Chapter 19: Unexpected Complications
Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Unexpected Complications
The force of his grip was excruciating. Liang Wan’s eyes reddened and welled with tears, but she fought to keep a single one from falling. She gritted her teeth. "But doing this isn’t entirely without benefit for you, Your Lordship!"
"Is that so?"
He saw it all clearly, yet he had no intention of loosening his grip in the slightest.
Liang Wan sucked in a breath and continued, "At the very least, it can clear your name and wash away the rumors of your preference for men. The Empress Dowager will no longer be angry with you. As for me, my reputation will be in tatters. No one will be willing to marry me, and I can focus single-mindedly on my revenge—and on serving you!"
In her past life, even after Lu Xiu had ascended to the position of Grandmaster and held immense power, he was still plagued by his political enemies’ accusations of being fond of men.
Lu Xiu’s brows knitted together. He had something on the tip of his tongue, but instead, he just said, "You should know that not only will I not help you get revenge, I might even take your life."
Liang Wan saw the dangerous glint in his starkly black-and-white eyes.
’Right,’ she thought. ’To Lu Xiu, a weak woman like me is utterly useless. He only agreed on a whim because he found it amusing. Once the novelty wears off, he can just kill me.’
Liang Wan suppressed the fear in her heart and clenched her fists. "Rest assured, Your Lordship. I will become a useful blade for you!"
The ferocity in her red-rimmed eyes was like the cold glint of a dagger, poised to strike right at one’s heart.
Lu Xiu released her, his gaze dropping to the red marks his grip had left on her fair, smooth skin. "All for revenge?"
At the banquet, everyone had only seen a frivolous, wanton woman who debased herself. She had fawned and groveled in public, all to curry favor and forge a connection with him.
But only he understood. When she had humbled herself like that, she wasn’t begging for a romantic affair, but merely for his tacit permission to let the rumors spread.
’What kind of hatred could drive her to such crazed desperation?’
Lu Xiu stared at her, a little lost in thought.
Liang Wan met his gaze. "Is there anything you would spend your entire life trying to achieve, Your Lordship? If so, then you can understand me!"
Lu Xiu snapped back to his senses and chuckled, leaning back into the rope bed and propping his head up with one hand. "Get up."
Only then did Liang Wan stand, feeling as if she had just survived a disaster. There was even a sense of relief. "Thank you, Your Lordship."
Lu Xiu saw it in her eyes and frowned, his tone a warning. "Don’t get any ideas you shouldn’t. Otherwise—"
Liang Wan blinked. Looking at him again, she thought she understood. ’She’d been made a fool by love her entire life. How could she be stupid enough to make the same mistake after being reborn?’
"Rest assured, Your Lordship. The Grandmaster’s Mansion was never my destination!"
Lu Xiu’s expression turned stern. "Then where is your destination?"
"The Imperial Palace!"
Her back was ramrod straight, her tone brazenly ambitious.
’So she scorns that old man Wang Su, and even looks down on the Grandmaster’s Mansion. After all this, is her plan to rely on her decent looks to enter that place and win the emperor’s favor? And she has the gall to talk so righteously about revenge?’
Lu Xiu couldn’t help but laugh.
Liang Wan simply stood quietly before him, letting him laugh his fill. His laughter drew frequent glances from people passing by in the corridor.
Seeing that she showed no sign of embarrassment or shame, Lu Xiu stifled his laughter. "You think you can win His Majesty’s favor?"
’Who said entering the palace is necessarily about winning his favor?’
Liang Wan’s gaze was unwavering. She remained silent.
"Speak."
Liang Wan had no choice but to speak. "The person I want to kill holds a high position. I cannot achieve my goal if I remain outside the palace."
Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Wang Su didn’t do anything to you, did he? Is it necessary to be so merciless?"
Liang Wan knew he was misunderstanding her, thinking she wanted to use the emperor’s favor to get her revenge, but she didn’t correct him.
"It wouldn’t be strange coming from anyone else, but it’s truly strange to hear from you, Your Lordship."
