Chapter 80: Chapter 80: A Tooth for a Tooth

Liang Zhang glanced in the direction the others had left, looking puzzled. "His Majesty... He doesn’t seem anything like the rumors say, does he?"

Liang Wan watched in silence. ’Only when a person is free of all constraints do they reveal their true self. But the Gao Qian before her...’

A small smile played on her lips. "Seeing is believing. You’d better be on your best behavior later, Brother."

In the Flower Garden, the wine was mellow and the flowers fragrant. Accompanied by the music of strings and flutes and the stunning dancers, the guests slowly grew tipsy from the drinking.

The Empress, ever so thoughtful, specially ordered for Putuo Mountain’s Buddha tea to be prepared.

And Liang Wan was the one chosen to prepare it.

In a side room, she used a small pair of green bamboo tongs to hold a tea cake over a flame. Once it was roasted, she placed the cake, now infused with the subtle fragrance of bamboo, into a tea grinder made of orange wood. With a gentle press, the perfectly crisp cake crumbled into fine, even pieces...

The ritualistic steps gradually soothed Liang Wan’s restless and turbulent heart.

The celadon mallow-petal bowl, verdant as jade and exquisitely shaped, pleased Liang Wan greatly.

"Brother, I’ll let you take the credit for preparing this tea." She sighed softly, not sounding particularly regretful.

Liang Zhang was suspicious. "If I find out you’re up to no good, I won’t let you off the hook!" he said resentfully.

Liang Wan stood up and quickly said, "This is an opportunity the Empress arranged for me. Since you’re so suspicious, Brother, perhaps I should deliver it myself."

Liang Zhang shot her a glare, then started to lead Qiuxi out the door.

Suddenly, Cao Danqing burst in from outside. "Aha! I knew it! You two are being deceitful! This is the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Liang Zhang shoved her out of his way. "What ’crime of deceiving the emperor’?" he snarled. "Don’t just spout nonsense!"

He glanced back at Liang Wan. "You attracted this trouble. You deal with it!"

With that, he left without a second’s hesitation.

Liang Wan looked at the girl who seemed to haunt her every step and said languidly, "I wonder what business Fifth Miss Cao has with me—"

Before she could finish, Cao Danqing grabbed her arm and started dragging her toward the Flower Garden.

"I’m going to expose you two deceivers in front of His Majesty!"

Her bright eyes shone, and she wore a look of righteous indignation. Liang Wan chuckled and didn’t fight back, letting the girl drag her toward the crowded area.

"Why are you so fixated on me, Fifth Miss Cao? Is it because of the Grand Commandant? Even if it were, shouldn’t it be your third sister coming to fight me? What does it have to do with you?"

Cao Danqing’s expression faltered in embarrassment. "She’s my Sister, of course it has something to do with me!" she retorted hotly. "You shameless woman, flirting with every man you see! It’s disgusting!"

The pulling, dragging, and loud arguing started to attract the attention of people nearby.

Liang Wan had tolerated her for long enough. ’So what if she hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony and is young? Who’s going to spoil you when you’re out in public?’

She sneered. "Are you really taking your Sister’s anger out on me, or are you just using your Sister as an excuse to cause trouble for your own selfish reasons?"

Just as she expected, the girl, who had been pulling with all her might, froze. She stared at Liang Wan, her expression stiff.

"You—"

"What about me?" Liang Wan smiled. "Were you going to ask how I know you have a crush on Zhou Yun?"

Cao Danqing’s eyes darted around in a panic as she flatly denied it.

Liang Wan acted as if she hadn’t heard. "Someone like you? Even after your coming-of-age ceremony, he wouldn’t give you a second look!"

"W-what did you say?!"

Liang Wan laughed. "Did you not understand what I said?"

Her eyes scanned Cao Danqing up and down several times before she shook her head in disdain. "No wonder he said you’d never grow up. And you thought he was just talking about your age? I don’t know whether to call you naive or just ignorant."

"W-what do you mean?!" Cao Danqing felt as though she’d been stripped bare and was being shamelessly scrutinized by Liang Wan. Her cheeks burned.

