Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Perfectly Aware

Princess Lanling gritted her teeth, glaring at Feng Qingyue with deep disappointment. Who else was there to blame? It was her own fault for being so foolish and outspoken, offending someone she shouldn’t have just for a fleeting moment of satisfaction!

But now that things had come to this, it might not be a bad opportunity.

She caught her breath, turning to the displeased Gao Yi and the indifferent Lu Xiu. "Since that’s the case, we won’t force anyone. I think we should just call off this marriage!"

Call it off?

Mrs. Cui panicked. Chun’er panicked. Even Cui Hao panicked.

Calling it off was absolutely out of the question. Even if they all harbored their own hidden agendas, they had already stepped through the doors of the Tangyi Marquis Mansion. How could they just leave with their tails between their legs?

Ignoring the pain in her forehead, Mrs. Cui shot Chun’er a pointed look. Chun’er, forgetting her fight for a title, cast a desperate, pleading gaze toward Liang Wan.

Cui Hao hurriedly bowed deeply and said, "Princess, Your Highness, Grand Commandant, please hear me out. I am not an irresponsible philanderer who abandons women after trifling with their affections. Chun’er used to be a maid in my home when she was young. After our family fell into ruin, the servants all left. Later, upon learning that my mother and I had come to Jinye, she abandoned the wealth of the Liang Mansion to seek out her former masters. I only kept her because I was moved by her loyalty."

He hurriedly turned to Princess Lanling and Feng Qingyue. "But in my heart, there is only Lady Feng! The heavens and the earth can bear witness to my sincerity. Otherwise, knowing full well this was a matrilineal marriage, I wouldn’t have still, still—" He choked back a sob, bowing to the two women once more before finishing, "Please, Princess and Ah Yue, trust me this once."

Seeing Cui Hao’s sincere apology, Gao Yi’s expression softened. With things having escalated to this point, it was truly difficult to resolve. If the wedding were actually canceled, wouldn’t his own reputation be dragged through the mud? Besides, it was perfectly normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines.

He turned to look at the man who hadn’t said a single word from beginning to end. "What does the Grand Commandant think?"

After all, he was the one who had instigated this marriage in the first place!

Lu Xiu finally glanced over nonchalantly. "That depends on whether the people blocking it still want to block it."

The people blocking it? Everyone’s gaze shifted back to the old woman with a bleeding head and the heavily pregnant woman.

The two women shrank their necks back guiltily.

Liang Wan suddenly spoke up. "This is simple. Mrs. Cui is afraid the Cui family line will die out, so she can take Chun’er in as a concubine. Once the child is born, it will be perfectly justifiable for it to take the Cui family name. As for the heirs Miss Feng bears in the future, they will naturally belong to the Feng family. However—I wonder if Miss Feng is willing?"

"You!" Feng Qingyue glared daggers at Liang Wan, her teeth grinding together in fury. Who would force a bride to agree to let her husband take a concubine and acknowledge a bastard child on her own wedding day? Wasn’t this purely meant to disgust her?

Liang Wan blinked her limpid eyes, meeting her glare calmly with a faint smile on her lips.

"It’s just one concubine. Let it be decided then!" Gao Yi declared decisively, having lost all patience.

Lu Xiu nodded, voicing no objections.

Left with no other options, Princess Lanling looked at Feng Qingyue. If the marriage was truly called off, her daughter’s future would be arduous. She could only hope that Qingyue would learn a lesson from this ordeal. "Let it be so."

Feng Qingyue stared blankly at Princess Lanling. Her mother was actually making her agree to let Cui Hao take a concubine?

The most delighted people in the hall wept tears of joy, bowing profusely.

The interrupted wedding ceremony continued. For the rest of the event, Feng Qingyue was like a wooden puppet, her expression utterly vacant.

Liang Wan watched her receding figure. A woman who strictly forbade her own Prince Consort from having any concubines, yet kept numerous male favorites herself, was now forcing her daughter to allow her husband to take a concubine. How could she not be miserable?

Those who could strike the most fatal blows were always the ones closest to you. She and Qingyue understood each other far too well.

