Yao Guang must not stay.
Her dowry would be sent off tomorrow. In five days, she would also find a way to leave the Duke's Mansion without alerting Liang Yuzhou, and then leave the capital with her uncle.
If Yao Guang kept following her, it would be like Liang Yuzhou had planted a pair of eyes on her, constantly monitoring her movements.
It would be troublesome if she wanted to leave smoothly.
Being too eager to drive Yao Guang away would make her seem guilty. Song Wanchu casually glanced at her without showing any emotion and walked past her.
Yao Guang didn't care about Song Wanchu's coldness at all. She got up on her own and followed.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue glared at her unfriendlyly.
She remained expressionless, her emotions very stable.
Su Yue muttered unhappily, "She's really a disciple of the Second Master. Her stony face is exactly the same as his!"
"Shh, keep your voice down!" Nan Zhi gently pinched her. "She clearly has good hearing, and she looks like the type who holds grudges."
After entering the Hall of Peace and Blessing, Song Wanchu served the old lady a cup of morning tea.
She had thought about it for a long time last night, hesitating on how to bring it up.
The old lady's birthday banquet had just ended, and she was looking forward to Song Wanchu and Liang Yuzhou reconciling. If she were to ask for the release of the concubine at this time, it might break the old lady's heart.
The old lady had whole - heartedly planned the position of the legal wife for her, and she was grateful.
But what the old lady promised her was no longer what she wanted.
The once - cherished hopes unexpectedly became something she would discard one day.
Before she could speak, the old lady brought up another matter first.
"Tomorrow is the day for the once - every - three - year memorial ceremony at the Pavilion of the Soaring Clouds. Your father's memorial tablet is also enshrined there. But since you're his only daughter and his adopted son can't make it back from the south of the Yangtze River, I've discussed it with the old master. We've decided to let Yuzhou, as your husband, offer sacrifices on your behalf to console your father's spirit in heaven. This can also be seen as a sign of the good relationship between the Liang and Song families."
Song Wanchu was momentarily stunned.
The Pavilion of the Soaring Clouds enshrined the heroes of past generations. Every three years, the emperor would allow their descendants to offer incense and pay their respects.
However, women were not allowed to enter the pavilion. They could only kneel and bow from a distance outside the main hall.
Song Wanchu originally planned to go to the palace alone and pay her respects outside the hall.
But the old lady had considered everything for her so thoughtfully. Inevitably, her heart was touched, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Although her relationship with Liang Yuzhou was over, their marriage still stood. If he was willing to offer a stick of incense for her father, her father's memorial tablet would no longer be left in long - term desolation.
"Thank you, old lady." She didn't know what else to say except to express her gratitude.
The old lady held her hand. It was warm.
"Your father sacrificed himself for my son. Our family owes you and your father a debt that can never be repaid. Yuzhou is just doing what he should."
The words about asking for the release of the concubine got stuck in her throat and couldn't come out.
She couldn't bring up the matter of asking for the release of the concubine in the next two days.
As she walked out of the Hall of Peace and Blessing, Song Wanchu felt a complex mix of emotions.
There was a faint sense of loss, mixed with indescribable gratitude.
At the entrance of the Hall of Peace and Blessing, she ran into the old master who had come to pay his respects to the old lady.
"Master." She curtsied and lowered her eyes.
It was the etiquette rule for women in aristocratic families not to look directly into the eyes of male elders.
"So it's Wanchu."
The old master chuckled. "I've just discussed it with Yuzhou. He's already gone to prepare the items needed for the sacrifice to your father. You'll go to the Pavilion of the Soaring Clouds with him early tomorrow morning."
"Yes, I'll follow your orders, master." Song Wanchu replied respectfully.
"I'll also take Chuan'er to pay respects to the ancestors of the Duke's Mansion tomorrow, so I won't have time to visit your father. I've told Yuzhou to offer a stick of incense for me to your father too."
Even after three years, Song Wanchu could still hear the old master's guilt over her father's sacrifice.
