newbobooks Chapter 664 Second Uncle, I was wrong.
Chapter 664 Second Uncle, I was wrong.
The shadow guards moved extremely fast. Almost the instant Gu Junze finished speaking, two dark figures appeared silently under the corridor.
They walked up behind Gu Xuan, and one of them bent down, his voice flat and even: "Young Master Xuan, please forgive us."
Gu Xuan's stiff body did not resist, nor did it make any unnecessary movements.
He slowly raised his head and took one last look at the tightly closed door.
Inside the door was the person he had called "Mother" for over a decade.
Snowflakes landed on his long eyelashes, instantly melting into cold water droplets that slid down his cheeks, indistinguishable between snowmelt and tears.
The shadow guards didn't delay any longer and lifted him up from the snow, one on each side.
His legs were already numb from kneeling, and he was practically being dragged forward by the two men.
The crunching sound of footsteps on the snow was particularly jarring in the quiet snowy night.
……
Inside the room, Chu Ruohan listened to the receding footsteps and sighed softly in the darkness.
Gu Junze walked back from the window, sat on the edge of the bed, and took her cold hand into his warm palm.
"Letting him go to Dongying to suffer some hardships and get rid of those inappropriate thoughts will not be a bad thing for him."
“I just didn’t expect,” Chu Ruohan said, her voice full of exhaustion, “that after more than a decade of living together day and night, it would be less effective than a few seemingly plausible but actually misleading words from Meizi.”
She rested her head on Gu Junze's shoulder, her hand unconsciously covering her lower abdomen.
This child has already gone through so much turmoil before even being born.
"Human hearts are most vulnerable to testing," Gu Junze said, pulling her closer, "especially when faced with enormous profits."
He never believed in the inherent goodness of human nature; he only believed in the knife in his hand and the people he was to protect.
Haitang carried a bowl of warmed milk and tiptoed in.
"Lord Duke, Madam," she placed the milk on the table and reported in a low voice, "Young Master Xuan has been sent out of the manor. The yamen has also sent someone to make arrangements. Mei Zi's guilt is conclusive, and according to the law, she should be executed."
She paused, then added, "The servants in the manor have all been disciplined; no one dares to say another word."
Tonight's thunderous storm has reminded everyone once again of the methods employed by this Duke of Zhenguo.
"Pass down the order," Gu Junze said calmly, "This matter ends here. No one is allowed to discuss it further within the manor. Anyone who violates this order will be punished according to family law and expelled from the manor."
"Yes." Haitang bowed in response and quietly withdrew.
The room finally fell completely quiet, with only the soft rustling of snow falling outside the window.
Gu Junze helped Chu Ruohan lie down and covered her with a blanket.
His palm rested on her abdomen, and through the soft blankets, he felt the bond that belonged to them.
“It’s all in the past,” he said softly. “Sleep peacefully, I’m here.”
Chu Ruohan hummed in response, but kept her eyes open.
"What should we say to Qingchen?" She was still worried about her daughter. "That child is straightforward and always protects her brother."
Gu Junze gently tidied the stray hairs on her forehead, his eyes calm.
"I'll talk to her myself tomorrow."
“She is the daughter of our Duke Zhenguo’s mansion. She cannot be allowed to develop a personality that does not know right from wrong. She needs to know that if she does something wrong, she must bear the consequences, and everyone is the same.”
---
The watchtowers in Dongying were covered in snow.
Gu Cheng'an had just finished inspecting the camp defenses and was rubbing his hands as he walked towards his own tent when he saw two familiar dark figures escorting a person, braving the wind and snow.
He paused, narrowed his eyes, and when he saw the face of the person being supported, his expression instantly darkened.
"Brother Xuan?"
The shadow guard brought the man closer, released his grip, and bowed to Gu Cheng'an: "General, the Duke has ordered that Young Master Xuan be sent back to the Eastern Camp."
Gu Xuan's legs went weak, and if he hadn't been holding onto the tent's doorpost, he would have almost collapsed to his knees in the snow.
His whole body was frozen stiff, his lips were purple, and a thin layer of snow covered his shoulders and hair, making him look like he had been pulled out of an ice cave.
"Understood." Gu Cheng'an waved his hand, signaling the shadow guard to leave.
He flung open the heavy tent curtain, grabbed Gu Xuan's arm, and dragged him inside.
"What are you standing there for! Get in here!"
Inside the tent, the brazier was burning brightly, making a soft crackling sound.
Gu Cheng'an pushed Gu Xuan to the fire pit, and seeing his distraught appearance, his anger flared up instantly.
"Tell me! What exactly happened?"
Gu Xuan raised his head and opened his mouth, but no sound came out of his hoarse throat.
Gu Cheng'an poured a bowl of hot water and roughly shoved it into his hand: "Drink it! Explain yourself!"
A warm sensation traveled through his palm, and Gu Xuan shivered, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
Holding the bowl, he recounted the whole story, word by word. From Meizi's first probing...
He didn't hide anything, from kneeling in the snow to being ordered by his father to be sent back to the military camp.
After he finished speaking, the tent fell into a deathly silence.
"Snapped!"
Gu Cheng'an slammed his hand on the table next to him, causing the bowl of water to spill out.
"You heartless bastard!" He pointed at Gu Xuan's nose, trembling with rage. "How dare you say that! Who was it that rescued you from that wolf's den of the third branch of the Gu family back then?"
“You were like a little kitten back then, and we raised you little by little until you grew up.”
"Have you forgotten? When you were five, you had a high fever that wouldn't go down, and you were talking nonsense. Even Doctor Qian said the chances of survival were slim. It was your mother who held you in her arms and stayed by your side for three days and three nights!"
Gu Cheng'an grew angrier as he spoke, his chest heaving violently.
"She treats you like her own son, cherishing you like a precious gem."
"In the end, is this how you repay her? For the sake of a servant's few words, you allowed her to harm your mother and your unborn brother!"
Every word and phrase was like a red-hot branding iron, burning fiercely into Gu Xuan's heart.
He could no longer hold on; his knees buckled, and he knelt heavily on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold earth.
"Second Uncle, I was wrong."
"I know I was wrong, I was really wrong."
Seeing his appearance, the anger in Gu Cheng'an's eyes was gradually replaced by disappointment.
He sat back in his chair, his voice turning cold: "The title of Duke of Zhenguo was earned by your father with his life on the battlefield! What do you think it is? Wealth and honor obtained through the protection of our ancestors?"
Gu Xuan suddenly raised his head.
"If your father truly had no intention of having you inherit the family business, why would he have sent you to this military camp?"
Gu Cheng'an stared at him and said, word by word, "He sent you here so that you could earn military merit and establish yourself through your own abilities!"
"I want you to be able to stand tall in the future and rightfully take over this family! Instead of being like a baby who hasn't been weaned, hiding in the inner quarters, letting yourself be blinded by some illusory things!"
"Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. He's paving the way for you, you fool!"
That last sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in Gu Xuan's mind.
It turned out to be the case.
It turned out that his father sent him to the military camp not for training, but to entrust him with a mission.
He's so stupid.
"Even crows know to feed their parents, and lambs know to kneel to suckle." Gu Xuan knelt on the ground, but his back straightened little by little.
He raised his hand to wipe away the tears on his face. "Second Uncle, I won't make the same mistake again."