"Then why did you stop me? You even raised a hand against me!"
"You brute, this is Yulin Garden! With so many eyes watching, if you want to teach her a lesson, do it back at your Liang Mansion!" Wang Tingyue cast a glance in her direction, then forcefully dragged him away.
His stature was nowhere near as tall as Liang Zhang's, and he even looked somewhat lean, but he made up for it with robust strength. It was a kind of power and groundedness rarely found among the men in Jinye City.
Liang Wan picked herself up from the ground. For some reason, she suddenly recalled how, when Awen was still alive, he would often take her to the Prince Mansion. She had been very young back then, and finding it fascinating to watch Wang Tingyue brandishing swords and spears, she used to always tail right behind him. He would pinch her hair buns and tease that they looked like ox horns. As they grew older, their chances to meet became even fewer. She never expected that their reunion this time would involve him watching her humbly court another man...
Before she came, Mrs. Zhang had even told her to drug Wang Tingyue. Little did Mrs. Zhang know that he probably loathed her to the core by now.
Liang Wan kept her head lowered, her steps growing heavier with exhaustion. Before she even reached Yunyan Spring, she unexpectedly bumped right into Mrs. Zhang, though Liang Jiao was nowhere to be seen behind her.
Mrs. Zhang had completely lost her usual genial demeanor. She pointed a sharp finger right at Liang Wan's forehead. "And to think I actually believed you! You're clearly playing me for a fool!"
Faced with Mrs. Zhang's furious glare, Liang Wan slapped her hand away, her face as cold as frost.
A look of astonishment flashed across Mrs. Zhang's face. She hadn't expected the girl to not only take such a tough stance but also dare to fight back. Staring closely at Liang Wan, she recalled how the girl had been so submissive and obedient lately, realizing it might have all been a deliberate act. Feeling utterly duped, rage surged from the bottom of her heart.
Liang Wan's expression had already shifted. "It is unfair of you to say that, Aunt. I made the introduction as promised, but you saw it yourself—the Grand Commandant has no interest in Ajiao. If Ajiao had been willing to lower her pride and take the initiative to court him, there might have been a sliver of hope. But Ajiao refused and dragged you back to your seats. Under those circumstances, what more could I possibly do?" Her gaze was calm, and she spoke at a leisurely pace.
Mrs. Zhang cursed Liang Wan in her heart, but the situation back then had indeed unfolded exactly as described. Filled with resentment and hatred, her face turned increasingly livid.
Liang Wan continued, "Wasn't my shamelessly pestering him time and again also for the sake of the Liang Mansion? Besides, didn't you say yourself, Aunt, that sometimes one must employ special methods? What's more, I didn't even do anything out of bounds—I merely brewed him some hangover tea."
"You're just twisting words to make sense!"
As they were speaking, they saw a maidservant run frantically out of the Little Bamboo Pavilion, glancing wildly in all directions. The moment she spotted Liang Wan, she sprinted straight toward them.
"Lady, this is bad! Something terrible has happened!" The maidservant's eyes were red with panic.
Mrs. Zhang's eyelids twitched violently as she wondered what could have gone wrong. Forgetting her anger, she pressed her fingers against her temple. She only worried about that wicked spawn Liang Zhang—praying he hadn't lost his mind after a few cups of cheap booze and defiled some family's young lady again! The last time this happened, the issue had only been resolved out of respect for Wang Sikong. Mrs. Zhang's heart was in her throat.
Liang Wan raised the corners of her eyes slightly, feigning ignorance. "What happened?"
The maidservant hesitated, unsure of how to describe the scene. She merely pleaded, "Third Lady Liang, please just come take a look with me! It would be good if you could help mediate!"
As soon as the group entered the Little Bamboo Pavilion, they heard endless crying and shouting from inside. The maidservants standing guard outside were all dead silent out of fear. Liang Wan furrowed her brows slightly, wondering exactly how far the drama had progressed. The moment the door opened, a wave of humid, obscene air hit her right in the face. Suppressing her disgust, she stepped inside.
Behind the folding screen, Chun'er knelt on the ground with half her face swollen, her hair disheveled and her clothing torn. Cui Hao stood beside her bare-chested, wearing nothing but his underpants. Feng Qingyue's face was flushed a deep scarlet, her eyes practically shooting flames.
At the sight of Liang Wan, the color instantly drained from all their faces.
