"Then why are you stopping me? You even laid a hand on me!"
"You brute, this is Yulin Garden! Everyone is watching. If you want to teach her a lesson, do it back at the Liang Mansion!" Wang Tingyue said, glancing her way before forcibly dragging him off.
He wasn't nearly as tall or large as Liang Zhang—he even looked a little thin—but he possessed a powerful, solid strength, a quality rare among the men of Jinye City.
Liang Wan picked herself up from the ground.
For some reason, she was suddenly reminded of when Awen was still alive and would often take her to the Prince Mansion. She was little back then, and she'd found it fascinating to see Wang Tingyue practicing with his weapons, so she would always run around trailing behind him.
He would pinch her hair buns and laugh, saying they looked like ox horns.
They saw each other less as they grew up. She never imagined that the next time they met, he would be watching her so wretchedly trying to please another man...
Before she came, Mrs. Zhang had even told her to drug Wang Tingyue. But now, he probably despised her completely.
Liang Wan lowered her head, feeling more and more exhausted as she walked.
She hadn't yet reached Yunyan Spring when she ran right into Mrs. Zhang. Liang Jiao, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs. Zhang had lost her usual pleasant expression. She jabbed a finger toward Liang Wan's forehead. "And to think I actually believed you! You're clearly playing me for a fool!"
Facing Mrs. Zhang's furious glare, Liang Wan swatted her hand away, her own expression turning cold as ice.
Mrs. Zhang was stunned. She hadn't expected Liang Wan to not only be so defiant but also to physically resist. She stared, scrutinizing her. Thinking back on how meek and obedient Liang Wan had been recently, it now seemed like a deliberate act. The feeling of being duped made her rage boil over.
Liang Wan's expression was now perfectly composed. "Aunt, you're mistaken. I made the introduction I was supposed to, but you saw for yourself that the Grand Commandant has no interest in Ajiao. If Ajiao had been willing to lower herself and actively get on his good side, there might have been a chance. But she wasn't, and she pulled you right back to your seats. In that situation, what more could I have done?"
Her gaze was calm, and she spoke slowly and deliberately.
Mrs. Zhang cursed Liang Wan internally, but the situation had indeed played out as described. Resentful and hateful, her face grew even more livid.
Liang Wan continued, "Wasn't my shameless, repeated pestering of him also for the Liang Mansion's sake? Besides, weren't you the one who said that special measures are sometimes necessary, Aunt? In any case, I didn't do anything—I only brewed some sobering tea."
"You're twisting words and forcing logic!"
As they were speaking, a maid came running out of the Little Bamboo Pavilion in a panic, frantically looking around as she ran.
When she spotted Liang Wan, she sprinted straight toward them.
"My lady, it's terrible! Something has happened!" the maid cried, her eyes red with panic.
'Something happened?' Mrs. Zhang's eyelid twitched. Forgetting her anger, she pressed a hand to her temple, her only worry being that scoundrel Liang Zhang. 'Don't tell me he got drunk, lost his senses, and forced himself on some young lady again!'
The last incident was only resolved by pulling strings with Wang Sikong.
Mrs. Zhang's heart was in her throat.
Liang Wan raised a delicate eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "What happened?"
The maid stammered, unsure how to describe the situation. "Third Lady Liang, you should come with me to see. Maybe you can help mediate!"
The moment they stepped into the Little Bamboo Pavilion, they heard incessant crying and shouting from within. The maids standing guard outside were all frozen in fear.
Liang Wan frowned slightly. 'I wonder what stage the plan is at?'
As the door opened, a wave of hot, lewd air washed over her. Suppressing her disgust, she stepped over the threshold.
Behind a screen, Chun'er was kneeling on the floor, one side of her face swollen, her hair a mess, and her clothes in disarray. Cui Hao stood beside her, bare-chested and wearing only his trousers. Feng Qingyue's face was crimson, her eyes practically shooting flames.
Seeing Liang Wan, the expressions of everyone present changed.
