Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Returning to Liang Mansion

Liang Wan thought for a moment, then decided to explain. "Saving the Grandmaster wasn’t about showing off, seeking credit, or asking for anything in return. It’s that if you later found out I was there but did nothing, I wouldn’t just be unable to account for my actions—I fear my life would have been in danger.

Previously, because of Wang Su, I intentionally spread a rumor that did damage your reputation. But rest assured, sir. I will take what you said that day to heart and do my best to keep my distance from you in public from now on.

As for Young Master Zhou’s misunderstanding, sir?"

Liang Wan looked up at him. ’It wasn’t her place to be the one explaining things to Zhou Yun.’

"You don’t have to worry about that," he said, giving her a cool glance before preparing to leave.

’Just as I thought.’

"Alright," Liang Wan said, bowing to him.

The covered carriage headed west. Liang Wan glanced at the wooden box beside her, her mind racing. There were still many things to take care of before she entered the palace.

Swallows circled the rafters under the eaves as a breeze set the wind chimes ringing. TINKLE, TINKLE.

"Sir, I’ve brought the item."

The maidservant carefully placed the Jade Plate on the table and bowed slightly. Before leaving, she cautiously peeked toward the carved window, wondering what scenery outside could have held his gaze for so long.

Lu Xiu’s gaze shifted from the window to the table, resting on the cloak on the Jade Plate. The spot originally torn by a branch had been mended into an ink-blue butterfly, poised as if to take flight. A peony, a butterfly, facing each other across a distance...

He glanced at the brazier on the floor, the corners of his lips hooking into a smile.

Liang Cheng was annoyed. He’d heard that Liang Wan had gone to Purple Cloud Temple for the Empress to offer up a Buddha statue and chant prayers, and that she was returning home today. For her to have hidden such a glorious matter for days... still, he sent a young servant to wait at the gate and greet her early in the morning.

The injury on her leg was only a flesh wound, nearly invisible beneath her skirts. Her shoulder, however, had not fully healed. But the Empress’s business was urgent and could not be delayed.

Qiuxi paced back and forth, finally spotting the approaching covered carriage. She hurried to meet it before it even drew close.

"My Lady!"

Before Liang Wan could even steady herself, Qiuxi was at her side, her eyes glistening with tears.

That day, she had frantically run to the Grandmaster’s Mansion, her legs feeling like jelly and her body trembling so hard she couldn’t speak a full sentence. Luckily, the Grand Commandant had understood the moment he saw her and had walked out without a word. By the time they got outside, however, they saw Liang Wan being stuffed into a sack and thrown onto horseback.

In front of Yao Jinse and all the servants, Liang Wan merely patted her hand to comfort her.

"Sister, you’ve returned."

Yao Jinse’s eyes sparkled, and her dimples were faint. Standing gracefully inside the gate, she smiled sweetly at her, the very picture of the mistress of the Liang Mansion.

Liang Wan had Qiuxi take the wooden box back first, while she stayed to speak with Yao Jinse.

’Actually, whether by seniority or etiquette, she didn’t need to come to the gate to greet me personally.’

’She was a year younger than I am, yet her mannerisms were so mature and sophisticated.’

Liang Wan’s eyes narrowed as she smiled back. "Sister-in-law, you have so many affairs to manage each day. It’s humbling to have you here to greet me."

Yao Jinse took a few steps forward and took her arm. "Sister, embroidering a likeness of the Buddha for the Empress is a great honor for our Liang Family. How can the trivial matters I handle all day compare? It’s only right that I should be here to greet you."

"Those must be rewards from the Empress, right? Sister, you’re truly incredible!" she said, looking at the maid carrying the wooden box, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and admiration.

Liang Wan frowned, forcing a smile. The intimate gesture made the wound on her shoulder ache incessantly.

Qiuxi’s expression changed in an instant as she turned. Waving a handkerchief, she rushed toward the two of them. "A poisonous toad! My Lady, be careful!"

The two of them jumped in fright, separating as if they’d been forcefully pulled apart. Yao Jinse let out a soft cry and retreated to one side, her face deathly pale. She clutched her chest, her eyes wide as she stared in their direction.

