Chapter 40 Spoiled and Unruly
Fu Heng traveled through the night, his clothes covered in dust, returning weary from his journey. The thought of seeing her grew wildly, entwining his heart.
It seemed as if he, not she, was the one who had been influenced by the incense. The truth was, he had indeed fallen for her charms. Thinking of her lingering affection and reluctance before parting, even knowing she was influenced by the incense, and that his feelings were tinged with a touch of illusion, he still finished his official duties and rushed home without a moment's rest, working tirelessly under the stars and moon.
He pushed open the door to the main room and strode inside. That familiar voice softened his heart. A familiar, warm fragrance wafted in, instantly soothing all his anxiety and weariness.
His eyesight was excellent; even in the dim light of the room, he could still clearly see the beautiful woman on the bed.
The young girl leaned against the soft pillows, her hair half-disheveled, her dark black hair flowing over her shoulders, wearing only a loose outer garment over her plain undergarments.
She sat up at the sound, looked up, her eyes languid, perhaps because of her pregnancy, a soft glow appeared between her usually aloof and cold eyes.
Fu Heng stopped in his tracks, feeling a mix of trepidation and trepidation as he approached his hometown, and remained silent for a moment.
Meng Qingci saw a tall figure looming over her like a mountain, completely blocking out the last sliver of moonlight by the door, and her heart tightened suddenly.
As the silhouette became clear in the dim light—it was Fu Heng!
She paused for a moment, then her beautiful eyes suddenly turned cold, as if covered with frost. Without a word, she grabbed a teacup from the small table and smashed it at Fu Heng's face without even looking at him!
Fu Heng was completely unprepared for her reaction. He instinctively raised his hand to block, but was afraid that the force would backfire and hurt her. In his hesitation, he was splashed in the face with tea mixed with tea leaves. Fortunately, the tea had already cooled down, so his face was not injured.
The teacup fell to the ground and rolled onto the carpet with a dull thud.
Meng Qingci leaped off the bed barefoot and pounced on Fu Heng, shoving and pushing him away. Her voice was cold and sharp, each word like an ice bead hitting the ground: "You still have the nerve to come before me? My temple is too small to accommodate a big Buddha like you."
Normally, Fu Heng could easily subdue her with one hand. But now that she was pregnant and had such a temper, he dared not use force at all, and could only retreat step by step, watching helplessly as the door slammed shut in front of him with a "bang".
He stood outside the door, disheveled, tea leaves still dripping from his face. A sinister look gradually crept over his brow, his voice low and cold with suppressed anger: "Why are you like this?"
Meng Qingci's voice came through the crack in the door: "Get out."
She thought to herself: What a scoundrel! He lets a woman block the door and bully her, and he expects me to give him a good look? She half-heartedly dismissed Fu Heng and went to bed early to rest.
Fu Heng's burning passion, fueled by his journey, was instantly extinguished by this bucket of cold water. A vein throbbed on his forehead, and anger surged within him. He was almost about to raise his hand and break down the door, wanting to teach her a lesson.
Just then—
"Master! Master!" Mo Song rushed over, disregarding etiquette, grabbed Fu Heng's arm, and said urgently, "I have something important to report!"
Pulled by him like that, Fu Heng barely regained his senses. With a gloomy face, he glanced one last time at the tightly closed door, then turned around and strode towards the study with Mo Song.
Upon entering the study, he sank into the armchair, his aura still chillingly low. His narrow eyes were half-closed, concealing the turbulent emotions within, and his voice was devoid of emotion: "What is it? Speak."
Mo Song's throat tightened, but he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, leaving only a flicker in his eyes, momentarily speechless.
Fu Heng tapped his knuckles on the table, the sound particularly cold and hard in the quiet study. He lifted his eyelids, the lingering anger mixed with impatience in his eyes almost tangible: "What are you dawdling about?"
Mo Song trembled from the reprimand and dared not hesitate any longer. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and recount the Zhu family's affairs, the strangeness of the fifth mistress of the Cheng family, and Miss Shen's unusual behavior.
