Chapter 132: Cousin, You... You’re Hurting Me
"I-I wasn’t doing anything." Zhi Wan shook her head, feeling guilty.
She couldn’t very well admit that she was hiding here to watch the spectacle involving her cousin.
"I... was just passing by," she added at last.
Lu Zhan looked down at the girl’s blushing face, then paused. His gaze fell upon her soft, tender, crimson lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
The delicate, soft waist under his palm made his mouth go dry, and he couldn’t help but tighten his grip.
The sudden tightening around her waist startled Zhi Wan.
She stared blankly at the man before her and reminded him in a small voice, "Cousin, you’re... you’re hurting me."
A shadow flickered in the depths of Lu Zhan’s eyes. He looked down at her for a moment before letting go and stepping back.
"My apologies. I was out of line." His deep voice was tinged with hoarseness.
Zhi Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt a little strange inside.
’This is the third time.’
She couldn’t help but size up her cousin.
But his handsome face was as cool and aloof as ever.
She paused, remembering that she was, in fact, the one who had bumped into him first.
’The one who was out of line was actually me.’
"Princely Heir, what should be done with these young women?"
Just then, Elder Tian’s voice sounded from outside.
Hearing this, Zhi Wan also remembered the young women. She looked at her cousin curiously, wanting to know how he would handle them.
To be honest, she had thought her cousin would refuse them. She never expected that not only would he not refuse, but he would accept every single one.
She couldn’t help but recall the matter of her cousin visiting a brothel previously.
’Could it be that his righteous, gentlemanly demeanor is just a facade? Is he actually a... lecher at heart?’
Realizing this, Zhi Wan gulped and couldn’t help but scoot aside a little.
’Could I have really misjudged my cousin?’
Zhi Wan was filled with shock and doubt.
Lu Zhan was just about to answer Elder Tian when he caught a glimpse of his cousin’s disdainful expression. He paused and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong, Cousin? Do you have some issue with me?"
"Not at all," Zhi Wan denied, shaking her head. After a pause, she offered some tactful advice, "Cousin, it would be better for you to properly marry a wife. Those girls are quite pitiful, too. If Aunt saw you like this, she would surely be heartbroken and disappointed." With that, she turned and scurried away.
Lu Zhan: "..."
Realizing his cousin had probably misunderstood him, he raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose.
"Princely Heir?"
Having received no instructions for a long while, Elder Tian couldn’t help but take two steps forward and ask again.
Lu Zhan’s face was grim as he said coolly, "Arrange for them to stay in the guest courtyard for now."
Elder Tian nodded and asked again, "Then tonight, shall I arrange for them to attend to the Princely Heir?"
Lu Zhan’s brows furrowed. "That won’t be necessary," he said in a low, stern voice.
By this time, Zhi Wan had already returned to her own courtyard.
After entering her rooms, she downed two cups of tea before she finally calmed down.
Ouyang Zhenzhu followed her in, carrying a plate of pastries. With an eager-to-please look, she said, "Wanwan, you must be hungry. I prepared some snacks for you. Have a bite."
Zhi Wan sneered and reached out to pinch the soft flesh of her friend’s cheek. "Who was it just now who pushed me out and then ran for it?"
"That definitely wasn’t me," Ouyang Zhenzhu said with a dead-serious expression.
"If it wasn’t you, was it a ghost?" Zhi Wan snapped, annoyed.
"It must have been my soul leaving my body. I wasn’t in control of myself," Ouyang Zhenzhu declared with conviction.
Zhi Wan: "..."
Ouyang Zhenzhu put down the pastries and took her arm. "Don’t be angry. I’ll give you a shoulder rub."
Zhi Wan let herself be guided to a chair.
Ouyang Zhenzhu stood behind her, diligently kneading her shoulders. Seeing that Zhi Wan’s expression had softened considerably, she took the opportunity to say, "Speaking of which, Mr. Lu is really something else, isn’t he? Taking on so many of those courtesans at once. I wonder if he can even handle it?"
Zhi Wan took the cup offered by Shuang’er and took a sip of tea. Upon hearing this, she sprayed the tea out of her mouth. "Don’t talk such nonsense!"
Ouyang Zhenzhu chuckled slyly and said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows, "Just you wait. Your cousin has already accepted those courtesans. Tonight, he’ll definitely have them attend to him."
Zhi Wan gave her a look that was hard to put into words. "Just stop talking."
’No matter what, that’s his private affair.’
’It’s completely improper for us to be gossiping about it here.’
「Liang Mansion.」
After leaving the Lu Family Villa, Liang Qixian returned to his mansion with a grim expression the entire way, only to run into Madam Liang, who was just returning from outside.
"My Lord, what’s wrong? Did someone upset you? Who would be so bold?" Noticing his foul mood, Madam Liang asked with a frown.
Liang Qixian didn’t speak. It wasn’t until he was inside his study that he grabbed the inkstone from his desk and smashed it violently on the floor.
Madam Liang followed him in and was nearly hit by the inkstone, letting out a sharp scream.
"My Lord, what on earth is the matter?" Madam Liang said, clutching her chest.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Liang Qixian paced anxiously around the study.
Madam Liang frowned. "Didn’t you go to deliver those courtesans to that man, Lu? Did he not accept them?"
Liang Qixian finally stopped pacing, his face ugly. "He accepted the women, but Lu Zhan mentioned the death of the Jurong County Magistrate from all those years ago. He also said the incident is connected to a major corruption case, and that the Court has ordered him to investigate it thoroughly."
When Madam Liang heard this, her heart sank. "What are we going to do? We absolutely cannot let him uncover anything. Otherwise, your career will be finished, My Lord, and our Liang Family will be ruined along with you!"
"You think I don’t know that?" Liang Qixian snapped irritably. "But what can I do? Do you think I can stop Lu Zhan?"
"That incident was so long ago, and you were so clean and efficient back then, My Lord. Logically, it should be impossible for him to find anything now..."
"But don’t you forget, that ledger was never found," Liang Qixian said, slamming his hand on the desk in extreme vexation.
Back then, in order to find that ledger, he not only killed Zhi Yu and his wife but also ransacked their home, yet he still couldn’t find it.
So many years had passed peacefully that he thought no one would ever bring the matter up again. He never imagined that today, Lu Zhan would broach the subject with him.
His biggest worry now was that the ledger had already fallen into Lu Zhan’s hands.
If that were true, he would be utterly finished.
Hearing this, Madam Liang also began to panic. "My Lord, are you worried that the ledger has already fallen into Lu Zhan’s hands?"
Liang Qixian didn’t answer, but his expression was extremely grim.
"That’s unlikely," Madam Liang said reassuringly. "If he had the ledger, would he have let you be until now? Besides, didn’t he accept the courtesans you sent? The way I see it, that Lu fellow is just a decadent fop, not some upright and honest official."
Hearing this, Liang Qixian’s mind settled. "As for whether that man Lu is a foolish lecher, I’ll have someone test him and find out."
"And what if he isn’t?" Madam Liang asked.
"If he isn’t, then... we’ll kill him!" Liang Qixian’s expression was dark and vicious.
Madam Liang agreed. "It would be for the best if he’s no threat. But if he threatens you, My Lord, or threatens our Liang Family, then I don’t care what his status or background is—we’ll just kill him. It’ll be just like those other officials who came before. In Yangzhou City, making someone disappear is a simple matter, is it not? And that little bitch, Zhi Wan, we can’t let her off, either!"