Chapter 41 Acting frivolously

On this day, an urgent message arrived from the capital, shattering the tranquility of the Fu clan in Minzhou like a thunderbolt.

Marquis Fu Jizong of Anyi was ambushed by enemy forces while escorting grain supplies. He led his troops in a bloody battle to protect the grain, but was ultimately beheaded and died for his country, sacrificing his life for the nation.

The devastating news shocked the entire clan. Fu Yixian's teacup trembled violently, nearly tipping over. As the great-uncle of the three Fu brothers, he had temporarily taken charge of clan affairs in Minzhou after the eldest patriarch, Fu Chenghuai, went to Beijing to take up his post.

At that moment, he hastily brushed away the tea stains splattered on his robe, clutched the military report soaked in ink and tears, then stood up and strode towards Fu Heng's governor's mansion, his steps piercing the autumn sunlight that dappled the ground like scattered gold.

In the study of the governor's mansion, Fu Yixian's eyes reddened: "Your second brother died tragically, but he did not disgrace the Fu family. The most urgent task is to find an auspicious place to settle him. When I came here, I saw that I had chosen a place with mountains behind and water in front of him. It is a place that is 'gathering energy and not dispersing, sheltered from the wind and surrounded by water,' which is auspicious. It will not disgrace the marquis's loyalty and bravery, and it will also protect the Fu family's descendants after his soul returns to his hometown."

Outside the window, cicadas chirped incessantly, slicing the afternoon sunlight into fragments of gold, which flickered and dappled onto Fu Heng's profile. The dappled light was dazzling, yet it was impossible to discern whether Fu Heng's eyes held sorrow or serenity.

His voice was as steady as a deep pool, without the slightest ripple: "Since it is my great-uncle who manages the clan affairs, naturally everything is decided by my great-uncle."

The head of the Fu family has always come from the eldest branch of the main branch. Now, the three brothers of the eldest branch are all extraordinary: the eldest brother, Fu Chenghuai, works in the Ministry of Rites; the second brother, Fu Jizong, inherited the title and works in the Ministry of Works. Both of them are in the capital region; and the third brother, Fu Heng, has even become a powerful regional official, serving as the Governor-General of Fujian and Guangdong.

It was precisely because these three brothers were all so capable and powerful that Fu Yixian, from a collateral branch, was appointed as the clan leader on a temporary basis.

Fu Heng affirmed Fu Yixian's position as acting clan head, which subtly aligned with patriarchal traditions and etiquette. Fu Yixian, hearing this, was naturally pleased. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out a bit as he comforted him, saying, "You must also grieve in moderation and take care of yourself. You must also comfort your mother. Ultimately, the future of the Fu clan will depend on you brothers."

Fu Heng's gaze darkened slightly, and he glanced at Fu Yixian like a fleeting shadow in a cold pool, saying with an ambiguous meaning, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. My mother is currently observing a vegetarian diet in the Buddhist hall, praying for my second brother."

Fu Yixian was annoyed by these words, which were neither too soft nor too harsh. That woman, Wang, almost caused the Fu family's main branch to die out, and caused his brilliant nephew to die young. He should die for Wang.

Fu Yixian smiled indifferently, then changed the subject: "Speaking of which, you're not young anymore. It's time to properly marry a wife and settle down in your household. You can't be too indulgent with your concubines, letting them use your reputation to act arrogantly outside, which not only damages your reputation but also chills the hearts of the Minzhou aristocratic families. That Meng woman in your household, it's one thing to acquire the Zhu family's property, but now she's even going so far as to seize their clan's land, which is their means of livelihood. Her behavior is so ugly, she's no different from a merchant who takes advantage of a disaster! She has ruined the reputation of my Fu family for generations. How can my Fu family set an example for the aristocratic families of Minzhou in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Heng's lips curled into a cold sneer: "If the Fu family has to be so timid and hesitant about the mere Zhu family, how can we set an example for the gentry of Minzhou? If we are so constrained in everything, I might as well not be the governor of Fujian and Guangdong!"

