Chapter 86: A Done Deal
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: A Done Deal
Gao Qian smiled, taking Liang Wan’s hand. "Before she enters the palace, I’ll have to trouble you to tutor her for me!"
With that, he presented Liang Wan’s hand to Lu Xiu.
The room erupted in an uproar; everyone found the situation utterly inconceivable.
Liang Wan’s heart plummeted.
Lu Xiu paused for a moment. His gaze swept impassively over Liang Wan’s face before he nodded. "I obey Your Majesty’s command."
Lu Xiu was so nonchalant, not even knitting his brows, that the already astonished onlookers were left completely dumbfounded.
Gao Qian feigned a casual air, but he took in every detail of Lu Xiu’s expression.
He nodded slightly. ’Such absolute obedience is truly satisfying.’
Feeling the icy coldness of her hand, Gao Qian tilted his head and smiled at Liang Wan. "You must listen to the Grand Commandant obediently. Otherwise, I will punish you."
’The same tone, the same manipulation.’
With an unchanged expression, Liang Wan allowed Gao Qian to place her hand into Lu Xiu’s.
’Not a person, just an object.’
"Yes."
She lowered her eyes and nodded obediently, showing no sign of discontent.
Apparently not expecting things to go so smoothly, Gao Qian was in an excellent mood.
"Your Majesty!" Chancellor Cao stood up, his tone rigid. "This is highly improper! To say nothing of the fact that she is a lady of the Liang Family, a scholarly family, and a descendant of the late Imperial Tutor and Sacrificial Officer, her involvement in the Wang Su case alone—"
"Prime Minister," Gao Qian cut him off, his displeasure flashing for a moment before he plastered on a smile. "You would do best not to interfere in the affairs of the harem. Besides, I’m merely having her follow the Grand Commandant for a few days to broaden her horizons. There’s nothing improper about it."
He tilted his head, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Or could it be that you wish to perform this service in the Grand Commandant’s stead, Chancellor?"
His words were a clear insinuation that Chancellor Cao was a lecherous old man. Feeling utterly humiliated, Chancellor Cao’s face changed drastically. "Your Majesty!"
Gao Qian glanced at the Empress, his tone half-joking. "Fortunately, the Empress doesn’t take after you."
With a wave of his hand, he declared the Prime Minister drunk and ordered men to escort him away to rest.
Zhou Yun watched the Chancellor’s retreating figure being forcibly escorted away. "Your Majesty, I believe—"
"Don’t let the Prime Minister lead you astray, Young Master Zhou!"
Gao Qian had no patience to hear any more.
Zhou Yun felt a stifling frustration. He’d never imagined that helping the Empress would come at such a great cost to Liang Wan. He glanced at her guiltily, only to see her standing there obediently, accepting it all.
Gao Qian flicked his sleeve, glaring at the man kneeling on the floor. "Take him away!" he barked. "Interrogate him thoroughly and find out exactly how he drove my cousin to her death!"
Liang Wan’s heart skipped a beat. ’He’s clearly planning to pin Lou Xue Ru’s death on Liang Zhang.’
He turned to Lou Xiao with a sorrowful expression. "Guanglu Doctor, rest assured, I will see that my cousin gets justice. I hope you will comfort my aunt, so that the Empress Dowager is not overcome with grief as well."
Lou Xiao merely knitted his brows, bowed his head, and assented.
Gao Qian surveyed the room, his interest waning. "We’re returning to the palace."
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to gently tidy the hair at Liang Wan’s temples. "You must learn well," he said softly. "When you return to the palace, I will be testing you."
His eyes crinkled into a bright smile, yet his gaze was filled with cold, heartless indifference.
As the Empress departed, she glanced in Liang Wan’s direction, her expression devoid of its former warmth.
Liang Wan took half a step forward, but Lu Xiu tugged on her sleeve, stopping her. A sideways glance suggested he hadn’t meant to stop her, but was simply withdrawing his hand from hers.
Once the Emperor and Empress had departed, the crowd began to disperse.
