Chapter 7, the Seventh Chapter: A Tingling and Itchy Sensation

Suddenly, a servant shouted, "Miss Fu is performing 'The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven'!"

The young noblemen who were engaged in a literary contest could no longer sit still. They threw their wolf-hair brushes haphazardly into the brush-washing pool and rushed towards the railing of the waterside pavilion. If they hadn't been concerned about their reputation, they would have been pushing and shoving each other.

"How does Miss Fu dance 'The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven'?"

"I heard they lost the game of 'Xing Ling'."

"I just saw that Miss Fu is a magistrate. What does that mean?"

"What kind of eyes do you have? Didn't you see that the magistrate was later replaced by Princess Lin'an?"

"Miss Fu is indeed remarkable. If it were any other girl, she might not be willing to issue the order today, nor would she have the courage to issue the order for punishment."

"She truly deserves to be our future Crown Princess."

Fu Heng and his nephew Fu Yan'an came down from the arched bridge, both dressed in official robes.

Fu Heng: "Even if your father can't control you now, the Grand Princess has specially invited you, so you should still give the Grand Princess face. Besides, the Crown Prince is here, if you don't come, you'll be disrespecting the Crown Prince."

Fu Yan'an was pulled out of the Ministry of Justice prison by Fu Heng, his whole body still bearing the gloom of torture: "This matter was not well thought out by your nephew."

"As the eldest grandson of the Fu family, you should shoulder responsibilities like your father, understand the principles of establishing a family and career, and prioritizing family before serving the country. Do you need your father and I to teach you that?" Fu Heng glanced at him casually. "The Princess's spring banquet is most suitable for you."

Fu Yan'an pursed his lips and remained silent, inwardly strongly disapproving: he thought to himself, "You're still unmarried at your age, how dare you lecture me?" Yet, his father's half-brother had acknowledged him as the eldest grandson.

But since his third uncle was expressing his stance, Fu Yan'an couldn't very well refute his elder's words.

Just then, lively sounds came from the waterside pavilion, and they vaguely heard people mentioning "Miss Fu". The two followed the gazes of the crowd.

On the distant stage, a woman's face was veiled by a light gauze, her waist swaying like a willow in the wind, both light and supple, her crimson water sleeves bobbing and swirling, seemingly possessing a spirit.

She deftly and nimbly executed a back kick to the Purple Gold Crown, drawing in her leg, spinning, flipping, dodging, and leaping—all in one fluid motion, as if flowing water. Her slender body seemed to hold boundless power, her movements incredibly gentle and ethereal, like a celestial maiden descending to earth, poised to ride the wind and return to heaven.

Fu Heng felt his dormant heart pounding powerfully, a feeling of being alive he had never experienced before. He strongly felt the vitality brought by the dance, indulging in and reveling in this feeling.

As the dance ended, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the pavilions on both sides of the lake.

Fu Heng's thoughts were pulled back by his nephew Fu Yan'an's unusual mood.

Fu Yan'an was staring fervently at the woman's figure, his warm eyes filled with a delirious and alluring expression—a look that was not appropriate for looking at his own sister.

Fu Heng frowned, pondered for a moment, and quickly realized that the person on stage was not his famous niece who had won the Crown Prince's favor with a dance, but his niece's maid, Qing'er.

He chuckled. He should have realized it sooner. What was so important about a maidservant that she was kept under control even after being released? What was so unclear about the accounts? It was just a cover-up, a little trick played by young ladies in their boudoirs.

He never expected that Fu Jingyu would dare to defy the Crown Prince; he had underestimated this seemingly virtuous and gentle niece.

"Go find the Crown Prince now. You, as his elder brother, need to explain today's events to him personally. You should also pay more attention to your own sister." After observing the unusual movements of the female guests in the opposite pavilion, he pondered for a moment, gave instructions to Fu Yan'an, then crossed the small bridge and strode away.

Fu Yan'an finally regained his senses. Seeing the female guests in the waterside pavilion getting up to chase after the person who had come off the stage, Fu Yan'an's clear and handsome features turned frosty. Following Fu Heng's instructions, he hurried off to find the Crown Prince.

As Meng Qingci was blown by the wind on the lake, she was sometimes sober and sometimes drunk, and when she danced, she felt somewhat lightheaded.

