His eyes, about to split, stared at the two people kneeling before him, wishing a bolt of lightning would descend from the sky and strike them dead, saving the Wei family further shame.
Before Xiao Tingyi could speak, the First Prince opened his mouth first, his tone exceedingly light.
“I did not expect Young Master Liang and Miss Wei to share such deep affection. Duke, I see their love is stronger than gold. Why not grant their wish?”
The Sixth Prince stood behind him, his brow furrowed, remaining silent. His status was too low to dare to spectate a drama before the Duke of Wei. Otherwise, once he came to his senses, he would surely be troubled.
The Duke of Wei ignored the First Prince’s words, fixing his gaze on Wei Lanxuan.
Her eyes shifted rapidly, showing shock, heartache, helplessness, and ferocity, all transforming into calmness. He asked in a detached tone,
“Lan’er, have you thought it through?”
“Grandfather…”
With his question, Wei Lanxuan instantly felt a flicker of uncertainty. Her current honor was entirely thanks to the Wei family’s formidable influence. If she were to truly offend her grandfather over this marriage, would she have any future prospects?
“I ask you again, have you thought it through?”
The Duke of Wei had no intention of staging a scene of breaking up a couple here. To him, Wei Lanxuan was indeed the most suitable woman in the clan for a political marriage, but not the only one. If she insisted on this path, abandoning her would be a decision made in an instant.
Wei Lanxuan panicked, unsure how to answer.
It was Liang Pan, standing beside her, who saw her waver. Fearing that their good fortune might turn sour, he directly pulled Wei Lanxuan to kowtow before the Duke of Wei and declared loudly, “Thank you, Duke, for granting our wish.”
With the situation settled, the Duke of Wei’s eyes lost the deep expectations he once held for Wei Lanxuan. Without any emotion, he said to the two of them,
“Rise. The Liang family will handle matters as they see fit.”
Then, with a sigh, he bowed to Xiao Tingyi and the First Prince, speaking with the weariness of old age, “Today, I have made Your Highnesses, the First Prince, and the Sixth Prince witness a joke. This old man is not feeling well and cannot host you for a meal. I will apologize another day. Please.”
The dismissal was decisive. Xiao Tingyi nodded slightly and said to Yang Zhao, “Let’s go.”
“Yes.” Yang Zhao obeyed, took the cloak, and draped it over Xiao Tingyi before stepping away.
The First Prince, however, was pleased. He stepped forward and said politely to the Duke of Wei,
“Then I shall await the wedding wine of the Wei and Liang families at my residence.” The Duke of Wei offered no reply.
Liang Pan, still kneeling, bowed and said directly, “Many thanks to the First Prince.”
At this moment, any additional support was beneficial. With the engagement promised in front of so many people, he presumed the Wei family would not go back on their word afterward.
Xu Mingyue glanced at Liang Pan, her disdain evident to all.
Bai Siruo, unwilling to see her friend wronged, said, “If that is the case, then we shall take our leave as well.” She pulled Xu Mingyue and Feng Jinyao and walked out. Bai Sihan, seeing that the tide had turned, knew she had no chance to stay and watch the drama unfold. She could only lift her skirt and follow, hurrying away.
The Sixth Prince sighed mournfully, but he had no standing to speak and also quietly departed.
Only when the water pavilion was left with Liang Pan and Wei Lanxuan did her grief surface. She collapsed into Liang Pan’s arms and wept uncontrollably.
“Pan Lang, from now on, I am yours alone.”
Her long eyelashes were already soaked with tears, and her cheeks were streaked with them.
Liang Pan took a deep breath and comforted her a few words.
“Lan’er, I will not fail you.”
Today’s events were fraught with danger, but in the end, he had won the beauty’s hand.
No matter how much the Duke of Wei disliked them now, after the wedding, they would still be family. There would be no lingering animosity, and thus he felt quite happy.
After seeing Xu Mingyue off, Bai Siruo, worried about Feng Jinyao’s health, followed onto the Feng family’s carriage. Wei Lanxuan’s desperate push earlier had looked life-threatening, and Bai Siruo feared for her friend’s well-being. She instructed Bai Sihan to return home early.
Bai Sihan pouted, dismissing the idea of sisterly affection.
As the carriage swayed towards the Feng residence, Bai Siruo lifted the sleeve of Feng Jinyao’s arm. Indeed, it was red and swollen. She was heartbroken.
“You risked your life! It’s a good thing nothing happened, otherwise, how would I explain it to your aunt and uncle!”
Knowing her genuine concern, Feng Jinyao felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.
“Don’t worry, I calculated it. She wouldn’t really kill herself; it was just for show.”
Bai Siruo agreed with this sentiment. For noble ladies, reputation was indeed important, but having lived a life of leisure, how many would truly be willing to die?
Death was merely a means, sometimes to live better.
“After today, Mingyue has escaped a fiery pit. The Wei family has brought this marriage upon themselves, and it is their just deserts,” Bai Siruo said indignantly. Feng Jinyao nodded in agreement.
In their previous lives, although the engagement had been broken off, public opinion had favored the Liang family.
Words could be twisted, and no one could control what was said.
However, if someone deliberately guided the narrative, then the tide of public opinion could be manipulated by them.
“You should send a message to Sister Xu, telling her to act heartbroken at home,” Bai Siruo’s eyes lit up, a smile playing on her lips. “You mean…”
“Exactly. Otherwise, given the Liang family’s character, they might even shift the blame to Sister Xu, saying she was jealous and intolerant.”
“Alright, I understand. Don’t worry, if the Grand Secretary learns of this, the Liang family’s good days might be numbered.”
That old man was extremely vengeful, cherishing his granddaughter and the orange cat he raised more than anything.
If he knew his granddaughter had been bullied like this, would he let it go?
As expected, Grand Secretary Xu, who had been lying in bed with a gloomy expression, suddenly heard about the matter. A blockage of long-suppressed dark blood in his chest erupted, and his health miraculously improved.
The first thing he did upon getting out of bed was to personally write a letter of annulment. His words were impassioned, filled with fierce骂人的 intent. He then publicly sent the letter of annulment and the betrothal gifts back to the Liang family.
Without entering the gate, he sent the loudest-voiced old woman from his household to stand at the Liang family’s entrance and deliver a lengthy speech.
“Since Young Master Liang has gained the Duke of Wei’s favor, my Xu family is not one to block others’ progress. This old woman is here by order of the Grand Secretary to annul the engagement! Today, I return the letter of annulment and the betrothal gifts. From now on, the Liang and Xu families will go their separate ways in marriage and in life. Please have someone from the Liang family check the gift list to avoid any mishaps that might cast blame upon my Xu family.”
At the Liang family’s gate stood a sweating steward and several trembling young servants. Despite the cold winter and the sun’s presence, they shivered, rubbing their hands and feet incessantly.
They had no knowledge of their master’s scandals. After several announcements, no one came out to stop them, seemingly intending to remain behind closed doors.
Leaving them to bear the brunt of the Xu family’s verbal assault, they also had to endure the pointing fingers of the surrounding onlookers.