After faking my death, the male lead’s cousin went crazy - Chapter 8

A private meeting with a beauty?

How could it be a woman? Shouldn’t it have been some pretty boy?

No, wait—he had not even known when a girl had appeared in this camp! Looking at her, beneath that beautiful face, her expression was soft and delicate, her movements light and graceful.

This girl was rather bold. Her beautiful eyes were like a bright moon, and the way she looked at him was so genuine, carrying anger and unwillingness. Compared with the top courtesan of Tianxiang Tower, she had a bit more clear elegance. Yet she was also unlike those noble young ladies in Shengjing who were so stiff and only knew how to keep their heads lowered all day, staring at the tips of their shoes.

By the time Gu Ze came back to his senses, Shang Rongyue had already broken free from his grip. She then slipped behind Gu Wan, avoiding him as if avoiding some vicious criminal.

Gu Ze sighed inwardly. As expected, young ladies from the inner chambers were not as open and generous as women from pleasure houses. He had merely grabbed her wrist, yet she was already frightened to this extent.

But thinking about it another way, in pleasure houses, anyone who paid was a guest. Compared with that, the woman before him seemed much cleaner. Besides, with that face of hers, being a little timid was not really a serious flaw.

At this moment, Gu Wan, who stood in front of Shang Rongyue, could no longer suppress the anger in her eyes.

She directly grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and threw him out of the room.

The guards outside did not know what had happened inside. They only saw their Young General throw her own younger cousin out. The formerly arrogant Young Master Gu stumbled and fell onto the floor tiles by the doorway, rolling in dust for no reason.

“It seems Cousin still hasn’t sobered up completely. Why don’t I help you again?” After saying that, she ordered the guards at the door, “Take him to the punishment room. Ten disciplinary lashes.”

The guards at the door looked at one another.

For some reason, the Young General had suddenly flown into such a rage today. Young Master Gu had clearly come to show goodwill, yet now she was punishing him with lashes. They did not know whether this was just a quarrel between cousins, so they hesitated for a moment.

“What are you standing there for? Do you want to join him?”

Seeing that the Young General was truly angry, the people at the door did not even dare breathe loudly. They quietly stepped forward and restrained Gu Ze, preparing to drag him away.

But Gu Ze, who had lost face for no reason, was not convinced.

They were both surnamed Gu. Gu Wan was only a woman. She was merely a few years older than him, yet she had punished him with lashes again and again. Where was he supposed to put his face in the future?

Besides, Gu Wan would marry sooner or later. When the time came and he inherited the title and led these soldiers, how was he supposed to command respect if today’s matter was brought up?

“I refuse to accept this!” Gu Ze stood up, brushed the dirt off his body, and shouted with his neck raised. “I only came here out of kindness to deliver white fungus soup to you. Why are you punishing me?”

“It was clearly because I discovered you hiding an outsider here. If you’re dissatisfied, we can go argue this in front of the elders!”

At present, all the family elders who led troops had gone to the battlefield. The only one remaining who pursued scholarly affairs was Third Uncle, Gu Ze’s biological father. If the matter were brought before him, a major issue would certainly be reduced to a minor one, and a minor issue would be dismissed entirely. Nothing could be investigated further.

Gu Ze was merely trying to stall.

But Gu Wan did not buy it.

“In this place, my words have never needed anyone else’s judgment.” She swept her gaze over the surrounding guards. “It seems my younger cousin thinks ten lashes aren’t enough. Since that’s the case, as your older cousin, I’ll fulfill your wish. Twenty lashes!”

Military punishment by whip was no joke. The whip was made of thorny vines, and there were barbs on it. One strike would leave a bloody welt. Without ten days to half a month, the injury would not heal.

Ten lashes were already enough to make him suffer.

Under Lanxi’s command, two soldiers stepped forward and held Gu Ze by the shoulders.

Seeing that he could not escape punishment today, Gu Ze’s mouth became even more unrestrained. He no longer called Gu Wan “Older Cousin.”

