Chapter 260: Today, I Will Pretend I Never Saw You

Gu Qingsong strode after Gu Huaizhi and said, “Huaizhi, I didn’t abandon my wife and child. Back then, while hunting in the mountains, I was ambushed and fell off a cliff. Lady Liu saved me, and I was unconscious for several months.

She lied to me, saying that my enemies had killed you and your mother. I didn’t believe her and went to Xinghua Village to look for you. The Gu family ancestral home was occupied by strangers, and Lady Liu took me to see what she claimed were your graves.”

“I refused to believe that you had perished. Then Lady Liu redeemed the belongings I had given your mother from a pawnshop, and I began to believe her. Your mother once said that if she were no longer around, those things would disappear too; otherwise, she would always keep them.” Gu Qingsong took out the silver ornament he had given to Liu Guixiang from his sleeve.

“I kept an eye on the candidate lists for the provincial exams in Guangling Prefecture but never saw your name. I even sent people to search for you, but they…”

Gu Qingsong clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. How could he not realize now that Qin Yang had betrayed him?

Gu Huaizhi remained unmoved by Gu Qingsong’s pained expression. “Why didn’t you go into the village and ask someone?”

“I…” Gu Qingsong hesitated. At the time, he was unable to move freely and had indeed been attacked. He believed his enemies were seeking revenge.

He feared that if he appeared recklessly, he might alert those enemies, endangering not only himself but also innocent people.

“All these years, you had plenty of chances to return to Xinghua Village.”

Gu Qingsong opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“You want to say that, at the time, you had become a general in Xiliang, burdened with heavy responsibilities, and without an imperial decree, you couldn’t leave your post?”

Gu Huaizhi spoke softly, calmly stating Gu Qingsong’s circumstances. Though it was the truth, Gu Qingsong couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of shame.

The next moment, Gu Huaizhi continued, “Mother was pregnant when she heard the news that you had been killed by wild beasts. She refused to believe it and held on until she gave birth. Because of the heartbreak and exhaustion from your supposed death, she went into labor prematurely and gave birth to a pair of twins. The younger brother was frail and sickly and didn’t survive past a few months. The silver ornament in your hand—Mother pawned it to save him.”

“The hardest, most unbearable days, she has already endured them. Since you’ve formed another family and have other children, I will act as though I never saw you today,” Gu Huaizhi said, his eyes calm and indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

“If you truly care about the suffering Mother endured, then don’t appear before her again.”

Gu Qingsong’s heart was filled with sorrow. “Huaizhi…”

“You made your choice back then, that you chose to become a general of Xiliang. To you, Mother wasn’t important. Turning back now is meaningless,” Gu Huaizhi said, his lips curling into a cold smile.

“If my wife and child were killed by an enemy, I would have made sure to personally avenge them with their blood as an offering to ease my hatred.”

Gu Qingsong froze, hearing the deeper meaning behind Gu Huaizhi’s words.

To Gu Huaizhi, his wife and child were so important that if they were killed by an enemy, he would undoubtedly return to seek revenge, offering their blood to honor the departed souls of his loved ones. If Gu Qingsong had done the same, he would have uncovered Lady Liu’s lies.

At that time, Gu Qingsong’s plan was to consolidate his power before returning to exact vengeance on his enemies, but Lady Liu had claimed the enemies were already dead. All the excuses he had made, about circumstances beyond his control, now seemed like a lack of true determination.

Everything suddenly felt hollow and meaningless.

He had long forgotten the original purpose that drove him to fight and kill.

As a result, he had been separated from his wife and child for many years, forcing them to endure unbearable hardship. It was no wonder Gu Huaizhi refused to forgive him.

Gu Qingsong thought about how he had sought doctors and medicine for Gu Yunzhen, while his first wife held their gravely ill son and went everywhere seeking treatment. After enduring the pain of losing her husband, she had to suffer the anguish of losing a child as well. The thought was like a knife twisting in his heart, and he was filled with self-loathing for his foolishness and how he had been so easily manipulated by a woman.

At that moment, a guard rushed in and reported, “Your Highness, the investigation is complete. The man impersonating you is named Xu Chou. He resides on Huaxi Alley and has known Lady Liu for seven years.”