The desolation of the grave filled Qiu Yan with sorrow.
Here, apart from weeds, there is not a trace whatsoever.
She is, after all, the wife of the Prime Minister.
This tomb shouldn't be so desolate.
Gu Qian nodded solemnly, following Qiu Yan's words.
Usually, it's something I can't control.
Now that he's back, he's thinking that he should definitely bring his wife to visit him more often.
He gently helped Qiu Yan to her feet and began clearing the weeds from the grave mound.
From now on, he will certainly not allow his mother's ambitions to become overgrown with weeds.
Qiu Yan followed suit, pulling out the weeds from the grave one by one.
All I can think about is repairing this desolate mound of earth later.
In the distance, she saw a figure approaching, and her brows furrowed for a moment.
"Gu Qian, he's here."
Gu Qian turned around and saw the person who had come. His expression changed from sorrow to indifference.
Duan Xiang approached and said, "Qian'er."
Receiving no response, Duan Xiang's face turned somewhat pale.
He only began to regret it when he reached middle age.
He firmly believed that Gu Qian was his son, and that blood was thicker than water—a fact that could never be changed.
In fact, his second son, Duan Xiu, has neglected his studies and has achieved nothing so far, and is not favored by His Majesty.
Gu Qian, his eldest son, General Gu, was his support for the rest of his life.
Although he was the prime minister, he was all show and no substance.
He crouched down and, together with Gu Qian and Qiu Yan, cleared the weeds in front of the grave.
How did you get in?
The caretaker of the Duan family cemetery did not inform him that the eldest son had come to the cemetery today.
"What are you doing here?" Gu Qian asked instead of answering.
His voice was icy cold, sending a chill down Duan Xiang's spine.
He really didn't want to see anyone from the Duan family.
Qiu Yan was already fully aware of the conflict between Gu Qian and Duan Xiang.
She just listened from the sidelines and continued pulling weeds from the graves.
"Qian'er, what do you want your father to do to make you agree to come home with him?"
“Go home…” Gu Qian repeated the word, his sorrowful eyes turning cold.
In my childhood, those two words weighed as heavy as a thousand pounds.
These days, home is wherever your loved ones are.
It could be Lingnan Village, Baiyang, or the General's Mansion.
As for the Duan family, he will never go back, nor will he acknowledge them as his father.
“Prime Minister Duan, my mother was, after all, the wife of the Prime Minister, but over the years, not only has she had no descendants, but there is no one to clean her grave either. My mother’s grave is not even worthy of being called the grave of a concubine.”
If not for the chance, Gu Qian really wanted to bring his mother's remains back to the Gu family.
"My mother was your first wife after all, why are you treating her like this?"
Gu Qian's words made Qiu Yan feel indignant.
It seems that Madam Qin was planning to compete with her mother-in-law for status even after she passed away.
"I..." Duan Xiang opened his mouth, unable to speak.
Over the years, if it weren't for Gu Qian's existence, he would never have remembered that he once had a wife.
Furthermore, even if he wanted to visit his deceased wife, he had no say in the matter.
Qin was a very assertive woman.
Because of the Qin family's power, Prime Minister Duan has never been here in recent years.
He only realized today that the cemetery was rather simple.
"Qian'er, as long as you agree, bring your wife back to the Duan family with your father to acknowledge your ancestors, your father promises to renovate your mother's grave."
Duan Xiang envied Gu Qian for being able to be free and do what he wanted.
He often thought that if he had devoted himself to living with the Gu family back then, he wouldn't be living such a repressed life.
His second wife often made him feel suffocated.
But now things are different; his father-in-law, the King of Qin, has passed away.
He can finally turn his life around.
Gu Qian: "You were the one who expelled me from the family genealogy to curry favor with the Qin family!" Now, you keep asking him to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the clan?
He really couldn't fathom what Duan Xiang was thinking.
"I will repair my mother's grave myself!"
Gu Qian pulled out the last wormwood, then took Qiu Yan's wrist.
"Yan Yan, let's go!"
He would no longer listen to any of Duan Xiang's explanations.
"This is the ancestral tomb of my Duan family!" Duan Xiang was dejected. He had done something wrong before, but today, no matter what he did, he couldn't warm Gu Qian's cold heart.
The two walked through the secluded cemetery and gradually drove away.
On the quiet path, Gu Qian held Qiu Yan's wrist.
"Yan Yan, do you have any other thoughts about Xiao Ran's situation?"
"I don't know either." Qiu Yan thought of the person Gu Qian had once suspected: Consort Hui.
"I suppose she can't cause any big trouble." Even so, she was still uneasy.
Now that the King of Qin has passed away, Consort Hui should protect herself wisely.
"I hope it's all over." Gu Qian only wished that everything would go smoothly from now on.
On the other hand,
The first thing He Jinran did upon entering the palace was to have his personal attendant summon the imperial physician.
He had noticed Jin'er's injuries long ago.
After that, he followed He Jinran into the Eastern Palace.
Qiu Xu followed silently behind He Lin, only glancing at the high walls of the palace when they first entered the palace gates, without looking around.
Upon arriving at the East Palace, the two guards that He Lin had arranged for He Jinran were already waiting inside.
The two guards were Mu Bai and Mu Xiao.
They saw He Lin and He Jinran and knelt down to pay their respects.
"Father, why are they here?" He Jinran saw that they were wearing blue and green guard uniforms and knew their identities.
There are no guards in this Eastern Palace.
Qiu Xu secretly thought that his identity here was probably the same as theirs.
Deep down, he had long harbored remorse.
When he and Xiao Ran secretly infiltrated the assassin camp, they should have first told their senior brother about their plan, and then had him inform His Majesty so they could proceed quietly together.
In this way, the two of them wouldn't have to waste a whole day and night with those people.
Most importantly, he wouldn't be here right now.
He absolutely did not want to be a bodyguard.
Regarding the imperial examinations, Qiu Xu only wanted to prove himself.
Actually, he wanted to be a military general like his senior brother.
"From now on, they will follow you." These two guards were handpicked by Zhan Yue from the guard camp by He Lin; they were the most outstanding guards.
"Your subordinate, Mu Bai (Mu Xiao), greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The two of them bowed in unison and paid their respects again.
“I have Uncle Xuanming and Uncle Xuanying, I don’t need guards.” He Jinran’s face was full of rejection.
He felt that these two men were sent by His Majesty to monitor him.
At this point, he couldn't help but look around.
Where did the two of them go?
"Wouldn't it be good to have two more people protecting you?" He Lin replied, seemingly ignoring the question.
The two derelict guards were currently lying pitifully in their guardhouse, licking each other's wounds.
He Jinran: He really doesn't need to add any more people.
Okay, he shut up.
He Lin, not hearing He Jinran's rebuttal, smiled with satisfaction. Then, he looked at Qiu Xu and his personal guard, Zhan Yue.
"Qiu Xu, starting tomorrow, you will work with Zhan Yue."
Qiu Xu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"
In the blink of an eye, the imperial physician arrived.
After meeting His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince, he began to examine He Jinran's body, treat his illness, and prescribe medicine.
He Jinran pulled Qiu Xu over and insisted that the imperial physician examine him thoroughly, inside and out.
Even so, Qiu Xu stated frankly that he was fine and did not need to see the imperial physician.
After He Lin left, He Jinran ignored Mu Bai and Mu Xiao, who were still standing in the courtyard.
"Uncle, you can choose any palace in the Eastern Palace. Whichever one you like, you can move in."
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