Chapter 258: The Truth Exposed

Gu Qingsong never would have dreamed that he would have the chance to see his son again in this lifetime, and under such absurd circumstances.

He wasn’t a fool, and it wasn’t hard for him to piece together the truth behind this farce.

From the very beginning, Lady Liu had deceived him. His first wife and son had never died.

Gu Huaizhi’s arrival in Xiliang was likely something Lady Liu had learned of in advance. To protect her secret, she deliberately arranged for someone to impersonate him, hoping to sow discord between him and Gu Huaizhi. Her goal was to create a rift so deep that Gu Huaizhi would never wish to see him again, thereby ensuring her lies would remain undiscovered.

However, she hadn’t anticipated that Gu Huaizhi would see through the imposter’s charade and have the fake brought to the Prince’s residence—intending to hand the matter over to Gu Qingsong for resolution.

Suppressing the overwhelming emotions surging within him at seeing his son, Gu Qingsong decided to first handle the immediate situation before explaining everything properly to Gu Huaizhi.

He looked at Lady Liu, who was kneeling on the ground, anger surging uncontrollably in his chest. “Lady Liu, did you arrange for someone to impersonate me because you already knew Huaizhi’s true identity? Did you fabricate the lie that I abandoned my wife and child to follow you to Xiliang and start a new family, intending to drive a wedge between my son and me?”

“No, Your Highness, I didn’t!” Lady Liu vehemently denied the accusation, but when her gaze met Gu Qingsong’s cold, piercing eyes, she shivered uncontrollably. “Your Highness, I was deceived as well. Back when I saved you and tried to contact your family, someone told me that your home had been raided by bandits, leaving nothing but ruins. They claimed your wife and child had all been killed, and that’s why I brought you to Xiliang.”

“Your Highness, I didn’t know your wife and child personally. Perhaps I didn’t inquire carefully enough and mistook someone else for them. Or maybe the villagers had a grudge against your family and lied to deceive me.”

Lady Liu, with tears streaming down her face, looked particularly delicate and sorrowful, as if heartbroken. She said mournfully, “Your Highness, we have been married for so many years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? If I had been lying to you, I would have silenced them back then. Why would I let them live to expose me? And why would I take you to Xinghua Village to search for them? When we went there, your family’s home was indeed occupied by someone else.”

“Your Highness, please believe me, I truly didn’t deceive you,” Lady Liu said, growing more and more distraught. “That imposter must have been arranged by Gu Huaizhi. After discovering your identity, he must have harbored deep resentment for your departure without a word and for your success. That’s why he had someone impersonate you, aiming to harm Zhen’er and destroy the bond between us as husband and wife.”

Gu Qingsong frowned deeply. If Lady Liu had truly misunderstood, then what about Qin Yang?

This matter had to be clarified today.

“Someone, go to the Qin residence and invite Deputy General Qin here.”

The expression on Lady Liu’s face froze momentarily before she quickly lowered her head to hide the panic in her eyes. However, she soon composed herself.

Qin Yang, for the sake of his current status and position, would surely not tell the truth.

The guards had just left the room when they quickly returned, holding a letter in their hand. “Your Highness, someone brought this letter for you, claiming it concerns a particularly important matter and urging you to read it immediately.”

Lady Liu’s gaze fixated on the letter in Gu Qingsong’s hand, an inexplicable sense of panic surging within her. It felt as though some closely guarded secret was about to be exposed, causing her heart to race uncontrollably.

Gu Qingsong opened the letter, and after reading its contents, his expression grew dark and somber, an oppressive and terrifying aura emanating from him.

He suddenly drew the sword from a guard’s waist and swung it at Lady Liu, slicing through her waist sash. Her clothes fell away in layers, revealing her snow-white skin underneath, which was marked with faint, suggestive red traces—some even bearing the imprints of fingers.