Chapter 46: Overwhelmed by Favor
Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Overwhelmed by Favor
Someone from the Imperial Palace?
No matter how furious Liang Jiao was, she had no choice but to swallow it for now. Suppressing a heart full of resentment, she followed Liang Wan out the door.
In the front hall, Liang Cheng was eagerly hovering around a eunuch, his face the very picture of fawning obedience.
Seeing Liang Wan, the eunuch bypassed Liang Cheng and stepped forward. "This must be the Third Lady, correct?"
The man was around forty years old, with bushy eyebrows and bright eyes. He wore the blue robes of a eunuch, his hands folded neatly in front of him. Though he looked stern, his tone was mild and polite.
Liang Wan was secretly surprised. She smiled and curtsied. "Greetings, Lord Chief Minister."
"There is no need for such formalities, my lady. I have come on the orders of the Empress to deliver your rewards." He gestured to a row of little eunuchs standing behind him, each holding a Jade Plate. "These are the rewards bestowed upon you by the Emperor and the Empress."
Gao Qian?!
Liang Wan lowered her eyes, concealing her emotions. The tyrant wanted to reward her...
When Zhou Yun escorted her back that day, he had told her before leaving to rest easy and wait for a decree from the Imperial Palace. She had assumed he was just saying that to fool Liang Cheng. She never expected it to be real.
Looking at such generous rewards, Liang Cheng and the others couldn’t help but stare with burning envy.
The eunuch didn’t waste words. "My lady, please receive the decree!"
Liang Wan had no choice but to kneel. Liang Cheng and the rest respectfully followed suit.
The eunuch’s voice was shrill, his pronunciation of every word sharp and clear.
Liang Wan kept her head bowed, her eyes fixed on the ground. This was not what she wanted at all!
After expressing their gratitude for the imperial grace, the group stood up.
Only then did the eunuch soften his voice again. "Chancellor Cao took the initiative to report the matter of you stealing the seal. Upon hearing of it, the Emperor originally intended to reward you in person, but the Empress asked to take over the task."
Liang Wan’s gaze flickered. She had come so close to meeting the tyrant.
The eunuch continued, "Because Young Master Zhou mentioned your situation to the Empress earlier, so—" He gave her a meaningful look. "Rest assured, my lady. The Empress has issued a decree to clear your name. From now on, you need not worry about idle street gossip tarnishing your reputation."
At this point, the eunuch paused thoughtfully before adding, "If you and Young Master Zhou truly have feelings for each other, it would be best to settle the engagement as early as possible."
What did that mean?
Liang Wan was bewildered. Chancellor Cao telling the tyrant about her stealing the seal was simply his way of avoiding hogging all the credit—that was no surprise! And Zhou Yun asking the Empress to clear her name was undoubtedly to protect Lu Xiu’s reputation.
But how did she and Zhou Yun end up being misunderstood as having feelings for each other? And she was supposed to settle it early?
She had purposely lied to Liang Cheng and the others in the Liang Mansion, but what was Zhou Yun’s motive? What exactly did all this mean?
After finishing his brief message, the eunuch left the rewards behind and returned to the Imperial Palace to report back.
Liang Wan stood frozen in place. The eunuch’s words had left her thoroughly confused.
Right, she still owed Zhou Yun a pouch of money. She ought to find a chance to pay him back and casually ask what in the world was going on.
Having seen the eunuch out, Liang Cheng hurried back in high spirits, practically bouncing on his heels as he rushed to inspect the rewarded items.
Mrs. Zhang stood to the side, seething with bubbling jealousy. When she glanced at the pale, unwell Liang Jiao next to her, her resentment only grew deeper.
Liang Jiao bit her lip, glaring daggers at Liang Wan. The thought that Liang Wan had earned these rewards by destroying the Sikong Mansion, destroying Wang Tingyue, and destroying her made Liang Jiao wish she could hack her into a thousand pieces.
"You really are incredible. Even seducing the Grand Commandant in broad daylight has been spun into an expedient measure for an investigation. Seducing them one after another—my, you truly have quite the talent!
"But don’t get too smug," Liang Zhang said as he slouched onto a nearby rope bed, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "That eunuch clearly had hidden meanings in his words. Hmph, I’ll be waiting to watch your downfall!"
"Keep your mouth shut! You’re about to get married, yet you still don’t know that careless talk leads to trouble! Get back to your own room!" Liang Cheng turned around and shot him a vicious glare, exasperated by his uselessness.
"Fine, fine, fine, I’m going, I’m going, I’m going right now!" Liang Zhang stood up, shrugging his shoulders lazily. "If it weren’t for her causing trouble, I would’ve been out the door ages ago. As if anyone actually wants to stick around here!"
With that, he swaggered away.
Liang Cheng’s beard bristled with fury. He pointed at Mrs. Zhang, snapping angrily, "How did I raise such a worthless failure! It’s all because you spoil him so much!"
