Chapter 80: Regicide, Patricide—What Haven’t I Done? Part 1

Cui Wangshu stared at him, her eyes as dark as ink, gloomy and chillingly cold. Her gaze slid to Feng Gan, who was tightly bound behind him, and a smile crept into her brows and eyes. “Father, it seems Feng Gan can’t respond to you anymore.”

Cui Daoyuan clenched his fists, warily watching Cui Wangshu approach. His expression was like that of someone facing a great enemy. A flood of memories surged into his mind: the training he had given her as a child, the ruthless methods she had displayed over the years—all flashed before him like a lantern show.

Because he knew how brutal those methods once were, Cui Daoyuan could not help but be on guard against Cui Wangshu. He had always kept her at the Cui Residence precisely because he feared she might one day turn against him.

Yet lately, he had grown increasingly prone to anger, his confidence inexplicably swelling.

Rage clouded his mind. He could even quarrel with the censors in court. Today, Cui Wangshu had provoked him so intensely that his head heated up, convincing himself that he had always held her firmly in his grasp.

For the first time, his dignity as a “father” was offended, and he could not tolerate it for a moment. He had come alone to the Shangshu Residence.

Jiang Chenbi watched the suppressed frenzy in Cui Wangshu’s expression and frowned with concern. She shifted a step to the side, allowing her to vent the emotions she had repressed for so many years.

“Father, you seem quite afraid of me. But aren’t I your proudest creation?” Cui Wangshu furrowed her brows slightly, feigning a hurt expression as she heavily emphasized the word “creation.”

She called him “Father” repeatedly, yet the killing intent radiating from her was terrifyingly thick.

Cui Daoyuan glanced at the current situation, his heart growing colder. Seeing the determination in Cui Wangshu’s eyes, his long-standing worries were confirmed.

Raising a tiger only invited disaster—it was bound to bite back.

In a flash, Cui Daoyuan understood why the Cui Family had suffered repeated setbacks lately and why he had been so easily provoked, his temper completely uncontrollable.

Today, she had deliberately enraged him, then had someone heal him, betting that he would rush to the Shangshu Residence in a fit of fury upon waking—bypassing the guards at the Cui Residence and walking straight into her trap here.

So defenseless, like a wolf entering a tiger’s den.

One link after another, calculating ten steps ahead for every one—this was something he had taught Cui Wangshu himself.

Cui Wangshu caught the realization in his eyes and clicked her tongue regretfully. She sighed, “You’ve still figured it out, Father. It seems a daughter will always be a daughter, carrying your shadow, so of course you’d know, right?”

He had once said similar words about Li Cong, claiming the Emperor was his student, bearing the shadow of his thoughts.

Now, hearing those words turned back on him by Cui Wangshu was utterly ironic.

At this point, what didn’t Cui Daoyuan understand? Though he didn’t know how she had done it, given his knowledge of her, he probably wouldn’t leave the Shangshu Residence alive today.

There were only him and Feng Gan in the Shangshu Residence. He had come in haste, without a single extra guard. Every step had fallen right into Cui Wangshu’s plan, with no way out.

In victory or defeat, Cui Daoyuan had already seen the end.

But… he was unwilling. He had played with eagles all his life, only to have the sparrow he had personally caged peck out his eyes.

Cui Daoyuan ground his molars and stared coldly at Cui Wangshu. “All of this—was it you stirring things up from behind the scenes?”

He had always counted Cui Wangshu on his side, thinking the Cui Family’s losses wouldn’t benefit her, and assuming her recent poor health meant she was powerless.

He never imagined she had been hiding her tracks, watching tigers fight from the mountainside. The fiercer his battle with the Emperor, the more she gained.

He had truly raised a fine daughter!

Cui Wangshu halted her approach and stared at Cui Daoyuan, tilting her head slightly. Coolly, she said, “What are you talking about, Father? I don’t understand.”

Seeing her play dumb, Cui Daoyuan gnashed his teeth. “What are you still pretending? Wasn’t it you fanning the flames between me and the Emperor? Or are you in league with him?”

Cui Wangshu stared coldly at him, ignoring his words and putting on a helpless expression. “Everyone says you’ve grown muddled with age. I didn’t believe it at first, but now it seems you really have.”

She paused, then narrowed her eyes, her tone chilling. “Since you’re muddled, it’s time you stepped down. From now on, your daughter will manage the Cui Family for you.”

From start to finish, she refused to reveal even a hint of her plans. Disbelief flashed in Cui Daoyuan’s eyes—he hadn’t expected her to go this far.

With no response and death looming, Cui Daoyuan’s mental defenses crumbled. Softening his tone, he said, “Wangshu, why don’t we talk this out properly? The Cui Family is yours—let me go, and whatever you want to do, I won’t…”

“Pfft—”

Before Cui Daoyuan could finish, Cui Wangshu’s laughter interrupted him. Her face bore an almost childlike smile, identical to the one she had before her training began. Cui Daoyuan stared at her, dazed for a moment.

Cui Wangshu laughed for a long time before reining it in, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. She shook her head. “Father, no regrets once the pieces are placed, and when you cut the grass, you must uproot it. Have you forgotten?”

Hearing her state it so bluntly, Cui Daoyuan could no longer maintain his composure. His roar trembled with fear. “Cui Wangshu! I’m your father—how dare you?”

“You’re not!”

Cui Wangshu cut him off coldly, her false smile finally vanishing as she glared at him fiercely.

Her eyes heated up, and she spat out each word: “I’ve never been your child. You used me, controlled me, yet never gave me even a moment to breathe. What right do you have to call yourself my father?”

