Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Brushing Past

A few steps away, someone was looking right at her.

His face was sharply chiseled, his eyes deep and clear. The heroic air about his brows, tempered by wind and frost, showed no sign of weariness or decline. Instead, it had become more resolute and steady.

But at this moment, the rims of his eyes were slightly red, his gaze turbulent with emotion.

It was Wang Tingyue.

Liang Wan straightened up, facing him from a distance. She moved her lips, but her throat was too tight to speak.

"I’m back," he said, his voice hoarse.

Liang Wan lowered her head, pressed her lips together, and nodded.

"Don’t cry." He tried to step forward, but after a single pace, a guard blocked him.

Liang Wan nodded. "Okay."

She said she wouldn’t cry, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

She didn’t understand why she was crying. They were both alive and well, yet a bitter sorrow welled up in her heart, and the warmth in her eyes was beyond her control.

That year, after she was driven from her home, Wang Tingyue came looking for her. She felt too ashamed to see him, and they remained separated by a single door.

He stood outside the door for a long time.

He said, "Brother was useless; I couldn’t protect you."

She hid inside, biting down hard on her arm, not daring to make a sound, let alone see him.

She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer—that she would throw the door open, rush into his arms, and wail.

Once upon a time, he had pulled her along as they ran, fleeing from the pursuing maids and servants.

Back then, they were young, naive, and carefree, able to act without a second thought.

But now, she had become the shame of the Liang Mansion, the laughingstock of Jinye City. How could she drag him down to share her infamy?

She didn’t know how long they remained in that stalemate, one inside and one out.

She only knew that her legs ached until they could no longer support her. She slid down with her back against the door, and it seemed her tears had run dry, not a single one left to fall.

Perhaps the sky had darkened; she only remembered the light in the room growing dim.

Perhaps he knew she wouldn’t open the door no matter what.

Wang Tingyue only spoke two words in a hoarse voice, then left.

Later, she only heard that he had joined the army. First, he was guarding the border, then came the rebellion in Bozhou County... He had been on countless battlefields, large and small.

Swords have no eyes, and illnesses are many. She had no idea how he had survived it all.

The next time they met, he was just like this, standing a few steps away, looking right at her.

By then, he had earned military honors and been enfeoffed as a Hu Benzhonglang, while she was merely a destitute woman hawking wares on the street.

And after that, the tyrant forced an aphrodisiac down her throat, tore off her clothes, and intended to watch her lose her senses with another man...

To save her, he—a man who was supposed to protect the Emperor—defied the imperial command and forced his way into the palace. The tyrant took up a sword and ran him through the heart, killing him right in front of her.

His hands were covered in blood as he struggled to crawl to her. With reddened eyes, he apologized to her over and over.

He asked if, in their next life, she could wait for him, if she could marry him...

Her clothes in disarray and her hair disheveled, she clutched his body, so heartbroken she could barely breathe, her sobs wracking her body.

But the tyrant found it amusing and laughed incessantly at the sight.

She was utterly humiliated beside his corpse.

Still not satisfied, the tyrant had his body dismembered before he was content.

The only person in the world who would believe in her without reservation, who would choose her steadfastly, was gone forever.

From then on, the rest of her life was nothing but a struggle in the mire, a grim survival in the darkness.

Liang Wan took a slow breath and wiped away her tears, bit by bit.

’Now, we’re both alive and well. I should be smiling, not crying.’

Lifting her head again, she smiled at him. "It’s good that you’re back."

With that, Liang Wan walked straight toward the calf-drawn cart, not sparing him another glance.

’In this new life, the only thing I can do is stay away from him. I can’t bring him misfortune again.’

’Even with that thought, didn’t I still cause the ruin of his family?’

Liang Wan simply felt he didn’t deserve it.

As the long-eaved carriage set off, she could still see his figure standing at the mouth of the alley through the fluttering curtain. His posture, which should have been tall and straight, was now bent in a way it shouldn’t be, as if weighed down by something too heavy to bear, leaving him breathless.

Liang Wan averted her gaze.

By the time they reached the pharmacy, Liang Wan had composed herself and stepped out of the carriage.

Before she even went inside, she heard Song Tan’s voice.

Liang Wan entered just as she usually would.

Song Tan stood to one side with his arms crossed. The shop assistant and the Shopkeeper were turning the place upside down, apparently looking for some medicinal herbs for him.

He wasn’t too surprised to see Liang Wan.

"What brings you here today?"

Liang Wan smiled. "I have news for you, of course."

At the mention of news, Song Tan’s smile vanished.

Liang Wan followed Song Tan to the back courtyard. It was quiet and peaceful. Though it couldn’t compare to his residence at the Tangyi Marquis Mansion, it was still elegant and quaint.

The guard stopped at the door to the room, something Song Tan was already used to seeing.

A young maidservant served tea and then withdrew.

Liang Wan got straight to the point. "I heard he was taken to the Mu General Mansion."

"General Mu?"

Liang Wan nodded. "Mu Yao."

The light that had appeared in Song Tan’s eyes dimmed. "But General Mu Yao was found guilty and his estate was confiscated long ago. If that’s the case, his life or death is truly uncertain."

Liang Wan said, "His relatives should have been exiled to serve in the army, while the servants and maids of the mansion would have been investigated by the government one by one. They would either continue as slaves or be exiled along with the family."

Song Tan fell silent.

Liang Wan continued, "The problem is, Song Mian’s name isn’t on the list of those beheaded, nor is it in the records of those exiled."

Song Tan frowned. "Could he not have been at the General Mansion then?"

Liang Wan shook her head. "I thought so at first, too. But after checking repeatedly, General Mu was the only one who took someone from the banquet. It can’t be a mistake."

Liang Wan thought for a moment, then added, "I have a theory. The reason we couldn’t find any news of him before... could it be that he changed his name?"

Song Tan’s gaze sharpened, but he said nothing.

Liang Wan said, "I’ve already had people continue investigating along this line. There aren’t that many people of a similar age. We should have news in a few days. Just wait a little longer."

Song Tan said solemnly, "Words can’t express my gratitude."

Liang Wan shook her head and smiled. "I’m just glad you didn’t blame me back then."

Song Tan raised an eyebrow, feigning anger. "I may have been a beggar, but I’m not some riffraff who can’t tell right from wrong. If it weren’t for you and Mr. Liang, I would have died long ago, let alone be sitting here asking you to help me find my brother."

Liang Wan managed a slight smile.

Song Tan sighed, a hint of melancholy in his expression.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

He sat up straight and said, "A few days ago, a customer came into the shop. She was dressed as a married woman, and from what the assistant said, her clothes suggested she was of high status. The strange thing was, her face was hidden by a veiled hat, and she was alone. Even stranger, she came to buy an abortifacient."

Liang Wan was unconcerned. "This is a pharmacy; it’s normal for people to buy any kind of medicine. Besides, for something like an abortifacient, of course one would have to be secretive."

"Don’t interrupt!" Song Tan hissed, clearly dissatisfied.

Liang Wan couldn’t help but laugh. ’Just a moment ago he was worried about his brother, and now he’s already got a taste for gossip.’

"Go on, go on."

Only then did Song Tan continue, "Our shop has been open for a while, but we’ve never had a customer act so strangely. The Shopkeeper happened to be out, and the assistant, seeing her luxurious clothes, didn’t dare to fill the prescription without approval, so he came to get me. But by the time I went back out, the woman was gone."

"But from a distance, I saw her back, and it was clearly Feng Qingyue!"

The smile on Liang Wan’s lips froze.

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