Chapter 991: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 991: Confrontation (4)
County Princess Fuyun had clearly come after Mo Yan. In front of her, Mo Yan quickly revealed everything and instantly lost interest. Not even bothering to comfort Old Madam Cui, she left in a grand procession with her maids and nursemaids, just as she had arrived.
Only after the group had gone far did Mo Yan finally breathe a long sigh of relief. She raised her hand to wipe her forehead, but finding no sweat there, she lowered it again.
Old Madam Cui, also relieved, looked at Mo Yan apologetically and said, “It was my poor judgment that nearly got you into trouble, County Princess.”
Mo Yan’s performance in front of the princess clearly showed that she knew something, so Old Madam Cui had nothing to hide and directly expressed her apologies.
Mo Yan shook her head and smiled, “No one could have expected Your Highness to show up suddenly. How could Madam be to blame?” In saying this, she indirectly admitted that she was aware of the matters between County Princess Fuyun and the Cui family.
These matters were hardly secret—just a little inquiry would reveal them. Thus, Old Madam Cui didn’t ask how Mo Yan found out, only expressing her relief: “Luckily, the County Princess was perceptive enough that Her Highness never suspected anything. Otherwise, it would have been my fault.”
Embarrassed by this, Mo Yan explained, “After leaving Young Master Cui behind, I was worried it might cause trouble, so I did some asking. If I offended in any way, Madam, please forgive me.”
Old Madam Cui understood completely and smiled, “These things were never hidden; there is nothing to be offended about. I must also thank the County Princess for taking in Xiao Qi.”
Being willing to risk offending County Princess Fuyun to keep Xiao Qi showed the kindness and integrity of this County Princess—a kindness Old Madam Cui would remember and repay when the opportunity arose.
After the interruption by County Princess Fuyun, Mo Yan no longer felt like staying at the Cui residence. Before leaving, she took Cui Ping’an’s pulse once again and saw that his high fever had completely subsided. Judging that he would wake by evening, she left two small bottles of spiritual spring water, gave the Cui women some instructions, and then departed in the Cui family’s carriage, with Cui Qingrou seeing her off.
Mo Yan had the coachman first take her to Du’s Medical Hall to speak with Physician Du, and only after confirming that even if County Princess Fuyun sent people to inquire there would be no slip-up did she feel at ease enough to return to Liuyang Village.
That evening, as Mo Yan had predicted, Cui Ping’an indeed woke up, though his spirits were low. He stared blankly at the canopy, barely uttering a word. By midnight, his fever flared again. Cui Qingrou gave him a small bottle of the spiritual spring water Mo Yan had left, and the fever gradually abated.
Over the next few days, Cui Ping’an no longer developed a fever but remained drowsy. Out of twelve hours in a day, he slept for eleven, suffering from recurring nightmares and murmuring in his sleep. Visible weight loss and increasing weakness made him liable to collapse at the slightest breeze.
Old Madam Cui and Cui Qingrou were frantic. Every time they asked what troubled him, he refused to speak—even when Old Madam Cui declared before him that she would not interfere with his marriage and that he should marry whoever he pleased, he still remained silent, seemingly trapped in the tragic memories of his past life with no escape.
Having tried every possible remedy, the Cui women could not break through Cui Ping’an’s inner barrier. In desperation, they sent someone to the Mo household to ask Mo Yan for help.
Mo Yan did not mind the inconvenience and made another trip to the Cui residence. However, when she arrived, Cui Ping’an was sound asleep. Forcing him awake, she found him like a soulless puppet—no matter how much she spoke, he offered not a single response.
Seeing him in such a half-alive state made Mo Yan both angry and deeply sympathetic. What kind of pain had he endured to turn a once lively and cheerful young man into someone who, even after rebirth, could not face his past calmly?
Originally, she had planned to wait until Cui Ping’an was fully awake so he could explain it himself and she might help him untie the knot in his heart. Now that he was awake yet unresponsive like a lifeless doll, Mo Yan had no choice but to turn to Xue Tuanzi, fearing that if she didn’t think of a solution soon, Cui Ping’an might wear himself out to death.
“Hmph, I told you before and you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re making me repeat myself—women are such a trouble!” Xue Tuanzi muttered as it drifted slowly over from nearby.
Mo Yan glared and rubbed its belly, “I told you to speak up—no more nonsense.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll speak!” Xue Tuanzi quickly recounted all the misfortunes Cui Ping’an had suffered in his previous life. At the end, it sighed and said, “...That boy was indeed pitiful. The girl he loved was killed, and his cousin had her life ruined by him, only to eventually die miserably at the hands of a scumbag. He couldn’t bear the thought of confining himself to a tiny, suffocating world—living every day with overwhelming loss and regret. Tsk tsk, it’s tragic enough, yet County Princess Fuyun still wouldn’t let him off. After Old Madam Cui died, she locked him away in a room devoid of sunlight—making him not only suffer hunger day after day but also endure the daily retelling of those tragic events by her servants. The fact that this situation hasn’t driven him mad shows just how strong he is inside...”
Mo Yan listened in silence for a long while, rendered speechless. Although she had suspected Cui Ping’an’s previous life was filled with misery, she never imagined that the once pure and cheerful young man would eventually perish in such loneliness, regret, and despair.
No wonder—no wonder that even after rebirth, he would choose to shut himself off rather than face it all again.
(End of Chapter)
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