"Not at all! You're so radiant today, you're dazzling my eyes!"
"Hmph. We haven't seen each other for just a few days, and you've already learned how to tease me with such nonsense!"
Feng Qingyue had fair skin, a delicate nose, and cherry-red lips that gave her a certain charm. She might not have been a breathtaking beauty, but her raven-black hair was so glossy you could see your reflection in it. It was said her tresses could rival those of the famed Wei Zifu.
Liang Wan just smiled at her. "Didn't we agree to meet at the wooden bridge? Why didn't you show up? You made me wait forever."
"Don't even mention it! I was just about to go find you, but something came up. I had to send someone to let you know. Did the message not reach you?" At this, her expression suddenly grew serious. "You haven't heard, have you? Your Cui Xiaolang fell into the water!"
With that, she grabbed Liang Wan's hand and started pulling her toward the Little Bamboo Pavilion.
Liang Wan planted her feet, but she was still dragged forward. Just as they left the small courtyard, she wrenched her hand free from Feng Qingyue's and stood her ground.
The other girl stopped and turned back, her face clouded with confusion. "What's wrong?"
Liang Wan smiled and shook her head. "The banquet is about to begin. We should return to our seats first. We can go see him later."
Feng Qingyue stared at her, stunned. "But don't you hate these banquets? In past years, you'd always drag me away halfway through. Besides, he drowned! He almost died! Aren't you worried at all? I thought you two were—"
"We're not!"
Liang Wan cut her off, a wave of revulsion rising in her chest. 'If possible,' she thought, 'I never want to have anything to do with that man ever again.'
Seeing the red tint at the corners of her eyes and her ragged breathing, Feng Qingyue was taken aback. "What's gotten into you?"
Liang Wan lowered her head, composed herself, then looked up and explained, "No, I mean, we can still wait until the banquet is halfway over to go see him, right?
You don't know this, but my mother has me confined. I couldn't have even come out if my aunt hadn't vouched for me. If I disappear before the banquet even starts, my mother will definitely tell on me when she gets back!"
Feng Qingyue considered this for a moment. "All right, then. I'll take you to see him later."
Liang Wan nodded with a smile.
The two of them turned and headed back toward the Waterside Pavilion.
"By the way, why were you at the kitchens?"
Liang Wan tilted her head, her gaze falling on the green bamboo stalks lining the path. The light rain had stopped at some point, and the damp air carried the fresh scent of bamboo leaves. She loved the smell of living things.
"I was hoping to prepare some sobering tea."
To her surprise, her companion's steps faltered, and she stopped on the stone steps behind her. "I heard that you're... involved with the Grand Commandant. It seems the rumors are true?"
'Involved?'
Liang Wan looked down at the stone steps, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. 'Just one meeting, and it's already escalated to being 'involved'?'
'It seems life in Jinye City has been dreadfully dull lately,' she mused. 'Otherwise, how could such a wild rumor spread in just a few days?'
Seeing her silence, Feng Qingyue's heart sank. 'Is she admitting it?'
She stepped in front of Liang Wan, her brow furrowed. "So the rumors are true? You're even meeting him for secret trysts at night? Aweng, have you gone mad?"
Liang Wan looked into her friend's limpid eyes, which were filled with worry and anxiety. 'I have to admit,' she thought, 'Qing Yue genuinely seems to care about me.'
"So, Cui Hao falling into the water wasn't an accident... it was because you cast him aside?"
Liang Wan remained silent, merely recalling the gentle person she knew her friend to be, who had now completely lost her composure.
"He nearly died because of you, yet you feel no remorse at all? Instead, you're here making sobering tea for another man? Liang Wan, how could you become like this? A man's life was at stake!"
A faint smile played on Liang Wan's lips. "Since you've already heard the rumors, I won't hide it from you. Before I met the Grand Commandant, I mistook pity for affection. That was my mistake."
"So you really have fallen for someone else? But your family—"
"But my family is dead set on shoving me into the Sikong Mansion, right?"
"..."
"So, what are you worried about? My fate is to enter the Sikong Mansion. No one can change that. And I won't cause any trouble for the Grand Commandant over this."
At this, Liang Wan's shoulders slumped, and her expression grew desolate. "You know I don't have many days left in my own home. But I don't care. As long as I can be with the Grand Commandant, I'm willing to meet him in secret. I'll take whatever happiness I can get with him, for as long as it lasts!"
"Aren't you afraid the Sikong Mansion will find out?"
Feng Qingyue was aghast. The person before her felt like a stranger. Aweng had always been bold, but how could she now be so utterly shameless, so devoid of all propriety?
Liang Wan ignored the shock in her friend's eyes, glanced around conspiratorially, and said in a low, mysterious voice, "He's just some wretched old man. How could he possibly give me the pleasure the Grand Commandant does?"
"A-Aweng... you... you and he have already—"
Feng Qingyue instantly turned to stone, her hand flying to her mouth as she froze in place.
A blush crept up Liang Wan's face. With a shy look in her eyes, she nodded, then slowly rolled up her sleeve, revealing the flawless, unblemished skin beneath.
Feng Qingyue stared at her perfectly clear arm for a long time before stammering, "But... if your mother finds out... and the Sikong Mansion... they won't spare you! They'll kill you!"
Liang Wan lowered her sleeve and patted her chest, breaking into a brilliant smile. "Don't worry. I have my ways of getting through this."
"But—"
Feng Qingyue tried to press her, but Liang Wan grabbed her hand and started running toward the Waterside Pavilion.
The sound of their light footsteps passed through the woods, startling crows and sparrows, which flew toward the sky with a WHIRR of wings.
The sounds faded away.
Behind a white wall, a figure emerged, walking with silent, measured steps. Dressed in white robes with a gauze cap, his eyes were chillingly dark and terrifying.
"My Lord, it would seem she started those rumors herself, deliberately. Shall I—" The attendant behind him looked up and met that gaze, and was so startled he immediately bowed his head, not daring to utter another word.
A frosty expression settled on Lu Xiu's face as his eyes narrowed.
The attendant bowed and withdrew, silent as a shadow.
At the banquet, song and dance filled the air as wine flowed freely. A tall, elegant man stood before the hall, drunkenly composing poetry.
Seeing that no one was paying them any mind, Liang Wan and Feng Qingyue took advantage of the merry atmosphere to slip back inside, acting as if nothing was amiss.
They had barely sat down when someone called out teasingly, "Everyone knows the Liang family's Third Lady can perform the Palm Dance. You come to Yulin Garden every year, so why have you never performed for me?"
It was Princess Lanling.
After several rounds of wine, her eyes were hazy. She was clearly a little drunk.
As soon as she spoke, a number of guests voiced their agreement—whether to curry favor with royalty, out of genuine interest, or simply for the entertainment of a good show, it was hard to say.
Liang Wan quickly glanced toward a certain seat. 'If he were here, I wouldn't mind dancing a piece,' she thought. 'But he's not. Why waste the effort?'
She rose to her feet, letting her shoulders slump to project an air of frailty. Covering her mouth, she gave two soft coughs.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. It is not that I am unwilling, but I have yet to recover from a recent cold. My breathing is still labored. If I were to force myself to dance, I might be able to provide some small amusement, but I fear I would only spoil everyone's enjoyment of the festivities."
Princess Lanling had only spoken on a whim, and seeing Liang Wan's delicate and frail appearance, she didn't press the matter.
"Very well. So be it."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."
Liang Wan lowered her eyes, immensely grateful, and was about to sit back down.
"Letting her off just like that?"