Chaрtеr 5: Yоur Моther Has thе Right tо Know thе Truth
Shen Zuihuаn fеlt а slight surрrisе in hеr heаrt.
Вut Gu Тang’s wоrds werе so vivid and dеtаiled thаt she соuldn’t hеlp but bеliеve thеm.
Shе lоwеrеd hеr еyеs to lооk at the little girl in her аrms.
She sаw her hоlding а sеriоus exрression оn hеr sоft, rоund faсe.
Shе continuеd, “Lаtеr, Fаthеr killed thе Xiongnu Chаnуu Junсhеn аt Yanmen Pаss, еаrned militаry mеrits, and requеstеd thе еmperоr tо grant a mаrriage bеtwееn Мothеr аnd Father.”
“…In the end, the lovers wеre unitеd, аnd tо this dау, it remаins a beautiful stоry in thе cаpitаl.”
After saying this, as if afraid Shen Zuihuan wouldn’t believe her,
she paused for a moment and added, “If Mother doesn’t believe me, you can send someone to inquire among the common folks in the streets.”
As Gu Tang spoke, her small, fair hands tightly clutched Shen Zuihuan’s sleeve.
She lifted her chubby little face, blinking her large, dark grape-like eyes as she looked at her.
How could Shen Zuihuan not believe the words spoken by such an “honest” little girl?
She was only four years old! She was her own daughter! Could she possibly lie?
Shen Zuihuan quickly hugged her even closer. “Mother believes you, I believe you.”
With these words, Gu Tang’s previously anxious heart finally settled back into place.
The hand clutching Shen Zuihuan’s sleeve loosened slightly.
But when she turned her head, she unexpectedly met her father’s stern and cold gaze.
…After a moment of silence, she quietly buried her little face back into her mother’s embrace.
…It didn’t matter. As long as her mother believed her,
she would have a happy family in the future…
What did it matter if her father was angry!
Gu Changce stood nearby, looking rather displeased.
His thin lips were almost pressed into a straight line.
Just as Shen Zuihuan was about to say something,
she felt a throbbing pain in her forehead again.
Her face turned pale once more.
Seeing this, the man hurriedly lifted Gu Tang out of Shen Zuihuan’s arms. “Your mother isn’t feeling well. Don’t cling to her all the time.”
This girl usually ate a lot, and ever since she learned to walk, she had been training with soldiers.
She was by no means light, and most ladies and young misses couldn’t carry her.
Seeing Shen Zuihuan in this state, Gu Tang was also frightened.
She quickly climbed down from her mother’s lap, following Gu Changce’s lead.
With a concerned look, she said to Shen Zuihuan, “Mother, don’t think about these things for now. Rest first.”
Shen Zuihuan, her face pale, nodded.
Gu Changce restrained himself, lowered his gaze, and opened his mouth, but in the end, he only said, “…Rest well.”
“I’ll call Qiu Yan in to take care of you.”
Shen Zuihuan looked up at him and let out a soft, delicate “Mm” from her throat.
With that,
the man turned around, his expression slightly dark.
With one hand behind his back and the other twisting Gu Tang’s ear, he strode toward the door with long steps.
Gu Tang quickly scurried after him on her short little legs,
her face filled with panic as she whispered to him through gritted teeth, “Dad, Dad, Dad! Be gentle!”
Seeing the father and daughter like this, Shen Zuihuan wanted to sit up and tell Gu Changce to be gentler.
After all, Gu Tang was just a little girl.
But as soon as she sat up straight, she felt dizzy,
and she didn’t even have the strength to speak.
Indeed, illness strikes like a mountain collapsing, but recovery is as slow as unraveling silk.
Helpless, Shen Zuihuan slumped back onto the square couch and fell into a deep sleep.
As soon as they stepped outside, Gu Tang instantly lost her earlier obedient and playful demeanor.
She hung her head low, standing before Gu Changce as if she had done something wrong.From time to time, she would raise her eyes, which strikingly resembled Shen Zuihuan’s, to look at him.
Gu Tang knew her father couldn’t stand her looking at him like that.
In the past, whenever she got into trouble at school, as long as she blinked her eyes and admitted her mistake,
her father would always put away that stern expression,
sigh helplessly, and eventually quietly help her clean up the mess.
But this time, Gu Changce surprisingly didn’t fall for it.
He put on a severe and authoritative expression, asking her in a deep voice, “Why did you lie to your mother?”
Gu Tang was frightened by his icy tone and shrank her neck.
But she still replied like a little adult, “All’s fair in war.”
Hearing this, Gu Changce lowered his head and reached out to pinch her chubby little cheek.
“You little rascal, you’ve barely read a couple of military manuals, and you’re already using all your cunning tricks here!”
Gu Tang grimaced from the pinch but still stubbornly retorted, “Just tell me if it worked or not.”
Gu Changce fell silent.
It did work, it really did.
But Shen Zuihuan would eventually regain her memories one day.
He was afraid that when that day truly came, she would revert to her cold and distant demeanor toward them again.
And Gu Tang was still a child, who might not be able to handle such a huge emotional shift.
Meanwhile, Gu Tang was still basking in the glory of her cleverness,
when she saw Gu Changce ponder for a moment before suddenly saying, “Tell your mother the truth during dinner tonight.”
She was still fantasizing about a future with a strict father and a loving mother, a perfect and happy family.
Suddenly hearing these words, she froze instantly.
“…Dad, what did you say?”
Her father stood tall before her, straightening up under the winding eaves of the corridor,
almost blocking all the light that shone toward her,
completely enveloping her in shadow.
Gu Tang blinked her eyes, feeling a surge of moisture in them.
She heard her father say again, “…Your mother has the right to know the truth.”
Plop—plop—
Tears dripped onto the ground,
leaving one dark gray spot after another on the bluestone tiles.
Although Gu Tang was usually mischievous, she understood her father’s struggles
and always made an extra effort to be considerate toward him.
But this was the only time she had ever defied her father on a major matter.
She pushed Gu Changce away abruptly, her eyes red as she shouted at him in a low voice, “But I just want my mother! My mother has never talked to me this much before.”
After saying this, the little girl wiped her tears with her sleeve and ran off,
leaving Gu Changce standing alone in a daze.