Meng Qingci glanced at the tea and two plates of hibiscus pastries that the old woman had brought, and gave them to the two little maids she had brought with her, but she didn't touch them herself.

Meng Qingci waited until it was dark and the lamps were lit before Chen Yourong came out from the side room, holding a rectangular lacquered wooden box in his hand: "Miss Lao Qing'er, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I've been helping the eldest young lady prepare her dowry lately, and the storeroom is quite a mess."

The eldest daughter's dowry was all recorded by Meng Qingci. How could she not know how much of it came from the Marquis's mansion's treasury? The old lady was just giving the eldest daughter a few nice but not expensive items to make a good impression. Why would she bother to mess up the treasury? Chen Yourong wasn't even trying to appease her.

"Thank you for your hard work, Steward Chen." Meng Qingci knew he had ill intentions, but she still had to be polite to him. She had a maid take the box, opened it to check that everything was correct, and then left with the two maids without delaying Chen Yourong any longer.

Chen Yourong stood at the door watching her departing figure, as if she were heading into the garden. He clicked his tongue twice and said, "No wonder the Marquis is so fond of her. With that figure and that personality, she's incredibly tempting."

The deputy steward came out from the side room, glanced outside, and saw that no one was there. He asked him in confusion, "Isn't this the young master's order? Why is it the marquis again?"

Chen Yourong was a smiling tiger. He patted the deputy manager on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's all the same, it's all the same."

Meng Qingci came out of the storeroom and, seeing that no one was following her, whispered to one of the maids to go to Yanfu Residence: "If anyone asks, just say that the eldest young lady sent you to the eldest madam's place. If you can't find the eldest young lady, go to the front of the banquet."

Upon seeing the young lady, I reported that I had retrieved the pair of jade ruyi scepters that the old lady had given me as part of my dowry from the storeroom. Fearing they might break in the dark, I had sent someone with a lantern to meet me in the bamboo grove outside the back gate of Biqiong Garden.

The little maid Qiao'er, having received the message, responded and quickened her pace, a puzzled thought in her mind: the bamboo grove was dark at night and no lanterns were lit, and returning to Biqiong Garden was a long detour. If she wanted someone to greet her, wouldn't it be cheap to ask her to go back to Biqiong Garden to call for help? She really couldn't understand it. She tossed the few reward coins in her hand, deciding not to think about it anymore and just to obey what she was told.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Meng Qingci, accompanied by another maid, Liu Chun, turned and hurriedly headed in the opposite direction towards Wuheng Mountain House.

Liu Chun held a lacquered wooden box containing a jade ruyi in her arms, following closely behind Meng Qingci, her expression slightly nervous.

Among the second-class maids in Biqiong Garden, Liu Chun was the most outstanding. After Meng Qingci left, Liu Chun was to be promoted to the top-ranking first-class maid and accompany the eldest young lady to the East Palace as part of her dowry.

Therefore, Liu Chun knew more than others and was close to Meng Qingci on weekdays.

Liu Chun had figured it out this time. The warehouse was dragging their feet until dark before letting them go, clearly setting a trap for them. To get back to Biqiong Garden, they would have to walk through the Marquis's mansion garden. It was late at night, and with all the gates about to be locked, who knew what kind of shady things were waiting for them.

To get back through the bamboo forest, they would have to pass by Wuheng Mountain House, and the whole loop would take about half an hour.

Wuheng Mountain House was the residence arranged by Old Madam Fu for the Third Master of the mansion. However, since the Third Master had been living with Madam Fu in the ancestral home since childhood, although Wuheng Mountain House was usually maintained by people, it was a remote place in the Marquis's mansion.

Liu Chun was a servant who came from the ancestral home with his master. He had heard his parents talk about the affairs of the masters of the Marquis of Anyi's mansion.

Now, Madam Fu is the undisputed ruler of the Marquis of Anyi's mansion, suppressing the eldest branch of the family and making them unable to raise their heads. One of her sons has inherited the title of Marquis, and the other is a high-ranking official of the second rank.

