The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 320 He Made Me Lose You
Gu Fuju lifted the curtain.

Looking over, Yu Tingwan saw that it was an academy.

Her gaze rose upwards, where powerful characters were written on the plaque above the door.

Huaqing Academy.

The handwriting is familiar.

Yu Tingwan had seen it in Wei Zhao's study.

Huaqing Academy was founded by Grand Tutor Gu after he returned to Beijing to take up his post.

Tuition is cheap, and the Gu family spends a lot of money each year to improve the students' meals. The school only accepts students from poor families.

Yu Tingwan heard from others that his daughter was frail, and that Grand Tutor Gu did these things firstly to support poor students, and secondly out of personal desire to bring good fortune to his daughter and ensure a smooth life for her.

She wasn't too upset and followed Gu Fuju off the carriage.

Seeing that she kept looking at the words on the plaque, Gu Fuju said.

"It was written by the Duke of Shun."

It's difficult for children from poor families to achieve success. First, it's expensive, and too few people can persevere. Second, there's a lack of resources, resulting in very few being able to pass the scientific examinations.

Poor families deeply understand the principle that all other professions are inferior, only studying is noble. However, because there are so few such opportunities, not many families are willing to risk losing everything and tighten their belts to support a student.

This vicious cycle leads to even fewer students from poor families receiving an education.

Gu Fuju knew all too well how difficult it was.

At that time, he had not yet become the Grand Tutor, and Huaqing Academy was not as large as it is now. It was just a small school. Many officials poured cold water on him, saying that he was young and arrogant, and that he was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth because he had married Princess Jiashan with some talent. How many scholars could a small school cultivate?

It wasn't until the plaque personally inscribed by Duke Wei Fengxing of Shunguo arrived as a sign of support that everyone was finally silenced.

"His father was of noble character and we had a good relationship. His son..."

Gu Fuju didn't want to talk anymore and led her inside.

Huaqing University is very large.

Inside, towering green trees, exotic grasses and vines climbing over rocks and winding around eaves create a very elegant atmosphere.

The students coming and going all wore blue robes and carried books. When they saw this place from afar, they did not come over to pay their respects, but instead bowed respectfully and solemnly.

Following the winding corridor and a few more steps northward, one arrives at the study. Gu Fuju pushes open the door and enters. He invites Yu Tingwan to sit down at the tea table by the window.

A family genealogy book was placed on the coffee table.

It's open.

As soon as Yu Tingwan sat down, her sharp eyes spotted a familiar name.

Gu Fuju and Jiashan.

The two names continue below.

It is Gu Wu. Below Gu Wu is a string of smaller characters: adopted daughter.

Yu Tingwan's gaze lingered for a moment before she looked toward the seat, where she saw a name she didn't recognize.

The small characters at the bottom indicate that she is the legitimate daughter.

"Gu Qingying is the name your mother and I chose before you were born. Huaqing Academy is named after your name."

Gu Fuju sat down, looked outside, and began to speak slowly.

"Back then, it was right when the new emperor ascended the throne. The entire Prince Yan's household was exiled. The powerful officials who supported the Prince Yan's household were led by Old Master Lu. Old Master Lu was beaten to death as a warning to solidify the emperor's authority. In the capital, all the officials were trying to protect themselves. Your maternal grandfather had once supported the Prince Yan. To avoid confrontation, and given that I had been sidelined in the Censorate and had offended many people, it was better to retreat than to remain in a stalemate. Sometimes retreat is a form of offense. He and I discussed this for many days."

"Afterwards, I went to Dingdu to take up my post. Your mother was pregnant with you at that time. It was a desolate place, and we would pass through Ze County, but it would still be a half-month journey. I couldn't bear to let her go with me and suffer. Your uncle was sent to another place by your maternal grandfather, while your mother was sent to Xianyang, the old home of the He family."

Although the capital is desolate, everything is in need of rebuilding. Once things settle down and the matter of the Prince of Yan is over, he can still return after making achievements in time.

Yu Tingwan was confused.

"Why does the He family support the Prince of Yan instead of the current emperor?"

Wasn't the Empress Dowager a member of the He family who got married?

Gu Fuju said gently, "The Prince of Yan is more suited to sit on the dragon throne, and he was also the prince most valued by the late emperor."

The He family is pragmatic and doesn't have much ambition.

