After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 8

It was in the afternoon, as Autumn Cassia was preparing to give the Old Matron some water, that she discovered the lady had awakened. Although the Matron had clearly been awake for some time, she remained motionless and silent. She simply stared upward with bloodshot eyes, looking so much like a vengeful ghost that Autumn Cassia nearly dropped her bowl. When the maid finally regained her senses, she turned to rush out for a physician.

“The Old Matron is awake! Quickly, summon the doctor!”

“Shut up! Come back here!”

A rasping, vicious voice cracked behind her. Autumn Cassia froze instantly. Trembling, she clutched the bowl and returned to the bedside, tears pricking her eyes. “Old Madam, what has happened has happened. Why must you torment your own body so?”

“Hahaha… what has happened has happened?” The Old Matron suddenly burst into a harsh, grating laughter that sounded like a broken bellows. Her tone turned cold and sharp as a blade. “That brat has ruined me!”

Shortly after waking, she had realized that Gu Wanlan had played her for a fool in the funeral hall.

Given that brat’s reckless and unbridled nature, if she truly possessed any evidence, why had she not brought the Embroidered Uniform Guards with her? Why had she not gone straight to the magistrate?

She had clearly been bluffing, performing an “Empty Fort Strategy” right to her face! It was a brilliant move; she had likely even calculated the Second Madam’s panicked reaction from the start.

How hateful! The Matron had fallen for the trap and personally sent her own son to the dungeons.

At this thought, the Old Matron felt a surge of heat rush to her throat. The veins on the hand clutching her blanket bulged, and her eyes turned a feral crimson.

“Go! Find someone outside to spread a word!” she hissed with a sinister smile. “Say that the brat returned home solely to seize the family inheritance. Say she used poison to nearly kill her own father and struck her grandmother. Say that Master Gu the Second, in his sincerity, was deceived by her and took the blame on her behalf…”

Since the Duke’s “death” had become a mystery without a witness, she would pay the girl back in her own coin.

Rumors could melt gold and gossip could destroy a person to the bone. She would ensure the girl had no place left to stand in this capital!

“But… but it won’t work, Old Madam…” Autumn Cassia whispered.

“Why not?! I am not dead yet! Or have you, too, developed a second heart?” The Old Matron roared, bolting upright in bed. her eyes were wide and bulging, looking like a man-eating demon from a painting.

Autumn Cassia threw herself to the floor, answering in a frantic tremble. “My loyalty is known to Heaven and Earth! It is just that, Old Madam…”

Recalling the news from outside, the maid shuddered, her skin crawling with goosebumps.

So that is why the Eldest Young Lady suddenly changed her tune! She was waiting for this!

Autumn Cassia closed her eyes, not daring to witness the Matron’s reaction. She gritted her teeth and spoke: “The Eldest Young Lady left the manor half an hour ago. She claimed she ‘misremembered’ the events of yesterday. She has gone to perform a Proffering of the Birch (a public apology) to bring the Second Master home.”

“What?!”

Under the weight of shock and fury, the Old Matron nearly lost consciousness again.

That petty girl! That black-hearted, treacherous little wretch!

“Quickly! Fetch her back!”

If Gu Wanlan had insisted that Gu Qingyun was guilty, the Matron could have attacked her for lack of evidence and malicious framing. But if the girl publicly “confessed” that yesterday’s words were a mistake, the Second Branch of the family was truly finished!

Meanwhile, the “black-hearted” Gu Wanlan was currently huddled under the shade of a tree in front of the Capital Prefecture, wiping away tears.

“It is Wanlan’s fault… I saw no abnormality yesterday. My Second Uncle did nothing to the Protector Duke. I take it back! I will not accuse my uncle!”

The girl seemed to have reached her breaking point. With reddened eyes, she sank to her knees. “I withdraw the charges! It was my mistake! I beg the Lord Prefect to let my uncle return home!”

From the moment Gu Wanlan had arrived at the Prefecture dressed in white and carrying birching sticks on her back, a crowd had gathered. When they heard her identify herself as a daughter of the Protector Duke’s Manor, the onlookers immediately connected her to the news of the Duke’s long-lost daughter returning.

A massive scandal!

“Are you truly the daughter the Protector Duke found?” a bystander asked curiously.

“It is I… but I have wronged my uncle. Now, there is no place for me in that house…” The girl’s voice was nasal and muffled, her nose tip red—the picture of a pitiful soul.

Sibilance—

The crowd sucked in a cold breath. Connecting her current words to yesterday’s arrest, the narrative was clear: the newly returned daughter had caught the Second Master attempting something nefarious against the Duke and called the law. Now, the family had coerced and bullied her into recanting her testimony.

A child without a father to protect her was truly a wretched thing!

“Young lady, do not be afraid! Tell the truth! The Lord Prefect will grant you justice!”

“No, no… I saw it wrong. It was my fault… all my fault…”

The girl seemed even more terrified, as if remembering something horrific. She shook her head repeatedly, hugging her thin shoulders.

After leaving Gu Lehuan, Gu Wanlan had intended to wrap up the family drama. However, it had been a long time since she had acted. Playing the role of a wronged, bullied maiden was proving surprisingly entertaining, and she had almost gotten carried away with her own “sobbing.”

Just then, her body swayed. Someone behind her was quick to steady her. A familiar scent of ink enveloped her, causing Gu Wanlan to stiffen.

