Chapter 47 A Makeover
After the alchemy room at Qingyun Temple was bombed, the city was immediately placed under complete lockdown and thoroughly searched for several days. Soon, various rumors began to circulate, with many saying that someone had intended to assassinate Governor Fu's new wife. In just a few days, the rumors spread and became increasingly bizarre and convoluted.
Fortunately, Meng Qingci had previously personally supervised the investigation and punishment of the evil Taoist surnamed Chen, and had interrogated him to reveal many fellow practitioners who had committed evil deeds under the guise of cultivation. In the end, these people were escorted to the execution ground in the city.
Although Chen Laodao himself did not use young boys and girls to refine elixirs, under torture, he not only confessed to his crimes of swindling and deceiving many women over the years and using the guise of Taoist cultivation to defile them, but also exposed another group of heretical practitioners who used young children to refine elixirs.
Because it was a task specifically assigned by Meng Qingci, and with Fu Heng's personal guards supervising the process, no one in the government office dared to be negligent in the slightest.
Within a few days, the local government arrested more than ten Taoist priests involved in the case in the Minzhou area. These people all used the guise of spreading Taoism to commit heinous crimes against humanity.
After the truth came to light, some victims even went to the governor's mansion to kowtow to Meng Qingci. In a short time, coupled with the fact that her previous act of speaking out for the orphaned daughter of the Zhu family had already spread throughout Minzhou, the people all held this governor's wife in high esteem.
Upon hearing the news that she might have met with misfortune at Qingyun Temple, everyone was heartbroken and filled with sorrow. Some even brought offerings to the entrance of Qingyun Temple. Along the way, they burned incense and paid their respects to comfort the spirit of the governor's wife in heaven.
After Meng Qingci's incident, Qingyun Temple was immediately sealed off. Everyone present that day was questioned by Mo Song, who even inquired about their ancestors for eight generations.
By the time Fu Heng returned, the news of the governor's wife's unfortunate death had already spread like wildfire throughout the city.
Fu Heng rode back to his residence at full speed and found someone kneeling on the ground in mourning clothes in front of the governor's mansion, crying and wailing. Fu Heng was furious when he saw this and immediately ordered Mo Song to be beaten with fifty strokes of the cane.
Qingyun Temple was strictly sealed off by Mo Song from the day of the incident, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving at will, and the main gate was guarded day and night by Fu Heng's guards.
Fu Heng had just returned last night and sat alone in their former bedroom all night. His eyes were bloodshot and his chin was covered in bluish-gray stubble.
Fu Heng rode out of the city at breakneck speed early in the morning to Qingyun Temple. Standing before the ruins of the alchemy room, he stared blankly at the charred and dilapidated scene before him. The broken beams and walls, burned to charcoal, were completely unrecognizable from the alchemy room he had seen when he came to pick up Meng Qingci that day, and could not be compared at all.
Fu Heng couldn't describe the feeling in his heart; he only felt numbness and deprivation in his heart, as if his blood had stopped flowing.
He couldn't help but think that if all of this was her premeditated scheme, and she just wanted to escape from him, he would forgive her betrayal.
Fu Heng simply couldn't imagine what a terrible scene it would have been if she had actually been inside the bronze alchemy furnace, which had been blown to pieces.
If she were inside and couldn't escape all of this, how much pain must she have felt? Especially since she was carrying their child.
Fu Heng could only try his best to stop thinking about it, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his heart, making him suffocate and speechless.
He was breathing heavily, and the faint smell of burning still lingered in the air. All that was left for Fu Heng were a few tattered pieces of clothing and a nearly burned embroidered shoe.
Master Xuanming was startled by Fu Heng's state. He and Fu Heng were both teacher and friend. Others might not know the gloom and ruthlessness in Fu Heng's nature, but Xuanming knew it all too well. If left unchecked, Fu Heng might go astray.
Now is a crucial time for their great cause, and they are afraid that their lord will not be able to bear the pain of losing his wife, otherwise all their years of planning will be in vain.
