"Me? Take liberties with you?"
Chu Ruoyan could hardly believe the words strung together. Yan Zheng declared matter-of-factly, "Indeed. Look—here’s the evidence you left behind..."
As he spoke, he tugged down his collar, revealing a bold red mark on the right side of his neck.
Chu Ruoyan’s mind blanked for a moment before she blurted, "It was Prince Bao! I remember now—I was drugged by him, that’s why I..."
"Why what?" Yan Zheng’s lips curled into a smirk, as if eager for her to finish the sentence.
Chu Ruoyan bit her lip, hesitating before saying, "Marquis... Third Lord, please be magnanimous. Let’s pretend last night never happened. Besides, you’re a man—it’s not like you suffered any losses..."
Before she could finish, Yan Zheng’s expression darkened. "So you’re refusing to take responsibility again?"
Chu Ruoyan felt a headache coming on.
Why did this infernal lord always insist on holding her accountable?
Sure, she’d lied before, but that was only a temporary measure. Now that they were already divorced, surely he couldn’t bind her for life over one slip-up?
Besides, who hadn’t lied? Hadn’t he deceived her too, pretending to be imprisoned?
"Third Lord, regardless of the past, now..."
Her words were cut short by his icy interjection: "Compensation."
"What?"
"You used me to neutralize the poison, then made me play the role of a carriage driver. Shouldn’t you compensate me?"
Chu Ruoyan stared at him blankly. "But I don’t have any silver on me..."
Silver?
Did she really think he was some pleasure-house gigolo?
Yan Zheng nearly laughed in frustration, turning his head to suppress it. "No silver? Then think of another way to repay me! A’Yan, if you insist on drawing a clear line between us, you’d better settle this account properly!"
With that, he stormed off, nearly colliding with Nanny Zhou, who had just arrived.
Nanny Zhou, grasping the situation, gently advised, "Miss, Marquis Anning seems quite devoted to you. Last night, when you were poisoned with Trembling Charm, even I thought he wouldn’t hold back. Yet he brought you to a physician instead. He’s truly a rare gentleman!"
Chu Ruoyan understood her meaning and smiled bitterly. "I know what you’re implying. But first, we’re already divorced, and with the Emperor and Empress Dowager involved, it’s improper. Second, he’s about to enter court service—getting entangled with me would only hinder him..."
Nanny Zhou frowned. "Miss, Marquis Anning doesn’t strike me as someone who’d fear being hindered by you. And you’ve never been one to cower before the Emperor or Empress Dowager, have you?"
Caught off guard, Chu Ruoyan fell silent.
Truthfully, after Yan Zheng had kissed her forehead outside Lanting Pavilion, she’d asked herself: What exactly did she feel for him?
Admiration? Respect? Pity? Gratitude?
Perhaps even something more complicated, something she couldn’t name.
But whatever it was, she dared not—could not—let it become love.
In her nightmares, the image of her Father leaping from the high walls haunted her. If that wasn’t a dream but a past life, then it was a blood feud.
With lives and vengeance between them, she could help him, stop him, even risk her life for him—but she could never love him!
"Miss? Miss!"
Nanny Zhou’s voice snapped her back to reality. Chu Ruoyan forced a smile just as Young Master Lang’s voice drifted in from outside.
"Not choosing him is the right decision, Little Blind. That Third Yan is too dangerous—like a sharp sword, he’ll wound those around him. Look at his Elder Brother, didn’t he give his life for him?"
Chu Ruoyan’s eyes turned frosty. "Watch your words, Pavilion Master! Heir Apparent Yan sacrificed himself willingly for the Marquis. Even in the underworld, he’d never let anyone slander his brother. Their bond shouldn’t be twisted into a weapon against him. You will not repeat those words!"
Young Master Lang paused, his smirk deepening. "Afraid he’ll be heartbroken? Little Blind, if you care so much, why refuse him? Is there another reason hidden beneath?"
Chu Ruoyan tensed.
The master of Hundred Knowledge Pavilion was as perceptive as Yan Zheng. After a moment, she replied coolly, "No hidden reasons. Why have you come, Pavilion Master?"
Young Master Lang studied her before shrugging. "Won’t press if you won’t tell. Just stay away from him. As for why I’m here—good news. You needn’t worry about Prince Bao anymore. The Emperor has stripped his title and reduced him to a commoner."
"So quickly?" Chu Ruoyan gasped. "Should I thank you... or the Marquis?"
"Heh, clever as ever. It was Third Yan. He pinned the embezzlement case on that old lecher."
"What? But the real culprit—"
"There is no real culprit." Young Master Lang’s usual cold smile surfaced. "Just a nest of vermin, rats scurrying in the shadows. The Yan family... what a pity."
Chu Ruoyan pressed her lips together, unable to shake the sorrow in her chest.
The Grand General, peerless in battle. Heir Apparent Yan, a strategist rivaling Zhuge Liang. Neither fell to enemy spears—but to their own countrymen’s schemes. And the sole survivor, Yan Zheng? His grandmother hated him. His Younger Sister tried to kill him. Not a single friend among the high seats of power. The only thing keeping him going was vengeance.
A soft chuckle broke her thoughts. Young Master Lang flicked open his golden fan. "You women are too tenderhearted. Yes, Third Yan has suffered. But who hasn’t? Why not pity me instead? Help me beat the grievance drum, air my old injustices?"
The teasing lightened her mood slightly. "The all-knowing Hundred Knowledge Pavilion Master, with eyes and ears everywhere, has grievances?"
"Of course! I’ve hidden in pigsties, eaten human flesh, drunk beast blood—far worse than Third Yan. You should’ve seen it."
His tone was playful, making it hard to tell if he lied. Yet Chu Ruoyan’s instincts said he spoke truth.
"Then... what of your family?"
Young Master Lang’s gaze dulled. "All dead. Mother was tortured half to death. Father might as well be dead. Elder Brother vanished years ago—probably dead too. I had a Younger Sister..."
He trailed off, as if recalling something unbearable.
At a loss, Chu Ruoyan rummaged in her sleeves and produced a sugar-wrapped preserved fruit—likely left by Nanny Zhou after yesterday’s medicine.
"Have some candy. Sweetness makes bitterness easier to bear."
Young Master Lang’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
Chu Ruoyan hesitated. "Do you... dislike sweets?"
He snatched the candy and shoved it into his mouth. After a long pause, he murmured, "She said the same thing..."
The "she" was clearly his Younger Sister.
"She’d say, ‘Second Elder Brother, have candy. Sweetness makes medicine less bitter.’ Then she died—drowned in a vat of honey. Want to see?"
Chu Ruoyan’s stomach churned. What kind of monster would do such a thing to a child?
Seeing him doubled over in pain, she couldn't help but step forward, intending to pat his shoulder in comfort.
Yet just then, a gentle breeze swept by, and Yan Zheng suddenly appeared in his wheelchair, seizing her hand and pulling her back.
"The esteemed master of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion—since when did you learn to deceive people?"
