“Big Sister, that’s not right. I was recorded in the family registry and entered the ancestral shrine. Now that Grandmother has passed away, is it not my duty to return and mourn?”
Hearing this, Gu Yue pointed at Gu Heng and scoffed, “You’re just a picked-up orphan—not Father’s biological daughter, and certainly not Grandmother’s real granddaughter. What right do you have to mourn her?”
At that, Qin Rou tugged on Gu Yue’s sleeve and quietly whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “Your father is still present. Watch your words.”
Grudgingly, Gu Yue withdrew her hand.
Qin Rou glanced at the stubborn-faced Gu Heng and sneered inwardly, but to Gu Changfan, she put on a concerned and understanding expression. “Husband, Ah Heng must’ve been overwhelmed by grief for Grandmother, which is why she disobeyed your order and came back. Grandmother doted on her so much—can’t we spare her punishment just this once, in honor of her filial heart?”
Having been married to Gu Changfan for years, Qin Rou knew his temperament well. Sure enough, upon hearing this, he exploded with rage. Pointing at Gu Heng, he shouted furiously: “You dare speak of your grandmother? She died because of you! You caused the death of your Yiniang, and now you’ve doomed your elders too. How could I have raised such a cursed child?!”
Hearing this, Gu Heng whipped around and demanded sharply, “Father, there were always suspicions surrounding Yiniang’s death! I knelt in the snow for a full day and night begging you to investigate, and you refused. Now you’re blaming everything on me? If Yiniang knew, even in the afterlife, she would be heartbroken!”
Her voice grew mournful. “As for Grandmother’s death—I was far away at Baixue Manor. How could it possibly be related to me?!”
Her every word rang loud and clear.
Gu Changfan had been the county magistrate for many years and carried the arrogance of one long used to obedience and flattery. Now, being challenged so openly by a girl barely in her teens, he was utterly enraged. Forgetting they were in a mourning hall, he cursed her loudly. “If you hadn’t fallen off a cliff on your way to Baixue Manor, how would your grandmother have worried herself sick? Those few days, she barely ate! Later, she kept fretting over whether you were well, and her body weakened—she caught the plague and never recovered!”
Tears instantly welled in Gu Heng’s eyes.
One part of her ached for the grandmother who had loved her dearly and had worried about her even in her final days.
The other part felt deeply wronged by Gu Changfan’s baseless accusations.
Choked with sorrow, her voice trembled.
“Father, have some decency! Do you think I jumped off that cliff on purpose? It was clearly Big Sister who pushed me!”
Gu Yue panicked, afraid her carefully crafted image in their father’s eyes would collapse. She shouted back, flustered, “You’re lying! You killed your Yiniang and felt guilty, so you tried to kill yourself!”
At that moment, Gu Heng felt an overwhelming sense of despair. She laughed bitterly.
“Everyone in the manor knows I fainted in the snow begging Father to investigate Yiniang’s death. With her case still unresolved, why would I take my own life? Besides, Ziyun and Qin Momo both saw it happen with their own eyes! Call them in—we’ll confront each other right here and now!”
Gu Yue gave a cold, sinister smile. “Go ahead, call them! Let’s see if they’ll side with you or with me—if they even dare show up.”
Seeing the confidence in Gu Yue’s expression, Gu Heng felt as if she’d plunged into icy water.
Right—Ziyun and Qin Momo had witnessed her being pushed off that cliff. With Gu Yue’s cruel nature, she wouldn’t have left them alive unless she had them under control.
If they were still alive, then either they’d been silenced, or Gu Yue and Qin Rou had something on them and were forcing them to keep the truth hidden.
Gu Heng opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. Her heart turned cold.
To Gu Changfan, it looked like she was unable to defend herself.
In a flash of fury, he raised his hand to strike her hard.
“You ungrateful wretch! Cursed child! I should never have raised you!”
But just as his hand came down, someone caught it in midair.
He turned to see who had stopped him—and only then noticed Ah Zheng, who had been silently standing nearby all along.
He had been so focused on scolding his daughter that he hadn’t even realized someone else was present.
Seeing him now, he was stunned.
“Ah Zheng? Why are you here?”
Ah Zheng took a deep breath.
From the moment he entered with Gu Heng and heard how these so-called family members were accusing her, he had been forcibly holding back his anger.
He had always wanted to be a refined gentleman in Ah Heng’s eyes—someone calm and composed, not one to act rashly.
But he couldn’t stand it anymore. This man had even tried to hit her. If he couldn’t protect her even now, what kind of childhood companion was he?
Gripping Gu Changfan’s wrist, Ah Zheng gave a fierce shove, sending him stumbling several steps before regaining his balance.
“Lord Gu, raising your hand in the mourning hall—is that proper? Besides, Ah Heng has done nothing wrong. Why must you push her so hard?”
For some reason, the moment Gu Changfan saw Ah Zheng, he felt overwhelmed by his presence—an unease growing in his heart.
This young man, who had once looked frail and scholarly, now carried a dangerous air.