She turned her head. The man behind her was indeed Cui Jue!

Gu Wanlan nearly choked on her breath. In the middle of her “crying,” she let out a loud, involuntary hiccup right at him.

Internally, she felt her dignity had been utterly annihilated; she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself on the spot. Externally, however, she maintained her fragile facade. She tried to squeeze out a few more tears, but the hiccup had broken her focus. She buried her face in her sleeve and forced a sob.

“Many thanks, kind sir… I can stand on my own now.”

She was hinting for him to let go.

To her surprise, Cui Jue seemed caught in some deep emotion. Not only did he not release her, but his grip on her shoulders tightened. Gu Wanlan frowned inwardly. Just as she was about to nudge him again, the gates of the Prefecture swung open. The Prefect, Zhao Tianfeng, strode out.

“Where is Gu Wanlan?!”

Gu Wanlan couldn’t worry about Cui Jue anymore. She pried his hands off, wiped her eyes, and stepped forward. “Gu Wanlan is here!”

The Prefect gave her a long, meaningful look. He gestured toward the gate. “Very well. Come inside!”

The gates opened and shut. The crowd began to disperse in groups of threes and fives, eager to share the day’s drama. Cui Qiong, who happened to be drinking with Wang Yue at a nearby tavern, had overheard the gossip about the Duke’s daughter. He looked toward the Prefecture gates and was stunned to see his brother, Cui Jue, standing there alone.

Cui Qiong excused himself to greet his brother, only to find something was wrong. Cui Jue was deathly pale, his gaze vacant, and his forehead matted with cold sweat.

“Brother! Brother!”

Cui Qiong called out several times, but Cui Jue remained unresponsive, like a clay doll stripped of its soul. Cui Qiong began to panic; he had never seen his brother like this. Just as he was about to ask Wang Yue to find a doctor, the gates creaked open again.

“Look! Gu Wanlan really brought the Second Master out!”

Cui Qiong looked over. When he saw the famous daughter of the Duke, he realized she was the very “country girl” who had snubbed him the day before.

“She is the Gu Wanlan who came back alive?!”

The living Gu Wanlan.

Cui Jue’s entire body jolted. The heavy, bloody imagery in his mind receded. The memory of her “dying” before his eyes became a mere phantom. He looked up, greedily watching the vibrant, living girl.

There was no blood on her face, no filth—only a bright, spirited smile under the sun.

By the time Gu Wanlan noticed his gaze, Cui Jue had already looked away. He curled his fingers at his side and looked at Cui Qiong. When he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse. “Let us go. I am fine now.”

“You’re truly okay?” Cui Qiong asked, relieved.

“Yes. Your friend is waiting for you.” Cui Jue nodded expressionlessly.

“It’s fine, he’s in a bad mood so I came out to drink with him. Do you want to join us?” Cui Qiong gestured toward Wang Yue. He immediately regretted the invite, remembering his brother’s poor health and aversion to wine.

“Very well.”

To his surprise, Cui Jue agreed. Cui Qiong blinked, looking closely at his brother’s handsome face to make sure he hadn’t been replaced. “Fine then. You always have more ideas than I do anyway.”

As Cui Jue turned to leave, a crisp, feminine voice caught him, halting his steps.

“Kind sir! Please, wait!”

The wind whistled behind him. The tap-tap-tap of hurried footsteps approached. The rustle of silk drew near. She came to a stop right behind him, within arm’s reach.

Cui Jue did not dare to turn around for a long moment.

“Sir, thank you for earlier.” Since she had already decided to get close to him, Gu Wanlan wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. Seeing him still there after she left the Prefecture, she decided to use the “tricks” Gu Lehuan had taught her.

“It was a small matter,” Cui Jue said, turning around with a calm, distant expression.

“How could it be?! Including the hand-warmer from before, this is the second time you have helped me. Once I have settled my uncle at home, I must find a way to properly repay you!” As she spoke, she didn’t forget her “sorrowful maiden” act, using her handkerchief to daintily dab at the corner of her eyes.

Cui Jue looked past her and saw the bailiffs and Gu Qingyun waiting. He pressed his lips together. “Lady Gu, if you have business, you should tend to it.”

“Oh! Wait! Sir, you are sweating so much!”

Without warning, Cui Jue was enveloped in the girl’s fragrance. His breath hitched; he froze as she stood on her tiptoes, reaching out with her handkerchief toward his forehead—

Just as it was about to touch his skin, the girl seemed to snap back to her senses. She froze, then scrambled back like a cat that had its tail stepped on. Her face flushed a deep red.

“I… I am so sorry! I forgot this is the capital… I have offended you.”

“Sir, please wipe it yourself, or you might catch a chill. I… I have business, I must go!”

She practically fled the scene. In her haste, the handkerchief slipped from her fingers and fluttered to the ground.

Cui Jue lowered his lashes and stared at the silk cloth on the ground for a long time, his expression unreadable.

Cui Qiong and Wang Yue walked over. Wang Yue looked miserable, grumbling to Cui Qiong as he walked. “Tell me, what are these young ladies thinking? Ever since I accidentally picked up her handkerchief, we became acquainted, but now—”

Cui Jue let out a soft laugh. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he secretly swept up the handkerchief Gu Wanlan had “lost.”

He stood up and looked at the rambling Wang Yue. His eyes were clear, like a most devoted and innocent student.

“And then?” he asked.