Chapter 109: No Way Out
Chapter 109: Chapter 109: No Way Out
Liang Wan lifted the teacup before her but said nothing.
It was obvious this was not Yao Jinse’s first visit.
’I always thought Qiuxi was just helping Chun’er. I never imagined she was supporting Mother and the others too. So many people, so many mouths to feed... It must have been difficult for her on just her monthly allowance.’
’It wasn’t surprising that Yao Jinse would come to my door. But Qiuxi really shouldn’t have hidden it from me for so long. If I hadn’t stumbled upon it, she might have kept it a secret forever.’
She lifted the lid and took a shallow sip. A faint bitterness, accompanied by a delicate fragrance, spread through her mouth, but it was in her heart that the taste lingered and turned.
Qiuxi prostrated on the floor. "This servant was helping the Young Madam, but it was for the Eldest Madam’s sake. The Young Madam said the Eldest Madam had fallen ill, and I was worried that they had fallen on such hard times that without money for treatment, she might—"
Liang Wan glanced at Qiuxi. While she understood her intentions, what made her uncomfortable was that Qiuxi had deliberately hidden it from her. More than that, she had made decisions on her behalf without telling her...
Seeing no anger on Liang Wan’s face, Qiuxi continued, "This servant knows that Liang Ji holds a grudge. If it were anyone else, it might be different, but the Eldest Madam is Liang Ji’s birth mother. This servant couldn’t possibly stand by and watch her die—"
Liang Wan nodded with a faint smile, closing the lid on her cup and cutting her off. "You’re right. We can’t just stand by and watch them die."
Qiuxi’s face paled, and she prostrated herself again. "This servant is willing to accept any punishment."
"Liang Ji, this isn’t Qiuxi’s fault. It’s... it’s us. We had nowhere else to turn—" Yao Jinse clutched the hem of her clothes, her eyes downcast. The humiliation was palpable, her expression awful.
’Seeking help from an enemy... what else could you call it but being at the end of your rope?’
’Gao Qian may have killed Liang Zhang as a scapegoat, but if I hadn’t framed him, Gao Qian wouldn’t have had the opportunity to pin Lou Xu Ru’s death on him.’
’She was the one who got Liang Zhang killed.’
Liang Wan set down her teacup and looked at her coolly. "Is my dear sister-in-law no longer blaming me?"
Yao Jinse turned her face away, tears welling up and reddening the corners of her eyes. She bit her lip hard. The simple words of assent just wouldn’t come out.
Liang Wan understood and gave a slight nod.
As Yao Jinse remained silent, Qiuxi had to lift her head and say, "The Young Madam is with child."
Liang Wan looked at Yao Jinse in surprise.
Yao Jinse lowered her head. "My father sent someone to bring me home, but only on the condition that I abort this child. I am married into the Liang Family; how could I watch my husband’s line be extinguished? I refused, so my father washed his hands of me. I myself am fine, but—"
Before she could finish, she covered her face and began to sob.
Liang Wan frowned, as if weighing her options.
Qiuxi said, "This servant entered the manor as a child and received the Liang Family’s kindness for many years. Seeing the Liang Family fall to this state, and thinking of the deceased Family Head, this servant couldn’t bear it. Then I learned that the Young Madam is carrying the Liang Family’s bloodline, and the Eldest Madam is sick... This servant knows that Liang Ji can’t be feeling good about this either."
’Awen and Father...’
Liang Wan nodded. ’They would surely resent me.’
She was silent for a moment, then stood up. "From now on, when you give them money, you don’t have to be so secretive."
Qiuxi’s head shot up. Yao Jinse, tears still on her face, stared over with wide eyes.
Liang Wan gazed at Yao Jinse’s still-flat stomach. Her stare was perhaps too direct, making Yao Jinse instinctively cover her abdomen with her hand, looking lost.
"...Liang Ji?"
A small smile touched Liang Wan’s lips. "Sister-in-law is a great benefactor to the Liang Family. This bloodline must be preserved."
Qiuxi’s expression relaxed considerably. She prostrated herself once more. "This servant will go and receive her punishment."
As the autumn season drew to a close, it was time to prepare winter garments.
