Fu Xinghe, accompanied by Ming Xu and Ming Feng, stormed into the brothel. Her gaze swept over the group of feudal degenerates, her red lips parting slightly. “Search.”
Ming Feng’s eyes shifted to a room on the second floor. As her gaze followed the corridor, it paused meeting the eyes of a tall, black-clad man. Frowning, Ming Feng sensed these two were highly skilled, their identities unknown. She leapt onto a tea table, soared to the second floor, kicked open the door, and dragged out a frail, barely-clothed man.
Li Xiaozheng tensed when confronted by the masked woman, worried she might mistake him for someone else and, in a single misstep, accused both him and the Emperor of impropriety. Instinctively, he stepped to shield the Emperor, only to see Meng Dongting calmly observing the leading woman downstairs, his expression thoughtful.
Wang Xiao, with his slender frame, was no match for Ming Feng’s skills and was easily thrown before Fu Xinghe.
The women present shrieked and covered their eyes, pretending to be shy, though they peeked through their fingers at the spectacle.
Wang Xiao, still confused from the sudden turn of events, noticed a kiss mark on his body. After a moment, embarrassed and angry, he straightened his clothing. “Who are you, daring to act so boldly before the Emperor!”
“Before the Emperor?” Fu Xinghe scoffed, her voice clear and melodious, like pearls striking gold. “While the Emperor manages state affairs, you indulge in debauchery. Do you have any thoughts for the safety and prosperity of the realm? In my opinion, you should be kicked to the northwest frontier to learn how difficult it is to govern a country.”
Upstairs, Li Xiaozheng glanced at the Emperor’s unfastened Five Dragon Golden Boots and nearly laughed aloud.
Who was this girl? She seemed so devoted to the Emperor. If she knew the Emperor was here, how would she react? Would she scold him too?
Li Xiaozheng had never heard anyone scold Meng Dongting directly . Someone had, but they were already dead.
Meeting his friend’s teasing gaze, Meng Dongting only wished he could stuff those boots into Li Xiaozheng’s mouth.
Fu Xinghe spoke briefly, then composed herself, signaling Ming Xu to read from a piece of paper aloud.
“Second son of the Wang family, humble and proper, learned and well-read… yet today, openly indulging in licentiousness, betraying Confucius this marriage agreement is fraudulent and thus null and void.”
Fu Xinghe continued, her voice gentle and attentive, as if checking in on a guest: “Let all present witness, I, Fu Xinghe, break the engagement with you. From now on, we are no longer bound.”
Ming Feng tore the bright red marriage contract, stolen from Mi Dinglan’s room, in two, tossing it into the air.
Only then did the onlookers realize that this was a “cheating spouse” scene and the original wife had not even entered the home yet.
“An unmarried girl in a brothel brings shame and disrespects virtue!” “Marriage is not a child’s game. Parents’ orders ” “She is Fu Xinghe? I heard she”
Hearing the murmurs, Wang Xiao finally reacted, furious. “You are Fu Xinghe? As rumored, arrogant and unchaste. Do you know why, carrying the title of the Grand Preceptor’s daughter, you are still unmarried?”
He laughed in a patronizing way. “In the capital, except for my generosity, who would marry you? Now kneel and apologize, call me ‘master’ three times, and I might let this slide.”
After all, she was the Grand Preceptor’s daughter. The Wang family still wanted to align with her. A competent main wife was optional; they could always take a concubine.
The spectacle encouraged him. Earlier, he had been about to draw his weapon in his room, but was thrown down. He had taken some “medication” to embolden himself. Seeing Fu Xinghe’s fair, covered figure, he became more lustful, even eyeing the two maidservants for concubine potential.
The Wang family prided themselves on being scholarly, but inside, they were fools. Mi Dinglan, anxious to marry off Fu Xinghe before the selection, had apparently been misled.
Wang Xiao, salivating, reached for Fu Xinghe’s veil. “Why not lift it for everyone to see?” Someone whistled nearby.
Fu Xinghe curved her eyes. Now she understood why the Wang family had sent Housekeeper Li. They were shameless. In an era when women were ashamed to appear publicly, Wang Xiao was determined to humiliate her.
Fu Xinghe felt nothing, only disgusted by his greasy hands. She grabbed the veil, separated his fingers from it, and tossed the hat aside.
“Leave.” She smiled, scanned Wang Xiao from head to toe, and held her nose. “Don’t buy crude aphrodisiacs, they stink.”
After awakening beside the tyrant Emperor, Fu Xinghe had an invisible system alerting her to toxins. She noticed a faint label on Wang Xiao, reading [Mild Toxicity]. In a place like this, what other medicine could it be?
Wang Xiao’s face immediately reddened, liver-colored, as laughter rang in his ears. He tried to grab Fu Xinghe, but Ming Feng drew his sword to block him. Angry, Wang Xiao spotted a steaming teapot, grabbed it, and hurled it.
