Chapter 68: What Are the True Intentions?
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: What Are the True Intentions?
A fine, dense drizzle fell, quickly washing the bloodstains from her body.
The path ahead was pitch-black and the ground beneath her was slick. A combination of the pain from her wounds and the icy rain left Liang Wan stiff and numb, yet she dared not stop for even a moment. She staggered deeper into the forest, one unsteady step after another.
She was no stranger to this mountain. To make a living, she had often come here to dig for medicinal herbs and forage for mushrooms to sell. Inevitably, she had run into terrible weather like this before.
There was only one road down the mountain; fleeing that way would be walking right into their trap. She had to find another path. Unfortunately, the curtain of rain obscured her vision, making it difficult to find her bearings. Liang Wan could only press forward in one direction, relying solely on instinct.
"I told you to watch her! Now she’s gone!"
"What’s the use of saying that now? Second Brother is dead. When I get my hands on her, I’ll tear her apart!"
"Enough! Hurry up and find her!"
The sound of curses and footsteps followed. Liang Wan’s heart tightened. ’They’ve caught up so quickly!’
Already exhausted, she had been holding on by a thread. Her skirt snagged, and she stumbled, slipped, and fell, rolling down the slope over stones and grass.
Hearing the noise, the two men charged straight in her direction.
Liang Wan felt like she was falling apart; every inch of her body ached. Heedless of the mud caking her body and hands, she struggled to her feet and continued to stumble forward. But no matter how she fled, she was no match for trained men and was still forced into a dead end.
She was at the end of her strength. Liang Wan glanced behind her. Trees and the dense, misty rain obscured the view, so she couldn’t see what lay below. ’If it’s the Yin River, I might have a chance of survival.’
Rather than be captured and dragged back by them, she would rather fall to her death than be humiliated by anyone ever again!
The men arrived, panting heavily and glaring at her viciously. As they lunged for her, Liang Wan hardened her heart, turned, and leaped.
SPLASH. Her suspended heart plunged with her body as she crashed heavily into the water. The current was turbulent, and she was swept away by the bone-chilling river, carried to some unknown destination.
Before her consciousness faded, she thought she saw a pearly-white figure holding an umbrella, looking down at her. His eyes were ice-cold, even tinged with a hint of hatred, and they stood out starkly in the dark, cold night.
’I must be dying. It’s one thing to be hallucinating Lu Xiu, but if anyone should feel hatred, it should be me hating him.’ Liang Wan’s lips twitched. Her eyelids felt as heavy as lead before she sank completely into darkness.
DRIP. DRIP.
The dripping sound seemed to be right by her ear. In a daze, Liang Wan felt as if she were floating in mid-air. Only as her consciousness gradually cleared did her soul seem to return to her body.
Liang Wan blinked, staring up at the dark, vast space above her. It looked like a cave. ’But I clearly remember jumping into the river and getting swept downstream. How did I end up in a cave?’
Liang Wan tried to sit up, but the slightest movement sent pain shooting through her entire body, and she hissed in a sharp breath.
"You’re awake?"
Liang Wan’s heart skipped a beat. She turned her head and saw the pearly-white figure sitting on a large rock not far from her, resting his head on his hand as he watched her with a somewhat drowsy expression.
’So that figure I saw before I passed out... it wasn’t a hallucination!’
Perhaps seeing her dazed expression, Lu Xiu stood up and walked over to her. Looking down, his eyes filled with scorn, he asked, "Daring to jump from that high... Did the fall knock you stupid?"
Perhaps the warmth of the fire made her a bit dazed. Staring at Lu Xiu, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
Lu Xiu frowned, a look of distaste on his face. "Why are you always so distracted every time I ask you a question?"
Liang Wan snapped back to her senses and quickly lowered her gaze. "Thank you, Your Lordship—"
She swallowed the words "for saving my life" just in time. He had said he doesn’t save people.