That night, after washing up, Liang Wan sat barefoot and cross-legged on the couch, playing a game of Go against herself.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiu was hunched over a low table, writing and sketching.
The two of them were mostly silent, with little conversation.
Liang Wan rested her cheek on one hand, staring absently at the stones on the board...
Lu Xiu let out a breath and set down his brush. When he looked up, he saw Liang Wan staring blankly at the game board.
He extinguished the lamp on the low table, walked over, and glanced at the board. He frowned slightly. "You play as if you’re afraid others *won’t* know your intentions."
Liang Wan’s eyelids flickered open, meeting his faintly smirking lips. ’If you want to laugh, just laugh. Isn’t it tiring to hold it in?’
Lu Xiu ignored her resentful glare, took her hand, and moved the stone she had just placed to a corner. "Never mind your rush to win. By focusing so intently on a local skirmish, you’ll only end up losing the entire board."
Liang Wan’s first instinct was to argue with him—about striking first, about seeking a swift victory. But when she turned and saw the serious, focused look in his eyes, she lowered her gaze and nodded. ’It’s true that it’s hard to see one’s own faults.’
Lu Xiu glanced at her, his lips curling into a smile. ’She’s willing to listen to advice, at least. Whether she can act on it is another matter.’
Knowing he was finished with his work, Liang Wan began to dutifully clear the game pieces.
"The day after tomorrow is the Thousand Autumns Festival. Do you wish to go, my dear?" Lu Xiu took off his outer robe, leaving him in his middle garments.
Liang Wan, holding the game board, felt her eyes light up. But when she met Lu Xiu’s teasing, half-smiling expression, she realized he was toying with her again.
’How could a mere concubine enter the palace so easily? And more importantly, he knows I want to kill the Emperor.’
Liang Wan’s eyes fell, and she set the game board aside.
’It was strange. Lu Xiu had never seemed to ask why she wanted to kill the Emperor, or why she harbored such a deep hatred for Gao Qian...’
"The day after tomorrow, I will take you into the palace."
Liang Wan frowned and looked over at him. The man sitting on the couch was as handsome as a painting.
’Would he really be so kind?’
「On the day of the Thousand Autumns Festival, Lu Xiu left early.」
During the day, court officials offered prayers and foreign envoys came to offer congratulations. Gao Qian had a taste for luxury and pageantry, so the Thousand Autumns Festival was bound to be a grand, spectacular affair.
Her long, mallow-red skirt trailed on the ground. The wide, hibiscus-patterned sleeves fluttered, and layers of decorative sashes flowed elegantly around her.
Liang Wan examined herself in the mirror, feeling that something was missing. She tugged at her collar, revealing just a hint of her slender neck and pale bosom—the coy reticence of a beautiful young lady.
"Dressing so extravagantly... won’t it offend the nobles in the palace?" Qiuxi asked, a little worried.
Liang Wan was unconcerned. "It’s His Majesty’s grand day. Am I supposed to dress plainly?"
’She knew the people in this palace all too well. If she truly dressed simply, it wouldn’t be seen as modest—it would be conspicuous.’
Once ready, Liang Wan went to the front courtyard. A calf-drawn carriage had been waiting at the gate for some time.
Thinking back, she realized it had been a long time since she had entered the palace. The last time she went, it was to take the Empress’s pulse. But now, the Empress held a grudge against her.
At first, Liang Wan had been a little worried that Lu Xiu was being too arrogant by so brazenly bringing her to the palace. It was only when they reached the South Stop Car Gate and she saw many female relatives alighting from other aristocrats’ carriages that she was able to relax.
Upon reaching Duan Gate on foot, a eunuch was already waiting to guide them.
Liang Wan walked forward with composure, and the eunuch began to lead her toward Chunhua Hall.
Chunhua Hall. Whenever there was a grand banquet, Gao Qian would hold it there.
Members of the Imperial Family and high-ranking ministers were seated in the main hall, while other officials and foreign envoys sat in the two corridors. The entire place was magnificently decorated, and everywhere, performances of song and dance created an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.
Liang Wan pressed her lips together, a faint smile gracing her features. But the red lotus palace lanterns hanging high everywhere could not illuminate the deep darkness in her eyes.
’In her past life, she had all but died in Chunhua Hall.’