Chapter 143: Chapter 143: One Wife and One Concubine

His lonely eyes were gentle, but his hands moved with even greater tenderness.

’A Lu Xiu like this...’

’...seemed like someone who had been abandoned.’

A strange pang of sorrow struck Liang Wan’s heart. She couldn’t bear to watch, yet she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

’Yes, she must be mad,’ she thought, ’to feel pity for a man who would one day slaughter people as if reaping weeds.’

This incomprehensible... pity.

Liang Wan rose onto her toes and reached out, cupping his reddened ears.

In the thick, falling snow, they were like two snow-carved statues, leaning on each other for companionship.

After returning that day, Lu Xiu requested another leave of absence. He had caught a cold in the snow and needed to recuperate at home. Gao Qian not only approved it but also sent men with gifts as a gesture of concern.

But word of what happened in the side chamber still got out. The story that spread, however, was that a restless Palace Attendant had taken advantage of the Empress Dowager’s illness to use a sedative on the Emperor, hoping to climb the social ladder. When her plot was exposed, she was beaten to death on the spot.

Liang Wan didn’t know who was truly behind it all. Looking back, it seemed everyone but her and Gao Qian had a motive.

During the days Lu Xiu was at home, he didn’t attend the imperial court, but he still had to go to Beixuan every morning.

Liang Wan knew the Empress Dowager must have said something to the Grandmaster.

She wasn’t interested in the Lu Family’s internal struggles. She was only worried that after this incident, Gao Qian wouldn’t dare to see her for some time.

The thought troubled Liang Wan.

In truth, she had always been curious about what kind of drug Yao Jinse had used to control Liang Zhang.

’If possible, I’d like to use a drug like that to control...’

Liang Wan sat before a small table, selecting a freshly cut branch of wintersweet and placing it in a slender, iris-colored vase.

"Liang Ji."

She looked up to see Gu Yu at the door, followed by Cao Luyun.

Perhaps out of boredom from being alone, Cao Luyun had started visiting her frequently these past few days.

As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. It was good that they could get along peacefully.

Besides, Cao Luyun was clearly making an effort to be friendly.

If Liang Wan was short a certain color of silk thread for her embroidery one day, Cao Luyun would be sure to bring it the next. If she happened to mention a fondness for wontons, Cao Luyun would personally cook them for her the following day.

For the first couple of days after Cao Luyun started visiting, Lu Xiu would still be in the inner room, occupied with his own affairs.

At times like these, Liang Wan would get the strange impression that Lu Xiu and Cao Luyun were her wife and concubine, respectively.

Later, likely finding their chatter too noisy, Lu Xiu simply vacated the room for them and went to his own study.

Cao Luyun was no longer as reserved as she had been at first. She would occasionally cook some of her specialty dishes for them, and gradually began to join them for lunch and dinner.

Sometimes, she would even play chess with Liang Wan late into the night.

Liang Wan wasn’t a skilled chess player. To end the matches sooner, Lu Xiu had to take over for her. In the end, it was often Liang Wan who would doze off to the side while he and Cao Luyun played.

After spending so many days together, Liang Wan felt the Empress had been right. Cao Luyun was gentle, kind, respectful, and frugal—truly a virtuous and considerate woman from a prominent family.

’Not like me,’ Liang Wan mused, ’all I think about each day is making poisons, running my business, and how to win Gao Qian’s trust...’

Cao Luyun walked in, carrying a Jade Plate.

Liang Wan glanced over. In just one night, Cao Luyun had finished embroidering the butterfly. She must have stayed up late to do it.

Liang Wan didn’t know how the Lu Xiu of her past life had gotten along with Cao Luyun, but from her observations over the last few days, she felt they could very well live in perfect harmony.

"This wintersweet is blooming beautifully."

Cao Luyun set the Jade Plate aside and picked up a branch to examine it closely.

Liang Wan smiled. "If you like them, feel free to take a branch with you when you leave."

Cao Luyun was a little surprised. "It seems Lord Lu picked these in the courtyard this morning."