Before Liang Wan could speak, Mrs. Zhang rushed forward like a whirlwind and slapped Chun'er twice, knocking her to the ground.
"You wretched wench! I was wondering where you'd run off to! So you were hiding in here, fooling around!"
Seething with rage, Mrs. Zhang grabbed Chun'er by the hair and began to kick and stomp on her. She was already holding in a bellyful of anger over the incident with Lu Xiu, and now she seized this opportunity to beat Chun'er mercilessly.
Chun'er's wretched screams, one after another, drilled into everyone's ears.
The sounds of the beating, the curses, and the screams rose and fell. 'What a lively scene,' Liang Wan thought.
Liang Wan stood back, crossing her arms and shaking her head with a hint of regret. It was a pity the audience was so small.
Soon, Chun'er's face was bruised and swollen, but Mrs. Zhang showed no sign of stopping. Cui Hao snapped out of his daze, hastily threw on a robe, and rushed over, only to stammer when he stood before Liang Wan.
"Aweng, listen to me, it's not what you think. I..." Whether it was from choking on river water earlier or from his recent strenuous activities, he broke into a coughing fit mid-sentence, so weak he could barely stand upright.
Liang Wan took two steps back in disgust, afraid his spittle might land on her.
Feng Qingyue's expression was particularly ugly.
Liang Wan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with amusement. "What? Did you not know they were having an affair?"
Cui Hao managed to force out, "That's not it—"
Liang Wan covered her nose. "Cui Xiaolang, explanations are for people who want to hear them. Clearly, I'm not interested, so why waste your breath? Frankly, even if you slept your way through every maid in Yulin Garden, what would that have to do with me?"
Feng Qingyue felt as if she'd just been slapped twice, her face burning with humiliation. She had taken a huge risk sneaking Cui Hao in, hoping to find out what had really happened that other day, and here he was, ignoring the important matter at hand and using her room to carry on with a lowly maid!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "That's right! Now that you've latched onto Lu Xiu, you don't need any explanations! For all I know, you put her up to this!"
Cui Hao turned his head. "This has nothing to do with Aweng! It... it was Chun'er! She deliberately set me up!" Ashamed and embarrassed, he pointed to a half-full bowl of ginger soup on the table. "She put something in there! I really couldn't—"
'Couldn't help himself?' Liang Wan almost laughed out loud.
Just then, the door was thrown open with a BANG, followed by the sound of rushing footsteps as a group of people arrived.
"What's going on? What's all the shouting about?"
Liang Wan turned to see Princess Lanling in the lead, followed by Princess Yuzhang and several others.
Chun'er lay on the floor, barely breathing. Mrs. Zhang fell silent, shrinking to the side with her head bowed.
Cui Hao coughed, covering his face.
Feng Qingyue, her face deathly pale, quickly turned away.
Every year at the Peach Blossom Banquet, this sort of illicit affair was bound to happen. As long as the couple wasn't caught in the act, no one made a big deal out of it. Privately, such things were just amusing gossip.
But this scene right now—Princess Lanling's face darkened.
Behind her, Princess Yuzhang and the others wore unreadable expressions. They had been on their way to Yunyan Spring for an orchid bath when they heard the commotion. At first, they assumed someone was drunk and making a scene; they never expected to stumble upon an affair.
When they saw that Lady Feng was involved, they grew curious and couldn't help but stare at the young man's face. 'Who on earth could make the Marquis's wife forget her station like this?'
Unable to keep face, Princess Lanling shot Feng Qingyue a harsh glare. "If it's just two misbehaving servants, then have them beaten and thrown out. Why can't you handle a trivial matter like this?"
Feng Qingyue didn't even dare to lift her head, only managing a timid sound of assent.
"It's just some childish squabble. Let's go," Princess Yuzhang said with a timely laugh, pulling Princess Lanling by the arm toward the door.
But the moment they were out the door, Feng Qingyue raised her hand and swung it, aiming to slap Liang Wan across the face.