Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Splitting the Lovebirds

She had been playing along with Lu Xiu at the banquet this whole time. When she finally found an excuse to slip away, Feng Qingyue was gone in the blink of an eye.

"The Princess is arranging another marriage for her. Taking advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, they must have gone for a matchmaking meeting," Song Tan explained.

Another marriage? Matchmaking? How could that be allowed? Liang Wan furrowed her brows. Feng Qingyue and Cui Hao were meant to be locked together for the rest of their lives!

Liang Wan stood up anxiously. "Didn’t I ask you to help out a bit? How did you end up helping them get to a matchmaking meeting? Sigh, since Princess Lanling personally spoke up and Cui Hao still only got a lowly Assistant Teacher position, it seems your beauty is fading and her favor for you is waning!"

Song Tan was not pleased. "You’re the one enjoying immense favor right now. If you think I’m so useless, go beg your Grand Commandant yourself!"

Liang Wan let out a dry laugh. She wondered if she was tired of living, to go beg Lu Xiu to arrange a position for Cui Hao. He didn’t restrict her much, not because he was truly indulgent, but because she always strictly remembered her place. No, this matchmaking couldn’t succeed!

Liang Wan suddenly yanked Song Tan up. "Who is she meeting? Let’s go take a look too!"

"They said it’s someone from the Imperial Family related to Princess Yuzhang’s Prince Consort—" Song Tan stumbled as she pulled him. He tried to yank his sleeve back from her grip, but Liang Wan refused to let go.

"My beauty, aren’t you afraid the Grand Commandant will see you pulling and dragging me like this?" Seeing that he couldn’t break free, Song Tan resigned himself to his fate, though he still glanced around nervously.

Liang Wan shot him a glance. "You aren’t even afraid of Princess Lanling seeing us, so what do I have to be afraid of?"

Song Tan rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Who says I’m not afraid? I am terrified!"

Inside the Princess Mansion, the winding corridors were covered in climbing, dark green vines. It was the season when trumpet creepers were in full bloom, their clusters of red, horn-shaped flowers looking beautiful and charming. Inside a small pavilion, a demure young lady and an elegantly dressed young man sat across from each other.

Liang Wan and Song Tan hid behind a carved pillar, their heads stacked one above the other. The corners of her mouth couldn’t help but rise. She had just been worrying about not finding an opportunity. She raised her head, leaned close to Song Tan’s ear, and whispered a few quick words.

Song Tan’s eyes instantly widened. "Why did you call him here too?"

Liang Wan merely smiled.

Song Tan raised an eyebrow. "Who was it just saying they specifically found this opportunity to deliver medicine to me?"

Liang Wan gave him an awkward smile and pushed him. "Hurry up and go!"

Once Song Tan left, Liang Wan turned her gaze back to the small pavilion. Feng Qingyue wore a light red, plain gauze dress that accentuated her snow-white, flawless skin. An Orchid was pinned at her temples, and her sparkling, watery eyes, paired with the rosy flush on her cheeks, made her look even more delicate and lovely.

Liang Wan carefully observed Dou Xiaolang. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, but his rigid posture as he sat upright made him look a bit stiff. His gaze didn’t quite dare to meet the person across from him, and the way his hands clutched the hem of his clothes revealed his awkwardness and shyness.

She wondered if this was a case of mutual affection. Liang Wan furrowed her brows. That shouldn’t be the case. Logically, Feng Qingyue liked Cui Hao very much. In her past life, she had utterly ruined Liang Wan for Cui Hao’s sake. How could she change her heart so easily now?

Just as she lowered her eyes, the harmonious and beautiful scene was shattered by an intruder. Upon seeing clearly who had arrived, Feng Qingyue was so startled that she immediately sprang up from the stone stool, her panicked eyes revealing extreme embarrassment.

"Cui Hao? Why... why are you here?"

Dou Xiaolang, completely bewildered, stood up in confusion. He looked at Feng Qingyue, then at the newcomer. "Lady Feng, who is this?"

Feng Qingyue squeezed out a stiff smile. "He is—"

"There’s no need to trouble Lady Feng for an introduction. I am Imperial College Assistant Teacher Cui Yuebai." Cui Hao cast a glance at Feng Qingyue’s awful complexion. He knew perfectly well what these two were doing, yet he still offered a polite bow to Dou Xiaolang.

