Before long, they arrived at the Duke Dingguo Mansion.
Zhi Wan let out a silent sigh of relief.
Seeing that the rain outside had lessened considerably, she stood and curtsied to Lu Zhan. "Thank you so much for today, Cousin. If not for you, we would still be trapped at the teahouse."
"It was on my way," Lu Zhan said coolly.
Back at Yaoguang Pavilion, Shuang’er, worried that Zhi Wan might catch a chill, quickly prepared hot water for a bath and brewed so ginger tea for her.
Zhi Wan snuggled under the covers, cupping the bowl and sipping the ginger tea. The chill in her body finally began to dissipate, replaced by a growing warmth.
"Miss, the Fourth Miss has sent soone to invite you over for a visit," Dongxiang reported from outside the door.
Lu Lan?
Zhi Wan froze for a mont, surprised.
She wasn’t particularly close to Lu Lan. Although they weren’t on bad terms, this sudden invitation reminded her of the ti Lu Xin had also asked her over.
She hadn’t gone that day, but sothing had happened to Lu Lan.
She wanted nothing to do with either of the sisters.
’After all, people’s hearts are unpredictable. I’m not willing to gamble on them.’
Thinking this, she said aloud, "I just got caught in the rain and have caught a bit of a chill. The Third Miss is getting married tomorrow, and we can’t risk any mishaps. I won’t go over. If I’m feeling better another day, I’ll visit the Fourth Miss then."
"Yes." Dongxiang acknowledged the order, relayed the ssage to the maid Lu Lan had sent, and the maid left in disappointnt.
"Miss, would you like to lie down for a while?" Shuang’er asked.
"Mhm," Zhi Wan nodded.
She had been terribly drowsy in the carriage, and now that there was nothing to do, she planned to rest for a bit.
However, she had barely lain down when Lu Lan ca over herself.
Zhi Wan was just about to fall asleep and didn’t feel like getting up. But since her visitor was already here, she couldn’t just turn her away. She began to get dressed while telling Shuang’er to show Lu Lan to the outer room to wait.
By the ti Zhi Wan had tidied herself up and went out, Shuang’er had already served tea.
Lu Lan was sitting on the soft couch, holding a teacup but not taking a single sip. Her head was lowered, her thoughts a mystery.
Looking at Lu Lan, who had clearly lost a lot of weight, Zhi Wan called her na softly. "Lu Lan."
"Sister Zhi Wan," Lu Lan said with a smile, setting down her cup.
"Lu Lan, I just got back from outside and was caught in the rain. I’m a little chilled, so I didn’t go see you," Zhi Wan explained as she sat down beside her.
"I heard from the maid," Lu Lan said. "I didn’t want to disturb your rest, but my heart is in turmoil, and I just needed soone to talk to."
Zhi Wan looked at her pale face, not knowing what to say to comfort her.
’After all, it didn’t happen to . Anything I say now would sound like empty words from soone who doesn’t understand the pain.’
So, she said nothing at all and simply squeezed Lu Lan’s hand.
It seed Lu Lan didn’t need her to speak anyway. She continued on her own.
"That day, Second Brother asked to go to Third Sister’s room to keep her company, so I went. My third sister, who has always looked down on , was unusually attentive that day. She poured tea and even gave snacks."
"I thought that after being confined by Mother for so long, her temperant had finally softened. I never expected that she had drugged my tea."
"Before I lost consciousness, I saw a man enter the room."
"When I woke up, I had already been... violated..." As she said this, tears stread down her face.
Zhi Wan felt deep sympathy for her and quickly used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
Lu Lan forced a smile. "Third Sister raised a huge fuss, accusing of seducing my future brother-in-law, and refused to go through with the marriage. So, Father and Mother made the decision to have marry in her place."
"Although I didn’t know the situation with the Chen Family or what kind of person Chen Hongwen was, the fact that Third Sister would stoop to framing to avoid marrying him told that the Chen Family was no good place to be."
"But I had already... been with Chen Hongwen, and Father and Mother had decided I would marry in Third Sister’s place. I had no other choice, so I threw myself into the lake."
"Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed in dying..."
Zhi Wan remained silent, listening to her story.
"...It was Aunt who called a doctor to examine , and that’s how we found out about the drug in my system. My mother then used this as leverage, raising a huge storm until Father and Mother finally relented and said I no longer had to marry in Third Sister’s place."
"My mother found out that Chen Hongwen’s previous two wives both died mysteriously less than a year after their weddings. My mother suspects he was responsible."
"That’s why Lu Xin was so unwilling to marry him."
"If I had married him, it would have been a dead end for too."
"Thankfully, Aunt had the doctor examine . After all of Lu Xin’s sches, she’s the one who has to marry him in the end."
At this, Lu Lan let out a small laugh, looking sowhat pleased.
Zhi Wan thought to herself, ’From start to finish, Lu Xin brought this all upon herself.’
"But even though I don’t have to marry him, my innocence is gone," Lu Lan said sorrowfully. "Sister Zhi Wan, I heard from Lu Xin that she had originally invited you over that day, but you didn’t go. That’s why she ca to instead."
Zhi Wan’s brow furrowed slightly. "She did indeed have Second Brother Lu ask over that day, but I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t go."
"If only you had gone, that would have been so much better," Lu Lan murmured.
"What did you say?" Zhi Wan didn’t hear clearly and couldn’t help but ask.
"Nothing," Lu Lan said, shaking her head. She stared at Zhi Wan’s beautiful face and said with envy, "Actually, Sister Zhi Wan, the person I envy most is you."
"Envy ?" Zhi Wan was baffled.
’I’m an orphan living under soone else’s roof. What is there to envy?’
"You may not have a father or mother, but Aunt treats you like her own daughter, doting on you completely. anwhile, I have parents, but I have to walk on thin ice in this mansion, treated worse than a servant," Lu Lan said with a bitter expression.
"Lu Lan, things will get better. Don’t be sad," Zhi Wan still offered a word of comfort.
"But my body is already sullied. How can things possibly get better? No one will be willing to marry now, unless it’s to so old widower," Lu Lan said desolately.
"Don’t be so pessimistic. When Old Madam Lu returns to the mansion, you can ask her to help you. No matter what, you are still a young lady of the Lu Family. It should still be easy to find a good match," Zhi Wan said.
Lu Lan shook her head with a mirthless laugh. "Grandmother has no ti for . Even though I’m her biological granddaughter, I can’t compare to Little Aunt Jinglan. All of Grandmother’s attention is on Little Aunt Jinglan. Speaking of which, I really envy you and Little Aunt Jinglan. Neither of you has any blood ties to the Lu Family, yet one of you has Aunt’s affection, and the other has captured Grandmother’s heart."
Zhi Wan was taken aback, a complex mix of feelings stirring in her heart.
She had lost her parents at a young age and had no other relatives. If her aunt hadn’t taken her in, she would have likely starved to death, frozen to death, or been sold by now.
She was deeply grateful to her aunt, but the feeling of being dependent on others was not a pleasant one.
She longed for a ho of her own, where she would no longer have to endure the scornful looks of others.
And yet, soone like Lu Lan envied her situation.
In truth, the Lu Jinglan that Lu Lan spoke of was different from her. Lu Jinglan had been found and brought into the mansion by Old Madam Lu before Zhi Wan’s arrival. Old Madam Lu raised her personally, taking her in as an adopted daughter. With a cheerful, lively personality and a silver tongue, she had completely won over Old Madam Lu.
There was hardly anyone in the entire mansion who didn’t like her.
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