“Third Gu! You were clearly hiding someone in secret, and after I found out, you’re using public authority for personal revenge! If you dare touch me, one day I’ll make sure you suffer for it!”

Just as Gu Ze was shouting, a clear voice suddenly came from inside the room.

“Wait!”

It was like a breeze brushing across rippling water, stirring up circles of waves. A bright face peeked out from behind Gu Wan.

“Since you want an answer, then I’ll give you one.” Shang Rongyue carried out the food box Gu Ze had brought earlier and took out the bowl of lotus seed soup inside.

The crystal-clear white fungus bloomed like flowers. On top of the snow-white lotus seeds were several goji berries. The soup was clear and glossy, and the heat had been controlled just right. It truly seemed to have taken some effort. One had to watch beside the stove without stopping and turn off the fire the moment the soup changed color. Even a moment longer would have made it cloudy.

Shang Rongyue carried the bowl in front of Gu Ze.

“The answer you want is right here!”

What was this supposed to mean? Not only was Gu Ze confused, even the surrounding people were puzzled.

Shang Rongyue held the spoon and scooped out the few bright red goji berries on top.

“These goji berries are of excellent quality. Their color is even, and every single one is plump.”

As she lifted her lashes, the warmth in her gaze from just now faded away, replaced by sharpness. She pointed toward Gu Wan behind her.

“But do you know that your older cousin usually likes drinking tea? In the Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica, it is written that goji berries are especially taboo to eat together with tea leaves, especially, uh…”

Shang Rongyue tried her best to recall the awkward tea name the bandit leader had told her earlier.

“Especially Emei Snow Bud!”

“The book is right there on the shelf inside. If you don’t believe me, go look for yourself! You were clearly here to poison her and harm your older cousin! Aiya, aiya, you’re blood relatives, yet you have such sinister intentions. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

After completing her performance, Shang Rongyue withdrew her hand and returned to stand behind Gu Wan. As she passed by her, she did not forget to give her a smug look.

Below them, Gu Ze was utterly confused. What goji berries? How had this become poisoning? But he did not understand medicine, and the other party had spoken so convincingly, even bringing up a medical text. At this moment, even if he had a mouth, he could not defend himself clearly.

“You’re talking nonsense! Whose lotus seed soup doesn’t have goji berries in it?”

Besides, when his mother stewed it for Gu Wan when they were children, she had also put goji berries in. He had seen it before!

“You’re clearly sowing discord! Where did this wild girl come from, daring to provoke the relationship between me and my older cousin? Do you know who I am? I am—”

“Enough!” Gu Wan interrupted Gu Ze.

She also knew that the young girl’s performance just now had been far too exaggerated, but since Shang Rongyue had given her this step down, how could Gu Wan miss it? She curled her hand into a fist and pressed it against her lips, coughing lightly to moisten her throat.

“Considering that you didn’t know, this matter can be dropped. But though the death penalty can be avoided, punishment cannot be escaped.”

“You trespassed into my study without permission. You will be punished with twenty disciplinary lashes and confined for one month.”

After everyone dispersed, Gu Wan closed the study door and looked at the lively, quick-witted girl.

“When did Miss Li become skilled in medicine? How come I didn’t know?”

Shang Rongyue chuckled and waved her hand.

“I was just making things up. I simply couldn’t stand seeing him bully you.”

Every word out of his mouth was that women were inferior to men, and at every turn he used his identity as her younger cousin to morally blackmail her. Shang Rongyue really could not stand people like that.

“What’s wrong with being a woman? What’s wrong with being an older female cousin?”

“Being a woman is not a reason to suffer unfair treatment. Being an older cousin is not a shield for tolerating someone without reason!”

Shang Rongyue spoke with righteous indignation. Even her gaze became firm.

On the other side, Gu Ze, who had received ten lashes, was thrown back into his room, barely alive.