With each word he spoke, Fu Heng's face darkened further, until finally, the air in the study almost froze, with only the faint crackling of the lamp wick.
Under the piercing, sinister gaze that seemed to seep through him, Mo Song continued his report: "Regarding the matter of Fifth Madam Cheng, the young lady felt there was more to the story and ordered me to investigate thoroughly in secret. It was ultimately discovered that Fifth Madam Cheng's personal maid had secretly met with Miss Shen's maid, Jin Xiu. The two talked for a long time, and there were even signs of them pulling and shoving each other. Furthermore… furthermore…"
Fu Heng leaned back in his armchair, his face hidden in shadow, revealing no emotion, but his voice sounded calm and inscrutable: "Anything else?"
Mo Song knew all too well the impatience and anger lurking beneath the calm surface, and quickly bowed his head: "The government office sent word to me that during the interrogation of the Zhu family, they confessed that the second master of the Zhu family had met with Miss Shen beforehand. Miss Shen's behavior at the mansion today was also very strange. She blocked your way and made trouble, but you ignored her. Instead, Miss Shen herself became inexplicably flustered and even said something in English to you in the end."
The subordinate sensed something amiss and consulted a knowledgeable interpreter. It turned out that Miss Shen's words meant, "Do you still remember me?"
"I find this very strange. This young lady grew up with the eldest daughter of the ancestral home; how could she possibly know Miss Shen from Shu?"
Fu Heng remained silent for a long time, then a cold, mocking smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "Just because you have a few feathers stuck on your head, you think you're a phoenix."
Mo Song's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he thought to himself: "Master and Miss Meng are truly a match made in heaven; even their insults are so equally sharp."
Fu Heng tapped the table lightly with his knuckles: "The Zhu family members need not be kept alive."
Mosong nodded in agreement.
Fu Heng pondered for a moment before asking in a deep voice, "What was her reaction to hearing Ying Guili speak?"
Mo Song lowered his head and carefully recounted Meng Qingci's words and actions at that time.
Upon hearing this, Fu Heng raised his hand and pressed his throbbing temples, feeling both annoyed and amused.
That temper... he really doesn't want to suffer any loss.
He wasn't worried at all that her recklessness might offend Prince Meng and cause him trouble. This girl is truly heartless.
“Prince Meng, you once lost a daughter and searched for her for many years without success. I’ve heard that the young lady is exceptionally talented, able to speak a foreign language even as a child, and you cherish her dearly.” Fu Heng’s eyes were as deep as the night, and his voice was slightly cold as he instructed, “Tomorrow, find a pretext to expel Shen Yunxi from Minzhou. Also, send a team of shrewd men to secretly follow her. Every move she makes, no matter how small, must be reported back to you.”
Mo Song's expression hardened, and he immediately bowed: "Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
Fu Heng then summoned Xia Guang to his side and inquired in detail about Meng Qingci's diet and daily life over the past few days. Upon hearing that she had suffered a miscarriage due to the Zhu family's affairs, his expression suddenly darkened, and a hint of frost appeared in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels: "Have she mentioned me these past few days?"
Xia Guang swallowed hard, lowered her eyes, and dared not look directly at him. She gritted her teeth and finally replied against her will, "When you were away, Miss, you didn't say much, but you always asked about the days. I could tell that you were hoping for your early return. That's why I haven't been eating very well these past few days."
Hearing that she was worried, Fu Heng's cold expression softened slightly, but when he heard that she hadn't eaten properly, his brows furrowed again: "She doesn't need to, and you don't even try to persuade her? You just let her be willful."
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xia Guang's forehead. She was truly caught in a dilemma, unable to find a solution. Her voice grew increasingly weak, almost stammering, "We servants have pleaded with her, but... but..."
"Serve her well, now you may leave." Seeing that Xia Guang was stammering, Fu Heng didn't ask any more questions and simply waved his hand to tell her to leave.
