After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 5

The heavy thud of the coffin lid hitting the floor echoed through the hall, shocking everyone into silence.

The Old Madam turned to Gu Wanlan, her face flushing a deep crimson as her chest heaved with rage. She slammed her staff against the floor. “You wretch! You dare… you dare—”

“Throw her out! Beat her! I will explain this to His Majesty myself!” she shrieked.

But no one came. The Old Madam realized with a bitter pang that in her haste to force Qi Rong into signing the adoption papers, she had cleared all the servants from the hall. She had inadvertently created the perfect stage for Gu Wanlan’s theater.

The Old Madam clutched her son Gu Qingyun’s arm so hard he winced. “Qingyun! Go get the guards! Let’s see if your ‘dear niece’ dares to lay a hand on you to stop you from leaving!”

Wanlan stepped down, a serene smile on her face. “Grandmother is joking. I only acted out of concern for Father.” She gestured elegantly toward the door. “If Second Uncle wishes to leave, I certainly won’t stop him. Please.”

Seeing a chance to escape this coffin-flipping lunatic, Gu Qingyun bolted for the door. His eyes burned with malice; he was already imagining hiring the strongest thugs in the city to beat Wanlan until she begged for death.

“Gu Qingyun!” The Old Madam’s cold voice stopped him. “Remember, we are a family of officials. Everything must be done according to the law.”

Gu Qingyun paused, then bowed, a grotesque grin hidden in the shadows. “I understand, Mother.”

The Miracle in the Coffin

As Gu Qingyun hurried off to bring “reinforcements,” Gu Lehuan grabbed Wanlan’s sleeve. “Sister, he’s gone to get the Prefect of the Capital. If he brings the law here…”

“Relax. Take care of the Madam,” Wanlan said, patting her shoulder. She walked back to the coffin. No one dared to block her path this time.

The Old Madam sat back in her chair, watching Wanlan lift the Protector Duke’s body. She sneered at Qi Rong. “Qi Rong, you always claimed to love my eldest son. Are you really going to let this wretch desecrate his corpse?”

Qi Rong didn’t know why Wanlan was doing this, but her guilt over losing her daughter for ten years outweighed her fear. “Wanlan can do whatever she wants! I will take the blame! This is the Protector Duke’s manor, not the residence of a mere Baron!”

The mention of “Baron”—the title the Old Madam’s husband had been demoted to years ago—was a forbidden topic. The Old Madam exploded. “Fine! Since the Duke is dead and your ‘daughter’ is back, your wings have grown strong. Tomorrow, I will act on my son’s behalf and divorce you! You merchant woman, get out of this house!”

Qi Rong’s face turned deathly pale. She couldn’t leave her husband’s side, even in death. “Mother! You can’t!”

The Old Madam savored the sight of Qi Rong’s despair. But her triumph was cut short by a thunderclap of a voice.

“Grandmother, look!” Wanlan cried. “My father isn’t dead. It seems the people who need to ‘get out’ are someone else!”

“Wretch! What nonsense—”

“AHHH!! Eldest Uncle! Eldest Uncle is sitting up!” The Second Madam’s piercing scream made the Old Madam’s hair stand on end. She spun around to see the “dead” Gu Changfeng actually sitting upright in the coffin with Wanlan’s help.

“Changfeng!” Qi Rong rushed forward, her hands trembling.

Wanlan shook her head gently. “Madam, the Duke was in a state of ‘suspended animation.’ He is awake but very weak. Please, find a doctor immediately.”

The Trap Snaps Shut

The Old Madam gripped her staff until her knuckles turned white. How? He was dead!

“You’re wondering how he’s alive, aren’t you, Grandmother?” Wanlan’s eyes were like daggers, stripping away the Old Madam’s defenses. “It’s because the Protector Duke’s time hasn’t come. Someone intentionally tried to—”

“Prefect! Over here! Gu Wanlan, you wretch, come out and surrender for defiling my brother’s body!” Gu Qingyun’s roar from the courtyard nearly made the Old Madam faint. She realized the trap instantly. Wanlan hadn’t stopped him because she wanted him to bring the authorities.

The implication of Wanlan’s words was clear: someone had poisoned or drugged the Duke. If he was alive, it wasn’t a funeral anymore—it was an attempted murder investigation. And the person who had “discovered” the death and tried to rush the burial was Gu Qingyun.

The Old Madam stared at Wanlan with venomous hatred. “You planned this from the start?”

Wanlan handed the Duke over to Lehuan and gave a mysterious smile. “Who knows?”

Gu Qingyun marched into the hall, brimming with triumph. But his smile didn’t last.

SLAP!

Another crisp slap landed on his face. He stumbled, clutching his cheek, and turned to see the culprit—not Wanlan, but his own wife, the Second Madam!

“You’re crazy!” he yelled.

“Am I crazy, or are you?!” she screamed, hysterical. “Do you want to destroy me and our son?! You couldn’t even wait for him to actually die?!”

She realized that if Wanlan had the Secret Police on her side, she likely had proof of the drugging. If the Duke was alive, the “burial” became a murder attempt. They were all going to ruin.

Gu Qingyun didn’t understand. He turned back to Wanlan, who was standing by the coffin with a sweet, terrifying smile. She even offered him a cup of tea.

“You’re just in time, Second Uncle. Bringing the Prefect here now… it really couldn’t be more perfect. Thank you for your hard work.”