Liang Wan felt as if her entire body was submerged in cold water. A giant stone seemed to be pressing on her chest, so heavy she couldn't breathe. A voice screamed in her mind, urging her to kick that stone away.
She knew she shouldn't have to endure this any longer, that it was time to break free from these shackles. But her current situation was dire. Causing a scene for a moment of satisfaction would only create unnecessary trouble and achieve nothing.
Liang Wan clenched her fists inside her sleeves, taking a moment to compose herself and slowly suppress the roiling emotions within.
'Impulse is easy; restraint is hard! Now is not the time to be impulsive!'
Mrs. Zhang's gaze swept discreetly over Liang Wan's face, a gentle smile blooming on her own round one.
"Sister-in-law, you're quite mistaken. Our Aweng is the most talented girl in the Liang Mansion, beautiful and spirited. Not like my Ajiao, who has no particular strengths, aside from being considerate."
Liang Jiao, who was supporting her mother, obediently chimed in, "Aunt, you don't know this, but Mother praises my eldest sister in front of me all day. I always say, if she had blessed me with even half of my sister's stunning beauty, I'd let her find fault with me all she wants. But I wasn't so fortunate, so I have to obey her in everything, lest she grows to dislike me even more!"
Mrs. Zhang said with a chiding smile, "Look at your cousin, she's ill. Hurry and help her back to her room instead of standing here chattering!"
Liang Jiao agreed with a smile and hurried to Liang Wan's side, carefully taking her arm.
"Fortunate?" Mother He scoffed. "I gave birth to two daughters, and in the end, neither has given me a moment's peace—"
As she said this, Mother He seemed to recall something, her expression turning dejected and utterly disheartened.
"Now what are you saying, Sister-in-law?" Mrs. Zhang said. "In all of Jinye City, who doesn't sing the praises of the wife of the Heir of Marquis Wen?"
The mention of Liang Jing softened Mother He's expression slightly, but her words remained unyielding. "Outsiders might not know what Ajing is like, but you two know best. When she was still an unmarried maiden at home, she caused her fair share of trouble!"
"Oh, Aunt, please don't say that," Liang Jiao interjected. "Among all of us cousins, the one I admire most is Eldest Sister. I would be more than satisfied if I could one day be even half as accomplished as her!"
Liang Jiao finished, then pursed her lips. "Unfortunately, I've always been a bit dull and clumsy. I was blessed with neither beauty nor talent!"
There was no longer any trace of Chun'er.
Liang Wan, suppressing her annoyance, looked up and smiled. "Mother, Aunt, I'll be returning to my room now."
She gently brushed away Liang Jiao's hand, her own fingertips ice-cold. "Ajiao, you stay and chat with them. I can get back on my own."
With that, Liang Wan turned to leave.
"Wait! Why did the people from the Ministry of Justice come looking for you?"
Mother He suddenly remembered the reason she had come and called out sharply to stop her.
Liang Wan closed her eyes for a moment. When she looked back, the earlier dejection had vanished from her mother's impassive face. It was as if she had rallied all her energy, her gaze locked firmly on Liang Wan.
"Yes, what was it all about?"
At this question, Mrs. Zhang and Liang Jiao also turned to look, clearly determined not to let the matter drop without an answer.
Liang Wan took a breath and turned back. "The day the Grand Commandant escorted me home, we ran into some men from the Ministry of Justice on the way, right near the East Market. I just learned from them that the Assistant Minister of the Secretariat, Lord Zhang, was murdered at Tongle Hall. They must have seen the Grand Commandant and me in the vicinity, so they came to ask if I'd heard anything. After all, they wouldn't dare to casually question the Grand Commandant."
Mother He's brow furrowed, and her tone was cutting. "Until you go to the Sikong Mansion, you will stay right here in our own mansion. You are forbidden from going anywhere!
"Let me make this perfectly clear. Whether it's Cui Xiaolang or the Grand Commandant, you can forget about both of them. Get rid of those improper ideas at once and obediently marry into the Sikong Mansion!"
A chill ran through Liang Wan, and she asked in disbelief, "You'd rather I go be someone's concubine?"
"It's not a matter of what I'd rather! This is your fate! Most of Jinye City already knows you've been promised to Wang Sikong."
"Let's not even talk about your previous closeness with that Cui Xiaolang, which gave everyone something to gossip about. Now you've gotten yourself involved with the Grand Commandant, and you were seen!"
"Never mind whether you could even get a foot in the door of the Lu Family. Even if you could, I will not have people gossiping behind my back, saying the daughter I raised is unvirtuous and promiscuous!"
She paused before continuing, "The Lu Family is far beyond our reach. You'd best give up that hope at once. Since you've been promised to Wang Sikong, you will marry him, even if you're dead!"
Liang Wan stood there, stunned. 'Don't they say that when you reach a certain point of despair, you can no longer feel pain or heartache?'
'Then why does it still feel like someone is taking a great hammer and smashing my insides, blow by blow?'
Liang Wan turned her head away, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill. After a deep breath, she looked back at her mother and curved her lips into a smile. "Don't worry, Mother. I will certainly not disappoint you."
With that, she ignored the others and walked toward her room alone. She had only taken a few steps before the tears could no longer be held back.
The early spring wind was piercingly cold, striking her tear-streaked face and making her shiver.
Liang Wan sniffled and kept walking. 'Reborn, and still all alone.'
'But so what? How I live my life is my decision to make!'
The night outside was dark and deep, but the room was filled with the dim, yellow halo of candlelight.
Liang Wan had just taken her medicine and was leaning lazily at her desk, aimlessly flipping through a medical book as she pondered what Lu Xiu had said before he left.
'Right now, only Lu Xiu can help me escape this predicament. But just as he said, he isn't some benevolent person. If I want to rely on this powerful backer, I have to appeal to his tastes and make myself useful to him.'
'The problem is, apart from knowing a little medicine, I have no other special skills. And my medical skills are mediocre at best. Besides, even if I were a Holy Hand, would a man like Lu Xiu ever be short of famous doctors?'
'Thinking about it, it would be easier if he were actually a lecher. I could at least try to seduce him. But as luck would have it, the man prefers other men—'
The more Liang Wan thought about it, the more dejected she became. She finally tossed the medical book aside.
"My Lady."
Qiuxi had just brought in hot water.
Liang Wan looked up to see Mrs. Zhang standing in the doorway, the soft candlelight from within the room making her appear all the more kind and benevolent.
Before she could even stand up straight, Mrs. Zhang gently pressed her back down. "I figured you'd be upset after your argument with your mother, so I came to check on you."
'An argument?'
Liang Wan laughed bitterly. 'Do I even have the standing in this mansion to throw a tantrum?'
Mrs. Zhang sat down across from her. Liang Wan turned her head and dismissed Qiuxi.
The flame of the lamp on the desk danced and flickered, its unsteady light somewhat mesmerizing.
Mrs. Zhang casually picked up the medical book from the table, glanced at it, and put it back down. "Don't blame your mother for being so strict. In this world, gossip is a fearsome thing."
Liang Wan lowered her gaze, in no mood to beat around the bush with her. She picked up a lamp pick to trim the wick, causing the flame to burn brighter. "Aunt, you must have come this late because there's something specific you wanted to talk to me about, haven't you?"
The face behind the flame faltered for a second, then broke into that same amiable smile. "You've always been a sharp child. Then I'll be direct. I came about the Grand Commandant!"
Liang Wan's hand, mid-motion with the lamp pick, froze. 'Lu Xiu?'