Chapter 21 A Hypocritical Person
When Meng Qingci woke up, her senses were dulled and her mind felt dizzy.
She was like a fish stranded on the beach, her throat parched and cracked. This dryness was like an empty pot that had been heated to a scorching red at the bottom, the entire bottom of the pot hissing in a burning heat.
Outside, the old lady of the Marquis of Anyi's mournful howl, like the weeping of a night owl, made her eardrums ring.
The once kind and gentle Old Madam Fu, now drained of her energy by an illness, questioned Fu Heng, who stood in the corridor, with bloodshot eyes: "Where is that wretched girl Qing'er? Did the eldest son's family order her to harm my Xuan'er?"
Second Madam Jiang helped Old Madam Fu up and, following her heart, tried to calm her down: "Mother, please calm down. The young master had an accident in Shaoguang Courtyard. Where did Qing'er come from? The doctor said it was because the young master was addicted to incense. It's all because the servants below are useless. Xiuyu has already been dealt with. Mother, please don't be angry. You must take care of your health."
Madam Fu raised her arm, shoving Jiang aside. She glared at Jiang and scolded her, "You fool! You believe in all this talk about incense? You idiot! Your son has been harmed, and you're still in the dark. It was clearly Qing'er who did it. It's all because of you vixens who have been clinging to my Xuan-ge'er, seducing him into doing those despicable things all day long. You shameless bastards!"
Shen, the nanny Fu Heng sent to Old Madam Fu's side, calmly helped Old Madam Fu to her feet, subtly increasing the pressure on her hands, both as a form of support and a restraint, to prevent her from becoming emotionally agitated and going crazy, thus lest she offend the Third Master.
Second Madam Jiang was so frightened that her shoulders trembled. She lowered her eyes, biting her lower lip in shame, but still obediently agreed: "Mother is right to reprimand me. It is all my fault."
Jiang and Madam Fu had just come out of Shaoguang Courtyard when they realized why the old woman had stopped her from returning to Shaoguang Courtyard the previous evening. It turned out that Xiuyu had betrayed her, and the grandmother and granddaughter had been keeping an eye on her and even using her to plot something despicable.
She watched as Fu Hongxuan collapsed on her bed, his eyes drooping and mouth crooked, unable to speak, drooling uncontrollably everywhere, his limbs trembling as if he had suffered a stroke, only able to utter "ah ah~~" without being able to speak. Beside him lay Xiuyu's unsightly corpse.
After the initial shock, she felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration. If the old woman hadn't been there, she probably would have burst into laughter.
She was still so excited that she could hardly control herself, and could only lower her eyes to hide it, lest the old woman notice something was wrong and lash out at her.
Fu Heng coldly looked at the woman who called him his mother. He vaguely remembered that when he was a child, this woman would come to see him dressed in elegant and bright clothes, bringing exquisite snacks and trinkets. Every time she faced him, she would be careful and reserved in trying to please him.
Just like every time he saw her before, it constantly reminded him that he was the product of her despicable and vile means of plunder.
Now her hair is streaked with gray, her face aged, and she has torn off her mask of hypocrisy, revealing her repulsive side. And his body is indeed mixed with her coarse and filthy blood, and then he would think to himself with self-mockery that his other half's blood is no better, and only the eldest brother, Fu Chenghuai, likes to deceive himself.
Madam Fu stepped forward: "Third son, your second brother is not here. You must stand up for Xuan-ge'er. Xuan-ge'er is your own nephew. You cannot let the eldest son off easily. Have someone find Qing'er immediately and make her serve Hong-xuan. I want this slut to repent to Hong-xuan every day."
After her hoarse roar and impotent rage, Old Madam Fu was panting heavily. She was panting heavily and looked slightly tired. Since the eldest son was not in the mansion, she wanted the third son to stand up for her and, ideally, bring down the eldest son.
In the face of her youngest son's almost indifferent and detached expression, a chill instantly ran down her spine, making her shiver and her whole body tremble. She pointed a trembling finger at her most prized son: "It's you, isn't it you?"
“You are my own flesh and blood, how could you be of one mind with that vixen’s bastard? How could you betray me? Betray your own brother? That vixen doesn’t deserve your father’s affection at all. She’s a promiscuous slut. The eldest son is her bastard. Only I am devoted to your father and the Fu family. You and the second son are the rightful heirs of the Fu family. Back then, the old lady was confused, your father was confused, and now even you don’t believe me?” The old lady was greatly shocked and wanted to grab Fu Heng, but Shen Mama controlled her and prevented her from getting any closer: “You are my child. You can’t treat me like this. You can’t be unfilial to me.”
Granny Shen glanced coldly at Old Madam Fu, tightening her grip on her hand: "Madam, you should be careful with your words. Our old lady is watching you from heaven."
Madam Fu turned sharply to look at Granny Shen, her eyes filled with disbelief and a flicker of fear. Her voice trembled as she asked, "You're her person? You were raised in her courtyard?"
"How could you send her people to my side? How could you do this to me? You know I hate her the most, and I hate the people around her the most." She suddenly turned to Fu Heng and roared hoarsely, "Are you back to take revenge on me for the old woman? You are my son, you are my son."
A faint hint of mockery flickered across Fu Heng's lips, his eyes as still as a deep, cold pool, undisturbed: "It's nothing more than removing the rotten flesh and setting things right."
Even after he admitted it, Madam Fu was still indignant: "That can't be you. That's your own brother. How dare you? How could you do that?"