Fu Yixian shook his head, his white beard trembling, and let out a long sigh that almost shook the white hair at his temples: "That's not how it works. Could it be that you've really been bewitched by that woman, as the outside world says? The crux of the matter isn't the rise and fall of the Zhu family. By buying the family business from that eldest daughter of the Zhu family, she has acknowledged her right to inherit the family fortune! With a woman inheriting the family line, how are all the noble families supposed to conduct themselves? This shakes the very foundation of a thousand-year-old ethical code!"

Fu Heng's eyes suddenly turned cold. He was never a good-natured person to begin with, and his voice became even more somber: "Who said she was a concubine?"

"It's nothing more than infighting within the Zhu family. The Zhu family is unjust and unkind. Master Zhu is more shrewd and has a backup plan. Although Meng is just a woman, her courage far surpasses that of ordinary people. Buying Zhu's property was a wise and insightful move. What's wrong with that?" His eyes were already icy and cold, and his voice was as sharp as a honed blade: "If we follow what my great-uncle said, that women inheriting property is a violation of morality, and if I have no male heir and only my daughter to enjoy my company, will the clan follow the Zhu family's example and treat my precious daughter like a fish on a chopping board, letting others take away my family and destroy my property?"

He leaned forward slightly, his voice low but each word sharp and clear: "Or is it that your great-uncle is jealous that she didn't share a single bite of the pie with you?"

Fu Yixian seemed to have his thoughts read, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his cloudy eyes. He immediately raised his voice to retort: ​​"Don't talk nonsense! How could the Fu family covet such a small profit? Moreover, the Zhu family is just a merchant family, not respectable at all. How can they be compared with my century-old Fu family? My Fu family has a tradition of poetry and propriety, with strict rules. How could we be as despicable as the Zhu family, disregarding human relations and losing the affection between nephews and nieces!"

Fu Heng's eyes were half-closed, his expression deep and unreadable: "What are the rules of the Fu family, and what are their ethical principles? Don't you, my great-uncle, know them better than anyone else?"

Fu Yixian turned his head to look out the window, deliberately avoiding Fu Heng's almost tangible gaze. His lips trembled slightly, but he ultimately couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.

The actions of the eldest son's family over the past two generations were indeed despicable and unspeakable. Fu Heng's grandfather was a man of force and robbery, and his father went even further, even forcibly taking another man's wife. What Fu Heng's mother did to his father was even more astonishing and horrifying. If it weren't for the royal family's backing, Wang Shi, with her debauchery within the household, should have been drowned long ago according to the Fu family's ancestral rules; she wouldn't have been allowed to live to this day.

He observed Fu Heng's expression, clearly aware of the corruption within the region. But how much did his great-nephew Fu Chenghuai, far away in the capital, know? And what were his thoughts?

Fu Yixian could not withstand the gaze of his most powerful nephew in the Fu family and was defeated. He could only squeeze out a sentence in a low voice: "Even so... you cannot marry a servant girl. It is improper. The Fu family cannot afford to lose face like this."

After a pause, Fu Yixian's chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly into the void. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a hoarse voice through clenched teeth: "If your father hadn't been blinded by a woman back then, during such a golden age of turmoil, how could the Fu family have fallen to the point of having to depend on others and live at their mercy? We almost... almost lost the lineage of your branch! The Fu family now depends entirely on you brothers to bring glory to the family. Great achievements are just around the corner. You must never repeat your father's mistakes! The Fu family cannot withstand any more setbacks."

Fu Yixian earnestly advised, "Miss Shen from Prince Meng's mansion is such a good match. Don't let a small thing ruin your chances and let beauty cloud your judgment. With the help of Prince Meng's mansion, our Fu family's great cause will be greatly enhanced."

