“Miss Zhu told her not to speak carelessly and bring trouble upon herself.”

Wuyan raised an eyebrow and laughed. What an excellent case of pointing to a deer and calling it a horse, of framing someone. However, she hadn’t expected Zhu Xin to remain so kindhearted.

Aunt Liang said angrily, “What is she trying to stir up? Miss, let’s go take a look. If we can’t stop this woman, we’ll go explain to the Marquis first.”

But Wuyan felt in her heart that this matter couldn’t be resolved through explanation – there were likely other complications involved.

However, right now she did need to know what exactly Pingping was up to.

In the afternoon, Huo Chang’an, following his usual habit, went to the practice room for martial arts. After finishing his practice, Uncle Liang came to report accounts to him, and the two were returning to the east wing together.

Lian Yue wasn’t in the room. There was a letter left on the desk.

The handwriting wasn’t as elegant as usual but very messy and chaotic.

“Chang’an, I’ve thought for a long time about whether to leave or stay, and finally decided to leave temporarily. I lied to you again before. You said Lian Yue should be proud, so I’ve finally decided to confess everything to you. When I went to see Wuyan, it wasn’t to persuade her to stay, but to speak harshly, hoping she would leave. She has always hated me and also made threats. To avoid making things difficult for you, I’m going to stay with my mother temporarily to calm my evil thoughts. I’ll return once my malicious intentions subside. Don’t worry about me.”

Huo Chang’an frowned, put down the letter, and strode out of the room. Encountering Uncle Liang, he asked if he had seen Madam. Uncle Liang was startled and shook his head.

Huo Chang’an frowned even deeper and headed toward the back courtyard.

The carriages were all in the back courtyard.

Upon arriving, the coachman was already raising his whip. He leaped to block the horse’s path. The two coachmen were terrified, the horse was startled, its front hooves nearly rearing up to kick. Huo Chang’an pressed one palm against the horse’s head, and the horse couldn’t move at all. The coachmen took advantage of this to steady the tilting carriage.

A maid helped the slightly pale Lian Yue step out of the carriage.

Seeing him, Lian Yue smiled bitterly. Without a word, Huo Chang’an grabbed her hand and started walking.

“Chang’an, stop.” Lian Yue called out softly, her eyes also containing anger. “Where are you taking me?”

“Come, let’s go find Wei Wuyan. Let’s get everything clear. You are my wife – you’re not going anywhere.” Huo Chang’an looked at her and said in a deep voice. Lian Yue had a strong personality, and at this moment her eyes were slightly red, finally showing relieved joy. “Chang’an.”

“Where are they?” Stepping out of the room, Wuyan asked quietly.

“Miss, over there. Let’s go quietly.” One maid pointed to a spot outside the courtyard.

Wuyan nodded.

They moved very quickly. Leaving the courtyard, they indeed found the two still arguing in low voices behind some flowers. Both looked agitated, showing how intense their dispute was.

“Zhu Xin, I know you’ve always been one to avoid trouble, but you were with me at the time. If I say something, you can’t escape being questioned either. However, Madam helped me this time, so I should return the favor by reporting to the Marquis what I overheard!” Pingping said angrily, gripping Zhu Xin’s shoulders tightly.

Zhu Xin bit her lip slightly, looking at her coldly. “Your reporting to the Marquis isn’t because Madam helped you, but because you’re afraid Wuyan will steal the Marquis’s favor from you?”

“So what if it is? Don’t you fear the same? Why pretend to be virtuous? Since Wuyan dared to say it, she shouldn’t fear me testifying against her. We were returning from outside when we heard arguing in her room. Out of curiosity, we eavesdropped at the door. Madam didn’t like her, and she personally said she wanted Madam and the child dead! Haven’t you seen clearly these past few days? This woman can’t coexist peacefully with us. If something happens to Madam, we’ll be next. What’s wrong with me planning for myself? Besides, no matter how we compete, we’ve never thought of harming the Marquis’s child!”

“But perhaps it was just words spoken in anger?”

“Angry words? Zhu Xin, you’re kindhearted and don’t want to cause trouble, but didn’t you also hear clearly at the time? Otherwise, why would you say they were angry words? This proves she did say those things, doesn’t it?!”

Wuyan knew things were going badly. She slowly turned aside, seeing Aunt Liang and the two maids looking at her with some alarm. She took a breath. “Aunt, whether you believe it or not, I didn’t!”

Aunt Liang hesitated but finally nodded.

But her intuition told her that the worst part must be yet to come.

“Hmph, did you really not say those things?”

Pingping and the other woman heard the sound and suddenly looked over. Though somewhat surprised, Pingping lifted her chin defiantly, looking at Wuyan with the attitude of one who held the moral high ground.

Wuyan didn’t even look at her but stared intently at Zhu Xin. Zhu Xin had been frowning slightly, but then suddenly changed, looking behind her in shock.

Wuyan shivered, and Aunt Liang had already turned around, staring in stunned amazement at the person behind them.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Huo Chang’an stood there with his arm around Lian Yue, silently watching several people. Uncle Liang stood beside him, his expression shocked.

The two maids paid their respects. Huo Chang’an emanated a coldly intimidating aura, saying only two words: “Get lost.”

