After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 69

Now that the Embroidery Guard had entered the Prince of Huai’s Estate, the Prince could no longer care for anything in Wanxi Restaurant. He hurriedly led his men back to the estate, hoping that everything could still be saved.

Seeing the Prince’s men depart, Gu Wanlan cast a covert glance at “Ji Lin.” The latter understood immediately and, under the guise of an investigation, had the subordinates drag away the “poisoned and deceased” Widow He.

The bustling Wanxi Restaurant gradually quieted down following the departure of the crowd. However, a goose leaves a mark and the wind leaves a sound; even Gu Wanlan had not anticipated that her expedient measures to protect her identity—her three questions used to rebuff the Prince, especially the one about whether Ji Lin’s merit should be wiped away if she were a woman—would spark a long-lasting and fierce debate in the future.

Currently, Gu Wanlan remained hidden in the shadows, watching the revived Widow He repeatedly thank “Ji Lin.” Before giving her the “poison,” Gu Wanlan had promised that if she followed the plan, she would be sent safely out of Xijing once the matter was concluded.

It wasn’t until Widow He took her bundle and boarded the pre-arranged carriage without looking back that Tianxuan—disguised as Tianquan—finally let out a long sigh of relief. “This finally brings things to a close.”

“General, your move this time was far too risky. Widow He’s in-laws were still in the Prince’s hands; if she had turned against us, everything would have been ruined.”

Gu Wanlan smiled. “She wouldn’t turn.”

“Why are you so certain, General? Just because of that one ‘poison’ pill?”

Gu Wanlan sighed. “Because I saw the Widow He of the past. The previous Widow He was gaunt and haggard from being mistreated by her in-laws, a far cry from the woman covered in jewels today. All because she spent that money—money she knew was paid for her son’s life.”

“I think she simply realized that since things had reached this point, she had to love herself more. As for that poison pill meant to scare her, it was merely to give her a push. After all, compared to admitting her own selfishness, it’s easier for her to tell herself she was forced to abandon her in-laws because of the poison.”

Tianxuan’s expression was struck with realization; she had never considered this perspective. “So that was it. Now that the Prince’s Estate is in such chaos, he won’t have the leisure to strike at those old people anyway.”

The General was truly gentle, considering even such subtle psychological nuances for someone like Widow He.

However…

Tianxuan asked with concern, “Now that Widow He is dead in the eyes of the public, how do we investigate the person who originally colluded with He San and gave him that large sum of silver?”

Tianxuan didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Gu Wanlan, who had remained unfazed during the bloodshed and confrontation with the Prince at Wanxi Restaurant, suddenly showed a trace of unnatural embarrassment.

Gu Wanlan pressed her fist to her lips and coughed lightly. “Ahem, no need to worry about that. Aside from He San, there is someone else who already knows. I will just go and ask him directly.”

Ah!

Tianxuan understood instantly. Aside from He San and her Master, the one most familiar with the events at Changping Pass was that “Dog Cui”—no, her Master’s divorced ex-husband!

Still, it was a discussion of official business; why did her Master have such a “complicated” expression on her face…

Meeting Tianxuan’s obviously teasing gaze, Gu Wanlan nearly felt like fleeing. Over the past few days, incidents had happened one after another, and she hadn’t seen Cui Jue. But now, whenever she thought of him, she thought of that pile of paintings he had “accidentally” left at her estate.

What was the meaning of that?

He left, yet he deliberately left those paintings behind!

He just wanted her to look at them, to know, and then to go find him, didn’t he?

Hmph, such petty tricks.

“Ahem, the time is about right. I’m heading to the Prince of Huai’s Estate. As for Cui Jue… find out as much as you can about him as quickly as possible. It doesn’t matter if you use Ji Lin’s influence; it will serve as leverage when I negotiate the He San matter with him later.”

“Understood.”

After giving her orders, Gu Wanlan changed into her Feiyan attire and headed straight for the Prince of Huai’s Estate.

In truth, when it came to solving cases and investigating people, Xiao Chen was far more experienced and skilled. As long as she stalled the Prince at Wanxi Restaurant, Xiao Chen would have enough time to find evidence at the estate. Once the evidence was found, the Prince’s heir would have no way to deny it.

However, Xiao Chen was a well-known Xijing local whose background was clear to everyone; sometimes his actions weren’t as convenient as Feiyan’s. Thus, even though she had already appeared before the Prince as Gu Wanlan, she decided to play the role of Feiyan to rendezvous with Xiao Chen.

“So that’s how it is.”

A light chuckle drifted from a second-floor private booth facing the street. A pair of long, slender hands reached out and closed the propped-open window.

“What? What is it? I don’t understand at all!”

Cui Qiong truly did not understand. He had been brought here by his brother to “watch a play,” but looking out toward Wanxi Restaurant, he saw the main actors were Ji Lin and the Prince of Huai.

