Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Her Secret Alone

Cloud Smoke Ink.

Ordinary families rarely used it, nor could they afford to. It was generally reserved for the high and mighty to write highly confidential letters.

After the letter was read, it would be soaked in cold water, leaving not a single trace behind—just like a passing cloud of smoke.

Liang Wan was conflicted.

As soon as Gu Yu entered the inner room, she saw Liang Wan kneeling on the daybed, staring blankly at a letter in her hands. "My lady?"

Liang Wan gritted her teeth. "Go fetch me a basin of water."

By the time Gu Yu returned with the water, Liang Wan was already hunched over the table.

"Go stand guard at the door. Don’t let anyone in."

She didn’t even look up, her eyes completely captivated by the letter.

It was the one that had fallen from the plaque.

Gu Yu set down the basin, then retreated outside and shut the door firmly.

The night grew deeper, and all was quiet.

Liang Wan held her breath, her hands trembling slightly from anxiety. She carefully unfolded the letter and dipped just one corner into the basin of water.

Before, she had only stared at the words on the paper, rereading them over and over. But no matter how many times she looked, they were nothing but trivial pleasantries. It had never occurred to her that perhaps the visible words were not important at all.

The black ink dissolved in the water like a wisp of smoke, leaving only a blank sheet of paper.

The letter had indeed been written with Cloud Smoke Ink.

That being the case, Liang Wan decided to submerge the entire sheet in the water.

In moments, all the writing had vanished.

Liang Wan supported the damp paper and carefully moved it over a candle flame, shifting it back and forth to slowly dry it.

’Writing with a brush dipped in some kind of juice that leaves no trace after drying... citron, garlic, scallion... I wonder which one they used.’

’Or maybe, this really is the letter they’ve been searching for.’

Her nerves were stretched taut; time had never felt so agonizingly slow.

As the paper slowly dried, brownish characters gradually appeared.

It was Yuan Shaoyu’s final letter, addressed to Lu Xiu.

Liang Wan read it line by line, her feelings beyond what mere shock could describe.

She finally understood why Awen had hidden this letter.

She also understood why *they* were so obsessed with finding it.

And she understood why the Wang family was so confident.

Clutching the heavy letter, her mind went blank. She had already guessed the identity of the person hiding in the shadows, the one trying every means possible to capture her—the "noble patron" Wang Yansheng had mentioned.

She would never forget the terrifying, murderous look in Wang Su’s eyes when she had lied and said she’d given the letter to Lu Xiu.

Back in the Dali Temple Prison, Wang Su had even mocked her, wondering why Lu Xiu would willingly get involved in this mess...

Liang Wan shook her head and sighed. ’I’ve been so slow.’ Who else in this world could keep someone safe right under Gao Qian’s nose?

The Empress Dowager had never liked her, after all.

She was constantly testing her on one hand, while sending people to capture her and find this letter on the other.

Once this letter was made public, it would be a devastating blow to both the throne and the Lu Family.

Who could have imagined that Gao Qian’s throne and the Empress Dowager’s esteemed position were all thanks to Yuan Shaoyu?

How could they possibly allow something so dangerous to exist in the world?

’Awen and Father must have been eliminated because they knew the truth.’

Liang Wan lowered her eyes. ’Didn’t I want revenge?’

’All I need to do is make tens, hundreds, thousands of copies of this letter and scatter them through every street and alley, across every battlefield frontline. How could the people’s hearts not fall into chaos?’

’Wouldn’t that also give those usurpers, who dream day and night of seizing power, a legitimate excuse to act?’

Liang Wan sat in silence for a long time.

「On the day of the funeral, the sky was a dreary gray.」

Liang Wan had barely slept a wink all night. Dressed in plain white mourning clothes, she moved like a wandering soul from beginning to end.

Even when the news of Lu Huai’s death in battle arrived, she still couldn’t quite process it.

Lu Xu had said to ignore the enemy correspondence presented by the Lou Family.

But the blood letter presented in the main hall as his final words had shaken the entire court. When even his own brother accused Lu Xiu of colluding with the enemy and committing treason, it could no longer be ignored.

