Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Heavy with Suspicion

The sun was already high in the sky. Bai Lu, having waited in the outer room for a long time, immediately went inside upon hearing a stir.

She heard a groan before she was even close and asked in a low voice, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

Liang Wan grunted in affirmation, hissing as she struggled to get up. The pain had only grown more intense after a night’s sleep.

Bai Lu drew back the bed curtains. "Let’s apply your medicine after you’ve washed up."

Liang Wan nodded.

"You went to sleep early last night. The Grandmaster sent someone to check on you. When they saw you were asleep, they asked about your condition and sent over a good deal of medicine." Bai Lu paused briefly before adding, "Lady Cao came by as well, but Gu Yu sent her away. We didn’t accept the gifts she brought, either."

Liang Wan grabbed Bai Lu’s hand to pull herself to her feet.

’There was no way this rumor was as simple as Feng Qingyue and Cao Luyun joining forces.’

’Feng Qingyue has knowledge of what goes on in the Duke Mansion and has sided with Prince Guangping. At most, she’s just a pawn, pushed to the front by whoever is pulling the strings.’

’As for Cao Luyun, she’s a truly thorny problem. She not only knows the secret of Lu Xiu’s parentage but is also one of the Cao Family. I’ll have to find another opportunity to deal with her.’

’But is there anyone else behind her?’

She had already woken up late, and applying the various salves and medicines took a fair bit of time.

Cao Luyun arrived while she was having breakfast.

Her whole body aching, Liang Wan’s posture was nothing like her usual self. She was slouched to the side with one elbow propped on the table, a complete disregard for her usual dignified bearing.

She merely lifted her eyes for a glance. "Care to join me?"

Cao Luyun gave an unnatural smile. "No, thank you."

Liang Wan didn’t insist. She ladled a spoonful of clear porridge for herself and gestured to the opposite seat with her chin. "Sit."

Simple and direct, she was in no mood for pleasantries.

Cao Luyun’s face was rather pale, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well.

She sat down gracefully, silent and lost in thought.

She remained silent for the entire time Liang Wan ate, her back held ramrod straight in a perfectly demure posture. It was tiring just to look at her.

Only when she had sufficiently composed herself did she speak.

"When I came last night, you were already resting."

Liang Wan spit out her mouthwash and wiped her lips. "I have to keep applying medicine so it heals properly. It would be a shame if it left a scar—"

What woman doesn’t care about her appearance?

Cao Luyun’s heart skipped a beat. ’A shame? Is she afraid *he’ll* find it unsightly? Is she trying to humiliate me on purpose?’

Her already pale face turned ashen, and she secretly balled her hands into fists beneath her sleeves.

Liang Wan had Bai Lu and the other maids clear the table, leaving the two of them alone.

She no longer wanted to beat around the bush either and said bluntly, "You wanted to stay in the Master’s Mansion and keep the title of Great General’s Wife. You’ve gotten your wish, so what else could you possibly be unhappy about?"

Unhappy?

Cao Luyun looked as if she had been struck by a whip, the pain causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

’Why does she think I should be satisfied?’

’Weren’t these things supposed to be mine from the very beginning? Is it wrong to take back what belongs to you? What gives her the right to so smugly assume that I should be satisfied and content?’

’Besides, everything she has now is fake. She wants what’s real!’

Since they both knew the truth, there was no longer any need for pretenses.

Cao Luyun looked directly at her, her lips pale, her tone restrained. "Liang Wan, I don’t like you."

For someone of her etiquette and upbringing, this was the most tactful way she could phrase it.

Liang Wan was surprised for a moment, then she chuckled and nodded. "I know. You’ve disliked me since the first time we met. I could feel it."

’A person’s intuition is a strange thing sometimes.’

Liang Wan’s smile vanished. "So you decided to use rumors to try and ruin me?"

Cao Luyun lowered her gaze and didn’t answer.

Liang Wan quietly observed her expression. "Surely you know that he has never cared what other people think?"

