Gu Zhixing slowly stood up from the wall, his back bent from years of hunching over, unable to straighten.
After a long pause, he said in a hoarse voice, "Granddad, it’s all my fault. I have no other request, just want to say sorry to you. It was all my fault back then. I shouldn’t have..."
"Enough, let’s not bring up the past!" Gu Qingfeng interrupted Gu Zhixing with a wave of his hand. He was not a forgiving person, and the ntion of past events still filled his heart with anger. To avoid an emotional outburst, he didn’t allow Gu Zhixing to continue.
Gu Zhixing’s expression turned bleak again. He moved his lips but swallowed the words he wanted to say.
Then he lowered his head.
At this mont, Gu Qiaoqiao felt a tug at her heart, helpless. Perhaps due to genetics, like how she resembled Great Grandma, while Second Uncle’s son looked like her Grandpa.
It was truly a complex matter of emotions.
Seeing a face similar to her Grandpa, standing lonely and pitiful in the corner, soon to be abandoned by the Gu Family, and soon by the world, Gu Qiaoqiao felt deeply uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, she held her silence, while Qin Yize patted her shoulder reassuringly, signaling her to stay calm and wait.
Gu Qingfeng rolled the brush in his hand and spoke solemnly, "Today, I allow you to stay with the Gu Family for one more night. Tomorrow, I will give you so money, leave the Gu Family, and never co back. Rest assured, your parents, your children, I will take care of them well, I will see to it they live in wealth and prosperity, never bullied again."
Everyone in the courtyard was stunned. They did not expect Gu Qingfeng would actually drive Gu Zhixing out of the house.
It was so sudden.
The Old Patriarch had been here for several days, although he was not fond of Gu Zhixing, he never said he would drive him out. It seed to be because the Fang family’s visit today.
At this ti, mbers of the Gu Family in Jinling City all looked towards Gu Qingfeng.
Grandma Gu couldn’t hold back any longer. She hadn’t spoken a word in the courtyard all along because she didn’t seem to be in good health. However, she softly spoke, "Uncle..."
Then she was stopped by Grandpa Gu next to her, signaling her not to interject. Because at this mont, Gu Qingfeng was clearly in a rage, and she shouldn’t add fuel to the fire. He had heard his father say about Uncle’s temper.
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the uncertain expressions of the mbers of the Gu Family in front of him. His brows furrowed, and then he continued, "If you don’t want to leave the Gu Family, that’s fine. But I will expel you from the family registry. From then on, all wealth or poverty of the Gu Family has nothing to do with you."
These are two choices: either drive him out, or expel him from the registry.
Gu Qiaoqiao knew in her heart that Gu Qingfeng actually wanted to expel Gu Zhixing from the registry. He didn’t want Gu Zhixing to be a mber of the Gu Family anymore. He felt that it was a betrayal to the Gu Family Ancestors. Gu Qiaoqiao understood her Great Grandfather too well.
Because if the forty-sothing Gu Zhixing were driven out, Second Uncle and Gu Muran would surely oppose.
Even if Great Grandfather took great care of them, granted them wealth and prosperity, it wouldn’t matter.
After all, being driven out is still their kin. No matter how wrong, they are family. Just the fact they stayed together for many years shows that despite resentnt, they are still connected by blood.
But at this mont, they dared not oppose Gu Qingfeng.
And Gu Qingfeng understood this. He imdiately presented the second option: expelling Gu Zhixing from the family registry. That way, Gu Family and he would have no ties. Whatever he did would no longer disgrace the Gu Family.
But he could still stay in this house.
However, regardless of the choice, both were painful for Gu Zhixing.
Though ntally prepared, he still struggled to accept it at once. But towards Gu Qingfeng, he dared not have any temper.
Yet his face turned ashen, and he seed to have aged several years.
Gu Qingfeng spoke quietly, "Gu Zhixing, your reporting was a youthful indiscretion I can overlook. That matter has passed, and I won’t bring it up again..."
At this point, Gu Qingfeng changed his tone, gritting his teeth, "But I won’t forgive you for destroying the Gu Family’s century-old foundation."
Gu Qingfeng looked at Gu Zhixing, saying heartbreakingly, "Back then, when your grandfather left the Imperial Capital, he took with him two-thirds of the Gu Family’s industry. Those were treasures left by our ancestors, and cultural heritage accumulated over thousands of years in Huaxia...
They weren’t just owned by the Gu Family; they were national treasures, representing our thousands of years of history and ancient wisdom...
Especially among so calligraphies and paintings, which my father ant to keep in the Imperial Capital, yet thought to leave so good things behind for your grandfather heading alone to Jinling City, so he could quickly establish the family’s business...
Do you understand?"
At this point, Gu Qingfeng slamd the table in anger, with pained anguish in his voice, "Those five paintings were the true works of a master! You burned them to ashes with a single fire, not to ntion the broken Jadeite you smashed, I shudder at the thought, my heart aches every ti I rember..."
Gu Zhixing could no longer hold back, dropping to his knees before Gu Qingfeng, tears streaming down, "Granddad, I deserve death; however you punish , I have no complaints."
"Truly no complaints?" Gu Qingfeng asked word by word.
"Yes, no complaints. Expel from the family registry. I am not worthy to be a mber of the Gu Family, not worthy to be a descendant of the Gu Family; I don’t want to embarrass the children..."
By now, Qin Yize had already pulled Gu Qiaoqiao aside. As juniors, it was inappropriate for them to stand beside Gu Qingfeng while Gu Zhixing kneeled before him.
At this mont, Uncle Gu and Gu Lei also stepped aside.
Gu Qingfeng clenched the brush tightly, as mories of the past brought pain to his heart. When his younger brother left the Imperial Capital, he was just over a decade old and rembered everything. His father entrusted those items to his younger brother directly in front of him.
Several old family retainers, also reliable aides of his father, accompanied his brother to Jinling. He hasn’t gotten around to asking where those people are now.
But evidently, with Yubao Square gone, naturally, those people left the Gu Family as well.
Among the antiques his brother took to Jinling City, there were many unique treasures. Unfortunately, now, there’s nothing left...
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