Now, not only Lu Xiu but the entire Lu Family was plunged into crisis.

The imperial court was in an uproar, with countless conflicting opinions. Many were eager to seize this chance to carve up the Lu Family’s power. Although Gao Qian was furious, he knew that he owed his throne entirely to the Lu Family. If they were to fall, he too would be replaced.

However, now that the Grandmaster was gone, the Lu Family’s internal fragmentation was simply moving from the shadows into the open.

Since the day of the funeral, Lu Xu had not once visited the Grand Commandant Mansion.

Lu Ying and Lu Xuan were his own sisters. Which side they chose to support would depend on who the final victor was.

Bai Lu entered from outside.

"My lady, the carriage is ready."

Liang Wan stood before the mirror. She wore plain clothes, with only a single jade hairpin in her hair, an exceptionally simple look.

She took one look at her reflection. "Let’s go."

Things had come to this; she had to make a trip to the palace.

Gu Yu came jogging in, slightly out of breath. "My lady, just as you predicted, we did indeed find Cao Luyun at Chancellor Cao’s grave."

"And?"

Gu Yu said with frustration, "She had guards protecting her, and she got away. However, we’ve confirmed that she is indeed hiding in the Duke Wei Mansion."

Liang Wan’s expression was unreadable. ’If it were to be exposed now that Lu Xiu is the son of the Empress Dowager and Yuan Shaoyu...’

’But it’s certain now. The Lou Family is behind all of this.’

Liang Wan looked at her. "Before I return, no matter what it takes—even if you have to kill someone or set a fire—you must stop them from entering the palace!"

Gu Yu gave a solemn nod of assent.

Liang Wan dared not delay any longer. Tucking the letter into her robes, she led Bai Lu out of the courtyard.

After the Grandmaster passed away, this place was no longer the Grandmaster’s Mansion, but the Grand Commandant Mansion.

Liang Wan’s steps were quick but orderly. Perhaps, on the night she discovered the secret in the letter, a plan had already taken root in the depths of her heart.

She shook her head with a scornful laugh. ’But this place will soon become a den of traitors and rebels.’

’And I, a "madam" who isn’t the Grand Commandant’s wife, am rushing to hand someone else the knife to push him one step closer to his death.’

Liang Wan went to Renshou Palace first.

She followed a Palace Attendant into the inner hall.

The Empress Dowager sat with dignified poise, looking just as she had the first time Liang Wan came here.

She was still dressed in opulent robes, her makeup exquisite. Even so, it couldn’t completely hide the occasional flicker of panic beneath her refined facade.

Liang Wan bowed respectfully.

The Empress Dowager did not look pleased. "What is it?"

Liang Wan could understand. Even Lu Xu, who had once staunchly supported her, was now being evasive. Of course she would be vexed.

Liang Wan took a letter from her sleeve. "Before the Grandmaster passed, he entrusted me with this letter, to be delivered to Your Majesty in a time of crisis. He said it might resolve the predicament."

The Empress Dowager’s expression faltered, greatly surprised. Her look of annoyance vanished.

A Palace Attendant quickly took the letter and presented it to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager took the letter and examined it carefully. The seal showed no signs of having been broken.

Her hands trembled slightly as she anxiously opened it.

Liang Wan looked up. The Empress Dowager finished reading it in a single glance; the letter’s contents must have been very short.

The Empress Dowager was stunned for a long moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, clutching the letter in her hand.

Liang Wan was bewildered.

The Empress Dowager laughed for a long time, to the point where tears seemed to well up in her eyes.

She subtly wiped the corner of her eye and raised her gaze to look at Liang Wan.

A cryptic smile played on her lips. "You didn’t open this letter?"

Liang Wan shook her head and answered honestly, "I did not."

The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded. "If you knew what it said, would you still have brought it to me?"

Liang Wan asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

With a flick of her hand, the Empress Dowager tossed the crumpled paper in front of her.

Liang Wan bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it.

There were only six words.

"Sacrifice the general to save the king."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.