Chapter 187: Twists and Turns
Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Twists and Turns
As Zhou Yun spoke, he sensed something was off. He raised an eyebrow. "Could it be you don’t trust Yangyang?"
’...Yangyang?’
Liang Wan felt a pang in her chest, unsure of how to respond.
Zhou Yun shook his head and chuckled. "She was sent by the Empress. With a temperament like hers, she’d walk around an ant just to avoid stepping on it. What could she possibly do?"
Liang Wan didn’t look at him, her eyes fixed on the tea cake. "I know. Danqing’s personality was too fiery, so I sent you a gentle and considerate one."
’It wasn’t just her looks; her personality was similar, too.’
’At night, with her sitting beside him in the flickering candlelight, I bet he wouldn’t even be able to tell them apart.’
’It’s no wonder Zhou Yun is fond of the Empress’s looks and temperament. I was quite fond of her myself, once.’
’And I’ve met this Lian Yang. She’s obedient, sensible, and delicate to the point of helplessness. On top of that, she’s a stand-in. How could a man like Zhou Yun, who has such a weakness for fair maidens, not shower her with affection?’
Liang Wan sighed. She no longer had the heart to prepare tea for him and simply went through the motions numbly.
Zhou Yun, however, was reminded of something else. "Your relationship with the Lord... isn’t it a bit too—"
Liang Wan’s hands paused, and she looked at him.
He was still struggling to find the right word. "Too..."
Liang Wan cut him off. "Are you suggesting I’m having an affair with the Lord?"
Zhou Yun said nothing, his gaze fixed upon her.
Liang Wan lowered her head again. "I’m not surprised. I was the same way when he was here."
Zhou Yun laughed to himself. "Sometimes, I really can’t figure you two out."
But there was no trace of a smile on Liang Wan’s face. She looked at him earnestly. "I once told him that I envy the bond you two have."
Zhou Yun smiled and nodded. "We grew up together."
Liang Wan rolled her eyes. "Why not just say you were two innocent little playmates?"
Their eyes met, and they both started laughing again. It was as if an invisible barrier between them had shattered into dust, carried away on the wind of their laughter.
Liang Wan’s smile faded. "Zhou Yun, please keep a close eye on that Lotus. She’s met with Feng Qingyue before."
’If I hadn’t been having Feng Qingyue watched, I never would have discovered it.’
Zhou Yun frowned, searching his memory. "Feng Qingyue? Princess Lanling’s daughter?"
Liang Wan nodded. "Princess Lanling was already loyal to Prince Guangping. Then, after the fall of the Tangyi Marquis Mansion, she secretly... You must have heard about them, right?"
The affair between Feng Qingyue and Gao Yi was an open secret.
Zhou Yun pondered this.
Liang Wan didn’t understand it either. Lian Yang was the Empress’s woman, so why would she associate with Feng Qingyue, who had pledged allegiance to Prince Guangping?
She had investigated the matter, and Lian Yang wasn’t one of Prince Guangping’s people.
That day in the Imperial Prison, she had asked Feng Qingyue if she was acting on the Empress’s orders, but Feng Qingyue denied it.
With Chancellor Cao’s unexpected death, it was clear the matter was not so simple.
Liang Wan put down the tea roller and decided to lay her cards on the table. "I can’t shake the feeling that sending him on this expedition was a trap from the start, designed to keep him from ever coming back."
’This whole series of seemingly unrelated events... could any of them truly be without a deeper meaning?’
She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart. Because of her intervention, he had been exposed prematurely, becoming a target for all...
Zhou Yun stared at her for a long moment before his charming eyes curved. "If you had said this to me sooner, I wouldn’t have questioned you that way."
Liang Wan frowned, confused.
"To take, one must first give. It’s better to seek something in return." Zhou Yun took the tea roller from in front of her and smiled. "Rest assured. Even setting aside personal feelings and looking only at our shared interests, I will spare no effort."
Liang Wan shook her head. ’That’s not what I meant at all.’
Zhou Yun cut in, "Yang... I’ll keep an eye on Lian Yang."
Liang Wan looked at him and said nothing.
After seeing Zhou Yun off, Liang Wan went to Beixuan.
There were people inside, so she waited at the entrance for a moment.
Inside Beixuan, nothing had changed. It was exactly as it had been before.
Liang Wan stood by the window. The spring day was lovely. She still remembered that winter day, snow falling outside while the room was cozy and warm, the Grandmaster and Lu Xiu playing chess...
