Chapter 15 Clever Methods
Perhaps it was because Fu Yan'an was over twenty and still unmarried that Madam Lin, the first wife, was getting anxious. So this time, she used her daughter Fu Jingyu's name to hold a flower-viewing banquet at the Marquis's residence, just like the Grand Princess.
Lin's maid, Xia Guang, stepped into Biqiong Garden and saw Meng Qingci directing a young maid to tidy up the flowers and plants in the courtyard. She smiled and handed Meng Qingci the invitation list for the flower viewing banquet: "What a coincidence, the First Madam asked me to bring this over, so it's perfect for you."
"What a coincidence! I dreamt last night that you were coming to find me today, but you were late, so I waited for you in the courtyard." Meng Qingci said playfully, taking the roster and opening it, secretly exclaiming: Good heavens! It's so long.
Besides Fu Jingyu's close friends, Madam Lin invited all the eligible young ladies of marriageable age who were of similar social standing and not yet engaged: the eldest daughter of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the second eldest daughter of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the eldest daughter of the Director of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, the eldest daughter of the Director of the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War...
There were more than twenty people. They practically encompassed half of the small court. Those who knew the situation thought the First Madam was looking for a wife for her son; those who didn't might have thought she was selecting a concubine for Fu Yan'an.
Xia Guang was amused and pretended to shove her: "You little monkey, no wonder the young lady dotes on you the most. With your clever tongue, you can make people's hearts flutter."
Meng Qingci looked her up and down, his gaze fixed on her chest, his words smacking: "Let me see, where is the flower blooming in your heart? Is it white or red? Is it vibrant or not? I'll play the role of this poor monkey for once."
"You shameless little brat, you have no respect for your sister." Seeing her becoming mischievous, Xia Guang blushed, pulled her aside, and spat at her: "You're getting bolder and bolder, even daring to tease me."
Meng Qingci: "I haven't seen you much lately, so you won't hold it against me."
Xia Guang pinched her: "What am I teasing you about? Two years ago, if you hadn't saved me, and that old man hadn't succeeded, I would have rotted in the old house. How could I have the respectable life I have in the madam's room now?"
Meng Qingci knew she was referring to the incident at the old house, where a steward left behind by Madam Wang tried to take advantage of her, but she happened to save him. She quickly stopped talking, saying, "Since you're going to keep it to yourself, let's not bring up the past again. It won't do either of us any good."
"It was my fault for bringing it up." Xia Guang pulled her behind an old peach tree in the courtyard. Seeing that no one was around, she lowered her voice and said, "Madam has recently suspected that the eldest son is reluctant to marry because he has someone in his heart. The other day, Xingzhi casually said, 'Perhaps she is not a noble lady,' which aroused Madam's suspicion. She is now looking for which girl it is."
There was no need to say more; Meng Qingci already understood. She pulled Xia Guang along and said, "Good sister, thank you for caring about me and for coming to tell me. But you don't need to worry about me. I will leave the manor after the flower viewing banquet, and I will naturally no longer be afraid of these things."
Upon hearing this, Xia Guangsong breathed a sigh of relief: "That's perfect. But once you leave, it will be difficult for us to see each other again."
Meng Qingci patted her hand: "In this garden, when girls reach a certain age, all good things must come to an end. Remember one thing I said: if you ever want to redeem yourself, you can come find me. We'll be together someday."
“I’ve remembered what you said. Only you know me. I’ve never left the Marquis’s mansion since I was a child. Please allow me to think about it some more.” Xia Guang was also born into a family, but her parents died early, leaving her as the only daughter. Her relatives were all on the estate and couldn’t help her. She was essentially rootless in the Marquis’s mansion. Two years ago, she was almost bullied by the steward left behind by Madam Wang at the old house.
Xia Guang leaned closer and whispered to Meng Qingci what Madam Lin had been thinking recently: first, she planned to have Meng Qingci accompany the eldest daughter in her dowry to gain favor, and later she even considered making her a concubine for the young master. After quickly giving these important instructions, Xia Guang hurriedly left.
In order to avoid being too blatant or eye-catching, the flower-viewing banquet also invited several of Fu Yan'an's friends, who were also unmarried men of marriageable age.
Such a large-scale flower-viewing banquet could not be managed by Madam Lin alone, and time was tight, so naturally, Yanfu Residence and Biqiong Garden were to handle it together.
After receiving Fu Jingyu's approval, Meng Qingci and Zi Fu led their subordinates to work until late at night before finally resting.
The next day, Meng Qingci dressed properly and followed Fu Jingyu to the banquet. First, she and Fu Jingyu welcomed the noble ladies of various families in at the second gate, and then she went to Yanfu Residence to help out. She wished she could be two people working at once.
Because she often went out with Fu Jingyu, she not only had to entertain the noble ladies who came today and greet them, but even the maids brought by these ladies made her smile stiff.
After finally welcoming everyone into Yanfu Residence and serving them tea and snacks, Meng Qingci had a chance to slip away to the back to relax.
Inside the main hall of Yanfu Residence, Madam Lin, the first wife, sat in the main seat. Today, she was radiant, as if she had made up for all the damage done to her face over the decades.
Fu Yan'an, at a young age, had already risen to the rank of Assistant Minister of Justice, a fifth-rank official, and was favored by the Emperor, so his future was limitless. He was already a highly sought-after son-in-law in the capital, and in addition, his refined and dignified appearance made him the dream man of many noble ladies present.
During the banquet, the noble ladies who were interested in Fu Yan'an surrounded Madam Lin, flattering and joking, trying their best to please her. Their competitive manner was like a garden of beauties vying for attention, with hidden scheming among them.
