Gu Liyue was in utter grief. Her parents had been forced away by the Shu family in such a situation.
Only then did Gu Junyan speak up, "Liyue, now that I've told you about the Shu family's return, you should understand why I've attached so much importance to it. The Shu family forced Uncle San to leave his hometown, and made Grandmother part from her son in her old age. How could our Gu family tolerate them?"
Gu Liyue slowly raised her head, but only stared at her grandfather. She stared intently without saying a word.
The old master of the Gu family dared not meet her gaze. He averted his eyes and said uneasily, "It was all my fault back then, Liyue..."
"It wasn't you..." Gu Liyue was in a daze for a long time. Two lines of tears rolled down her cheeks. "It wasn't you who made that decision, was it? It was Grandmother."
The old master didn't expect his granddaughter to be so perceptive. He panicked a little, "Liyue..."
Gu Liyue shifted her gaze, "You were still on the battlefield at that time, weren't you? Even if you weren't, you would never have made such a decision. You couldn't tolerate such a stain in the family, and you couldn't allow a member of the Gu family to be framed for nothing!"
The old master gradually calmed down. His eyes were heavy, "You're right. If I had been there, or even if your eldest uncle had been there, things wouldn't have turned out like that."
Gu Zhongxian stood up embarrassedly, "At that time, your grandfather and eldest uncle weren't around. It was... my fault. I was too young and couldn't keep my cool..."
Gu Liyue looked at her second uncle without getting angry. Her second uncle's lack of composure wasn't because of his youth. He was just such a person. Perhaps at that time, only her father could hold things together in the Gu family. But her father was in prison and had to be cautious. To achieve a balance, he had no choice but to come up with such a solution.
The old master added, "Liyue, your grandmother acted inappropriately, but it wasn't entirely her fault. She..."
Gu Liyue shook her head, "Grandmother didn't act inappropriately. Eldest uncle just said that it was your idea to force father to either stop Shu Ying from entering the family or divorce his wife and remarry. But it was actually Grandmother's idea. Grandmother knew mother's personality well. If Shu Ying had entered the mansion, mother might not have survived to give birth to me. So if Shu Ying wanted to marry into the family, mother had to be sent far away to ensure her safety."
The old master paused for a moment and sighed, "You're so much like your father, perceptive and decisive. If your mother had been like you, such a tragedy would never have happened."
Gu Liyue licked her dry lips and forced a bitter smile, "There are no ifs. Maybe father just liked mother's unreserved joy. Nanny Yun told me about my parents' past. Mother was weak. Father took care of everything at home and outside. She was like a dodder flower, only able to rely on others. Actually, thinking about it this way, I should even thank Liu Anping for his cruelty. He even killed his own younger sister. At least it saved mother from dying of grief, and allowed her to walk on the road to the underworld with father."
These words were spoken without much emotion, but how could the men of the Gu family not know the deep yearning behind them?
The old master couldn't help but reach out and hug his granddaughter, "Liyue, don't worry. Such days of panic will never happen again."
Gu Liyue's tears rolled down like broken beads. It was a long time before she choked out, "Grandfather, was it you who drove the Shu family away?"
The old master slowly nodded, "Yes. After I returned and learned about this, I couldn't tolerate it. I knelt in front of the Queen Mother's palace for three days and three nights, crying about the pain of being separated from my son, and asking the Queen Mother to thoroughly investigate the matter. The Queen Mother and the Emperor took pity on me. But in the end, it was just a personal matter. It was against etiquette but there was no legal basis. So the Queen Mother ordered the Shu family to take up a post in Luanhe City. After that, I asked your eldest uncle to look for your father. But your father insisted on not returning. He even said that he was no longer a member of the Gu family, and he even changed his name."
Changing his name but not his surname, how could father really be willing to leave the Gu family? Firstly, the matter of the Shu family had really damaged the reputation of the Gu family. Secondly, if he returned to the capital, such things might happen again. With mother's personality, how could she cope?
Gu Liyue gritted her teeth tightly and whispered, "Even if a woman can rely on her husband's family, she must be self-reliant and have a tough heart. Only then can no one defeat her."
The old master wanted to say that she still had them, but in the end, he just nodded, "You're right, Liyue. No one can be relied on. Relatives and lovers will eventually leave. That's how life is. We come into this world naked and leave naked. There's no one else but ourselves."
Gu Liyue leaned in her grandfather's arms. It was a long time before she said, "The Shu family is coming back. How should we deal with them?"
Gu Junyan took over, "That's what we're discussing today. I've already found out that the old master and old lady of the Shu family have passed away. Now the head of the family is Shu Hong. The Shu family has many descendants, and they're all quite talented. Shu Ying is also long gone. She never got married in her life. She only has a daughter named Shu Mingzhu. No one knows who her father is."
No one knew who her father was, but now it was rumored that her father was her own father? It was really ridiculous.
Gu Junyan continued, "The eldest son of the city lord of Luanhe City once studied in the capital. He was on good terms with me. I've already written to him to inquire about the Shu family and to find out about Shu Mingzhu's identity."
Gu Liyue asked, "What if she's really father's daughter?"
Gu Zhongxian said first, "It's impossible, Liyue. I know your father best. He's not that kind of person."
Gu Liyue lowered her eyes and whispered in defense, "But that night, he was really unconscious, wasn't he?"
Gu Zhongxian was at a loss for words. He really wanted to continue defending, but after all, Liyue was a younger generation and a girl. How could he argue about such things with her?
The old master just sneered, "Our Gu family will never recognize her. Whether she's the daughter of the third son or not, how did Shu Ying frame the third son back then? I won't forget, and I won't recognize her. Reputation? I'm already an old man. Do I still care about reputation?"
Gu Liyue didn't say anything else. She rubbed her fingers. If she had been feeling anxious during the day about what would happen if there was a new sister in the family, now all that anxiety had turned into hatred.
So what if she was father's daughter? If it hadn't been for Shu Ying, how could her parents have ended up like that? She didn't believe in the saying that misfortune should not befall the family. Otherwise, where did the saying "the son should pay for the father's debts" come from?
This Shu Mingzhu couldn't be her elder sister, and she would never accept it. Moreover, a person who spread rumors in the capital before even arriving. If she wasn't well-prepared, Gu Liyue wouldn't believe it.
She, Gu Liyue, was no longer the soft and timid girl she used to be.
Gu Junyan continued, "Of course, you don't have to worry. I wrote to the city lord of Luanhe City openly just to show it to others. Since the Shu family dared to say such things, they must have made full preparations. I've already arranged for the people investigating cases outside to secretly look into this matter."