Hearing this voice, Gu Chen looked up at the figure, his gaze tinged with coldness.
"You're punishing me to kneel for a day and a night? Do you deserve that?"
Gu Chen said coldly, "You've never fulfilled your fatherly responsibilities to me, so don't act like a parent in front of me."
"What do you mean you had to do? I've taken care of my second son, nurturing him with care and care, while I've let my eldest son loose, neglecting him for eighteen years."
"Is that thinking about me? For my own good?"
"Asshole! You..." Gu Qingfeng's face was raging, but he was speechless.
He hadn't expected this child to dare disobey him.
He was even jealous of his half-brother?
How could he, Gu Qingfeng, a man of integrity throughout his life, have such a useless son?
Gu Qingfeng seethed with rage, "You bastard! Even so, that's no reason for you to degenerate!"
"Look at you, you didn't strive for progress in school, hanging out with those scoundrels all day. You're not even a professional yet, and you still dare to compare yourself to your brother? How can you compare to him?"
Gu Chen sneered, "Yes, he's so rich! That's your son!"
"He's been well-fed and well-clothed since childhood, accompanied by guards, trained in a rare profession, and even admitted to Shangjing Academy. If your son is so good, why are you looking for me?"
"As you can see, I'm just a peasant boy, covered in mud, degenerate, and only knows how to hang out with bad friends. Now that you've started a new family, why are you looking for me?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng's breathing quickened, his face etched with anger, and his heart simmered with rage.
Watching the father and son arguing intensify, Qin Yun finally spoke slowly. "Gu Chen, how could you speak to your father like that? Do you know how high his hopes were for you? Kneel down and apologize to your father."
After saying this, she stared at Gu Chen, a hint of subtle amusement flickering in her eyes.
He was the eldest son of a royal family, but for eighteen years, he had been unable to return home, suffering from poverty and bullying in a small rural town, reduced to a hooligan.
All of this was due to this stepmother.
After all, the Gu family was the royal family of the North. As long as this eldest son existed, her son would never have a chance to rise to prominence.
So she had no choice but to depose Gu Chen, making this eldest son of a royal family a lowly creature in the eyes of the nobles.
He had been raised in the countryside since childhood, hanging out with unscrupulous people, without any upbringing, without any knowledge of etiquette, and embroiled in bad habits.
She was whispering in Gu Qingfeng's ear, claiming it was a way to temper his eldest son's character in this difficult environment, so he could inherit the throne.
The key point was that Gu Qingfeng, constantly busy with war, had no idea what Gu Chen's life was like, yet he actually believed such nonsense.
Over the years, under Qin Yun's sweet talk, Gu Qingfeng had devoted all his attention to his youngest son, not only nurturing him but also providing him with all the resources he needed.
Every day, he was provided with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation by a dedicated attendant. Top-quality equipment and items were readily available, and even a royal commander accompanied him when he slew monsters and leveled up. He was hailed to the skies wherever he went.
Now, not only had he advanced to a rare profession, but he had also been accepted into the empire's premier Shangjing Academy.
The eldest son and the second son were two completely different worlds.
"Have high hopes for me? Haha, I think the one who truly has high hopes is your youngest son!"
Gu Chen sneered, his face filled with disdain.
"What's with that attitude?" Gu Qingfeng glared, angrily barking. "You're disobedient to your parents and disrespectful to your elders. What's the difference between you and those street thugs?"
"Your talent is so poor, and you failed to change your job. How dare you compete with your brother? How can you compare to him?"
"Yes, he's a child of destiny. How can I compare to him?"
Gu Chen said mercilessly, "From the moment you saw me, you looked down on me. Apart from accusations and insults, you've never cared about me, let alone asked if I was doing well."
"In your eyes, your son should be like him, a brilliant genius everyone admires, not a worthless waste like me."
"I'm just a lowly, country boy, a scoundrel. I'm unworthy of your noble status as the Northern War King. From now on, just pretend you don't have a son like me. Okay?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. Gu Qingfeng's fierce eyes blazed with fury.
A flicker of satisfaction flickered in Qin Yun's eyes as she sternly rebuked, "Gu Chen, who allowed you to speak to your father like that? Kneel down and apologize immediately!"
Gu Chen remained indifferent, seeing the teasing in Qin Yun's eyes.
Kneel down?
This was a move to use the situation to suppress him and consolidate Qin Yun's position as mistress.