"Besides, His Majesty is not the Empress Dowager's biological son."

“His birth mother died early, and the late emperor sent him to be raised by the Empress Dowager because he was young.”

The princes in the palace are not young anymore; they are not the innocent children outside.

He already knew who his biological mother was.

Yu Tingwan: ...Oh wow.

Gu Fuju said in a deep voice, "Among the people I have offended is the Duke of Zhou."

To say he offended someone was simply a matter of the late emperor acting in accordance with the law and impeaching the younger brother of the Duke of Zhou in court for being cruel and tyrannical, and for committing six murders.

However, the Duke of Zhou, wielding absolute power, covered up the matter. When the victim's family came to complain, he simply waved his hand and had them all taken to a mass grave and buried alive.

The officials in the Censorate, having received benefits, turned a blind eye and dared not impeach anyone.

He participated.

But the result was not a life for a life.

The lives of noble families are precious, while those of commoners are lowly.

When the late emperor learned of this, he dealt with it leniently, giving the Zhou family twenty lashes as a warning to others.

It was then that Gu Fuju realized that the imperial court, which he had worked so hard to enter, was nothing special.

“At that time, I was far away in Dingdu, and I had a trusted martial arts master sent by your maternal grandfather to protect me, but I was still ambushed and seriously injured. The news was then exaggerated by someone with ulterior motives and sent to your mother in Xianyang.”

How could Jiashan not be anxious? Should she not go? There was no one around to give her advice.

But she was seven months pregnant and it was very inconvenient for her. So, she thought things through and brought a group of servants with her, as well as many martial arts-skilled servants.

"However, due to the lack of information, the famine in the four cities near Zexian County was kept secret from everyone for a long time and finally broke out. The famine victims rioted."

If they were all genuine disaster victims, that would be fine, but unfortunately, there were people from the Duke of Zhou among them.

Duke Zhou was a supporter of Emperor Yingqian, and his daughter is now the Empress. At that time, the He family was showing weakness to the new emperor, so Duke Zhou was riding high.

This is a warning to Gu Fujiu and the He family.

“Your mother was injured and bled on the spot, and gave birth to you prematurely in the dilapidated temple.”

"But she was weak and fainted after giving birth to you. She didn't get to see you one last time. The temple was broken into by disaster victims and there was chaos. When she woke up, you were gone."

There were also people from Gu Fu Ju in Xianyang. When they learned that Jia Shan had left Xianyang, they knew something was wrong. How could they not see the intricate details involved?
He rushed there despite his injuries, and although he was in Ze County, the child was missing. Jia Shan was nearly driven mad.

Gu Fuju said with difficulty, "At that time, everything was in chaos, and my abilities were limited, so I couldn't find you no matter what."

"In the end, they found a piece of clothing stained with blood in the mountains where wolves roamed."

Newborn babies are delicate, and the hem of the garment was torn from a petticoat in Jiashan to wrap the baby.

The corner of his clothes was still covered in mud.

Gu Fuju recognized him and his vision went black. Already severely injured, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"But for some reason, I just can't believe you're dead."

Therefore, he would go to Zexian County every year to look for it.

Year after year, his wrists became stronger.

He rose rapidly through the ranks to become the Grand Tutor of the court, a position powerful enough to rival, or even surpass, the Duke of Zhou.

But Gu Fuju did not.

"He made me lose you."

"So I destroyed the person he valued most."

Gu Fuju also wanted Duke Zhou to taste the bitterness of loss, and to gradually make the Zhou family linger on in decline.

"Therefore, Zhou Xuan, the son of the Duke of Zhou, fell from a high building due to his drunkenness and broke half of his leg."

None of the Zhou family's descendants are outstanding. It goes without saying who the Duke of Zhou cares about most.
He cared about power, and about his grandson, the empress's son, the already deceased crown prince.

But the crown prince wasn't dead at the time.

"The Crown Prince's weak constitution is a congenital condition. If he is properly cared for, it will certainly not get worse."

Gu Fuju: "It was my doing."

He wasn't actually that upright.

You can bully him, but you can't bully his wife and daughters.

"Later, the Empress became pregnant again, but miscarried just five days after her pulse was taken. This was also my doing."

Yu Tingwan heard him say with restraint.

"But Father, we still haven't found my Qingying."

The truth will be fully revealed tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)