In reality, back then, Madam Wang, the wife of the old Marquis, took a liking to the old Marquis at first sight. Despite the fact that the old Marquis already had a wife, and taking advantage of the fact that the new dynasty had just been established and His Majesty wanted to balance the old and new court officials, Madam Wang followed the path of the Empress Dowager's aunt. On the grounds of whether the Fu family of the previous dynasty was loyal to His Majesty, she forced her wife to become a concubine and asked the Empress Dowager for an imperial decree to marry into the Fu family.

Back in their hometown of Anyi Marquis's mansion, no one in the Fu family looked down on this mistress who had forced her wife into marriage as a concubine. Madam Fu even refused to let Wang manage the household affairs.

As a result, the eldest son was changed from the eldest son of the legitimate wife to the eldest son of a concubine. The old Marquis never stepped into Wang's courtyard for various reasons. Later, Wang could no longer bear it and made a huge scene. She insisted on taking the eldest son away to raise him and even threatened to go to the Emperor to accuse the old Marquis of favoring his concubine over his wife.

The old Marquis compromised for the sake of the Fu family, which led to the birth of the second master. Originally, the Grand Madam wanted to raise the second master as well, but Madam Wang vehemently disagreed, resulting in excessive pampering that led to the second master being spoiled.

Undeterred, Wang used various means to conceive the Third Prince, which in turn damaged the old Marquis's foundation. The Dowager was furious and took the Third Prince away to raise him from birth, forbidding Wang from visiting him frequently.

With nowhere to vent her anger, Wang finally turned her attention to the eldest son's birth mother, killing her. The old Marquis could no longer tolerate it and sent Wang and the second son to the Marquis of Anyi's mansion in the capital, declaring that they would never see each other again. A few years later, the old Marquis himself died on the battlefield while suppressing the rebellion.

If it weren't for the fact that the eldest son was transferred to the capital region two years ago, they wouldn't have moved into the Marquis of Anyi's mansion in the capital region.

"Sister Qing'er, are we really going to go through the bamboo forest? If we get cornered by the young master there, it's even more secluded than the garden. After all, Third Master is the young master's uncle, so I'm afraid he'll just stand by and watch, or help cover for us." As the path grew quieter and the sky grew completely dark, Liu Chun's heart pounded, and she couldn't help but grumble, "In the past two years, the Marquis and the young master have become increasingly absurd in their behavior."

Meng Qingci thought to herself that the increasingly outrageous behavior of the second branch of the Marquis's family in the past two years might have been fueled by their eldest uncle. After all, the forced conversion of the legitimate heir to a concubine, the murder of his mother, and the theft of his title were all irreconcilable crimes. Who could swallow such things willingly?

She continued walking into the bamboo grove, her voice calm and soothing like a gentle spring breeze in the darkness: "I've heard that our Third Master passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve, becoming a top scholar in the imperial examinations, achieving the highest honors in all three levels of the examinations. His Majesty praised him for his integrity and upright character, reminiscent of his grandfather. When he was governor of Fujian and Guangdong, he was impartial and incorruptible, and he rarely returned to the Marquis's residence. It seems he doesn't think much of the current state of the Marquis's residence."

"This whole storeroom incident today was orchestrated by the Old Madam. She's always favored the Third Master and would never allow the Young Master to cause such a scene at Wuheng Mountain Villa."

A gentle breeze stirred the bamboo grove, rustling the bamboo leaves. The darkness was truly unsettling, but Meng Qingci's calm and measured analysis helped Liu Chun to catch her breath and feel somewhat at ease.

It's no wonder Liu Chun was afraid. They were already of lowly status, and if they lost their chastity, they would have no hope left. Every year, dozens, if not more, would leave the second wife's house. The father and son were indiscriminate in their sexual activity, so how could she not be afraid?

As they walked and talked, they passed Wuheng Mountain House and entered this usually deserted bamboo forest. Meng Qingci felt at ease. Not far ahead was the back gate of Biqiong Garden. Even if the key was locked, there was no reason not to open it when she knocked.

She deliberately sent the young Qiao'er to Yanfu Residence to buy time and lull the malicious people waiting in the garden into a false sense of security.