"My Lady," Gu Yu called softly.
Liang Wan looked away from the window and turned. Besides Gu Yu, Wang Tingyue was also present. And standing at the entrance to the inner chamber was Lu Xu.
’So, Wang Tingyue was the one who had been speaking with Lu Xu behind closed doors.’
His gaze rested on her, and he seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.
Liang Wan lowered her head and gave a slight curtsy by way of greeting.
Wang Tingyue returned the gesture politely.
Lu Xu’s tone was affable. "I had some matters to attend to. Have you been waiting long?"
Liang Wan stepped forward. "I’ve only just arrived. For what reason did Brother-in-law summon me?"
Lu Xu stepped aside to let her pass. "Let’s speak inside."
Liang Wan followed him into the inner chamber, and the closing door cut off the gaze that had been fixed on her from behind.
Lu Xu took a seat first, then gestured to the spot opposite him. "Sit."
’Polite as ever.’
A maidservant served tea and then withdrew, closing the door behind her.
Lu Xu looked at Liang Wan, his voice tinged with gratitude. "You’ve worked hard these past days."
During the Grandmaster’s illness, his wife had tried to visit, but Liang Wan had turned her away with various excuses. In the end, his wife never got to see the Grandmaster at all.
That was why, upon suddenly hearing the terrible news that night, he had stormed into the South Garden in a rage to confront her, only to find that she had collapsed from exhaustion and was being carried back from a separate courtyard.
Only after learning the truth of the situation did he return to his usual polite demeanor.
Liang Wan’s expression was serene as she replied faintly, "The Grand Commandant is away leading his troops. It was my duty to protect our home and leave him with no worries. Unfortunately, fate had other plans."
Lu Xu simply watched her. ’Normally, in a great house, if someone caught an epidemic disease, they would be left in the care of the household doctor and the maids at most. She does have a certain courage and sense of responsibility, but...’
"It is commendable that you think so. The Lu Family is not what it once was, and we must be prudent in all our words and deeds. But you—" His tone shifted. "Why did you leave such a vulnerability for others to exploit when dealing with the Cao Family?"
Liang Wan’s heart jolted. She wasn’t sure what "vulnerability" he was referring to, nor how much he knew, and she didn’t dare to answer rashly.
She answered vaguely, "At the time, I was focused on treating the Grandmaster. As it involved an epidemic disease, it wasn’t appropriate to make it public. I thought it best to detain her first and ask for instructions on how to proceed afterward."
Lu Xu lifted his teacup. "Since she calls herself the Grand Commandant’s Wife in public, she should have been brought along to help care for him. If something had happened to her in the process, it would have been seen as an act of filial piety, and no one could have said a word. But now, she’s vanished without a trace."
A chill went down Liang Wan’s spine, but her face remained impassive. "My considerations were incomplete."
Lu Xu took a sip of tea and pondered for a moment before saying, "Since you have married into the Lu Family, you must weigh your actions carefully from now on. The honor of the Lu Family must be your foremost priority."
He set down his teacup, his eyes flicking to the pin in her hair. "You can learn as you go."
Liang Wan lowered her gaze. "Yes."
Lu Xu frowned slightly. "Did she really just flee to escape punishment?"
’So he doesn’t know the real story. He just thinks I locked Cao Luyun up because she was responsible for the Grandmaster contracting the epidemic.’
’That made sense. I hadn’t told anyone about this besides the Grandmaster. Even Lu Huai himself isn’t sure if Cao Luyun took the box and discovered the secret.’
Liang Wan raised her eyes. "Perhaps so. I’ve spent the last two days interrogating that maidservant, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get anything out of her."
She lied instinctively.
Lu Xu rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed softly. "The government soldiers in this mansion are a real disgrace. They can’t even watch over a single person. When Lu Xiu returns, they’ll need to be whipped into shape."
Liang Wan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, probing, "I heard the Lou Family produced letters proving treason. I wonder if Your Excellency will be able to—"
Lu Xu lowered his hand, his gaze falling upon her. His features were unchanged, but there was an icy coldness in his eyes.
In an instant, his expression was once again as gentle as ever. "That sort of thing is nothing to fear. You need only manage the household and wait for him to return."
Liang Wan lowered her eyes. "Yes."
He paused, then asked, "Before Father passed away, did he leave any instructions?"