Only then did Liang Wan notice that the wound on her shoulder had been bandaged. She was also covered with his large cloak; without even looking, she knew an exquisite peony must be embroidered in the corner.
Seeing she hadn’t turned into an idiot from the fall, Lu Xiu sat back down and said nonchalantly, "You should thank me."
He pressed his temples. "I’ve never noticed before, but every time you’re asleep—"
Liang Wan’s eyes widened as she broke into a cold sweat. ’Every time what?’
But he paused, lowered his hand, and just looked at her. "How did you know to have your maid run back for help, but not know to do it yourself?"
Liang Wan smiled. "For help? Doesn’t Your Lordship dislike people who only know how to ask for help?"
His gaze sharpened as he looked at her. "I’m afraid it wasn’t because of my preferences, but because you were suspicious. You thought those men were sent by the Lu Family, didn’t you?"
’It seems he knew exactly why I’d asked for the pearls.’
"Since Your Lordship is asking, I will be direct. I suspect the rumors about us made them think I had improper ambitions. Furthermore, because I saved the Grandmaster, they assumed I would use it as leverage to demand a higher status. They feared I would interfere with the marriage alliance between the Lu and Cao families."
’If it were just any rumor, that would be one thing. But this particular rumor... Lu Xiu never tried to stop it. He even made a scene with me in public. What was that if not a tacit admission?’
’If that weren’t the case, why would the Empress feel the need to clear his name? In the end, was her decree a favor to Zhou Yun, or was it to remove an obstacle for her sister, Cao Luyun?’
Liang Wan sighed inwardly. The marriage between Lu Xiu and Cao Luyun was an open secret. All that was missing was the imperial edict.
’Zhou Yun must have deliberately phrased his petition to the Empress that way for Lu Xiu’s sake. He probably wanted the Empress to misunderstand, just to save my life, right?’
Liang Wan had been lying down for a long time and wanted to sit up, but the wound on her back shoulder was too painful for her to move.
"Please, Your Lordship, help me enter the palace. That way, they will understand I have no intention of climbing the social ladder, and they might spare my life."
Liang Wan’s head was groggy; after all, she had been running a low fever.
Lu Xiu’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Are you unaware that the Empress is waiting to betroth you to Zhou Yun?"
He was clearly smiling, but his dark eyes stared intently at her. "Or is it precisely because you know that you want me to help you out of this predicament?"
Liang Wan fell silent.
’After all, who has the power to defy the Empress’s will?’
"Liang Wan, you claim over and over to serve me as your master, yet repeatedly—" Lu Xiu shot her a cold glance, stood up, and walked toward the cave entrance.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Liang Wan grew desperate and shouted at his back with all her might.
"Your Lordship, are you content to live your entire life beneath others?"
Her voice, raspy from her illness, echoed through the empty, dark cave. It had a haunting quality that made one’s heart clench.
In her past life, Gao Qian had spent his days seeking pleasure, ignoring matters of state, while Lu Xiu held the entirety of Daqi in his grasp. She had seen him then: lofty and supreme, looking down on all creation with an air of invincibility.
’A man like that... I refuse to believe he has no ambition.’
Sure enough, the man at the cave entrance stopped and turned back to look at her.
Liang Wan struck while the iron was hot. "I am willing to enter the palace and lend Your Lordship my aid!"
Lu Xiu narrowed his eyes, his gaze scrutinizing. "What can you do in the palace?"
Not to be outdone, Liang Wan declared, "Anything other Palace Attendants and concubines can do, I can do. And the things they cannot do, I can do those as well!"
Lu Xiu shook his head. "So there was never any deep-seated hatred. From the very beginning, you’ve only wanted to fulfill your own ambition."
Liang Wan gritted her teeth. "And does Your Lordship not have ambitions of your own?"
Lu Xiu stared at her for a moment, then lowered his head and laughed before turning and walking away without any hesitation.
"Ambition? The thing I despise most is this so-called power!"
Liang Wan stared at the empty cave entrance, unable to process what had just happened.