Gu Yefeng was speechless: "This..."
Seeing Gu Yefeng unable to speak.
Duan Xifeng turned his gaze to him, and at this moment, he was no longer smiling lewdly.
Instead, he was very serious: "Brother Gu, over the years, Qianying has appeared strong on the surface, but in reality... she has just hidden her weakness. You have lived in Dongsheng Kingdom for many years, and whenever you meet her, you always see her as someone who can handle anything."
"She never told you or Old General Gu about her hardships. In fact, what you see is only one side."
"For these years, I have followed Qianying through the martial world. She handled everything, and she resolved all troubles very well. But it is precisely this kind of her that makes me, as her brother, feel the most distressed."
"May I ask which young lady of noble birth could be as hardworking and as difficult as her?"
"And aren't all these things brought about by Nangong Mo?"
"If she hadn't married Nangong Mo back then, if she hadn't become the Ninth Princess Consort, her fate would have been a different life, wouldn't it?"
As he spoke, Duan Xifeng glanced at Gu Qianying, who was drinking.
"If Qianying hadn't fallen in love with Nangong Mo, why would she be so unhappy?"
Listening to his words, Gu Yefeng also turned his gaze to Gu Qianying.
From his perspective, he could see Gu Qianying's潇洒 (xiaosǎ - carefree and elegant) demeanor while drinking, but he could also notice her furrowed brows.
Yes, if his sister hadn't met Nangong Mo, why would she have gone through so much suffering?
No matter what his sister's true identity was, and no matter how shocking Nangong Mo's identity was.
He had to admit that ever since his sister met Nangong Mo, his sister's life had changed.
But there are no ifs in this world, are there?
Gu Yefeng sighed.
He no longer stopped his sister Gu Qianying from continuing to drink with Ouyang Qinglin on the rooftop.
But he was still a little worried, so he hid in the dark and observed secretly.
If Ouyang Qinglin, while drunk, accidentally did something to his sister, he could immediately intervene.
He would not let anyone bully his sister.
Duan Xifeng couldn't persuade Gu Yefeng, but he also knew that after hearing his words, Gu Yefeng would not disturb their sister, Gu Qianying, while she vented her emotions.
Knowing this, Duan Xifeng went to sleep with peace of mind.
In fact, he didn't necessarily side with Ouyang Qinglin.
He just felt that compared to Nangong Mo, he thought Ouyang Qinglin was more suitable for his sister.
Ouyang Qinglin was currently single, without family ties, and not a savior in the mouths of righteous people.
With such an identity and such a person, he could always stay by their sister's side, watch over her, and protect her.
Every time Nangong Mo went through his tribulations and reincarnations.
Whether his sister Gu Qianying had recovered her sealed memories or had never lost them.
He could always see longing and pain in her expression.
Sometimes, he would hear Xiao Yihao say that his mother often called out Nangong Mo's name in her sleep.
Calling out in dreams, isn't that because she misses him when she can't see him, and thus dreams?
Nangong Mo had brought too much pain to his sister.
He did not want Nangong Mo to hurt her again.
Xiao Yihao was sleepy and fell asleep holding the kitten he had just bought and was raising.
He pushed the door open and walked in silently, then sat by the bed to look at the sleeping Xiao Yihao.
The kitten seemed afraid of waking Xiao Yihao, and was held by Xiao Yihao, resting on his little arm, without making a sound.
Only when he entered and approached did the kitten get startled and cry out, running over.
Xiao Yihao was also woken up by the kitten's cry.
The blanket covering Xiao Yihao slipped off, and Duan Xifeng casually caught it.
He covered Xiao Yihao with it again.
Xiao Yihao rubbed his eyes and saw the person standing beside him.
"Uncle, you're here."
Xiao Yihao pushed the blanket aside and sat up.
His hair was a little messy, and his voice was dazed and childish.
Duan Xifeng sat in front of him and rubbed Xiao Yihao's little head: "I woke you up, little fellow. Are you thirsty? Are you hungry?"
Xiao Yihao was growing and ate several meals a day.
Xiao Yihao shook his head at Duan Xifeng: "Uncle, I'm not hungry."
"Not hungry."
Normally, when Xiao Yihao woke up and saw his uncle nearby, he would climb onto Duan Xifeng and play around.
Duan Xifeng was used to holding Xiao Yihao and letting him fuss, telling him stories or playing with him.
Only after Xiao Yihao got tired of playing would he go to sleep.
Duan Xifeng knew that this habit was not good.
But he cherished the time he spent with Xiao Yihao.
Especially when he saw Xiao Yihao smiling happily, he himself felt happy.
But at this moment, Xiao Yihao did not fuss. Instead, he lay down obediently and turned his back.
His voice was muffled: "Uncle, you don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. I'm sleepy. You should go and rest too."
Duan Xifeng felt very strange.
He reached out and turned Xiao Yihao over: "What's wrong today? Did someone make our little Yihao unhappy?"
Seeing Xiao Yihao lowering his head.
Duan Xifeng lifted his chin and suddenly froze.
"Xiao Yihao... you...?"
Crystal tears hung in the corners of Xiao Yihao's eyes.
Xiao Yihao stubbornly refused to let the tears fall, but his eyes were very red.
It was obvious that he had been crying and then fell asleep again.
The candlelight in the room was dim, and Duan Xifeng leaned his face closer. Only then did he see clearly that Xiao Yihao had been crying.
"What's wrong? What exactly is wrong?"
Duan Xifeng hugged Xiao Yihao and sat on the bed, thoughtfully tucking him in with the blanket.
He didn't want Xiao Yihao to catch a cold.
Xiao Yihao kept his head down and did not look at Duan Xifeng. He looked so pitiful.
"Uncle, are mother and father really going to separate?"
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yihao finally looked up.
His big eyes, filled with tears, looked at Duan Xifeng.
Duan Xifeng's body trembled. He lowered his gaze to look at Xiao Yihao.
After asking this question, the tears in Xiao Yihao's eyes flowed down like a broken string of pearls.
Xiao Yihao still stubbornly held his head high.
Seeing Xiao Yihao like this, Duan Xifeng's heart clenched.
Xiao Yihao like this made him feel extremely heartbroken.
He quickly raised his hand to wipe Xiao Yihao's tears: "Who said that? It's not true. They are very good. They will not separate. Xiao Yihao, don't overthink it. Father loves mother very much, and mother also loves father very much."
It was at this moment that Duan Xifeng realized that Xiao Yihao needed a father.
It turned out that blood relations really could not be ignored.
It turned out that even if Nangong Mo was an incompetent father, he was still Xiao Yihao's father.
If that's the case, then why are you, my eldest uncle and second uncle, trying to get mother and Uncle Ouyang together? Does mother really not want father anymore? Uncle, although I don't know what problems have arisen between mother and father, I have seen them together before.
"At that time, mother was smiling very happily, and so was father. Uncle, why has everything changed now? Why is mother separating from father? Why can't they be together anymore?"
Xiao Yihao knew that what his uncle said was all lies.
He was present when his father and mother argued, he knew everything.
He also heard his eldest uncle and second uncle trying to matchmake his mother with Uncle Ouyang.