She couldn't tell whether the water was hotter or his palm. A warm current climbed up along her sole, and her body soon warmed up.
Liang Yuzhou lowered his head and said nothing, carefully washing her feet.
His fingertips caressed her dainty toes that were like pearls. He washed them meticulously. Those round and beautiful toes in his hands were like rare treasures.
There were quite a few calluses on his palm. When it brushed across her sensitive sole, it tickled her.
Song Wanchu bit her red lips, and a faint blush began to spread across her cheeks and behind her ears.
This was another side of Liang Yuzhou that she had never seen before. Although his temperament was still noble and proud, he was doing something completely different from what such a noble person would do.
She didn't know how to react for a moment.
Liang Yuzhou took her feet out of the water and dried them.
The charcoal fire in the room had just been lit, and the cold hadn't been dispelled yet. He placed Song Wanchu's feet on his chest to warm them.
Her soles were slightly cold while his chest was burning hot. Song Wanchu instinctively shrank back as if she had been burned. Liang Yuzhou let out a soft chuckle from his throat and pressed her feet harder against his chest.
The faint blush on Song Wanchu's face instantly turned bright red.
The temperature in the room hadn't risen yet, but the heat from her face was almost palpable.
"Is my wife not used to my body temperature anymore?" Liang Yuzhou said playfully.
"This is a Taoist temple, a place for spiritual cultivation!"
Nanzhi and Suyue were standing outside the curtain. They could come in at any moment and see the intimacy between the two.
Skin-to-skin contact in a place like Songhe Taoist Temple, and with Liang Yuzhou dressed as a Taoist priest, Song Wanchu always felt a sense of moral transgression.
"A place for spiritual cultivation?" Liang Yuzhou smiled with pursed lips. "Daoist Qiu leads the way in drinking and eating meat. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked."
He openly belittled himself, and his tone sounded quite proud.
Song Wanchu was defeated by his shamelessness.
After her feet were completely warm, Liang Yuzhou put on cotton socks for her.
"You gave your spare shoes to that maid. What will you wear?"
Even though those brocade shoes were adorned with Eastern pearls and embroidered with gold thread, she didn't feel any pity for them.
"It doesn't matter. I'll just dry the shoes I was wearing over the fire."
Nanzhi and Suyue lifted the curtain and came in. One poked the charcoal stove with a poker, and the other dried Song Wanchu's shoes and put them over the fire.
Yinglan came in, nodded and bowed to Liang Yuzhou, then bypassed him and directly asked Song Wanchu, "Miss, the three people from the Yue family are still in our hands. How should we deal with them?"
Song Wanchu thought for a moment. "Send those two gossiping women back to the Yue family. Bring that maid in. I have something to ask her."
She wouldn't lay a hand on the people around Old Madam Yue.
Sending the two women back to the Yue family, they would surely report what had happened today to Old Madam Yue.
She wanted Old Madam Yue to know that her reputation wasn't so easy to ruin, and she wasn't as fragile as Old Madam Yue thought, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
As for that maid, she was living proof of Old Madam Yue's attempt to smear the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was just worried about not being able to find a handle on Old Madam Yue. It was like having a pillow handed to him just when he was sleepy.
Soon, Yinglan brought in that maid.
She had already changed into a clean and warm dress, washed her hands and face, revealing a delicate face.
The little girl's eyes were panicked and helpless. Obviously, she thought she was going to be punished and was extremely nervous and frightened.
"What's your name?" Song Wanchu asked.
"My name is Xiangyun, miss."
Song Wanchu got straight to the point. "Old Madam Yue instructed you to slander me, but her plan failed. If you go back like this, what will she do to you?"
Xiangyun trembled fearfully, looking at Song Wanchu with teary eyes. "My family is as humble as ants. The old madam said that if I didn't listen to her, she would beat my mother and elder sister to death and then sell me to a brothel..."
Old Madam Yue's threat was obviously effective. Xiangyun didn't dare to disobey.
