Inside the banquet hall of the Marquis Chiping Residence, Duke of Xinning Prefecture Gu Yan looked at the still-wet bloodstains on the floor and smelled the pungent reek of blood. Then he looked at his kneeling concubine-born son, Gu Tieqi. His expression was complicated, his face dark as he remained silent.
Amid Gu Yan's silence, Gu Tieqi, kneeling below the steps, felt his heart grow colder and colder.
Gu Tieqi was not stupid. On the contrary, he was very clever.
Ever since he had become aware of the world, Gu Tieqi had often done things to stand out. Rule-breaker, troublemaker—all sorts of labels had been slapped onto his head.
Yet Gu Tieqi himself knew best that he was merely a bad child who wanted to prove himself before his father, who wanted his father to notice him.
That mindset had never changed, from the day he understood such things until now!
But likewise, he had come to understand his father better and better.
In his memories, his father's silence often meant that he had already made a decision favoring one side.
As for which side he favored, Gu Tieqi had long since seen it clearly.
From the moment his father arrived until now, Gu Tieqi had been kneeling, while his eldest brother Gu Guangzhi and eighth brother Gu Chunzhi had remained standing.
The difference in treatment already explained everything.
Yet there was still a trace of hope in Gu Tieqi's heart!
One last thread of hope!
"Tieqi, do you know your mistake?"
The moment he heard those words, that final thread of hope in Gu Tieqi's heart was blasted into dust.
Gu Tieqi raised his head with a bitter expression. "Father..."
"Tieqi, brothers turning on brothers is the greatest taboo, an even greater mistake. No matter what, brothers must never