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

Chapter 183 That wasn't a person, it was a deadly messenger.

When Zhou Mama's gaze met Gu Junze's cold eyes, she lowered her head, a barely perceptible hesitation flashing in her eyes.

She bowed slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's wife is taking medicine to help her conceive. Please rest assured, she is still young and healthy, and will conceive sooner or later."

Granny Zhou had been warned by Gu Junze and knew what she should and shouldn't say.

The Crown Prince's wife was indeed taking medicine, so she wasn't exactly deceiving the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager gave a few more instructions before setting off back to the palace.

Looking at Gu Junze's indifferent expression, Chu Ruohan knew his inner turmoil and couldn't help but gently advise, "Junze, the Empress Dowager's affection for you doesn't seem fake."

Gu Junze's expression remained unchanged; he simply uttered, "Perhaps."

He turned his head slightly to avoid Chu Ruohan's probing gaze and looked out the window instead.

The perfunctory tone in his voice clearly indicated that he didn't want to continue the conversation at all.

On the other side, Commander Hu disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

Upon learning the news, Gu Chengyan sat in the dimly lit room, toying with a jade pendant in his hand, his expression terrifyingly gloomy.

He almost instantly concluded that it was his good older brother who did it.

"That cripple, he usually seems so indifferent to the world, but he's actually so cunning and ruthless!"

Gu Chengyan sneered and muttered to himself, his tone full of resentment and unwillingness.

"They kept it a secret really well, managing to heal their leg completely without telling anyone."

"Now that his leg is healed, he's even more powerful than before. It'll be as difficult as climbing to heaven for me to take his place!"

His fists clenched tighter and tighter, and the resentment in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Gu Chengyan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them, they were covered in crimson.

He got up and walked to the corner of the room, reaching out to turn a seemingly ordinary vase.

With a slight rustling sound, the tightly sealed bookcase slowly slid aside, revealing a deep, dark passageway behind it.

Gu Chengyan stepped inside. The passageway was filled with a damp and rotten smell. The torches on the walls flickered and danced, casting long shadows of him.

No one knew that such a secret room was hidden beneath the Marquis of Anyang's residence.

The room was dimly lit. Chu Nanxin, heavily pregnant, huddled in a corner, looking utterly disheveled.

There wasn't a single good spot on her body; her clothes were tattered, her face was covered in bruises, and her hair was disheveled and scattered across her face.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up in terror, her body trembling uncontrollably with fear welling up inside her.

She truly experienced how terrifying this man was; he wasn't human, but a cruel, deadly being who had spared her life.

"Let me go, please let me go..."

Gu Chengyan remained calm and composed, a cruel smile playing on his lips. He slowly walked to the wall, reached out and pulled down the torture instruments, and approached Chu Nanxin step by step.

Chu Nanxin wondered when the days of living a life worse than death would end...

Since the Empress Dowager's visit, the threshold of Hongmeng Academy has been almost worn down by visitors in the past few days.

Even the attitude of the Gu family elders has changed.

After all, everyone knows that only a noble-born, healthy, and talented heir can lead the Gu family further and more steadily.

Gu Jiacheng also found an excuse, carefully prepared a generous gift, and visited the door early in the morning.

As soon as he entered Gu Junze's courtyard, his face was full of warm smiles, and he shouted from afar, "Greetings, elder brother! Greetings, sister-in-law! Your leg is healed, elder brother! This is truly a joyous occasion for our Gu family!"

Looking at his face, Chu Ruohan felt extremely disgusted by his unsolicited flattery.

Gu Jiacheng walked into the main hall, dumped all the gifts on the table, and plastered his face with a fawning smile.

"These are all things I specially found to help you recover, brother. You're just starting to recover, so you need to take good care of yourself..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Junze abruptly interrupted him, his voice devoid of any warmth: "You should call me Prince."

These words instantly froze Gu Jiacheng's smile on his face, and he cursed inwardly: He's not even a marquis yet, what's with all the arrogance!

But his face still wore that obsequious expression. "Your Highness is right. It was my oversight that led me astray."

Despite being rebuffed, Gu Jiacheng was not discouraged. His eyes darted around, and with a smile on his face, he changed the subject to Xuan Ge'er.

"Sister-in-law, I heard that Xuan-ge'er can walk already. Children grow up quickly and learn things quickly. You've worked so hard, sister-in-law."

Chu Ruohan smiled faintly, "Xuan-ge'er, everything is fine. As his mother, I thank your uncle for his concern."

She emphasized the words "everything is fine" and addressed him as "uncle" in a polite yet distant manner.

Gu Jiacheng was furious when he heard this. What kind of uncle was this? He was trying to distance himself from him.

Fortunately, he got straight to the point, plopped down, and said, "I have indeed come here today with a matter I would like to ask of you, Your Highness and sister-in-law."

"The young master and his sister-in-law met Miss Zhao Zhao at the Lantern Festival last time. I fell in love with her at first sight and would like to trouble you two to come and propose marriage on my behalf."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ruohan raised an eyebrow. This person wasn't good-looking, and his mind was filthy. He had such a beautiful dream.

Without a second thought, she refused outright: "My third uncle and aunt are still alive. It's not our place to presume to make this marriage proposal. It would be more appropriate for you to let the elders handle it."

Gu Jiacheng was not about to give up. He had already mentioned the matter to his family, but the old man not only disagreed but also gave him a severe scolding.

He said that Wang had been dead for less than half a year, and he was already thinking about taking another wife. What kind of behavior is that?

He was also ordered to study diligently, pass the imperial examinations, and only after he entered officialdom and obtained a government position would he be qualified to propose marriage.

But he was not cut out for studying; he spent all day in front of books but couldn't absorb a single word.

That's why he was so determined to marry the eldest daughter of the Yang family.

They figured the Yang family couldn't just watch their son-in-law idle away his days, so they would definitely try to find him a government position.

If I could get a lucrative position in the Ministry of War and make some extra money, my life would be very comfortable from then on.

He grew angrier the more he thought about it; it was all that old man's fault for ruining his plans.

So he started to plead and entice, embellishing his "difficult situation" with exaggerated details.

No matter what he said, Gu Junze and Chu Ruohan remained unmoved and eventually gave him the order to leave.

Gu Jiacheng simply stopped pretending and said, "I gave you my son for nothing, and you're not even willing to help with this little thing?"

Chu Ruohan stood up, her voice turning cold. "You were the one who voluntarily agreed to be adopted. My husband and I did not force you."

"No matter what, I've given you my son. Does my sister-in-law still want to sever ties with me?"

Gu Jiacheng resorted to shameless tactics...