Chapter 58: An Eye for an Eye

Gu Dao assumed some child had mistaken him for someone else.

As an eighteen-year-old young man, how could he possibly have a child this large?

"Little one, things can be picked up randomly, but fathers cannot be claimed at will," Gu Dao said, picking up a piece of spare rib from the table and handing it to the small boy.

To everyone's surprise, the little boy turned down the corners of his mouth and burst directly into tears.

"Mommy, Daddy doesn't want me anymore."

Seeing the child cry, Gu Dao hurriedly put down the rib to comfort him.

"Little fellow, don't cry. Where are your mommy and daddy?"

He merely assumed the child was timid and had been frightened by him.

"Young Master, he is your very own son! Have you truly forgotten?"

A woman in shabby attire suddenly lunged forward, throwing herself at his feet and crying out loudly.

Gu Dao realized in an instant—so this was a setup to splash him with dirty water.

And you have to hand it to them; this timing was truly immaculate.

Hearing this, the surrounding onlookers stared in shock at Gu Dao, the woman, and the child.

Yet, instead of showing the panic they anticipated, Gu Dao picked up the child, examined him from left to right, and said with a smile:

"Oh? I honestly can't recall. When did I manage to produce a son this big?"

The woman covered her mouth and launched into a performance of loud, wailing sobs:

"Young Master, this humble servant is Cuiliu, the maid who used to wait upon you. Six years ago, you seduced me, clearly promising to raise me to the position of concubine, only to cast me out once you grew tired of me. You may be heartless toward me, Young Master, but you cannot treat the child this way. He is your own flesh and blood!"

Gu Dao's table had already been drawing attention, and now the woman's deliberate, howling cries created a tremendous commotion.

Instantly, every gaze at the birthday banquet converged upon them.

They looked at Gu Dao with probing eyes, sizing up the child in his arms.

Good heavens! What was going on here? Gu Dao had loved and left a woman!

My word, Gu Dao actually had a son? Could this possibly be true?

He was betrothed to a princess; how dared he pull such a stunt? Wasn't he afraid the imperial family would make an example of him?

If this were true, not only was it a grave crime, but it was also utterly despicable.

For a moment, fingers pointed at Gu Dao and the child in his arms as whispers buzzed through the crowd.

"A good show indeed. Jiuzhang, do you have a hand in this trick?" Cui Jian asked Gu Ling excitedly.

"This is no trick of mine. He loved and left, betraying the princess—what does that have to do with me?" Gu Ling sneered, flatly denying it.

A flicker of mockery crossed Cui Jian's phoenix-like eyes.

"This is getting interesting. If the imperial house gets wind of this news, how will they react?"

Luo Chi's sculpture-like lips finally curved into a smile that belonged to a young man.

He felt he truly hadn't made the trip in vain.

To witness such a fine spectacle—and one that happened to be in his favor.

They were all waiting for Gu Dao to panic and flee in disgrace, or to deny the allegations with a blustering front, or even to strike the woman.

In short, as long as he misbehaved in any way, it would only further prove the matter true.

Yet, unexpectedly, Gu Dao showed no panic whatsoever, nor even the slightest trace of embarrassment.

Instead, he affectionately cradled the child, a playful expression on his face.

"Six years ago? I was only twelve years old then. Could I have managed such a feat at that age?"

Hearing this, the woman covered her face and loudly replied:

"The Young Master is gifted with extraordinary talent."

Wen Erya almost spat out his wine in laughter, unable to resist looking Gu Dao up and down, while others chuckled as well.

However, dissolute young masters from wealthy households who dabbled with maidservants at twelve or thirteen were not unheard of.

Some even ruined their health so thoroughly that they lost their virility in later years.

"Eldest Young Master, Cuiliu has lived a bitter life these past six years. You cannot simply love and abandon her. Even if you don't care for her, look at this child—after all, he is your own flesh and blood."

Another person, dressed as a maid, stepped forward with a sorrowful expression to denounce Gu Dao.

"Indeed, indeed. Today is the Old Madam's grand birthday; why not acknowledge this child? It would be adding to the family's lineage, a double blessing."