Fu Heng raised an indifferent brow slightly: "So, what my great-uncle is worried about is the continuation of the family line. That's no cause for concern; the eldest branch already has Yan An to carry on the family name. Besides, I have my own plans for the Meng Prince's residence, so there's no need for my great-uncle to worry about it. As for the Fu family's grand schemes, they don't need to be tied to women's affairs."

Fu Yixian choked up, pointed at Fu Heng and stammered "You...you..." for a long time before finally slapping his thigh hard and letting out a long sigh.

Fu Heng's expression remained calm, but his eyes were as detached as frost: "Ms. Meng is already pregnant; this is my first child. I am getting older, and I cannot allow this pregnancy to suffer any mishap. I hope my great-uncle will restrain the relatives in the clan. She is naturally quiet and cannot tolerate disturbances; please do not let anyone disturb her peace. Otherwise—"

He paused slightly, his voice growing colder: "If any fools go and cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless when the time comes..."

Fu Heng was well aware of his great-uncle Fu Yixian's probing, but Shen Yunxi's reach was far-reaching; he had underestimated her.

Fu Yixian could no longer sit still. He suddenly stood up, his white beard trembling slightly with rage. His eyes widened, but in the end he only shook his head heavily, said nothing, and walked out the door with a flick of his sleeve.

Since Fu Heng returned to the mansion, his study has been bustling with activity. From the first light of dawn until the dead of night, people come and go incessantly. The sounds of documents and arguments never ceased. Meng Qingci, unable to bear the disturbance any longer, used this as an excuse to move back to the backyard.

Meng Qingci has been at her wits' end these past two days. Now that she is pregnant, she has yet to find an opportunity to leave, and is constantly under Fu Heng's control, who keeps a close eye on her. Only today did a plan suddenly come to her mind, and she is now planning to leave tomorrow.

Xia Guang entered lightly and reported in a low voice, "Miss, someone from the ancestral home has come. They say that the acting clan leader's wife, Madam Xiao, has come to visit you."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qingci frowned and rolled her eyes openly in front of Xia Guang: "I won't see her. Dealing with your master alone is enough for me; I can't expect to deal with anyone else. If she's not satisfied, she can go and talk to your master herself."

"Madam Xiao is, after all, the mistress's elder. If you insist on not seeing her, it might damage your reputation and give you something to talk about. Besides, given the mistress's status and the care and protection she shows you, even as an elder, she would never dare to show you any disrespect. Perhaps..." Xia Guang gently persuaded, mimicking her usual playfulness, "Why don't you reluctantly go along with it?"

Once Meng Qingci had made up her mind, it was difficult for her to change it. She was already focused on leaving, so she was unwilling to waste her energy dealing with this. She shook her head, her tone calm but unquestionable: "I am currently six months pregnant, and I am exhausted. I will not see anyone who comes. If you really want to see me, let's wait until after the baby is a month old."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a commotion arose outside.

"Madam, you cannot barge in."

A sharp "smack" rang out, followed by a stern scolding from an old woman: "You unruly little hussy, how dare you be so arrogant in front of your master! You should be dragged to the ancestral hall and made to kneel for a few days to learn what manners are!"

The old woman's voice suddenly changed, becoming even more sharp and sarcastic: "All she's learned are some despicable tricks to seduce men, and she thinks she's someone important!"

Meng Qingci frowned upon hearing this, and then someone barged into the room. Leading the group was none other than Madam Xiao, the wife of the acting clan chief. Madam Xiao not only came in herself, but also brought in two old women, all of whom had fierce expressions.

Seeing that she had come with ill intentions, Meng Qingci did not tolerate her. She did not even get off the bed, but stared coldly at Xiao Shi with her clear and sharp eyes, without saying a word.

Madam Xiao knew that Qing'er used to be a maidservant of Fu Jingyu, and seeing her arrogant demeanor and complete disregard for her, she couldn't help but frown.