The two were so frightened they trembled like sieves and quickly moved aside. Pingping, who had been clamoring to report to Huo Chang’an, now seeing the man himself, froze completely.

“What exactly were you talking about just now?” His voice was as cold as ice, his eyes holding a trace of cruel light.

Though he could be stern at times, it was rarely to this extent. When had Pingping ever seen the usually gentle and smiling Marquis Huo like this? Terrified, she couldn’t speak.

“I’m asking – what exactly happened? Someone tell me.” Huo Chang’an sneered coldly, his knife-like gaze sweeping over Pingping and Zhu Xin. Both trembled all over.

Aunt Liang’s lips were also slightly pale. She wanted to say a few words for Wuyan, steeling herself to speak out. She said to Zhu Xin, “Miss Xin, please be merciful and tell the Marquis the truth. Miss Yan is not such a vicious person.”

Wuyan stared intently at Zhu Xin. Zhu Xin smiled bitterly and answered, “Didn’t you hear it yourself, sir? Zhu Xin has nothing to say.”

As expected. Though Wuyan had already known the answer, hearing Zhu Xin’s words, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Very good.” Hearing this, Huo Chang’an released Lian Yue and walked toward her. He grasped her hand roughly. “Feeling jealous now – isn’t it too late?”

“You’re living under someone else’s roof – how dare you touch my people?”

His strength seemed ready to crush her wrist, and the coldness and ruthlessness in his eyes made Wuyan feel that the Huo Chang’an before her was no longer someone she knew.

In her haste, she glanced at Lian Yue. Lian Yue looked at her with complex emotions, her eyes carrying both sighs and hatred – everything still perfectly orchestrated.

This was actually a very small trap within a trap.

She had guessed that Lian Yue would act quickly, but actually, when Lian Yue had told her, she had already begun setting it up. So swift, and moreover, this Princess Imperial had utilized her pregnancy but hadn’t harmed herself.

Yes, she had forgotten – Lian Yue was Princess Imperial. Even when eliminating opponents, she wouldn’t imitate the pitiful and tragic methods of palace women.

“I was jealous, but no matter how jealous, I only targeted her. Knowing she was pregnant, I would never harm your child.”

She didn’t become hysterical defending herself but calmly stated this fact to him.

“If I said this was a trap, would you believe me?”

The cold smile in Huo Chang’an’s eyes deepened. Uncle Liang couldn’t help speaking up: “Miss, traps are man-made. If this was a frame-up, why wouldn’t they report directly to the Marquis instead of arguing endlessly here? Miss Zhu originally didn’t even want to make this matter public. We all know Miss Zhu is broad-minded and couldn’t do such a thing.”

Wuyan remained silent, suddenly glancing at the two maids. But Aunt Liang spoke first with a bitter smile: “Miss, this old servant doesn’t know how things came to this, but I personally selected these two girls for you. Of course, it’s not impossible they were bribed, but I sent them to fetch food for you. Without this opportunity, they couldn’t have heard this secret. I believe you, but are you going to suspect even me?”

Wuyan did trust Aunt Liang. She knew this old woman wasn’t lying. She had known her too long.

Some things she couldn’t figure out at the moment. Everything was reasonable and logical. She looked at Lian Yue. “Princess Imperial is indeed Princess Imperial.”

Seeing her like this, Uncle Liang became furious: “Things have come to this point – why must you continue slandering Madam? If the Marquis hadn’t come looking for you, he wouldn’t have followed here at all.”

“But could Madam have known in advance that the Marquis would come looking for you? Even granting that Madam has divine foresight and understands the Marquis’s thoughts completely, could she have known my wife would come find you? Could she even have calculated that my wife would send someone with food, thereby allowing Miss Ping and Miss Xin to lie in ambush beforehand and stage this scene?”

“If the Marquis had left a bit later, you would have already returned. If you had left a step earlier, the Marquis couldn’t have found you to follow you here. One step’s difference would have completely changed the outcome – is this something that can be arranged?”

Yes, this appeared to be a frame-up that couldn’t possibly succeed, yet Lian Yue had indeed pulled it off. Every point Uncle Liang questioned was reasonable. In this small trap, everyone seemed to have variables – unless it was the truth, it simply couldn’t make sense as a setup.

Wuyan was at a loss for words.

“What, are you speechless now?” Huo Chang’an stared at her coldly, his grip suddenly tightening.

Wuyan was in such pain that cold sweat broke out. With Lian Yue operating from the shadows, she couldn’t overthrow everything before her at the moment. For now, all she could do was observe his attitude.

“Huo Chang’an, you said I should know what kind of person you are. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? I never said such things.”

“People change. I once thought you only loved me, didn’t I?”

He finally remembered their past affection and slowly released her, but his gaze was as cold as a stranger’s. “Wei Wuyan, for the sake of our past feelings, I’ll let you off this once. I don’t want to personally harm you, but if you dare threaten my wife again, I will be able to bring myself to do it. You can’t remain here any longer.”

Wuyan had imagined countless times the scene of their final parting because they could never return to the past, and she knew that once this matter was resolved, there would be no more connection between them. But she had never imagined that he would bid her farewell while deeply loving Lian Yue.