Another maid came forward to persuade him.

Facing the maids' accusations, Gu Dao remained completely unruffled.

Instead, he handed the child a meaty bone, watching as the toddler gnawed on it until his mouth was smeared with grease, before casually remarking:

"I do have some impression of Cuiliu. Didn't you run off with a peddler six years ago? Now you bring back a child and claim he's mine—this is hardly a joking matter."

Upon hearing these words, Cuiliu wept even more bitterly.

Yet the other maid spoke up again, her tone dead-certain:

"Young Master, how can you have the face to say that? The story about running off with a peddler was merely your excuse for driving Cuiliu away!"

At that moment, Cuiliu dropped heavily to her knees, wailing piercingly:

"Young Master, if you don't believe me, we can do a blood test to see if he is truly your son!"

Gu Dao raised his hand and flicked the chopsticks he was holding straight at Cuiliu's forehead.

Seeing this, the crowd grew excited. Was Gu Dao actually afraid of a blood test?

In other words, this child might very well be his!

Gu Ling was so thrilled he was nearly crushing his wine cup in his hand.

Gu Dao was enraged; he had lost his temper. As long as he lost emotional control, he would fall completely into the trap.

Cuiliu was also dazed by the blow from the chopsticks; she looked up at Gu Dao, completely baffled.

Gu Dao said with nonchalant ease:

"Let's handle this however it should be handled. Stop howling like a mourner; you'll frighten the child."

As soon as Gu Dao uttered these words, everyone froze in bewilderment.

"Could this child genuinely be his? Otherwise, why would he feel heartache for him?" Cui Jian said excitedly.

"He's simply reaping what he sowed; what is there left to deny?" Gu Ling added fuel to the fire from the side.

A flash of disdain crossed Luo Chi's face, and he suddenly felt a sense of dull boredom.

Trash was simply trash; a petty little trick like this was enough to bring him down.

Cuiliu's face filled with joy, and she anxiously asked:

"Young Master, are you acknowledging him then?"

Gu Dao waved a hand and said:

"Absolute nonsense. I was merely feeling sorry for the child, telling you not to frighten him. Is this even your son? How can you have so little compassion?"

Hearing this, Cuiliu's expression instantly turned miserable, and she broke down in wails:

"Young Master, what does a little fright matter? The years since you abandoned us have been filled with hardship for the two of us. If you don't believe it, please, let us test our blood."

At this point, the Old Madam of the Gu family spoke up impatiently:

"Xiuzhi, today is my birthday banquet. How can you commit such a shameless act? You are an absolute disgrace to the Gu family, bringing shame upon us all."

Gu Dao thought to himself: Good grief, before anything is even proven, you're already eager to dump this filth on me.

You've already ruined the Gu family's reputation, and now you want to drag me down with you as your scapegoat.

"Grandmother, the matter is far from settled; isn't it rather premature for you to jump to conclusions? Besides, was the Gu family's disgrace something I caused?"

Gu Dao parried the remark with an indifferent tone.

His words left everyone present struggling to suppress a laugh. The 'Madman of the Gu family' truly lived up to his name.

Didn't this old hag of the Gu family have any self-awareness? You've dragged the family's reputation through the mud yourself, yet you have the nerve to lecture others.

How did she even manage to say such a thing aloud?

The Old Madam's expression shifted dramatically. She had not expected Gu Dao to be so daring as to defy her in front of so many people.

Seeing the expressions of the crowd, the Old Madam found it increasingly difficult to maintain her composure. She raged:

"Scoundrel! If you hadn't been sowing wild oats, how could such a shameful thing ever happen? Regardless of whether he is your seed or not, the Gu family will never acknowledge him. But for committing such a scandalous and depraved act, you shall go to the ancestral hall and kneel in repentance."

Following her words, a steward stepped forward carrying a basin of water and holding a silver needle.

They were so eager to conduct the blood test that something fishy was bound to be afoot.

Gu Dao shook his head and smiled. Did they really think such a crude tactic could trap him?

