Chapter 79: A Close Call
Chapter 79: Chapter 79: A Close Call
In her daze, she saw a figure in cyan being helped down from a high place. Everyone around them prostrated themselves in welcome.
Gao Qian!
Seeing the Emperor’s face for the first time, Qiuxi, holding the Jade Plate, stared blankly, utterly captivated. Fearing they would draw attention, Liang Wan pulled her down to kneel with her.
Only when her forehead was pressed against the back of her hand did she dare to slightly raise her eyes. The corners of her eyes, as she looked out, were red.
Liang Wan was far away, separated from him by a sea of people. The sun hung high overhead, but a chill that grew from the depths of her heart spread through her entire body, making her shiver uncontrollably.
She hated him with a burning passion, but she also feared him to her very core!
’How could she not be afraid?’
Back then, he would hold her from behind, his chin resting in the crook of her neck. He would take her hand in his and use a sword to hack at people, one strike after another. His low laughter would echo in her ears as the dull impact traveled up her arm, splattering them both with warm blood.
He loved to commit the bloodiest deeds from the most tender of embraces...
"My Lady—" Qiuxi gently pushed the woman kneeling on the ground, whose lips were pale and eyes were vacant.
Liang Wan turned her head mechanically. Through a daze, she saw a pair of clear eyes looking at her with concern.
Qiuxi’s face was creased with worry. "My Lady, what’s wrong?" she whispered. "You have to get up."
Liang Wan gradually came to her senses. Most of the people who had been kneeling in welcome had already followed the Emperor and Empress away, leaving only a few scattered individuals on the empty ground. She alone remained kneeling in place.
Liang Wan stood up.
Seeing her looking as if her soul had left her body, Liang Zhang let out a short laugh. "And who was it just now making fun of me? After all that, it turns out you’re just so calm, cool, and collected yourself!"
Liang Wan ignored Liang Zhang’s sarcasm. She lowered her gaze and took a few slow breaths, willing the frost and chill in her heart to melt away, bit by bit.
’In front of Gao Qian, I can’t show fear. I can’t show hatred. I have to bury all my thoughts as deep as possible...’
She knew it would be difficult to restrain herself, but the path to revenge was never easy, and she wouldn’t get many second chances!
When she looked up again, only a faint glint of moisture remained in her eyes. She started walking, hurrying to catch up to the back of the crowd.
"Hey, wait for me—"
Liang Zhang glanced around and didn’t dare to linger either.
By the time Liang Wan reached the main hall, every seat was taken. Gao Qian and the Empress sat in the seats of honor, with the Lou Family, Lu Family, Cao Family, and Mrs. Zhou seated in order of precedence...
These were the royal family and the most powerful houses of the nobility.
In truth, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for Cao Danqing to want her gone. If not for her connection to the Empress, the Liang Family’s current standing was so low they couldn’t hope to compare. They had no right to be here at all.
Of the eight great pillar dukes of the past, only Duke Wei, Lou Jing, remained. Now well into his nineties and often muddled, he only occasionally recognized people. The Emperor, mindful of his advanced age, had exempted him from all courtesies and seated him in the lowermost seat of honor.
Standing behind the crowd, Liang Wan observed carefully. The Duke’s eldest grandson, Changsun Guanglu Doctor, was married to the Empress Dowager’s own sister, Lu Ying. Looking at the court from top to bottom, the Lu Family was truly—
"Liang Wan."
As her thoughts scattered, a voice suddenly rang out. Liang Wan snapped back to reality and saw that the chattering crowd had fallen silent. The people standing in front of her had even parted to make a path.
The air was unnaturally still. The Empress was looking at her, nodding in acknowledgment.
Liang Wan quietly took a breath. With her eyes downcast, she slowly walked forward under a storm of gazes, each filled with a different emotion.
These intertwining gazes were like a great net, trapping her in the middle. She felt constrained from head to toe, with one thread tightening directly around her throat, ready to take her life at any moment.
Suppressing the feeling of suffocation, Liang Wan prostrated herself. "This humble servant of the Liang Family pays her respects to Your Majesty, and Her Maj—"
"The Liang Family? Which Liang Family?" Gao Qian’s brow furrowed as he cut her off in a low voice.