The boiling tea arced, half landing on Fu Xinghe, half on Ming Feng. Without thinking, Fu Xinghe blocked it. The long sleeves of her robes caught the portion heading toward Ming Feng as well.
She felt sharp, fleeting pain on her arm, a few blisters forming, but nothing serious. She moved behind herself. Ming Xu froze, unsure how to assist her mistress.
Ming Feng’s eyes darkened as he quickly assessed the situation. Fu Xinghe ignored the girls’ shock; this was instinctive. As a leader, she always shielded inexperienced female staff from difficult clients.
She glanced at another teapot two meters away. Steam rose. On tiptoe, hand raised, she felt someone suppress her movement from behind.
Fu Xinghe paused, turning to see Fu Han, face stern. She went silent. “Father…”
Fu Han had been patiently waiting outside for the Emperor. Suddenly, a commotion erupted inside. From afar, he only heard someone say his daughter was breaking off her engagement?
He assumed it was Meng Dongting visiting a brothel, but his daughter had gone further. He rushed in, empty-handed, no rods or measuring tools.
Fu Han’s anger boiled. Even if Wang Xiao was despicable, his daughter should not be causing chaos here! Unteachable child! Fu Han’s beard flared. How could he have such a daughter, so bold yet lacking skill? Better she become a nun!
But seeing Fu Xinghe shield Ming Xu from the tea, his eyes moistened. For the first time, Fu Han saw her compassion. Perhaps she was not beyond hope.
Seeing her ready to retaliate, he held her hand, surveying the room, his commanding presence overwhelming Wang Xiao. “My daughter has broken the engagement. Any further misconduct, and I will not be gentle!”
Wang Xiao’s face turned pale. “Father-in-law no, Grand Preceptor, there’s a misunderstanding…”
His mother had spent a fortune on matchmaking and reputation management. Wang Xiao refused the breakup, thinking it secure; the Fu family’s strict rules left no precedent for engagement cancellation.
The room fell silent. Moved by paternal love, Fu Xinghe felt touched. Fu Han’s voice trembled. “I have no implements now; I will discipline you tonight.”
Family discipline?! Fu Xinghe had heard of the Fu family’s methods; her palms ached instantly. Fu Han would not linger; cold-faced, he swept his sleeve and left. “Return home at once!”
Fu Xinghe obediently followed. Her gaze drifted to the two figures upstairs. “…Why is the tyrant everywhere?”
Their eyes met. Meng Dongting’s cold stare locked on her face. Fu Xinghe’s earlier concerns vanished. The Emperor’s expression showed he was not here for indulgence. Given his moral rigor, she worried more about avoiding family discipline than the Emperor’s wrath.
Her thoughts shifted, her heart rate steadied. The Emperor had not recognized her. With her reputation ruined, she would remain unmarried, perfectly peaceful days lay ahead.
Li Xiaozheng sighed. Miss Fu’s behavior was nothing like the Grand Preceptor’s daughter. Luckily, she had intercepted trouble, and Fu Han had forgotten about Meng Dongting.
He noticed Meng Dongting’s gaze lingering on Fu Xinghe’s waist, puzzled. Knowing the Emperor, he would not easily take interest in a woman.
Meng Dongting’s fingers twitched, but he said nothing. He remembered the spy’s figure that night, yet could not measure every woman. With that thought, he clenched the railing in disgust. Once he caught the spy, she would endure the Dongting Manor’s tortures.
Outside Huale Tower, the air felt fresh. Fu Han went to the Hanlin Academy; Fu Xinghe returned home on her own.
“Miss, he, ” Ming Xu hesitated. Ming Feng finished, “I saw Lord Fu waiting outside the brothel when we arrived, but I did not warn you.”
“What?” Fu Xinghe’s smile stiffened. Her fingers clenched. Father had been outside all along…
Ming Feng remained silent. Miss Fu was clearly angry. She only acted within instructions; this fell outside her scope. Yet now she felt guilty for betraying her friend.
Friend? She wanted to be Fu Xinghe’s friend, but seeing her anger, it seemed impossible.
Fu Xinghe noticed Ming Feng’s silence, relaxed her fingers, and shook her head. “I’m not mad at you.”
Ming Xu blurted, “Then who?” Fu Xinghe gave a weak smile. “A certain scoundrel.” Seeing Ming Xu’s righteous indignation, Fu Xinghe’s gaze darkened. No wonder her father arrived so promptly!
Fu Han had come for Meng Dongting, who watched from above. All his anger was directed at her! The original heroine had trapped the tyrant once; Fu Xinghe had shielded him once and balanced the score.
Ming Xu realized the two men they encountered earlier: one was her father, impossible; the other, the scoundrel from the broken engagement. Ah Wang Xiao, that wretched man, had angered Miss!