A flicker of uncontrolled emotion showed in her eyes. Though she hated the man before her to death, tears still welled up uncontrollably.

“I was the stepping stone you used to propel the Cui Family to glory, the first scapegoat to be thrown under the bus when the truth came out, and a pawn in your games with the previous dynasty—from the day I was born!”

She paused, then tugged her lips into a self-mocking smile. “Even more ridiculous, I’m not even your biological daughter, so you used me without restraint, didn’t you?”

Veins bulged at Cui Wangshu’s temple as she advanced on Cui Daoyuan step by step. Her cold voice choked with sobs, yet she stubbornly held back her tears.

Her final words hit like thunder from a clear sky. Cui Daoyuan froze in place, cold sweat crawling up his back.

How had Cui Wangshu found out? He had dealt with everyone involved back then…

If she had known all along, her years of endurance were to hide beneath the identity of a pawn. But why the Emperor’s side…

An unbelievable thought crossed Cui Daoyuan’s mind as he looked at Cui Wangshu. He shook his head uncontrollably. What she schemed for was… the throne.

In a desperate struggle, he murmured, “You can’t touch me. I have the Empress Dowager behind me…”

Cui Wangshu raised her hand and expressionlessly wiped the tear from her eye, sneering, “The Empress Dowager?”

Her face hardened, her voice low and icy. “She can’t protect you—or herself.”

Seeing the eager killing intent overflowing in her eyes, Cui Daoyuan abandoned negotiation or questions. Driven by animal instinct for danger, he turned to flee.

Cui Wangshu watched him take a few steps, then snapped open her fan and hurled it spinning out. The Onyx Iron Fan knocked him to the ground. Cui Daoyuan’s aged bones hit hard; stars burst before his eyes, and it took him a while to recover.

Before he could, a blurry voice sounded in his ear.

Cui Wangshu walked over, crouched down, and eyed him coldly. She pulled the Onyx Iron Fan from the ground, folded it away, and said flatly, “You came to the Shangshu Residence today, but I’m not foolish enough to let you die here.”

She pulled out the jar of Seven Scatters Incense from behind her, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. “How about a taste of the Corpse Fragrance Devil Taro first? Once I’ve handled these matters…”

“I’ll send you on your way personally.”

She poured the incense into her hand and impassively covered Cui Daoyuan’s mouth and nose, forcing the potent scent into his nostrils.

Cui Daoyuan had just recovered from the pain of his body falling apart when she clamped down. He couldn’t utter a word, struggling violently, but Cui Wangshu pinned him with cold eyes. Soon, he stilled.

Releasing her hand, Cui Wangshu’s vacant gaze fell on Cui Daoyuan’s face. She checked his breathing—he was still alive.

Jiang Chenbi had frowned from the moment Cui Wangshu began refuting Cui Daoyuan, watching her with worry. Now, seeing her squat motionless on the ground, her anxiety deepened.

Cui Wangshu crouched quietly, staring at Cui Daoyuan’s aged face. With a blink, tears silently fell onto his face.

From today onward, those dark childhood memories had nothing to do with her anymore. The man who had controlled her twenty-four years of life and ruined her youth was finally erased from her existence.

But why did her heart feel no joy at all?

This belated revenge, laced with years of forbearance, left the real wounds deeply branded in her heart. Beneath every ounce of hatred lay buried pain. Uprooting the hate dragged up the pain below, leaving her chest dense with ache.

The countless whip scars on her body were his doing. Her crippled desires, her lifelong affliction—all courtesy of him.

Yet… these things wouldn’t vanish like erasing Cui Daoyuan himself. What happened had happened. Her personality was formed, and her knowledge and skills would forever bear his shadow.

Revenge belonged to the twenty-four-year-old Cui Wangshu, not the girl who had lived in endless darkness.

For the rest of her life, she would be trapped in that room laced with Corpse Fragrance Devil Taro.

Cui Wangshu’s shoulders trembled faintly. She lacked even the strength to stand, propping her hand on the ground for support. As she rose slightly, her legs gave out, and she toppled toward the floor.

A steady hand caught Cui Wangshu’s swaying form.

Lifting her gaze, she met Jiang Chenbi’s concerned eyes. Jiang Chenbi firmly supported her.

Cui Wangshu stared dazedly at Jiang Chenbi’s face. Her eyes heated, and with all her strength, she reached out, pulling herself into Jiang Chenbi’s embrace. Scorching tears soaked through clothes, burning skin.

Jiang Chenbi lowered her eyes and gently stroked the back of her head, silently accompanying her.

From afar, Xun An watched the scene, her lashes fluttering, her gaze darkening. She looked down at the struggling Feng Gan and kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

Raising her eyes to Cui Wangshu, complex emotions swirled in them.

Cui Wangshu had been calmer today than Xun An imagined. Apart from some initial mood swings and the agitation while interrogating Cui Daoyuan, she had been far more composed than expected.

No hysterical questioning, no fierce arguments. Many things between them went unaddressed before Cui Wangshu decisively acted.

But such calm shouldn’t belong to her. For someone who had endured for years, unless the pain in her heart outweighed the hate at this moment, she wouldn’t lack even the strength to fuel an emotional outburst.

Jiang Chenbi understood this too. She had thought Cui Wangshu could find release today, but she forgot—for Cui Wangshu, without pain, how could there be hate?

Bathed in the evening glow, Cui Wangshu inhaled the familiar scent at her nose, her runaway emotions gradually settling.

The scent was real, Jiang Chenbi was real—everything that happened was real.

Those inhuman days were long past. Now she had a new life, someone she loved, and they were married.

Once she dealt with Li Cong and the Empress Dowager, she could truly wed Jiang Chenbi and start her new life anew.