Gu Ling strode forward impatiently, pressing the attack aggressively:

"Eldest Brother, shaking your head is useless. Today, this test must be carried out."

"Firstly, the Gu family's bloodline cannot be muddied; secondly, we must give the imperial family an account. Because what you've thrown away isn't just the Gu family's face, but the imperial family's as well."

With a wave of his hand, two robust servants stepped forward, ready to resort to force if Gu Dao resisted.

"Fine, let's test it then. Just make sure you don't regret it," Gu Dao said.

Gu Ling smiled as he picked up the silver needle, handed it toward Gu Dao, and said:

"Eldest Brother, what are you saying? If he truly is your flesh and blood, I'll gain a nephew, and I couldn't be happier."

"And if he isn't, proving your innocence will make me equally glad."

Faced with Gu Ling's relentless pressure, Gu Dao took the needle, turned to the small child beside him, and said gently:

"Be a good boy, don't be afraid. Your finger will hurt for just a moment, and I'll give you some bird's nest soup afterward, alright?"

The child nodded blankly.

Cuiliu suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the child's hand, and held it over the basin of clear water.

In a flash, Gu Dao pricked the child's middle finger, and a drop of crimson fell into the basin of water. The child wailed out loud.

Gu Ling stared fixedly at Gu Dao with excitement, waiting for him to drip his own blood into the water.

Instead, Gu Dao suddenly grabbed Gu Ling's hand and twisted it, stripping him of any ability to resist.

The silver needle instantly pierced Gu Ling's middle finger, and a drop of fresh blood fell straight into the water basin.

"You—don't—" Gu Ling cried out in alarm.

Seeing his own blood drop into the basin, he turned pale with shock.

He reached out to knock the basin over, but Gu Dao shoved him aside.

The two drops of blood swirled in the clear water and rapidly fused into one.

"They've merged?" Wen Erya exclaimed with perfect timing.

What? How was that possible?

Gasps echoed through the crowd. The reversal came so abruptly that they found it utterly impossible to believe.

Everyone swarmed toward the table to peer closely at the two drops of blood blended into one within the basin.

Then, they all stared in shock at Gu Ling.

In this era, blood tests carried universal credibility, and everyone accepted this method of verification.

When two blood samples merged, it confirmed a father-son relationship beyond a doubt.

Could this child not be Gu Dao's after all, but Gu Ling's?

Gu Dao scooped a bowl of bird's nest soup from the table and handed it to the still-sobbing child, while looking at Gu Ling with a mocking smirk:

"Congratulations, Second Brother, you have a son, and I've gained a nephew. Everyone is happy."

"It's just a pity for such a fine child. You are the offspring of a concubine, and he is the offspring of a maidservant. Unrecognized by the family, his future looks rather bleak."

Gu Ling's ears rang with the shock of these words. He never imagined Gu Dao would pull such a counter-move.

The dirty water he had prepared had splashed right back onto his own head.

This left him with no way to defend himself.

Faced with Gu Dao's mockery and the strange gazes of the crowd, he shrieked in desperation:

"No, that's not right! What does this have to do with me? I, Gu Ling, have kept myself clean and never touched any woman! Besides, how could I ever take a fancy to trash like this?"

Gu Ling pointed at Cuiliu and roared in fury.

Gu Dao pointed lazily at the merged blood in the basin, wearing a teasing expression.

At this moment, silence spoke louder than words, and facts triumphed over eloquence.

Cuiliu was also stunned. This was completely different from what they had prepared beforehand.

How did the child suddenly become the Second Young Master's? Wasn't this pure suicide?

Gu Dao turned to the Old Madam of the Gu family and said:

"Grandmother, according to what you said just now, since Second Brother has committed such a depraved act and brought utter disgrace to the Gu family's name, shouldn't he be the one kneeling in the ancestral hall?"

"You must hold the scale level, after all."

The Old Madam's expression turned exceptionally ugly. She had never anticipated such a sharp reversal.

The vicious trap she had been so confident in had now rebounded entirely upon them.

Before so many people, she simply lacked the face to swallow her own words back down.