Song Wanchu smiled. She was already extremely beautiful, and when she smiled, she was as bright as a lotus in bloom, as if she had a calming effect.
Xiangyun suddenly felt that she seemed to see a glimmer of hope for survival.
"The Crown Prince is investigating Old Madam Yue's background. At this critical moment, she definitely won't dare to cause a human life. Otherwise, she would be handing the Crown Prince a ready-made handle. You don't have to be afraid. Your mother and elder sister won't be in danger. If you're willing to stay and help me with something, I can help you rescue your mother and elder sister from the Yue family."
Xiangyun was so excited that she knelt down and kowtowed three times.
The floor of the room in Songhe Taoist Temple was paved with thick and hard green bricks. The little maid just banged her forehead against the ground, making a "thud, thud" sound.
Song Wanchu's expression changed slightly. Xiahe quickly helped her up.
"Thank you, Miss Song, for saving our family! You're the living Buddha of our family!"
Those three kowtows had already proven her determination.
Song Wanchu tilted her chin at Nanzhi. Nanzhi nodded, took out a silver coin from the package, and stuffed it into Xiangyun's hand.
Xiangyun held the silver coin, and tears streamed down her face.
She had slandered Miss Song, which had led to people's contempt and scolding of her. But Miss Song didn't hold a grudge. Not only was she going to save their family's lives, but she also gave her a reward!
Even if she had to lay down her life for Miss Song, she would do it without hesitation!
"Yinglan, take her down, apply some medicine to her forehead, and get her something to eat."
Yinglan took Xiangyun away.
Liang Yuzhou had been silent all this time.
He stared into Song Wanchu's clear and bright eyes. "Wanchu, I didn't know you were so good at winning people's hearts."
Suyue curled her lips at Liang Yuzhou. "Our miss has many other good qualities. You were blind for three years, so of course you couldn't see them!"
When Song Wanchu was still Liang Yuzhou's concubine, Suyue would never have dared to say such things.
But now, Liang Yuzhou's status had changed, his attitude towards the miss had changed, and her courage had also grown.
Liang Yuzhou didn't show any intention of refuting. "My blindness has been cured."
Actually, he had always known that Wanchu was good at managing the household and the inner courtyard.
The old madam had a discerning eye. She appreciated Wanchu and gave her the power to manage the household because she saw her beauty and wisdom.
However, he had previously misunderstood that Wanchu liked Shi Luohan. So no matter what Wanchu did, he always had a prejudice against her and thought she had other motives.
It was only now that he deeply realized how wrong he had been in the past.
Especially when those common people pointed at her nose and called her a femme fatale, he felt so heart - broken that he could hardly breathe, but Wanchu remained calm and composed, as if she was used to it.
How much wind and rain had he brought to Wanchu in the past?
His indifference had fueled the rumors.
Thinking of these, his throat tightened.
The pain he had brought to Wanchu couldn't be compensated for by just washing her feet once.
"Wanchu, I'm sorry."
Song Wanchu had heard too many apologies. Through Liang Yuzhou's eyes, she seemed to be able to see the bloody wounds on his heart.
All the past events were like sharp boomerangs, stabbing his heart again and again.
The feeling of guilt was really unbearable.
Song Wanchu smiled calmly. "Liang Yuzhou, you've said sorry too many times."
"It's still not enough." Liang Yuzhou shook his head.
"Helping me like you did today is good enough." Song Wanchu said. "Knowing that you're supporting me from behind makes me feel at ease."
Liang Yuzhou's expression brightened from gloomy.
The word "at ease" she said was more meaningful than countless "forgiveness".
Liang Yuzhou put his arm around her waist, pulled Song Wanchu into his arms, and let her straddle his lap.
Their noses touched. Liang Yuzhou's lips slowly traced the outline of her lips, as if he was savoring a delicious dish.
The curtain made a slight rustling sound. Song Wanchu glanced outside and blushed to the roots of her hair.