Chapter 38 adds even more charm

Meng Qingci's clear, beautiful eyes were filled with frost, devoid of any warmth. They were filled with disdain, as if what she was seeing was nothing more than a farce that had nothing to do with her, and she didn't care at all.

Mo Song had been serving Meng Qingci for some time and had gotten to know her personality quite well. He absolutely did not believe that she harbored any affection for her master or was jealous of other women.

This Miss Meng has quite a temper. Earlier, Lord Yao's wife had only said a few words of advice that were typical of wives and concubines, and she had already provoked her to fly into a rage at her master on the ship.

Although Miss Meng dismissed everyone whenever she and her master argued, a few snippets of conversation would always slip out, each one shocking enough, but her master seemed to have changed his ways and didn't care at all.

This master was utterly devoid of feminine virtues and was quite unconventional. He despised men who were fickle, promiscuous, and promiscuous. Therefore, he absolutely could not let Miss Meng misunderstand that his master had any involvement with other women.

Otherwise, if the two of them were to have another argument over Miss Shen when their master returned, he might not be able to save his life.

Mo Songsui's expression was solemn as he resolutely refused: "It is my duty. Even if the old lady herself came, without my master's permission, she would not be allowed to step into this courtyard."

The implication couldn't be clearer: if even your own mother is like this, how can you, no matter how precious you are, possibly surpass your mother? You can't possibly find fault with her now, can you?

Jin Xiu was truly stumped by Mo Song's words. She felt a tightness in her chest, took a deep breath, and didn't know how to refute him.

Xia Guang and Meng Qingci had both grown up in the old Marquis of Anyi's mansion. Fu Heng was on his way to take up his post in Guangzhou at the time, so Xia Guang didn't recognize Shen Yunxi, who was blocking the courtyard gate, and knew nothing about any royal mansion. She only felt that it was quite impolite for an unmarried girl to so recklessly barge into the men's courtyard.

Judging from the way the other woman was surrounded by a retinue, and seeing Mo Song's respectful attitude despite his attempts to stop her, she knew that this girl was no ordinary person. So she stopped inside the courtyard gate and did not show herself, but simply observed what would happen.

Hearing Jinxiu's words, Xiaguang's heart tightened: Could it be that Miss Shen has some connection with the Third Master? If so, given Miss Shen's illustrious background in a royal family, she is worlds apart from her own young lady. And given her strong-willed nature, how will she cope if she suffers mistreatment in the future?

Xia Guang couldn't help but shake her head slightly, inwardly cursing herself for being so foolish. Others might not know, but she had heard it clearly: Third Master had personally promised that he would only have the girl.

Thinking of this, her brows furrowed involuntarily. It seemed that this Miss Shen was not here with good intentions. Xia Guang's heart pounded with anxiety. Calculating the time, the young lady should be back from strolling in the garden by now. The young lady was also pregnant; she should be careful not to offend her.

Shen Yunxi was always perceptive, and noticing the unusual expression on Mo Song's face, she sensed something was amiss. When Mo Song unconsciously glanced at a corner again, she had a sudden thought, turned around abruptly, and looked in that direction.

A pale yellow rose adorned Meng Qingci's hair, freshly picked by the maid from the garden. Its delicate beauty accentuated her refined elegance. She also held several lotus blossoms in her arms, one in full bloom, the other two still budding, nestled shyly against her side, adding to her charm.

Shen Yunxi's heart tightened the moment she saw Meng Qingci, and she could barely breathe. Her hands clenched tightly under her sleeves, her nails digging deep into her palms.

This distance was much clearer than the glimpse Jinxiu had taken from afar outside the governor's mansion that day. Jinxiu felt that Meng Qingci looked exactly like the princess.

Soon, Jinxiu noticed her mistress's unusual mood. Her eyes immediately sharpened, and she stepped forward, shouting sternly, "Who are you? How dare you not bow to my young lady? With Lord Fu absent, the servants in this manor have become increasingly unruly. Guards! Go and teach her what manners are!"

Two burly women behind him responded immediately and were about to rush forward to pull Meng Qingci away.

Mo Song's expression changed instantly. He rushed forward and shoved the two old women aside with a swift movement. Caught off guard, the two old women stumbled and fell to the ground, letting out a gasp.

