Volume 1 Chapter 5: Cousin
"Miss, where are we going?"
Once outside Wu'an Marquis Manor, the maid Lu Zhi wore a face full of worry. The young lady had just gotten married today and was already seeking a divorce—what would become of her in the future?
Yan Qing replied calmly, "We're going home."
Lu Zhi glanced at the streets on either side. Though it was already late at night, the moonlight was bright enough to vaguely make out the direction.
Lu Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "But this isn't the way home…"
"Silly!"
Qing Luan gave her a reproachful look. "The young lady is taking a longer route. If we took the usual path, we would definitely run into the master."
"Oh, right. I just heard Marquis Wu'an ordering someone to fetch the master…" Lu Zhi tapped her own head, then slumped down again. "The master is so biased. If he finds out the young lady wants a divorce, he'll surely punish her."
"He won't have the chance to do so anymore."
Yan Qing lowered her gaze and quickened her steps.
Her expression remained calm, but her heart was already in turmoil.
…
Half an hour later, the group returned to the Yan residence.
However, Yan Qing did not enter through the main gate. Instead, she led everyone through the western side entrance.
"Lock Yan Tan in the woodshed. Don't alert anyone, including Mother."
After tossing out these words, Yan Qing hurried toward the West Courtyard.
The two maids were left staring at each other in confusion.
Didn't she say she was going to have the eldest young lady dunked in a pig cage? Why bring her home and lock her in the woodshed instead? Most importantly, why was the young lady heading to the West Courtyard instead of returning to Qingyi Courtyard?
The West Courtyard of the residence only housed…
The West Courtyard of the residence housed that distant cousin, Gu Huaizhou.
Yan Qing lifted the hem of her skirt, almost running as she made her way to the West Courtyard.
Gu Huaizhou was the son of the maternal uncle of the Gu family's elderly madam. Due to an epidemic, the entire Gu family had perished, leaving only this sole survivor. Taking pity on the Gu family's extinction, the elderly madam brought Gu Huaizhou along when she came to the capital, and he had been living in the West Courtyard of the Yan residence ever since.
He became a distant, almost invisible figure in the Yan residence.
The cousin of the household.
However, in her previous life, after the new emperor ascended the throne and rehabilitated the Ye Family, Yan Qing learned that her so-called cousin had long since died. The person now bearing the identity of Gu Huaizhou was not of Gu family blood, nor was he her so-called cousin—he was actually the illegitimate son of the current emperor!
The new emperor was Gu Huaizhou!
After being reborn, Yan Qing's greatest wish was to protect her mother, younger brother, and everyone in the Ye Family. Yet she was merely an unfavored legitimate daughter in the Minister's residence, possessing status but no power.
To protect her family in this chaotic dynasty, the quickest way was to find a powerful backer for herself.
And the greatest backer in the entire Yong Dynasty was none other than the one who would emerge victorious in the Five Princes' Struggle for the Throne—her 'cousin,' Gu Huaizhou!
On the day of her wedding in her previous life, not only did Wu'an Marquis Manor face trouble, but the Yan residence did as well.
Gu Huaizhou was also caught in an affair that very day.
All of this was orchestrated by Madam Zhen. To ruin Gu Huaizhou, she drugged his food and had a slave girl thrown into his room. However, for some reason, the slave girl was replaced by Yang Xuan, the illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister.
Madam Zhen caught them red-handed.
Gu Huaizhou had no choice but to marry Yang Xuan.
Unfortunately, Yang Xuan was no easy woman either. After marrying Gu Huaizhou, she remained restless and eventually used him to seduce Prince Jing.
This made Gu Huaizhou the biggest laughingstock in Yongjing.
Moreover, after marrying Gu Huaizhou, Yang Xuan began poisoning him…
Yan Qing's return home today after the divorce was to prevent this incident. If she could warn Gu Huaizhou before Madam Zhen arrived, he could avoid this disaster.
It would also count as saving his life.
In this way, if she ever needed Gu Huaizhou's help in the future, he would certainly not stand idly by.
But she didn’t know if she would make it in time.