But the taut string of Liang Wan’s nerves did not loosen. ’If I’m not mistaken, Gao Qian recognized me as the woman who secretly met with Lu Xiu in the rockery. Not only that, he must suspect we were the ones hiding outside the window.’
’But how could Gao Qian have recognized me?’
Liang Wan couldn’t figure it out. ’At the time, I was wrapped in Lu Xiu’s clothes, almost completely hidden in his embrace...’
Seeing her standing motionless, Lu Xiu narrowed his eyes and reached toward her temple.
Liang Wan flinched.
Lu Xiu took her hand and placed the hairpin in her palm.
Despite the intimate gesture, her heart turned to ice.
Liang Wan stared blankly at the hairpin. ’In the end, I still underestimated Gao Qian...’
"You shameless woman! This is your mess, yet you’re making my sister take the fall for it!"
Seeing that the room had emptied, Cao Danqing lunged at Liang Wan, her hand raised to strike.
But a sword suddenly appeared, blocking her charge. The force of the block sent her sprawling to the ground.
"Who are you?! How dare you stop me?!" Cao Danqing shrieked, utterly incensed.
Zhou Yun sighed.
Yuan retracted his sword, his face impassive. He gave a slight bow. "You should know, my lady, that there are some people you cannot touch."
After speaking, he once again stood aside like a shadow.
Liang Wan glanced at Yuan. ’For the first time, he seems to be on my side.’
Just as she was puzzling over this sudden change, she heard Lu Xiu’s extremely indifferent voice.
"Tomorrow, I will send someone to the Liang Mansion to fetch you."
Liang Wan looked at him, her expression complicated. "To go where?"
Lu Xiu saw through her pretense of calm and sneered. "Where else could you possibly go now?"
With that, he turned and walked away.
Liang Wan looked to Zhou Yun, who simply spread his hands and shook his head, helpless.
Liang Wan then looked at Yuan. His face was cold, just as it always was.
’Liang Zhang has been arrested. When I get back, Liang Cheng won’t spare me. Gao Qian is deliberately testing me—telling me I’ll enter the palace, but not when. And he’s ordered Lu Xiu to ’tutor’ me. This ’tutoring’ is clearly meant to be...’
Liang Wan took a sharp breath, gritted her teeth, and chased after him out the door.
Zhou Yun followed as well.
Cao Danqing scrambled up from the floor, only to see Cao Luyun staring blankly at the doorway, her eyes bloodshot. Two streams of tears flowed uncontrollably down her pale face.
"Sister..." Cao Danqing hurried over to wipe her tears.
But Cao Luyun pushed her hand away, her voice low and hoarse, yet firm.
"Danqing, I will cry this one time, and this time only. From now on, the one who cries will be her."
Cao Danqing opened her mouth to speak. Her sister seemed like a stranger at that moment. But then she remembered how the Grand Commandant had not only wronged her sister but also allowed her to suffer a great injustice. What was most hateful was that he hadn’t said a single word of concern to her through it all.
"Sister, let’s go find Father and tell him you won’t marry him, all right? It’s not as if our Prime Minister’s Mansion can’t support you!"
"Not marry him?" Cao Luyun looked up, a flicker in her eyes. "Danqing, if I told you that you couldn’t marry Young Master Zhou, would you agree?"
"That... That’s different!" Cao Danqing was at a loss for words. She had been determined to marry Ayunn since she was a child.
Cao Luyun wiped away her tears. "Different? How is it any different?
"Never mind that this marriage has long been tacitly approved by our elders—it was also promised by His Majesty himself. I am the rightful wife of the Grand Commandant, and she... she is nothing but a plaything to be shared between a ruler and his subject!"
Cao Danqing thought for a moment and nodded. "That’s true. His Majesty is only making her ’follow’ for a short time. He’ll summon her to the palace eventually. But what exactly is her status supposed to be? She’s not a Palace Attendant, but she’s not a favored concubine either."
"Enter the palace? Do you really think she’ll have the chance?"
Cao Luyun’s lips curved into an elegant arc. On her tear-streaked face, the smile was ice-cold.