Cui Qiong remembered that his brother had seemed extremely concerned about this Ji Lin before. He even suspected his brother had sent him to be an army supervisor specifically because of this person!

But later, Gu Wanlan appeared, and his brother never mentioned Ji Lin again, so Cui Qiong had relaxed.

However, seeing the obvious worry on his brother’s face for Ji Lin today, Cui Qiong’s heart rose in his throat again. Seeing that Gu Wanlan and Ji Lin seemed to have such a good relationship, Cui Qiong felt like he might faint.

His brother’s love life… was so chaotic.

Cui Jue did not respond. He simply rose from his chair with a smile. “Let’s go.”

So, the Commander of the Embroidery Guard, Feiyan, is her.

Today’s trap was designed with exquisite cleverness. But for Cui Jue, who had known she was Ji Lin all along, the timing of her outburst and the timing of the Embroidery Guard’s movement were a bit too coincidental.

So coincidental that Gu Wanlan only stopped her speech precisely when someone from the Prince’s Estate arrived to report the news.

No wonder she was missing before the wedding.

No wonder her left arm was injured on the wedding day.

No wonder she and Xiao Chen were so close.

No wonder she returned home in a hurry on that day of heavy snow.

If she were Feiyan, then everything had an explanation. As for the mismatched appearance and voice—today’s events proved that these illusory surfaces could not trap her at all.

She truly was… brimming with life.

Cui Qiong stared blankly at the brilliant smile on his brother’s face. What is going on! Has my brother’s brain been stimulated since the divorce? Why has he been smiling like this lately?! They’re already divorced!

Cui Qiong tentatively asked in a cautious tone, “Brother, if things are really bad… tell me what happened between you and Sister-in-law? Maybe I can help you both.”

Cui Jue gave him an odd look. “We are very well. There is no problem.”

Thinking of something, Cui Jue pulled a letter from his robe. “Give this letter to Ji Lin.”

Cui Qiong held his tongue, managing not to say anything about his brother’s seemingly tangled love life. He tucked the letter into his sleeve as if it were a monumental task and gritted his teeth. “…In any case, as long as Brother is happy.”

The two left the teahouse, intending to return to the Cui Estate. Just as they reached the main street, they saw many people with various expressions running in the opposite direction.

“Quick! Go look! They dug them up! The Embroidery Guard dug them up at the Prince of Huai’s Estate! All white bones! There are at least a dozen female skeletons! There are even children’s!”

“Heavens! Beasts!”

“No! I’m going too! I have to see them being cut into a thousand pieces with my own eyes!”

“Right! We’re all going! This cannot be settled like this!”

There were too many people running against them, their emotions too intense. Cui Qiong, fearing someone would bump into Cui Jue, hurriedly wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Brother, let’s move to the side for a moment.”

“No.”

Cui Jue removed Cui Qiong’s hand. He stood in place, feeling the rage radiating from all directions. The voices nearby seemed to fade, leaving only the vivid, gratifying fury on everyone’s faces—their desire to tear someone apart.

It was good.

With a patter, a raindrop hit his cheek.

Cui Jue looked up at the somber, rainy sky, suddenly recalling a day from his past life.

Back then, the frontline was a stalemate. To raise grain for Gu Wanlan, he had traveled south to several merchant guilds. When he reached the last one, a child had thrown mud at his head.

“Get out! You lackey of that Dog Ji! You’re not welcome in our home!”

His voice had been coarse and his face scarred; being driven away was a common occurrence. But the Gu Wanlan who bore the name of Ji Lin was different! The world praised her, revered her, and loved her—she was the young star general who could turn the tide of war in their eyes!

Cui Jue had sensed something was wrong then. Ignoring the dirt on his face, he grabbed the child. “How can you call her that!”

The child was terrified by his expression and began to wail, quickly drawing the people of the estate.

Cui Jue could never forget that somber rainy day.

Behind the thickening curtain of rain, everyone’s faces were blurred like twisted, swollen dough. The child’s shrill crying completely destroyed their remaining psychological defenses.

“What General Ji! Don’t you know?! That cowardly villain—he opened the city gates and surrendered!”

“What star general! What young hero! It’s all bullshit!”

Paintings, dolls, wooden red-tasseled spears—everything was torn apart, broken, and tossed into the muddy ground to be trampled.

“Get out! Don’t mention that traitor’s name in front of us ever again!”

This rage… how similar it was.

Cui Jue stood amidst the crowd running against him and laughed softly.

Cui Qiong struggled to push through the crowd, holding an umbrella over Cui Jue. He happened to see Cui Jue reach up to wipe a drop of rain from the corner of his eye.

“Cui Qiong.”

“Mhm? Yes! Brother, I’m here!”

Cui Jue lowered his eyelashes and smiled softly.

“That ‘grand gift’ we prepared… it can be delivered now.”