Chapter 256: Turning the Tables

Lady Liu thought Chun Rui was referring to Xu Chou and shot her a fierce glare. At this point, sending a message was useless, because the opportunity had long passed.

“There’s an intruder in the residence who dares to disrespect the Prince. Go quickly and call for help to capture this thief!” Lady Liu’s face was dark as water, her tone a thinly veiled threat to Mo Yuan: “Release the Prince immediately, or else…”

“Or else what?” Gu Qingsong stepped out from the archway, his brows sharp and gaze cutting as he looked at the arrogant and overbearing Lady Liu. “Who dares to hold this Prince hostage?”

The moment Lady Liu saw Gu Qingsong, her legs went weak.

Chun Rui quickly supported her, preventing her from collapsing to the ground.

Seeing Gu Qingsong’s gaze shift toward Xu Chou, Lady Liu panicked and tried to take the initiative, saying, “Your Highness? You’re the real Prince? This thief brought someone who looks exactly like you to impersonate your identity. I was deceived! I thought he intended to harm you and was terrified, so I called the guards to capture the thief!”

“Your Highness, you’ve come just in time. Quickly, have the thief captured!” Lady Liu’s heart sank when she saw Xu Chou about to speak, and she anxiously added, “Zhen’er is unwell. Let’s go inside to check on him and leave this to the guards!”

From Lady Liu’s glance, Xu Chou discerned her veiled threat. By mentioning Zhen’er, she was hinting that if he implicated her, their son’s future would also be jeopardized.

He quickly made up his mind. He had spent most of his life muddling along, mediocre and insignificant, with only one son, Gu Yunzhen, to show for it. Now that his son held the position of a young heir in the Prince’s residence, if he could ensure Gu Yunzhen’s safety, then his own worthless life could be forfeited without regret!

“Your Highness, save me! While I was riding my horse on the street, I accidentally collided with a carriage. The people in the carriage saw that my arm was injured and invited me to get on to have my wound bandaged.

At the time, I thought they were kindhearted since they didn’t hold me accountable and even treated my injury. I didn’t think much of it and got on the carriage.”

Xu Chou pleaded his innocence, begging Gu Qingsong for help: “But I never expected that after I got off the carriage, this person would seize me, bring me to the Prince’s residence, and impersonate you!”

Gu Qingsong took a few steps forward, stopping three steps away from Xu Chou. His sharp gaze bore into him, as though he were looking into a mirror. Not just the facial features, even the finer details were strikingly similar.

He turned his head toward Lady Liu, who looked panicked. Her hands anxiously clutched her skirt, as if she was afraid of something.

“What was the point of impersonating me?” Gu Qingsong pointed a finger at Mo Yuan and asked with evident interest, “Before this thief captured you to impersonate me, didn’t he bother to find out that I had already returned to the capital? Bringing you to the Prince’s residence—isn’t that walking straight into the trap?”

“Your Highness, they said you were in the military camp and wouldn’t be returning anytime soon,” Xu Chou said quickly, casting a fleeting glance at Lady Liu before pleading, “Your Highness, please save me. I never intended to impersonate you!”

Gu Qingsong caught this subtle detail, every time Xu Chou spoke, he seemed to glance at Lady Liu. Moreover, whenever Gu Qingsong addressed Xu Chou, Lady Liu appeared exceptionally anxious.

Clapping his hands once, Gu Qingsong signaled the guards, who swarmed in from all directions.

Mo Yuan remained silent from beginning to end.

Gu Qingsong asked, “You have nothing to say?”

“My master is inside treating the young heir. Once they’re finished, they will naturally have something to explain to Your Highness,” Mo Yuan replied coldly, his expression indifferent. “Your Highness may lack the discernment to recognize people, but surely you can muster some patience.”

Gu Qingsong caught the sarcasm in Mo Yuan’s tone and also picked up on an important detail: “Your master is Divine Doctor Su?”

“Divine Doctor Su is the mistress,” Mo Yuan replied coldly. “My master is the son of the Regent of Great Zhou.”