After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 59

The moment he heard the rustle of fabric before him, Cui Jue acted. He instantly stood up, breaking free from the ropes he had secretly severed long ago. A concealed weapon slid from his sleeve and fell into his palm.

In the silent woodshed, there was a crisp clack.

Cui Jue’s sleeves fluttered in the moonlight. In the next instant, with his eyes closed, he pressed the weapon against County Princess Yong’an’s forehead.

It happened too fast—everything in the blink of an eye.

Yong’an’s outer robe was only half-shed. She stared up blankly at the man before her, only now realizing that his jaw was sharp and his expression cold and solemn. At this moment, he was like a steel blade unsheathed; where was the aura of a refined gentleman from before?

However, colder than his face was his voice: “Put on your clothes and get out.”

The bearded leader and his men had been waiting outside. Hearing movement in the woodshed, they hurried to enter. “What happened—”

“Do not come in!” Yong’an barked.

Facing the cold arrowhead against her forehead, Yong’an tremblingly put her robe back on. This was the first time in her life she had faced a death threat so close at hand, and she could tell—Cui Jue truly intended to kill her!

But having gone this far without achieving her goal, how could she be willing to give up?

After thinking it over, Yong’an decided to reveal her identity to Cui Jue. Since ancient times, what man willing to be a live-in son-in-law didn’t harbor some greed for wealth and power? When it came to power, no matter what, her status as a County Princess was surely a notch above Gu Wanlan’s!

Yong’an stood up slowly against the arrowhead, gritting her teeth. “Cui Jue, I am the only daughter of Princess Xihe—County Princess Yong’an. Since you can be Gu Wanlan’s live-in husband, why can’t you be mine? I can give you far more than she can!”

Sensing that Cui Jue seemed to be considering her words, Yong’an felt a secret joy. She added hurriedly, “Besides, I probed her once; she doesn’t have much affection for you—”

Whoosh—

At that moment, a cold bolt grazed her cheek, stirring a gust of wind. The hair by her ear was severed cleanly. Yong’an’s eyes went wide, her face turning deathly pale as she collapsed to the ground, her unfinished sentence completely cut off.

Trembling, she slowly turned her head. The bolt had buried itself entirely into the wall behind her, its depth unfathomable.

If he hadn’t shifted it by that single inch just now, her head…

Cui Jue had clearly been listening to her just now; where exactly had she gone wrong to provoke his rage?

A terrifying aura radiated from him, pressing down so hard that Yong’an couldn’t breathe or look back.

“She said… she has no affection for me?”

Under the moonlight, the shadow of the man behind her moved.

Yong’an watched helplessly as his reflection showed him gripping his weapon and taking another step toward her. His shadow completely engulfed her, making him look like an asura come to claim a soul.

“I… I was the one who asked if she liked you. She said ‘it’s alright.’ I… I saw she had no feelings for you, so I thought to start with you!” Yong’an’s teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

Wasn’t Cui Jue just an easy-to-manipulate painter?! What kind of man had she actually provoked?

“I see.” The man let out a soft sigh.

Yong’an clutched her head, her body shaking without stop. she stared fixedly at the ground, watching in terror as he raised his arm again—

Yong’an couldn’t take it anymore and wailed, “I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have dragged you down just to save myself! Spare me—”

Pfft!

The sound of a sharp bolt entering flesh erupted before her. Something warm instantly splattered onto her face.

Dazed, Yong’an reached up to touch her cheek. Looking at her hand, she saw it was covered in bright red blood.

Yong’an was about to scream when Cui Jue’s voice cut her off: “Shut up if you don’t want to die!”

Yong’an was like a chick caught by the neck; her face turned red as she held her breath and looked up. Only then did she realize that the group of men she had bribed had entered the room soundlessly at some point, drawing their large blades.

And the direction those blades were pointed was precisely at her and Cui Jue!

Yong’an felt that she had experienced more upheavals tonight than in the past ten-plus years combined. She looked at the bearded leader in disbelief and snapped, “What are you doing?! Put the swords down! Your mission is over!”

The bearded man hefted his blade and gave a predatory grin. “County Princess, you don’t actually believe that we came to capture this Cui Jue on your orders, do you?”

No matter how sheltered Yong’an was, she had been influenced by those around her. Within moments, she understood the trick and shrieked, “You dared to use me?!”

Scenes of everything that had happened since she learned her mother intended to marry her to Xiao Sun replayed in her mind. Her face was ghastly white. “You… you first bribed the person beside me to urge me to target Cui Jue, and now… now…”

Thinking of something, Yong’an bit her lip until it bled. She said hatefully, “Now, do you intend to kill him in the name of the Princess’s Estate?!”