Jin Xiu's face darkened further. She hadn't expected Mo Song to personally intervene. She said coldly, "Steward Mo, our young lady has come all this way. Is this how your governor's mansion treats its guests? Could it be that someone is taking advantage of Lord Fu's absence to bully us? If Lord Fu finds out that you've treated our young lady this way, he'll probably skin you alive!"

Xia Guang only recognized her own daughter. Seeing the fight break out outside the door, she no longer cared about any young lady from the royal palace and immediately called out to several rough-looking women from the courtyard to rush out. In the blink of an eye, they had pinned the two women brought by the other side to the ground.

"Your servants in the governor's mansion have gone too far!" Jin Xiu shouted sharply, then turned to Shen Yunxi and curtsied. "Miss, I will go to the gate and call the guards from the Prince's mansion. Otherwise, these ignorant servants will think we are weak and easy to bully. If the Princess Consort finds out that you have suffered such grievances outside, I don't know how heartbroken she will be. Today, I will definitely demand an explanation from them."

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding." Mo Song hurriedly explained, "This young lady is my master's wife, not a servant of the manor." He thought to himself, "Luckily, Mo Bai is guarding the front gate, preventing the guards of the Prince's manor from entering."

He was even more anxious, fearing that Meng Qingci's temper would flare up and the two of them would start fighting and get out of control.

After all, Prince Meng had a close relationship with his master, and Mo Song really didn't want to offend him too much. But he really couldn't understand why Miss Shen, who was always gentle and generous, was acting so strangely today. She was always elegant and proper in front of her master, and this was the first time she had ever acted so unreasonably and put on such a show of power.

"You're talking nonsense!" Jin Xiu said angrily. "Who doesn't know that Lord Fu has never been interested in women? Besides, our young lady and Lord Fu clearly..."

Seeing that the time was right, Shen Yunxi slowly spoke, "Jinxiu, shut up." Her voice was not loud, but it had its own authority, "Don't talk nonsense."

Having honed her skills in the Marquis of Anyi's mansion for a full ten years, Meng Qingci had long since developed a keen eye for judging people and situations. After watching this scene, she understood most of the situation; it turned out that Fu Heng's love interest had come knocking.

Come to think of it, with Fu Heng's family background and power, and his young age wielding such authority, how could a man like him lack admirers? Her gaze swept lightly over the girl, and seeing that she was about the same age as herself, a barely perceptible sneer appeared on her lips: There really are women who like men with father figures.

Shen Yunxi gently waved her fan, trying to remain calm. Seeing Meng Qingci standing still, unmoved and silent in the face of such a scene, Shen Yunxi felt even more anxious and unsure of Meng Qingci's true intentions.

She had heard that Fu Heng had returned from the capital with a woman who was extremely favored, which was an exception, so she rushed over to investigate. She had initially thought that she was just an ordinary woman who was not worth mentioning and had no connections, so she did not really take her seriously.

On the contrary, since Fu Heng was willing to accept women, she finally had hope of marrying him; otherwise, she didn't know when she would have to wait.

Unexpectedly, she learned as soon as she arrived that Fu Heng had left the city to inspect the naval camp. She had intended to visit him again when he returned, but then she heard that the woman Fu Heng kept had quite a temper.

She had only secretly instigated the Zhu family and Granny Cheng to go and test the waters, but she never expected that this woman would actually... How could this not terrify her?

Xia Guang quickly went to Meng Qingci's side to help her up and asked with concern, "Miss, are you tired from strolling in the garden? Doctor Zhang said that you should not overexert yourself and that you have a fever. Let's go back and rest."

Meng Qingci walked past Shen Yunxi and the others into the courtyard.

Jin Xiu suddenly rushed in front of the two, blocking their way, and questioned Mo Song: "Didn't you say that no one but you adults is allowed to enter this courtyard? How come our young lady can't enter, but she, a nobody with no status, can?"

Mo Song hurriedly stepped in front of Jin Xiu, fearing that Jin Xiu might offend Meng Qingci. In an instant, sweat beaded on his forehead. Meng Qingci was carrying his master's child, his master's first child. If anything were to happen to her in his hands, he would be guilty beyond redemption.

Seeing that Meng Qingci ignored her and headed straight for the courtyard, Shen Yunxi could no longer contain herself and said to Meng Qingci, "Do you remember me?"