I took the tea and took a gentle sip. Then I slid off a pair of exquisite bracelets from my wrist and pressed them into Su Rongrong's hands. The Duke had just rewarded me with these this morning. Looking at the bracelets, Su Rongrong trembled with rage, yet she had to force herself to say, "Thank you for the reward, little mother."
Fu Jingyun followed to offer his tea as well. He didn't dare lift his head the entire time.
Once the tea offering ritual was over, the Duke dismissed them, leaving only me behind. He looked at me, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "Are you satisfied now?"
"Your humble servant, Wanning, thanks my lord for saving my life."
I knew that in front of the Duke, I must not appear too clever. I had to make him believe I was just a wronged, vulnerable young woman seeking protection.
A few days passed in peace, but I knew Su Rongrong would never let things rest. One afternoon, while taking a stroll in the garden with my maid, I happened to run into Su Rongrong, who was resting in the pavilion. The moment she saw me, she smiled and gestured for me to come over. That smile was so fake, it was unsettling.
"Have you been well these past few days, concubine? Father-in-law is so doting. Look how rosy your complexion has become."
I walked over and replied politely. Su Rongrong took my hand and said that the lotuses in the garden had bloomed, insisting on taking me to the pond to have a look.
My heart tightened. In my past life, I was drowned in water, giving me a natural fear of it, but I knew if I avoided her, there would only be another scheme. I gave a look to the maid behind me, signalling her to follow closely.
When we reached the pond, Su Rongrong pointed to a twin lotus flower and said it was a good omen. As she spoke, she slowly edged closer to me. Yuanru also quietly stepped up to my other side.
"Wanning, did you think climbing into Father-in-law's bed meant you were safe? Without a backer in this manor, you are nothing."
The moment the words left her mouth, her foot suddenly slipped and she fell straight toward me.
This was a highly insidious move. If I dodged her and she fell into the water, jeopardising the child in her womb, I wouldn't be able to escape the blame. If I didn't dodge and was knocked into the water by her, she could easily dismiss it as an accident.
Just as she lunged toward me, instead of backing away, I let myself fall to the ground while reaching back to firmly grab Su Rongrong's sleeve.
"Careful, young mistress!"
I fell heavily to the ground, my knee throbbing with pain. But because of that pull, Su Rongrong failed to knock me in, losing her own balance instead. Half of her body ended up dangling over the edge of the pond. Yuanru screamed in terror and rushed forward to grab hold of Su Rongrong.
Just then, an angry shout came from not far away. The Duke and Fu Jingyun happened to be passing by after finishing their official business. The Duke strode over in a few quick steps. He first helped me up from the ground. Seeing the blood seeping from my knee, his face instantly darkened.
"What is going on?"
"Duke, I only wanted to look at the flowers with mother. I wasn't paying attention and slipped. It scared me to death."
Su Rongrong wept piteously, like a pear blossom in the rain. Fu Jingyun quickly went over to comfort her. I leaned against the Duke's chest and sobbed softly, not offering a single word of defence. Sometimes silence is more powerful than an explanation.
The Duke looked at the water stains on the ground and then looked back at Su Rongrong, a trace of suspicion flashing in his eyes.
After the incident in the garden, the Duke became much more distant toward Su Rongrong, even excusing her from paying her morning respects. This made Su Rongrong even more exasperated and left Fu Jingyun sitting on pins and needles.
On this particular evening, the Duke went out of the estate on official business. Just as I was preparing to rest, I heard someone gently tapping on the window.
"Wanning, it is me."
A wave of disgust washed over my heart. Fu Jingyun actually dared to take advantage of the Duke's absence to sneak his way over to my quarters. I had my maid stand guard outside the door while I walked to the window myself, looking coldly at the silhouette through the window paper.
"Young master, please conduct yourself with dignity. I am your stepmother."
Fu Jingyun spoke eagerly from outside, saying he couldn't forget me, saying Su Rongrong was too overbearing and that he had been forced into a corner with no choice. He said that as long as I was willing to help him by putting in a good word before his father, once he inherited the title in the future, he would definitely treat me well.
"You used to listen to me the most. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with an old man who is more than a decade older than you?"
Listening to his shameless words, I almost wanted to laugh. When he killed me in my past life, he certainly wasn't thinking about how he couldn't forget me.
Just as I was about to have someone drive him away, I heard a chorus of orderly footsteps coming from the courtyard gate. The Duke had returned early. Fu Jingyun turned pale with fright. It was already too late to run.
The Duke walked into the courtyard carrying a cold aura with him. He looked at Fu Jingyun standing beneath the window, his gaze as cold as ice.
"What are you doing here?"
With a thud, Fu Jingyun fell to his knees on the ground, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word.
I opened the door and walked out with slightly red eyes, kneeling directly before the Duke.
"My lord, the young master said he has been thinking of me and wants to take me away. In life, Wanning belongs to my lord, and in death, Wanning will be my lord's ghost. I beg my lord to demand justice for Wanning."
I made this accusation directly and bluntly. Fu Jingyun looked at me in disbelief. He probably never expected that I would cut off his escape route so decisively.
The Duke looked at his adopted son kneeling on the ground, the disappointment in his eyes turning into disgust.
"Fu Jingyun, it seems you haven't learned enough from the rules of the ancestral hall. Steward, take him down. Give him twenty heavy lashes with the board and lock him in the dungeon. No one is allowed to visit him without my permission."
Fu Jingyun was still begging for mercy as he was dragged away. The Duke walked over, picked me up from the ground, and strode into the room. He placed me on the bed, his rough fingers gently wiping away the tears at the corners of my eyes.
"With me here, no one can take you away."
I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. I knew that Fu Jingyun and Su Rongrong's backing was about to collapse.