A scumbag husband fakes his death to escape his marriage? I'll burn down his funeral hall and s

Chapter 252 I loved, but it wasn't enough!

An Yanghou's words startled Gu Junze. He stared intently at the man he had once considered an enemy, trying to detect any falsehood in his eyes.

"Your congenital weakness wasn't caused by my poisoning, so how could I possibly poison Anyang?" Marquis Anyang shook his head, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.

"I was really looking forward to your birth. When you first moved in my belly, Anyang was so surprised. She took my hand and touched you. Your little legs were kicking so powerfully..."

Marquis Anyang's voice softened, as if he were immersed in distant memories.

His fingers tapped lightly on the wine glass, his eyes filled with tenderness as he recalled his most cherished memories.

"I named you. Your surname is Gu, and your given name is Junze. A gentleman is virtuous and his benevolence extends to all things."

Gu Junze listened quietly, his heart filled with complex emotions.

He never imagined that his name was given to him by the man in front of him.

At that moment, he believed that he had truly loved him like a father.

Gu Junze has always been speculating about the truth of what happened back then.

He always believed that even when he was still in his mother's womb, the Marquis of Anyang could not tolerate him, and that he was lucky to have survived.

Marquis Anyang drank another cup of wine. "At that time, Anyang genuinely wanted to live with me. Unfortunately, when that other person came, her mind changed, and she wanted to divorce me."

Marquis Anyang paused slightly, as if he didn't want to talk about it anymore, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

"Who is that person?" Gu Junze pressed, even though he had already guessed.

Marquis Anyang raised his head and looked directly at Gu Junze, "Duan Qingye."

"Your mother and Duan Qingye fell in love on the battlefield, but this man only had his country in his heart, expanding the territory of Zheng and merging with the Eastern Jin."

“Your mother was completely disappointed in him, but after returning to the capital, she found out she was pregnant with you. She couldn’t bear to have an abortion, so she married me.”

Marquis Anyang's voice was bitter, "I thought time could change everything, but I was wrong."

Gu Junze clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm. That man had also betrayed his mother!

Marquis Anyang put down his wine cup, his eyes sharpening. "Do you think the Emperor would tolerate his own sister having an affair with a general from an enemy country? He certainly wouldn't tolerate the fact that the child she gave birth to is of Duan Qingye's blood."

"So...it's the Emperor?" Gu Junze asked with certainty.

Marquis Anyang nodded. "The Emperor sent the imperial physician to examine Anyang, ostensibly to treat his illness, but in reality, he was administering medicine. By the time I discovered it, it was too late."

Gu Junze chuckled. It turned out that his fate had been sealed from the moment he was born.

"Then what about Gu Chengyan? Why did he take Chu Ruohan away?" Gu Junze forced himself to calm down and return to the original question.

Marquis Anyang sighed, as if he wanted to recount everything from the past in one breath.

"Looking at your face, which is seven-tenths similar to Duan Qingye's, and seeing you suffering so much in your wheelchair, I felt a strange sense of pleasure."

"The Emperor knows that I secretly poisoned you. He wants you dead, so he turns a blind eye."

Marquis Anyang's voice was low and pained, "I truly loved her so much that when she was posthumously granted the title of Marquis, I begged the Emperor to bestow her name upon her..."

Having heard almost all the stories of the previous generation, Gu Junze knew that Marquis Anyang would not tell him where Gu Chengyan was.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, "If Han'er is even slightly injured, I will make him pay for his crimes in blood."

Marquis Anyang looked at Gu Junze and suddenly laughed, "You really are just like Anyang. That ruthlessness is even frightening to me."

Gu Junze turned to leave, but was stopped by Marquis Anyang.

“Wait,” Marquis Anyang called out to him, “There is something Anyang left for you in the study of the Marquis’s residence. She said that if you ever find out the truth, she will give it to you.”

"Did she ever really love you?" Gu Junze suddenly asked.

Marquis Anyang was silent for a moment, then said, "I loved, but it wasn't enough."

Gu Junze turned and left, and the Marquis of Anyang finally shed a tear, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

This wine is poisoned!

He didn't want his body to be dismembered; it would be so ugly! An Yang once said that he had extremely handsome features.

He wondered how Anyang would recognize him if he looked completely different when he got there.

In the candlelight, he seemed to see the smiling woman from his memory.

A slight smile played on his lips. "Anyang, wait for me. Soon... we'll see each other again..."

As his last breath faded, his hand fell limply to his side, and the candlelight flickered violently in the howling wind before finally going out.

Darkness engulfed the entire room, leaving only endless silence and desolation.

Gu Junze paused for a moment as he left the prison.

He turned to look at another cell, where Gu Cheng'an was being held.

Gu Cheng'an's treatment was completely different from that of the Marquis of Anyang.

Inside the square cell, there was only a pile of dry hay and a broken wooden bucket used for urination, and the air was filled with a foul smell.

Gu Cheng'an huddled in the corner, his clothes filthy.

Hearing footsteps, Gu Cheng'an looked up and saw Gu Junze standing outside the prison door. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by undisguised joy.

"Big brother!"

Gu Cheng'an's voice was hoarse from thirst. He struggled to his feet and staggered to the prison door.

The cell door opened, and Gu Cheng'an looked up with a confused expression, "Big Brother!"

He didn't know Gu Junze's background. He only knew that Gu Junze hadn't been implicated because of his connection to the royal family.

“Come with me,” Gu Junze said.

"Brother, breaking into prison is a capital offense. It's already a miracle that the Gu family has spared you. You can't make a foolish mistake again," Gu Cheng'an said anxiously, his voice full of worry.

Gu Junze gave him a cold look. "Do you know where Gu Chengyan is?"

Gu Cheng'an was taken aback. "Cheng Yan wasn't arrested?"

"He took Han'er away." Gu Junze's voice was low and dangerous, his eyes flashing with cold light.

Gu Cheng'an frowned, his eyes full of confusion. "What?"

"So, come with me." Gu Junze said no more and turned to leave.

Gu Cheng'an hesitated for a moment, but finally followed. "Big brother, Cheng Yan and sister-in-law?"

Gu Cheng'an hesitated, clearly having misunderstood.

"Let's get out of here first." Gu Junze's steps didn't falter, his voice was frighteningly calm.

The two moved quickly along the dimly lit corridor, leading Gu Cheng'an past the unconscious guards.

"Brother, if I leave, how will you explain it to the Emperor?" Gu Cheng'an asked in a low voice.

Gu Junze did not answer, but continued walking.

His mind was entirely focused on Chu Ruohan; every second of delay could put her in greater danger.

Finally, the two arrived at a secluded door. Gu Junze gently pushed the door open, revealing a pitch-black night outside.

"Let's go," Gu Junze said in a low voice.

The two quickly passed through the small door and arrived at a secluded spot in the alley.

A carriage was already waiting there. Yingqing stood beside the carriage and immediately went to greet Gu Junze when he came out.

“Your Highness,” Yingqing said respectfully, “Second Young Master.”

Gu Junze nodded.

The three boarded the carriage, which slowly drove away from the prison and disappeared into the night.