Chapter 130: High Treason
Chapter 130: Chapter 130: High Treason
The man felt an unbearable itch in his heart, a wicked, lustful fire igniting in his eyes. Reaching out, he grabbed her sleeve and yanked her forcefully into his arms. He smoothly moved to strip off her clothes, his face plummeting toward hers with breath reeking of alcohol.
Suppressing her disgust, Liang Wan clamped her hand over his approaching mouth, pushed him back slightly, and gave a sweet, captivating smile. "A true ruler doesn’t act like this!"
The man’s face turned cold. He furrowed his brows, posturing to force himself on her.
Tilting her head, Liang Wan beamed playfully. "Does the village chief want to be the Emperor today?"
The volcano on the verge of erupting was forcefully suppressed. The man stiffened, slightly bewildered, but that confusion was soon replaced by an overwhelming thrill and excitement.
The Emperor?! What man in this world didn’t want to be the Emperor?!
Taking advantage of the village chief’s daze, Liang Wan spun around, leaped back gracefully, and retreated a few steps before kneeling respectfully to perform a formal bow. "This humble subject pays her respects to His Majesty the Emperor. Long live, long live, long live Your Majesty!"
If the village chief was the Emperor, what were they? They would be Great Generals galloping across the battlefield! They would be Marquises of Ten Thousand Households enjoying their own fiefs!
The bandits, who had been watching the spectacle, chimed in, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!" as if they were all about to be made marquises and grand chancellors on the spot. The room boiled over with excitement.
Liang Wan raised her head, curling her lips into a smile at the village chief in the seat of honor. "Does Your Majesty want to give it a try?"
The village chief grinned broadly and burst into laughter. "Alright! Let’s give it a try! Let’s try it! Hahaha—"
"Madness, this is madness! Such treasonous behavior—" Yao Jinse stood up abruptly, her face turning pale. Unfortunately, her words were drowned out by the roaring cheers.
Wang Yansheng furrowed his brows. Bandits had no reason to speak of. He glanced sideways at Yao Jinse and pulled her back down into her seat.
Liang Wan cast a glance at the crowd; the atmosphere still lacked a little something. She stood up and addressed the village chief with solemn importance. "Your Majesty, it’s time for you to confer official titles and grant rewards to your subjects!"
The village chief was burly and imposing, exuding a bandit’s aura. He was an expert at acting viciously, tyrannizing, burning, killing, and looting, but as for anything else...
Liang Wan smiled as she pulled the village chief up, pointing at the bandits one by one. "This one has broad shoulders and a thick waist; Your Majesty should appoint him as the Commanding General in charge of the inner army. This one is as brawny as a bear and as sturdy as a Hu; make him the General of the Imperial Guard, in charge of the outer army. For the older one, Your Majesty can title him Grand Chancellor, and that one over there can be the Grand Commandant..."
Those who had received titles muttered their new ranks to themselves, grinning foolishly. Those who hadn’t yet been titled pushed and shoved one another. Even those who had just been chugging wine and acting lewdly scrambled anxiously to the front, craning their necks to beg for a position.
Mrs. Zhang looked at Liang Wan with a bizarre expression. Qiuxi tugged at the clothes of the woman of the He Family to help her up, but the woman of the He Family seemed to have lost her soul. Her eyes were locked on the girl weaving through the crowd of bandits with merry laughter.
Liang Wan came to a halt, scanned the room, and blinked playfully. "Your Majesty, having wine and meat without music and dance simply isn’t enough!"
They were mountain bandits, a bunch of rough men—where would they get music and dance?
The village chief waved his hand. "There’s no need for that!"
Liang Wan flashed a dazzling smile. "Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to offer a dance."
The village chief’s eyes lit up. Looking her up and down as if he had discovered some novel plaything, he asked, "You know how to dance?"
Liang Wan nodded. Turning to look at Wang Yansheng, a cold smile played on her lips. "To tell you the truth, Your Majesty, Lord Wang’s father initially took a fancy to this humble subject because of her dancing. Isn’t that right, Lord Wang?"
Wang Yansheng’s face darkened, his eyes brimming with absolute hatred.
Liang Wan pretended not to notice. She smiled at the village chief and said, "The Daqi nobles are mostly well-versed in music. Lord Wang and Lady Yao could provide the accompaniment. I just don’t know if they’d be willing to add to Your Majesty’s entertainment?"
"Liang Wan, have you lost your mind?" Driven beyond the limits of her endurance, Yao Jinse’s face flushed crimson. Performing for a pack of bandits? That would be like casting pearls before swine!
Wang Yansheng was even more consumed by rage. Who did she think he was?
This was exactly as expected. Liang Wan smiled indifferently; she had done it purely to disgust them.
Turning around, she directed the newly appointed "generals" to set up a high platform for her in the center of the room. The village chief and his gang of bandits watched in sheer fascination.
