Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 179 Past Events

Xunfeng briskly stepped out of the kitchen and, without hesitation, headed straight for his bedroom. You know, Xunfeng was Dugu Xin's most trusted personal guard. On this trip, Dugu Xin had only brought him along to serve him. Therefore, the side hall in Qingfeng Pavilion naturally became Xunfeng's exclusive residence.

Such treatment made the servants of the Guangping Palace envious, especially the servants and maids in the Qingfeng Pavilion. Usually, those who could live in the side halls were masters of high status, while servants and slaves were mostly forced to live in the side rooms.

Faced with such a special arrangement, some people even whispered about it behind his back. Some speculated that Xunfeng might be Dugu Xin's illegitimate son, but this was not the case.

In reality, Xunfeng was just an orphan with a miserable life. When he was still a hungry infant, Dugu Xin accidentally picked him up and brought him back to his mansion. At that time, Dugu Jingyao wasn't even born yet!

Because Xunfeng was too young at that time, Dugu Xin was really reluctant to place him in the military camp full of iron and blood atmosphere.

Although those soldiers were brave and fearless on the battlefield, raising children was clearly not their forte. Therefore, Dugu Xin simply took Xunfeng back to the mansion and entrusted him to the care of the late princess, Dugu Jingyao's biological mother.

Even the former princess had wondered: Could Xunfeng really be Dugu Xin's illegitimate child? Did he marry her simply to find a mother of higher status for the child?

Because of this, the late princess and Dugu Xin had a heated argument. However, she later secretly performed a blood test to confirm their paternity. Only after the results came back did she feel relieved and began raising the child with peace of mind.

Time passed quickly, and when Dugu Jingyao was about one year old, Xunfeng was already over three. At that time, Xunfeng often acted like a little adult, caring for the young Dugu Jingyao with great care. At that time, he was still naive and didn't understand the meaning of biological and raising children.

It wasn't until later, just before her death, that the late princess summoned Xunfeng to her bedside and told him earnestly: Although Xunfeng wasn't her biological son, she had raised him since childhood and treated him like her own. Now, she only hoped that he would take good care of her, Yao'er. Shortly after she finished speaking, the late princess breathed her last...

During those days, the pain Xunfeng endured in his heart was beyond imagination, even greater than that of Dugu Jingyao himself.

For days, he remained in the mourning hall, seemingly oblivious to the world, his heart filled only with endless sorrow. He barely ate a grain of rice, weeping constantly, tears that seemed to flow endlessly. Xunfeng couldn't help but feel that all the tears he had ever shed in his life had been shed in those few short days.

From that day forward, whether he suffered setbacks while training his martial arts, or was wounded on the bloody battlefield, or encountered any other unfortunate events, Swift Wind never shed a single tear. He was like an impenetrable fortress, burying all his sorrow and vulnerability deep within his heart.

However, Dugu Jingyao, Dugu Jingyue, and Dugu Jingyue's mother always held Xunfeng in high esteem. They never considered Xunfeng a subordinate, but rather a close family member. This warm and loving atmosphere made Xunfeng feel deeply cherished and grateful.

But unexpectedly, when Xunfeng was about thirteen or fourteen years old, he suddenly changed drastically. The boy who used to be so close to everyone and could talk about anything was now like a completely different person, no longer as close to everyone as before.

At first, people were very surprised by this, but did not delve into it further. Until one day, Dugu Xin could no longer suppress his curiosity, and after much questioning, he finally learned the truth from Xun Feng.

It turned out that Xunfeng accidentally heard some gossip. Some people were pointing fingers behind his back and talking about him, saying, "He is not the prince's biological son at all, but he dares to act like a master!" What's more, some people said sarcastically, "This guy is really whimsical. He is obviously not a family, but he pretends to be a family. No matter how well others treat him, he should know when to stop..." These harsh words were like a sharp dagger, which ruthlessly hurt Xunfeng's sensitive heart and made him fall into deep self-doubt and loneliness.

Later, when Dugu Xin learned about this, he was furious and immediately ordered Mrs. Qin to investigate the matter. After a thorough investigation, he finally arrested the servants who dared to gossip behind his back.

These ignorant servants were led into the courtyard. Dugu Xin sat gloomily, gazing coldly at them. With a single command, the enforcer began to carry out the punishment—fifty strokes of the cane each!

This was torture that no one could endure! The blows rained down like raindrops, leaving the servants crying and screaming, their skin torn and flesh ripped, nearly killing them. Finally, these poor creatures were mercilessly banished to a remote village, where they lived a hard life from then on.

Dugu Xin didn't give up. He solemnly announced to all the servants in the mansion: From now on, no one is allowed to casually discuss the masters' rights and wrongs. Anyone who violates this will be severely punished, just like the two servants who were exiled. These words were like a thunderclap, shaking the entire mansion.

As expected, no one dared to mention the incident again after that. The Dugu family treated Xunfeng as usual, as if nothing had happened. Dugu Xin even proposed adopting Xunfeng as his adopted son, but Xunfeng felt that everything he had now was enough; as long as he could stay in the Yunnan Palace forever, that would be enough.

Dugu Xin didn't insist on adopting Xunfeng as his adopted son. He just said, "Xunfeng, do whatever makes you feel comfortable! But no matter what, I will take care of you like my own son!"

Gradually, Xunfeng's wounded heart was slowly soothed, and he turned back into the innocent, lively and cheerful little boy.