After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 57

Within the Estate of Princess Xihe

Princess Xihe was the current Emperor’s youngest sister from the same mother. Back when Emperor Qingyuan was still merely a Prince, the bond between the siblings was already deep. After his ascension, the Emperor bestowed upon her an estate that far exceeded the standard specifications for a Princess. Consequently, even though Princess Xihe possessed a cold and distant temperament, people still flocked to her, desperate to gain her favor.

Gu Baozhu had not originally intended to attend today’s banquet. The invitation she held had been given to her by County Princess Yong’an, the only daughter of Princess Xihe. Not only were she and Yong’an not on good terms, but they also harbored a grudge over Cui Li. Thus, the invitation was clearly sent with ill intent—Yong’an wanted her to show up just so people could mock her. In the past, Gu Baozhu would have avoided such unfavorable situations as a matter of habit.

But that was the past.

The moment she entered the estate today, she sensed the gazes falling upon her. She even felt a sense of eager anticipation, hoping that Yong’an would come over right now to make things difficult so she could immediately engage her in a debate.

However…

Gu Baozhu feigned admiration for the plum blossoms. Peering through the scattered grove, she stole a glance toward the pavilion. She thought she saw Yong’an running out of the pavilion while wiping away tears. It was unclear what had happened, but it seemed the County Princess might not be in the mood to trouble her.

A moment later, a commotion broke out in the crowd.

“Look! It’s Her Highness! Princess Xihe is coming out!”

The Princess had arrived!

And Gu Wanlan still hadn’t shown up?!

Gu Baozhu closed her eyes briefly. Then, moving against the flow of the crowd, she quietly retreated to the very edge of the plum grove. She wanted to see exactly how Gu Wanlan intended to wrap things up today.

To her surprise, just as she was thinking of her, Gu Wanlan’s voice suddenly erupted like a crack of thunder beside her ear.

“Oh, everyone! My apologies! My apologies! This is my first time coming out to broaden my horizons. I didn’t expect to be so nervous on the way that I actually missed the hour! I’m not too late, am I?”

Gu Baozhu froze.

Good heavens, what is Gu Wanlan doing? What does she think this Plum Blossom Banquet is! A village gathering for drinking and theater?!

“Presumptuous! How dare you be so rude in front of Her Highness!” someone immediately barked at Gu Wanlan.

Gu Baozhu instinctively turned to check Princess Xihe’s expression, only to find that although the Princess had been rudely interrupted, she didn’t seem angry. Instead, a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Oh? You are that eldest daughter the Protector State Duke recently recognized, Gu Wanlan? Truly, seeing you today is better than hearing a hundred rumors. However—”

Before she could finish, Princess Xihe’s tone shifted. She took a step forward, her sharp gaze sweeping over Gu Wanlan. “I recall that I did not seem to issue you an invitation for today?”

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively held their breath.

In daily life, the private exchange or even sale of banquet invitations was common. Usually, because there were so many guests, the host would turn a blind eye and not pursue the matter.

But today, it looked as if Gu Wanlan had touched a nerve. Even the usually cold Princess Xihe seemed to be harboring a latent fire.

Gu Wanlan hurriedly offered an apology. “Have I angered Your Highness? My apologies. I’ve only just returned to Xijing and am not very well-versed in the rules. I simply admire Your Highness, so I followed my sister in. Is it because people from our Duke’s estate are not worthy of entering the Princess’s banquet? I understand now; I won’t dare do it again. I’ll leave right now. Please, Princess, do not be angry.”

After speaking, Gu Wanlan actually made a show of covering her face and preparing to retreat, looking profoundly ashamed and hurt.

Princess Xihe was so choked by these words she could hardly breathe. She hurriedly sent someone to pull back that “barbarian woman.” “Make her come back! I merely said one thing to her, and she makes such a scene! What a lack of decorum!”

How could someone speak so bluntly and rudely! She dares to say anything!

If she truly drove Gu Wanlan away in front of so many people and let those words spread, Emperor Qingyuan would likely summon her to the palace tomorrow for a “chat.” The reason she enjoyed the Emperor’s favor was precisely that she acted obediently and never interfered in court politics.

Gu Wanlan looked moved to the extreme and was about to step forward to thank her. “Your Highness truly possesses a noble and lofty grace.”

Princess Xihe waved her hand, unwilling to look at her further. “Fine. Considering this is your first time and you didn’t know the rules, you may withdraw.”

Having escaped disaster, Gu Wanlan let out a long sigh of relief and began searching the crowd for Gu Baozhu.

Once she spotted her, Gu Wanlan waved repeatedly as she hurried over. “Gu Baozhu, why are you standing so far away? I told you, I really have nothing to do with that Xiao Sun. A man like him just wants to cling to—”

Princess Xihe’s departing footsteps paused.

But Gu Wanlan had already passed her like a gust of wind.

In the moment they crossed paths, Gu Wanlan’s eyes went cold and sharp beneath her lowered lids.

When she found Gu Baozhu, the younger girl only wished she had been standing even further back so Gu Wanlan wouldn’t have shouted her name in front of everyone.

Maintaining a fake smile, Gu Baozhu grabbed Gu Wanlan’s sleeve and dragged her toward a secluded corner. As they walked, she ground her teeth. “I say, Gu Wanlan! Could you not have told me in advance if you were going to pull a stunt like that? At least give me some mental preparation!”