Liang Wan gritted her teeth, not daring to look up. That languid, hoarse voice was far too familiar, like a devil’s whisper in her ear that made goosebumps rise all over her skin.
The Empress glanced at the woman on the floor and offered a timely reminder. "Your Majesty has forgotten. She is the one who was commended not long ago."
"Oh?" He tilted his head, drawing out the sound. His long, almond-shaped eyes held a hint of a smile as he said nonchalantly, "I seem to recall the Empress is quite fond of her."
"I—"
Before the Empress could finish, he had already turned his head back to Liang Wan. "You. Raise your head."
The entire hall immediately fell silent. Everyone held their breath and watched, which only served to emphasize the tyrannical, unchallengeable command in his tone.
Bit by bit, Liang Wan raised her head, but she kept her eyes lowered.
Suddenly, Gao Qian leaned forward, lowering his head to look at her, and asked softly, "You don’t dare to look at me?"
His tone was innocent, but it sent a chill down the spines of all who heard it.
"Your Majesty—" The Empress started to rise to intervene but was discreetly pulled back by Wen Jin, who was beside her.
Liang Wan had no choice but to clench her fists and lift her eyelids.
The man who came into view had an overly pale face, with pearly teeth and red lips. His black eyes, in particular, were like soul-devouring abysses that no one dared to look into directly.
’Gao Qian was always like this—wild, domineering, and utterly unpredictable...’
Liang Wan shifted her gaze to the bridge of his nose and said, "Without Your Majesty’s permission, this humble servant dares not look directly upon the imperial visage."
But no matter how composed she pretended to be, a flash of panic still crossed her eyes.
Gao Qian suddenly grabbed the back of her neck. It was a good thing she was clenching her jaw, or a startled cry would have escaped her lips.
With no way to avoid it, Liang Wan finally met his pitch-black eyes.
But he didn’t show the excitement she expected. Instead, he seemed to fall into a deep memory, his gaze profound and unreadable. His voice was low and soft. "Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before?"
Liang Wan suppressed the urge to fight back.
"I have seen her several times in the palace. It would not be strange for Your Majesty to have seen her as well."
Gao Qian raised an eyebrow and looked over. Lu Xiu was leaning casually against something, letting out an indifferent, humming laugh.
He was heard saying, "I heard from the Empress Dowager. The Empress had her embroider a Buddhist image, correct?"
The Empress nodded. "Yes. That piece was left at Renshou Palace as a gift for the Empress Dowager."
At the mention of the Empress Dowager, Gao Qian finally released his hand and fell back into his seat with a soft sigh.
"Since the Empress Dowager likes it, then have her continue to embroider."
The cold sweat on Liang Wan’s body had yet to dry, but the Empress and the others let out a sigh of relief.
If there was anyone in this world who could make Gao Qian hesitate, it was only Empress Dowager Lu.
The wife of the Guanglu Doctor suddenly interjected, announcing that the banquet was ready and inviting everyone to move to the Flower Garden to drink and be merry.
As Gao Qian rose and passed by Liang Wan, his gaze swept over her pale, sharp-featured face, his black eyes deep and inscrutable.
The Empress deliberately fell a few steps behind. She could only offer Liang Wan a comforting look, but her heart grew heavier. She had wanted to use this opportunity to arrange a marriage between Liang Wan and Zhou Yun, but instead, she had nearly cost Liang Wan her life.
The once-silent hall was again filled with the buzz of conversation and laughter.
It was true that Gao Qian was arrogant and cruel, but he was not a man who could be swayed by mere beauty.
Liang Wan slowly climbed to her feet and looked back at his departing figure. She had waited so long for the banquet to finally begin. Even the thick rouge on the Empress’s face could not conceal her exhaustion and helplessness.
"My Lady!"
Seeing that most people had left, Qiuxi ran up to her.
But Liang Wan just gave Liang Zhang a faint smile. "Brother, you see? There’s no hope for me. It’ll be your turn for an introduction soon!"