Freed from Yao Jinse’s grip, the pain in Liang Wan’s shoulder subsided a little. ’But where’s the poisonous toad?’ she thought. She was afraid of those things, too!

Suddenly, a hand tightened on her wrist. Qiuxi said urgently, "My Lady, don’t move! I’ve caught the poisonous toad!"

Liang Wan looked up to see Qiuxi repeatedly signaling to her with her eyes.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Liang Wan suddenly understood her maid’s intentions. She didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh.

"Do you want to see it, My Lady?" Qiuxi asked, clutching the handkerchief. She held her arm far away from her body, as if afraid the creature inside might jump out at any moment.

Still shaken, Liang Wan asked, "Sister-in-law, would you like to see?"

Yao Jinse quickly waved her hands in dismissal, her face full of disgust. "Go throw it away!"

Liang Wan and Qiuxi exchanged a look, and Qiuxi immediately walked away.

In the bedchamber, Qiuxi bolted the door from the inside, then carried the medicinal ointment to the daybed.

After she removed her robes, a wound the width of a small finger was visible on her otherwise fair, smooth shoulder. The place that had just begun to scab over was now seeping blood again.

Qiuxi’s eyes instantly reddened. "With a scar like this," she said, her voice choked, "how will you ever find a husband?"

’Marry?’

Liang Wan opened the ointment jar and handed it to her. "I’m lucky to have survived an arrow wound. Is getting married really that important?"

’Luckily, they weren’t trying to kill me. Otherwise, this would be a gaping, bloody hole.’

’While marriage isn’t important, entering the palace is. This wound is definitely a problem. I’m afraid it’ll be found during the palace inspection.’

Hearing this, Qiuxi’s tears immediately began to fall. "Who could be so cruel and merciless?"

Liang Wan paused. At first, she had no idea, but now... perhaps she had a few clues.

Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own. "When I didn’t return that day, how did you explain it?"

Tears still streamed down Qiuxi’s face. "The Grand Commandant sent someone to escort me back that day. He also told the Family Head that you, My Lady, had been kept behind by a eunuch from the palace, and that I was sent back to relay the message so no one in the mansion would worry."

Liang Wan was taken aback. "Then what was said about the coachman and the young servant who never returned?"

Qiuxi said, "Once the Family Head heard it was a palace eunuch, he was too happy to care whether they lived or died. He just assumed they were still with you. Besides, when has the Family Head ever treated us servants like people? They all signed death contracts. Their families can no longer be found, so no one would even notice if they died."

’Death contracts?’ Liang Wan frowned. Servants like Qiuxi, who had been brought into the mansion as children, had all signed death contracts, binding them to a lifetime of servitude, to be disposed of as their masters wished.

Liang Wan sighed silently.

Qiuxi said worriedly, "When the Family Head gets back, he’s sure to ask about them. What will you say, My Lady?"

Liang Wan smiled. "I’ll tell the truth."

Qiuxi’s eyes went wide.

Liang Wan thought for a moment, then asked, "Has anything unusual happened in the mansion?"

"The First Mistress still chants her Buddhist Scripture every day," Qiuxi said as she applied the ointment. "The Second Mistress still throws a big fit every three days and a small one every two, mostly just crying over the Fourth Lady. The biggest change is the young master. Since the young mistress married into the family, he’s really settled down. He doesn’t even cause his usual trouble anymore!

They always say a man settles down once he gets married, and it’s absolutely true. He got married, and even that little hellion has become well-behaved."

Liang Wan laughed out loud, despite the pain.

’Laughing aside,’ she thought, ’this Yao Jinse really is a remarkable woman.’

Liang Wan looked back at her. "Anything else?"

Qiuxi added, "Chun’er also came by. She wanted to ask if you had made any plans to help her as you’d promised. I saw she was in a sorry state, so I slipped her some of my personal savings."

Liang Wan smiled but said nothing.

Qiuxi finished applying the ointment and cleaned her hands, while Liang Wan got dressed again.

After much hesitation, Qiuxi finally spoke up. "My Lady, I think the Grand Commandant treats you well!"

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