Before Liang Wan could even speak, Mrs. Zhang charged forward like a whirlwind, slapping Chun'er so hard twice that the girl collapsed onto the floor.
"You wretched slave! I was wondering why you'd vanished without a trace! So you've been hiding in here enjoying yourself all along!"
Furious beyond measure, Mrs. Zhang grabbed Chun'er by the hair, kicking and stomping on her. She had already been harboring a bellyful of rage over the matter with Lu Xiu. Now, she seized this perfect opportunity to beat Chun'er half to death.
Chun'er's agonizing screams rang out one after another, piercing straight through the onlookers' eardrums. The sounds of beatings, curses, and screams rose and fell in succession. It was quite a lively spectacle indeed! Standing at the back of the crowd, Liang Wan crossed her arms and shook her head with a hint of regret. It was a pity there were so few spectators.
Chun'er's face was soon bruised and battered, yet Mrs. Zhang showed absolutely no intention of stopping. Snapping back to reality, Cui Hao hurriedly threw on his clothes and dashed over. But as he stood before Liang Wan, he began to stutter. "Awan, listen to me, it's not what you think. I—" Perhaps because he had choked on the river water for too long, or perhaps he had exerted himself too much during his recent tryst, he began coughing incessantly mid-sentence, looking so frail he could barely stand straight.
Liang Wan took two steps back in disgust, terrified that his spit might splatter onto her.
Feng Qingyue's complexion was particularly unsightly.
Liang Wan raised an eyebrow, looking at her in amusement. "What? Did you not know about their illicit affair?"
Cui Hao struggled to say, "That's not—"
Liang Wan covered her nose. "Cui Xiaolang, you should save your explanations for those who actually want to hear them! Obviously, I have no interest whatsoever, so why waste your breath? Frankly speaking, even if you slept with every single maidservant in this Yulin Garden, what does that have to do with me?"
Feng Qingyue felt as though she had been slapped twice across the face, her cheeks burning. She had already taken the massive risk of being caught by her mother just to sneak Cui Hao in, hoping to use this chance to figure out the truth behind that day's incident. Yet, instead of doing what he was supposed to, he had commandeered her space to fool around with a lowly slave! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "Right, now that you've latched onto Lu Xiu, of course you don't need any explanations! For all we know, she could be acting under your orders!"
Cui Hao whipped his head around. "This matter has nothing to do with Awan! It was—it was Chun'er who intentionally set me up!" He pointed at the half-empty bowl of ginger soup on the table, flushed with shame. "She spiked the soup. I truly just—"
Liang Wan only wanted to laugh at his pathetic claim that he simply could not hold himself back.
Just as they were speaking, the door was suddenly thrust open with a loud BANG. This was immediately followed by the CLATTER of approaching footsteps as a group of people barged in.
"What happened? Why all the yelling and screaming?"
When Liang Wan turned her head, she saw Princess Lanling leading the way, followed closely by Princess Yuzhang and several others. Chun'er lay sprawled on the floor, gasping weakly for air. Mrs. Zhang fell silent, lowering her head as she shrank into a corner. Cui Hao covered his face and coughed. Feng Qingyue's face turned deathly pale, and she hastily averted her gaze.
Every year at the Peach Blossom Banquet, such romantic affairs were bound to happen. If it was done, it was done—as long as no one was caught in the act, no one took it seriously. Even when brought up in private, it would only serve as fodder for amusement and jokes.
But looking at the current scene, Princess Lanling's face darkened.
Behind her, the expressions of Princess Yuzhang and the others were difficult to read. They had originally been on their way to Yunyan Spring for an orchid bath, but midway, they heard these ghastly shrieks. They assumed it was merely some drunkard causing a scene, never expecting to stumble upon an illicit affair. Seeing Lady Feng also caught up in the mess, they were filled with shock and suspicion, inevitably casting curious glances at the young man's face. Who exactly was the person that made the Marquis's wife cast aside her dignity like this?
Unable to save face, Princess Lanling shot Feng Qingyue a fierce glare. "Since they are merely two unruly servants, just beat them and throw them out. How can you be incapable of handling such a trivial matter?"
Feng Qingyue did not even dare to lift her head, merely offering a timid reply.
"It was nothing more than a childish farce after all. Let's go!" Princess Yuzhang chuckled at the perfect moment, tugging on Princess Lanling's arm as they headed out the door.
Who would have thought that the moment they left, Feng Qingyue would immediately raise her hand, swinging it straight toward Liang Wan's face.