If he knelt, it would mean that he, the eldest son, feared his stepmother. From now on, even the servants would give him the cold shoulder.
"Haha... You want me to kneel down? Who do you think you are? Even if I'm not presentable, I'm still the eldest son of the Northern Royal Family. What right do you, a concubine married off as a concubine, have to dictate to me?"
At these words, Qin Yun's face darkened. The word "concubine" had always been a thorn in her heart.
For all these years, no one had dared to address her that way.
Now, being publicly ridiculed by Gu Chen, her dignity as a princess was instantly shattered.
Qin Yun's almond-shaped eyes widened, a fierce murderous intent etched in them. However, with Gu Qingfeng beside her, she could only suppress her anger and murderous intent.
"Chen'er, after all, I'm your stepmother. How could you—"
"Enough! Stop pretending to be so hypocritical!"
Gu Chen, his face icy, interrupted Qin Yun. "You haven't even looked me in the eye since the beginning, and now you're pretending to care for me? Who are you pretending to be?"
"Asshole..." Gu Qingfeng shouted, about to reprimand.
"You bastard!"
Gu Chen retorted, unflinchingly, "If you don't like me, just kill me. I'm worthless anyway."
"But remember, you haven't done me any favors in these eighteen years. Even if I'm a complete failure, you have no right to scold me."
"Since you think I've disgraced you, from today on, I will sever all ties with your Gu family and have nothing to do with them ever again!"
"I'll die, and we'll never see each other again!"
Hearing these words, Qin Yun's eyes flashed with surprise, followed by ecstasy.
Then, her expression changed slightly, as if she had already made a decision.
"Chen'er, no!"
Qin Yun took a step forward and sank to her knees with a plop.
"Chen'er, Auntie kneels before you! You are the Gu family's eldest son, and you will inherit the Northern Territory royal family in the future. How could you sever ties with the Gu family?"
A mistress kneeling before her son—this is truly a bizarre story.
If this story were to get out, wouldn't he, the eldest son of the royal family, be ridiculed?
Gu Chen watched the scene coldly, remembering the rumors he'd heard on his first day at the Gu family.
"Who in Gubei City doesn't say that Xiao Qinshi is an excellent stepmother?"
With this kneeling, he would no longer have a place in the Northern Territory royal family.
With this kneeling, the crown prince's position would inevitably change hands.
With this kneeling, he would be completely isolated.
A python swallowing a dragon!
This is a python swallowing a dragon!
The stepmother is the python, and the sparrow is that genius younger brother.
Gu Qingfeng's fury surged upon seeing this scene.
Rebellion!
Rebellion!
This is sheer treason!
"You bastard! I'm your father, how can I scold you?"
"Humiliating your stepmother in public? Severing ties with my Gu family? Don't you know what kind of person you are? Without my protection, who are you?"
"Haha, your protection?" Gu Chen scoffed. "Don't worry. You're the distinguished War King of the Northern Territory. I wouldn't dare tarnish your reputation in public!"
With a sneer, Gu Chen turned and left without a backward glance.
"Get out! Get him out! From now on, I'll pretend I never gave birth to this son!"
After Gu Chen left, Qin Yun slowly stood up, a glint of pride in her eyes.
After forcing Gu Chen out today, her son would naturally ascend to the throne of the Northern Territory royal family!
Gu Qingfeng's fury enveloped the entire Gu family mansion, leaving all the servants shuddering in fear.
The Northern War King's reputation was so fierce that even the alien races of the Abyss would retreat in fear.
After venting his fury, Gu Qingfeng finally calmed down.
At the same time, his eyes became complicated.
How could the eldest son, Gu Chen, have become like this?
He had simply taken a little extra care of the younger son, so what?
Just because his younger brother was more capable, he was going to disobey his father? Humiliate his stepmother? Traitor his family?
"Hmph, this rebellious son is ignorant and foolish. He has no gratitude for his parents. I shouldn't have recognized him in the first place."
Gu Qingfeng, his face furious, glanced at a servant in the hall.
"Butler!"
"Your Majesty, please give your orders."
"From today on, Gu Chen's name will be removed from the family tree."
The butler's expression changed slightly, a look of difficulty on his face.
"What? You still want to plead for that rebellious son?"
The butler shuddered and shook his head repeatedly. "No, Your Majesty, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"It's just that Young Master Gu Chen's name isn't even in the family tree."