From then on, Gu Zhaoming was deeply disappointed in his mother.
Since his childhood, his mother had always sided with his two younger brothers under the guise of fairness, believing he had unfairly leveraged his status as the eldest son to become the family heir.
His grandfather's absurd and untimely death, combined with his father and the elders' mistrust, his brothers' targeting, and his mother's bias, left the young and energetic Gu Zhaoming feeling suppressed and angry. He no longer wanted to stay in the Gu family.
Thus, he gave up his position as the heir, had a dramatic falling out with his parents, and left the capital and the Gu family.
He remained away for twenty years.
During this period, his father and some elders tried to persuade him to return.
His two younger brothers, fearing he would come back to seize power, even threatened him to stay away.
He ignored them.
