Chapter 99: Putting on an Act
Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Putting on an Act
So it turned out he was the one who had ordered the water prepared at the Duke Mansion. While Liang Wan was surprised, she also felt it was only logical. After all, Lu Ying was the mistress of the Duke Mansion.
"Don’t worry. I know you and Princess Yuzhang aren’t close."
But these two brief sentences, in the eyes of a keen observer, looked like an act of clinging, coquettish affection.
Not only were there bouquets of calamus and fragrant herbs hanging by the gates of the Princess Mansion, but maidservants were also there to welcome guests. They carried small baskets filled with freshly picked Orchids and intricately woven, five-colored silk ribbons—a truly thoughtful touch.
Liang Wan picked an Orchid and toyed with it in her hand. Lu Xiu glanced at the silk ribbons, chose one, and tied it around her wrist.
"Well now, it’s only been a few days, but look how different things are!"
SNAP. A folding fan unfurled before her eyes.
By the time Liang Wan looked up, the fan was already positioned in front of its owner, hiding his handsome face and revealing only a pair of teasing, charming eyes.
Zhou Yun nodded, smiling widely. "Excellent! Excellent!"
His voice, which was not quiet, naturally drew the gazes of those already whispering amongst themselves.
Lu Xiu said, "Shut up."
Zhou Yun was taken aback but didn’t seem to mind. He leaned closer to Liang Wan and secretly gave her a thumbs-up.
Liang Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
’For someone as cold and ruthless as Lu Xiu to do these things in public, he clearly has an ulterior motive.’
The Princess Mansion was exceptionally lively, filled with nobles laughing and chatting everywhere.
Princess Yuzhang seemed not to have expected Lu Xiu’s arrival. She was quite surprised to see him and hurried over, welcoming him with great enthusiasm.
Yet, when her gaze passed over Liang Wan, it became somewhat unnatural. ’She was once the Imperial Tutor’s granddaughter, a lady from a noble scholarly family,’ the princess thought. ’But now, her family has fallen, and she is merely a concubine. There is absolutely no reason for me to greet her proactively, lest I lower my own status.’
Liang Wan, whose heart was like a clear mirror, understood perfectly and took the initiative to curtsy in greeting.
Princess Yuzhang had already prepared the banquet seating and was just waiting for the guests to take their places.
She glanced around. ’Many of the guests here were also at the Peach Blossom Banquets of the past. But now, if I wasn’t with Lu Xiu, I wouldn’t even be qualified to sit at the same table as them. This is Jinye City for you.’
During the banquet, there were many activities—grass-fighting, pitch-pot, fishing for zongzi... and no shortage of jokes and laughter.
Emboldened by the wine, Lu Xiu went so far as to pull her into his arms in public, feigning intimacy. Liang Wan played along perfectly, putting on a timely performance as the favored concubine who had made the Grand Commandant lose his senses to desire.
With lowered eyes, she didn’t miss the coldness deep in Lu Xiu’s gaze, nor the hesitant expressions of Prince Guangping, who looked like he wanted to speak several times but held himself back.
Prince Guangping, Gao Yi, was Gao Qian’s full-blooded younger brother.
’In her previous life, he had gotten drunk, grabbed a wine jug, and spouted treasonous nonsense. He claimed that if only he had crawled out of his mother’s womb a bit sooner, the lofty position of power would be his. Afterward, Gao Qian had personally chopped off his head...’
’This banquet seemed to confirm the reason behind Lu Xiu’s overly affectionate behavior toward her lately.’
’This discovery, paradoxically, put her at ease.’
’Blatant exploitation was always better than superficial affection.’
’It was just as Lu Xiu had said that day. Even if she was unwilling to be used as a pawn, what could she possibly do about it?’
Seeing that the men had had their fill of wine, Liang Wan turned and proactively planted a kiss on the corner of Lu Xiu’s lips. Perhaps because it was so sudden, the hand resting on her waist visibly tensed. But he quickly recovered, stroking her face with a doting smile. "Don’t wander off too far."
Seeing is believing, after all, and the sight drew many sideways glances.
Liang Wan left the main hall and walked to a pavilion. Only when the lively chatter of the crowd was left behind her, muffled by layers of flowers and trees, did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
A cold sneer came from behind her.
