Chapter 63: Ulterior Motives
Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Ulterior Motives
Liang Wan looked up at the bed canopy, carefully recalling the memory. "That was the first time Wang Tingyue and I snuck out of the mansion. We strolled down the street for a while and saw a vendor selling candied haws. I wanted some, so I asked him to buy them for me.
"Who knew that right after I got them, a little beggar would snatch them away? Wang Tingyue and I chased him all the way, only to see him hand the stolen candied haws to a little girl."
"And then?"
"The little girl didn’t take them because she was severely ill and on the verge of death."
"Was that little beggar Song Xiaolang?"
Liang Wan shook her head. "No, the little girl we thought was dying was. Wang Tingyue and I took pity on them, so we left all the money we had with them and told the little beggar to fetch a doctor to treat the ’little girl’."
"What happened next?"
"I forgot." Liang Wan closed her eyes. After all, those memories were simply too distant.
After three consecutive days of massive searches, Liang Cheng returned empty-handed. It wasn’t until the fourth day that someone found an embroidered shoe by the Yin River. The Liang family sent someone to investigate, suspecting it belonged to Fourth Lady. The very next day, a female corpse was salvaged from the river. After identification, it was confirmed to be the Liang family’s abducted Fourth Lady.
Since an unmarried woman who passed away could not have a mourning hall or enter the ancestral graveyard, the Liang family could only choose a place with good feng shui outside the city to give Fourth Lady a simple burial.
The topic that had been discussed in the streets and alleys of Jinye for days finally came to an end.
Perhaps it was because the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard had been completely uprooted, leaving no shade, that the sunlight beamed down unbridled, making the originally gloomy room unusually bright.
Liang Wan sat before the vanity mirror. She narrowed her eyes slightly in comfort as the comb’s teeth glided across her scalp.
With Liang Jiao gone, Liang Wan’s courtyard had also regained its peace. No one came to make trouble every other day anymore.
Qiuxi habitually glanced out the window. "I’m afraid Fourth Lady will never be able to return to Jinye again."
Liang Wan opened her eyes and looked at her. "Miss Liang Si cannot, but Lady Xu, who is married, can."
The eldest brother got married, but his biological sister was abducted. For a time, all sorts of rumors spread throughout Jinye City. Liang Cheng also knew that even if Liang Jiao was found, she would be ruined. To stop the gossip, he found a female corpse to replace Liang Jiao and publicly declared that after being abducted, she preferred death to dishonor and threw herself into the river to commit suicide.
Liang Wan took the comb from Qiuxi’s hand, her gaze shifting. "They will return."
Xu was exactly General Wuwei’s surname. It was much more fitting for Wang Tingyue’s wife to use this surname.
Liang Wan set the comb down. "Let’s go."
Today was the day she had to enter the palace to check the Empress’s pulse.
Qiuxi followed Liang Wan out the door. The courtyard was filled with flowers and trees; one could only smell the floral scent, but hear no voices.
The current Liang Mansion was truly no match for its former days!
Mrs. Zhang was locked up, Liang Jiao was abducted, Liang Zhang was too ashamed to see anyone, and her mother only stayed in her room copying scriptures and chanting to Buddha, barely stepping out. The only person one could see in the massive Liang Mansion was Yao Jinse.
As they passed by Mrs. Zhang’s courtyard, there was a sudden CRASH, immediately followed by piercing cries and screams.
During the days Mrs. Zhang had been grounded, she would act like this from time to time. The people in the mansion were all used to it by now.
Liang Wan’s expression remained unchanged, and she prepared to walk past.
The room’s door rattled, and someone walked out.
"Wan."
Someone called out to her. Liang Wan had no choice but to stop and turn around. It was Yao Jinse.
"Are you heading into the palace?" A few strands of hair had fallen loose by her temples, and her shawl hung off one shoulder. She looked somewhat disheveled, but a faint smile still lingered on her face.
Liang Wan glanced at the maid beside her, who was holding shards of a medicine bowl, and nodded. "Yes, I am."
Noticing her gaze, Yao Jinse’s dimples showed as she smiled with some embarrassment. "It’s my poor service. Mother-in-law refuses to take her medicine."
"You’ve worked hard, Jinse."
