WHACK!

The sound of Lady Wei’s voice was followed by the sharp crack of a rattan cane striking a back.

In the inner chamber, Zhi Wan’s eyelid twitched when she heard the sound, and her heart leaped into her throat.

"Are you going to move or not?" In the outer room, Lady Wei saw her son still standing firm before her, blocking the way. She roared in fury, brandishing the rattan cane as if to strike him again.

"No," Lu Zhan said, unmoved.

"You rebellious son! Are you trying to anger me to death?" Lady Wei struck him again with the cane in her rage.

Lu Zhan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Mother, please calm your anger," he said lightly.

"I... I... I..." Lady Wei clutched her chest, sputtering the single word three times before her eyes suddenly fluttered shut and she collapsed. The rattan cane in her hand clattered to the floor.

"Mother!" Lu Zhan’s expression tightened, and he quickly reached out to catch her.

Lady Wei’s eyes were shut tight. She was motionless, as if she had fainted.

Lu Zhan’s heart sank. He was just about to check her pulse when Zhi Wan, who had heard the commotion from the inner chamber, could no longer stay put.

With tears in her eyes, she rushed out and asked anxiously, "Cousin, what’s wrong with Aunt?"

Seeing her run out on her own, Lu Zhan was struck by a bad premonition. He looked down at the mother in his arms and, sure enough, saw that she, who had just been feigning unconsciousness, had opened her eyes at some point and was now staring intently at his cousin.

Lu Zhan was speechless.

Just then, Zhi Wan also saw that her aunt had opened her eyes.

Meeting her aunt’s astonished gaze, she froze for a moment before lowering her head in shame. Wringing her hands, she called out timidly, "Aunt..."

Lady Wei gazed with a complex mix of emotions at the young woman she had raised with her own hands.

When she had seen the fruit and the silk fan on the table earlier, she had already guessed that a woman was hidden in her son’s inner chamber. She had a faint suspicion it might be Wan’er, but as long as she hadn’t seen the person with her own eyes, she held on to a sliver of hope.

’Maybe I’m overthinking it. Or maybe the woman my son is hiding isn’t Wan’er, but someone else?’

But now, looking at the lovely young woman standing before her, that last sliver of hope vanished without a trace.

The woman her son was hiding in his chamber really was her Wan’er.

Lady Wei was overcome with a storm of emotions—heartache, self-reproach, and guilt—that gathered in her chest, nearly suffocating her.

She had been on guard against every possibility, yet she had never imagined her own son would make a move on Wan’er.

Such a pure and innocent girl, sullied by her own son.

She closed her eyes, disappointed in her son and ashamed to face her dear sister in the underworld.

She had failed the trust Min Fu placed in her.

After a long moment, she composed herself, shoved her son aside, and pulled Zhi Wan into her arms, her heart aching for the girl. "Wan’er, I’m so sorry. You’ve been wronged. It’s all my fault for being so careless. I never realized your cousin was such a beast in human skin, letting him ruin you like this..."

Zhi Wan froze, stunned by her words.

’When was I ruined by my cousin?’

’Wait, why isn’t Aunt blaming me?’

She had assumed that her aunt, having followed them to Jiangning, must have discovered what was going on between her and her cousin. She expected to be accused of improper behavior, of seducing him, and to be held accountable.

That was why she had braced herself for her aunt’s blame and disgust when she rushed out. But instead, her aunt seemed to be placing all the blame on her cousin, without a single thought that she might have been the one to improperly seduce him...

This was completely different from what she had imagined. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Zhi Wan was completely bewildered.

Hearing his mother’s words, a vein throbbed on Lu Zhan’s temple. His handsome face clouded over as he frowned and said, "Mother, don’t speak such nonsense! Things are not what you think..."

"I’m speaking nonsense?" Lady Wei’s anger flared. She released Zhi Wan and glared at her son. "You’re the one who dared to act so recklessly, and you accuse *me* of speaking nonsense?" With that, she bent down, snatched the rattan cane from the floor, and once again viciously lashed her son across the back. "You rebellious son! Is this something a human being would do? How could you? Wan’er is still so young, and you dared to defile her... I’ll beat you to death today!"

The sound of the cane striking flesh made Zhi Wan’s heart pound with fear.

Seeing her aunt about to strike her cousin again, and seeing that he made no move to dodge, she panicked. Mustering her courage, she cried out, "Aunt, please stop! It’s not what you think! My cousin didn’t ruin me. In this whole matter, I... I’m also responsible..."

"You silly girl. You’re the one who was taken advantage of, the one who suffered a great loss. Why are you speaking up for this rebellious son? It’s clearly him who has disgraced his scholarly upbringing and committed such a filthy act. Why are you taking the blame?" Lady Wei’s heart ached for her. "Don’t be afraid of him. Your aunt will get justice for you!"

Zhi Wan was at a loss for words.

She couldn’t help but steal a glance at her cousin, only to find him looking back at her.

Their eyes met. Zhi Wan froze for a second, then guiltily turned away, avoiding his gaze.

’I don’t think I... really suffered a loss, though.’

’In my dreams, I was the one who took advantage of him plenty of times.’

Seeing the girl guiltily avert her gaze, Lu Zhan paused, also recalling the things his cousin had done to him in her dreams.

"Lu Zhan, kneel!" Lady Wei commanded in a low, stern voice, pointing at him with the rattan cane.

Lu Zhan lifted the hem of his robe and knelt.

Seeing this, Zhi Wan clutched her handkerchief tightly. When she saw Lady Wei raise the cane to strike her cousin’s back again, she quickly grabbed her arm and pleaded for him, "Aunt, please don’t hit him anymore! You’ve truly misunderstood. Nothing happened between me and my cousin."

"Nothing happened? Then why were you in this rebellious son’s inner chamber just now?" The thought of it made Lady Wei’s heart ache unbearably.

In her mind, her son must have coerced Wan’er. He might have even forced himself upon her already.

"It was because... because..." Zhi Wan found it hard to say, but she finally summoned her courage. "I was in my cousin’s room because the courtyard next door hadn’t been cleaned yet. My cousin was just being kind. He saw the sun was strong outside and let me rest in his room for a while. I never expected you to arrive so suddenly. In my panic, I... I hid in his inner chamber..."

Lady Wei was taken aback. "Is that really what happened?"

Zhi Wan nodded. "It’s the absolute truth!"

Hearing this, Lady Wei felt a wave of relief. It was good that things weren’t as she had imagined. Otherwise, she would never be able to face her dear sister in the afterlife.

But then she remembered something and her brow furrowed again. "Even if today was a misunderstanding, you came to Jiangning because your cousin coerced you, didn’t you?"

Zhi Wan fell silent.

’Coming to Jiangning hadn’t been my idea, but it wasn’t exactly coercion either. At least, my cousin never threatened me...’

Seeing her hesitation, Lady Wei became convinced that her son had done something terrible to her. Fury surged in her heart, and she berated him, "Lu Zhan, you’ve really learned some new tricks, haven’t you? Learning to coerce a young woman! Was all your upbringing fed to the dogs?"

If the evidence weren’t right in front of her, she would never have believed that her son—the son she had always been so proud of, who was always so proper and courteous—could do something so outrageous!