Another woman surnamed Qi suffered a similarly tragic fate. Her husband was currently of equal rank to Lord Zhao and was highly regarded. However, he ultimately chose to follow the Second Prince, leading to the unfortunate end of his entire family.

Gu Qinlan perfectly portrayed the feeling of unfamiliarity upon first arrival. Led by Madam Zhao, she greeted each of the ladies present in turn.

As the auspicious hour arrived, Madam Zhao and Lord Zhao sat side by side in the main hall, the scene solemn and dignified.

Gu Qinlan stepped forward gracefully, knelt down lightly, and respectfully bowed to the two elderly people: "Godfather and Godmother, please accept my bow. I offer you a cup of tea."

Madam Zhao smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. After finishing her tea, she personally helped Gu Qinlan up and said gently, "Good child, good child, from this moment on, you are my own daughter."

Lord Zhao then said in a serious tone, "From now on, this will be your home. If you suffer injustice outside, remember to come back. My wife and I will be your strong support. In the future, when we are old, your siblings will also stand up for you."

A warm feeling welled up in Gu Qinlan's heart.

In her past life, she gave her all, yet never received such tender care. She endured all hardships and dangers alone. She was even betrayed and utterly destroyed by those so-called relatives.

She never imagined that she would be so lucky in this life.

Although she might not have believed Lord Zhao's words if they came from someone else, she believed them without a doubt when they came from Lord Zhao himself.

Because Lord Zhao is the kind of person who upholds integrity, every word he says is as resounding as his promise.

Recalling his past life, in order to avenge Zhao Qingyu, Lord Zhao spared no effort and used all sorts of means to climb to the top of power, just to be able to compete with the Third Prince.

Such profound paternal love means that even a bad person wouldn't be utterly evil.

Gu Qinlan nodded solemnly to Lord Zhao: "I will remember this. From now on, I will do my best to be filial to my adoptive parents and bring them joy. If my adoptive parents have any troubles, please tell me. Our family will share both honor and disgrace."

The four words "sharing honor and disgrace" felt incredibly heavy, giving everyone present a jolt.

Lord Zhao was also deeply moved.

Initially, taking in this adopted daughter was a last resort. She had saved his daughter and knew all her suffering. Furthermore, Gu Qinlan had the backing of the Prince Duan's mansion, and he was unwilling to be associated with any factions in the court, especially military men. At the same time, he also worried that Gu Qinlan was cunning and might be colluding with the Third Prince's faction.

But for his daughter's sake, he couldn't refuse.

However, as he got to know Gu Qinlan better, he discovered that she was quite different from what they had imagined. She was sensible, knew her place, was exceptionally intelligent, and had no connection with any of the princes. After careful consideration, he felt that there was nothing wrong with taking in such a goddaughter; on the contrary, it was like gaining a reliable relative.

Now, he has genuinely accepted this goddaughter.

His usually serious and stern face now showed a warm smile: "Then, I will definitely urge your brothers and sisters to study hard and practice diligently, so that your whole family can share in the glory."

Gu Qinlan felt a warm glow in her heart.

There was a time when she envied Zhao Qingyu so much, envying her for having such a devoted family. Now, she too had that good fortune, a fortune bestowed upon her by Zhao Qingyu.

The guests who attended the ceremony were all deeply moved by their sincere emotions.

While cases of adopting godparents are not uncommon, the sincerity of the Zhao family and Gu Qinlan is rare to find.

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door.

"Master, Madam, people from the palace have arrived. The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress have sent people to deliver gifts."

The guests were in an uproar. The fact that a minister's family had arranged a godparent relationship had actually alarmed three emperors in the palace, who even sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts. This was truly an unparalleled honor!

However, how could the Emperor possibly know about the Zhao family's act of taking a godparent?

If the emperor knew the truth, why would he react in this way?

Zhao Zai Ren took in the various expressions of the guests around him and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

These people have ulterior motives, so naturally they see everything in a despicable light.

Do they really think that he, Zhao, would collude with them?

In fact, he made his position clear to the emperor from the very beginning regarding the matter of adopting godparents.

The purpose was simply to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion.

Upon learning that Zhao Qingyu had arbitrarily adopted a goddaughter for them, he immediately reported the whole story to the emperor without reservation.

He is loyal to the emperor and can deceive the world, but he will never hide anything from the emperor.

Therefore, the emperor was fully aware of his act of taking a godparent.

Furthermore, the attitudes of the Zhao and Zheng families pleased the emperor greatly, which led to today's gift-giving.

Although the gifts sent by the three most powerful figures in the palace were not many, the respect they conveyed was unparalleled.

Those who had previously looked down on Gu Qinlan now looked at her with completely different eyes.

Along with the congratulatory gifts came the Emperor and Empress's praise and affirmation of Gu Qinlan.

"Madam Zheng, His Majesty specifically asked me to tell you that His Majesty remembers all the good deeds you have done for the people of Jindu. His Majesty also said that although Madam Zheng comes from a merchant family, she is kind-hearted, upright, calm and composed, and has extraordinary courage. If she were a man, she would surely achieve great things."

Although Ying's voice was slightly weak, it was not harsh. He spoke with a smile, giving people a kind and approachable feeling.

Gu Qinlan politely replied, "This humble woman has only done her duty as a subject of Western Wei; how dare I accept such praise from Your Majesty?"

The eunuch Ying replied with a smile, "Since His Majesty has already praised her, Lady Zheng should accept it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to Lord Zhao and said, "Lord Zhao, I have conveyed the blessings of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress. I must hurry back to report and cannot stay any longer. Congratulations on the birth of your beloved daughter, Lord Zhao. Farewell."

Lord Zhao and his wife personally escorted Eunuch Ying to the door.

After the people from the palace left, the atmosphere became even more lively. Those guests who had previously expressed reservations about Gu Qinlan's background now affectionately called her "Qinlan".

Several ladies even took off their own bracelets on the spot and presented them to Gu Qinlan.

“I have a close relationship with your godmother, so you can call me Aunt Zhang. You’ve just arrived in the capital and are unfamiliar with the place. I have several daughters who are about your age, so you can invite them to accompany you on your tour of the capital.”

"Niece Qinlan, I am your Aunt Zheng. I was delighted to meet you for the first time. We must visit each other more often in the future." Everyone gathered around Gu Qinlan to get closer to her. Gu Qinlan responded appropriately, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

After the family reunion ceremony, the grand banquet officially began.

The Zhao family's banquet was the last grand gathering in the capital before the New Year, so the Zhao family made ample preparations and even invited an opera troupe, making the scene exceptionally lively.

After the banquet ended and the guests were seen off, Gu Qinlan bid farewell to the Zhao family and returned to the Duan Prince's Mansion.