Fu Heng's voice was as cold as ice: "You almost destroyed the Fu family's century-old foundation with a woman. The method was despicable, but it was effective. It's time for you to wake up from your dream. Don't you know that your precious son sold the weapon blueprints and betrayed the country? His Majesty has already made his choice. You are already a pawn to be discarded, but you are still stubbornly clinging to your delusions."
"What did you say? What do you mean? The eldest son is the Crown Prince's man, how could he possibly be a traitor?" Madam Fu's pupils shrank, as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Confusion and fear instantly seized her, and her voice trembled uncontrollably: "What happened to the eldest son? Wasn't the eldest son sent abroad on official business?"
Fu Heng ruthlessly shattered her last glimmer of hope: "Once Yu'er and the Crown Prince are married, news will come from the border that Marquis Anyi is resisting the enemy, guarding the grain supplies, and being loyal to the country. The Fu family can only be loyal subjects."
Madam Fu staggered back several steps in shock. After all, she was old and her health was not yet fully recovered. After this bout of hysteria, upon hearing this terrible news, she realized that her most beloved son and grandson had both died overnight, and she suddenly felt dizzy.
In a daze, the words kept echoing in my ears: "His Majesty has made his choice... You are now a pawn... Be loyal to the country... The Fu family can only be loyal subjects."
Then she saw her most proud and promising son, his thin lips moving slightly: "Since you are heartbroken, you should go to the Buddhist temple to meditate and pray for blessings, and spend more time with your second brother. The Marquis of Anyi's mansion will now be returned to its rightful owner."
A sudden, dull pain in her heart instantly seized all of Madam Fu's senses. A deathly numbness enveloped her from head to toe. It was the suffocating feeling of being stabbed through the heart by her closest blood relative, bleeding profusely, unable to breathe.
Her unfocused gaze swept over the servants in the courtyard, who were all bowing their heads, holding their breath, and wishing they could gouge out their own ears.
Then, her gaze swept over the tightly closed bedroom window, and suddenly she realized something.
She looked back at Fu Heng with shock and disbelief in her eyes, her body trembling. If it weren't for Granny Shen and Second Madam Jiang supporting her, she would probably have fallen to the ground.
Suddenly, Madam Fu threw her head back and burst into maniacal laughter, her voice hoarse and piercing, sending chills down one's spine. Her face was contorted with an almost ferocious smugness as she stared at Fu Heng: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! You actually had this idea, no wonder! No wonder! You even fooled me."
"She probably doesn't know yet, does she?" She pointed to the tightly closed bedroom window, her voice sharp and ghostly, filled with deep-seated resentment: "You're really ruthless. You're just like your father, equally hypocritical. But deep down, you're more like me! Ruthless! Vicious! Hahaha... Just you wait! An eye for an eye! An eye for an eye!"
"The old lady is so heartbroken that she's gone hysterical! Quickly help her away to rest!" Seeing that the old lady was incoherent and completely mad, Granny Shen ordered several burly servants to step forward and carry her away.
Granny Shen turned around and bowed respectfully to Fu Heng: "This old servant will stay in the Marquis's mansion for the rest of my life to serve the old lady. I will not leave unless I die. Please rest assured, Third Master."
Fu Heng pursed his lips and remained silent, watching his mother being dragged out of Wuheng Mountain House before waving to Granny Shen.
Before leaving, Granny Shen couldn't help but speak with deep worry: "This old servant will not be able to serve Third Master from now on. I earnestly hope that Third Master... will take good care of himself and not worry about anything. If the old lady in heaven could see you like this, she would be very worried."
Fu Heng then looked up at her, remained silent for a while, and said, "I understand, I will not let Grandmother worry."
Only then did Granny Shen nod in relief, bow, and retreat.
Second Madam Jiang stood in the courtyard, unsure whether she was more shocked or overjoyed. The old secrets of the Marquis's mansion seemed to hold no interest for her. She stared blankly as the old lady was led away, her mind still reeling.
Seeing that Granny Shen had also left, leaving her alone in the courtyard, she awkwardly adjusted her expression, unsure whether Fu Heng wanted to see her more heartbroken or numb. Her lips twitched a few times before she stiffly said, "Master is serving his country with utmost loyalty and prioritizing the greater good. The old lady is delirious with grief. Please don't take it to heart, Uncle. I will persuade her, and she will be fine after this period."
Fu Heng then looked at his second brother's second wife properly and chuckled, "Second sister-in-law is a rare and insightful person. Then I'll leave it to you."
When Madam Jiang saw Fu Heng smile, she felt a chill run down her spine. Thinking of the tragic state of that father and son, she realized that even his own brothers could be so ruthless and ruthless. She found this younger brother even more terrifying than her elder brother, acting so calmly and without bloodshed. She hurriedly responded and took the opportunity to retreat, not daring to think too much about whether the person in his room was Qing'er.
Meng Qingci was completely uninterested in the people and affairs of the Marquis's residence. She listened to the conversation without fully understanding it and didn't delve into the details. She was only secretly surprised that Fu Heng's words suggested that Marquis Anyi was probably in grave danger and might be dead outside the capital region.
Unexpectedly, Fu Heng's return to the capital this time was to deal with the old lady and the second wife's family. Judging from his attitude, there was no need to worry about her injuring Fu Hongxuan anymore. Thinking of this, her tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed, and she weakly let out a long breath.
Fu Heng lifted the bed curtains and saw Qing'er's eyelashes trembling and her eyes slightly narrowed in light. He felt a little calmer and used his long, bamboo-like fingertips to brush away the strands of hair from her cheek.
"Are you thirsty?" After saying that, he turned around, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of water himself, lifted his clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, helped Qing'er up, let her weak body lean on his shoulder, tested the water temperature, and then handed the cup to her lips and carefully fed her.
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