Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Parlor Trick

Feng Qingyue glanced over timidly. Lu Xiu’s pale, cold features were softened, and when he spoke, his breath was light and slow. His voice was like the deep chime of jade striking water, yet for some reason, it sent a chill straight to the bone.

The crowd departed with laughter, and the rims of Feng Qingyue’s eyes instantly reddened. She slowly clenched her fists...

"Qing Yue."

Someone had turned back.

Feng Qingyue looked up to see Liang Wan standing just a few steps away.

With her eyes misty and welling with tears, Feng Qingyue tilted her chin up. "You ruined my marriage, and now you’ve come to laugh at me, is that it?"

Liang Wan turned her head to look at a nearby rooftop. A few pigeons were pacing elegantly back and forth. In much the same way, memories of the past paced through her mind.

Liang Wan drew her gaze back to Feng Qingyue. "I’ve always wanted to ask you—why?"

She didn’t have many close friends, but Qing Yue had been the very best of them.

They used to cuddle under the same quilt, heads covered, whispering about everything and anything. They’d complain about why their mothers were so short-tempered and scheme up new ways to deal with them. They would even argue over which young lord wrote the sappiest poems and which young lady wore the most beautiful makeup...

They’d talk and laugh about nothing in particular until they drifted off to sleep.

When she had been abandoned by her family, she thought she at least had her friend, Qing Yue. She believed that right up until the moment she died. After she was reborn, her first thought was to go tell Qing Yue to stay away from Cui Hao. ’Unfortunately, just because you consider someone a friend doesn’t mean they feel the same way.’

That was why she couldn’t understand it. ’What went wrong? Hadn’t I been good to Qing Yue? Whenever I got some new treasure, I’d save a share for her. Whenever I heard some juicy gossip, I had to tell her about it. We did so many foolish things together and got into so much trouble... could all those memories truly not outweigh a single Cui Hao?’

A painful sting filled Liang Wan’s eyes. "There was a time when, to me, you were far more important than Cui Hao. If you had just told me sooner that your heart belonged to him, I would never have gotten involved with him in any way."

"Cut the act. What disgusts me most about you is that self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude! You only befriended me to use me as your foil, to show off in front of me, didn’t you? All these years... if you weren’t tired of the performance, I was certainly tired of watching it!" The depths of Feng Qingyue’s eyes were crimson as she stared at her with contempt.

"Cui Hao?" Feng Qingyue sneered.

"Don’t act like you did me a favor by giving him up. If he weren’t interested in the Liang Mansion’s wealth and power, do you really think he would have fallen for you? Now you’ve found a higher branch to climb, so you’re just tossing him aside for me. Am I only fit to pick up your cast-offs?"

Liang Wan closed her eyes, then nodded. "Qing Yue, from now on, it’s you or me."

"Well, look at that. You’ve finally dropped the act!" Feng Qingyue threw her head back, laughing until she cried. Wiping the moisture from the corner of her eye, she said, "Then let’s just see who gets the last laugh!"

Liang Wan turned and walked away. Just like that, her confusion vanished.

By the time she returned to her seat, Lu Xiu was already dead drunk. A glance at Prince Guangping, Gao Yi, showed he wasn’t in much better shape.

Liang Wan had no choice but to take her leave of the others. Zhou Yun and Yuan helped her get Lu Xiu onto the ox-cart.

Zhou Yun peeked into the carriage, then winked at Liang Wan with a smile. "He really wasn’t acting like himself today. Since when does he have the patience to say so much to people?"

A blush crept up Liang Wan’s face. ’Some of it *was* things they had arranged beforehand.’

Zhou Yun’s expression was knowing. He let out a long sigh and simply smiled. "He’s always kept his thoughts to himself, ever since he was a child. He’s so calm and self-controlled. The fact that he’s willing to go along with your antics now... that’s a good thing. I can tell he’s genuinely happy."