Upon leaving the mansion, Princess Lanling called out to Liang Wan, asking to speak with her in private. Liang Wan did not refuse.

The autumn night was chilly. The warm glow emanating from the high-hanging lanterns could not warm a person’s body.

Princess Lanling studied her for a moment before sighing emotionally. "Awan, watching from afar today, I finally realized that you all have truly grown up."

This familiar form of address wasn’t surprising; she had called her that since childhood whenever there was no one else around. Usually, the way she addressed her foreshadowed what she was about to say next.

Liang Wan merely smiled, brushing it off.

Princess Lanling sighed. "I watched the two of you grow up together. Ah Yue has a stubborn and awkward temperament, unlike you, who are more peaceful and aloof. In this regard, she is inferior to you.

"But when friends have known each other for a long time, it’s inevitable that they compare themselves in every aspect. It doesn’t necessarily mean she harbors any malicious intent. To put it bluntly, she is simply envious of you."

Liang Wan understood what she meant. She replied frankly, "I envy her, too. I don’t just envy the lack of restrictions in the Tangyi Marquis Mansion, but I also envy her for having a mother who isn’t rigidly bound by etiquette and dogma."

If said to anyone else, these words would have offended them, but the woman standing before her was someone who had watched her grow up.

Princess Lanling nodded, her words carrying a profound underlying meaning. "Now, she can be considered to have paid the price for her wrongdoings. I think it’s still better for you two to be friends than enemies, right?"

Wrongdoings...

So she had been perfectly aware of the real reasons behind the engagement and marriage all along.

Liang Wan paused for a moment before calmly widening her smile. "The Princess makes perfect sense."

"In the future, let things be as they were before. If you want to visit the mansion, come anytime."

Having said her piece, Princess Lanling no longer kept her.

Liang Wan bowed and turned to leave.

It wasn’t that everyone was truly clueless about certain matters; they were just feigning ignorance while knowing the truth perfectly well. Liang Wan really couldn’t hold back her urge to laugh.

As soon as she stepped out of the gates of the Tangyi Marquis Mansion, she saw Lu Xiu standing by the calf-drawn carriage, waiting for her.

Liang Wan was about to walk over when she was interrupted by a sudden female voice.

"My Lady—"

Liang Wan had no choice but to stop. It was Chun’er.

Her round, moon-like face was flushed red, and she looked plump and radiant, vastly different from how she had appeared during their chance encounter on the street that day. It was obvious that since receiving the monthly allowance from Qiuxi, she had lived a life free from worries about food and clothing.

Liang Wan scrutinized her carefully.

The clothes and jewelry she wore had all been prepared in advance by Qiuxi a few days ago. The colors and styles suited her beautifully, perfectly accentuating her delicate and pitiable appearance for today.

With her large pregnant belly protruding, Chun’er made a move to kneel. "My Lady."

"There is no ’My Lady’ here." Liang Wan’s dark eyes fixed on her. Chun’er froze mid-kneel, her gaze darting toward the distance. Catching a glimpse of the tall, heroic-looking, and powerful nobleman standing there, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of trepidation.

How could Chun’er not know she needed to change how she addressed her? It was just force of habit that made it slip out.

Cradling her belly, she continued her descent to her knees. "This servant misspoke just now. Thank you, Liang Ji, for your help today. Otherwise, this servant would never have obtained a status as I wished—"

"Did something happen today?" Liang Wan raised an eyebrow, acting as if she had lost her memory.

She smiled with complete composure and walked toward the carriage, leaving a stunned Chun’er behind.

She had absolutely no interest in how Chun’er managed to finish kneeling.

When Liang Wan reached the carriage, Lu Xiu simply took her hand and asked nothing.

Outside the carriage, the sky had turned pitch black. Inside, it was completely dark as well. If not for the faint, shimmering moonlight, the two of them would have been submerged in absolute darkness.

Along the way, the carriage let out CREAKING AND GROANING sounds. She lay on his lap listening to it, thinking it sounded like an out-of-tune melody.

After a long time, her voice finally sounded, asking a soft question into the darkness.

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