Chapter 39 Making a thing
From the travelogues in Fu Heng's study and the nautical chart she secretly copied, Meng Qingci saw mostly Portuguese and Malay, with English being extremely rare.
Although Miss Shen's accent was somewhat strange, it still surprised Meng Qingci quite a bit. Especially the meaning behind her words, which made her wonder: Could it be that this Miss Shen knows her original self?
However, Meng Qingci was not interested in the original owner's family. She vaguely remembered that when she first transmigrated, the clothes she wore were made of fine and exquisite fabric. According to regulations, they were not brocades that only wealthy merchants could enjoy. The original owner's family was at least a powerful and influential clan with some status.
She was about five years old at the time. According to the rules, no matter where she went, her mother-in-law and maids would always be by her side. The servants would never let their young mistress be alone.
And just like that, the original body was lost. What's even stranger is that for years, not a single clue or hint has been found. It's hard to believe there wasn't something fishy going on!
Meng Qingci was not the original owner of this body, and had no interest in the original owner's grudges. She also did not want people to know that she was fluent in foreign languages. She pretended to be disdainful and coldly ordered Mo Song: "Who dares to come in and cause trouble? What kind of young lady is she? She can't even speak Mandarin properly."
“Replying to Miss, this is English-Guizhou-Li language, which even I don’t know.” Mo Song smoothed things over, saying, “Miss Shen is renowned for her talent and is fluent in several foreign languages.”
Mo Song had been in Guangzhou with Fu Heng for many years, assisting in the affairs of the Maritime Trade Office. He frequently visited Huaiyuan Post Station and, through long-term dealings with foreign merchants, had become fluent in several foreign languages. He had long heard of Miss Shen's reputation for talent and her fluency in several foreign languages, but he did not expect that she also knew the rarely used English-Guizhou language.
Although he didn't fully understand what she meant, Mo Song was meticulous and remained calm, silently keeping the words in mind.
Meng Qingci frowned slightly, extremely impatient: "What does it matter to me what Gui or Li are? You've ruined my good mood." She waved her hand dismissively, "Why don't you take your master's 'distinguished guest' somewhere I can't see him? What bad luck."
From beginning to end, she didn't glance at Shen Yunxi again. She turned around and stepped into the courtyard, and without any hesitation, ordered Xia Guang, "Go and close the gate. Don't let any stray cats or dogs in to bark and chatter in some incomprehensible bird language."
Xia Guang quickly agreed and ordered the old woman to close the door.
The old woman in the courtyard knew Meng Qingci's status in the governor's mansion. The governor was a man of great propriety, and this courtyard wasn't a place where Miss Meng could come and go as she pleased. Ignoring that Steward Mo Song was still outside the gate, she hurriedly responded and slammed the courtyard gate shut with a "bang".
Even though Xia Guang was used to Meng Qingci's sharp words, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed for Miss Shen outside the door. A deathly silence fell over the outside. She glanced back at the tightly closed courtyard gate, sighed silently, and then lifted the curtain to follow her inside.
Jinxiu was furious at Meng Qingci's veiled insults, her face turning ashen. Her daughter was the Meng Princess's own niece, raised with the utmost care and privilege since childhood. Though she lacked the title of princess, she was treated like a daughter. She had never suffered such humiliation in Shu.
Jin Xiu immediately pointed to the tightly closed courtyard gate and said sternly to Mo Song, "Your governor's mansion is going too far! How dare you treat our young lady so disrespectfully! You are looking down on the Meng Prince's mansion! The Prince's mansion will never let this matter rest!"
Mo Song, usually adept at social maneuvering and worldly-wise, felt his mind buzzing and his thoughts in complete disarray. Miss Meng's words were truly sharp; and seeing Miss Chen's trembling, unsteady figure, he almost wished he could faint on the spot.
He simply couldn't salvage the situation.
Mo Song had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, forcing himself to speak. He made up a story: "Please forgive me, Miss Shen. My young lady has always been like this. She had a disagreement with the master a few days ago, so it's natural that she wasn't very friendly when she met the master's guest. It was not meant to target Miss Shen at all, so please don't take it to heart."
