Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Harmony Brings Wealth

She and Lu Xiu were well aware of this.

Liang Wan said nothing.

Taking the opportunity to sip her tea, she discreetly studied Cao Danqing. In the past, Cao Danqing’s every move had been flamboyant and vivacious. Now that she was a married woman, her girlish radiance was gone, replaced by a subtle sorrow that belied her years.

Marrying Zhou Yun had been the fulfillment of a young girl’s romantic dream, so she had been happy, of course. But her husband’s heart belonged to another. As time went on, how could she not be filled with sorrow?

Liang Wan lowered her eyes. ’The things that make you grow are never related to happiness.’

Cao Danqing swallowed her tea and looked at her. "You know his... feelings, don’t you?"

Liang Wan froze, her heart pounding. ’It’s better to feign ignorance about something like this,’ she thought. ’How can she just ask it out loud?’

Seeing her silence, Cao Danqing continued, "At the Duke Wei Mansion, you slapped me hard. At the time, I was too angry with you to think straight, but looking back on it now, I realize you must have guessed what I was about to say and stopped me on purpose. Is that right?"

The wind whistled through the thatched awning, making it tremble.

Liang Wan put down her teacup and said with a serious expression, "That day, I simply had a dispute with the Lady. There was no deeper meaning."

Cao Danqing fell silent for a moment, then lowered her head to drink her tea and didn’t pursue the topic further.

’Lu Xiu was right,’ Cao Danqing thought. ’Some things are better left unsaid, even if they’re understood.’

When Cao Danqing looked up again, her expression was back to normal. "This tea has a peculiar taste."

Liang Wan nodded slightly. "It has Atractylodes in it."

Cao Danqing was surprised. "Why?"

Liang Wan’s gaze drifted toward the dense crowd of refugees. "With so many people gathered in one place for so long, there’s a risk of an epidemic. I added a medicinal herb to the tea as a precaution."

Cao Danqing took another sip and smiled faintly. "No wonder you wanted me to try it."

Liang Wan simply smiled without a word.

Cao Danqing suddenly smiled. "That day we met in the East Market, we had a fight. I didn’t expect to run into the Grand Commandant as soon as I got back. I just assumed he was there to discuss the marriage and even chatted his ear off for a while. It was only when Father interrupted that I learned he was there to call off the engagement."

Liang Wan wasn’t surprised. He had mentioned calling off the engagement before.

Cao Danqing continued, "He didn’t just tell us that he had a long-standing marriage agreement with you. He also said that for his entire life, his heart has been set on you alone. He said it was a shame that things had gone awry, and that from now on, he only wanted to protect you—"

"Everyone says the Grand Commandant is cold and unfeeling. But only after hearing those heartfelt words could you know that he isn’t truly cold at all. He’s just saved all his passion for one person. Even my Father said my Sister just wasn’t fortunate enough."

Liang Wan maintained a faint smile, but inwardly, she was grinding her teeth. ’When it comes to getting his way, his greatest weapon is his unabashed honesty.’

Cao Danqing sighed softly. "He and Zhou Yun really are different."

Liang Wan was silent. ’They really are different,’ she thought.

The porridge distribution had ended, and Cao Luyun was directing the maids with the cleanup.

Cao Danqing stood up and glanced over with a wistful sigh. "I don’t know how my Sister felt after hearing all that, but I’m quite envious."

She smiled and gave a slight bow.

Liang Wan returned the gesture.

Only after Cao Danqing had left did her gaze drift to the distance, unfocused.

Cao Luyun had already instructed her people to pack up, ready to return to the mansion at a moment’s notice.

She walked over slowly, her voice soft and gentle. "Danqing used to be like a fighting cock whenever she saw you. Now, not only is she courteous, but you two even seem to be getting along."

Liang Wan feigned ignorance with a faint smile. "She’s the Lady now. Of course she’s different than she was before."

Seeing that Bai Lu had finished packing, Liang Wan boarded the carriage first.

As they passed the porridge tent set up by the Marquis Wen Mansion, she was not surprised to see her sister’s figure.

