“I’ll go see him.”

“…”

Yang Lun thought he had misheard, staring as he asked, “What did you say?”

“I said since you don’t know how to protect me, then hand me over.”

If his wife hadn’t been shielding her, Yang Lun truly feared he wouldn’t have been able to control himself from slapping her right there.

He paced back and forth anxiously in the ancestral hall, clutching his hands, finally stopping in front of Yang Wan and shouting, “I’ve protected you for eighteen years, and now you want me to hand you over? Do you think you’re some important figure in the capital who can split off and make decisions for the Yang household? Or do you think I’m dead? That you need to take charge yourself?”

Xiao Wen heard the protectiveness in his words and hurriedly tried to mediate, “In the end, you just care for this girl. Why talk of ‘death’ and ‘life’? It sounds so frightening. In my opinion, we need to think carefully about how to weather this storm – that’s what’s important.”

Yang Lun was half-pulled, half-coaxed back a step by her. He walked to the shadowed doorway, hands behind his back, and after a long silence, barely containing his emotions, waved his hand saying, “I’ll go see Zhang Luo.”

Xiao Wen asked, “Last time you went to see him, he wouldn’t meet you. This time he’s come personally – could something be wrong?”

Yang Lun laughed, “Of course something’s wrong. He didn’t come alone – there are Embroidered Uniform Guard officers outside.”

“He brought the Guard… What… what is he planning to do?”

“It’s not surprising. Questioning officials is the responsibility of the Northern Judicial Commissioner’s Office.”

Xiao Wen’s voice trembled slightly, “Then why are you still going?”

“That was all angry talk earlier. If I don’t go, should we let her go instead? As long as I’m not dead, no one in this family will suffer unclear humiliation. This man handles secret matters for His Majesty; he rarely reveals his true intentions. But since he’s come this time, I’ll see what blade he’s hiding under his robes.”

Xiao Wen felt a chill run down her spine.

“Why don’t you avoid this meeting, and I’ll go speak with Madam Jiang at the Zhang household…”

“You needn’t show your face. They’ll have nothing good to say when they see you. Stay and look after Mother.”

After speaking, he turned to Yang Wan, “And you, just keep kneeling here. Don’t think of going anywhere.”

Yang Wan refused to accept this show of “concern.”

“My kneeling here only disturbs the ancestors, and the voices outside won’t quiet down.”

Fearing Yang Wan would provoke Yang Lun’s anger again, Xiao Wen quickly said to her, “Wan’er, just listen to your brother’s words. He will protect you well.”

Yang Wan brushed aside Xiao Wen, pressed her hands on her knees, straightened her upper body, and raised her head to look into Yang Lun’s eyes. “Brother should understand that this matter isn’t something the Yang and Zhang families wanted to create – it was dug up by those outside who thrive on chaos. Both our families are laughingstocks, and to maintain any dignity, one side must be forced to yield. If we yield and break the engagement, it means I admit to losing my virtue before marriage. If the Zhang family yields and marries me, they disgrace themselves. Either way, it’s all very entertaining outside, with a basketful of malicious talk, so this storm isn’t something to be avoided at all.”

Though she seemed to be speaking about her affairs, her perspective wasn’t centered on herself, nor was it confined merely to the Yang family’s interests.

Yang Lun was stunned.

Xiao Wen found it even more incredible.

Yang Wan took this opportunity to sit up, and as blood suddenly flowed back to her knees, the sensation nearly made her cry. She lowered her head and, disregarding Yang Lun’s presence, rolled up her trouser legs. “This is just tormenting your own family to settle your anger. I know brother is angry that I don’t understand things, and if brother could truly calm his anger through this, I wouldn’t mind enduring it. But after venting your anger at me, don’t you still have to face difficulties outside? So what’s the point of this?”

As she spoke, she reached to massage her knees.

Seeing the bruised kneecaps, Xiao Wen felt heartache and quickly grabbed her hands, “Wan’er, don’t rub them.”

