"Huiyan, are you showing off in front of the princess? Do you think the princess is Song Wanchu, who would let you swagger around without a peep?"
There was already a pool of horrified tears welling up in Yu Huiyan's eyes. "Cousin, I was wrong. I'll never dare to do it again!"
In front of Liang Yuzhou, all her tricks seemed so clumsy.
She had lost any reason to defend herself. Arguing with Liang Yuzhou would only make him loathe her more.
Tears became her only weapon to gain sympathy.
Liang Yuzhou watched as Yu Huiyan's tears streamed down one by one, but his emotions remained unmoved.
"You know well whether the red agate bracelet was given by me. Maybe its color symbolizes something, but once it's in your hands, it means nothing."
Yu Huiyan clutched at her chest. Her heart seemed to be out of control and suddenly plummeted, making her body go weak and even swallowing saliva extremely difficult.
"Huiyan, mind your own business."
Liang Yuzhou's words hit Yu Huiyan like a sledgehammer, and her vision went black.
...
Song Wanchu was tied up tightly. Princess Lingyang was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. She motioned to the two maids. "Strip her naked!"
"Little sister, don't be naughty!"
Suddenly, a man's voice sounded from behind. It was clear and mellow yet imposing.
The maids knelt down in a flurry, and the voices of "Long live the crown prince" rang out one after another.
Although Princess Lingyang was willful, she still had to follow the royal rules. She quickly got up from the chair and called out, "Brother Crown Prince."
The crown prince seemed to have dropped from the sky. Song Wanchu was momentarily stunned. When she came to her senses and was about to curtsy, the crown prince lifted his arm slightly and said gently, "You may be excused, Miss Song."
That day in the mansion of the eldest princess, he addressed her as "Second Madam Liang" in public, but today he called her Miss Song.
The different address also meant that the crown prince saw her in a different light.
Song Wanchu's heart was like being gently pinched. She couldn't quite tell what it felt like.
Behind the crown prince was Liang Yuchuan. He was dressed in a light purple brocade robe, looking elegant and amiable.
"Eldest brother." Song Wanchu lowered her head and called out.
The relationship between a brother - in - law and a sister - in - law was extremely sensitive. Without special circumstances, they were not supposed to look at each other.
"Why did you suddenly come, Brother Crown Prince?" Princess Lingyang was in high spirits and was a bit unhappy to be suddenly interrupted.
"You! If I hadn't come, you would have caused another disaster!"
The crown prince tapped Princess Lingyang's forehead with his knuckles. The force was not heavy, but his expression was serious.
Among Princess Lingyang's seven elder brothers, she was most afraid of the crown prince, especially when he was angry.
"I was just joking with her to scare Brother Liang Er."
Just thinking about Liang Yuzhou accompanying Yu Huiyan, wiping her tears, and caring about her injuries made Princess Lingyang feel unhappy.
She wanted to snatch him away from Yu Huiyan.
So she wanted to use Song Wanchu as bait.
The little girl's thoughts were shallow. Song Wanchu had guessed it, but Princess Lingyang overestimated Song Wanchu's position in Liang Yuzhou's heart.
"Naughty!" The crown prince scolded with a straight face. "Don't you know who she is? She is a noble concubine bestowed by the emperor. Her status in the duke's mansion is comparable to that of the main wife. When she goes out, she represents the face of the duke's mansion. How can you play tricks on her at will?"
Princess Lingyang mumbled, "So what if she's comparable to the main wife? She's still no match for that slut Yu Huiyan!"
This words were harsh and hurtful, but it was an undeniable fact.
The crown prince glanced at Song Wanchu, with a hint of worry in the corner of his eye. "It's just a child's random talk. Miss Song, don't take it to heart."
Song Wanchu had long since stopped caring.
Having died once, her body seemed to have grown a thick armor. The words that used to make her sad and embarrassed were now blocked outside her heart by the armor.
The wrists that had been tied by the hemp rope were left with red marks, winding like centipedes on her delicate and fair skin.
Song Wanchu rubbed her sore wrists. The crown prince beside her darkened his eyes.
"Whoever hurt Miss Song like this, slap yourself thirty times!"
The two tall maids knelt on the ground, trembling and in awe.
For a moment, the loud sound of slaps was continuous.
The crown prince's expression remained cold and unmoved.
After the two maids finished slapping themselves, they still had to be scolded by the crown prince. "You two were assigned to little sister by the queen mother. As the head maids, you should have advised and restrained her absurd behavior at all times. But instead, you've spoiled her so much that she's become completely lawless. If the queen mother knows about this, you'll be in big trouble!"
Princess Lingyang pouted her lips high. "Brother Crown Prince, you're scolding me indirectly!"
The crown prince's eyes turned cold, and a sense of oppression hit, as if a huge rock had fallen from the sky and pressed on her back.
"You several, escort little sister back to the palace properly."
Several senior maids quickly agreed. Princess Lingyang was very reluctant, but since Brother Crown Prince seemed angry, she had to leave dejectedly.
Liang Yuchuan's eyes followed her until Princess Lingyang got into the carriage.
He bowed to the crown prince and said, "Your Highness, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
The large Fenjin Tower became empty. The boss had already sensibly given the space to the crown prince and had taken all the servants to hide without a trace.
The crown prince was also an outsider to Song Wanchu, and his status was even more noble than Du Yong's.
She couldn't help but think of the crown prince's glance back and the silent call to her in the mansion of the eldest princess.
For no reason, she felt a flutter of panic. She quickly curtsied. "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me today. But our statuses are so different that it's not appropriate for me to be in the same room with you."
The crown prince didn't say a word. He stared at her deeply without any evasion. His eyes were very straightforward.
It was the look of a man looking at the woman he loved.
Such a look on Song Wanchu was no different from a heavy shackle. She felt a bit suffocated and was even more flustered to escape.
The crown prince's love was a burden she couldn't bear.
She came from a humble family. After marrying into the duke's mansion, she had already suffered countless sneers and cold shoulders. If people found out that the crown prince still had feelings for her...
She would be drowned in the saliva, and even her father who had died on the battlefield would have his good name ruined!
"I'll take my leave."
She turned her head, deliberately avoiding the crown prince's eyes, and was about to leave.
"Wanchu."
The crown prince called out.
This name seemed to have been held in his mouth for many years, full of twists and turns and tenderness.
"I regret it.
Knowing that you've had to endure so much grievance and go through so much humiliation after marrying Liang Yuzhou, I regret not being tougher back then and keeping you by my side."
Liang Yuzhou, who had rushed over in a hurry, suddenly stopped at the door.
His eyes shot out a cold and fierce light.
Song Wanchu looked up and met his gaze.
The crown prince was unhurried, seemingly not caring at all that his confession had been heard by Liang Yuzhou.
"Oh, the hero who comes to the rescue is still late?"