’Jinye City is only so big; it’s inevitable that we’d run into each other,’ Liang Wan thought. ’But it’s strange, I hardly ever see her. It’s as if she’s deliberately avoiding me...’

"Is that the wife of Marquis Wen’s heir?"

Cao Luyun saw her too, her expression thoughtful as she watched the woman bustling about.

Liang Wan smiled and nodded.

Cao Luyun retracted her gaze and sat up straight, her eyes filled with a probing curiosity. "I’ve been staying at the Grandmaster’s Mansion for so long, but I’ve never seen the heir’s wife come to visit."

"Her personality has been like this since she was young. She doesn’t like getting too close to people."

Liang Wan’s face was expressionless, her voice flat.

Cao Luyun lowered her eyes, but continued to watch her from the corner of her eye.

After speaking, Liang Wan picked up a book from the shelf under the table and began to flip through it idly. Her mind, however, was far away. She had gone through that bookshelf countless times. ’What on earth did Lu Huai mean by it?’

Seeing that Liang Wan had no interest in chatting, Cao Luyun also fell silent.

「South Garden Residence」

Liang Wan had finished washing up, but Lu Xiu still hadn’t returned. Outside, the sky was pitch-black.

’He’s been so busy lately, with a pile of thorny issues to deal with,’ she thought. ’How long can he keep juggling everything like this?’

Liang Wan rested her head on the table, idly fiddling with the lamp wick.

Her hair, still not completely dry, cascaded damply over her shoulders like a waterfall. She had an outer robe draped over her shoulders, wearing only an inner tunic beneath it.

The candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows, and her thoughts drifted along with them.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she finally heard familiar footsteps at the door.

Liang Wan sat up straight, blinking her sore, sleepy eyes as she looked over. "What kept you so late?"

Seeing the slender woman fighting to stay awake for him, his weary heart felt as if it were being gently soothed. It was a sweet, yet slightly bitter, feeling.

A smile touched Lu Xiu’s eyes. "Were you waiting for me?"

Liang Wan rubbed her eyes and stood up. "Who else would I be waiting for here?"

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Xiu’s smiling eyes. "Alright, out with it. What is it this time?"

Liang Wan didn’t try to hide it. As she helped him remove his official cap, she said, "It’s not urgent. We can talk after you’ve had dinner."

She said they would talk after dinner, but she waited until they were about to go to sleep, when it was just the two of them alone in the room.

Liang Wan sat on the edge of the bed and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "At the porridge tent today, Cao Danqing told me about you going to the Prime Minister’s Mansion to call off the engagement."

Lu Xiu fixed his eyes on her, waiting for her to continue.

Liang Wan lowered her voice. "Chancellor Cao is struggling with the disaster, but can praying to the heavens really make the locusts disappear?"

Lu Xiu’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious.

Meeting his cold stare, Liang Wan handed him a paper she had written on earlier.

Lu Xiu lowered his head and unfolded it. It detailed specific methods for eliminating the locusts: besides the usual methods of catching and swatting them, it suggested a combination of burning and burying...

It also listed personnel and rewards: deploy government soldiers and common citizens, paying them by the bushel. Refugees could exchange the daily weight of the locusts they caught for food rations...

He read through it, item by item, as Liang Wan quietly explained from the side.

"The government can purchase the required grain at a fair price. If funds are insufficient, they can solicit donations from officials and nobles. Jinye City has no shortage of wealthy people."

Lu Xiu glanced up and met her sparkling eyes. "You hoarded all that grain just so you could sell it to the government?"

Liang Wan nodded honestly. "This way, I don’t lose money, but I don’t make an exorbitant profit either. It’s the fairest way."

He recalled how she’d asked him for pearls, the way her eyes had lit up at the prospect of wealth. She had played the part of a money-grubber to perfection.

Lu Xiu folded the paper and set it aside, looking at her with a hint of displeasure. "What do you need so much money for?"

Liang Wan lowered her eyes and gave a low chuckle. "I don’t want money. I want a lifeline."

Lu Xiu was silent for a moment before sighing and pulling her into his arms.

’He thought he understood her,’ he mused, ’but he was always just a little bit off...’

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