Song Wanchu had just been carried out of the hunting ground, bloodstained, when she heard several noble ladies who had come to watch the hunt chatting animatedly.
"Have you heard? Second Master Liang won the top prize. When the emperor asked him what reward he wanted, he requested the emperor to pardon Yu Jingnian's crime, and the emperor granted his request!"
"Doesn't that mean Yu Huiyan will soon return to the capital with her father? Second Master Liang is truly devoted. After three years, he still can't forget his childhood sweetheart!"
"The two of them were in love since childhood. If Song Wanchu hadn't come between them and taken someone else's place, they wouldn't have been separated!"
"I bet once Yu Huiyan returns to the capital, Second Master Liang will soon marry her. Then Song Wanchu, neither a proper wife nor a concubine, will be in an awkward position!"
Hearing these words, the already pale color drained from Song Wanchu's face completely, and a suffocating pain shot through her chest.
Her husband, Liang Yuzhou, was competing with other young masters from noble families in hunting a grizzly bear. His intention was very clear: to win the emperor's reward.
The competition for the title of the heir of the Duke's Mansion had always been fierce. Although Liang Yuzhou was the legitimate son, he was not the only one.
Above him was his elder brother, Liang Yuchuan, the son of the late wife of the old duke.
Liang Yuzhou's mother, Princess Jiahe, was the old duke's second wife.
Liang Yuzhou had always been determined to get the title of the heir. There was nothing better than making an impression in front of the emperor to increase his chances!
Song Wanchu loved Liang Yuzhou deeply. At the most critical moment when Liang Yuzhou was struggling with the grizzly bear, she rode into the hunting ground and used herself as bait to attract the bear's attention.
This gave Liang Yuzhou a chance to catch his breath and kill the bear with one blow!
Three deep blood - streaks were scratched on her back by the sharp bear claws. The intense pain almost made her faint.
And Liang Yuzhou, the man she had loved for seven years and served whole - heartedly for three years, actually used the top prize she had almost lost her life for to plead for the father of his beloved!
No matter how strong one's heart was, it couldn't bear such a heavy blow. Her body seemed to be torn apart again, bloody, and even breathing was painful!
Nanzhi, Song Wanchu's maid, shed tears of distress, "Miss, you've done such a dangerous thing for Second Master again, but he... he's being too much!"
Song Wanchu's heart seemed to be shattered into pieces. When the wound was being treated, her body felt numb as if she had lost all sensation.
Her father was just a sixth - rank general. With her family background, she was far from being a match for the Duke's Mansion.
Three years ago, in the bloody battle at Pingsha Pass, her father died under the enemy's sword while protecting the old duke.
Song Wanchu's mother had died early, and she became an orphan.
The old lady pitied her and felt guilty towards the Song family, so she arranged for her to marry Liang Yuzhou to give her a lifelong reliance.
The one who opposed the most was Liang Yuzhou's mother, Princess Jiahe.
She despised Song Wanchu for her humble family background. Her mother was a merchant's daughter, not suitable for a noble family. She always wanted her niece, Yu Huiyan, to marry Liang Yuzhou.
The two powerful women fought fiercely.
It wasn't until the emperor issued an imperial edict for Song Wanchu to enter the mansion as a noble concubine.
The old lady also gave her the power to manage the mansion, saying that although she was a concubine in name, she was actually a wife.
She naively thought that she could touch Liang Yuzhou with her true heart and gain his respect and love.
She was terribly wrong.
To Liang Yuzhou, she was forced into the mansion under the imperial edict.
Even on their wedding night, it was the old lady who forced him into the bridal chamber with the imperial edict.
Unable to marry the one he loved and having to face someone he didn't want to every day, how could he be happy?
Just as she was thinking, the curtain was lifted, and Liang Yuzhou walked in.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, exuding natural handsomeness and nobility.
The corners of his lips were slightly curled up, looking in a very good mood.
Song Wanchu grabbed the brocade quilt under her and asked with a sob, "Is what they said just now true?"
The smile on Liang Yuzhou's lips disappeared. He sat down with his back to her, his back as cold and sharp as a rock.
"My mother misses Huiyan. After she returns to the capital, she will live in the Duke's Mansion for a long time. You're not allowed to cause her any trouble."
His tone was full of warning.
Even before his beloved came back, he was already protecting her!
Tears instantly blurred Song Wanchu's eyes.
She had to clench her fists tightly. The pain of her fingernails digging into her palms forced back the tears in her eyes.
"Heh..." Thousands of words got stuck in her throat, and finally, they only turned into a soft sneer.
She meant nothing to Liang Yuzhou. How could she expect Liang Yuzhou to appreciate her life - risking sacrifice?
The love between Liang Yuzhou and Yu Huiyan was a well - known romance in the capital.
And she was the joke in this romance.
Three years ago, on the wedding day, when Liang Yuzhou heard that Yu Huiyan's father was going to be exiled from the capital for his crime, he didn't even have time to take off his wedding clothes before leaving her behind to comfort Yu Huiyan.
On the day of returning to her parents' home, when the Yu family was leaving the capital, he left her on the way and rushed to see Yu Huiyan off.
The storytellers in the teahouse still talked about this with relish. The second master of the Duke's Mansion had seen Yu Huiyan off for a hundred miles. Yu Huiyan had shed tears at the long pavilion. Their parting was so heart - wrenching that it moved heaven and earth.
When it came to her, the most commonly used words were taking advantage of kindness, stealing someone's love, and taking someone else's place.
The pain in her body made Song Wanchu more and more sober. No matter how hard you tried to fight for something that didn't belong to you, it would never be yours in the end.
Liang Yuzhou was worried about his beloved far away, but he didn't even want to give a proper look to the seriously injured her.
What was she still expecting?
"After Miss Yu comes back, this concubine will leave. I won't delay Second Master's good marriage."
As she said these words, her heart was bleeding.
Liang Yuzhou finally turned around, but his eyes were as cold as ice that had never melted for thousands of years.
"You managed to marry into the Duke's Mansion with all your schemes. Are you really willing to leave?"
The sarcastic tone made Song Wanchu stunned for a long time.
Everyone thought that three years ago, she had gone to the palace with her father's memorial tablet and begged the emperor for the imperial edict to marry into the Duke's Mansion.
Liang Yuzhou thought so too.
He thought she was a scheming woman who would do anything for glory and wealth.
So he despised her, hated her, and treated her coldly. He even blamed her for Yu Huiyan's father's exile.
During Yu Jingnian's tenure as the Minister of Works, he embezzled 100,000 taels of silver earmarked for the river embankment repair. The one who exposed him was a seventh - rank official in the Ministry of Works.
And this small official was a close friend of her father.
The old wound in her heart began to throb again.
"Huiyan won't interfere with you. She won't get in your way!"
After saying that, Liang Yuzhou flung his sleeves and left, as if he was extremely annoyed to say one more word to her.
As his robe disappeared at the door, Song Wanchu's heart seemed to be dug out. It was empty, filled with cold wind.
She wiped away her tears fiercely, and her eyes gradually became firm.
It's time to leave.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the requirements for women were strict. Women were expected to be loyal to their husbands for life. There was only separation by death, not divorce.
Moreover, she wasn't even a proper wife.
Fortunately, she still had a way out.