Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Must Be Done

Lu Xiu had just returned from the Cao Residence. As he reached the entrance, he saw that all the maids serving inside had withdrawn.

According to the guards at the door, Liang Wan had also just returned. The thought of Cao Danqing’s incessant complaints made him frown and rub his temples. ’How on earth does Zhou Yun put up with her?’

He waved his hand to stop the maids who were about to bow. After a moment’s hesitation, he slipped inside without a sound.

The moment he stepped into the room, he heard a woman’s voice, as crisp and clear as a spring on a cold mountain.

He heard only a single sentence before he stopped, lost in thought. ’Whenever she dreams, she always sobs and weeps, but I never see her cry during the day. Only when she’s asleep.’

’She once asked me if she looked like the woman in the painting.’

’Thinking back, she only resembled her on a few rare occasions, like that day she was laughing and joking with Song Tan.’

The THUD THUD of Qiuxi kowtowing pulled him back to reality. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he slowly walked back outside.

The small bamboo building was filled with flowers and plants.

Lu Xiu’s gaze swept over the new chrysanthemums, and he noticed one that resembled a peony. With its jade-green hue and graceful form, it was placed in the most conspicuous spot.

After giving Qiuxi a general outline of the standards for stockpiling grain, Liang Wan dismissed her to rest.

She stood up and took a deep breath. ’This isn’t even the hardest part,’ she thought. Hoarding grain could easily bring disaster upon them.

Just as she was agonizing over it, Gu Yu came in.

"Liang Ji, the master has returned. He is in the conservatory."

Liang Wan nodded. ’Here comes the hardest part.’

No matter what, she had to get this settled before his wedding. Otherwise, not only would he have no time for her after he married, but they would also miss the window for buying grain.

Her mind made up, Liang Wan headed for the door.

When Liang Wan entered, she saw him tending to the pot of Green Peony.

She approached him warily. "Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to this pot, too?"

The moment she asked, she felt it was inappropriate.

’Strictly speaking, everything here belongs to him.’

Lu Xiu didn’t hold it against her and answered with complete honesty, "I have."

After a pause, he added, "It’s all the same if it stays here."

Liang Wan noticed he hadn’t changed his clothes. She guessed that when he returned earlier, she had still been talking with Qiuxi, so he hadn’t come in. The thought of what she had to ask him made her hesitate.

"My lord, would you like to change your clothes first?"

Without looking up, Lu Xiu gave a faint smile as he gazed at the flower. ’Whenever she needs something from me, her attitude is always like this—surprisingly pleasant.’

"What are you smiling at?" The question alone was enough to betray her nervousness.

Only then did Lu Xiu glance at her. "Go on. What is it this time?"

Seeing that he wasn’t displeased, Liang Wan sat down across from him and said seriously, "’Cold Dew in the eighth month means a year of disaster.’ My lord, have you ever heard this saying?"

Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Caught by his jet-black gaze, Liang Wan suddenly found the words she had prepared stuck in her throat.

She secretly pinched herself and, gritting her teeth, said, "I won’t hide it from you, my lord. Based on my observations, there have been numerous signs this year that all indicate next year will be a year of disaster."

His eyes darkened, a sharp glint flashing within them. "Do you have any idea what you’re saying?"

Liang Wan had deliberately adjusted her tone and expression to avoid sounding like some charlatan spreading malicious rumors or a mystic playing tricks. But his expression had soured anyway.

’If I hadn’t been reborn, I wouldn’t believe it myself.’

’But this malicious rumor just so happens to be true!’

"You truly have no fear of death!"

His dark eyes were filled with a terrifying chill, but his tone was even colder.

Liang Wan knew that if someone with ill intentions were to overhear these words and report them, it would be a crime punishable by beheading.

And it wouldn’t just be her head on the line, but likely...

His eyes cold with anger, he snapped, "Speak!"

Liang Wan lifted her wide eyes to meet his gaze. "I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of dying before my enemies do. You’ve asked me this before, my lord."

Perhaps because of her composed demeanor, his cold, hard expression softened, and his tone eased slightly.

"Do you have any idea what would happen to you, considering your birth date, on top of what you just said?"

Liang Wan nodded obediently. "I’d be arrested and burned at the stake."

Lu Xiu let out an exasperated laugh. When he was done, he held out a hand to her. "Come here."

Discretion is the better part of valor. Having no choice but to obey, Liang Wan obediently took his hand and sat down beside him.

He took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Resting his chin on top of her head, he said, "Sometimes, there are things you cannot say, not even to me."

’Is he worried the walls have ears? That a careless word could bring disaster?’

She understood.

But understanding was one thing; the matter itself still had to be dealt with.

Pressed against his chest and unable to move, Liang Wan’s voice was muffled. "But what if it’s true?"

...

News that Qiuxi was leaving the residence to be married spread like wildfire.

She had a gentle disposition and had gotten along harmoniously with everyone in just a few short months.

Before she left, Bai Lu and the others gave her wedding presents. Liang Wan also gifted her a complete set of jewelry and an additional casket of pearls as a dowry, a parting gift for their time together as mistress and maid.

After Qiuxi left, Liang Wan could clearly feel a significant change in the remaining servants’ attitudes toward her. Gu Yu and Bai Lu, in particular, became even more considerate and cautious than before.

Liang Wan mulled it over. They had probably misunderstood. That day, Qiuxi had returned on her own and been kept behind for a private talk; then, just two or three days later, it was announced she was leaving to get married.

They likely thought the marriage was a fabrication and that the truth was Qiuxi had angered Liang Ji and been driven out...

Upon hearing this, Liang Wan simply smiled.

’On that day, oxen and horses neigh, as the new bride enters the Qinglu.’

Liang Wan was trimming flower branches in the small bamboo building. With a glance, she could see a tent constructed in the distant southwest corner from blue cloth drapes—a "tent of a hundred sons," also known as a Qinglu.

The day after tomorrow was Lu Xiu’s wedding day. The residence had been bustling with activity these past few days, and as someone with nothing to do, the best she could do was to stay quietly in her quarters and not cause any trouble.

Liang Wan sighed and put down her shears. ’The more I want to leave the residence, the more impossible it becomes!’

Bai Lu had just returned from the outer courtyard, holding an exquisitely crafted, jewel-inlaid wooden box. Hearing the sigh, she followed Liang Wan’s gaze toward the Qinglu in the yard and couldn’t help but frown.

’What a "coincidence,"’ she thought, ’that they chose this spot. The place where the newlyweds will drink their wedding toast is right in front of the little building’s window. Once it gets dark and they light the lamps inside, the light will shine right over here. Won’t everything be perfectly visible? No wonder she’s sighing!’

Bai Lu glanced at it again, mentally resolving to find out which genius was in charge of this arrangement. ’Why not just move the Qinglu over here? Then they could be head-to-head, face-to-face!’

Hearing footsteps, Liang Wan turned her head. She saw Bai Lu looking out the window, but what made her curious wasn’t what Bai Lu was looking at, but what was inside the box she was holding.

Bai Lu glanced outside for only a moment before pulling her gaze back and placing the wooden box on the low table. "I brought this back from the front courtyard. They said someone from the General’s Mansion delivered it."

Liang Wan was taken aback. "The General’s Mansion?"

Bai Lu nodded. "From the General of Cavalry’s Mansion. They said it’s a gift for Liang Ji."

’Lu Huai?’

Liang Wan was even more puzzled. Why would he send her a gift out of the blue? ’Besides, isn’t he leading troops in Bozhou County?’

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