"I never would have imagined that the noble lady of yesteryear would learn to fawn and curry favor with such brothel-like manners!"
Without turning around, Liang Wan scoffed, "We both serve others with our bodies. The pot shouldn’t call the kettle black."
Song Tan crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. He simply shook his head. "Why must you go through all this?"
Liang Wan turned to face him and retorted, "And you? Why must *you*?"
Song Tan sighed. "I can’t find a day’s peace until I find him."
Liang Wan patted his shoulder. "I’ll find a chance to ask Lu Xiu to help look for him."
"It’s been so many years. I know he’s probably long gone." Song Tan’s voice was a bit hoarse.
Liang Wan said, "Don’t think like that. His body wasn’t among the corpses that day. He must have survived. As long as someone’s alive, there’s always a chance you’ll meet again."
That day, not long after she and Wang Tingyue left the money, they were found by men from the Sikong Mansion and taken back. The little boy had taken the money to find a doctor by himself, pleading for his brother to be treated. But the doctor, suspicious of where a beggar boy could have gotten coins, dragged him to the government office and accused him of theft.
The little boy couldn’t clearly explain who he or Wang Tingyue was, so he was unable to prove his innocence and was arrested by the government office.
But then, an official at the government office noticed the boy’s delicate features and had a wicked idea. He had the boy cleaned up and sent him to the Pingyang County Duke’s Mansion.
As everyone knew, the Pingyang County Duke was fond of young boys...
When the little boy didn’t come back after a long time, another wandering beggar kindly told Song Tan what had happened. So Song Tan, clinging to his last shred of life, crawled to the gates of the Liang Mansion.
She brought Song Tan back to the mansion, where her Father personally treated his illness. Afterward, her Father even took him to search for the boy. However, the little boy was not among the corpses in the cartload of dead children pulled from the back gate of the Pingyang County Duke’s Mansion.
Later, once Song Tan had recovered, he left without a word. The next time she saw him, he had become Princess Lanling’s male concubine.
Suddenly remembering why she was here, Liang Wan quickly took a small vial from her Pouch and handed it to him. "I prepared this specially for you, but I never found a chance to give it to you. I knew Princess Lanling would be coming, so I figured you’d be here as well."
Song Tan accepted it and couldn’t help but sigh. "I’ve heard the rumors that he’s very good to you. I thought you two were actually—"
"He is. How could he not be?" Liang Wan laughed out loud. "We spend every night together, our bodies intimately close."
Song Tan stared at her, stunned, scarcely believing she could utter such words.
Liang Wan smiled. "Don’t look at me like that. Liang Wan, the lady of the noble scholarly family, died the year my Father did. The one who survived is Qishu, the woman Liang Cheng had his men meticulously train to be an amusement for the Imperial Family and the aristocracy."
’Compared to those other men, Lu Xiu was actually quite decent. He didn’t even require her to use any of her techniques for pleasing a man.’
’He deliberately created this facade of absolute adoration. But regardless of his motives, she could still feel a sliver of pity mixed in with it all—even if it only stemmed from an obsession with their shared past.’
Liang Wan sat down, unconcerned, and shook her head. "It’s been a while. Why are we making things so heavy?"
Song Tan sat beside her. "You’re different from me. I’m doing this to find my older brother. But you could settle down. If you just stay with him—"
Liang Wan knew he meant well and gave him a smile. "He’s getting married soon. My days like this are numbered. The next time we meet, who knows what my status will be."
Song Tan asked, "Numbered? I heard that lady from the Cao Family is quite decent, and her temperament is—"
"Enough. Let’s not talk about such trivialities," Liang Wan interrupted. "Besides bringing you this medicine, I also have something to ask you. How are things with Wang Tingyue?"
Song Tan grew angry. "Speaking of that, I really have to give you a piece of my mind. Wang Tingyue was fine on his own, so why did you have to push someone else onto him? Even *I* can see how he feels about you. I refuse to believe you can’t!"
"I initially thought I was helping *you* escape! If I had known from the beginning it was for someone else, I never would have gotten involved!"
’She had indeed kept the full story from him. He had every right to be angry.’
"Alright, alright. There’s no use regretting it now." Liang Wan’s smile faltered for a moment. "Have you seen Feng Qingyue?"