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

Chapter 603 might just be a decoy...

Two servants lifted the limp Madam Gu and dragged her towards the Buddhist hall in the backyard without daring to delay.

Madam Gu was distraught, repeatedly muttering, "It's all over, everything is over..."

In the courtyard, as he watched his wife being dragged away, it was as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant. He staggered back a step and barely managed to stand up by leaning against a pillar.

His face, which was usually so concerned with appearances, turned a deep purplish-red, then gradually faded to ashen.

He turned to look at Gu Junze, his lips trembling for a long time before he managed to squeeze out a few words: "Junze, look at this... what should we do? What about those two children..."

"Third Uncle, now is not the time to assign blame." Chu Ruohan stepped forward.

"The most important thing is to find Brother Lu and Sister Lan immediately."

Gu Junze held her hand and looked at his personal guard.

"Keep the news under wraps; this matter must not be leaked."

"You, immediately take a team of men, dressed in plain clothes, out of the city, and search carefully along the official road towards Qingyun Mountain. I need to know the results before nightfall."

"You, go to all the checkpoints leading out of the capital and make arrangements to check all the young men and women leaving the city. Remember, do not alert the government; investigate secretly."

"Also, every carriage shop, inn, and ferry crossing in the city must be searched!"

"Yes!" The guard left.

The courtyard was instantly left with only the Gu family members.

Seeing the swift and decisive arrangements, Master Gu felt somewhat relieved.

Chu Ruohan frowned slightly as she looked at the note that read "Qingyun Mountain".

“Brother Lü is meticulous. Qingyun Mountain is high and densely forested. He would never really go deep into the mountains with Sister Lan. That place might just be a cover.”

She looked up at Gu Junze: "They don't have much money, so they can't go far. Most likely, they'll go back to somewhere they think is absolutely safe."

"A safe place?" Master Gu suddenly looked up. "They have no relatives or friends in the capital, where can they go?"

The atmosphere in Gu Qingchen's courtyard was oppressive.

She was staring blankly at a thick ledger when Qian Zhenyun, like a groundhog, crawled in from the same old spot, looking flustered.

"Sister! Something terrible has happened! Your two cousins, Brother Lu and Sister Lan, have run away from home!"

With a "thud," the brush in Gu Qingchen's hand fell onto the ledger, spreading a blot of ink.

She jumped to her feet: "What did you say? You ran away? Why did you run away?"

Qian Zhenyun recounted the sordid affairs of the third wife in just a few words.

Gu Qingchen's clenched fists were trembling.

"That damned old hag!" she cried, pacing around the room in a fit of rage.

“My father said that the Duke of Zhenguo has already sent people to Qingyun Mountain to search for him,” Qian Zhenyun said in a low voice.

"Qingyun Mountain?" Gu Qingchen suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed.

She tried hard to recall, trying to grasp the fleeting thoughts that crossed her mind.

Brother Lu... He usually loves reading, is calm and composed, and would never do anything without preparation.

Qingyun Mountain is too far away and too conspicuous; it doesn't fit his style.

A thought flashed through her mind like lightning.

"In the capital, the only place they can go is our Duke Zhenguo's mansion. Where else could they go?"

Qian Zhenyun: "Could it be that he's hiding at a private school?"

"Impossible!" Gu Qingchen rolled her eyes at him. "Brother Lu was taught by my father."

“Wait a minute,” Gu Qingchen suddenly realized, “His kung fu was learned from Uncle Ying.”

“Then we’ll definitely go to my second aunt’s house.” Gu Qingchen clapped his hands, his eyes sparkling.

She grabbed Qian Zhenyun's arm. "Quick, let's go find them!"

As she spoke, she grabbed Qian Zhenyun's hand, lifted her skirt, and rushed out, ignoring the exclamations of the maid behind her.

Chu Yueshu and Yingqing lived not far from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

When Gu Qingchen and Qian Zhenyun pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate, panting, this was the scene that greeted them.

Lu Ge'er and Lan Jie'er sat side by side at the stone table in the courtyard.

Lu Ge'er was slowly and deliberately feeding a piece of jujube cake to his younger sister's lips, while the tea in front of him was still steaming.

The two ate pastries, their expressions calm.

He sipped his tea leisurely, and when he saw the two people barging in, he didn't even raise an eyebrow, but simply raised his eyes calmly.

They were clearly waiting for them to arrive.

"Brother Lu! Sister Lan!" Gu Qingchen finally breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over. "I knew you'd be here!"

Lu Ge'er smiled gently at her and pushed a plate of untouched osmanthus cakes to her: "I knew you would come, so I saved these for you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two more figures appeared at the courtyard gate.

Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze walked in side by side.

Chu Ruohan's gaze swept over the two unharmed siblings, then landed on her smug daughter standing to the side, and she understood.

A gentle female voice came from the main room, tinged with surprise: "Sister, brother-in-law? What's wrong?"

Dressed in casual clothes, Chu Yueshu walked out quickly and couldn't help but feel puzzled when she saw the scene in the courtyard.

Before Chu Ruohan could speak, Lu Ge'er had already stood up and respectfully bowed to the elders.

He spoke first, "Master's wife, my sister is feeling down, so I thought I'd bring her out to my master to learn a few moves of boxing to ease her mind. I didn't expect to disturb the elders; it was my lack of foresight."

The excuse was so perfect that it explained why they were there while concealing all the turmoil beneath a calm surface.

The group returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The study in the main courtyard was brightly lit.

Gu Junze stood with his hands behind his back in front of his desk, his expression calm and unreadable.

He didn't look at anyone; his gaze was fixed only on Lu Ge'er, who stood respectfully with his head bowed in the center of the room.

"Kneel down."

Without the slightest hesitation, Brother Lu lifted his shirt, straightened his back, and with a "thump," knelt steadily on the cold ground.

Gu Qingchen and Qian Zhenyun, who were peeking from the doorway, were both startled.

The two children held their breath instantly, neither daring to make a sound.

Lan Jie'er turned pale with fright.

"elder brother!"

She had just taken a step when a warm, gentle hand gently pulled her back.

Chu Ruohan had appeared beside her at some point and said, "Let's go out first."

She didn't give Lan Jie'er a chance to refuse, took her cold little hand, and led her to the door.

As Chu Ruohan approached the door, she paused slightly, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the two small heads peeking out from behind it.

"Qingchen".

Gu Qingchen froze instantly, and Qian Zhenyun was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground.

"Mother..." Gu Qingchen stuck out her tongue, knowing she had been caught red-handed again.

Chu Ruohan didn't say much, but gestured with her eyes to the door: "You two, come out too."

Gu Qingchen and Qian Zhenyun dared not disobey in the slightest. With their heads hanging low, like quails that had done something wrong, they obediently followed behind and walked out.

Chu Ruohan led the three children away from the study and slowly closed the door behind her.

With a soft creak, the door closed, completely isolating the two worlds.