Shen Yunxi's heart pounded wildly. She thought to herself: It's just too similar. Whether it's appearance or speech and behavior, it's just too similar. If it weren't for the unfamiliar and aloof look in this girl's eyes, which didn't seem fake, she would have thought she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Seeing that her mistress was staring intently at the closed courtyard gate as if she were under a spell, Jinxiu stepped forward and supported Shen Yunxi's arm, secretly using a bit of force to give her mistress a meaningful look.
"It was my haste and bad timing that led me to be unaware of the distinguished guests at your residence, causing this misunderstanding. Once Lord Fu returns, I will prepare gifts and personally apologize to him." Shen Yunxi slowly regained her composure, managing a faint smile, and added, "I will not trouble you any further today."
After Shen Yunxi finished speaking, she hurriedly walked out of the mansion.
Jinxiu was puzzled. They had clearly agreed beforehand that they would teach that "vixen" who seduced Lord Fu a lesson. Why had the young lady suddenly changed her mind? Jinxiu was inwardly confused, but she could only help her young lady walk out, only to find that the young lady's hands were trembling violently.
Seeing that Miss Shen did not delve into the matter, Mo Song was surprised but also secretly relieved. He quickly smiled and said, "Miss Shen, you flatter me. It is an honor for the Governor's Mansion that you have graced our humble abode with your presence. It is truly an honor for us."
He spoke politely, but dared not utter a word to persuade her to stay, thinking to himself: "Truly, two tigers cannot share one mountain. Miss Shen's actions today are probably no accident."
Mo Song pretended not to know, but still looked concerned and asked, "I wonder how long Miss Shen plans to stay in Minzhou? Where is she staying now? I'll send someone to make arrangements so that my master can show her some hospitality."
Seeing that Shen Yunxi was lost in thought and remained silent, Jinxiu guessed what she was thinking and spoke a few words to Mosong on behalf of her young lady.
Mo Song escorted Shen Yunxi's carriage all the way to the gate, watching it gradually disappear into the distance until it vanished at the end of the long street. He stood alone in front of the mansion gate, his eyes slightly narrowed, his expression gradually hardening.
Seeing Mo Song's solemn and serious expression, Mo Bai curiously stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
Mo Song gazed in the direction the carriage had gone, let out a long sigh, and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid something terrible is about to happen. Now I can only hope that Master can return to the manor soon."
Inside the carriage, Shen Yunxi's fingers, gripping the round fan tightly, trembled slightly. Heaven knows, the moment she saw that woman, she had already decided to kill her. Whatever the reason, she absolutely could not let this woman live.
But her mind was in turmoil. Since arriving in Minzhou, she had been testing him for days, and she knew that Fu Heng valued that woman highly. Not only did he allow her to mobilize the governor's troops, but the entire governor's mansion was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tightly guarded, as solid as a rock.
For Shen Yunxi to try and harm the person Fu Heng cherished on his own turf was an impossible task.
The woman's disdainful and arrogant expression from just moments ago lingered in Shen Yunxi's mind. Her mannerisms, her temperament—it was all too similar. She was utterly baffled: How could it be? She had clearly confirmed it back then; how could she have survived with so much blood flowing from her head?
Shen Yunxi thought again: But if she really came back to life, how should she face herself? Did she really not recognize her, or... was she just pretending?
She quickly shook her head again, denying it to herself. With her pride, if she still remembered her place, she would never tolerate being nameless and powerless, reduced to a mere plaything.
Inside the carriage, Shen Yunxi's eyes were so dark they seemed to drip water.
If she... really has forgotten? But can this forgetting last a lifetime?
If one day she suddenly remembers everything... then she will be doomed.
Over the years, she has read extensively and devoted countless efforts to winning the favor of the princess and gaining some recognition from the prince, thus establishing herself in the Meng Prince's residence. She can do it, and she can do it now too. No, she can do it even better than her.
"She's already dead, how can she come back?" Shen Yunxi slowly closed her eyes, her nails almost digging into her palms. She absolutely refused to allow her to return; she couldn't sit idly by and wait for death; she couldn't allow herself to be at the mercy of others.
Jinxiu, standing to the side, had never seen her young mistress so flustered and disoriented. She huddled near the carriage door, barely daring to breathe. She vaguely sensed that her mistress's state must be related to the woman in the governor's mansion who resembled the princess. Intuition suppressed all her questions, preventing her from uttering a single word.
