Lu Xiu leaned in, his pupils constricting slightly. To outsiders, the two of them did not appear particularly intimate. In truth, only Liang Wan could see the cold blades hidden in his eyes—the unmistakable annoyance in his stark black and white gaze.
Liang Wan gritted her teeth and nodded. "Yes, I am willing to do anything!"
Her red, tear-filled eyes clearly betrayed her fear and panic, yet they still carried a fierce, uncompromising determination.
Lu Xiu tossed aside her soft, boneless wrist. He leaned back, his eyes curving into a meaningful smile as he watched her. "What if I am not willing?"
Sharp GASPS immediately echoed throughout the hall.
Looking at that smile, Liang Wan knew perfectly well that Lu Xiu was intentionally humiliating her. It was obvious he was furious. After all, she had spouted a load of nonsense without his permission.
She wondered how she could make him agree. He had said that he only did interesting things, but what did he consider interesting? Was this humiliation it?
Liang Wan straightened her back and met his gaze. "Then what does Mr. Lu want?"
The initially chaotic Waterside Pavilion had fallen completely silent. Everyone stood dumbstruck, all eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them.
Lu Xiu narrowed his fox-like eyes, picked up his cooling sobering tea, and downed it in one gulp. He tilted his head, swirling the empty cup in his hand. "I will tell you next time."
"Alright." Liang Wan stood up and nodded submissively. At least he had not refused; there was still hope.
The previously drunken guests had sobered up quite a bit after watching this drama unfold.
As Liang Wan returned to her seat, the gazes of the entire room enveloped her. If looks were daggers, she would have already suffered death by a thousand cuts. It did not matter. She believed everyone else was insignificant anyway; there was no need to care about them!
Perhaps sensing the increasingly awkward atmosphere, Princess Lanling and Princess Yuzhang suggested that the guests entertain themselves. They could go out for a spring outing, head to Shao Guang Pavilion to paint, or take a boat out on the Ruishui River.
After the fragrant orchid bath, they would partake in the floating wine cup game. These had been the arrangements in previous years, so Liang Wan was already intimately familiar with the itinerary.
Soon, people began leaving the banquet in small groups. Unable to hold back any longer, Feng Qingyue disregarded all etiquette, grabbed Liang Wan, and dragged her out of the Waterside Pavilion. They did not stop until they reached the vibrant green willows and pink Taohua blossoms by the shore, where Feng Qingyue shoved Liang Wan so hard she stumbled and nearly fell.
"Are you crazy?" Liang Wan asked, rubbing her aching wrist.
Feng Qingyue let out a dry laugh. "Am I crazy, or are you?"
Liang Wan glanced around. No one was paying attention to them, but she was in no mood to argue anyway. "Didn't you say you were taking me to see Cui Hao? Are we still going?"
Feng Qingyue looked at her oddly, unable to understand how she could still speak so shamelessly. "You want to see him now? Do you even have the face to go see him?"
Having known Feng Qingyue for so long, this was the first time Liang Wan had seen her lose her composure in such anger. Although she was the daughter of a Princess, she lacked any haughty Imperial Family airs, possessing instead the graceful refinement of a scholarly family's daughter.
Liang Wan blinked, slowly revealing a smile. "Do you really need to get angry at me over an irrelevant man?"
Feng Qingyue was at a loss for words, the expression on her delicate face growing highly unnatural.
"Qing Yue, why didn't you tell me earlier that you like him?"
Panic became visibly apparent on Feng Qingyue's face. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Liang Wan watched her with a smile. "If you like him, you could have told me sooner. He's just a man, after all!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Feng Qingyue flushed crimson, pointing at her furiously. "You are shameless and fickle yourself, and now you come here to slander me!"
Liang Wan lowered her head and brushed off her sleeves, before lifting her gaze to shoot her a cold glance. "Whether it's slander or not, don't you know in your own heart?"
"You—"
Rendered speechless by her retort, Feng Qingyue flicked her long sleeves, turned on her heel, and stormed off.
Liang Wan wondered if she had simply given up the act. She smiled faintly, a cold glint flickering in her dark eyes.
She turned around and noticed a Taohua tree blooming beautifully by the roadside. Most unmarried women dreamed of becoming a bride, and she was no exception; whenever she read the poem *Taoyao*, her imagination would run wild.