Gu Wanlan, still acting the part of a crude barbarian who had never seen the world, gasped in amazement at a decorative rock by the path. “Ooh! This rock looks truly good sitting here. Tomorrow, we should put one like it in our Duke’s estate.”

Then, Gu Wanlan laughed softly to Gu Baozhu. “Your skin has been raised too thin. Don’t you know? As long as you aren’t embarrassed, the ones who are embarrassed will always be the others.”

“Your skin is definitely the thickest! I saw the Princess; she was truly about to be infuriated by you!”

Thinking for a moment, Gu Baozhu lowered her voice in worry. “By acting like this today, you’ve completely ruined your reputation. What exactly are you trying to do?”

A dark glint flashed in Gu Wanlan’s eyes, and her lips curled slightly. “I originally intended to go around and recognize many faces, but now, perhaps that’s no longer necessary.”

Yesterday, she and Xiao Chen had repeatedly analyzed the conversation she overheard at Nanfeng Pavilion.

They both believed the relationship between that person and Xiao Sun wasn’t purely about mutual benefit—there was some level of personal sentiment involved. And where there is sentiment, there is bound to be a dislike for Gu Wanlan.

Thus, upon learning that the owner of Nanfeng Pavilion was Princess Xihe, Gu Wanlan’s primary goal in coming here was to provoke her. Even so, they hadn’t actually expected that person to be Princess Xihe. There were many reasons, but primarily, they felt that with her current status, associating with Roulan royalty brought only harm and no benefit. She had no reason to do it.

However, perhaps that sentiment was heavier than they imagined. No matter how rude or offensive she had been to Princess Xihe earlier, she hadn’t felt any killing intent—most of the time, the Princess acted as if she were forced to tolerate an unreasonable junior. But just now, when she deliberately slandered Xiao Sun to Gu Baozhu, she felt it.

It had to be said, this was a startling discovery.

“Wait, you aren’t going to just leave after finishing your business, are you?” Realizing something, Gu Baozhu suddenly grabbed Gu Wanlan’s arm, looking nervous. “Believe it or not, the moment you leave, I’ll be surrounded by people trying to dig up secrets about you.”

Gu Wanlan turned her head with a smile, about to comfort Gu Baozhu, when a haughty, sharp voice suddenly cut in. “Oh, I thought from afar it was some unweaned babe. If it isn’t Gu Baozhu, who was just released from house arrest? What, seeing as you can’t cling to the Cui family anymore, you’re desperate to hug your ‘good sister’s’ thigh?”

Even after years of mutual dislike with Yong’an, Gu Baozhu was startled by how vitriolic the County Princess sounded now. She looked up and saw that Yong’an’s originally round face had thinned significantly, her eye sockets sunken, making her dark pupils look startlingly large.

“Yong’an?! How did you—”

Gu Baozhu had never seen Yong’an in such a state and actually forgot to fire back. Yong’an’s gaze lingered on Gu Baozhu’s face for only a moment before sliding to Gu Wanlan.

“Heh, so you are the Gu Wanlan that Xiao Sun begged to see in the middle of the night?”

The girl before her carried a trace of gloom, but Gu Wanlan sensed no malice from her. Thus, she gave the County Princess a polite bow with a smile. “Indeed, it is I.”

“The face is decent, but you seem as unrefined as Gu Baozhu.”

“Thank you for the compliment, County Princess.”

Gu Wanlan acted as if she hadn’t heard the second half and replied with a beaming smile.

“Yong’an! Who are you calling unrefined!” Gu Baozhu bristled.

County Princess Yong’an’s eyes remained fixed eerily on Gu Wanlan. “Even though you were lost outside before, you are still the legitimate daughter of the Protector State Duke. I heard you ended up marrying an obscure painter? Is it because you love him?”

“It’s alright.”

Gu Wanlan wasn’t quite used to discussing feelings with this unfamiliar girl. She was about to find an excuse to leave, but to her surprise, after hearing the answer, County Princess Yong’an nodded somewhat vacantly. “I see… I understand.”

Then, the County Princess turned and left just as abruptly as she had arrived.

Gu Wanlan exchanged a bewildered look with Gu Baozhu. “What did she understand?”

Gu Baozhu was also confused. “Don’t know. She looks strange today. Could it be her family is forcing her into an arranged marriage with someone she doesn’t like?”

Gu Wanlan thought for a moment, and seeing no clear logic, she shrugged. “Forget it, it’s their family matter after all. This banquet isn’t over yet; let’s head back and return to the estate together later.”

As dusk approached, the Princess Xihe estate, which had been bustling all day, gradually quieted down.

“Have they left?”

Yong’an was sitting on a swing in the courtyard, swaying idly. The sunset stretched her shadow long behind her.

Though she hadn’t mentioned names, the maids serving her knew immediately that she was asking about the two from the Gu family. One hurriedly replied, “They’ve been gone for a while now.”

“Did anyone come to pick them up?”

“This… we didn’t seem to see anyone.”

“Oh.”

Yong’an continued to swing alone for a while longer.

Finally, there was a sharp skirr as her feet touched the ground.

Yong’an sat up from the swing. “Do it. Right now.”