The two turned to look and saw Liang Cheng snatch up the cloak, his eyes wide and his expression indescribably strange.
Mrs. Zhang and the woman from the He Family looked on in confusion. "Family Head—"
Unexpectedly, Liang Cheng waved a hand, silencing them.
His eyes were exceptionally bright as he stared at Liang Wan. He held the cloak with excessive care. "Aweng, did you see this peony?"
Liang Cheng's burning gaze made her very uncomfortable, and she didn't dare answer right away.
It had been dark out, so she hadn't noticed. In a corner on the inside of the cloak, a small, exquisite peony had been embroidered with subtle silver thread.
Thinking of Lu Xiu's expression, which was only slightly better than that of a ferocious demon, Liang Wan felt a pang of guilt.
Mrs. Zhang was a bit baffled. She craned her neck to get a closer look at the pattern. "What's wrong with this peony?"
Liang Cheng shot her a glare. "What would a sheltered woman like you know! The peony symbolizes utmost glory and honor. Across all of Daqi, which clan is so powerful as to be beyond reproach? Who else could bear the title of greatest glory and use this as their emblem?"
Mrs. Zhang was stunned. "This cloak...?"
Liang Cheng completely ignored the others' astonishment, pushing the peony emblem closer to Liang Wan.
"Aweng, a silver-thread peony is no ordinary thing! You should know, I've only ever seen this kind of pattern on the clothes of the Empress Dowager and the Grandmaster! Who exactly did you go to see?"
Liang Wan's head felt even heavier. She never imagined that a simple cloak could hold such a secret!
'Should I tell them? I don't dare without Lu Xiu's permission! But if I don't... the people from the Ministry of Justice saw us. There's no guarantee my uncle won't hear something from his own sources.'
Liang Wan paused for a moment before looking up to meet their questioning gazes. "I said before that I fell into the river. But the one who saved me wasn't a boatman. It was Lu Xiu. He gave me this cloak, and he was the one who brought me back."
Liang Cheng sucked in a sharp breath. "The Grand Commandant himself brought you back?"
Liang Wan nodded lightly. "We ran into people from the Ministry of Justice on the way. They saw us too."
Liang Cheng suppressed his delight, but his words were reproachful. "Look at you! Why didn't you say so earlier about something this important? Hiding it like that!"
He held the cloak, his eyes darting back and forth. "He saved you. Shouldn't we show our gratitude?"
Liang Wan watched him with cold eyes. 'Is he trying to give me to Lu Xiu now?'
'Too bad he's not interested!'
"He was just passing by. It was a simple act of kindness for him. If we show up at his door unannounced, it might seem presumptuous. What if we displease him? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?"
'I can't figure out Lu Xiu's intentions as it is. How can I let them get involved and make things more chaotic!'
"What kind of talk is that! You should think about who the Lu Family are! Even if it was a simple act for him, we must be eternally grateful and go to his home to thank him in person. That's proper etiquette!"
Mrs. Zhang discreetly nudged the excited Liang Cheng. "Don't be so hasty. What are the Grand Commandant's intentions?"
Liang Cheng faltered for a second, then immediately said, "Right, right, right! Did the Grand Commandant say anything else to you?"
'They're acting exactly as I expected!'
Liang Wan shook her head firmly. "No."
"No? How could there be nothing? I've never seen him get close to any woman on his own initiative! And he even gave you his own clothes!"
"Really, there was nothing."
'If he knew Lu Xiu gave me the cloak to help me hide evidence that I'm a murderer, I wonder what he'd think?'
After a long silence, the woman from the He Family suddenly spoke. "In that case, you should focus on getting well."
With that, she walked out of the room without hesitation.
Liang Cheng was burning with anxiety. If the Grand Commandant had really taken a fancy to Aweng, what was he to do about Wang Sikong?
