This agate bracelet was exactly the one she had taken a fancy to at the Fenjin Tower not long ago.
She was just about to pay when Liang Yuzhou said, "Do you like that bright red so much?"
Between the lines, he was clearly mocking her eagerness to be his lawful wife.
Song Wanchu instantly lost the desire to buy it.
In his heart, she was unworthy of the bright red, let alone being his lawful wife!
Was this a sign for her to make room for Yu Huiyan earlier?
In the noble families of the capital, it was against the rules to have a favored concubine before marrying a lawful wife.
Either the favored concubine could be promoted to the main wife, or she would be demoted to an ordinary concubine so that the main wife could be welcomed into the family.
Was she already such an eyesore in Liang Yuzhou's heart?
Liang Yuzhou's gaze also fell on the agate bracelet.
Yu Huiyan's heart fluttered. She knew better than anyone what the bright red represented.
Her long - cherished wish was about to come true. Forgetting her maidenly reserve, she pursed her lips and said with a smile, "Cousin, thank you for the gift. I like it very much."
Liang Yuzhou's gaze casually swept across Song Wanchu.
He saw that her face was pale and there seemed to be a flash of tears in her eyes, but she was as calm and numb as a puppet.
An inexplicable annoyance welled up in his heart.
The old lady already disliked Yu Huiyan. Seeing her flaunting the agate bracelet, the disgust in her eyes was almost impossible to hide.
"Miss Yu and I are not related by blood. There's no need for you to rush here to pay your respects."
As she spoke, she pulled Song Wanchu closer to her, not even offering a seat to Yu Huiyan, clearly showing her preference.
Yu Huiyan's flattering smile faltered, but she still tried hard to maintain her dignity.
"Auntie has instructed that the old lady is the most respected elder in the Duke's Mansion. As a junior and a temporary guest here, I should naturally pay my respects to the old lady every day."
Yu Huiyan knew very well that although her aunt was a princess, since the death of her grandfather, the Prince Heng, this branch of the family had declined. Her aunt no longer had any status or say in the royal family.
Without the old lady's consent, she would never be able to enter the Duke's Mansion.
The old lady had seen more scheming people than Yu Huiyan had met in her life. She wasn't going to change her attitude because of a few nice words.
Her expression became even colder, and her words were rather meaningful. "Since you know it's just a temporary stay, there's no need to go through so much trouble."
Yu Huiyan's face flushed with embarrassment. With tears in her eyes, she looked pitifully at Liang Yuzhou.
Liang Yuzhou said gently, "Your good intention has been conveyed. You can go back first."
He was afraid that Yu Huiyan would continue to be wronged if she stayed, so he deliberately protected her.
Song Wanchu remembered the first time she went to pay her respects to Princess Jiahe after she married into the Duke's Mansion. She had stood in the cold wind for two whole hours, but Princess Jiahe didn't even let her enter the courtyard gate.
The old lady allowed her to go back after she found out, but later Princess Jiahe made sarcastic remarks at a banquet, accusing her of being disrespectful to her elders.
And Liang Yuzhou had never said a single word in her defense.
The difference between being loved and not being loved was truly huge.
A sour feeling quickly spread throughout her body.
Liang Yuzhou sent Yu Huiyan to the door and then came back. An expensive teacup shattered at his feet, and the tea splashed all over his robe.
Liang Yuzhou stepped over the mess as if it were normal. "I almost missed. Old lady, you're always so accurate."
Song Wanchu knew why the old lady was angry. The meaning of the agate bracelet was too obvious. Yu Huiyan wearing it out was like announcing to the world that she was about to become Liang Yuzhou's lawful wife.
"Liang Yuzhou, are you so eager to marry that Yu girl? Her father was demoted for embezzlement, and his reputation in the officialdom is already ruined! If you marry her into the family, your father won't be able to hold his head up in front of his colleagues!
She's always being so coy. In what way is she as generous and dignified as Wanchu? It's okay that you inherited your mother's muddled mind, but have you also gone blind?"
Liang Yuzhou was already used to the old lady's scolding. He neither got angry nor argued.
Seeing his unyielding attitude, the old lady got even angrier.
Most of the conflicts between the old lady and her grandson over the years were related to Song Wanchu. Unable to bear seeing the old lady getting angry for her sake, Song Wanchu quickly stroked the old lady's back to help her calm down.
"Old lady, there's no need to get angry over such a small matter."
Her intention was to let the matter pass lightly, but Liang Yuzhou suddenly raised his eyebrows, his eyes sharp. "A small matter?"
Song Wanchu was startled. She realized she had said the wrong thing.
Liang Yuzhou wanted to marry Yu Huiyan but hadn't gotten the old lady's consent. How could this be a small matter?
As long as the old lady didn't give her consent, she was the beneficiary. Saying such things would definitely be seen as a petty act in Liang Yuzhou's eyes.
If it were in the past, she would have argued vigorously to change Liang Yuzhou's impression of her.
But now she understood that for someone who wasn't loved, anything she said was wrong.
So she simply kept silent.
"Tomorrow is the day for Wanchu to visit her natal family. You should go with her."
The old lady issued the order. There was a hint of firmness that brooked no refusal in her kind eyes.
Liang Yuzhou sneered. "I've only heard of husbands accompanying their wives to visit their natal families, not husbands accompanying their concubines."
His words were like a basin of cold water poured over her head, making her shiver all over.
This was the first time she heard him call her a "concubine" in front of the old lady.
In the past three years, although he had been cold and distant towards her, he had given her the due dignity and would call her "Madam" in public.
Now that Yu Huiyan was back, was he not even willing to give her this bit of dignity?
Song Wanchu tightened her fists until her knuckles turned white. Her throat felt sour.
She didn't want to be embarrassed any longer. She stood up, bowed to the old lady, and said, "Old lady, the stewardesses and maids should be going to my courtyard by now. I'll go back first."
The old lady nodded. As she passed by Liang Yuzhou, she kept her eyes straight ahead.
A faint anger showed between Liang Yuzhou's eyebrows.
It wasn't until Song Wanchu walked out of the room that the oppressive feeling brought by the two cold glares behind her disappeared.
The old lady glared at him angrily. "Wanchu almost lost her life to help you win glory. Is this how you treat her?"
She clearly remembered that there was a glint in Liang Yuzhou's eyes when the imperial edict of marriage was issued.
Her grandson was handsome, talented in both literature and martial arts, and was pursued by the noble ladies in the capital. But he was naturally proud and looked down on most people. He never fell in love easily.
Even the noble and beautiful Princess Lingyang was rejected when she wanted to marry him.
If he didn't really like Song Wanchu, it would be useless to force him with the imperial edict of marriage.
The two of them should have lived in harmony after marriage. How could it have come to this?
The problem wasn't just because of Yu Huiyan's return.
The old lady couldn't figure it out.
"Wanchu has been sincere to you, but you don't even remember her birthday. You even indulge Yu Huiyan to show off in front of her. Are you worthy of her sincerity?"
"Sincerity?" Liang Yuzhou let out a mocking laugh. His eyes became even colder and deeper.
When he said these two words, it was as if he was despising something worthless.
The old lady's eyebrows twitched a few times. Doubts filled her mind.
Could it be that he knew something?