Yang Wan pulled her hands away, “Sister-in-law, don’t mind me. I need to numb myself through this pain, otherwise, how will I be able to stand later?”

After speaking, she drew in a breath, closed her eyes, and pressed hard on her knees. Though it indeed helped blood flow and relieved the numbness, leaving her “refreshed,” it made Xiao Wen clench her teeth watching.

“Ah… heavens, Yin’er, help me up.”

“This…”

Yin’er instinctively looked toward Yang Lun.

Yang Lun, bewildered by the unprecedented calmness and courage in her voice, couldn’t help but ask, “When did you think of all this?”

Seeing Yin’er’s timidity, Yang Wan didn’t count on her help and struggled to stand up herself. She patted the dust from her knees, stood straight, and walked before Yang Lun. Though she was much shorter than him, she insisted on meeting his eyes before speaking.

“Haven’t I been thinking about this while confined here these past days? I’ve thought of a way out and planned my escape route. I can save myself and also make it impossible for Zhang Luo to trouble our Yang family.”

Hearing these words, Yang Lun suddenly laughed and raised his arm to point at Yang Wan’s forehead, “What are you being so arrogant about? What escape route do you have now? If Zhang Luo breaks off this engagement, I’ll have to keep you here for life. Yet you still talk of saving yourself? I…”

“Since you have no solution, won’t you at least hear me out?”

“You… Fine.”

Yang Lun stifled with anger, pulled over a cushion, and forcefully pushed it by his feet, sitting cross-legged, “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Seeing him seated, Yang Wan softened her tone, “Good, since brother is willing to listen, let me first ask you and sister-in-law something: do you believe I am still a virgin?”

Hearing the word “virgin,” Yang Lun immediately stiffened his neck, and even Xiao Wen couldn’t speak.

“Just answer me.”

She crossed her arms, and though discussing her own body, her voice was crisp and clear.

This difference in female body consciousness was separated by eras – something Yang Lun and Xiao Wen could never understand.

Yang Lun could bear it no longer and could only rebuke her: “Who taught you to speak so wildly? Is this something you should be saying? Even if your sister-in-law and I believe you, what do people outside think? You say you understand things now, but I don’t think you even know what loss you’re suffering!”

“What people outside think is all empty talk. Rumors are rumors because no matter how true they sound, they can’t get to the real truth. Before Deng Ying was tortured, he was indeed condemned as a traitor by the Three Judicial Offices, but it was different after his torture. He’s now part of the Directorate of Ceremonial – this was Chief Eunuch He Yixian’s suggestion to the Three Offices, and the Emperor approved it. So regardless of his motives, He Yixian won’t want outside dirt splashing onto the inner court. Moreover, with the urgent reconstruction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, those in the Ministry of Works don’t want such matters distracting Deng Ying.”

Yang Lun countered, “So what?”

“Doesn’t brother understand yet?”

Yang Wan tilted her head, “Because of Deng Ying, Zhang Luo won’t dare to move against me.”

Her voice suddenly grew heavier, “Forcing me to admit I lost my virtue would be like putting Deng Ying to death. Zhang Luo is with the Embroidered Uniform Guard – if the Hall of Supreme Harmony isn’t completed, the Emperor’s displeasure won’t benefit him. I dare to see him because I bet he won’t do anything to me. No matter how composed he appears now, how he treats brother, in his heart he merely hopes we’ll voluntarily break off the engagement to avoid involving our sister in the palace and troubling his great master.”

Though Yang Wan’s words were quiet, their meaning was sharp.

Hearing this, Yang Lun felt his throat grow cold. He swallowed unconsciously, and that chill sensation flowed into his stomach.

He stared at Yang Wan’s eyes in amazement, gradually beginning to scrutinize her.

“How do you know about the affairs of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the court?”

Yang Wan replied: “Am I just a lifeless object in this household? When you all talk, I can hear some things too.”

Yang Lun looked at her without immediately responding.