Looking further down, she saw Meng Qingci's bare feet peeking out from under her skirt, her pearly white toes round and lustrous, and she felt even more contempt. She had long felt that this Qing'er, pampered and spoiled by the main wife, was behaving like a spoiled young lady, which was very improper; now she was even more convinced that she was frivolous and good at flattering her master, and she wished she could immediately order the old woman to drag her off the bed and teach her a lesson.

Seeing Qing'er was like seeing that old hag from back then. For a moment, Madam Xiao gritted her teeth in contempt: that old hag herself was born a lowly servant and had no manners, so the servants in the main house were just as unruly as her.

She flaunts her charms and uses lewd behavior to seduce men; otherwise, why would Old Master Fu be so fixated on her? Now, it should be her who marries into the main branch of the family!

Even though she desperately wanted to drag Qing'er out and beat her to death, Madam Xiao knew that this lowly servant girl was now pregnant with Fu Heng's child, and she couldn't act against her immediately. Before coming, her husband had specifically instructed her not to cause any trouble. But if... Qing'er herself was inexperienced and weak, and miscarried, then she wouldn't be able to blame anyone else. She absolutely could not tolerate a woman of unknown origin stepping into the Fu family's main branch again. Back then, she couldn't compete with that servant girl, and was ridden above others for most of her life by a lowly servant girl; how could she tolerate a second one? Today, she would make Qing'er know what rules and status were.

Madam Xiao gritted her teeth. Seeing that Qing'er remained silent, and unwilling to lower herself to speak first, she could only turn her sharp eyes into cold blades and fiercely glare at the person on the bed.

The old woman behind her was also taken aback by Meng Qingci's arrogance. Regardless of social status, how could she remain seated on the couch and fail to offer greetings when an elder had come in person?

The old woman paused for a moment, then raised her voice and scolded sharply: "What a bold and unruly maid! You don't even get off the bed to pay your respects to your master. Do you really think that just because you're carrying a child, you're someone important? Whether you can give birth or not depends on whether your master will grant you this favor!"

The old woman's voice was booming, her rough tone like the hooting of an owl, piercing the eardrums. Startled by her sudden shout, Xia Guang was momentarily stunned, a chill running through her heart. This was no visit; it was clearly someone with ill intentions and hidden malice!

Xia Guang was so angry that her hands trembled, but she still forced herself to stand in front of Meng Qingci, managing a weak smile as she explained, "Madam, our young lady is of good birth, not a servant. How could there be talk of master and servant? Besides, it's not that our young lady is disrespectful to her elders; it's just that you came in such a hurry that our young lady hadn't had time to prepare..."

Before she could finish speaking, the old woman rushed forward and slapped Xia Guang hard across the face twice, yelling, "You ill-mannered thing! How dare you interrupt your master? What master or servant? This is Qing'er from the old mansion, how can she not be a servant? Look at you, you shameless liar, you should be dragged out and beaten until your mouth is smashed so you'll learn your lesson!"

She was just looking for a pretext to lash out when Xia Guang happened to walk right into her path, saving her a lot of talking. With this kind of situation, she didn't believe that little bitch Qing'er could withstand it!

Xia Guang never expected that Madam Xiao would actually dare to order her servants to take action. Her cheeks burned and swelled up instantly. Her ears were ringing, her vision blurred, and tears streamed down her face from the pain. She stood there stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

Meng Qingci watched coldly, knowing that Madam Xiao's visit was nothing more than the same old tricks, and she couldn't even be bothered with a perfunctory response. Seeing Xia Guang suffer a loss and get hurt, her eyes turned cold, and she suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, "Ouch...ouch...my stomach hurts so much...it hurts so much...help me!"

That shout brought Xia Guang back to her senses, and she immediately rushed to the door, shouting incoherently, "Go quickly and call the master! Go quickly! Go quickly and call Doctor Zhang!"

A lump of anger choked her, but Xia Guang still stood firmly in front of Meng Qingci, shouting sternly to the outside, "Are you all dead?! They're disobedient, and you've forgotten who the masters are? Hurry up and come in to protect them! If anything happens to the young lady, see how you die! The master will skin you alive!"