Liang Wan gave her a smiling glance. "Oh, I didn’t know that."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Cao Luyun’s smiling eyes. "Please don’t misunderstand. I happened to run into him when I was out collecting Snow on the Plum Blossoms."

"The courtyard is only so big. We’re bound to run into each other. What is there to misunderstand?"

Liang Wan paid it no mind, simply pulling the Jade Plate closer. She looked down at the butterfly on it; the embroidery was neat, the technique delicate. It had clearly been made with great care.

The day before, seeing Liang Wan occupied with her needlework, Cao Luyun had been extremely eager to help.

Gu Yu, who was brewing tea for them, poured a cup for Cao Luyun.

Cao Luyun accepted the cup and took a sip. She looked up and said, "The Grandmaster and Lord Lu both adore your tea. I find it excellent as well. Could you teach me how to make it?"

Liang Wan set down Lu Xiu’s clothes and had Bai Lu put them away. "Alright," she nodded.

’Everything I’ve learned, everything I’m good at, is just another way to please people.’

’Pleasing people? I’ve only just begun...’

Liang Wan lowered her gaze and gave a small smile.

Cao Luyun raised her eyes slightly, silently studying the woman across from her. Her hair was as thick and dark as satin. Her face was small and delicate, with skin like snow, lips of crimson, and features as perfect as a painting. Wide robes and flowing sleeves enveloped a naturally alluring figure, cinched at a slender waist.

She should have looked exquisitely delicate, but a sharp glint would occasionally flash in her eyes, only to vanish upon a closer look.

With every frown and smile, it wasn’t just men who would be captivated; even Cao Luyun herself couldn’t help but stare.

Needlework, perfumery, dancing, zither, medicine... whatever art Liang Wan was skilled in, she would teach it without reservation if asked. It was as if she cared for nothing.

She truly didn’t seem to care about anything. And it was precisely that indifference that was so vexing.

’What does she actually care about?’

Cao Luyun set down her cup. "...Liang Wan, there’s something I need to say to you."

Liang Wan was slightly taken aback, but a thought flickered in her mind, and she had a vague sense of what was coming.

She dismissed Gu Yu and the other attendants, and the air grew still.

She simply watched Cao Luyun, waiting for her to continue.

A blush spread across Cao Luyun’s cheeks.

Liang Wan glanced at her, feeling a secondhand sense of nervousness.

Cao Luyun took a slow breath before looking at her. "You don’t love Lord Lu."

Liang Wan hadn’t expected such directness and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Cao Luyun continued, "If you truly cared for him, you would never act this way."

Liang Wan almost laughed. "And how should I be acting?"

That smile was a piercing sting to the heart.

Resentment flared in Cao Luyun’s heart. "I refuse to believe you haven’t noticed my intentions all this time we’ve spent together, yet you act completely indifferent. I don’t understand. If you care so little for him, why do you insist on keeping him to yourself?"

Liang Wan could understand her anger.

Cao Luyun pressed on. "Do you have any idea what Lord Lu was like before? Ever since he became entangled with you, the rumors about him have been despicable, but you pay them no mind and make no effort to restrain yourself. How could that possibly be what it means to care for someone?"

Liang Wan suddenly recalled Liang Jiao saying something very similar to her once.

"Are you saying that *you* care for him?"

"I started caring the moment I learned I was to be betrothed to him. But because of you—because you interfered—not only does he pay me no mind, but the marriage that should have been mine... it’s become this sordid affair!"

Cao Luyun’s eyes welled with tears. "This Master’s Mansion was meant to be my home for the rest of my life. Instead, I live here like a guest, constantly on edge, worried that one day I’ll be sent away."

"It’s always been normal for a man to have concubines. I never expected to have Lord Lu all to myself. But I’m not just a wife in name only—you’re trying to steal the very title that belongs to me and turn the rest of my life into a joke for others to gossip about. What have I done to deserve this?"

With her eyes rimmed in red, Cao Luyun’s voice broke into a sob as she finished speaking.

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