The bamboo forest was shrouded in night, devoid of lights, with only the thin moonlight casting a cold, pale glow that barely illuminated the small area. Both of them, with limited vision, lowered their heads and focused intently on the uneven path beneath their feet. Suddenly, Meng Qingci bumped her forehead hard.

Meng Qingci hissed, stumbled, and fell backward.

She was only able to steady herself when a strong, powerful hand grabbed her arm.

Liu Chun, who was a few steps behind, suddenly saw two dark figures appear out of nowhere in front of her. She was so frightened that she almost lost her mind. She hugged the lacquered wooden box in her arms, took two steps back, her eyes filled with fear. She bit her lower lip tightly, not daring to make a sound, and swallowed her scream back, for fear of bringing even greater disaster.

In an instant, Liu Chun's mind raced, her gaze darting through the bamboo grove as she secretly calculated: This place wasn't too far from the back gate of Biqiong Garden. If she really ran into the second branch of the family... she would run back and report the news with all her might, and perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope! Without making a sound, she took two more steps back.

"Where are you working? Why are you lingering here after the gates have been closed?" Mo Jian, who had been accompanying Fu Heng on business trips for many years, spoke with an air of authority and accusation.

He was inwardly furious. His third master usually hated women getting close to him, but instead of pushing her away, he reached out to help her up. Could it be that he overheard the two maids talking and deliberately came out of the pavilion to block their way? Had he really been forced to drink too much in the palace today?

Meng Qingci's heart also pounded, but when she heard the unfamiliar and solemn voice asking the question, she calmed down a bit.

The large hand gripping her arm was quite strong; even through the fabric, the heat from his palm felt almost searing her skin. After regaining her balance, she instinctively pulled her arm away and took a step back.

By the dim moonlight, Meng Qingci could make out the magnificent crimson pheasant-patterned official robes of the person before her. Her gaze quickly swept over the man's sharply defined, cold face, hidden in the shadows, and though she was surprised, she already knew the answer in her heart.

She lowered her eyes and bowed her head respectfully, saying, "Reporting to Third Master, we servants are from Biqiong Garden and serve the eldest young lady. Today, we were ordered by the Old Madam to go to the storeroom to collect the dowry for the eldest young lady. Because the storeroom has been busy lately, we were delayed for a while and returned late. The bamboo forest is dark and difficult to see, so we have inadvertently offended Third Master. We beg your forgiveness."

Liu Chun's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't dare to look up, but she quickly and cleverly followed suit with a deep curtsy: "This servant greets Third Master."

Fu Heng's deep black eyes were tinged with a slightly tipsy mist, and the sudden withdrawal of the arm left his clenched palm feeling empty for a moment.

Upon arriving in the capital, he was intercepted by palace officials and taken directly into the palace. After a brief report on his duties, he was forced to drink countless amounts of imperial wine under the guise of a banquet, and was only able to escape when the palace gates were locked.

Half-drunk, Fu Heng sat in the bamboo pavilion, letting the breeze sober him up, yet his senses remained unusually sharp. He heard the whispers of two maids approaching from afar, and inwardly scoffed: though these maids seemed to be praising him, they were incredibly audacious to speak ill of their master behind his back.

Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect, but he had a sudden thought: he wanted to see what this unrestrained and disrespectful servant girl was really like.

Under the cold moonlight, the woman at the head of the group had a slender figure, her movements as graceful as flowing wind and swirling snow, exuding a natural elegance and beauty without being gaudy. Her beautiful eyes were as shimmering as autumn water reflecting the moon, and with each glance, they seemed to hold a silent hook, captivating the soul.

Mo Jian, being a mere guard, naturally couldn't interject. However, his master remained silent, standing still with his gaze fixed intently on the girl's drooping black hair, whether he was deeply drunk or deep in thought, it was unclear.

Meng Qingci also caught a faint, strong smell of alcohol in the air. She maintained her bowing posture, but her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Facing this Third Master, whom she had never met before and who was now clearly intoxicated, the unease she had just suppressed resurfaced.

A note from the author:

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The preceding sections will detail the power struggles within the grand mansion and set the stage for the female protagonist's ten-year survival. All of this serves the plot of forceful acquisition and is therefore difficult to scrutinize. Please do not delve into the details.

Key point: Focus on emotional expression.