Most unpredictably, if Fu Heng were to become ruthless, the world would likely be reduced to a living hell.
With his keen insight, Master Xuanming immediately saw that his lord was unwilling to accept the fact that his beloved wife had passed away. The only course of action now was to temporarily calm his lord down, even if it meant using some empty words to soothe him.
Fu Heng was not someone who could be swayed by a few words. He sat in front of the ruins of the alchemy room, his dark eyes like an abyss swept by a hurricane. He personally interrogated all those who had been close to the alchemy room, those who lived and served there, and those who were suspected of being involved.
Several maids who were found to have neglected their duties due to laziness were dragged aside and executed on the spot, their blood splattering on the stone steps.
When Qingxuzi was interrogated, he was found to be a mad Taoist priest who was obsessed with alchemy. His speech was incoherent and rambling, and he showed no pity for Meng Qingci's death, only lamenting the destruction of his alchemy furnace.
Fu Heng grew increasingly furious as he listened, convinced that it was Qing Xuzi's negligence that led to Meng Qingci's perilous death. He immediately shouted, "Guards, drag him away and execute him!"
Master Xuanming rushed forward to stop him: "My lord, you mustn't! You absolutely mustn't!"
Fu Heng's eyes were bloodshot, brimming with murderous intent. His gaze towards Master Xuanming was cold and icy, concealing a hidden killing intent. Before he left, Master Xuanming had said that Meng Qingci was destined for greatness, a benefactor in his life, yet she had perished in the blink of an eye. Therefore, he no longer trusted Master Xuanming much.
Seeing his lord's sinister expression, and noting that half the bluestone slabs in the courtyard were soaked in blood, the stench of blood permeating the air, and looking at his lord who seemed to be on the verge of bloodlust, Master Xuanming had no choice but to steel himself and explain the strange occurrences: "My lord, you are wise. Apart from heavenly lightning, there has never been anything of such power in the world. Not only has the alchemy room collapsed, but the floor inside has also been blasted into a deep crater, and the alchemy furnace has been shattered. Even drawing heavenly lightning would not necessarily produce such power. This is no ordinary fire; this is a miracle."
Fu Heng remained silent, only staring coldly at him.
Master Xuanming continued, “Qingxuzi’s lack of social skills is not due to disrespect for Madam. On the contrary, Qingxuzi greatly admires Madam, saying that she is a genius in alchemy. Qingxuzi has already found the remnants in a corner of the ruins, and after repeated trials, he has actually restored the item that Madam made.” At this point, Master Xuanming could not contain his excitement: “This item is incredibly powerful. If it were used in the army, the world would be within our grasp.”
Fu Heng's lips curled into a mocking smile, but he remained silent.
Seeing that his patience was about to run out, Master Xuanming dared not beat around the bush any longer and said directly, "Qingxuzi confessed that Madam often discussed alchemy with him, but the few medicinal ingredients he found had never been used before. Where did such a large quantity of these ingredients come from? At the time of the incident, only Madam was inside. How did she get into trouble? Killing Qingxuzi before the truth is clear is tantamount to cutting off our own leads. Considering that he is still somewhat useful, we should spare him for now and let him redeem himself through meritorious service."
He stepped forward, lowering his voice: "If Madam were still alive, when our lord one day reigns supreme, why would he worry about not being able to find her? Right now, our lord only possesses three provinces, and it will take time to achieve great things. However, with this explosive, he can no longer endure and can directly seize the throne. At that time, what will be beyond your reach?"
Fu Heng's knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white. He looked at the scorched earth, and the thought that she might not be alive tormented him with a heart-wrenching pain.
Even though he knew that the hope Xuanming Zhenren spoke of was slim, a stubborn glimmer of hope still grew wildly in his heart, making his chest ache.
Fu Heng couldn't help but think: Perhaps she really wasn't dead. Perhaps all of this was truly a carefully planned escape strategy on her part.
He finally closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "...Qingxuzi is temporarily detained in your custody. You are to supervise the production of this item and there must be no delay."
