Chapter 617 - 620: Liar

Chapter 617: Chapter 620: Liar

When Mrs. Xie heard that Lu Man was back, she made a special trip to see her, only to find her residence empty.

She happened to run into Yue Niang, who was tidying the rooms, and learned upon asking that Lu Man had gone to see the Regent King off.

So Yue Niang helped Mrs. Xie out the door to go find Lu Man.

Both had gentle dispositions, so they chatted amiably and got along quite well on the way.

Mrs. Xie learned about Lu Man’s recent ordeals from Yue Niang. When she heard that Lu Man had been poisoned and nearly died, her heart leaped into her throat and her face turned deathly pale with fear.

She chanted a Buddhist phrase.

"Amitabha Buddha... Thank the Buddha, it’s a blessing Amang is all right."

Yue Niang said softly, "The Young Master is virtuous and blessed by heaven. Nothing will happen to him."

Mrs. Xie noticed that when Yue Niang mentioned Lu Man, her tone was gentle and her eyes held a hint of shy affection.

As a woman with worldly experience, Mrs. Xie understood at once. She couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful. ’If Lu Man were truly a man, it would be perfectly fine for him to take Yue Niang as a concubine.’

’But as it happens, Lu Man is a woman.’

’Yue Niang’s deep affection is doomed to be for naught.’

At this thought, Mrs. Xie felt an even deeper sense of pity for Yue Niang.

As the two reached the gates of the Prince Mansion, they saw the Regent King lower his head and kiss Lu Man on the lips.

Mrs. Xie and Yue Niang froze on the spot, looking as if they’d been struck by lightning.

After Hua Manman saw Li Ji and his son off and turned to go back inside, she spotted Mrs. Xie and Yue Niang standing a short distance away.

Hua Manman froze as well.

The atmosphere became indescribably awkward.

After a long moment, Mrs. Xie managed to gather her thoughts and asked haltingly.

"You and the Regent King..."

’Since they saw everything, there’s no point in hiding it anymore.’

Hua Manman said with an air of resignation.

"It’s exactly what you saw."

Mrs. Xie was stunned. "You’re actually with the Regent King? But doesn’t he already have a family? Don’t tell me you intend to be his concubine?"

Yue Niang was even more horrified.

’Before, when the Young Master was poisoned, she had seen Li Ji kiss him. She had assumed it was unrequited, that Li Ji was forcing his affections on the Young Master, who surely still preferred women.’

’But who would have thought the Young Master would now admit to his relationship with Li Ji?’

’So the Young Master... is also that way?!’

Hua Manman met their two pairs of incredulous eyes and rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

’I originally planned to explain everything to them separately to make it clearer,’ she thought. ’Now they’ve run into each other, and both of them want an explanation.’

Delaying any further was not an option.

She could only bite the bullet and say, "This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go inside."

The three of them went to the reception hall.

Hua Manman sent someone to fetch Lu Wanqing.

Lu Wanqing had been so busy coordinating grain and provisions that she’d been running in circles all day without so much as a single hot meal.

The moment she walked in, she said, "If there’s something you need, say it quickly. I have a lot I need to get back to."

Mrs. Xie had someone bring warm tea and pastries for Lu Wanqing, urging her to eat something so she wouldn’t wear herself out.

Lu Wanqing didn’t stand on ceremony. She sat down and began to wolf down the food.

Hua Manman opened her mouth and immediately dropped a bombshell.

"The truth is, I’m not the real Lu Man."

Mrs. Xie froze.

Lu Wanqing hadn’t expected her to bring this up so suddenly. She jumped in shock, and a pastry got stuck in her throat, nearly choking her.

She hastily grabbed her teacup and took two large gulps of hot tea, GULP, GULP, finally managing to swallow the pastry.

Mrs. Xie thought her eldest daughter was joking and said with a helpless sigh.

"What do you mean, you’re not the real Lu Man? If you’re not Lu Man, then who are you?"

Hua Manman looked at Lu Wanqing, silently asking her to explain.

Now it was Lu Wanqing’s turn to feel a headache coming on.

’I was planning to wait until this busy period was over to find the right time to sit down and talk with Mother,’ she thought.

’I never expected Hua Manman to blurt out the truth right now.’

It caught Lu Wanqing completely off guard.

She shot Hua Manman a look, signaling her not to talk about this now.

Hua Manman was exasperated.

’I didn’t want to do it this way either,’ she thought, ’but Mrs. Xie and Yue Niang saw me being intimate with Li Ji. I have to give them a reasonable explanation.’

Lu Wanqing rubbed her temples, which were starting to throb.

"Mother, she’s telling the truth. She isn’t my older sister. She’s just someone who looks like her."

Mrs. Xie was utterly astonished. "You already knew she was a woman?"

Lu Wanqing nodded. "Yes."

Yue Niang, thinking she must have misheard, asked in disbelief.

"The Young Master is... a woman?"

Both Mrs. Xie and Lu Wanqing fell silent, not daring to speak.

Hua Manman replied awkwardly, "Yes."

Yue Niang couldn’t believe it was true.

She rushed in front of Hua Manman and reached out to grab the front of her robes.

Since everyone in the room was a woman, there was nothing to be shy about. Hua Manman didn’t resist, allowing Yue Niang to pull open her robes and reveal the chest tightly bound by layers of gauze.

The truth was laid bare before her eyes. Whether Yue Niang wanted to believe it or not, she had no choice.

Her face turned ashen, and her eyes welled with tears.

"Why? Why did you lie to me?"

Hua Manman pulled her robes closed and said sheepishly, "I’m sorry. I did lie to you. You can hit me or yell at me all you want. I won’t fight back."

A storm of resentment surged in Yue Niang’s heart.

She raised her right hand, ready to slap her.

Hua Manman sat perfectly still.

Yue Niang looked at her face, remembering all the things she had said to her, the kindness and gentleness she had shown her. Her heart twisted as if being cut by a knife.

Before the slap could land, tears began to stream down her face.

"You liar! I hate you!"

Covering her face, Yue Niang ran out of the room, crying.

Hua Manman stood up but didn’t follow. Instead, she found another servant and told them to keep an eye on Yue Niang, lest she do something foolish.

Lu Wanqing asked, "How are you going to handle this?"

Hua Manman sighed.

"I’ll have to wait for her to calm down first, then ask her what she wants to do in the future.

If she wants to get married, I can find her a good match.

If she just wants to live on her own, I’ll give her money and land so she can live out the rest of her days in peace."

Mrs. Xie said, "She’s a good girl who’s had a bitter lot in life. You mustn’t deceive her any further."

Hua Manman and Lu Wanqing both turned to look at Mrs. Xie.

Mrs. Xie was baffled by their stares.

"What is it?"

Ever since leaving the Yu Royal Mansion, Mrs. Xie had been rushing about with Lu Wanqing. She had lost a great deal of weight and had aged considerably.

With Prince Yu having just passed away, she was in a period of mourning and could not eat meat. She couldn’t even properly nourish her body and could only endure.

Looking at Mrs. Xie in this state, Hua Manman couldn’t bear to tell her the rest of the truth.

Mrs. Xie noticed her hesitation and prompted her.

"What is it? What’s happened?"

Hua Manman took a deep breath. ’Better to rip the band-aid off,’ she thought, steeling herself.

"The real Lu Man... is already dead. She died a long time ago."