Chapter 12

  Jiang Wanru's eyes were fixed on the ground, and she gradually felt a sense of intimidation coming from Lian Hao. Jiang Wanru raised her eyes in disbelief to look at Lian Hao, seeing him glare at her with anger. Jiang Wanru was shocked as she looked at him, Lian Hao had always been polite to her, and their relationship was at most a friendship that was not quite fulfilled. In their nominal but actually non-existent relationship, Jiang Wanru had never held any expectations towards Lian Hao.

  Lian Hao's face turned iron-green as he stared at Jiang Wanru, his voice low and menacing: "Is knowing me and being with me a shameful thing for you? You're still my wife, but your heart is already thinking of remarrying. Wanru, remember this: as long as I'm alive, you'll be faithful to me. Hmph." Lian Hao's anger was palpable as he glared at Jiang Wanru, but what he saw was her tolerant and humiliated expression, her eyes filled with endurance.

  Two housekeepers, one following closely behind him and the other hurrying into the room, saw Jiang Wanru's pale face inside, the broken table top, and the messy floor. Ji Yan rushed into the room and, seeing that Jiang Wanru was unharmed, she put her mind at ease and quickly cleaned up the floor. Jiang Wanru opened his eyes and said to the housekeeper, "Tomorrow, go get a new table back, and deduct the silver from my monthly allowance."

  The spring rain was drizzling, fine and continuous, just the right time for a good sleep. The sound of the housekeeper bringing in a new table woke up Jiang Wanru, who had fallen asleep unintentionally with her eyes closed. She got up and watched as the housekeeper directed the maids to replace the old table with a new one, an eight-legged table with no flowers or patterns on its surface, just plain wood that showed the grain of the wood clearly. The housekeeper told the maids to withdraw, then turned to Jiang Wanru and said in a low voice, "Madam, Third Master rushed out of the mansion in the rain."

  Jiang Wanru finished speaking, the housekeeper had already seen the impatience deep in her eyebrows. The housekeeper remembered Tie Qing's face turning blue as she rushed out with Xiaoluan. She looked at the woman sitting properly at the table in front of her and bowed to her before quietly retreating. After the housekeeper retreated, Ji Yan brought a bowl of white water for Jiang Wanru. Looking at Jiang Wanru's expression, he drew closer to her side and said in a low voice: "Miss, brother said that if we feel that something is off in the Wang residence, let's hurry up and escape first. The world is big, there must be a place where we can stay."

  "Miss, you're still in the Wang Manor. Even if you remarry in the future, you can't let Third Master know." Jiang Wanru sighed heavily and nodded, "Alas, impulsiveness is a demon. I thought I'd be free soon, but he's been treating me well lately, so I relaxed my guard for a moment. When I heard him say he'd take care of my future life, my heart panicked, and I blurted out the truth. Alas, if his words get out, even after I leave the Wang Manor, I'll be roasted alive on the king's pyre."

  It rained all night, and even in the deep of night, Liang Ao brought him back to the Wang Fu, but he didn't step into the courtyard. Jiang Wanru opened the window early in the morning and saw that the sky was exceptionally clear and blue after a night of rain, her mood became relaxed and at ease, and she couldn't help but smile on her face as it was another day she could leave the Wang Fu. She looked down at the people in the courtyard, each one sizing her up with their eyes, but she pretended not to see them and turned back to say to Ji Yan who had already entered the room: "I'm going to change into that pink floral blouse made of soft material before leaving the manor."

  Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan walked out of the courtyard gate with joy, leaving behind a group of gloomy people. The two housekeepers stood at the gate, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, letting out a soft sigh in unison, seeing the worry in each other's eyes. Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan returned to the courtyard before dinner, Jiang Wanru looking much more relaxed than when she left. She stood at the gate, laughing loudly and saying: "I think your brother and sister-in-law can't wait to marry you off soon. Next time you go out, pack up the wedding clothes that are ready and send them back, and let them add more clothes for you."

  In the small hall, a wisp of smoke floated in the air, accompanied by the fragrance of tea that wafted up to her nose. Lian Hao raised an eyebrow and gazed coldly at Jiang Wanru, who was paying respects, saying: "You went out for so long today and only returned now? Did you see any suitable men that caught your eye?" Jiang Wanru saw the chill in Lian Hao's eyes and noticed the awkward expression of the housekeeper standing beside her. She smiled lightly and said: "There were too many men on the street, and the women were too beautiful; I could only remember looking at the women and forgot to take a closer look at the men."

  Jiang Wanru originally thought that Lian Hao would leave as he did the day before, but when she came out of the side room, she saw Lian Hao sitting properly at the table, his head lowered to look at the paper on the table. Jiang Wanru thought of the magnificent tea set just now, took a deep breath, and walked quietly to the edge of the table. She sat down properly beside him, only to find that the paper on the table was painted with the totem on the city gate. The capital has four city gates in the southeast, northwest, and each city gate has a different totem.

  He glanced at Jiang Wanru, who was sitting with her head bowed and her eyes cast down. He pushed the map on the table in front of her and pointed to it, saying: "This is the map I wanted to show you yesterday. Take a good look at it today. You've been living in the capital for so long without leaving the city gate, so you can't tell which direction the city gate is in. But when you move to the house outside the city in the future, you'll need to know which city gate to enter and exit from."

  Cat pounces on Chinese