Just then, a maidservant outside announced loudly, "The eldest young master has arrived."
Fu Yan'an lifted his robe and stepped across the threshold, bowing to Madam Lin without looking to the side: "Your son greets Mother."
Seeing that the room was full of noble ladies from various families, Fu Yan'an barely suppressed his impatience. This matchmaking was initiated by Master Fu himself, so he could not refuse and could only deal with it.
When Madam Lin saw her son arrive, all the noble ladies' eyes were glued to him like a shadow. She couldn't suppress the smug smile on her lips: "You've come at the right time. I had someone fetch a few jars of aged wine from the cellar. Take them to the banquet and add some liveliness."
Fu Yan'an bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mother."
Princess Lin'an sat beside Fu Jingyu, turned her head and lowered her voice: "Your brother is even more sought after than I thought. Look at how these noble ladies fawn over your mother, their eyes are practically floating on air. The moment he came in, their eyes seemed to want to drill seven or eight holes into him."
"Aren't you tempted?" Fu Jingyu smiled and asked in a low voice, "Didn't you praise my brother before, saying he was refined, noble, and handsome?"
Princess Lin'an curled her lips: "My steed doesn't need to be too capable. Ever since your brother handled those two ironclad cases of confiscation and extermination of families, I've kept my distance from him."
Lu Qingwan, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, stood to the side, her eyes lowered and a faint smile on her face, having overheard the entire conversation between the two.
Princess Lin'an glanced at Lu Qingwan and teased, "Don't tease Qingwan. With today's situation, she probably won't be able to hide her feelings anymore."
Lu Qingwan glared at Lin'an with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, then lowered her voice and scolded, "Don't meddle!"
Fu Jingyu smiled but remained silent, only considerately adding a pastry to her bowl without making any jokes.
At this moment, suppressed sobs could be heard from the dressing room in the back of Yanfu Residence: "Miss, you're too kind! Second Miss clearly did it on purpose, splashing tea on you to prevent you from seeing Young Master Fu!"
"Alright," Su Xiang coughed lightly, her breath weak. "You can't shed tears in someone else's home, don't break the rules." Her voice was as gentle as water. "Even if I did see her, so what? There are so many noble ladies gathered here today. Madam Fu has plenty of girls from prestigious families to choose from. Do you think she would take a fancy to the daughter of a junior official in the Ministry of War's Armory Department? Besides... with my health, and the illness I had in my mother's womb, even if I sat there properly, Madam Fu would never take a liking to me."
"What should we do?" Jinju grew increasingly anxious, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Madam has been plotting to marry you off haphazardly so she can seize your dowry... If Miss can't find a powerful and good marriage, what hope will she have in the future?"
She lowered her voice: "Besides, your illness isn't incurable; it's just a way to appease Madam. After you get married, with proper care, it will naturally get better."
Su Xiang comforted me gently, "Alright, you'll need to go out and take care of things for me later. Don't cry until your eyes are swollen, because I certainly can't call my good stepmother and sister Ruyi."
Jinju stopped crying and asked, "Miss, do you really have a way? How can we possibly win? Just give the order, and I'll do anything for you, even go through fire and water."
Su Xiang sighed: "Of course I want you to stay with me. Look at how much noise they're making outside, but they might not even catch Young Master Fu's eye. Why do you think he's over twenty and still unmarried?"
Jinju was stunned, speechless, her brows furrowed, and her low voice betrayed her suspicions: "This...this...could it be that he has some incurable disease?"
Upon hearing this, Su Xiang chuckled weakly, "Look at how smug and beaming Madam Fu looks today, how could it be for this reason?"
Jinju was even more puzzled: "Why is that?"
Su Xiang's voice was soft, yet unusually cold: "That must be it. He already has someone else in his heart; this woman must be of a special status, unworthy to be his wife."
Jinju panicked: "What should we do? You still want... you still want... we should find another son-in-law."
Su Xiang's voice was soft yet firm: "Precisely because Young Master Fu has someone else in his heart, I, your young lady, have the best chance of winning. He has been dragging his feet on marriage until now, and I bet he can't bear to wrong that woman. A wife who suffers from a 'stubborn illness,' whose family is weak and isolated, whose temperament is 'gentle,' and who has no interest in vying for favor, wouldn't that be exactly what Young Master Fu wants?"
Jinju felt heartbroken upon hearing this: "Miss, why do you have to suffer like this... Why does God have to make you suffer so much?"
Su Xiang was amused by her again, but there was a hint of coldness in her laughter: "Silly Jinju, this is not suffering at all. How can a woman who cannot be presented in public escape the master's palm? How long can a man stay in the inner quarters? In the end, whether he lives or dies will be in my hands."
Jinju was a little confused, but she was always loyal to her mistress: "Then... then what does Miss want me to do? I will definitely not delay your business!"
Su Xiang leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Go out first, and say I'm feeling unwell and will rest in the room for a while before joining the banquet. When you're strolling through the garden, try to find out where Young Master Fu is... and then..."
Meng Qingci, who was lounging lazily under the window outside, overheard the whispered conversation between the mistress and servant. She sighed silently to herself: "What a clever and shrewd girl! What a quick-witted and resourceful woman!"
A note from the author:
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This week, due to the rankings, I can only update 15,000 words. Thank you all for your patience and support. Thank you for the landmines and nutrient solutions! [hugs]
Within five chapters, Fu Heng will tear off his mask of hypocrisy for the first time, and then the plot will only consist of the tug-of-war between the male and female leads.
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