Chapter 248: Mother, Am I Not Father’s Child?

Su Wan carried her medical kit and arrived with Qi Sixteenth.

The butler personally came to the door to greet her and escorted her to the main hall.

When Lady Liu saw Su Wan, she was momentarily stunned. “It’s you?”

Gu Qingsong glanced at her briefly.

Lady Liu smiled and said, “I met this young lady at Baima Temple that day. Master Mingjue knows her and wanted to recommend her to treat Zhen’er. I didn’t expect Your Highness to invite her here, it must truly be fate.”

Gu Qingsong ignored Lady Liu’s words and said to Su Wan, “Follow me.”

The group made their way to Tingtao Pavilion in the rear courtyard, surrounded by a grove of bamboo. The wind swept through, creating ripples of green waves, a fitting scene for its name.

Two guards and two maids stood at the entrance.

The maids lifted the curtain.

Gu Qingsong entered first, with Lady Liu close behind. Su Wan followed them inside, greeted by a faint herbal fragrance wafting through the air.

Thick layers of rugs covered the floor, and a five- or six-year-old boy sat cross-legged on the carpet, wearing socks, focused on solving a Nine Linked Rings puzzle.

“Father!” Gu Yunzhen scrambled to his feet and rushed into Gu Qingsong’s arms, shoving the puzzle into his large hands. “I’ve been working on this for days and can’t solve it. Teach me, please!”

“Let this young lady take your pulse first, and I’ll teach you afterward.” Gu Qingsong patted his head, checking for a fever. Finding none, he set the boy on the heated brick bed. “Don’t sit on the carpet, your hands are freezing.”

Gu Yunzhen had a pair of bright and clear, almond-shaped eyes resembling Lady Liu’s. He looked curiously at Su Wan, flashing a smile that revealed a set of white teeth, his cheeks dimpling. “Big Sister, I’ve already taken my medicine. Master Mingjue said I’m fine now.”

“Really?” Su Wan took his pulse, her smile unwavering. “You are indeed fine.”

Pleased, Gu Yunzhen tilted his small face proudly and said to Gu Qingsong, “Father, Big Sister says I’m better. Now, hurry and teach me the Nine Linked Rings!”

He pouted his pale lips, sulking. “You said Big brother is really smart. He could solve the Nine Linked Rings and the Luban Lock when he was three or four.”

“You couldn’t solve it because you’ve been sick and couldn’t attend school,” Gu Qingsong said as he taught him how to solve the puzzle. Noticing Su Wan sitting nearby and waiting, he instructed Gu Yunzhen, “Play on your own for now. Father will walk the young lady out.”

“Okay.” Gu Yunzhen, undeterred, returned to working on the puzzle.

Gu Qingsong and Su Wan left, heading to the adjacent room to discuss Gu Yunzhen’s condition.

After struggling with the puzzle for some time without success, Gu Yunzhen angrily threw it on the ground.

“Mother, I’m so stupid. I’m nothing like Father. Am I not Father’s child…?” Before he could finish, his words were muffled.

Lady Liu, her face deathly pale, quickly covered Gu Yunzhen’s mouth. She glanced frantically toward the door. Outside, there was only the sound of the wind rustling through the bamboo forest. Letting out a shaky breath, her heart raced uncontrollably.

She pinched Gu Yunzhen’s arm. “You child, what nonsense are you spouting? You must never say such things!”

Gu Yunzhen’s dark eyes brimmed with tears as he lay on the heated bed, turning his back to Lady Liu, pouting and ignoring her.

Lady Liu pulled the quilt over him, tucking him in. After thinking for a moment, she decided to go and ask Su Wan about Gu Yunzhen’s condition.

As she opened the door, she saw Qin Yang striding toward her, his cloak billowing loudly in the cold wind.

“Your Grace!” Qin Yang gave a quick glance to the side. “Where is His Highness?”

Lady Liu’s heart skipped a beat. Qin Yang was one of Gu Qingsong’s most trusted confidants—the very one sent to the Great Zhou all those years ago.

The relationship between the two of them was not one for casual closeness. If it weren’t for something significant, Qin Yang would never seek her out, let alone during a time when Gu Qingsong was present.

“His Highness is inquiring about Zhen’er’s condition. If it’s urgent, you can tell me, and I’ll pass the message on to him,” Lady Liu said, openly inviting Qin Yang into a side room.

Once the door was closed, Qin Yang spoke hurriedly, “Your Grace, I’ve uncovered something. The Empress Dowager’s daughter in the Great Zhou is named Su Wan—the very divine doctor who came to the estate to treat the young master. Her husband is Gu Huaizhi, His Highness’s eldest son.”