After walking out of the prison, the sky outside had somehow turned overcast.
The cold wind was biting.
People said that winter in Yunzhou was warm, but every time Wan Chu turned away without a backward glance, Liang Yuzhou felt a bone - chilling cold.
"Your Highness, go back and rest for a few days," Yaoguang said, her heart tightening as she looked at Liang Yuzhou's increasingly pale face.
He had been coughing violently at night for several days. There were obvious dark circles under his eyes. He had not been getting enough rest, and after leaving the Chu mansion, he exuded an air of sickly exhaustion.
Daoist Qiu had warned that if he continued to overexert himself like this, he would surely cough up blood and die, and not even the gods could save him.
"Okay, let's go back first," Liang Yuzhou replied, lost in thought. Old Lady Yue would soon take action against the Chu family, and Wan Chu would be dragged into it again...
He grabbed the reins and swung a leg onto the horse's back. Suddenly, his vision went black.
A sweet and fishy taste welled up in his throat. The thick blood he had been holding back since the dinner at the Chu mansion finally spurted out.
His tall body crashed to the ground with a thud.
"Your Highness!" Zhou Sheng, Zhou Yan, and Yaoguang were all in a panic.
"Brother, Your Highness has a high fever!" Zhou Yan and Zhou Sheng each grabbed an arm and hoisted Liang Yuzhou up.
His body temperature was alarmingly hot.
His face was as white as paper, his thin lips tightly pursed, and his head drooped lifelessly to one side of his shoulder.
Zhou Sheng managed to steady his nerves. "Hurry, take His Highness back to Songhe Temple!"
...
Song Wanchu didn't sleep well that night.
She dreamt that she was wearing a phoenix - crowned wedding dress and marrying Shi Luohan. When she lifted the bridal veil, she saw Shi Luohan's happy smile.
Behind him stood Liang Yuzhou.
No, to be exact, he was floating.
He was dead, turned into a ghost, and floated into the bridal chamber of Shi Luohan and her.
His whole body was transparent, light as a feather. Only his resentful eyes were exactly the same as when he was alive.
Song Wanchu woke up with a start, covered in cold sweat.
Perhaps scared by the dream, she was absent - minded all morning.
She dropped the teacup while drinking tea and pricked her finger while doing embroidery.
"Miss, Old Lady Chu requests your presence!" A maid came to pass on the message.
When she arrived at Cihui Courtyard, Song Wanchu paid her respects to Old Lady Chu and saw several invitation cards on the small table.
Old Lady Chu frowned, looking very troubled.
"Wanchu, there's a difficult matter I need to talk to you about." Old Lady Chu handed her an invitation card.
Song Wanchu opened it and saw that it was an invitation from Old Lady Yue for Old Lady Chu to visit and have colorful glutinous rice balls.
In Yunzhou, especially in winter, it was a custom to entertain distinguished guests with colorful glutinous rice balls. The five colors represented completeness, keeping out the cold, warding off disasters, and hoping for a good year ahead.
"This is already the third invitation from the Yue family," Old Lady Chu knitted her brows. "I declined the first two times, but if I decline this time, it will seem that our family is ungrateful."
Old Lady Chu was wise. Although the Chu family kept a distance from the prefect's mansion, it was not good to completely offend Old Lady Yue, the most influential person in the prefect's mansion.
"Old Lady Yue specifically instructed that besides bringing my granddaughters, I should also bring you," Old Lady Chu added.
Song Wanchu put the invitation card back.
If Liang Yuzhou hadn't shown up in time on the day she was kidnapped and told her what the Yue family was up to, she would have been very panicked and confused when seeing Old Lady Yue's invitation. But now she wasn't that scared because she already knew Old Lady Yue's purpose.
Inviting Old Lady Chu and the Chu family's granddaughters was just a pretext. The main purpose was to see her.
