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

Chapter 184 Uninvited Guest

Under the crescent moonlight, in the quiet Rongguo Duke's mansion, Ye Wanshu sat silently at her dressing table, lost in thought. Chunhong brought in hot water and, seeing her mistress's absent-mindedness, cautiously approached and whispered, "Miss, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just a few days away, and your wedding is imminent. May I ask His Highness to remove the shackles from your hands?"

"Why would you ask him for help?" Ye Wanshu said irritably. "Asking him for help at this time will only make him more suspicious."

“But Your Highness has now ordered people to surround Cuiweitang like an iron barrel, and even when I inquire about what’s going on outside Cuiweitang, no one will say a word.” Chunhong was very annoyed: “In this case, how is the young lady any different from a prisoner in jail?”

"Let's wait a little longer," Ye Wanshu replied calmly.

After they get married, that bastard Gu Tingchen will have no reason to keep her trapped in this Cuiweitang anymore.

"I wonder what the situation is like outside?" Ye Wanshu said thoughtfully.

It has been almost half a month since I last saw my aunt, and I have no news of Qingmian and Tingji. I feel trapped here, as if I am cut off from the world.

Although these days are a bit tough, as long as she stays in the courtyard, Gu Tingchen won't suspect her father, and her father can then focus on completing his plans.

Watching helplessly as the girl was trapped in the courtyard day after day, Chunhong was extremely anxious, only regretting that she could not share the girl's worries.

"Miss, you should rest early tonight. I will risk my life tomorrow to find out news from the outside world for you," Chunhong said confidently.

"Silly girl, don't do anything foolish," Ye Wanshu instructed. "We don't need to do anything right now. I just want you to live well."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a commotion suddenly came from the tightly closed willow-leaf window beside the dressing table.

Ye Wanshu got up warily and pulled Chunhong over to check. They saw the willow-leaf window being pulled open from the outside, and a figure suddenly slipped in.

"Young Master."

As soon as Chunhong exclaimed in surprise, Gu Tingzhou immediately shushed her.

After quickly looking around the room, Gu Tingzhou hurriedly instructed, "Wanwan, Tingchen has gone to the palace to discuss the Empress Dowager's enthronement ceremony. He won't be back for a while. I'll take you away now."

"Is the Empress Dowager preparing to ascend the throne?" Ye Wanshu was overjoyed.

"Yes."

Gu Tingzhou frowned: "His Majesty has already issued the abdication edict, and the Empress Dowager will soon assume the throne. The auspicious day has been chosen as the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

After saying that, he went to pull Ye Wanshu to climb out the window and leave.

Ye Wanshu's face turned cold, and she subconsciously shook him off: "My aunt is still in the Duke's mansion, I'm not going anywhere."

“Mother,” Gu Tingzhou paused slightly, his eyes filled with sorrow, and said, “Mother has passed away.”

"What did you say?" Ye Wanshu looked at him in astonishment.

“Wanwan, what my cousin said is true.”

Gu Tingzhou closed his eyes reluctantly: "Mother committed suicide in front of Tingchen on the night Qingmian and Tingji left the Duke's Mansion."

"Impossible." Ye Wanshu stood there, stunned, her mind suddenly going blank.

"Young Master, please don't lie to my young lady." Chunhong said with tears in her eyes, "My young lady has already suffered enough being trapped in Cuiweitang by His Highness. If you truly want to save her, I will be grateful. But how can you curse the Duchess?"

“Wanwan, I know you will never forgive me for what my cousin did in the past, but right now I just want to get you out of this cage.”

Thinking of his mother's dying moments, Gu Tingzhou said with a heavy heart, "Before she died, Mother kept looking in the direction of Cuiweitang and refused to close her eyes. I knew then that she was worried about you and didn't want to become a tool for my second brother to control you." Hearing his tone and seeing his dim eyes, Ye Wanshu gradually realized that he was not lying to her.

She knew Gu Tingzhou's personality; he wasn't someone who liked to lie.

"Aunt, is Aunt really gone?" Ye Wanshu felt a mix of emotions.

“Wanwan, think about it carefully. If Mother is safe, why would Tingchen keep you under such tight control?” Gu Tingzhou explained, “He’s afraid that if you knew these things, he would be even more determined to leave.”

An unnamed rage welled up in Ye Wanshu's heart. She suppressed her anger and asked in a trembling voice, "Where are Qingmian and Tingji now?"

"I have already sent Tian Fu to take my third sister and fourth brother to Yuezhou," Gu Tingzhou answered truthfully, then urged again, "Wanwan, the most important thing now is for you to leave this place of trouble with me as soon as possible."

Only after learning that Qingmian and Tingji had gone to Yuezhou did Ye Wanshu finally relax.

The thought that Gu Tingchen had acted as if nothing was wrong in front of her these past few days only fueled her hatred. She wished she could tear him to pieces to vent her anger.

"Auntie," she murmured as she walked shakily to the bedside and sat down, trying to calm her collapsing emotions.

In her eyes, her aunt was never a perfect person. She was vain, like most women in the inner quarters, and good at scheming. Like most elders, she always felt that everything she arranged was the best.

She had thought about escaping her aunt's control and resisting her, but it was this flawed woman who loved and protected her for more than ten years, allowing her to still feel the warmth of a close relative after her mother passed away.

She thought she could change her aunt's fate, but in the end, her aunt couldn't stay with her until the very end.

Ye Wanshu felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

"Wanwan, let's leave here first," Gu Tingzhou said with heartache. "I promised Mother that I would take you away from the Duke's mansion, and I also promised Qingmian and Tingji that I would send you to Yuezhou to reunite with them as soon as possible."

“No, I can’t leave for now,” Ye Wanshu said, shaking her head firmly.

"Why?" Gu Tingzhou asked anxiously. "Wanwan, do you really want to marry him? Do you want your mother to have died in vain?"

"Gu Tingzhou, thank you for being so honest with me, but I really can't leave here right now."

Looking at his extremely haggard appearance, Ye Wanshu suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

It was as if she had returned to the day she first entered the Duke's mansion ten years ago. Back then, the Gu brothers, one gentle and refined, the other dashing and spirited, were like a ray of light shining into her unbearable world.

But ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and everything has changed beyond recognition.

In retrospect, he was also tricked by Gu Tingchen, which led to his current predicament.

At this critical juncture, the fact that he's still thinking about rescuing himself is quite touching.

"Gu Tingzhou, the past is the past, you don't need to hold a grudge anymore," Ye Wanshu said sincerely. "Leave this place and live a good life."

"No, cousin has already made a mistake once. Cousin can't watch you continue to be tormented by second brother."

Looking at the bright red mark on his cousin's wrist, Gu Tingzhou felt a sharp pain in his heart: "I know you must have your reasons for staying in the manor, but you can't gamble with your life no matter what. Tingchen is a heartless demon now. He only cares about power. If you stay here, I'm really worried that he will do something to you."

Ye Wanshu's eyes darkened slightly, and she fell silent.

She knew perfectly well what kind of person that bastard was; he only ever loved himself.

Seeing that his cousin remained unmoved, Gu Tingzhou pondered for a moment, and seemed to have thought of something. He hesitated and asked, "Wanwan, tell your cousin, are you waiting for Fu Mingchi to come and save you?"