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Du Steward seemed to be unaware of the coldness and numbness in his master's heart, as if he could not hear the chilling words from his master. He took out an open-mouthed gilded Nine-Dragon jade cup from the food box he carried and respectfully presented it to Pang Yuanying.
If his master did not use precious porcelain, he probably wouldn't even be able to drink tea. If it weren't for the high-quality honey, that delicate tongue would not be able to bear it at all.
"The prison is cold, Marquis, have some honey water to soothe your throat."
Pang Yuanying had a blank expression. The sweet aroma of the honey water made him, a young noble who had been in prison for two days with dry lips and parched skin, curl his lips into a cold smile.
The Nine-Dragon jade cup was a gift from the Empress Dowager on his eighteenth birthday. Although luxurious, it was engraved with a very simple wish—joy and peace.
A few days ago, sensing that the situation was dire, he distributed some valuable but inconspicuous items to a few trusted subordinates. This Nine-Dragon jade cup, because of those four characters, brought him joy, and he gifted it to Aso, who had accompanied him while growing up and whom he regarded almost as a sister.
At this moment, Aso was just like usual, taking the cup from Du Steward's hands, testing the temperature of the honey water before bringing it to Pang Yuanying, serving him sip by sip. Her actions were no different; it was as if she was still that loyal Lady-in-Waiting who was never swayed by Marquis's beauty—cold yet steadfast.
Pang Yuanying was taken aback. His anger still simmered within him, but for a moment he could not express it. Unable to help himself, he reached out and grasped Aso's slightly rough fingers, murmuring, "I, Pang Yuanying, do not consider myself a good person. While I cannot be harsh on the servants at home, I am not exactly kind either. But you have never been just a servant in my heart. We grew up together; when I practiced writing, you assisted me with ink and brushes. When I was punished by Daddy and my elder brother to kneel in the ancestral hall, you secretly brought me food and drink. When I went out, you prepared my bags and clothes meticulously. Even when I foolishly fell for Eldest Princess and did something outrageous that got me locked up by my father, you disregarded everything and secretly delivered messages for me, resulting in Daddy punishing you with thirty strokes..."
Listening to this, Aso couldn't hold back her tears any longer and took a deep breath: "Please stop!"
In Pang Yuanying's eyes were surprise, anger, and confusion as he fixed his gaze on the two people before him, especially on Aso: "I, Pang Yuanying, pride myself on being clever. The Pang Family is not without spies from other families; these people have never escaped my notice. However, I never thought that you would betray me... We have been together day and night for over ten years; I was confident that even if I were to die, you would never betray me!"
He raised his hand and grabbed Aso's collar, pulling her closer as he coldly demanded: "Who are you really? What have they given you? For the sake of how I've treated you well in the past, don't let me fall into confusion."
Aso, usually a reserved person, could not help but tremble slightly at this moment. Looking into the eyes of Marquis, which could mesmerize women, she finally broke down in tears: "This is retribution! Retribution!"
After a long time, once she had suppressed her sorrow, Aso lifted her head to straighten Pang Yuanying's clothing and softly said: "Master, you have always been beautiful since childhood—rosy and adorable. Among the servants of similar age in the household, who wouldn't want to enter your courtyard and serve you closely? I am just an orphan picked up by Du Steward, raised since I was five years old—a mere child—yet because of your one word of affection, I was placed before you by Wife. The other servants envied me; although they dared not openly scold or mistreat me due to their fear of you, privately I found no one to talk to—I felt so lonely. To outsiders it seemed glamorous, but those days were truly exhausting."
During this time, only nostalgia appeared in Aso's eyes.
Pang Yuanying was clever from a young age, but he had become so carefree that he truly did not remember what Aso was like back then, nor did he understand what she was doing at this moment. However, he rarely had such patience and did not rush to speak.
Aso's demeanor grew increasingly gentle: "From the very beginning, I have only had you in my heart. You and I have grown up together, sharing meals and journeys. I have been fortunate to follow you in learning to read and write, practicing martial arts, and earning your trust. In your courtyard, I can be considered indispensable... You are truly a man that no woman can help but admire, and I am no exception. When we were younger, it was fine, but as I grew up, I began to see you not just as my master but also as the man I like."
Pang Yuanying was stunned, speechless—his Red-Faced Confidante was surrounded by women in the courtyard, and there were even more women brought back from Ruan Hongtang. Yet he had never known that the one person by his side, the only one who did not see him as a man, had long harbored such feelings.
"Why didn't you say anything? If it were you..."
"If it were me, the Marquis would surely give me a title. Perhaps considering how many years I have served you, I might even become your legitimate concubine. But so what? After following you for so long, how many of the women in your courtyard can you name? You probably know them less than I do!"