"Wanchu, what do you think about this?" Old Lady Chu was shrewd but couldn't figure out why Old Lady Yue suddenly showed such friendliness to the Chu family.
That old lady seemed to be from a duke's family, looking down on everyone and disdaining to deal with merchants. This move was really puzzling.
Song Wanchu smiled. "You're right, Old Lady. Repeatedly declining would make us seem unappreciative. It's just an ordinary visit. There's no harm in going. We won't know Old Lady Yue's purpose until we meet her and talk to her. Just sitting here and thinking won't lead to any results."
Old Lady Chu pondered for a moment and then nodded. "You make sense. I'll have someone write a reply."
When Song Wanchu returned to Meiying Studio, Shi Luohan had been waiting for a while.
She told him about her conversation with Old Lady Chu.
Shi Luohan frowned, looking unhappy.
"Wanchu, the Yue family has evil intentions. Aren't you just throwing yourself into the tiger's mouth?"
Old Lady Yue had only invited inner - house women, and he couldn't go with her. How could he feel at ease?
"If I don't go, it will be difficult for Old Lady Chu. If I go and have a straightforward talk with Old Lady Yue, show her my attitude, the Yue family will have to think twice before they act against me," Song Wanchu said.
Shi Luohan was rebuffed and his face turned cold.
"The Yue family is a den of tigers. Knowing they have ill intentions, you still want to go? Wanchu, you're just a weak woman. You shouldn't be so headstrong."
Song Wanchu patiently analyzed the pros and cons for Shi Luohan. "I've already been targeted. Whether I face it or not, I'll be in trouble. It's better to face it directly and let Old Lady Yue know my principles. If they still care about the dignity of a big family, they should think carefully about the consequences of provoking us."
Shi Luohan looked into Song Wanchu's determined eyes, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
"Wanchu, you've changed."
His chest felt stuffy. Since she met Liang Yuzhou, the gentle and tender woman seemed to have disappeared from her body.
Now she was reckless and impulsive.
"Do you know what Liang Yuzhou said to you that day? He has a great influence on you now," Shi Luohan said.
It was like a blunt knife cutting at Song Wanchu's heart. The dull pain that didn't bleed was more torturous than the pain of bloodshed.
Shi Luohan's words were that blunt knife.
Maybe he didn't know that he had been hurting her with his harsh words again and again in the name of worrying about her and caring about her.
Since accidentally meeting Liang Yuzhou, she had never mentioned his name on her own initiative.
On the contrary, every time they had a dispute, Brother always brought up that name and blamed Liang Yuzhou for their conflicts.
Song Wanchu clearly realized that sometimes the problems between them had nothing to do with Liang Yuzhou.
He always thought that it was his responsibility to protect her, and she just needed to hide behind him and be a delicate and weak woman.
But she was a person with her own thoughts. Some problems couldn't be solved by hiding behind a man.
Brother didn't understand that the inner - house of women was also a battlefield without gunpowder.
Song Wanchu tried hard to keep a calm face. "Brother, can we stop mentioning that name, please?"
Her voice was so soft that she could hardly hear it herself.
Shi Luohan's eyes trembled, and his heart sank.
He had spoken without thinking again and hurt Wanchu.
"Okay, I won't mention it. Wanchu, it's my fault," Shi Luohan said.
Song Wanchu felt stuffy in her chest. "Brother, let's go out for a stroll."
She wanted to go out and relax.
Shi Luohan quickly replied, "Sure, I'll take you out. How about going to Zhaiyue Tower? The pastries and fruits there are delicious."
It didn't matter where they went. Song Wanchu nodded.
The two got into the carriage and went to Zhaiyue Tower.
The owner of the tower was familiar with Chu Shangxu and arranged a private room for them.
Shi Luohan pushed open the door and suddenly smelled a bloody odor.
His eyes immediately became alert. He drew his sword and pointed it at the screen.
A vague figure loomed behind the screen.
"Who's there?"