Mrs. Zhang was already furious, and being used as his unprovoked punching bag only fueled her deep-seated indignation.
Liang Wan maintained a polite smile. "Uncle, if there’s nothing else, I will take my leave."
Liang Cheng quickly shifted his expression as he looked back at her. Reluctant as he was, he had to suppress his pride. "Awan, receiving rewards from the Empress requires entering the Imperial Palace to express gratitude. When you go tomorrow, how about letting Ajiao accompany you? Now that you’ve gained power and favor, you should spare a thought for Ajiao, shouldn’t you?"
"Father!"
Before Liang Wan could say a word, Liang Jiao protested.
"Shut your mouth!" Liang Cheng scolded in a low, stern voice. "If you had half a brain, you would never have done such a thing!"
He truly never expected that Liang Jiao would set her sights on Wang Tingyue.
Liang Jiao’s eyes were red-rimmed, brimming with anger and grievance. If she hadn’t been manipulated by Liang Wan, things would never have turned out this way!
"Family Head, please don’t be angry. Ajiao is still young. She’s normally such an obedient and considerate child—she was just provoked by others," Mrs. Zhang coaxed gently, while simultaneously complaining inwardly, "At this point, blaming her is useless. We’re better off trying to figure out a solution for her. If even we abandon her, she truly has no hope left in this life—"
She punctuated her thoughts with heavy, successive sighs.
Liang Wan’s tone remained amiable. "Uncle, Aunt, let Ajiao accompany me tomorrow."
"I’m not going! Why should I go?" Liang Jiao panicked upon hearing this. She immediately grabbed Mrs. Zhang’s arm, feeling deeply wronged. "She is the one going to express gratitude. What would I even do there?"
Mrs. Zhang knew exactly what Liang Cheng was scheming.
She shot Liang Cheng a look. If Liang Jiao’s reputation hadn’t been so utterly ruined, what mother would ever bear to send her daughter into the Imperial Palace to serve the Emperor? But now, aside from the Emperor, who else could—
At this thought, Mrs. Zhang’s heart ached with bitter sorrow.
Liang Jiao vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
Liang Wan observed it all quietly. Letting Liang Jiao accompany her into the palace seemed like Liang Cheng’s spur-of-the-moment idea, but in reality, he had probably been plotting this in secret for a while. He had just been waiting for an opportunity.
Otherwise, how could just anyone wander into the Imperial Palace as they pleased?
Liang Jiao let go of Mrs. Zhang’s arm, her brows furrowing in suspicion. "You’re not planning to give me to the Emperor, are you?"
With his true intentions laid bare, Liang Cheng’s face darkened further. He had given it serious thought: rather than fawning over this person or flattering that person, it truly would be far more practical to present his own flesh and blood to the Emperor and secure his standing once and for all.
Seeing that neither Liang Cheng nor Mrs. Zhang denied it, Liang Jiao looked on in sheer disbelief. Pointing at Liang Wan, she shrieked, "In the past, wouldn’t you always offer her? If you want to send someone, why not send her? I’m your actual biological daughter!"
"Ajiao—" Mrs. Zhang pulled Liang Jiao back to her side, completely at a loss for how to comfort her.
Liang Wan watched with cold detachment. It was precisely because she wasn’t his biological daughter that Liang Cheng couldn’t trust her. He was terrified that she might actually gain the Emperor’s favor and leverage it against him.
He wanted to use her as a tool, yet he feared the tool was too sharp and might end up cutting him instead. How wonderfully hypocritical!
Liang Wan sighed. "Uncle, since Ajiao is so resistant, perhaps we should set this matter aside for now. We can always find another opportunity later. Otherwise, pushing it like this... might just backfire."
Liang Cheng looked up at Liang Jiao’s face, feeling a flicker of reluctance. However, hearing Liang Wan suggest a delay inevitably made him suspect she had ulterior motives. Perhaps it was better to wait until Liang Zhang’s wedding was over before making any further plans. It was only a few days away, anyway.
"We’ll put it on hold for now." He waved his hand weakly and walked away, looking utterly exhausted.
"This is all your fault, you bitch!"
The moment Liang Cheng was gone, Mrs. Zhang dropped her facade entirely, pointing at Liang Wan through gritted teeth. But aside from hurling verbal curses, she didn’t dare lay a finger on her. Otherwise, wouldn’t she just be handing Liang Wan evidence to complain about in the Imperial Palace?
Mrs. Zhang shot Liang Wan a venomous glare before grabbing Liang Jiao and storming off.
Out in the courtyard, Liang Jiao cried until her eyes were swollen and red.
"Mother—"
"Stop crying! It’s your own stupidity to blame! You refused to take the path I laid out for you, insisting on acting smart. What use is crying now?" Mrs. Zhang’s eyes grew colder by the second. "Don’t worry. We just need to endure this for two more days. When the time comes, neither Young Master Zhou nor the Grand Commandant will be of any use to her. I swear, I will vent this frustration!"