After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 12

Hazy and indistinct, it was a portrait of a beauty on a moonlit night.

With just a few brushstrokes—the dim yellow moonlight, the tranquil pond water—the artist had sketched a world so silent that even Gu Wanlan instinctively held her breath, loath to disturb the woman in the painting.

She stood on her tiptoes, wanting to see her more clearly.

Clatter! A sharp sound startled Gu Wanlan.

She looked up to see jet-black ink spilling across the paper. In an instant, the beauty in the painting was utterly destroyed.

“Apologies, my hand slipped.”

Cui Jue lowered his lashes and picked up the “thank-you gift” that had accidentally overturned the inkstone.

“It was my fault for not noticing you were carrying so much. I shouldn’t have crowded you; now I’ve caused you to ruin a painting.” Gu Wanlan lost all interest in viewing the art. She hurriedly stepped forward to take the bundles back, her face full of apology. “Give these back to me; go and clean your desk first.”

“Mm.”

After handing the items back to her, Cui Jue walked to the desk. He picked up the ruined parchment and stared at it for a long time, his expression unreadable.

Gu Wanlan set the gifts on a side table. When she turned back and saw his look, she rubbed her nose with a sense of guilt. “Was it a very important painting?”

Her heart skipped a beat as a sudden possibility occurred to her. She asked tentatively, “The woman in the painting… is she someone very important?”

Cui Jue leisurely rolled up the parchment and gave a quiet affirmation. “Yes. Someone very important.”

Ah…

Gu Wanlan felt her heart sink.

Well, that’s that. My efforts over the past few days were for nothing. It looks like I’ll have to find someone else and a different plan.

She felt a wave of regret. She had initially thought making Cui Jue her matrilocal husband was the perfect solution and had acted immediately. She knew he wasn’t engaged, but she hadn’t considered whether he had someone in his heart. Fortunately, she hadn’t caused any disastrous consequences yet.

Gu Wanlan immediately dropped her flirtatious act. After tidying the stationery from Songyan Hall, she prepared to take her leave. However, as she looked up, she saw Cui Jue tossing the painting into the charcoal brazier by the desk.

The fire was burning brightly, and tongues of flame instantly licked the paper.

Gu Wanlan was shocked. “Why are you burning it?! Wasn’t that a painting of your beloved?!”

“It is merely a painting.”

Cui Jue let go, letting the scroll fall completely into the coals. Through the dancing flames reflected on the parchment, he turned to look at her, a faint smile on his lips.

“The person is more important.”

Gu Wanlan nodded. “True. Painting a hundred portraits here doesn’t compare to taking the initiative.”

Cui Jue’s face held a trace of mockery. “Indeed. Previously, I was trapped by the past, lost in a fog of my own making.”

Is he truly that deeply in love? Gu Wanlan looked at him with a hidden sense of pity. She patted his shoulder. “You can do it. If you ever need help, you can come to me.”

Cui Jue gave a soft laugh. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. She has passed away.”

“Oh…” Gu Wanlan’s mouth hung open. She was stunned, unsure of what to say.

A look of loneliness crossed Cui Jue’s face as he remembered something. “Someone like her… the things she held in her heart were too great. I fear that until her very last moment, she never once remembered me.”

Gu Wanlan swallowed and offered some dry comfort. “How… how could that be? A gentleman such as yourself, whose presence makes one forget the mundane—how could anyone not remember you?”

“Is that so?” Cui Jue simply looked at her, smiling without saying a word.

Gu Wanlan’s heart gave a jolt. She suddenly remembered her dream from the night before. At the very end of the dream, she had been the one asking him who he was.

Feeling a sudden, inexplicable guilt, she looked away and coughed twice. “Ahem. Well, anyway, one must look forward. Don’t worry too much about the past. You’ll come to my Recognition Banquet, won’t you?”

Since his “White Moonlight” had already passed away, the problem was solved. In fact, this was even better—even if they married later, there would be no emotional baggage.

“Since it is your wish—”

Cui Jue’s smile deepened. He took the invitation, his eyes seemingly warmed by the heat of the brazier. “I will certainly keep the appointment.”

Having returned the hand-warmer, Gu Wanlan left Cui Jue’s courtyard. Not long after, she saw a horse galloping up the mountain path, kicking up a cloud of dust. The rider was clad in armor and appeared to be a military officer; Gu Wanlan watched him for a few extra moments.

When she reached her carriage, she found Tianxuan waiting outside. The girl was making exaggerated faces and pointing toward her own waist. Gu Wanlan’s mind raced; she had a good idea of what was happening.

“To Songyan Hall,” Gu Wanlan ordered as she ducked into the carriage.

Sure enough, she saw Xiao Chen sitting inside, his hand resting on his blade.

Having used his name so many times for her own ends, even the thick-skinned Gu Wanlan felt a bit embarrassed. Furthermore, Xiao Chen likely assumed she had gone to Songyan Hall specifically to find him for business.

Heaven knew she had only just remembered, thanks to Tianxuan’s hint, that the stationery shop served as Xiao Chen’s secret contact point.

As expected, he spoke first, his face stern but holding a hint of concern. “I was not in the city this morning. The shopkeeper informed me you went to Songyan Hall. Has something happened?”