By the time Buyou returned, Gu Ze had already been lying on the bed groaning for a long while. Seeing him come in, he casually grabbed something by his hand and threw it toward the door, cursing, “Where the hell did you die off to?”

“I went to fetch two jars of wound medicine.” Buyou was not angry. He picked up the item Gu Ze had thrown at him, then washed his hands and helped Gu Ze apply medicine.

When the fabric was torn open, Buyou saw the bloody mess across his back and could not help sighing.

“She is still your older cousin by blood, after all. You’re connected by blood. Why did the Young General get so angry today?”

“Didn’t you go to make peace with her? Even if she was angry, this punishment was too harsh.”

After saying this, he opened the small medicine jar, sprinkled the powder inside onto the wound, then slowly spread it evenly.

At the mention of Gu Wan’s anger, a hibiscus-like face appeared in Gu Ze’s mind.

Because of what had happened when they were children, his older cousin had always been very tolerant of him. Today was the first time she had acted like this.

Gu Ze placed the blame for today’s punishment on Shang Rongyue. Thinking of her appearance, he hated her so much that his teeth itched. Sure enough, beautiful women were all disasters. That saying was not wrong at all!

Just as he was thinking, Lanxi pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing her, the fire in Gu Ze’s heart flared up again.

“Young Master.” Lanxi cupped her fists in salute. “The Young General asked me to bring you a message.”

“Today’s punishment was not because the Young General believed that Miss Li’s words were true, but because Young Master nearly ruined the Young General’s important matter.”

Lanxi briefly conveyed Gu Wan’s meaning. In essence, Li Yueyue’s identity was suspicious, and Gu Wan was cooperating by acting along. Gu Ze’s commotion today had nearly exposed Gu Wan’s true identity.

As for why Li Yueyue’s identity was suspicious, and what Gu Wan had noticed during this period, Lanxi did not mention any of it.

After hearing Lanxi’s explanation, the anger in Gu Ze’s heart faded somewhat, but his hatred toward that Li Yueyue grew even stronger. In other words, everything he had suffered today was all thanks to that Li Yueyue.

“She doesn’t know my older cousin’s identity, so what does she think my older cousin is?” Gu Ze asked suspiciously.

“What the Young General is depends entirely on what Miss Li thinks.” Lanxi smiled mysteriously and placed two white porcelain bottles on the table. “I asked Doctor Su for these wound medicines before coming. Young Master should use these instead. Perhaps you’ll recover faster.”

“Oh, right. The Young General instructed that for the sake of her plan, she hopes Young Master can behave himself in the coming days. Try to go out less. It would be best not to go out at all, to avoid causing any trouble.”

Throughout the entire night, Gu Wan kept thinking back to Shang Rongyue’s words during the day.

“Being a woman is not a reason to suffer unfair treatment.”

It seemed everyone took it for granted that the military camp was a place only men could stay. Ever since childhood, because she was a woman, Gu Wan had suffered no shortage of difficulties and targeting.

It was rare for someone unrelated to be willing to stand on her side today.

Very soon, Gu Wan gathered all these thoughts away.

Because she remembered very clearly that if Li Yueyue had obediently stayed close to her at that time, Gu Ze would never have discovered her.

Back then, Li Yueyue’s reaction had seemed as though she was deliberately revealing a flaw.

Since she wanted Gu Ze to know about her and Gu Wan so much, then Gu Wan was not an unreasonable person. She could give the other party a step down and let her stay by her side every day.

After all, only by personally watching her could Gu Wan thoroughly figure out the other party’s true nature.

A gust of evening wind brushed past, lifting waves of fragrance from the flower crown by the window.

Ziying entered and reported everything Li Yueyue had done that day. After listening, Gu Wan nodded slightly and instructed, “Bring her here tomorrow morning.”

“?” Ziying was a little confused.

Gu Wan picked up the piece of Snow Wave paper by her hand. On it were the four characters Li Yueyue had left during the day: taking advantage of someone’s misfortune.

She replied, “To teach me how to write.”