Liang Wan took a few steps forward and snapped off a branch. "Taohua trees bloom, their blossoms so bright and radiant. This lady goes to her marriage; she will bring joy to her new home. Taohua trees bloom, bearing abundant fruit. This lady goes to her marriage; she will bring prosperity to her new family..."
Memories of the past revived like grass and trees in spring.
Upon learning that Cui Hao had taken her in, the Liang Mansion had ruthlessly sought to eliminate them, setting a fire in the night that burned the Cui Family estate to the ground.
With nowhere to go, they had been forced onto the streets. Consumed by guilt, she had borrowed money from Qing Yue. However, fearing that the Liang Mansion and the Sikong Mansion would discover them and exact further revenge, she only dared to buy a small thatched cottage in a remote area.
There was no bride price or dowry between her and Cui Hao. Their wedding was incredibly shabby—they didn't even have proper wedding attire. She had taken a piece of white cloth and sewn her own wedding dress.
On their wedding night, with mud walls, a thatched roof, and a worn-out wooden bed, they had somehow made do.
Her Mother-in-law had been in poor health, but without money to hire a doctor or buy medicine, Liang Wan had carried a bamboo basket up the mountain. Relying on the medical knowledge she had learned in the past, she gathered herbs, formulated prescriptions, and brewed medicine...
Gradually, she had actually become capable enough to act as a proper doctor.
Cui Hao had been solely focused on entering officialdom. When he finally secured a rare chance for a recommendation, it had nearly fallen through because they lacked the money for bribes.
Her Mother-in-law had been so worried that she couldn't sleep at night. She brought out a piece of silk embroidered with a Buddhist portrait, asking Liang Wan to pawn it for money.
But how could a single piece be enough?
From then on, she had worked day and night at her needlework. Buddhist figures, birds and beasts, flowers and plants, stars and celestial phenomena... she accepted every commission and embroidered everything.
Her exquisite craftsmanship had been honed during those very days.
But what did all of this amount to in her short yet grueling life? It felt as if a steel blade was slicing into Liang Wan's heart, carving it up cut by cut, leaving blood to flow in rivulets.
She hated them; she truly hated them!
SNAP! Liang Wan fiercely broke the flower branch and threw it to the ground. Tears slid down her cheeks and splashed onto the earth as she gritted her teeth, refusing to make a single sound.
In the distance, people were singing and splashing in the water, but right now, her only companions were the chirping of birds and the trilling of insects.
As she reached for her handkerchief, her hand inadvertently brushed against that pouch.
She took out the pouch and stared at it blankly. It was filled with dried spices. When her gaze fell on the broken Taohua branch on the ground, she walked back to the Taohua tree, plucked a few fresh Taohua blossoms, and stuffed them inside.
The moment she stepped out of the Taohua grove, a figure suddenly jumped out from the side of the road and swung a hand at her. Pain flared in Liang Wan's shoulder as she was knocked to the ground.
"Liang Zhang!" Liang Wan winced in pain, looking up to glare at her assailant.
Liang Zhang stood there without a shred of remorse. "What a shameless wretch! You've completely disgraced our Liang Mansion!"
Enduring the pain, Liang Wan looked up and scoffed. "Brother, your words are hilarious. Does the Liang Family even have any face left? Do you? You committed a grave error, yet you used me as a bargaining chip to curry favor! You really have a thick skin—so thick you could fold it into a thousand layers!"
"You bitch!"
Having his sore spot poked, Liang Zhang was enraged to the point of death. He postured as if he was going to march over and kick her.
Liang Zhang was a large and burly man. That slap just now had left her chest and lungs aching. If this kick landed, she would be bedridden for half a month at the very least.
There was no time to dodge. Liang Wan turned her head, left with no choice but to grit her teeth and brace for the impact.
Unexpectedly, the anticipated pain never came. Instead, she heard a miserable shriek.
"Wang Tingyue! Are you courting death?!"
Liang Wan turned to look, only to see Liang Zhang clutching his chest as he jumped to his feet, pointing directly at the newcomer's nose and bellowing.
"Didn't you see how this wretch servilely threw herself at Lu Xiu at the banquet? Half the city knows she is betrothed to your father. Doesn't your Sikong Mansion find it humiliating?"
Wang Tingyue let out a cold sneer. "Humiliating? That is your Liang Mansion's problem!"