Upon hearing this, Master Xuanming secretly breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to accept the order, and felt a chill run down his spine.
Meng Qingci and Zhu Youyi traveled south by boat and finally arrived in Guangzhou. To avoid attracting attention, they both changed their identities.
Zhu Youyi's mother came from the Cen family of Guangzhou, a powerful chieftain family that controlled Zhaoqing Prefecture and Luoding Prefecture. After returning to the Cen family, Zhu Youyi changed her appearance, took her mother's surname, and changed her name to Cen Ajiao. With the huge sum of money she had obtained from selling her family property, and with the help of the Cen family, she started a business in Guangzhou.
The Cen family had deep roots, making it easy for them to arrange a new identity for Meng Qingci. Thus, the two settled down in Guangzhou.
As time went by, Meng Qingci's pregnancy became increasingly apparent. To avoid attracting attention, she secluded herself in a manor outside the city to rest and prepare for childbirth. Several months passed quietly, and finally, on a warm afternoon, Meng Qingci suddenly went into labor.
Cen Ajiao helped Meng Qingci to the bed. The contractions were so painful that Meng Qingci's breathing became disordered, and soon his hair was soaked with cold sweat.
The experienced midwife, who had been called early in the morning, calmly wiped the fine beads of sweat from Meng Qingci's forehead and gently comforted her, "Madam, don't panic. Save your strength and don't exert yourself recklessly. When the index is reached, you can push when it tells you to."
Meng Qingci adjusted her breathing and tried to think of other things, but she was still terrified. After all, the probability of dying in childbirth at this time was too high.
"It'll be soon, it'll be soon, Madam, please bear with it a little longer," the midwife comforted her. "Take a breath, breathe slowly."
The midwife brought over some ginseng slices and fed them to Meng Qingci: "Hold this in your mouth to perk yourself up, you'll be pushing soon."
The pain swept over her again, and Meng Qingci felt her vision blurring from the pain, but she still persevered, silently praying for Fu Heng's mother.
The midwife suddenly urged, "Push, madam, push! The baby is coming out! Push harder, it'll be over soon!"
Under the midwife's guidance, Meng Qingci mustered her remaining strength and finally collapsed with a loud baby's cry.
The midwife, holding the baby and cleaning him, said with a smile, "Congratulations, Madam, on the birth of your son, a little prince!"
At the Minzhou governor's residence, Fu Heng tossed and turned day and night. It was Meng Qingci's due date, and he wondered if she was about to give birth if she was still healthy. She was weak, and he didn't know if it would go smoothly.
He suddenly sat up and called out to the outside, "Someone, go and fetch Doctor Zhang."
Zhang He was dragged out of bed, still half asleep, and even the buttons on his clothes were out of place. Urged by the servants, he hurriedly carried his medicine box to Fu Heng's room.
Zhang He put down his medicine box and asked Fu Heng, who was hidden in the shadows, "Is something wrong, sir?"
But then Fu Heng asked, "With her frail body, if she gives birth, will both mother and child be safe?"
Zhang He was momentarily stunned, his mouth moving faster than his brain, and he instinctively asked, "Who?"
Fu Heng's cold, deep eyes stared at Zhang He. Zhang He shivered and instantly snapped out of his daze. He immediately replied, "Childbirth is inherently dangerous for women. If it is for Madam, it depends on the safety of the pregnancy. However, given Madam's health, if she is not carefully cared for, there may be signs of an avalanche after childbirth."
Xia Guang was utterly exasperated by Zhang He's inarticulate mouth. He closed his eyes helplessly and quickly tried to make amends, saying, "Madam is blessed with good fortune. Good people are always protected by heaven and will surely turn misfortune into good luck."
Rumor has it that the Cen family daughter has taken in a live-in son-in-law, a gigolo!
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Author's Note: Meng Qingci: Past events are like smoke, free time to roam.
Fu Heng: Don't let me catch you.
Author: Fictional setting, no explosives yet.
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