Liang Wan’s gaze fixed on a certain part of Cao Danqing’s body. She let out a small laugh. "What do I mean? Why don’t you go home and look in a mirror? Then you’ll know what I mean."

"You... You’re shameless!"

Humiliated and furious, Cao Danqing’s face flushed red as tears welled up in her eyes.

The commotion finally drew everyone’s attention.

Cao Luyun hurried over. Seeing Cao Danqing’s red-rimmed eyes on the verge of tears, she grabbed her and asked urgently, "What’s wrong?"

Cao Danqing couldn’t bring herself to speak, her lips pursed in a deeply wronged expression.

Only then did Cao Luyun look over at Liang Wan.

Liang Wan shook her head with a hint of regret and sighed. "I was merely advising Fifth Miss Cao not to spend her days daydreaming. One must face reality."

Cao Danqing’s face turned crimson with rage. Unable to bear it any longer, she struggled free from Cao Luyun’s grasp. This time, no one was there to catch her, and she stumbled to the ground.

Unhindered, Cao Danqing lunged straight for Liang Wan.

"Yes, he doesn’t like me, but he’ll never like you either! Do you think that by sucking up to my Sister, you can get an imperial decree for your marriage? I’m telling you, dream on! The one he likes is—"

SMACK! A sharp slap landed hard across Cao Danqing’s face. The force was so great that she staggered, and with a SPLASH, she fell into the lotus pond.

The turn of events was so sudden that before the crowd could even process the slap, it looked like someone was about to die!

Cao Danqing thrashed in the pond, her head bobbing up and down on the surface of the water.

"Someone, help! Save her—"

Cao Luyun’s voice was filled with tears as she cried out desperately.

Cao Jun and Zhou Yun both rushed over.

They spared Liang Wan only a single glance before hurrying to rescue the drowning girl.

Liang Wan stood by the bridge, her gaze sweeping coldly over the onlookers. ’They only ever just watch.’

Zhou Yun pulled Cao Danqing out of the water. Fortunately, she hadn’t been in for long and her life wasn’t in danger. However, the aristocratic lady who had been so graceful and elegant moments before was now covered in mud and filth, dripping and smelly.

Still reeling from the shock, Cao Danqing saw that her rescuer was Zhou Yun, and she burst into tears with a loud WAIL.

But because she had choked on water, her chest hurt, so she coughed and cried at the same time, looking utterly pathetic.

Chancellor Cao, Lou Xiao and his wife from the Lu Family...

A crowd of people rushed over in a panic, asking anxiously what had happened.

Even Gao Qian and the Empress were drawn by the disturbance.

"What happened?"

Gao Qian’s brow was furrowed in extreme displeasure.

All eyes fell on the perpetrator. Liang Wan took a steadying breath, trying her best not to be affected. "I—"

She had just opened her mouth when Cao Danqing pushed aside the people surrounding her and shouted in a hoarse voice:

"She bullied me, hit me, and then pushed me into the lotus pond! She’s completely out of line! Your Majesty, you’re my brother-in-law, you have to stand up for me!"

"Danqing!" Chancellor Cao scolded in a low voice.

Cao Danqing’s lips trembled as she cried even more pitifully. "Father, I’m being bullied, and you’re not even going to do anything?"

Gao Qian glanced at Liang Wan, then turned back to Cao Danqing. "And how would Danqing like Us to stand up for you?"

His voice was chillingly calm, yet his furrowed brow and glittering eyes expressed nothing but concern and sincerity.

"Give her a taste of her own medicine. What does Your Majesty think of that?"

The voice was delicate but not fawning, clear as jade.

The crowd looked over to see that the speaker had already stepped back to the edge of the lotus pond, her arms spread wide.

Liang Wan looked at Cao Danqing. "I was the one who pushed you into the lotus pond just now. Now, it’s your turn to push me!"

The crowd wore strange expressions, their eyes wide with astonishment.

But Liang Wan only saw one person’s lips curve into a faint smile. She knew he would like this!

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