Chapter 831: Not a Mindless Fool

“What happened to you last night?”

Fan Tong’s icy voice pierced the silence in the darkness.

Gu Honglian trembled involuntarily at the thought of what had happened in the alley last night and couldn’t help but move closer to Fan Tong.

Feeling Gu Honglian’s trembling, Fan Tong was convinced that she was hiding the fact that she had lost her chastity last night; Gu Honglian felt guilty.

Gu Honglian didn’t want to relive last night, nor did she want Fan Tong to know she was a ruthless killer.

Even though she acted out of self-defense.

The thought of last night made her heart race.

Since she woke up, all her focus had been on Fan Tong, and his question made the bloody image of last night’s severed head flash in her mind again.

Even though Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Min both said that Gu Honglian would be fine and wouldn’t be apprehended by the government.

Even if the matter was exposed, Mrs. Min would step forward to protect her.

Gu Honglian was still worried.

She feared that the exposure of what happened would negatively impact Fan Tong, as he was a scholar aiming for a government career. She was afraid that her matter would become a stain on Fan Tong, a handle for attacks against him.

“What’s wrong?” Fan Tong asked.

Gu Honglian, trembling, put her hands around Fan Tong’s neck, suppressing her fear, and said, “Husband, nothing happened last night. After we got separated, I… couldn’t find you, so I went back to my sister-in-law’s house.”

Fan Tong was timid, not even daring to kill a chicken.

It’s better not to let Fan Tong know what happened in the alley last night.

Fan Tong pushed Gu Honglian away, laughing coldly, “You’re feeling guilty, aren’t you? You don’t dare to talk?”

Gu Honglian’s eyes widened in the dark.

She feeling guilty?

She indeed felt guilty for piercing the thug’s neck and smashing his head.

But she was forced to resist; doing nothing would lose her chastity at best but life at worst.

Now, relying on her skills, she had successfully counterattacked, maintaining both her chastity and life. What was there for her to feel guilty about?

Gu Honglian asked incredulously, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand you.”

Fan Tong sneered, pretending, go on pretending.

“Stop pretending. You met thugs in the alley last night, didn’t you?” Fan Tong said, expressionless in the darkness.

Gu Honglian was taken aback by the question.

After coming back to her senses, she thought perhaps Fan Tong was angry because she didn’t tell him about the alley incident yesterday.

Understandably, Fan Tong had been searching for her for a whole day and night; he must be feeling sorry for her and angry that she wasn’t honest.

No wonder he had been cold towards her all night; he felt she didn’t trust him enough.

Indeed, there shouldn’t be any secrets between husband and wife.

Gu Honglian said, “I did encounter thugs; I fought back and managed to escape back home. I was scared to death, didn’t know what to do, or how I got home. But my sister-in-law said I did well; when faced with such things, it’s the thug’s fault, not mine.”

Gu Honglian casually mentioned meeting thugs in the alley without describing the specific details.

First, she didn’t want to recall them; second, she didn’t want Fan Tong to feel even more responsible for not protecting her safety given that it was her idea to enjoy the lanterns and she let go.

There was no way to blame Fan Tong here.

“I didn’t purposely hide the alley incident from you. Since it’s happened, blaming won’t help, and more importantly, I returned safe and sound.” Gu Honglian said softly.

Fan Tong’s heart heaved with anger. If the Fan Family learned about such things, she’d have to choose between being drowned in a pond or immersed in a pigsty.

It turns out Gu Honglian was more shameless than he had thought.

The Gu Family also had no shame; knowing what happened to Gu Honglian in the alley, they showed no remorse in the face of him. Not only were they without it, but they even encouraged Gu Honglian with such confidence and assertiveness.

Do they take him as a coward?

Fan Tong’s voice became colder, “Gu Honglian, you don’t know how filthy you are right now, still pretending before me. Do you think I don’t know about the alley incident yesterday?”

What does being filthy mean?

Fan Tong despises her hands stained with the thug’s blood?

Does she become filthy having fought back and killed someone, dyeing her hands with blood?

Why didn’t Fan Tong ask how she was supposed to protect herself without piercing through him?

She figured it out; Fan Tong wasn’t concerned but questioning her.

Gu Honglian said, “Fan Tong, what do you mean?”

Fan Tong was about to go mad with anger; he had said it so clearly, yet Gu Honglian kept pretending. He said, “I mean you’re shameless. Such a thing happened, and you have no shame, even bringing up your sister-in-law. You listen to her in everything, thinking it’s her you learned such shamelessness from.”

Gu Honglian was stunned; what words are shameless?

Gu Honglian couldn’t understand Fan Tong’s logic, angrily said, “You’re just talking to me; as a man, you weren’t there to protect me, leaving me alone in the alley. If I hadn’t acted, I would be dead by now. How come according to you, I’m dirty? How am I dirty?”

Even Mighty General’s mother, Mrs. Min, praised her actions last night as heroic and worthy of reward.

Hearing Gu Honglian’s justifications, Fan Tong was beyond furious.

Indeed, Gu Honglian is a crude country girl, unable to understand, failing to grasp a woman’s honor being more important than life.

“Starvation is trivial; loss of chastity is severe. In such situations, shouldn’t you have guarded your virtue at all costs, even at the risk of death? I’m a scholar; as my wife, you’ve lost your chastity, how can I ever hold my head up again?”

“And you dare pretend before me; I find a body tainted by thugs filthy.” Fan Tong accused harshly.

The thought that Tong Huaqiong and others already knew about Gu Honglian losing chastity in the alley, and were helping her hide it, enraged him.

He was so angry that he didn’t even want to live in this house, wishing instead to move to seek shelter with Prince Ning.

Gu Honglian finally understood; Fan Tong thought she had been violated by thugs in the alley.

In the dark, Gu Honglian was speechless with rage.

Fan Tong didn’t ask her how she escaped the thugs but accused her of losing herself to them.

At this moment, Gu Honglian was livid, not even noticing that Fan Tong hadn’t left the alley at all; he heard her cries for help but let her confront the thugs alone.

“You think I was… by thugs…” Gu Honglian couldn’t finish.

Fan Tong said confidently, “What? Do I need to make it that clear? Am I wrong? A young woman falling into a thug’s hands, unless you traded your body, how could you escape?”

Gu Honglian felt cold all over, crying, “Fan Tong, you are tarnishing my innocence. I did not! You ask how I escaped? I pierced the thug’s throat with a hairpin…”

“You’re still arguing? Do you believe that?”

Fan Tong simply didn’t believe it; how could a young woman defeat thugs?

Merely to continue protecting her status as his wife, opting for deceit and concealment.

Unfortunately, he’s Fan Tong, not a thoughtless idiot.