After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 19

Songhe Courtyard

The maids and nannies cleaning the courtyard watched in stunned silence as Gu Wanlan entered, wordlessly ripped the door panel from its hinges, and dragged it inside. None dared to breathe. It was Qiugui who, fearing the worst, finally snapped out of it and ran to find the Second Madam.

Inside the room, however, the atmosphere was not the explosive confrontation everyone expected. Instead, it was eerily calm.

The Old Matron cast her gaze toward the door panel leaning against the wall and offered a dry compliment. “You truly possess divine strength. No wonder you act without a shred of hesitation.”

Gu Wanlan casually leaned the door panel against the wall, brushed the dust from her hands, and smiled. “One must show their capabilities occasionally, otherwise people will always think I’m an easy target.”

“Based solely on this brute force?”

“Is brute force all I have? I believe you know the answer to that better than anyone, Grandmother.”

The Old Matron lowered her eyelids and remained silent. It was true. She had already witnessed the girl’s methods.

“Grandmother, I came here today to make things clear,” Gu Wanlan said, leaning down to look the Matron in the eye. Her voice was soft but piercing. “I grew up adrift and have no real sentiment for you. My father’s actions might be restricted by filial duty to you, but mine will not be.”

“After all,” she continued, “I was raised on the Rouran plains. If you push me to madness again, it won’t be as simple as removing a door…”

The Matron shuddered as the realization finally clicked. She had forgotten! She had forgotten that Gu Wanlan had been taken by traitors to Rouran—a place where people were said to be capable of eating raw flesh! For Gu Wanlan to escape Rouran and make it back to Xijing, she must possess formidable, hidden means.

The Matron forced herself to stay steady. “Xijing is not Rouran. Do you think the Prince of Huai will let you go after the massive scandal you caused his house today?”

Gu Wanlan laughed. “Grandmother, that has nothing to do with me.” Her tone shifted sharply. “Even if the Prince knows I simply went with the flow, he won’t target me. He will direct his fury at you. Care to guess why?”

Because the Prince of Huai is currently trying to win over the military nobility!

The Matron was filled with silent hate. The “brat” had accounted for that layer of politics as well. She closed her eyes and began fumbling with her prayer beads. “This matter has nothing to do with this old body.”

“Is that so?” Gu Wanlan chuckled, pulling a stack of papers from her robe. “But your son and his wife didn’t say that. The evidence of you bribing the Perfected One of Wuliang and ordering the purchase of that incense—your son and his wife just handed it all to me.”

“What did you say?!” The Matron’s expression twisted. She snatched the papers from Gu Wanlan’s hand.

As she read, her hands began to shake violently. Finally, she let out a low, bitter laugh. “Stupid fools! Truly, ‘to spoil a child is to kill a child’! To spoil a child is to kill a child!”

With those words, the Matron seemed to age decades in an instant. She looked up with a raspy voice. “Did you come today just to watch my downfall?”

“I came to remind you not to forget your promise to split the family estate.” Gu Wanlan tapped her long index finger twice against the door panel and smiled. “I have another copy of that evidence in my room. If you forget, I might accidentally hand it over to the authorities, which wouldn’t be very pleasant.”

The Matron tossed the testimony—written by her most beloved son—aside and sneered. “Then split it. Tomorrow… we shall invite the Clan Leader to open the ancestral hall and divide the estate. However—”

She stared at Gu Wanlan with a hatred so thick it was palpable. “Gu Wanlan, don’t think you’ve won. Everyone of intelligence knows the Prince of Huai had designs on you. Do you think any other high-ranking household will dare to marry you now?”

Gu Wanlan patted the Matron’s shoulder with a smile. “Grandmother, I forgot to mention: I have already decided to take a matrilocal husband (recruit a groom to live in her house). So, you don’t need to worry about the future of the Duke’s title anymore.”

The Matron could no longer handle the sequence of shocks. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted completely.

As Gu Wanlan left the Songhe Courtyard, Tianxuan followed closely, whispering, “Miss, Young Master Cui has been safely escorted back to his residence.”

Gu Wanlan had spoken of taking a groom with bold confidence in front of the Matron, but hearing Cui Jue’s name from Tianxuan now made her feel a sudden wave of bashful heat.