"Seeing you two getting along so well today really puts my mind at ease!" He breathed a sigh of relief, sounding less like a friend and more like an older brother. He genuinely wanted the two of them to be happy together.

Just as he was about to leave, he smacked his forehead and turned back, leaning in conspiratorially.

"It’s a strange thing, but that painting actually turned up again. And now when I look at it—maybe because I’ve been around you more—I actually think the young woman in it looks a bit like you."

Liang Wan didn’t explain, simply smiling it off.

After bidding Zhou Yun farewell, Liang Wan climbed into the carriage. The air inside was tinged with the faint scent of wine from its drunken occupant.

She glanced at the man in his light sleep. He wore a snow-white robe, and his dark hair, secured high with a jade hairpin, had come slightly loose. His dense lashes trembled with each breath. Perhaps from the heat of the wine, his collar was slightly agape, revealing pale, cool skin that resembled snow and sculpted jade.

He was only this gentle and harmless when he was asleep, like a lazy, noble cat.

Liang Wan had found it surprising at first, but she was used to it now.

With a sigh, she poured him a cup of tea and set it within his reach. Just as she was about to turn and sit to the side, an arm tightened around her waist, and she was dragged backward, landing squarely on a warm, human cushion.

"You’re not drunk?" Liang Wan said in surprise.

"A little."

He smiled and shifted to the side, making a bit of room for her. The cramped space pressed them face-to-face, so close they could feel each other’s breath.

Liang Wan stiffened, her immediate instinct to pull away. But the ox-cart swayed, and she nearly fell off before he managed to pull her back.

She gave an awkward laugh. "Ox-carts aren’t as steady as horse-drawn carriages."

The Qi nobles were fond of ox-carts.

Lu Xiu hummed in assent, tightened his arm around her, and closed his eyes again.

It might have been fine on a normal day, but the ox-cart swayed rhythmically, and she swayed with it. She didn’t want to melt completely into his embrace, so she kept her body taut, trying to find a position that was both secure and comfortable.

"Don’t move," he said suddenly, his voice hoarse.

Their eyes met. His inky pupils gleamed with moisture. Those eyes, usually as cold and remote as the dead of night, now burned with a scorching flame. His shallow breaths washed over her face, warm and ticklish. Liang Wan’s heart hammered in her chest, and she didn’t dare move another inch.

They were so close she felt as if his heart, now beating out of rhythm, was hammering inside her own chest. He stroked her hair and smiled. "Just let me hold you for a bit."

After saying this, he closed his eyes again. ’Maybe he really is drunk,’ she thought.

Liang Wan suddenly recalled Zhou Yun’s words. Compared to Lu Xiu’s usual methods, their scheme today was nothing more than child’s play, yet he had patiently helped her carry it out—

Thinking of Gao Yi, she couldn’t help but frown. "Prince Guangping is clearly using Princess Yuzhang’s banquet to curry favor and build alliances. If you recommend Cui Hao to him like this, and His Majesty finds out, won’t he suspect you of secretly allying with Prince Guangping?"

The Lu Family alone was a web of conflicting loyalties.

The Empress Dowager and the Minister, Lu Xu, naturally support Gao Qian. And though Lu Ying is the Empress Dowager’s full-blooded sister, she is influenced by the Lou Family and leans more toward Gao Yi.

’As for Lu Xiu...’

"Were you obliged to attend this Dragon Boat Festival banquet because you needed something from him regarding Duke Wei?"

’Today’s seemingly ordinary banquet carried consequences that could be either minor or monumental.’

A smile surfaced in Lu Xiu’s now-open eyes. "That Cui Hao is nothing but a shifty, duplicitous man. He has precious little real talent or substance. Propping him up into that position... well, he’s a fitting match for Gao Yi."

"Power without virtue invites its own destruction," Liang Wan said, understanding now. She sighed. "You’re not usually this subtle."

’You usually just kill them...’

Lu Xiu smiled. "Until I’ve figured things out, we’ll let them be."

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