Madam Xiao and the old woman were stunned for a moment. They never expected Qing'er to be so easily frightened. She had only slapped her maid twice, and she was already in pain and had signs of miscarriage.

They originally thought that even if Qing'er was frightened, she would hold on until they left. If she lost her pregnancy then, they couldn't necessarily blame her. Unexpectedly, she looked tough but was all show and no substance. She immediately suffered from unbearable abdominal pain, which caught Madam Xiao off guard. Her face turned slightly pale, her palms were sweating, and she clenched the handkerchief in her hand.

At this moment, the servants and maids in the courtyard also came to their senses. When they heard Meng Qingci cry out in pain, as if she had miscarried, they disregarded all etiquette and rushed in. In a few moments, they separated Madam Xiao and the two maids, and were about to kick her out.

The old woman exchanged a glance with Madam Xiao, understanding each other perfectly. She immediately shouted sternly, "Stop pretending and spouting nonsense! Our Madam Xiao came to visit us out of kindness, and you, who are so ill-mannered and shameless, not only dress undressed, but also try to throw this mud at Madam Xiao? We haven't even touched a single hair on your head!"

Having made up their minds, the mistress and servant decided to go all in. They thought to themselves: as long as Qing'er loses the child, she will have no one to rely on and will be no threat at all; but if she manages to keep the pregnancy, they will have lost more than they gained and there will be endless trouble in the future.

Relying on her special status, the servants in the courtyard dared not lay a hand on her, and the old woman became increasingly unscrupulous, pouring out filthy and obscene words like water, each one sharper and more piercing than the last.

No sooner had Fu Yixian left than a young maidservant stumbled in, nearly falling to the ground. Breathless, she cried out in a tearful voice before she could even steady herself, "Master, something terrible has happened! Miss has done something terrible..."

Fu Heng's heart sank. He abruptly stood up and hurried towards the inner courtyard with swift steps.

Mo Jian grabbed the maid who was about to run into the inner courtyard, frowned and scolded in a low voice, "Speak properly! What exactly happened to the young lady?"

The little girl was already terrified. Although she was young, she was quick on her feet and ran ahead of the old woman to deliver the news. At this moment, she could only sob in a trembling voice: "Madam Xiao, Madam Xiao has arrived... For some reason, there was a commotion in the room. I heard the young lady cry out in pain. I think she has had a miscarriage... Then, then, I heard Sister Xiaguang shout that the young lady has fainted."

Upon hearing this, Mo Jian's heart skipped a beat. He immediately composed himself and quickly caught up with Fu Heng, explaining the whole story as he hurried along. Fu Heng's eyes flashed with dark currents, filled with a fierce aura. His thin lips tightened like knives, and his entire face became terrifyingly sinister.

As soon as Fu Heng stepped into Meng Qingci's courtyard, he heard the old woman, Xiao Shi, blocking the entrance to the main room and shouting insults. Vulgarities such as "little slut" and "lowly wretch" filled the air. Fu Heng's temples bulged with rage. He looked up and saw that the old woman's face was twisted and ferocious, like a vengeful ghost, making him feel disgusted and nauseous.

Fu Heng's eyes were bloodshot with rage and hatred. He suddenly turned around, drew the long sword from Mo Jian's waist, and took a step forward. The blade flashed—a dull thud was heard, and a round object rolled to the ground. Fearing to disturb Meng Qingci inside the room, he even dragged the headless corpse away from the door and into the courtyard, gesturing for everyone to be quiet.

In an instant, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence. All the servants and old women stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape in terror, yet they dared not utter a sound, lest they disturb the young lady inside and suffer the same fate as this old woman.

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Author's Note: Meng Qingci: Your family has a long-standing tradition of messiness [lemon emoji]

Fu Heng: I'm different from all of them, please don't give up on me [please]