Chapter 8, Chapter Eight: Soft and Sluggish
The intense heat mixed with the cool fragrance of cypress and pine sprayed onto her earlobes, as if trying to enter her ear canals and penetrate her bones. She couldn't help but tremble slightly, and a tingling sensation ran down her spine.
In the darkness, Meng Qingci's pupils suddenly contracted—it was Fu Heng.
She knew that Fu Heng hated the old Marquis Fu and his wife because of their past relationship, especially how the old lady had used any means to get pregnant with him. Therefore, he never went near women and abhorred matters of love between men and women.
He then realized that Fu Heng posed no threat to him, and his tense body gradually relaxed.
Seemingly sensing that she had been calmed down, Fu Heng stopped covering her lips. As he withdrew his hand, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against her full, luscious lips. Suddenly, the image of a ripe fruit appeared in his mind, soft, mushy, and dripping with honey.
Meng Qing turned away to avoid the fleeting ambiguous atmosphere. She felt the cold fragrance of cypress and pine growing stronger, binding and shackled her.
Just as Meng Qingci felt awkward and breathless in the confined and stifling space, a sound came from outside the artificial hill.
Xue Sinan, daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites: "I saw it clearly, people are coming this way."
"After Sister Fu changes her clothes, she will naturally return to the waterside pavilion. Why do you all have to chase after her?" Princess Lin'an said impatiently. They had come out to play for a while, but these people from Changning had to keep causing trouble.
Changning ignored Lin'an, his face darkening: "Search thoroughly. I refuse to believe that people can fly away."
Lu Qingwan, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, had no idea what Princess Changning was up to: "Sister Fu hasn't changed her clothes yet. It would be impolite for us to follow her here. We should go back to the waterside pavilion and wait."
Gu Huaixu approached from afar, his gaze sweeping over the noblewoman before turning stern and cold as he looked at Princess Changning, whose eyes met his eager gaze. His voice was icy: "I have told you, Princess, that it was all my wishful thinking and had nothing to do with anyone else. You have gone to such lengths today, Princess, are you perhaps trying to humiliate me? I am already ashamed of myself. May I ask if Princess Changning is satisfied?"
Princess Changning felt a pang of hurt upon hearing him belittle her like that, and hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant! How could I possibly treat you like that? I was just indignant on your behalf..."
Gu Huaixu remained unmoved, coldly interrupting Princess Changning: "So, Princess Changning is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and deliberately trying to embarrass him? That's why she's putting on this act?"
Princess Changning felt a lump in her throat: "You're talking nonsense."
Gu Huaixu: "Then why are you here?"
"Yes...yes..." Princess Changning was speechless. She had planned to corner the man and humiliate him, but she absolutely could not admit to this.
Xue Sinan came to Princess Changning's rescue: "How can a girl's private matters be discussed with a stranger like you?"
Gu Huaixu scoffed coldly, his tone laced with sarcasm: "In that case, Miss Fu must be accompanying the Crown Prince right now. Why don't you invite us to ascend to the Immortal Pavilion?"
Princess Changning glared at Gu Huaixu with fury. He had always been aloof and indifferent, cold and unfriendly to everyone. Yet now he had come to her aid, even for that bitch Fu Jingyu. His eyes showed no attempt to hide his disgust for her, as if a sharp blade were piercing her heart.
Princess Changning was furious that Gu Huaixu had humiliated her in public. She refused to back down and said fiercely, "Gu Huaixu, you have trampled on my sincerity. You will regret it someday."
Gu Huaixu sneered: "Princess, such 'sincerity' only makes me feel cold. It's like a venomous snake lurking beside my bed. I would be very grateful if you would take back your sincerity."
"Gu Huaixu, how dare you!" Princess Changning's chest heaved with shame and indignation; she was furious and stormed off. She had lost all face in front of everyone today, and she would make Fu Jingyu pay tenfold, a hundredfold, for it.
A group of noble ladies, incited by Changning, followed blindly without understanding the situation. They were surprised to witness a grand performance by Princess Changning. They remained silent, their eyes darting around as if admiring the scenery. Once the main character, Princess Changning, had left, they all found excuses to leave in a hurry.
“Young Master Gu, the princess was just making a harmless joke. Why did you have to hurt her feelings like that?” Xue Sinan smoothed things over for Princess Changning, seemingly blaming Gu Huaixu, and hurriedly left after saying this.
Princess Lin'an looked at Gu Huaixu with a complicated expression: "I have never seen you speak so harshly before. I did not expect your words to be so sharp. I like them very much."
