After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 13

“Miss, it’s the Second Madam and Gu Baozhu.”

Tianxuan stole a glance down through the gaps in the staircase.

“Gu Baozhu?” Gu Wanlan didn’t recall the name immediately, her brow furrowing.

Tianxuan leaned in and whispered the explanation. “She is the legitimate daughter of the Second Branch, the Second Madam’s child. She’s been away at her maternal grandfather’s house recently.”

Tianxuan lowered her voice even further. “The Second Madam’s family is from Qingcheng and has ties to the Cui family. Gu Baozhu has been close with Cui Li, the legitimate son of the Cui family’s third branch, since they were children.”

Cui Li.

Gu Wanlan had heard that name back when she was investigating Cui Qiong. Some praised him for being a master of both poetry and prose, possessing the air of a great scholar despite his youth. But after hearing about some of his past deeds, Gu Wanlan felt the man was more like a petty socialite who used literature as a vanity project.

Gu Wanlan frowned with a hint of disgust.

“Young ladies, you have been browsing for a long while. Would you like to rest here for a moment? The shop has recently received a new batch of Biluochun; the fragrance is most pleasant.”

The shopkeeper on the second floor felt a massive headache coming on the moment she heard Gu Baozhu’s voice downstairs. Everyone knew how much Cui Li doted on this younger cousin; if something happened to her in this shop, the consequences would be dire.

Now that she realized the young lady on the second floor was the recently famous Gu Wanlan, she felt as though she were hosting two volatile deities. Fearing a confrontation, she tried to use the offer of tea to keep the two parties apart.

Tianxuan saw right through the shopkeeper’s intentions. She felt the shopkeeper was looking down on her mistress out of fear of the people below. Her eyebrows shot up. “No tea earlier, no tea later, but you offer it exactly now! My mistress hasn’t done anything. What exactly are you implying, Shopkeeper?!”

“The lady has only recently arrived in Xijing and might not know—the Cui family is not to be trifled with. Please, avoid them if you can.” The shopkeeper wiped her sweat, her voice full of earnest persuasion.

The Cui family again.

Gu Wanlan originally had no interest in bickering with a young girl. But somehow, after returning from Cui Jue’s place—hearing on one hand that the Cui family was blocking the military campaign and on the other that they were “not to be trifled with”—a fire began to smolder in her chest.

“Is that so? Then I’d like to see exactly how ‘difficult’ they are.”

Gu Wanlan gave a light laugh and began to walk down the stairs, hand on the railing.

“Wait! Miss!” The shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat. Fearing the worst, she hurried after her.

After learning about the recent scandals at home while at her grandfather’s, Gu Baozhu had demanded to be sent back to Xijing immediately.

As soon as she returned to the manor, the Second Madam had offered to take her shopping. Gu Baozhu thought her mother was going to buy her a gift, but after she excitedly picked out two pieces, her mother told her the gifts were meant for Gu Wanlan at the upcoming Recognition Banquet. Gu Baozhu exploded instantly, slamming the jade hairpin she had chosen onto the floor, snapping it in two.

“If Mother wants to buy it, buy it yourself! I won’t attend her ridiculous banquet anyway!”

“Cousin Cui invited me to a poetry gathering today. I’m leaving!”

Gu Baozhu turned to storm out, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of slender, fair hands pick up the broken hairpin from the floor.

The hairpin was held out to her. Gu Baozhu instinctively looked up and met a pair of eyes filled with shimmering amusement.

“A poetry gathering? I happen to be quite interested. May I come along?”

Gu Baozhu found this woman’s sudden familiarity bizarre. She scanned the stranger’s outfit—simple, rough fabric that looked utterly plain. With a sneer of disdain, she snatched the broken jade and glared.

“I am not acquainted with village girls like you. Go play your games with someone else.”

The Second Madam’s face turned deathly pale the moment she saw Gu Wanlan on the stairs. Seeing Gu Baozhu’s behavior, she nearly lost her wits and shouted sternly, “Baozhu! How can you speak like that? She is your sister!”

“Sister? I don’t have—”

Gu Baozhu started to retort, but then realization hit her. She whipped her head back toward Gu Wanlan and hissed, “You’re Gu Wanlan?!”

Gu Wanlan didn’t answer. She simply handed the jewelry she had selected to the shopkeeper. “Once these are wrapped, send them to the Protector Duke’s manor.”

After a thought, she looked back at the broken ornament in Gu Baozhu’s hand and raised an eyebrow. “The one you broke—shall I pay for that as well?”

Gu Baozhu was nearly staggered by the insult. She slammed the broken jade onto the counter with a loud crack. “Gu Wanlan! What do you mean by that?! Do you think I can’t afford my own bills?!”

Gu Wanlan glanced around the jewelry shop, which was now empty as other customers had fled. She shrugged. “Not at all. However, it’s a bad habit to throw tantrums in public, sister. You’ve scared away all the other customers. That’s quite a loss for the shopkeeper. But then again, you are so close with the Cui family; surely you wouldn’t want to tarnish your Cousin Cui’s image in public.”

“You!”

Gu Baozhu choked on her words, her face turning crimson. She never expected Gu Wanlan to use her “Cousin Cui” to suppress her. The woman must have been eavesdropping from upstairs! Despicable!