While the Lu Family was the most powerful and noble, Wang Su also enjoyed great favor in the court. Liang Cheng was caught in a dilemma. If he had known he could latch onto the Lu Family, he wouldn't have so easily promised Liang Wan to Wang Su!
Now he was bound to offend one of them, but he couldn't afford to offend either!
Liang Cheng's face was grim as he fretted.
Mrs. Zhang's mind raced. A plan suddenly formed, and she grabbed the pacing Liang Cheng, lowering her voice. "I was thinking, since Aweng is unwell, why don't we postpone her visit to the Sikong Mansion? Once she's fully recovered, then—"
Her almond eyes, full of cunning, watched Liang Cheng.
"Done!"
Though she hadn't finished her sentence, the knot in Liang Cheng's brow had already smoothed out. "Tomorrow, go and hire a good doctor. Have her rest and recuperate well during this time!"
Before leaving, the two of them offered another round of concerned instructions.
It wasn't until everyone had left that Liang Wan could no longer hold herself up. She collapsed onto the bed, motionless, staring blankly at the silver peony on the black cloak.
'Lu Xiu, is this your way of protecting me?'
"My Lady—"
Chun'er came in from the outer room carrying a bowl of medicine. She saw the person on the bed lying in a heap. Perhaps the medicinal soup was scalding, as the hand holding the bowl trembled slightly.
Liang Wan's vision went dark as she let Chun'er slowly help her up.
"My Lady, drink this medicine before you go to sleep, alright?"
Liang Wan lifted her eyelids. Chun'er had been in the mansion for four years, serving her for four years. She could have never imagined that four years of companionship would be worth less than a man Chun'er had known for only half a year.
'And she ended up ruining my entire life!'
The medicine entered her mouth, spoonful by spoonful. Liang Wan's brow furrowed. 'So bitter!'
Chun'er glanced toward the door and lowered her voice. "My Lady, didn't you have a meeting arranged with Cui Xiaolang? Why did you come back?"
Liang Wan just stared at the spoon. "I already told you. I ran into robbers and couldn't make it."
"Should this servant go and inform Cui Xiaolang then?"
"Fine."
After drinking the last spoonful, Liang Wan rinsed her mouth and lay down. She instructed Chun'er, "Put that cloak away properly. Once it's washed, I'll have to find a chance to return it to the Grand Commandant."
Her cheeks were already flushed red from fever, but her watery eyes betrayed a hint of shyness.
Liang Wan closed her eyes and said no more. Although she couldn't deal with Chun'er just yet, she couldn't suppress the disgust welling up from the bottom of her heart.
Chun'er put away the cloak, unable to resist stealing another glance at it. 'Could My Lady have fallen for the Grand Commandant...?'
The next day, Mrs. Zhang actually did summon a doctor to take her pulse.
Liang Wan didn't refuse and was very cooperative. She had always had a weak constitution and a 'cold' body type since she was young, so she might as well use this as an opportunity to properly recuperate. Thinking of how she had ruined her health with medicine in her past life, she resolved that in this life, she would never harm herself for the sake of others again. 'Not only do I have to get my revenge, but I also have to cherish myself!'
After taking the medicinal decoction for three consecutive days, her cold was mostly gone.
Feeling a little better, Liang Wan had Chun'er help her to a small pavilion in the courtyard to sit for a while.
A spring breeze brushed past the railing, and tender willows sprouted new shoots, but Liang Wan was in no mood to enjoy the scenery.
Thanks to the cloak, she could stay at the Liang Mansion a while longer. But once her uncle found out that Lu Xiu had no interest in her at all, she feared she would still be unable to escape the arrangement to be sent to the Sikong Mansion.
'If that happens...'
As she was lost in thought, Liang Wan caught a glimpse of several figures walking toward her from under a nearby corridor. She lowered her head and picked up her embroidery needle again.
"Mother, am I seeing things? Look, Sister is actually doing needlework!"
The surprised cry from a short distance away made her lips curl into a smile.