Gu Qian entered the room, his face unusually calm.
"Qian'er, why didn't you bring your wife? Your courtyard has been prepared by your father for a long time, just waiting for you to come home anytime." When Duan Xiang saw Gu Qian's visit, he suddenly became somewhat incoherent.
Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has lived in constant fear.
He feared that His Majesty would find out about his abandonment of Gu Qian years ago.
In that case, would he still be able to serve as prime minister?
He was well aware of the relationship between His Majesty and Gu Qian.
Therefore, he believed that Gu Qian must not remember that he had been able to remain unharmed all these years.
After all, Gu Qian was not yet three years old at the time.
Now, the child he abandoned is living a more fulfilling life than he has.
So, because of this blood relation, how could he not acknowledge his son now that he has become successful?
Perhaps the reason he was so humble in front of Gu Qian was because he still felt guilty towards Gu Qian.
He's not stupid, he's just not very capable.
He originally didn't want to go to the border.
However, he had already guessed that His Majesty had ulterior motives towards him the moment His Majesty called his name in court.
That's why I said it in advance.
He knew that when he returned, this position of prime minister would have already said goodbye to him.
He felt that His Majesty intended to leave the position vacant and appoint someone more capable.
As for whom His Majesty will appoint next, that is not something he can decide.
What Duan Xiang didn't know was that it was He Lin, who was only a young child, who carried Gu Qian back from the mass grave.
The reason why He Lin has retained his position as prime minister all these years is...
Firstly, He Lin didn't need a prime minister; the six ministries within the court were sufficient.
Secondly, He Lin was doing it out of respect for Gu Qian.
But now, the Qin family has set their sights on him, trying to get Qin Hui to persuade him to take Duan Tianzhang as his concubine.
He would not appoint any member of the Qin family, so he planned to gradually remove Duan Xiang from his position as prime minister.
Qin sneered inwardly at Duan Xiang's obsequious manner.
"Qian'er, look how good your father is to you. Even though you're both his sons, Xiu'er isn't as fortunate as you. The courtyard he lives in is not as nice as yours."
At this moment, Duan Xiang did not want to pay any attention to Qin Shi.
His heart was entirely focused on Gu Qian.
After seeing him arrive, she remained silent, which made her even more nervous.
"Qian'er, we'll be leaving in a few days. How are your preparations going? Have you told your wife about it?"
Gu Qian just stared at Duan Xiang quietly, and the images of the humiliation he had suffered since childhood resurfaced in his mind.
Fortunately, he met his master, who gave him a complete family.
"Qian'er, if you're worried about your wife, bring her to live with us at the Duan family. After all, she's pregnant now, and your mother will take care of her." As Duan Xiang spoke, he glanced at Qin Shi.
Qin smiled insincerely, thinking to herself, if Qiu Yan dares to enter the Duan family, she can forget about leaving unscathed.
Her niece is still unable to get out of bed because of Qin Susu's beatings.
Her family had caused Qin Susu trouble before.
However, Qiu Yan dismissed him with just a few words.
She thought Qiu Yan was really stupid. Wasn't she afraid that Qin Susu would snag Gu Qian?
Seeing Gu Qian's demeanor, Duan Xiang figured that Gu Qian must have put aside his prejudices and come to acknowledge his ancestry. He immediately sat down opposite Gu Qian, and before doing so, said to Qin Shi beside him:
"You go out first, I want to talk to Qian'er. Oh, and tell the servants to bring a pot of good tea."
Gu Qian was silent just now because he was holding back.
Originally, he still held onto a last glimmer of hope that Qin Shi had instigated his abandonment years ago, but that wasn't true.
He walked to the table on his own, lifted his robe, and sat down.
Qin was displeased, but she still smiled kindly.
"You two chat. It's rare for Qian'er to come home. I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare more for dinner."
Duan Xiangyi waved his hand in agreement.
"Hurry up and go."
After Qin left, Duan Xiang looked at Gu Qian and his eyes inexplicably reddened.
His eyes were filled with tears, and his hands trembled as he grasped Gu Qian's wrist.
"Qian'er, I was wrong. I have regretted it all these years, but you have never given me a chance to make it up to you."
He truly regretted it and hated himself for being so heartless to Gu Qian.
Right now, his son is right in front of him, but he is speechless and looking at him, which makes him sad.
Gu Qian withdrew his hand.
"Prime Minister Duan, for so many years, you've always tried to suppress me using blood ties. I'm here today to tell you that from now on, I will not give you that chance again!"
"What do you mean?!" Duan Xiang stood up, not expecting that Gu Qian's first words would be to break ties with him.
For so many years, he had hoped that they could communicate like a normal father and son.
"Why won't you give your father a chance? Do you know that our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents? You will never escape our father-son relationship in this lifetime."
"Can't we escape?"
Gu Qian chuckled, then pulled out a dagger, loosened his hair bun, and cut off half of his long hair.
"You!" Duan Xiang almost fainted from anger when he saw Gu Qian's sudden action.
Cutting one's hair is considered a great disrespect to one's parents.
There is also a deeper meaning: it signifies severing all ties and never having any further contact.
Duan Xiang's lips trembled, his heart pounding with nervousness.
"Qian'er, what are you doing?!" Duan Xiang grabbed Gu Qian's wrists with both hands, trying to stop him from doing anything further.
"Isn't my blood flowing in your veins? We can't sever our father-son relationship, it will never be severed."
"I'll return it to you!" The next moment, Gu Qian swung his knife and slashed his own wrist.
"What are you doing? How utterly foolish!"
Duan Xiang wanted to stop Gu Qian, but how could he possibly do so given his abilities?
Drops of blood fell onto the teacup on the table, the striking red stain so glaring.
“From the moment I was born, you have never fulfilled your responsibilities as a father. Prime Minister Duan, from the moment you abandoned me, the bond between us as father and son was severed. However, since you say that our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents, today I will shave my head and break my skin to repay the debt of life! From this day forward, the bond between us is completely severed!”
"Do you think this is enough to repay the debt? Even if you die, the bond between us as father and son can never be severed!" Duan Xiang was hysterical, but inside he was extremely nervous.
Gu Qian must have heard everything.
At the same time, he harbored resentment towards Qin Shi, all because of the topics she brought up.
Gu Qian: "From the moment you threw me to the wolves, my life was already returned to you! Prime Minister Duan, the image of me lying alone in the mass grave, miserable and wretched, is still vivid in my mind. I didn't say anything only because my mother is still in the Duan family!"
"You..." Upon hearing this, Duan Xiang collapsed to the ground.
He crawled on the ground, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Gu Qian knew everything; it turned out he knew everything.
Over the years, Gu Qian has never mentioned a word about abandoning him in the mass grave.
He shouldn't have tried so hard to please Gu Qian.
Gu Qian's heart is completely beyond warming up.
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