Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Diametrically Opposed

Liang Wan’s breath caught. She stared fixedly at the man before her, backing away step by step. ’If he shouts right now, Wang Su’s government soldiers will definitely drag me back.’

"Zhou—"

She had barely opened her mouth when her wrist was seized, and Zhou Yun half-dragged, half-shoved her into a long-eaved carriage.

Before Liang Wan could even regain her footing, the carriage began to sway as it set off down the road.

Zhou Yun glanced outside before sitting down across from her with a faint smile.

"What do you think you’re doing, Young Master Zhou?" Liang Wan asked, her body tensed and her eyes full of suspicion. Even as she watched him, she kept an ear out for any commotion outside.

Her voice was sharp with anger and urgency, showing not a hint of gratitude.

Zhou Yun frowned, slightly displeased. "I did just save you. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?"

’Saved me?’

Liang Wan was suspicious. In her previous life, she’d had no dealings with Zhou Yun. In this life, they had met only twice and could hardly be called acquaintances.

’She just happened to escape to this very spot, and he just happened to be here? What a coincidence.’

Liang Wan didn’t believe it.

"Where are you taking me, Young Master Zhou?"

Zhou Yun crossed his arms and leaned against the soft cushions, his gaze raking over her. ’Never mind her disheveled hair and clothes,’ he thought. ’At the Peach Blossom Banquet, she was completely focused on cozying up to Lu Xiu. At today’s birthday banquet, she found an excuse to get close to Cao Jun. Oh, right, and she was also getting physical with Wang Su’s illegitimate son...’

’Thinking back, she’d been frivolous and flighty every single time. So why was she so guarded and suspicious with him?’

Zhou Yun shook his head with a small laugh. "Relax. I’m taking you to the place you most want to go, to see the person you most want to see!"

Liang Wan was dumbfounded.

Far from reassuring her, his words made her heart leap into her throat. She grew even more vigilant. "How do you know?"

Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow. "What if it’s not just me? What if everyone in all of Jinye City knows?"

Liang Wan gasped. ’Everyone knows?!’

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Yun couldn’t help but laugh. He glanced at the bright red bite mark on her neck. "But allow me to offer a word of advice. You’d best take care of that before you see him. Otherwise..."

’That man has a nasty temper.’

Noticing his gaze, Liang Wan quickly turned her back, her face flushing as she straightened her clothes.

Zhou Yun averted his gaze, looking out the window. "If he had shown up today, I wouldn’t have had this chance to put him in my debt!"

Liang Wan spun back around. "Who are you talking about, Young Master Zhou?"

"Your Grand Commandant!"

"What? Lu Xiu!" Liang Wan shot to her feet, her eyes wide. "Stop the carriage! Stop it now!"

"What is it?" Zhou Yun asked, looking utterly baffled.

"I’m not going to see him!" Liang Wan cried, grabbing his arm in desperation. "Young Master Zhou, tell them to stop! Quickly! It’ll be too late!"

’Wang Tingyue falling into Wang Yansheng’s hands is no better than being in Wang Su’s!’

At the thought of what might have already happened to him, Liang Wan’s eyes turned red, her heart clenching with unbearable pain.

"Stop the carriage!"

Her hysterical shriek startled Zhou Yun.

The long-eaved carriage ground to a halt as she wished.

Liang Wan gave Zhou Yun a deep bow. "Young Master Zhou, for saving my life today, I will surely do everything in my power to repay this debt in the future!"

With that, she paid no mind to Zhou Yun’s expression, hastily jumped from the carriage, and rushed toward the end of the street. ’This matter has nothing to do with him,’ she thought. ’There’s no need to drag an innocent person into this.’

Zhou Yun lifted the curtain and watched her stumbling figure, falling into deep thought. ’An iron tree rarely blooms,’ he mused, ’but when it does... ugh, why this kind of flower?’

’I really don’t get it.’

Liang Wan stood outside the Prime Minister’s Mansion and glanced up at the entrance. Limping, she climbed the steps and began to pound on the door. The loud banging was jarring in the silence of the night.