"Master, you don't have to be like this. You were my father's superior, and it was his duty to protect you."
As an inner - courtyard woman, she rarely saw the old master. Even in those few encounters, she could keenly sense that the old master's guilt towards her father seemed to exceed the emotion of a superior general towards the sacrifice of his subordinate.
The battlefield was cruel. Every time her father went to war, he was determined to die. Repaying the old master's kindness was also his belief.
But the old master's attitude always made Song Wanchu suspect that he was largely responsible for her father's death.
The old master's eyes flickered a few times, filled with both guilt and uneasiness.
Facing the understanding Song Wanchu, he felt even more ashamed.
"Even so, we still have to fulfill our emotional obligations."
The old master restrained his majesty, and his gaze became a bit more gentle.
Watching Song Wanchu's back, he sighed helplessly, his eyes full of complexity.
...
The next day, the memorial ceremony at the Pavilion of the Soaring Clouds was presided over by the Crown Prince on behalf of the emperor.
The solemn bell rang. The descendants of the heroes and good generals lined up in order of their titles and official ranks and entered the main hall one by one.
Under the guidance of the eunuch, Song Wanchu entered the side hall with other noble ladies and young misses to pay her respects.
She gave the little eunuch a silver ingot as a reward. The little eunuch beamed and stuffed a sachet into her hand.
"Madam Liang, it's hot today. This sachet is filled with spices scented with cooling oil. It can relieve the summer heat. If you feel uncomfortable, just take a sniff."
Then he quickly retreated.
Song Wanchu didn't even have time to ask who had sent it.
This little eunuch was neither a relative nor a friend of hers. It was obvious that he had been instructed by someone to give her the sachet.
It wasn't until she saw a flying swan embroidered on a corner of the sachet.
Lu Sihong, the name of the Crown Prince!
She suddenly grabbed the sachet and stuffed it into her belt.
The palm of her hand that had touched the sachet felt like it was being burned by fire.
Just thinking about carrying a gift from the Crown Prince with her made her feel uncomfortable all over.
There were many people here, and it was easy to be noticed. The Crown Prince's item must not be casually discarded. If it was picked up by someone with ulterior motives, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But if she kept it on her, it was hard to guarantee that Liang Yuzhou wouldn't find out...
Just when she was feeling extremely restless, the eunuch at the door shouted, "The Eldest Princess is coming!"
The Eldest Princess came as the eldest daughter of the royal family to console the descendants of the heroes.
Since the Crown Prince was on the men's side, she came to the side hall.
The sounds of greetings and kneeling filled the air for a while.
The Eldest Princess lazily scanned the faces of the women. "Get up. It's quite hot. Song Wanchu, accompany this princess to the inner room for a cup of iced tea."
Song Wanchu's heart tightened instantly.
The Eldest Princess had disliked her for a long time.
For various reasons related to her, the Eldest Princess had proposed a marriage for Yu Huiyan to Liang Yuzhou twice in three years, but both attempts had ended in failure.
Everyone in the capital knew how much this Eldest Princess cared about her face.
She probably hated Song Wanchu to the core.
Three years ago at the palace banquet, Song Wanchu had been made things difficult for by the Eldest Princess.
At that time, there had already been rumors that she had used her father's sacrifice to gain the imperial edict to marry Liang Yuzhou.
At the palace banquet, many young misses had unfriendly attitudes towards her.
The Eldest Princess had even asked her to toast Liang Yuzhou, which had made the young misses who had a crush on Liang Yuzhou hate her even more.
She didn't call anyone else but specifically named her. Song Wanchu didn't know how she would be made things difficult for!
Apart from the main hall, there were also several small rooms for people to rest in the side hall.
Song Wanchu was brought in front of the Eldest Princess. Behind her, the two doors were tightly closed.
The smile on the Eldest Princess's face disappeared instantly. She stared at Song Wanchu sinisterly, like a venomous snake spitting out its forked tongue.
"Song Wanchu, you must be very proud that Huiyan can't marry the Second Master Liang, right?"