After Becoming the Hero’s Ex-fiancée - Chapter 77

A Cold Wind (3)

Cui Wang turned around and started to leave; Zheng Wan pulled the corner of his robe reflexively, her eyes revealing an anxiousness that even she was unaware of.

“Cui Wang, where are you going?”

Cui Wang stilled. The arm that was pulling him back was slender and delicate—it could be broken with a snap, yet seemed to carry the power of a thousand tonnes.

He stood for a while. Outside, the moonlight was like a hazy shadow, and the sound of music and dance drifted over from the main hall. He lowered his eyes for a quick glance, and with a flick of his sleeve, shook her hand off, then lifted his feet once more, and left.

“Cui Wang!”

At this moment, Zheng Wan felt real panic. She lifted her skirts and quickly followed him out. “Wait!”

The man’s outer robe was too long. Zheng Wan’s left foot stepped on the hem of the robe, and she tripped and fell heavily on the threshold.

The threshold was made of cold and hard stone, but she seemed to not have noticed, and quickly scrambled up again.

“Cui Wang! Cui Wang!”

“I had once suffered the pain of having ten thousand swords pierce through my body for you, have you forgotten about that? Even if my methods were wrong, you shouldn’t doubt my sincerity!” said Zheng Wan anxiously.

This should have definitely been her trump card.

Cui Wang finally stopped. He turned his head and took a deep look at her. In the end, without saying a word, he summoned his longsword, stepped on it, and left.

A bolt of heavenly light flashed across the sky. Zheng Wan watched for a while until the pitter-patter of soft-soled shoes on the ground came to her ears, then clapped her hands and stood up expressionlessly.

Cui Wang was not in front of her, and she had no intention of acting like a pitiful thing anymore.

“Lady Zheng, what— what happened to you? Do you need us to call for someone?”

Having gotten a clear look at Zheng Wan’s attire, the two palace maids exchanged a look and rushed over.

“Go look for my maidservant for me.”

Zheng Wan added slowly, “Also, prepare a carriage. I want to return to my manor.”

“Understood.”

The palace maids looked at each other for a moment, then accepted her orders.

Luodai was finally found when Zheng Wan boarded the carriage. She had been knocked unconscious and left in the attached room of the side hall. When questioned upon waking, she couldn’t answer any of the questions, and didn’t know anything. And at this time, the palace was buzzing with rumours about the sudden bizarre disappearance of the crown prince’s arm.

The prince was in a daze, and only said that he had lost it in a dream. The emperor was furious, and started sealing the palace to conduct a detailed investigation.

By then, Zheng Wan was already on her way to the State Preceptor’s residence in a carriage.

——————

[ The study in the State Preceptor’s residence ]

“Xiao Wangwang, wine only amplifies the sorrow of sorrowful hearts, stop drinking, if you drink any more, you’re going to get drunk! Besides, which of those in the pugilistic world doesn’t get hurt?”

“Hey, pay some attention to me, Xiao Wangwang.”

“Wang zai, Xiao Wang, Wangwang¹! I’m telling you, if this thunder and flood continues, I, your old ancestor, is going to rebel! Ah-choo! Drink, keep drinking, see if you can drink to death!  Even if you die from drinking, it’s no use. Men who let ladies cry are all no good!”

Cui Wang slugged a mouthful of wine.

Outside the window, were layers upon layers of the shadows of trees. The pear blossom wine was astringent to the throat, and he seemed to be seeing double.

He opened his eyes and looked at it for a while, then suddenly clutched his chest—it felt hot and alive.

He poured another cup for himself.

In the midst of the old ancestor’s unflagging nagging, Cui Wang suddenly laughed.

“…Old ancestor, why do you no longer sing that song you used to sing often?”

“Which song?”

Cui Wang began to hum softly, “……The little monk went out to beg for a vegetarian meal, the old monk has… informed him, that the woman at the base of the mountain is a tiger, if he meets her, he must stay away at all costs… must stay away at all costs……”

He had a clear voice, like the tinkling of a jade chime, like a light breeze passing through the woods. When such a comical and eccentric song was hummed by him, there was an additional touch of melancholy.

“Crazy, crazy, my baby is crazy.” The old ancestor covered his ears and lay down flat, letting the violent storm take him, and roll him around here and there.

“……Old ancestor, when she cried just now, I almost became soft-hearted again.”

The old ancestor finally sighed.

Love, it could dim one’s wits and make one lose one’s mind.

Right at this moment, ‘Dok dok——’

There was a knock on the door. “State Preceptor, I’ve come to bring you some hangover soup.”

Footnotes:

¹ Wang zai, Xiao Wang, Wangwang: Various diminutive forms of Cui Wang’s name. Adding a ‘zai’ (baby) behind a name, or a ‘Xiao’ (little) before it, or repeating the name twice (Wangwang) are various ways elders would alter childrens’ names to show their affection.

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