Chapter 178: Liuyun Pavilion

“That Cui Yuanbei is a scoundrel, Mother!”

Liang Tian’er spoke these words with a calmness that bordered on collapse.

“No official’s daughter would willingly step into such a pit of fire! Miss Qingyu from Ruyi Tower was tortured to death by him on the bed!”

“Everyone knows it’s reaching too high, so how could anything good come my way! Father’s batch of…”

Before Liang Tian’er could finish, large raindrops began to fall.

At the same time, the tightly closed door in front of her suddenly swung open.

“Liang Tian’er!”

A stern voice came from inside the room, clearly a warning.

Liang Tian’er’s hands, which hung by her sides, slowly clenched, and the light in her eyes dimmed as she faced her mother.

She calmed down completely.

But Liang Nianyu had already understood what her daughter was about to say.

She was non-confrontational and somewhat weak, feeling guilty for not being able to have more children, guilty towards her husband and father.

But she genuinely loved her daughter, Liang Tian’er.

“Cheng Lang, that Second Young Master of the Cui family is truly so debauched. We cannot let Jiaojiao marry him. She’s our only…”

She hadn’t finished speaking.

Another figure emerged from the room, her father, Jiaojiao’s grandfather, Liang Liuwei.

“Ayu, say no more. Tian’er must marry this man, or the entire Liang family will collapse!”

Liang Liuwei stood on the steps, looking at the stormy sky, sighed, and gazed at the young girl kneeling on the ground.

“Tian’er, you’re a sensible child. For the sake of the Liang family, for your younger brother, we must ask you to endure this!”

The rain intensified, making it hard to see.

Liang Tian’er knelt on the ground, with her mother holding an umbrella over her. The rain poured down, turning everything into a blurry white expanse.

It concealed the cold smile at the corner of her lips.

“Take the young miss back to Furong Garden. Cheng Jun, accompany Ayu back to Jing Garden!”

Liang Tian’er tried to look up and see her grandfather clearly.

But she couldn’t understand how someone could be like this.

Loving his daughter, yet preferring to hand over the family’s power to a son-in-law.

The daughter seemed like a plaything, like a pampered cat…

Well-fed and well-kept, but never allowed to extend her claws, merely manipulated at will.

Sometimes Liang Tian’er wondered if she was the one with a problem, if she was too unlike a girl, and should just obediently listen.

“Miss, the Anxin cakes are here.”

Mo Han placed the pastries in front of Liang Tian’er and then went to stand guard at the door.

Liang Tian’er broke open a cake and pulled out a stack of small notes from inside.

After reading the words on them, she mechanically burned the notes.

She understood why her father and grandfather favored that younger brother so much.

It turned out they were all the same kind of people.

Liang Tian’er steadied herself, ground ink, picked up a brush, and wrote a small secret message, tucking it into the hidden compartment at the bottom of the teapot.

“Send it to Liuyun Pavilion! As fast as possible! I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect those sweet potatoes.”

She couldn’t fall out with her family just yet. She needed to play along, preparing everything in secret.

Miss Mu Liu’s Liuyun Pavilion was the only place she could trust, the only place she dared to trust.

…

“Little Juanjuan, now that we’re in Jingcheng, would you like to visit my Liuyun Pavilion? I’ll give you some nice things.”

Mu Zhaoyuan teased the little child in front of her.

Soft and obedient, not fussy like the siblings at home, much more fun.

You see, her few sisters at home always liked to chase people around.

The only Little Seventh Sister was in poor health, serene and well-read, like a shy plant that would shrink away at the slightest touch.

She didn’t dare tease her too much.

But Juanjuan was different, like a wild daisy growing in the fields, pretty and adorable, yet unafraid of wind and rain, growing strong and sturdy.

“Liuyun Pavilion? What’s that?”

Juanjuan couldn’t quite grasp what these pavilions and towers were for.

Beside her, Bai Yunxing glanced at his cousin and simply told his sister, “It’s full of good things, you can take a few.”

“You’re quite shameless.”

Mu Zhaoyuan shot Bai Yunxing a look, then turned to Juanjuan to explain, “It’s a place that sells jewelry, very pretty, but…”

“There are some pretty things that are dangerous, like this bracelet. Press here.”

Mu Zhaoyuan pointed to a small bracelet on her hand, inviting Juanjuan to press it.

Juanjuan looked at Mu Zhaoyuan warily.

“Dangerous.”

Sister Mu had just mentioned it, so she didn’t dare press it.

“It’s okay, this one’s not dangerous.”

Under Mu Zhaoyuan’s guidance, Juanjuan reached out and pressed the ruby on the bracelet.

In the next moment, with a “click,” a small hidden compartment opened on the bracelet, revealing a round pill inside.

Juanjuan’s eyes lit up, finding it quite fascinating.

“This is a hidden compartment for a Life-extending Pill. Wear it on your hand, and you won’t easily lose it,” Mu Zhaoyuan explained. “Some are for saving lives, others for taking lives. When the time comes, Juanjuan can choose what she likes and take it.”

“Thank you, sister,” Juanjuan replied, but shook her head and continued, “But it’s too expensive, I can’t take it.”

Mu Zhaoyuan blinked and promptly passed the responsibility to her cousin, who had narrowly escaped death.

“He saved Mu Hu, and this was originally meant for him. But since he’s a boy, he said to give it to his sister. Compared to a life-saving grace, this little thing is worth nothing.”

Juanjuan looked at her second brother.

She actually knew that this sister was “tricking” her, and it wasn’t really about a life-saving grace.

It was because her second brother was the sister’s relative, and the sister liked her second brother, so she would also be nice to her because of him.

But she was also “tricking” her second brother, because she actually knew his secret.

“Yeah, I don’t like these things, so of course they’re for Juanjuan.”

Bai Yunxing looked at his sister, indicating she shouldn’t feel embarrassed.