The gatekeeper threw the door open, thinking something urgent had happened. But when he stuck his head out, he saw nothing but a disheveled-looking woman.

Furious at being disturbed, the gatekeeper snarled, "Where did this madwoman come from? You have a death wish? Scram!"

Seeing him about to shut the door, Liang Wan quickly jammed her foot in the opening. She tore the peach blossom sachet from her waist and shoved it through the crack. "I must see the Great General. This is my token. Go report to him at once. This is a matter of utmost urgency! If you delay military intelligence, it’ll be your head!"

At this, the gatekeeper’s attitude softened, but he remained suspicious. Opening the door only a crack, he said, "Just because you say it’s military intelligence, I’m supposed to believe you?"

Liang Wan was burning with impatience but forced herself to remain calm. "Just take this token to the Great General. If I’m lying, you can kill me or cut me to pieces for all I care. But if I’m not, then you will have delayed a critical matter! Rather than standing here second-guessing, just take the sachet to the Great General. He’ll know once he sees it!"

With that said, the gatekeeper finally took the sachet, shut the door, and hurried off.

Liang Wan waited, glancing around anxiously.

A short while later, footsteps sounded from within. The door opened, and the gatekeeper stepped aside to let her pass, his attitude completely transformed.

In a brightly lit study, an elderly man with a solemn expression sat in the master’s seat, while Cao Jun stood silently to one side.

Liang Wan bowed respectfully before presenting the ring. "This is the secret seal Wang Su uses to privately mint currency."

In her previous life at the Imperial Palace, Liang Wan had accidentally stumbled upon Chancellor Cao reporting Wang Su for privately minting currency to the tyrant. She had thought Wang Su would surely be overthrown, but unexpectedly, the investigation concluded that the key evidence—the secret seal—was a forgery. As a result, Chancellor Cao was accused of making a false report and was eliminated by Wang Su, who had turned the tables on him.

Cao Jun carefully took the ring, opened it, and handed it to Chancellor Cao.

Chancellor Cao was past sixty. He was not a tall man, and beneath his gaunt exterior lay a temper as stubborn as a mule’s. He refused to collude with the various court factions, which had led to him being ostracized by many.

He studied it intently for a moment before his gaze landed on Liang Wan’s face. "Why would you bring this secret seal to me?"

Liang Wan replied earnestly, "Chancellor Cao is one of the few upright and incorruptible officials at court. My Awen also praised you often when he was alive. For years, Wang Su has enjoyed the Emperor’s deep favor, yet he has abused his authority for personal gain, betraying the imperial grace bestowed upon him. Looking across the court, nearly everyone is on friendly terms with him. Only you, Chancellor Cao, refuse to wallow in the mire with him."

"However, Wang Su is a cautious and suspicious man. If I had approached you rashly, I would have certainly drawn his attention. So, I had to take a bold risk, deliberately using the birthday banquet as an opportunity to approach the Great General right under his nose."

At this, Liang Wan turned and bowed to Cao Jun. "I hope the Great General will forgive my rudeness today."

’This was a move she had been planning ever since she agreed to cooperate with Liang Jiao at the Peach Blossom Banquet.’

’Helping Liang Jiao was just the start of her gambit. She had long anticipated that Wang Su would use this marriage arrangement to pressure Liang Cheng.’

’After all, being forced into the Sikong Mansion would be far more convincing than entering it willingly. It would also do more to lower Wang Su’s guard.’

’As it turned out, her gamble had paid off.’

Cao Jun said impassively, "I didn’t expect you to think of using a peach blossom sachet to pass your message."

Liang Wan looked slightly apologetic and said vaguely, "It was a crude plan, born of desperation."

’In truth, she only knew because she had happened to see it on Cao Jun in her previous life. At the time, she had been very curious why a grown man would carry a woman’s sachet. Only later did she hear from a palace maid that the General of Cavalry and Princess Shaoyang were a deeply devoted couple, and the peach blossom sachet was their token of love.’

’Therefore, it was the perfect object to capture Cao Jun’s attention.’

But Chancellor Cao was not as accommodating as his son.

"How can you prove this is real? And why should I believe you?"

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