Liang Wan shook her head. This Cui Hao truly refused to offend anyone. No matter.

Smiling radiantly, she lifted her skirt and stepped forward with brisk, light steps. "Oh, Qing Yue, I was looking everywhere for you! It’s so rare for me to see you, yet instead of coming to find me, you were in such a hurry to see your Mr. Cui—" Halfway through her sentence, she covered her mouth, looking at Dou Xiaolang in feigned astonishment. She then gave Feng Qingyue a guilty smile. "I’m so sorry! I didn’t notice there was an outsider present!"

Seeing Liang Wan so suddenly, the expressions on the faces of those present varied greatly.

Feng Qingyue flew into a humiliated rage. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"

Liang Wan nodded repeatedly in apology. "Yes, yes, yes. I’m spouting nonsense. I have no filter." Saying this, she looked at the grim-faced Dou Xiaolang nearby. "I was just speaking nonsense just now, you absolutely mustn’t believe it! The two of them really have nothing going on between them—"

Before Liang Wan could finish her explanation, Dou Xiaolang gave Feng Qingyue a hasty glance. "My apologies, I must take my leave!"

Liang Wan smiled as she watched his fleeing figure, her smile deepening.

"Liang Wan!" Feng Qingyue gritted her teeth in anger, glaring at her with immense hatred.

Liang Wan looked at her and smiled faintly. "I’m standing close enough and I can hear clearly. You don’t need to shout so loudly."

"You did this on purpose!"

Liang Wan simply smiled.

Cui Hao was a bit dazed at first, but now he finally realized that he had been used as a pawn. "Awan, you—"

Liang Wan dropped her smile and lowered her eyes, her voice as cold as the north wind on a winter night. "Assistant Teacher Cui, you must not address me so casually. I am no longer someone you can entangle yourself with."

"It was a slip of the tongue." Cui Hao’s face flushed red. If anyone else heard him call her that, his life would be over, let alone his official career.

Feng Qingyue sneered coldly at Liang Wan. "You’re just a mere concubine, what do you have to be so arrogant about? Do you still think you’re some noble young lady? Once Lady Cao enters the household, you’ll probably be swept out the door. Do you really think Lu Xiu could ever value you—"

"Shut your mouth!" A sudden, explosive shout interrupted her unfinished sentence.

Feng Qingyue slowly turned her head, only to see a livid Princess Lanling, Song Tan, Lu Xiu, and others.

Lu Xiu stood there without a word. His dark eyes, as calm as still water, simply gazed at Liang Wan as he extended his hand toward her.

Liang Wan stared at the hand reaching out to her, falling into a momentary daze. Her eyes burned uncomfortably, and her heart felt a complex jumble of emotions. It clearly had nothing to do with this specific scene, yet it was triggered by this very moment. She lowered her head and took a slow breath before walking forward and taking his hand.

"You’re quite obedient this time, not shaking me off in front of so many people." Lu Xiu looked at the person before him, and a smile actually broke across his previously stern face.

Shake him off?! The crowd was astonished.

Beneath their sleeves, Lu Xiu gave her hand a squeeze. Only then did he look at Princess Lanling. "I was truly unaware that Your Highness took such an interest in my household affairs, to the point where you need to worry about whether my female dependents stay or go?"

Princess Lanling’s face paled. "It’s all my fault for neglecting her discipline on a daily basis, causing her to offend the Grand Commandant." She then shot Feng Qingyue a pointed look. "Are you not going to apologize and make amends?"

In front of so many people, Feng Qingyue felt both ashamed and resentful. Her face turned bright red, but she couldn’t swallow her pride to open her mouth. However stubborn her attitude, it ultimately softened under the overwhelming pressure of their gazes. "It’s all my fault for speaking out of turn. I beg the Grand Commandant to—"

"Grand Commandant, the fault in this matter may not lie with me, but with her." Feng Qingyue pointed at Liang Wan. "This is an Imperial Family banquet. How could she dare to invite a lowly Imperial College Assistant Teacher to attend without permission? Moreover, aren’t you curious as to why they are meeting privately like this?"

The crowd’s gaze instantly shifted to Cui Hao. Right, how had he managed to come here?

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