At that, Cao Luyun looked up, a smile touching her lips. "So what? Your actions prove that for all your talk of not caring, deep down you’re still wary."

Liang Wan smiled faintly. "I’m just a little surprised that you would go so far as to team up with an enemy to get rid of me. Your brother—"

Cao Luyun’s voice was grave. "Shut your mouth!"

Liang Wan did as she was told and said no more, simply watching her.

Cao Luyun’s usual gentle and dignified demeanor was gone, her expression changed. "Do you think I’m like my Father and Danqing? That I don’t know anything?"

Liang Wan’s expression remained unchanged.

’Ever since Cao Luyun married into the Master’s Mansion, Liang Wan had felt that her actions were somewhat different from before.’

’It would be one thing if she were only fighting against the injustice done to her.’

’But if not, then there was someone else behind her...’

’And that secret about Lu Xiu’s birth... had she told that person?’

Liang Wan sighed. "Aside from his heart, which I can’t control, I can give everything else back to you."

Anger was visible in Cao Luyun’s eyes. "Are you flaunting this in my face?"

Liang Wan shook her head as she looked at her. "Why do you say I’m flaunting it? Isn’t this residence, this title, what you truly care about? If you really cared for *him*, how could you not realize that if his secret gets out, it will cost him his life!"

A flash of hatred crossed Cao Luyun’s eyes, and a cold smile formed on her lips. "Then it all depends on how he treats me when he returns."

Liang Wan lowered her eyelids, her lips pressed into a thin line. ’So that means outsiders don’t know yet? Can I at least wait for him to return safely?’

Liang Wan nodded and looked up. "To tell you the truth, I won’t be staying here much longer. So, there’s no real conflict between us. You have no reason to be so hostile toward me."

Cao Luyun asked with a smirk, "What? Can’t wait to enter the palace and serve His Majesty?"

Liang Wan watched her quietly, meeting her gaze but not saying a word.

Cao Luyun’s laugh was even more derisive. "You’re nothing more than a vain, social-climbing woman who fawns for favor. It’s a shame they’ve all been so thoroughly deceived by your facade—"

’The memory of how he had repeatedly broken with decorum for Liang Wan’s sake made her seethe with uncontrollable hatred.’

’And then there was yesterday. Her own Father had actually said in front of everyone that *this* was the kind of daughter one should have, even saying he felt ashamed by comparison? Then what about her? What did all her years of perfect conduct, of being well-read and polite, of being gentle and virtuous, count for?’

’Wasn’t that one sentence a complete negation of everything she had ever done?’

Cao Luyun rose to her feet, her eyes looking down upon her. "You had best leave the Master’s Mansion before he returns. As for where you go to plague someone else, that’s not my concern."

With that, she shot Liang Wan a contemptuous glare and turned to leave.

Liang Wan sat in silence. ’There was definitely someone else behind Cao Luyun.’

She sat there alone for a long time.

"Bai Lu."

Cao Luyun had left a long time ago, but the room had remained silent. Bai Lu and Gu Yu were growing worried when they heard the call from inside and hurried in.

They saw Liang Wan sitting with her back to the light, her figure shrouded in shadow, making her expression difficult to see. But her voice was as cold as ice water.

"Besides Shuangjiang, who else at her side is more reliable?"

Bai Lu lowered her head, only her eyelids flickering slightly. "There is one person."

Liang Wan pondered for a long moment before speaking. "Have Shuangjiang continue to watch her movements—where she goes, who she meets—and report everything to me without omission. Then, have that person come see me."

Bai Lu bowed, her lips pursed slightly. "Yes. I will have her come later."

Liang Wan closed her eyes and nodded.

’Truth be told, she had always been curious. Who exactly was the noble person Wang Yansheng had mentioned that day?’

’And what was the item he had gone to such great lengths to obtain?’

’Did she have to leave the Master’s Mansion for them to make their next move?’

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