I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 179 Suicide
Gu Tingzhou already knew his younger brother very well. The moment he forced his cousin to jump off the city wall at the Yuezhou Garrison Command, he could tell that his younger brother didn't care about his cousin.

He only cares about himself.

He could have easily seized the opportunity to return power to His Majesty, thus protecting his family and gaining the favor of the Emperor and the court officials. It would have been a natural step for the Emperor to abandon the idea of ​​a marriage alliance. Yet, he simply couldn't let go of the power in his hands.

“Gu Tingchen, for the sake of our brotherhood, I have already advised you,” Gu Tingzhou said solemnly. “Since you refuse to take Wanwan away from this place of trouble, I will definitely take her away.”

"Who do you think you are?" Gu Tingchen said coldly with a smile. "Gu Tingzhou, do you think Wanwan will go with you? From the moment you decided to break off the engagement with her, you have already completely lost her. Stop disgusting her from now on."

After saying that, he suddenly pushed Gu Tingzhou to the ground and said righteously, "I will protect Wanwan in my own way. If you know what's good for you, stay away from her."

Watching Gu Tingchen leave, Gu Tingzhou got up and roared at him, "How are you going to protect her? Do you really think you can summon the daughter of Princess Qi Ning to Lin'an and send her to marry a foreign ruler? You and your aunt have fallen out to this point, and your aunt will not tolerate Wanwan staying in Lin'an."

Gu Tingchen felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. After a brief moment of confusion, he resolutely strode away.

As soon as they reached the central courtyard, they saw their stepmother staggering towards them, a dagger in her hand, with a group of old women following closely behind but not daring to get close.

"Gu Tingchen, you unfilial son! Wanwan is your sibling, you grew up together since childhood. How could you be so heartless as to put her in shackles?" Ye Huaisu shouted hysterically at him. "How can you treat her like this? How can she ever face anyone again?"

Gu Tingchen rolled his eyes at the group of maids and nannies, annoyed: "Who gave you permission to tell Mother about this?"

Everyone lowered their heads guiltily.

Gu Tingchen gritted his teeth, secretly clenched his fists, and forced a smile as he tried to approach his stepmother: "Mother, put down the dagger and let's talk things out."

Ye Huaisu held the dagger to his neck and shouted, "Release Wanwan immediately and send her back to the Ji family."

"When did Mother learn to be so demanding?" Gu Tingchen shook his head speechlessly.

He knew his stepmother all too well; she had been pampered since childhood, so how could she bear to die?

“If Mother really had the courage to die, why would she need to come to her son and put on such a show?” Gu Tingchen scoffed disdainfully. “She should go back and recover quickly, so as not to worry Wanwan.”

After saying that, he reached out to snatch the dagger from her hand.

Ye Huaisu pressed the dagger even closer to his neck, the sharp blade slicing through the flesh, and bright red blood immediately seeped out.

Gu Tingchen was taken aback: "Mother, what exactly are you trying to do?"

“You unfilial son, your wanton torment of Wanwan is because you’ve concluded that she can’t let go of me, Qingmian, and Tingji. I will never let you hurt her again.”

Ye Huaisu gripped the dagger and slashed it fiercely at his throat. Blood gushed out instantly, and everyone turned pale with fright.

"Mother."

Gu Tingchen stared at the scene before him with a mixture of anger and resentment. While ordering someone to fetch the imperial physician, he bent down and shook his head repeatedly, scolding, "Why? Why are you so heartless to me? You would rather die than let me and Wanwan be together."

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, Gu Tingchen was furious, his eyes bloodshot: "If you dare to die, I will never let Wanwan leave Cuiweitang for the rest of my life, and I will imprison your son and daughter in the Duke's mansion for life."

Ye Huaisu's pupils widened, and he coughed up blood incessantly, his gaze fixed on Cui Weitang. "Wanwan, you must strive to pursue the freedom you desire," Ye Huaisu murmured to himself, gripping the dagger tightly.

Before long, Gu An and Gu Tingzhou rushed over.

Gu An's face was ashen. He glanced coldly at the dying Ye Huaisu, and an unnamed rage suddenly welled up in his heart.

"Why did you go to such lengths?" Gu An rebuked, his eyes filled with nothing but cold indifference and disappointment.

"Mother."

Seeing his stepmother lying in a pool of blood, Gu Tingzhou was at a loss and immediately knelt down. He recalled how she had taken such good care of him over the years, and then thought about how he had repeatedly disobeyed her because of Jiang Yueling. He felt both guilty and heartbroken.

Guessing that his stepmother didn't want to burden his cousin any further, Gu Tingzhou gently helped her up and let her lean against his knees, whispering, "Mother, rest assured, I will definitely take Wanwan away from Lin'an and take good care of Qingmian and Tingji."

Upon hearing this, Ye Huaisu slowly loosened his grip on the dagger and gradually closed his eyes.

Gu Tingchen glanced coldly at the maids and nannies standing around him, and angrily ordered the guards, "Drag these good-for-nothings away and beat them to death immediately."

"Lord, spare us!" The maids and servants knelt on the ground, all looking at Gu An, crying and pleading, "Please, Lord, save us!"

Gu An closed his eyes, turned around without moving, and walked step by step toward the study.

The maids and servants were escorted away by the guards, their pleas echoing throughout. Gu Tingchen subconsciously looked towards Cuiweitang and hurriedly ordered the guards beside him, "Send more people to guard outside Cuiweitang. If Miss Biao finds out what happened here, none of you will live."

"Yes."

Several guards immediately responded and left.

Watching the guards rush towards Cuiweitang, Gu Tingchen was still uneasy. He summoned another guard and said coldly, "Go and bring back the Third Miss and the Fourth Young Master."

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingzhou carefully put down his stepmother and quickly stood up to stop the guards: "Let's see who dares."

"Looking for death?" Gu Tingchen said without further ado, drawing his sword and pointing it directly at Gu Tingzhou's chest: "Get out of the Duke's mansion and don't let me see you again."

Gu Tingzhou narrowed his eyes, his hatred rising and falling: "You forced Mother to her death, and you still won't let go of Third Sister and Fourth Brother. You even want to keep all of this from Wanwan. You are a beast."

"Get out!" Gu Tingchen roared viciously, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Gu Tingzhou knew that his younger brother had long since turned his back on his family. He had promised his stepmother that he would take Wanwan, Qingmian, and Tingji away from Lin'an, and he could not die by his sword.

Gu Tingzhou glanced at his stepmother, who was already dead, and turned away with a heavy heart. He walked out of the Duke's mansion step by step.

Gu Tingchen was in a state of confusion. He lowered his eyes and stared at his stepmother's corpse, his hatred surging like a tidal wave.

He slowly knelt down, sneering, "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish. I'll make sure you don't find peace even in death, and that you'll never be reincarnated."