Gu Baozhu’s heart bled. She usually only had her monthly allowance and the fixed quota of jewelry provided by the manor. Her grandfather had just given her some spending money, but it was already about to vanish. Yet, she couldn’t afford to lose face now!

Gu Baozhu gritted her teeth and slapped the table. “Shopkeeper! Calculate the total. Whatever losses you incurred today, I, Gu Baozhu, will cover them!”

The shopkeeper was stunned. She hadn’t expected a potential disaster to turn into a windfall.

Seeing the shopkeeper dazed, Gu Wanlan leaned against the counter and tapped the wood with her index finger, laughing openly. “Since Lady Baozhu is here, hurry up and do the math.”

“Thank you, Lady Baozhu! You truly have the heart of a Bodhisattva!” The shopkeeper beamed, her fingers flying across the abacus.

Gu Baozhu felt quite smug after the flattery. She looked at Gu Wanlan and her eyes flickered. “You said you wanted to see the world at the poetry gathering?”

The Second Madam saw the look on her daughter’s face and knew she was plotting something. But her daughter was no match for Gu Wanlan! Paying her way out of trouble as she just did was already a lucky outcome!

But as the Second Madam reached out to stop them, Gu Wanlan blocked her. She lowered her voice meaningfully. “Don’t worry, Second Aunt. I simply want to see what these ‘Cui family’ people are made of.”

The Second Madam’s hand froze and then hesitantly withdrew.

Gu Baozhu didn’t hear what was whispered. She only saw her mother acting cowardly in front of Gu Wanlan again. She lifted her chin defiantly. “Gu Wanlan, you saw it yourself—I, Gu Baozhu, take responsibility for my actions! What about you? Are you afraid of your own words now?!”

Gu Wanlan’s smile was faint. “Of course not. I’ll trouble Sister Baozhu to lead the way and let me see the world.”

The Second Madam saw Gu Wanlan’s smile and instinctively shivered. The Cui family. For some reason, this “Calamity Star” had set her sights on the Cui family. She didn’t know whether to call Gu Wanlan bold or the Cui family unlucky.

Cui Li was seventeen and still studying at the academy. He loved discussing literature with his friends, so he had founded the “Bright Moon Poetry Society,” which attracted many scholars.

Today was a meeting day. By the time they arrived, many people had gathered outside the society’s doors, though very few were qualified to enter.

Gu Baozhu led Gu Wanlan through the crowd. Seeing a group of scholars dressed in the same plain robes as Gu Wanlan, peering into the courtyard, Gu Baozhu’s face filled with self-satisfaction. “Look at that. If I hadn’t brought you, a village girl like you would only be fit to stand out there and watch.”

Gu Wanlan smiled but said nothing, her eyes carefully taking in the surroundings. Even though this was just a place for Cui Li to chat about poems, every corner was exquisite, exuding an air of quiet nobility.

Someone must have gone inside to announce Gu Baozhu’s arrival. Before they could enter, a refined young man led a group of people out to meet them.

Gu Baozhu’s eyes lit up. She hurried forward with a wide smile. “Cousin Cui, I’m back!”

Cui Li was genuinely happy to see her, but restrained by the presence of others, he merely kept a smile on his face. “A trip to Qingcheng has served you well, cousin.”

“Cousin! You’re teasing me again!” Gu Baozhu stomped her foot playfully.

Cui Li laughed, but then noticed someone watching from the side. He realized there was another person with Gu Baozhu. “And this is?”

“Oh, I forgot to introduce her. This is the newly returned Sister Wanlan.” Gu Baozhu feigned intimacy, grabbing Gu Wanlan’s arm. “She’s curious about the society and wanted to come see.”

“Cousin Cui… you must take good care of her.” Gu Baozhu winked at him, dragging out the words.

Cui Li found it somewhat amusing. He knew his cousin well; it was clear she had a grudge against Gu Wanlan and wanted him to help humiliate her. He had done such things several times before; it was a familiar routine. After all, if someone was humiliated in a literary gathering due to their own lack of knowledge, who was to blame but themselves? As for what happened to the young ladies who lost face in public… that wasn’t his concern.

He tapped a folding fan against his palm, a smile appearing on his face. “So it is the Eldest Lady Gu. I have heard much of your name. If Lady Gu wishes to exchange pointers on poetry and prose, you are most welcome.”

Gu Baozhu waited eagerly for Gu Wanlan to take the bait, anticipating the moment she would be criticized into silence.

Instead, a sharp sneer interrupted her fantasy.

“What are you saying, Master Cui? Since you’ve ‘heard much of my name,’ you must have known about my background long ago.”

Cui Li frowned, feeling insulted by her tone. “What if I do?”

Gu Wanlan leaned lazily against a tree outside the gate, playing with a piece of wild grass she had picked up from somewhere. Her tone was mocking.

“Since you know… are you sure that you—a young master from a prestigious clan raised on a fortune of gold and silver—want to compete in poetry with me? An orphan girl who lived on the streets for years and had to fight dogs for scraps of food?”

The crowd gasped.

They hadn’t expected that Gu Wanlan, now a noble lady, wouldn’t care in the slightest about mentioning her past. At the same time, they suddenly realized that Cui Li’s move was indeed far from being gentlemanly.

Cui Li, who had spent his life among scholars and had never been humiliated by such looks in public, immediately darkened his face.

“Truly an insult to refined culture! If Lady Gu has no interest in poetry, why come to my society at all? Or did you come here specifically to crash the party?!”