Such a presence could only have been forged through surviving countless life-and-death situations—tempered in blood.
For the first time, Gu Changfan felt fear.
“A-Ah Zheng… it’s all a misunderstanding. I—I was just overwhelmed with grief from my mother’s death and took it out on Ah Heng…”
At this, Gu Heng scoffed coldly from the side.
Given her father’s attitude recently—and the way he had just heaped false blame on her—she finally understood:
Gu Changfan refused to investigate her Yiniang’s murder not because he truly believed Gu Heng was cursed or unworthy, but because he needed a scapegoat.
He had genuinely loved Fu Yiniang—loved her so much he had gone against his wife’s fierce opposition.
But now, she was dead. The living still had to carry on.
To him, Fu Yiniang’s death was either misfortune—ambushed by bandits—or, as Gu Heng claimed, someone had deliberately lured her into danger.
But Fu Yiniang had always been kind and well-liked. Who would bear a grudge against her?
The only person who truly hated her was Qin Rou.
But if it really was Qin Rou who killed Fu Yiniang, would he truly offend Qin Rou, offend the Qin family—the richest in Changle County—for the sake of someone already dead?
Not to mention, back when he first took office, the Qin family had provided him significant support behind the scenes.
And over the years, all the bribes and smoothing over in official circles had cost no small amount of the Qin family’s silver.
What’s more, he had a son and a daughter with Qin Rou—how could he truly fall out with her?
Under such circumstances, all he could do was redirect the hatred boiling within him onto Gu Heng.
In his eyes, Gu Heng was weak, a daughter who relied on him for survival. Her life or death was entirely up to his whim. So no matter how poorly he treated her, he felt no guilt whatsoever.
Until Ah Zheng appeared.
The young boy had now grown up and no longer bore the frail look of the past.
Now, the way he stood protectively by Gu Heng’s side filled Gu Changfan with unease.
“Lord Gu, I understand your grief over your mother’s death. But Ah Heng is innocent—you shouldn’t treat her like this.”
Hearing this, Gu Changfan’s face darkened for a moment.
To be scolded by such a young man felt terrible, but at this moment, he couldn’t show it.
Because, to his eyes, Ah Zheng was still useful.
Now that plague was spreading through the county, and complaints were rising all around, as the county’s chief official, he had to present something concrete to appease the people.
And that meant real money.
The Shen family, after all, had once been the second wealthiest household in the county, after the Qin family.
If he could wring some money out of the boy, all the better.
With this thought, half of Gu Changfan’s anger died away. He smiled and said: “Since Ah Zheng says so, then Ah Heng doesn’t need to return to Baixue Manor. It’s lacking in food and clothing there—your Yiniang and grandmother felt distressed seeing it. From today on, she can return to live in the main residence.”
After saying that, he took Ah Zheng’s hand warmly and chatted, “It’s been years—how has your father been lately? After you all moved away, where did you go? You didn’t even tell us—after all, we were neighbors for so long.”
Unexpectedly, the young man in front of him replied coolly, “I don’t know.”
That reply made Gu Changfan instantly unhappy.
“Ah Zheng, what do you mean by that? Are you brushing me off?”
Ah Zheng took a deep breath. “Lord Gu, I truly don’t remember. A while ago, I fell from a cliff and was gravely injured. I hurt my head and lost all memory of my past. It was Ah Heng who saved my life, but to this day, I still haven’t remembered anything.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yue suddenly cried out, “So you’re that adulterer from the manor!”
Halfway through her sentence, she realized it was inappropriate and quickly covered her mouth.
But her voice had been far too loud—everyone in the hall had heard it.
In an instant, both Gu Changfan and Qin Rou looked extremely displeased.
Especially Gu Changfan.
Had he known the young man was someone familiar, he wouldn’t have punished Ah Heng, nor cut off her monthly allowance. Now, seeing how thin the two of them had become, it was clear they had suffered.
And if that was the case, who knew if Ah Zheng now bore resentment toward him?
Even if he’d lost his memories, his bearing spoke of someone raised in wealth and privilege.
In these years, the Shen family must have found opportunity—whether in wealth or power.
Either way, the current Gu family could benefit from the connection.
Thinking this, Gu Changfan immediately scolded Gu Yue: “You’re still young, yet your mouth is already filthy! Hurry and apologize to Young Master Shen!”
Though Gu Yue felt wronged, she knew her father’s word was final. She had no choice but to suppress her anger and bow stiffly toward Ah Zheng. “I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking.”
Ah Zheng didn’t even lift his eyes. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. It’s Ah Heng. Because of your slander, she suffered scorn and abuse at the zhuangzi.”
In that instant, Gu Yue’s heart filled with resentment.
Apologizing to Shen Zhengyu was already humiliating—how could she be expected to apologize to that lowly Gu Heng?
But just as she showed her dissatisfaction, she caught the sharp warning look from her father. Swallowing her bitterness, she quietly said: “Second sister, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things.”