Fu Heng knew Meng Qingci was in a bad mood, and going there now would only add fuel to the fire, so he simply buried himself in dealing with the backlog of official business. When he looked up again, it was already late at night. He got up, washed up quickly, changed out of his travel-worn clothes, and went back to his main room to rest.
Ah, how could a door really stop him?
After driving Fu Heng away, Meng Qingci collapsed weakly onto the bed, her heart still pounding wildly. She instinctively covered her still flat stomach with both hands.
Zhu Youyi clearly stated that once she became pregnant, she would no longer be inseparable from Fu Heng every day, and that once she gave birth to the child, the incense would be dispelled.
After she became pregnant, she was separated from Fu Heng for several days, and as Zhu Jingyi had said, she was perfectly fine.
However, just now, seeing Fu Heng and being in the same room with him, the familiar scent of cypress and pine seemed to seep into her very bones, naturally stirring up feelings of attachment within her, as if... as if she truly felt a connection to him...
Meng Qingci was troubled and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Just then, she heard a soft knock on the door and a slightly heavy footstep broke the silence of the inner room—without needing to listen carefully, she knew it was Fu Heng.
Sure enough, a short while later, the bed curtains were lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles, and as the cool night air drifted in, Fu Heng stepped onto the couch.
The moonlight, like water, flowed quietly into the silent room, gently illuminating their eyes. Their gazes met perfectly, neither turning away from the other.
Fu Heng gently wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, and asked softly, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you hot?"
Meng Qingci was pulled into his arms, the familiar warmth and scent almost making her sigh with comfort, but reason prevented her from accepting such an easy surrender. She frowned, pushed against his chest with her hand, and said angrily, "Don't mess with me! Your Miss Cat and Miss Dog have their eyes on you."
Even with his extensive reading, Fu Heng had never heard such a unique and sharp way of cursing. He paused for a moment, then sighed softly. He tightened his arms around her, his voice filled with helpless indulgence: "This time it was my oversight that caused you to suffer. I promise that such a thing will never happen again."
Meng Qingci sneered: "She comes from a royal family and almost scared your son to death in one go. Lord Fu is so magnanimous, yet you come to talk to me about the future?"
She felt uneasy and always wanted to say something sarcastic to make herself feel better.
Fu Heng gazed at her current expression, her eyes filled with anger and her words laced with sarcasm, and felt a strange love for her vibrant spirit. Yet, he was utterly unable to resist her sharp, unforgiving lips.
Fu Heng held her hand, his long, narrow eyes filled with unfathomable emotions. He suddenly changed the subject, his voice low and deep: "You really... don't recognize that Miss Shen?"
"Miss Shen, Miss Shen, you call her so affectionately!" Meng Qingci suddenly bristled with thorns, raised her leg and gave him a light kick, saying hatefully, "If you can't let go of her so much, go find your Miss Shen, why bother with me and all this veiled prodding!"
Knowing that Fu Heng was suspicious of something, she came to test whether she had regained her childhood memories.
She knew that no matter how she answered, he might not believe her completely, and he might have already secretly sent someone to investigate. Therefore, she decided to simply be spoiled and arrogant and brush it off.
Fu Heng, however, seized her slender white ankle, not allowing her to retreat. He looked up and gazed deeply into her eyes, his thin lips suddenly pressing a warm kiss onto her slightly cool toes.
Meng Qingci shuddered, as if a fine electric current surged through her body from the point of contact. She subconsciously exerted force with her foot, lightly stepping on his chest, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, her voice trembling slightly: "You... don't be so indecent, I'm still carrying your child."
Fu Heng planted a kiss on her temple, keenly sensing her subtle tremor. It wasn't just superficial indifference; only then did his heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, seem to truly settle down.
It doesn't matter who she is; she can only be by his side now, she can only be Fu Heng's woman. The young girl probably doesn't even realize it yet, but her heart will soon belong to him.
What Wang said is incorrect; he is not the same as them.
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Author's Note: Meng Qingci: Quickly find a chance to leave this place of trouble.
Fu Heng: Hard work pays off
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