Chapter 665 People grow up and can distinguish right from wrong
The next day, the sky cleared up after the heavy snow.
The entire Duke's Mansion was shrouded in a blanket of white snow; the glazed tiles and dead branches were all covered in thick white.
When Gu Qingchen woke up in the morning, he felt that the yard was too quiet.
She pushed open the door and didn't see her brother practicing, which made her feel a little strange.
"Sister Haitang, where is my brother?" She ran to the main courtyard and happened to meet Haitang who was carrying a basin of water.
Haitang's expression was a little unnatural, and she forced a smile: "Master Xuan...he went back to Dongying."
"Back to Dongying? Why so suddenly?" Gu Qingchen looked puzzled. "He was fine yesterday, how could he just leave like that? My parents are such a fool! Why didn't they let him tell me?"
She muttered as she rushed into the house: "I'll go ask mother."
"Qingchen."
Gu Junze's voice came from behind.
Gu Qingchen turned around and saw her father standing under the plum tree in the yard.
"Dad." Gu Qingchen stuck out his tongue and called out obediently.
"Come here." Gu Junze waved to her.
Gu Qingchen's heart suddenly started beating fast, and he walked over slowly.
She saw a look in her father's eyes, one she had never seen before.
"Dad, my brother..."
Gu Junze interrupted her.
"Qingchen, your brother made a mistake. I'm sending him back to the barracks to reflect on his mistakes."
He looked into his daughter's clear yet doubtful eyes and said, "Today, Daddy wants to tell you what is right and what is wrong."
Gu Qingchen was stunned and confused, not understanding what happened to his father.
"Dad, what did my brother do wrong? Was he wronged?" she asked anxiously, her little face full of worry.
Gu Junze didn't answer, but just took her hand and walked to the stone bench next to them and sat down.
"Qingchen, do you still remember the accident your mother encountered in the corridor and the warm pavilion a few days ago?"
Gu Qingchen nodded vigorously, his little face turning pale.
"Remember, I was terrified. Something almost happened to the baby in my mother's belly."
"Hmm." Gu Junze's eyes were deep. "Then you know that these accidents are man-made?"
Gu Qingchen suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at his father in disbelief.
"Man-made? Who did it? Who wants to harm mother and baby?" Her voice was filled with anger.
Gu Junze looked at her and said, "It's Meizi. She has been planning all this behind the scenes. She wants to harm the baby in your mother's belly."
Gu Qingchen opened her mouth slightly, and after a while she finally uttered a word: "Madam Mei? How could it be her? Hasn't she always been with brother and treated him very well?"
"She is indeed kind to your brother, but this kindness is based on misunderstanding and paranoia."
"She believes the child in your mother's womb will threaten your brother's future and status, so she wants to get rid of the child."
Gu Qingchen's face turned pale. She couldn't imagine that a nanny who looked so gentle on weekdays would do such a thing.
"Then...does brother know?" she asked in a trembling voice, with a bad feeling in her heart.
Gu Junze looked at her with a hint of pity in his eyes.
"Your brother, he knows."
"What?" Gu Qingchen stood up suddenly, his eyes filled with shock, "He knew? Why didn't he tell my parents? Why did he protect Aunt Mei? How could he do this!"
She couldn't accept the fact that her brother, whom she had respected since childhood, the brother who doted on her and loved her, would actually do such a thing.
"He made a mistake." Gu Junze's voice was still calm, but with a hint of disappointment.
"He was blinded by those illusory things and chose silence and indulgence."
"Qingchen, you must remember that covering up evil is equivalent to aiding and abetting evil. He knew Mei Zi had evil intentions, but chose to conceal them. This in itself is a harm to your mother and the child in your womb."
Gu Qingchen's tears fell heavily, she couldn't believe it.
"But...but brother didn't do it on purpose. He was just...he was just deceived by Aunt Mei, right?" She tried to excuse her brother, but found that her excuse was so powerless.
Gu Junze shook his head: "Everyone grows up and can distinguish right from wrong. He had the opportunity to choose, but he chose silence."
"So, Dad punished him by sending him back to Dongying. He sent him to the military camp to hone his character and make him understand that some things cannot be obtained through shady means."
"More importantly, let him learn to bear the consequences of his actions."
Gu Qingchen squatted down, hugged his knees, buried his head between his arms, and burst into tears.
She couldn't accept that her brother would do such a thing.
She also couldn't accept that Aunt Mei, whom she once trusted so much, was actually a villain who wanted to hurt her mother.
Gu Junze did not try to comfort her, but just sat quietly beside her and watched her cry.
He knew that this truth was cruel to a child of a few years old.
But she needs to know that life is not always beautiful, and people's hearts are not black and white.
After crying for a long time, Gu Qingchen raised his head, his eyes red and swollen, and his voice was hoarse: "Dad, what about Aunt Mei? What will happen to her?"
"She has been sent to the government office." Gu Junze replied calmly, "She intended to murder the mistress of the house. The evidence is conclusive and she should be executed according to the law."
Gu Qingchen's body trembled violently. She didn't say anything else, but just grabbed her father's sleeve tightly.
She felt very confused and painful inside, as if something was broken.
The carefree little girl who was once held in the palm of everyone's hand, at this moment, seemed to have experienced the complexity and cruelty of the world.
Gu Junze looked at his daughter and knew that she was very sad.
But he had to make her understand that there were some boundaries that must never be crossed.
He gently ruffled her hair: "Qingchen, everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to know your mistakes and correct them. When your brother really figures it out, he will come back."
Gu Qingchen did not respond, but just leaned in his father's arms, feeling the support.
In the following days, although the atmosphere in the Duke's Mansion returned to calm, some subtle changes were quietly taking place.
Chu Ruohan rarely goes out. Apart from Song Ruyan who occasionally comes to make a fuss, she almost never sees other guests.
She focused most of her energy on taking care of the fetus, taking medicine on time every day, and Haitang personally took care of her diet and daily life.
Gu Junze strengthened the defense of the mansion a little bit. On the surface, he withdrew the shadow guards, but secretly arranged more secret agents to surround the entire Duke's Mansion.
He personally handled all the affairs in the mansion and no longer allowed anyone to get close to Chu Ruohan.
Gu Qingchen has become much calmer since that long talk with his father.
She was no longer as lively and playful as before. Apart from going to the academy on time, she often sat alone in the yard in a daze, or went to her mother's room to keep her company, tell her some interesting stories and make her happy.
She knew that she could no longer be as willful as before.
She learned to hide her emotions in front of others, and would not show it easily even if she was sad.
Only occasionally, when she saw the bare plum tree in the yard, a complicated look would flash across her eyes.
After my brother left, he never came back.
She didn't know how to face him or what to say to him.
Maybe, time will dilute everything.
Maybe, when their brother comes back, they will all figure it out.
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