"The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven" was her famous work before she transmigrated. Fu Jingyu was not very skilled in dance. Even after hiring a famous teacher to guide her, she only got a basic understanding and could not master "The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven" at all.

She left the Marquis's residence, intending to guard against today's events with Fu Jingyu.

The two had been dancing together for many years and were almost inseparable. Their figures were already somewhat similar. In order to design "The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven" so that Fu Jingyu could become famous overnight, she also deliberately designed her makeup and covered her with a veil while dancing. When the two were made up and dressed in dance costumes, they looked about 90% similar, and outsiders would generally not be able to find any clues.

The two agreed that after Fu Jingyu got married, he would pretend to be injured and then stop dancing. Since Fu Jingyu didn't like dancing anyway, it was a flawless scheme.

Zi Fu accompanied the performance on the zither. After putting the zither away, she helped Meng Qingci off the stage. The two knew that the person who had orchestrated Fu Jingyu's dance would not give up easily.

Fortunately, the stage and the waterside pavilion were separated by a distance, so the two quickened their pace back to their room. Sure enough, after walking for a while, they heard footsteps chasing after them.

To make matters worse, a shrill voice rang out: "Miss Fu."

Meng Qingci and Zi Fu exchanged a surprised glance, not expecting that the Crown Prince's eunuch would be the first to catch up.

"You go first and lead them to the side room. As long as the master and the eunuch appear in front of others, it will divert their attention. The noble ladies in the waterside pavilion will think I'm still drunk in the side room and won't attract attention. I'll find a chance to go back to the side room." Seeing that she was about to be caught up by the people behind her after turning the corner of the artificial hill, Fu Jingyu whispered her instructions and then headed towards the secluded garden next to her.

Zi Fu nodded nervously, steadied herself, and ran away as fast as the wind, her palms sweating profusely.

Meng Qingci turned into the garden, but still felt footsteps following her. Her heart tightened, and she gritted her teeth, thinking that if she really had no choice, she would jump into the lake and swim out of the princess's mansion.

Just as I was about to turn around and head towards the lake, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the dark artificial hill.

Suddenly, everything went dark before Meng Qingci's eyes, and she couldn't see anything. Her instinctive cry of alarm was suppressed by a broad hand, and her body was swept away into the depths of the artificial hill.

Her heart was pounding. Deep within the artificial hill, not a ray of sunlight could be seen. She felt as if she were blind and unable to see, but her senses became exceptionally sensitive.

The strong physique pressed against her, exuding a powerful sense of oppression, making it clear to her that the one who had abducted her was a man.

Outside the artificial hill, the faint sounds of noble ladies' questions could be heard, lingering near the hill.

Meng Qingci stood stiffly, not daring to make any movement. She tried to lean against the stone wall to avoid the person in front of her, but to no avail. She thought that the space between the two of them was too small, which was why the man was so close to her.

After all, aside from covering his mouth and the hot, iron-like hand gripping her waist, this person did nothing else out of line, and didn't seem like a lecherous scoundrel with ulterior motives.

However, Meng Qingci was still very flustered. The person in front of her was hiding here, waiting for an opportunity to make a move. They had probably discovered her and Fu Jingyu's secret. She was not sure if the person in front of her would keep this secret, or what price they would have to pay to keep it a secret.

Her warm breath seeped through the thin gauze and landed on Fu Heng's palm, sending shivers of tingling pleasure through him. Her waist was so supple; he could easily snap it with just a little more force.

His large palms, through the light gauze of her dance dress, gently caressed the soft flesh of her waist, bringing Meng Qingci an undeniable burning sensation.

She trembled like a frightened kitten in his palm, yet she forced herself to remain calm. Fu Heng felt the tightness in her throat and realized she must be terrified.

Even if the girl has some cunning, she's still just a teenager.

After a moment of lewd admiration at her flustered and helpless appearance, he took pity on her and leaned close to her ear, soothingly whispering, "Good girl, don't be afraid."

A note from the author:

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It's been a while since I've written anything, so I'm feeling a bit sluggish. I'll feel better once I've written over 100,000 words. Thank you for your support; I'm very touched. [Get Rich]