Inside the governor's mansion, Xia Guang, taking advantage of Meng Qingci's afternoon rest, quietly found Mo Song and said with a hint of reproach in her voice, "How have you been doing this job? The Zhu family incident has already made the young lady pregnant, and today you still let people run wild in front of the courtyard gate. Do you really think you have too much time on your hands?"
Mo Song frowned and sighed, "You don't know this, but this Miss Shen comes from the Meng Prince's Mansion in Shu. My master has always valued the relationship with the Prince's Mansion, so it's really not easy to offend her."
“Miss Shen is usually so dignified and proper, I don’t know why she’s acting so out of character today,” Mo Song complained. Observing Xia Guang’s expression, he asked, “Is Miss alright? Please don’t let this upset you.”
Mo Song recalled how Meng Qingci had fainted from anger over a few idle words in the Zhejiang prefectural government, and a layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on the back of his neck; he was still shaken.
Xia Guang curled her lip and said disdainfully, "What kind of well-bred lady is she? It sounds nice, but behind the scenes she still uses all sorts of despicable tricks in the inner quarters. Just look at her, it's obvious what she's up to today."
Seemingly sensing what Mo Song was afraid of, Xia Guang didn't keep him in suspense any longer. Her tone softened as she comforted him, "Don't worry. Didn't you see that our young lady doesn't even bother to look at her properly? She doesn't care about her at all. Otherwise, would you still be here safely?"
Upon hearing her words, Mo Song felt as if he had swallowed a reassuring pill; his heart, which had been in turmoil, finally settled down, and he let out a long sigh of relief. He immediately bowed deeply, his tone sincere: "This humble servant thanks you for your great kindness, young lady!"
Xia Guang stepped aside, covering her face with her sleeve, and spat out, "Pah, stop with your glib talk!"
As if hearing Mo Song's thoughts, Fu Heng indeed returned early in the evening. He was covered in dust, but without stopping, he went straight to Meng Qingci's room.
Upon hearing the sound, Mo Song hurriedly chased after him, only to find Mo Jian directing the servants at the gate. He quickly stepped forward and asked urgently, "Why are you back today? Where is Master?"
While instructing the servants to carry Fu Heng's luggage into the mansion, Mo Jian shrugged and replied, "Is that even a question? Master is eager to return home; naturally, he's going to see Miss Meng."
Upon hearing this, Mo Song slapped his thigh hard and blurted out, "Oh no!"
Mo Jian looked puzzled and quickly asked, "What happened?"
Mo Song cried out in pain, and without saying another word, he turned and rushed into the mansion, but it was too late.
The room was dark. Meng Qingci leaned on a soft pillow, lounging lazily on the couch, her heart burning with anxiety as she repeatedly plotted her escape.
Before she became pregnant, although she was allowed to leave the manor and Fu Heng never stopped her, she was always surrounded by a large entourage and guards, rarely having any opportunity to leave.
Fu Heng's inspection of the naval camp this time was relatively short. She wasn't entirely confident. Fu Heng was a man of deep and unpredictable thoughts; if this was clearly a test, and she failed, she feared she would never have another chance. Opportunities were fleeting, and she had to be extremely cautious.
But after meeting that woman surnamed Shen today, she wanted even more to leave this place fraught with trouble as soon as possible.
Meng Qingci's chest heaved as he impatiently waved his fan, when he heard someone push the door open and come in.
The footsteps were heavy and steady, unlike those of Xia Guang. She straightened up and softly asked towards the door, "Who is it?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: I didn't have time to address the language issue in the last chapter, but I've explained it in this one. I'm so glad everyone read it attentively! [Heart][Cat Paw]
My upcoming novel, "Destiny," is available for pre-order.
Wang Yuanzhen saved Xiao Yan's life, but Xiao Yan repaid kindness with enmity, forcibly seizing his property.
As Xiao Yan lay dying from his severe injuries, he saw a woman, graceful in the light and shadow, wearing a jade lotus headdress with two flowing ribbons, and a Guanyin mole between her brows, like a celestial maiden descended to earth.
He should have repaid the debt of saving his life, but instead he committed despicable acts.
Mine clearance:
1. Classic melodramatic plot, 1v2, male lead is completely virgin, female lead is a delicate beauty × a ruthless hero.
2. A fictional, chaotic medley of events, with numerous warlords vying for power.
3. The trope of forcibly taking or seizing property.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