The bearded man clapped his hands and laughed arrogantly. “It seems the County Princess isn’t completely stupid after all; there’s still hope for you.”

He raised his sword and took a few steps closer. “County Princess Yong’an, driven mad by love, killed the son of the Cui family and then followed him in death by committing suicide out of passion—”

The leader gave a grand wave. Several cold blades shimmering in the moonlight pointed in unison at the two people in the woodshed.

His mouth curled into a malicious grin. “Are you two satisfied with the ending of this storybook tale?”

Xiao Chen had discovered by chance that the Protector State Duke’s Estate was searching for Cui Jue.

When Gu Wanlan first returned to the estate, she had borrowed Xiao Chen’s influence in front of the crowd. Thus, when Xiao Chen inquired, the people of the Duke’s estate told him everything.

Xiao Chen immediately utilized the Embroidery Guard’s intelligence network and soon found that the bearded man’s gang had been seen meeting and transacting with people from the Princess Xihe estate.

However, Xiao Chen noticed that ever since he told Gu Wanlan that the kidnappers were acting on orders from the Princess’s estate, she had been in a daze.

Did she think Cui Jue’s ordeal was because she had provoked Princess Xihe today?

Xiao Chen pursed his lips and was about to comfort her when Gu Wanlan, who had been standing frozen before the Cui gates, finally moved.

“…I’m sorry.” Gu Wanlan apologized to the gatekeeper she had shouted at earlier. In a daze, she bowed to him. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper or yelled at you. You did nothing wrong.”

The gatekeeper was truly frightened this time. He waved his hands and backed away repeatedly. “No, no, no! Eldest Young Miss Gu, there’s no need for this, really!”

“Gu Wanlan!” Xiao Chen’s expression darkened. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside, lowering his voice to a fierce hiss. “Do you think this all started because of you?! Even if Princess Xihe saw through your probing today and wanted you to suffer, she would have done it with extreme secrecy. How could she abduct Cui Jue in broad daylight? Wouldn’t that be announcing to the world that she’s the problem? Think about the logic!”

“Mhm. I know…” Gu Wanlan replied softly, looking down.

For a moment, she really did think Cui Jue was being dragged down because of her. But she soon realized it shouldn’t have been Xihe’s doing.

Xiao Chen froze, his grip on her wrist loosening. “You know?! Then why—”

Gu Wanlan crouched on the ground in a dejected state, murmuring, “I just…”

She held her head in her hands. She had simply realized that she had been getting a bit too carried away lately.

Since arriving in Xijing, she had successfully resolved almost every crisis. It seemed she was omnipotent. Thus, she did whatever she wanted without considering the consequences.

But now, she was no longer alone; she had the entire Protector State Duke’s Estate behind her.

Even if it wasn’t Xihe’s doing this time, what about next time?!

If she wanted to probe the relationship between Xihe and Xiao Sun, she clearly had safer methods if she had just thought a bit more!

She had acted so recklessly and aggressively… she asked herself, was it really because this matter couldn’t wait another moment? No, she just wanted to earn more merit so she could leave Xijing sooner!

In that regard, how was she any different from the Xiao Sun of the past…

“Go find Yong’an.” Gu Wanlan stood up slowly, supporting herself on her knees. “Since it’s people from the Princess’s estate, if it wasn’t Xihe, the most likely person is County Princess Yong’an. Find Yong’an, and we’ll find Cui Jue.”

If it really was Yong’an, her strange behavior at the Plum Blossom Banquet today finally made sense.

“Also.” Gu Wanlan bit her lip. “This is a major matter; Princess Xihe must be informed—”

She paused. “Forget it, I will go to Princess Xihe personally.”

Gu Wanlan flipped onto her horse, about to leave, but saw Xiao Chen still standing there, lost in thought. “Vice Envoy Xiao?”

Xiao Chen snapped back and looked up at her, smiling. “I just feel… you seem a bit different now. But, it feels good.”

“Is that so.” Gu Wanlan smiled. She reined in the horse, and it reared up high. “I’ll take that as a blessing!”

“Giddyap!”

The whip fell. She leaned over the horse’s back, feeling the wind rush past. Her heart had never felt as light as it did now.

She had decided.

After rescuing Cui Jue, she would confess her true identity to all of her people.

The path she intended to take was destined to put those around her in danger. She wasn’t omnipotent, and she couldn’t let them face danger while in the dark. It was better to give them the choice.

From then on, those willing to face it together would have nothing hidden from them; they would work with one heart to overcome the difficulties.

For those who wished to leave this place of conflict, she would provide silver for them to fake their deaths and escape.

As for those who might take the chance to turn against her—

It was better to cut ties now. In the future, they would meet as enemies, with not a shred of sentiment left.