Gu Wanlan adjusted her mindset in a heartbeat. “As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, you likely already know. I used your name to get a few things done.”

Xiao Chen waved it off, unconcerned. “A small matter. Those people deserved what they got. I will handle things with Zhao Tianfeng; you needn’t worry about that.”

Gu Wanlan was startled that he knew about her private deal with the Prefect. Her wariness of the Embroidered Uniform Guards grew by another notch. But then she thought deeper.

This was likely ordered specifically by the Emperor. Otherwise, if they tracked every detail of everyone’s lives this closely, the Guards wouldn’t have enough manpower. But why would the Emperor bother to watch her so closely when she had no official power and was trapped in a noble manor?

Her thoughts shifted back to the armored officer going up the mountain. She tapped her fingers on the table. “This winter is harsh. Has the Rouran sent a letter of surrender?”

Xiao Chen was stunned. This news had only arrived at the morning court session—how did she know?! But seeing the girl’s calm, lowered eyes, he remembered she was the young general who had once crushed the Rouran. It made sense.

“It is true,” Xiao Chen nodded. “It isn’t a secret; the news will be public by tomorrow.”

Gu Wanlan leaned back lazily against the carriage wall. “And the court accepted it, didn’t they?” It was a statement, not a question.

Xiao Chen’s grip on his blade tightened. “His Majesty wished to follow up the victory, but the powerful families in the court take their lead from the Cui family. They do not wish for war.”

He couldn’t help but ask, “How did you deduce this?”

Gu Wanlan lifted the carriage curtain. As the wheels rolled, dust kicked up into the air. “I saw a military officer heading up Mount Qiu. Who else is on Mount Qiu besides me, supposedly ‘recuperating’ in a villa?” She gave a light laugh. “Unless it was an urgent matter, an officer with no personal connection wouldn’t have come looking for me. It’s a pity; he has a heart for his country, but he’s destined to be turned away.”

Seeing the whole from a fragment, meticulous as a hair. Xiao Chen marveled at her intellect, feeling it a waste that she was confined to the inner chambers. “New Year’s Eve is approaching, and His Majesty will soon stop signing official documents. There may still be a chance for things to change.”

Gu Wanlan smiled but said nothing.

The powerful families, led by the Cui clan, didn’t want war because their wealth was concentrated in prosperous lands. War meant taxes, and taxes meant taking money from their pockets. Now that they controlled the court—fathers pushing sons, teachers recommending students—they had become an immovable obstacle.

Likely, the Emperor was finally looking for a way to cut them down.

“This doesn’t have much to do with me now,” Gu Wanlan said. “But His Majesty has treated me with sincerity; I will always stand on his side. If he has a need, I will not shirk my duty.”

Xiao Chen turned solemn, realizing she understood the Emperor stood behind him. “I will convey your words to His Majesty, General.”

“Miss, we’ve arrived at Songyan Hall,” Tianxuan’s voice called out.

“Does Lady Gu have any more stationery to buy? This time, the treat is on me,” Xiao Chen offered.

“No, no. I bought enough this morning.”

As Xiao Chen prepared to leave, Gu Wanlan called him back and handed him an invitation. “My Recognition Banquet is coming up. If you have time, Lord Xiao, you are welcome to attend.”

Recalling the intelligence reports he’d received about the Protector Duke’s manor lately, Xiao Chen looked at the card with a playful smirk. He waved it at her. “I will be there.”

After seeing him off, Gu Wanlan spent the rest of the day wandering the streets, buying rouge and looking at jewelry.

Tianxuan was amazed. “Since when were you interested in these things?”

Gu Wanlan held up a silver hairpin to her own head, thinking it would look good on Gu Lehuan. She teased her subordinate, “Haven’t you heard that ‘a woman beautifies herself for the one who pleases her’?”

“What?! You’ve really set your sights on that Cui Jue?”

Tianxuan looked horrified. So that was why her master had grabbed his arm during their first meeting, brought bundles of gifts for the second, and intentionally sent her away!

Thinking of the close relationship between Cui Jue and that “Cui Dog” (Cui Qiong), Tianxuan made a face. “Between a man associated with that dog and Lord Xiao from earlier, I’d choose Lord Xiao. At least he can spar with you. Cui Jue’s constitution looks like he couldn’t even take one hit from you.”

“What nonsense.” Gu Wanlan laughed and tapped Tianxuan’s head with the silver pin. “Lord Xiao works for the man behind him; he isn’t here for me.”

Tianxuan pouted, unconvinced. She had heard the carriage conversation clearly. No one “working for someone else” was that attentive—worrying enough to chase her down just because she wandered into a shop.

Gu Wanlan took her jewelry to the first floor to pay, not forgetting to warn Tianxuan: “Say what you want to me, but don’t let Lord Xiao hear you later, or I’ll die of embarrassment.”

Tianxuan stuck out her tongue. “I know, I know. You just go ahead and ‘plough’ that cabbage from the Cui family’s garden.”

“You brat—”

Gu Wanlan started to scold her with a laugh, but she was interrupted by a shouting match on the first floor.

“Why should I?! That Gu Wanlan has made my father’s life miserable! Why should I have to buy a gift for her?! You’re all afraid of her, but I’m not! I’m going to find my Cousin Cui!”