Once the platform was built, Liang Wan walked toward Qiuxi with a faint smile, casting another glance at the woman of the He Family. Tears instantly spilled from the reddened eyes of the woman of the He Family. She opened her mouth, but her voice failed her.
Liang Wan lowered her eyes and smiled, her thick eyelashes looking like a row of cold, sharp thorns. Stopping in front of her, Liang Wan smoothed Qiuxi’s hair and adjusted her collar. She then took her hand and led her toward the center, smiling as they walked. "Good girl, I appoint you as a female official. You’ll be in charge of pouring wine for everyone!"
Feeling her hand squeezed, Qiuxi froze for a moment before nodding.
Liang Wan let go of her hand, pushed the village chief back toward his seat of honor, and climbed up onto the elevated platform alone. She stood high above them all, independent and composed.
Smiling down at the crowd, she parted her red lips. "Ten jars of wine is the baseline. For every extra jar you drink, I’ll take off one piece of clothing!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, an uproar erupted. The bandits had abducted many women, and every single one had arrived seeking death, weeping and wailing to the heavens. They had never seen a woman so seductively wild and audacious.
"Awan—" A mournful, hoarse cry sounded as if it had been dragged up from beneath the earth.
Liang Wan turned around, her eyes shimmering with moisture. Her lips curled into a desolate, coldly beautiful arc. "Mother, don’t you want to see exactly what I learned during those years of instruction in the Liang Mansion?"
The woman of the He Family stood petrified. Mrs. Zhang and Yao Jinse were dumbfounded. The bandits were restless with excitement, sitting below and jeering to fuel the fire.
Liang Wan shifted her gaze, gesturing for Qiuxi to pour the wine. She lifted her skirt, slipped off her shoes and socks, and dangled them from her hand. Standing barefoot on the high platform, she revealed her jade-like toes, which looked like little white crescent moons—utterly captivating.
Wang Yansheng looked up in shock. He had never imagined that a noble lady from a scholarly family would behave in such a manner.
With a coquettish laugh, Liang Wan flicked her wrist. The discarded shoes and socks she tossed out were instantly fought over by the crowd, sparking a chaotic scramble filled with shrieks.
The face of the woman of the He Family turned deathly pale. She tried to rush forward like a madwoman, but she was pinned to the ground after taking only a few steps.
Looking at the varying expressions of the people below, Liang Wan laughed uncontrollably, laughing until tears streamed from her eyes.
She danced as she laughed. Her eyes were like limpid autumn waters, tender and glistening. Her face was as smooth as fine white porcelain, and her red lips held a smile. Her slender, soft waist moved with a lithe and powerful grace. The wind stirred by her spins sent her skirt ribbons fluttering. They were like teasing hands, gently scratching at the men’s hearts.
Before long, someone stood up and shouted at her to take it off. With someone leading the charge, the rest eagerly joined in.
Liang Wan flashed a smile at the man. As her stretched body leaned slightly, her shawl slipped off as if peeled away by a pair of invisible hands. Every time they shouted, she removed a piece of clothing. For every piece she took off, they fought over it...
This continued until she was left in nothing but a thin, crimson silk dress that clung to her body, fully accentuating her white jade skin and exquisite curves. By then, she could no longer hold on. She collapsed to the floor, shivering uncontrollably from a strange sensation wracking her body.
Looking out again, the room’s raucous noise had been reduced to agonizing groans. Some were slumped over the tables, while others had fallen to the floor. A few clung to their last breath, struggling desperately to crawl toward the door. But without exception, long trails of black blood flowed from the corners of their mouths.
"My lady!"
Glancing at Yao Jinse, who had fainted, Qiuxi threw down her wine jar and ran up to support Liang Wan.
Unexpectedly, Liang Wan dodged her touch as if she had been electrocuted. Clenching her teeth, she spoke in a single breath: "I injured my foot. You go first. I’ll wait until the fire breaks out. When they go to extinguish it, I’ll take the opportunity to run. Otherwise, none of us will be able to escape."
Mrs. Zhang let out a cold laugh. "Let us go first? There are bandit guards all over the outside! You want us to go out and act as targets to draw all their attention, so you can slip away in the chaos, don’t you?"
Liang Wan’s body was trembling violently; she didn’t dare make a sound.
The woman of the He Family remained silent for a moment before saying, "I’ll go distract them."
Liang Wan narrowed her eyes and looked at Qiuxi. Qiuxi wore a worried expression and hesitated, remaining rooted to the spot. But when Liang Wan glared at her with red-rimmed eyes, Qiuxi had no choice but to chase after the woman of the He Family.
Seeing them leave, Mrs. Zhang planned to find a place to hide and wait for an opportunity to escape later.
Liang Wan forced herself up, trying to climb down from the high platform, but her body shuddered, and she tumbled down. The sound that slipped through her gritted teeth was both delicate and seductive.
Mrs. Zhang turned her head, looking at the person on the ground with a bizarre expression.