"Serving my mother-in-law is what I ought to do. I won’t delay you any longer, Wan. Have a safe trip."
Liang Wan nodded and smiled in response. "Alright."
Not long after she walked away, a young maid came head-on, heading straight for Yao Jinse.
Spending the past few days with Yao Jinse had been harmonious and amiable, as if their unpleasant conversation at the Treasure Pavilion had never happened.
In the long-eaved carriage, Qiuxi lowered the curtains and couldn’t help but marvel as soon as she sat down.
"I truly admire the young Mrs. Liang. She’s only been married for a few days, yet not only is she already well-versed in managing the household affairs, but even with Mrs. Zhang grounded, she serves her daily. She really is a virtuous and docile daughter-in-law!"
Liang Wan merely stared out the window. So dedicated and adorably obedient, how could she not be considered a virtuous daughter-in-law?
At the main gate, a middle-aged couple held a pouch of money, bowing and expressing their profound gratitude to the maid from earlier.
Liang Wan withdrew her gaze. The corpse that had replaced Liang Jiao was actually Ziyan...
At the Duan Gate.
Before Liang Wan could even approach, a Palace Attendant waiting at the entrance rushed forward the moment she saw her.
The Chief Steward’s face was slightly pale. She glanced around before whispering, "You’re finally here, miss. Her Grace started bleeding today."
Within the first three months, miscarriages were most likely to occur. Liang Wan didn’t dare lower her guard and immediately followed the Palace Attendant toward the Zhaoyang Palace.
Inside the bedroom, the palace maids had already withdrawn. In the vast, empty hall, only the scent of mugwort wafted from the beast-head incense burner.
The Empress lay on the couch, her face a sickly pale. She furrowed her brows in immense pain, yet still managed to tug at the corners of her mouth to offer a smile when she saw her.
"You’re here."
Liang Wan curtsied and stepped forward without a word to check the Empress’s pulse. On the way here, the Chief Steward had already briefed her on the general situation.
The night before last, the Emperor had suddenly graced the Zhaoyang Palace. Afraid of harming the fetus in her womb, the Empress had no choice but to tell him the truth. Who knew that the Emperor would not only refuse to believe her, but also reprimand her? He immediately summoned the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau, but surprisingly, the Imperial Physicians insisted that the Empress was not pregnant, and that it was merely menstrual irregularity.
The Emperor forced himself upon her, and true enough, blood appeared. The Emperor flew into a rage, deeming it inauspicious, and left in disappointment...
Liang Wan pulled the Empress’s sleeve back down, her brows tightly furrowed. She simply raised her eyes and instructed the Chief Steward standing beside them to remove the mugwort.
The Empress shook her head and smiled bitterly. "Could it be that I am truly not pregnant?"
Liang Wan didn’t even lift her eyelids. "Your Grace has given birth before. What do you think?"
The Empress closed her eyes rather weakly. "Aside from you and Wen Jin, no one believes that I am pregnant."
Liang Wan lowered her gaze slightly. She knew that if no one believed a certain truth, eventually, the person in question would begin to doubt themselves too.
She understood this feeling perfectly.
Liang Wan untied the sachet from her waist and handed it to the Chief Steward. "These are the abortion prevention pills I prepared in advance, but the current situation is more severe than I anticipated. I will concoct a new batch after I return and send them over. Also, you absolutely must not burn that mugwort again."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Liang Wan explained, "First of all, someone is clearly and deliberately concealing the fact that the Empress is pregnant. Burning mugwort will let those with ulterior motives know that Your Grace hasn’t given up hope yet. Only by making them think Your Grace believes you aren’t pregnant can we make them lower their guard.
"Secondly, burning mugwort during pregnancy does not guarantee the safety of the fetus. In Your Grace’s current condition, you truly shouldn’t be exposed to any more stimulants, as I fear it might accelerate a miscarriage."
Unexpectedly, right after Liang Wan finished speaking, the Chief Steward immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"It’s all my fault for taking matters into my own hands after hearing a few fragmented words. Please punish me, Your Grace."
The Empress gently shook her head. "Get up quickly. He who does not know is not guilty, and you were only acting out of goodwill."
Liang Wan lifted her thin eyelids. "Aunt Jin, are you saying someone told you about the method of burning mugwort to prevent a miscarriage?"