Aso clenched her fingers: "So, I would rather be an indispensable Lady-in-Waiting by your side than be your woman. I originally thought this was perfect—spending my life by your side without marrying anyone... But how could you fall in love with a discarded woman and even let it lead to Ah Sheng's death!"
"Ah Sheng?"
Pang Yuanying frowned; he certainly remembered Ah Sheng. He was Du Steward's son, quite clever and handsome. He recalled a time when he was relaxing by the river when a gust of wind blew away his folding fan that he had placed on a stone bench. Ah Sheng happened to be there and jumped into the river without hesitation to retrieve it for him.
He still remembered how Ah Sheng's bright smile lifted his spirits.
"It has been some time since I've seen Ah Sheng... Ah Sheng... is dead?" Pang Yuanying's gaze flickered. Recently, he had been busy pursuing Qin Yaru and then destroying evidence while setting up traps to protect the Pang Family amidst the competition between Xiangyang Wang and Official. He had been too preoccupied to pay attention to a mere servant!
Pang Yuanying turned to look at Du Steward, who had remained silent throughout this conversation. If he remembered correctly, Ah Sheng was Du Jiu's only son, born after forty years of waiting, whom Du Steward cherished greatly.
Aso lowered her head, a hint of mocking smile on her lips: "Of course he is dead; how could he not be? Marquis, have you forgotten? Your beauty doesn't even glance at you; you're unwilling to accept that you've been flirting with wives on the streets. In just half a month, you've taken six wives to Ruan Hongtang."
Pang Yuanying remained silent as Aso sneered: "Of course you wouldn't care; over the years, there has never been a shortage of beauties in Ruan Hongtang. Even at its lowest point, there were still four or five dozen women—six is nothing! You certainly wouldn't care whether the beauties you took from outside the city were already engaged or married with children and families. In your heart, if they are favored by you, they should be grateful; they are not refined ladies from noble families who need to be coy!"
"You probably forgot what the last Wife taken back by Ruan Hongtang looked like, and you certainly don't know that she came to the capital to visit relatives. She is already engaged and is about to marry my brother Ah Sheng. Yet, just because you thought her silhouette resembled Qin Yaru, she was taken back to Ruan Hongtang."
Aso's eyes were bloodshot as he stared unblinkingly at Pang Yuanying: "Those Wife of Ruan Hongtang, you just took them away, looked at them for a moment, and if they didn't match your imagined beauty, you disregarded them. You let your group of subordinates run wild. How many of those Wife that you didn't want have been insulted by them and walked into a dead end... When Ah Sheng got the news and rushed to Ruan Hongtang to save someone, in just one night, his fiancée couldn't bear the humiliation and crashed to her death in the courtyard. When Ah Sheng arrived, the body hadn't even been removed, and the blood in the courtyard hadn't been cleaned up."
Pang Yuanying was horrified and suddenly stood up, cold sweat rolling down his forehead: "How dare they... dare..."
Aso seemed to lose all strength, kneeling on the ground with closed eyes, trembling all over: "I am also guilty. I knew those bastards were unreasonable, but they are all old servants in the manor with deep-rooted influence. I thought long and hard and really didn't want to offend them over a few Wife taken from outside. After all, the Marquis has already tarnished his reputation by taking people; having a few more or fewer bastards in the manor makes little difference!"
"I never expected it would harm Ah Sheng. At that time, in a fit of rage, Ah Sheng carried his fiancée's body and reported it to the old Marquis, but the old Marquis was already overwhelmed with those matters and had no energy left for this. He handed it over to Da Lang. Although Da Lang dealt with the servants of Ruan Hongtang, he saw that Ah Sheng was filled with anger and hatred. At such a critical moment, fearing he might turn against them and harm the Pang Family, he pretended to comfort him but then sent Ah Sheng out on a mission. Once Ah Sheng left, he never returned. Others might have let it go, but my adoptive father knew of Da Lang's methods and secretly investigated. He finally found out that as soon as Ah Sheng left the Marquisate, he was assassinated, with even his body turned to ashes."
"My poor adoptive father sent off his son with white hair while receiving back a black-haired one, yet he couldn't let anyone know; he could only pretend not to know and continue serving the Pang Family. With what Da Lang did, he would never allow my adoptive father or me to live; he has always been cautious and never leaves behind future troubles. If we hadn't been prepared in advance and had such good luck, we would have died long ago."
For a moment, Pang Yuanying was speechless, but he understood that his elder brother was not an evil person; however, for the sake of the Pang Family, he could indeed do such things.
Aso's gaze flickered as he closed his eyes, letting hot tears fall: "Aso has already fallen into darkness; I'm sorry, Marquis!"
Pang Yuanying forced a bitter smile and sighed deeply: "Forget it; your actions are all retribution. Now that it's over, there's nothing good about it!" (To be continued.)
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