Liang Yuzhou returned after leaving, which took Song Wanchu by surprise.
In his mind, the tears shed by Yu Huiyan out of a bit of grievance were more worthy of his pity and comfort than the fact that Song Wanchu might be tied up and stripped by Princess Lingyang.
There was a hidden anger in his eyes, but it was just his displeasure that his own possession had been touched by others.
"The matters between me and my wife don't trouble Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Liang Yuzhou's gaze shifted downward and he saw the red marks on Song Wanchu's wrists left by the hemp rope.
"Come with me." He grabbed Song Wanchu's arm gently.
Song Wanchu hadn't recovered from the shock yet and was led outside like a puppet on strings.
"Liang Yuzhou, how many times is this?"
Behind them came the Crown Prince's soft voice, full of implications. "On the day of your wedding, you left Wanchu to see Yu Huiyan off. A few days ago at the Princess Chang's mansion, you left Wanchu in front of everyone twice. Today, you knew well that my little sister is domineering and naughty, yet you still deliberately left Wanchu and took Yu Huiyan away. As her husband, have you ever considered Wanchu's feelings even a little bit?"
The Crown Prince's words stirred up the ripples deep in Song Wanchu's heart, and a faint sourness welled up in her chest.
There was a vein throbbing faintly on Liang Yuzhou's forehead, and his anger seemed ready to burst out at any moment.
The Crown Prince's status was not comparable to that of Du Yong, a small marquis. Song Wanchu didn't want Liang Yuzhou to cause a big disaster. She curtsied to the Crown Prince and then pulled Liang Yuzhou's hand and walked out of the Fenjin Tower.
Outside, the setting sun was already in its twilight. The sky was like being dyed blood - red, looking desolate everywhere.
The sun would eventually set, just like Song Wanchu's love for Liang Yuzhou.
From burning hot to ice - cold.
Liang Yuzhou tightly grasped her wrist and walked in the direction of the medical center.
"You can let go now."
Liang Yuzhou looked back, and Song Wanchu's cold and indifferent eyes came into his sight.
Moreover, he even saw a trace of impatience in her expression.
"Get your wound dressed!"
He tightened his grip on her, but then he heard Song Wanchu sneer, "Liang Yuzhou, I don't need the hands that wiped Yu Huiyan's tears to dress my wound. I find it disgusting!"
Liang Yuzhou's back suddenly stiffened.
Song Wanchu forcefully shook off his hand.
The Qi family's carriage galloped all the way and stopped in front of her. Nanzhi jumped off the carriage and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"Miss, I've been looking for you everywhere. I thought something had happened to you. I was so scared!"
Nanzhi nervously looked Song Wanchu up and down. Fortunately, apart from a slightly pale face, the miss was not seriously injured.
"Let's go home."
Song Wanchu had never been so eager to get rid of Liang Yuzhou as at this moment.
Nanzhi helped her into the carriage. The curtain quickly blocked her figure and also blocked Song Wanchu's sight.
At the moment when the curtain fell, Song Wanchu's heart finally calmed down.
The sun soon set, and the last bit of white in the sky was gradually swallowed up by the darkness.
It also swallowed Liang Yuzhou's figure.
On the other side, Zhou Sheng silently drove the carriage to Liang Yuzhou's side.
This carriage was the one the madam usually liked to take. Since the car - crash accident, the second master had specially asked the craftsman to reinforce it.
Early in the morning, the second master had also ordered the maid to fumigate the carriage with the fragrance of flowers and fruits and spread thick blankets and soft cushions, which were shock - absorbing and comfortable.
The second master was full of joy today, planning to welcome the madam back to the Duke's Mansion.
The carriage was here, but the person had left.
Liang Yuzhou just stood there quietly, his back looking more cold and lonely than ever.
Zhou Sheng couldn't help but say one more thing, "Second master, why didn't you tell the madam what happened at the palace banquet three years ago?"
The madam had always been whole - heartedly in love with the second master. If the second master could tell the story of being poisoned at the palace banquet three years ago, the madam would surely understand the second master's good intentions.
The darkness completely swallowed Liang Yuzhou, leaving only a vague and cold outline.
He said nothing, and his gaze became even colder.
...
On the way back, Song Wanchu unexpectedly met Liang Yuchuan.
He should have returned to the Duke's Mansion long ago. Why would he appear on the way to his uncle's house?
A little further ahead was the imperial palace.
As soon as Princess Lingyang left, Liang Yuchuan had followed. Could it be that he had escorted the princess all the way back to the palace?
Song Wanchu couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
Liang Yuchuan was four years older than Liang Yuzhou. Logically speaking, he should have gotten married to a proper wife long ago, but there were only two concubines beside him.
The old duke had always favored Liang Yuchuan and was particularly cautious about his marriage. After searching for many years, he still hadn't found a suitable one.
Behind his hesitation was nothing more than the thought that there was no woman with a prominent enough family background who could provide an extra guarantee for Liang Yuchuan to become the heir.
What the old duke did was a typical case of wanting it all. He clearly wanted to pass the position of the heir to Liang Yuchuan, but was afraid of being criticized, because Liang Yuzhou was more outstanding than Liang Yuchuan in both talent and martial arts.
So he wanted to choose a flawless marriage for Liang Yuchuan to help his favorite son ascend to the position of the heir.
If we were talking about a prominent family background, who could be more prominent than the only princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
It was a pity that this little princess's heart was not on Liang Yuchuan at all.
"Wanchu, refusing to go back to the Duke's Mansion with your second brother. Did he fail to coax you well?"
Liang Yuchuan's tone was a bit teasing.
Song Wanchu talked to him through the curtain of the carriage. "I'm just a concubine. I don't dare to let the second master condescend to coax me. I just heard that the second master and Miss Yu are about to get married. I don't want to distract him."
Liang Yuchuan smiled, seemingly appreciating her understanding of the overall situation. "You're right. The two of them can finally be together. After your second brother goes back this time, he'll be busy preparing the betrothal gifts."
Song Wanchu emptied her mind, not wanting to be affected by this matter.
This was something that was destined to happen from the moment when Liang Yuzhou used the first prize in the spring hunt to plead for Yu Jingnian.
No matter how badly she was hurt and how completely her heart was broken, Liang Yuzhou wouldn't care.
"Wanchu, as your elder brother, I'll say something I shouldn't. You've been living in your natal family. Have you ever thought that it would make our father and grandmother lose face?
You should go back. When Miss Yu marries into the Duke's Mansion, she'll be the unique mistress. As a concubine, you'll have to kneel down and serve her tea. If you keep avoiding, people will think you're jealous and don't understand the overall situation."
Liang Yuchuan's tone was gentle, but the words he said were a bit prickly, which was inconsistent with his usual kind and gentle image.
But what he said was the truth.
The truth was always hard to hear.
If Yu Huiyan married Liang Yuzhou, she would be the legitimate mistress.
It would only add another heavy yoke to Song Wanchu's already embarrassing status.
"Thank you for your reminder, elder brother."
Song Wanchu was now the biggest laughingstock in the capital. In the eyes of outsiders, she had schemed for three years but still couldn't get rid of the status of a concubine.
She was well aware of this and didn't need others to remind her.
She told the coachman to continue moving forward.
The wheels rolled forward twice. Liang Yuchuan turned his horse's head and caught up.
"Wanchu, if you don't want to be inferior to others, you should make plans for yourself earlier. It must be a kind of torture for you to watch your second brother and Miss Yu live in harmony."
Song Wanchu frowned slightly, feeling puzzled in her heart.