If she didn’t, then…
"Creak—"
Yan Qing pushed open the door of Qingzhu Courtyard.
The courtyard was quiet, with no servants stationed there.
Yan Qing walked quickly to Gu Huaizhou’s room, took a deep breath, and felt so nervous that her palms were sweating.
If she was too late, she would have to kill Yang Xuan!
Yang Xuan was not a good match and unsuitable for Gu Huaizhou. If necessary, she could find him a better marriage later.
Thinking this, Yan Qing forcefully pushed open the door.
Her eyes immediately went to the bed—
It was empty, with no one there.
Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, she didn’t see the scene she had imagined in her mind.
Then she looked around elsewhere.
Moonlight filtered through the window into the room, revealing someone tied up in the corner.
Yan Qing approached cautiously, alarmed: "Yang Xuan!"
Under the moonlight, Yan Qing recognized the person.
It was indeed the Yang family’s illegitimate daughter!
Exactly the same as what happened in her previous life!
She couldn’t let her stay here!
Without further thought, Yan Qing grabbed the unconscious Yang Xuan, intending to take her out of Qingzhu Courtyard.
Once a delicate young lady who couldn’t even lift a bucket of water, now she was dragging a person without hesitation.
Fine sweat trickled down her forehead.
Yan Qing exerted all her strength to drag the unconscious Yang Xuan out.
Just as she was about to pull her out of the room, the door, mere inches away, suddenly slammed shut with a "bang."
Yan Qing was startled.
As she tried to straighten up, a powerful force suddenly pulled her backward.
"Thud!"
The woman was pressed against the closed door.
Her wrist was tightly grasped, and she was trapped in an unfamiliar yet vaguely familiar embrace.
She looked up, meeting a pair of crimson, burning eyes.
Yan Qing’s heart skipped a beat.
"Brother… cousin…"
It was Gu Huaizhou.
But at this moment, Gu Huaizhou’s eyes were crimson and dangerously intense, clearly controlled by drugs and devoid of reason.
The fiery heat transmitted through her wrist made Yan Qing’s heart race wildly. It seemed she was still too late; Gu Huaizhou was already under the effects of the drug.
She swallowed nervously, trembling as she spoke: "Cousin, I am…"
"Qingqing…"
The man murmured.
Yan Qing felt a surge of joy: "Cousin, you recognize me? That’s great—ah!"
In a dizzying turn, she was suddenly lifted horizontally.
Gu Huaizhou threw her onto the bed, like a fierce beast, and abruptly covered her.
Yan Qing was terrified and frozen.
She had thought Gu Huaizhou had regained consciousness.
Only when the man’s scorching kiss landed on her neck did Yan Qing suddenly awaken, her body uncontrollably trembling violently.
"No, don’t!"
Her delicate hands pushed against the man’s broad chest, Yan Qing’s voice trembling: "Gu Huaizhou, I am Yan Qing… wake up!"
But the man seemed unable to hear her.
His eyes were crimson, his expression terrifying, like a silent beast, roughly biting her neck.
Yan Qing was both frightened and frantic.
She came to help Gu Huaizhou, not to sacrifice herself!
Yet after struggling for a while, she couldn’t stop the man at all. Seeing his hand about to reach further, Yan Qing’s mind raced, and she suddenly grabbed Gu Huaizhou’s hand, declaring with desperate resolve: "Cousin, I’ll do it myself!"
The man paused.
His red eyes deeply gazed at her.
Yan Qing gritted her teeth, suddenly rose, and pressed Gu Huaizhou beneath her.
She sat atop his waist, gazing at the man's refined and handsome face, now flushed like a crimson sunset, dazzling yet sensuous.
Yan Qing was blinded by this decadent scene.
She hastily turned her head away, her voice dry and hoarse as she said, "You… don't move, I… I'll help you…"
Before the wedding, the Matron from her mother's side had told her many things about bedroom matters, including drugs that enhance passion between men and women…
The Matron said that if a man took such a drug, he would lose his reason, and only a woman's body could cure it.
Yan Qing did not want to use her body.
So there was only—
She looked up at the clear moon outside the window, trembling as she extended her slender, pale hands toward the man's lower parts…