’When has Lu Xiu ever so much as frowned while killing someone? And his methods go far beyond simply being merciless.’
Lu Xiu scanned her from head to toe. Besides her reckless drive and the undisguised hatred in her eyes, what else did she have?
Besides... a sudden wave of irritation and impatience rose in his heart. "You may go."
With that, he withdrew his gaze, turning his head to look at the Orchid on the side table.
Liang Wan bowed. "Yes."
As she turned to leave, his faint voice drifted from behind her. "From now on, do not come looking for me without my order."
Liang Wan’s steps faltered. She turned back to see him with his head lowered, plucking at an orchid leaf. His waterfall of black hair nearly touched the floor, softening the sharp angles of his face and making him look as ethereal as a watercolor painting.
’Does he think I came here specifically to corner him this time?’
’I did want to find him, but not right now!’
Liang Wan was considering whether to explain when a sudden shriek rang out, utterly out of place in the tranquil, steam-misted elegant room.
The cry was so jarring that it startled many people, and a flurry of footsteps sounded from the corridor.
The color drained from Liang Wan’s face. ’Next door—’
She could no longer be bothered with Lu Xiu and rushed out. The moment she stepped outside, all eyes turned to her. Emerging so openly from Lu Xiu’s private room... now, nothing needed to be said.
But she was in no mood to deal with that right now. She just clutched the wooden token in her sleeve, a headache building.
’Under everyone’s watchful eyes, how am I supposed to swap this with Liang Jiao’s wooden token?’
Hearing the shriek, a crowd had gathered in the corridor.
From inside Wang Tingyue’s room, a woman’s muffled sobs could be heard.
The crowd hesitated, unsure whether to go in.
Just as they were wavering, the door opened. Wang Tingyue emerged with a grim face. When he suddenly saw so many people staring, he flushed red, at a complete loss.
Liang Wan was stunned. ’Why is Wang Tingyue perfectly fine? Didn’t Liang Jiao drug his tea?’
A moment later, a weeping woman walked out. Her plain robes seemed to have been thrown on in a hurry, and her normally fair skin was flushed from crying, making her look all the more pitifully beautiful.
It was Liang Jiao.
Lifting her gaze, she saw Liang Wan and called out plaintively, "Sister."
By the time Mrs. Zhang arrived, she saw Liang Jiao clinging to Liang Wan, crying incessantly. She had been secretly rejoicing, thinking the plan had succeeded, but when she saw the name on the wooden token by the door, the color drained from her face.
Forgetting all about her image, she pushed through the crowd, stormed up, and yanked Liang Jiao aside, demanding angrily, "What is going on? Wasn’t it supposed to be—"
’Wasn’t it supposed to be Lu Xiu? Why is it Wang Tingyue?!’
Mrs. Zhang swallowed the words that were about to burst out, her face flushing crimson.
Liang Jiao looked guilty. Her gaze accidentally swept over the wooden token, and her face turned deathly pale.
The plan had been for her to hide in the room, and after Wang Tingyue entered, they would swap the wooden token on the door for hers. This would create the illusion that a drunk Wang Tingyue had stumbled into the wrong room.
But in the end, not only did she wait a long time for the drug to take effect on Wang Tingyue, but he also discovered her, and he rejected her offer to share his bed.
’No wonder everyone was looking at her strangely.’
Liang Jiao steeled herself. ’In any case, this room was originally mine. I only swapped his wooden token onto the door to lure him in.’
Liang Jiao sobbed. "When I went in, my wooden token was clearly hanging on the door. I don’t know why it’s been changed to Wang Xiaolang’s!"
Behind her wide sleeve, Liang Jiao glared at Liang Wan to the side, her expression frantic.
Mrs. Zhang followed Liang Jiao’s gaze and had a sudden realization. "It was you! You were afraid Ajiao would win the Grand Commandant’s favor, so you deliberately framed her! You are truly vicious!"
With a furious shout, Mrs. Zhang swung her hand and slapped Liang Wan, sending her stumbling to the ground, seeing stars.