After a long silence, he suddenly shook his head: “No, even though I might occasionally say a few extra words in front of you and your sister-in-law, I’ve never spoken to this extent.”

“Then perhaps I haven’t lived here in vain.”

Yang Wan continued his thought, “I haven’t finished speaking. Brother, let me see Zhang Luo. I’ll break off this engagement myself.”

“Not, don’t even think about it!”

Xiao Wen said worriedly: “Yes, don’t go. He’s like the King of Hell, you can’t face him.”

Yang Wan looked at Yang Lun, “I don’t want you to shield me. This matter originally had nothing to do with you.”

“Stop saying such heartless things!”

Yang Wan opened her mouth but fell silent, feeling somewhat regretful.

Indeed, her previous words might have gone too far for Yang Lun.

The ancestral hall grew quiet for a moment. The warm, fine breeze from the hearth made Yang Wan’s face flush and Yang Lun’s eyes redden.

Seeing the standoff between them, Xiao Wen spoke to ease the tension: “If breaking the engagement could end this matter, that would be fine, but what about after? What will happen to our Wan’er? Won’t a perfectly good young lady be ruined?”

Following her voice, Yang Wan shifted her gaze from Yang Lun and gently held Xiao Wen’s hand, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Though I can’t defend myself against these accusations, chastity is something you either have or don’t have. Even if I can’t prove my innocence, there are still places in this world where I can seek justice.”

Yang Lun glanced at Xiao Wen.

Though she was his sister, he was still a man and couldn’t speak too much on this topic.

Xiao Wen understood Yang Lun’s meaning.

“Such words can’t be spoken lightly. What place could right such a hopeless wrong?”

“There is – the Palace Department of Imperial Attire.”

“The Department of Imperial Attire…”

Yang Wan nodded, habitually adopting her thesis-writing style, directly pointing to the temporal node and its corresponding historical facts.

“Since the tenth year of Zhenning, the Department of Imperial Attire’s selection of female servants requires them to be virgins. Participating in the selection can prove my innocence.”

After speaking, she smoothly laid out the path ahead.

“If I go see Zhang Luo, this matter won’t involve my brother’s moral character. Zhang Luo won’t be able to trouble their brother using the pretense of questioning imperial officials. Moreover, I need Zhang Luo’s attitude – the more he humiliates me, the better. I’m not afraid of those unpleasant words outside. After I enter the Department of Imperial Attire, the Zhang family’s breaking of the engagement will naturally become their evil act of forcibly sullying my reputation. Brother can then do the Zhang family a favor. As for Mother and Sister-in-law, they won’t have to hear those filthy things about me anymore.”

After listening to Yang Wan’s speech, Xiao Wen was stunned and could only stammer, “The way you speak, it sounds like you’re taking advantage of this storm, but…”

Her voice softened, and her eyes reddened, “To put a young lady’s reputation so nakedly on display for bargaining… it’s… it’s too unfair.”

Yang Wan didn’t feel there was anything wrong with this.

However, Yang Lun vaguely sensed that there was a layer to his sister before him that he increasingly couldn’t see clearly. Though she sat right in front of him, she was no longer like before, when she would only gently tug at his sleeve when encountering problems, asking him how to handle this or that.

Every sentence she spoke now calculated gains and losses, every matter weighed cause and effect. From Deng Ying to Zhang Luo, and finally, to herself – she had found ways to turn a dead game into a living one. This was completely beyond what the former Yang Wan could have conceived.

Most chilling was that when she spoke of these things, she showed none of the self-pity a woman might feel for her situation. She was even willing to put her reputation out for thousands to discuss to use. And remarkably, she wasn’t sad at all.

“What happened to you at the lakes?”

The words slipped out, too quiet for Yang Wan to hear, as she was still helping him consider the proper official and familial stance.

“Brother, hand me over. There’s no reason for me to hide at home after making such a big mistake, letting you take the burden. You’re an official in the Ministry – these are just small domestic matters of mine. These past few days have made you all ponder them like great affairs, which is unnecessary.”