Gu Huaixu remained silent for a moment, his face cold, until everyone had dispersed. He then spoke softly and gently into the rockery, "Qing'er, everything is alright now."
He held his breath and waited quietly for a while, but received no response. Disappointment welled up in his heart, and he sighed, "You are suffering because of me today. I have wronged you. I promise that such a thing will never happen again."
The footsteps faded into the distance, and silence returned to the area outside the artificial hill.
In the hidden passage deep within the artificial hill, Fu Heng suddenly grabbed Meng Qingci's chin and asked with an uncertain expression, "How did he know it was you?"
Meng Qingci felt that the action was not very harmful, but extremely insulting. Not to be outdone, she retorted, "How did you know that?"
Fu Heng had always felt that Meng Qingci's manners were too deliberate, but seeing her reveal her true nature in her anxiety, he found it somewhat amusing and smiled slightly: "Fu Yan'an's gaze when he watched you dance was insatiable and too blatant. I think it would be hard for me not to know."
Meng Qingci cursed under his breath, feeling both annoyed and embarrassed by Fu Heng's flippant words.
The flat stomach was pressed against something, a foreign sensation that was hard to ignore. Meng Qingci raised her hand and touched Fu Heng's jade belt, pushing him away, but the man remained unmoved.
Enraged, Meng Qingci, still spurred on by the alcohol, recklessly shoved him again, saying, "You're too heavy, I can't breathe."
"So delicate." Fu Heng chuckled. "I kindly saved you, and you don't even appreciate it."
Meng Qingci: ...That makes a lot of sense, she tolerated it.
She left the princess's residence with Fu Heng in the end. She was very nervous and vigilant the whole way, afraid that her clothes would give her away. However, they moved through the carriage as if they were in an empty place. She was shocked by Fu Heng's ability. Even the Grand Princess gave him a lot of face.
As Fu Heng's carriage slowly moved on, Meng Qingci leaned against the carriage wall as if her bones had been removed, let out a long sigh, and the lingering effects of the alcohol and fatigue surged back. She blinked her eyelids a dozen times and then slid to one side.
Fu Heng helped him up, letting him lean against his lap, and then reached out to extinguish the incense burning inside the car.
When Meng Qingci woke up again, it was already completely dark. She was no longer in Fu Heng's carriage. The feeling of falling almost made her tumble off the bed, but she instantly became fully awake.
Her clothes were intact. Fu Heng was reading official documents at the desk opposite the soft couch. Judging from the furnishings in the room, she guessed that this must be Fu Heng's study.
Fu Heng continued writing at his desk, then raised his narrow eyes and glanced at her: "Awake?"
Meng Qingci hurriedly got up and straightened her already wrinkled dress, then solemnly bowed to Fu Heng: "Thank you very much, Third Master, for helping Miss clean up the mess today. It is Miss's blessing to have such a kind elder as you. It is getting late, so I will go back to report now."
Watching her fleeing figure, Fu Heng sneered: Ha, slippery and heartless, no wonder Fu Yan'an was completely fooled.
Mo Jian, carrying the hangover soup, only caught a fleeting glimpse of Qing'er. He looked at the soup, then at the study. He still couldn't believe his master would care about a woman, especially a lowly maid. He braced himself and asked, "Master, who should this hangover soup be given to?"
Fu Heng glanced at him coldly: "Here you go."
"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master." Mo Jian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, turned around, and ran away.
Meng Qingci returned to Biqiong Garden from the bamboo grove, thinking as she walked: "I'm so glad I met Fu Heng today. The An Yi Marquis's family must have had some good fortune; even the worst bamboo has sprouted good shoots. This Third Master, who hasn't been home in a long time and is now the governor of Fujian and Guangdong, is truly a man of integrity and uprightness. Since his return, he has helped me several times. Aside from a bit of arrogance befitting a superior, he hasn't excessively tried to take advantage of my kindness or make things difficult for me. He's a rare good person."
The old woman guarding the gate was used to it. Knowing that Qing'er was a sour person who disliked gossip, she stopped making irresponsible remarks and simply opened and closed the gate quickly and properly.
Meng Qingci went back to her room to change her clothes first. As soon as she entered, she saw Zi Fu pacing back and forth in the room with an anxious expression. Upon seeing her, she asked, "My dear aunt, you're driving me crazy! Weren't you with Third Master? Why did you only just come back? Master is getting impatient."
After saying that, he looked at her in surprise: "Why is your lipstick smudged?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Thank you for your support! [Facepalm peeking][Heart][Orange candy]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