“Ahem. How is he? Did they call a doctor?”

Back in the cave, driven by the incense, Cui Jue had kissed her, and she, fueled by her competitive nature, had kissed him back. They had a fierce “tussle,” but both had ultimately exercised restraint. However, Gu Wanlan’s “affected state” had been a ruse—Cui Jue’s had been real.

Tianxuan’s face turned red. “A doctor was called by the time I left. Don’t worry, Miss, he should be fine. Usually, for men… as long as they let it out, it’s fine.”

“…I suppose so.” Gu Wanlan rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling awkward discussing such topics with her maid. They walked in silence until they reached the Duke’s quarters. Tianxuan hesitated, then spoke up again.

“Miss, have you truly decided to have Young Master Cui join the family as a groom?”

“Yes. I’ve decided.”

Tianxuan stopped, remained silent for a moment, then looked at her earnestly. “I only wish for your happiness, Miss.”

Gu Wanlan laughed and rubbed Tianxuan’s head. “Silly girl. You look like I’m jumping into a fire pit. If I didn’t want it, do you think Cui Jue could easily bully me?”

Tianxuan bit her lip. “But it’s for a lifetime. Miss… do you like Young Master Cui?”

Gu Wanlan rubbed her chin, thinking seriously. “Hmm. How should I put it? He has a beautiful face, he smells very good, and I don’t seem to mind being close to him. As for ‘liking’ him… is it really that important?”

Tianxuan’s mouth twitched. Isn’t my mistress clearly just lusting after the man’s body?!

“Miss, you absolutely cannot say that when you see him tomorrow. You’ll scare him away.”

“Don’t worry. I have my ways.” Gu Wanlan winked.

That night, Gu Wanlan fell into a deep sleep. Amidst the chaos of her mind, she realized with total clarity that she was in a dream.

Perhaps because of her thoughts during the day, the scene before her was filled with celebratory red—like the bridal chamber of a girl about to be married. The bride’s back looked frail; the wedding dress hung loosely on her frame, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.

Gu Wanlan knew very few women, yet looking at this silhouette, a bizarre sense of familiarity surged in her heart. She prepared to “float” forward to take a look—

CLACK. A crisp sound of a lock being turned came from behind her. Gu Wanlan looked back to see a heavy iron chain wrapped around the door!

“Miss, the auspicious hour has arrived. Are you ready?” A heavily made-up matchmaker entered, her face a total stranger.

“Heh.” The bride didn’t turn around, only letting out a cold snort.

Gu Wanlan broke into a cold sweat; her hair stood on end. That voice was distinctly—hers.

She watched as the bride in the wedding dress slowly stood up. With every movement, the chains on her wrists rattled loudly.

“Does he want me to have the wedding like this today?” the “other” Gu Wanlan said, rattling the chains. Though her lips were smiling, her eyes burned with a fire that threatened to incinerate the world.

Startled by that gaze, Gu Wanlan woke up with a jolt. She wiped her forehead to find it drenched in cold sweat. The hatred in that “self’s” eyes was too real—it didn’t feel like a dream, but like something that had actually happened.

No, this isn’t the first time.

Once before, she had dreamt of her days at Changping Pass. In that dream, she hadn’t returned to Xijing, He San hadn’t died, and the supervising official sent by the court wasn’t Cui Qiong, but a man named Song. And in that dream, Cui Jue had come to find her as an “old friend.”

Gu Wanlan’s heart hammered. Ignoring the fact that it was the middle of the night, she threw on a robe and called for Tianxuan.

Tianxuan, who was on night watch, hurried in. Seeing her mistress pale and unsettled, she quickly poured a cup of tea. “Miss, did you have a nightmare? Drink some cool tea to calm your nerves.”

After drinking the tea, Gu Wanlan calmed down slightly. But her voice was tight as she voiced her suspicion. “Tianxuan, have Tianshu investigate something.”

“At your command, Master!”

“Go find out who the original choice was for the supervising official sent to Changping Pass by the imperial court.”

Though the suspicion was absurd, Gu Wanlan gripped her teacup and closed her eyes. Her voice was a raspy whisper. “Specifically… find out if their surname was Song.”