After a stick of incense, Wan Qiuyu was led in by Aunt Cuiwen.
Wan Qiuyu was so weak that she almost fainted while walking in the corridor. She gritted her teeth and held on.
As soon as someone entered the hall, Shen Qing couldn't help but look at them.
There was still a shock when they met for the first time. After all, Wan Qiuyu was completely trained by Aunt Hong as a Yangzhou skinny horse.
Her pitiful face, her slender waist, her gait, and those eyes...
Shen Qing sighed in his heart. If this girl was really the concubine's daughter who was lost in the mansion back then, she must have suffered a lot over the years.
Wan Jinlan leaned his head behind the screen to look at Wan Qiuyu. As Wan Qiuyu got closer, the smell of cosmetics became stronger.
She suddenly remembered the faint scent of powder on the letter paper.
By the way, this person who suddenly appeared was also very strange.
If she still remembered that she was a lady from a noble family, why didn't she try to send letters to the mansion over the years?
Thinking of this, Wan Jinlan paused. If she was the one who sent the letter, why didn't she deliver it to the mansion first so that she could return home?
Aren’t these two things contradictory?
"You said you were a lost girl from the mansion. What evidence do you have?" Shen Qing put down the teacup and spoke lightly.
Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Wan Qiuyu untied his belt, revealing the purple birthmark on the back of his waist.
Although Shen Qing was not Wan Qiuyu's biological mother, she had heard Aunt Zhao talk about the characteristic marks on Wan Qiuyu's body after Wan Qiuyu was lost.
Seeing Wan Qiuyu swaying, Shen Qing said softly, “Please sit down first.”
Wan Qiuyu sat down and said, "I didn't remember who I was. I was sick a while ago with a high fever that nearly made me lose consciousness. When I woke up, I remembered some fragments of my childhood. My biological mother's surname was Zhao, and my name was Qiuyu."
Shen Qing nodded and said, "Whether you are the lost girl in the mansion, I can't judge based on your few words. After all, I am not your biological mother."
"Since you are weak, I will stop here today."
"Cuiwen, take her downstairs to rest and find a doctor to check on her."
Wan Qiuyu felt relieved. As long as he could stay in the Shen Mansion for the time being, he wouldn't have to worry about Menghao Pavilion.
She had been very careful on her way out, and the people in Menghao Pavilion hadn't noticed her at all. Now that she was in the Bo Mansion, she was even less afraid. As long as she hid until she could follow Chen Qing and her daughter back to the capital, everything would be fine.
"Mother, she has some similarities with Aunt Zhao between her eyebrows." Wan Jinlan came out from behind the screen and said.
Chen Qing also felt that it was similar, so he kept the person in the mansion, but he also instructed his subordinates to keep an eye on her and not allow Wan Jinlan to have any contact with her.
There's no telling what's wrong with this person who suddenly appeared. What's more frightening is that she has a purpose.
In the next few days, Shen Qing roughly figured out Wan Qiuyu's experiences over the years.
After being kidnapped, she was sold to Menghao Pavilion. Because of her good looks, the madam of Menghao Pavilion trained her as a future courtesan, and she suffered a lot over the years.
Wan Qiuyu knew that this past could not be erased, so she simply didn't bother with it. Instead, she wanted to use this opportunity to gain Shen Qing's sympathy.
Shen Qing didn't believe everything she said, so he sent someone to Menghao Pavilion to investigate the situation.
Mother Hong has been looking for someone these days, causing quite a stir.
In this way, Wan Qiuyu settled down peacefully in the small courtyard of the Shen Mansion.
Shen Qing asked the maids and old women to guard her yard and hired a doctor. She did not skimp on food and medicine, and took care of everything, but she herself did not go to see the doctor many times.
Whether she was a daughter of a noble family or not, she would have to return to the capital and let Aunt Zhao see her to find out. Even if she was, she was not her biological daughter. She was only her stepmother, so there was no need to get close to her. In this way, under the uncertainty, she thought she had done enough.
Wan Qiuyu was quietly recuperating in the Shen residence, and he was quite content. Half a month later, Wan Jinlan almost forgot that there was such a person in the residence.
Ever since her sister Chen Bi told her about Prince Guangling's plan, Chen Qing had been feeling uneasy. She then submitted a visiting card to Prince Guangling's mansion.
This time when he went to the Guangling Palace, Shen Qing brought Wan Jinlan and Shen Xingyu with him so that they could talk to Xiao Sirui.
After seeing the Shen family's mansion and then the Guangling Prince's mansion, Wan Jinlan thought, there's always a mountain higher than the other. Just in terms of land area, both are three times the size of the Shen family's, and even more prosperous.
Only after Wan Jinlan met the Princess of Guangling did he realize who Xiao Mingyi looked like.
Princess Guangling was an extremely plump woman, but the only bad thing about her face was that she had a pair of slanted eyes, which made people feel uncomfortable when she looked at people.
Princess Guangling had the servants serve tea. "Madam Wan, are you here today to see Concubine Shen? You came at the perfect time. Concubine Shen has been very angry these past two days and even dared to talk back to the prince. It's inevitable that she has suffered some setbacks."
"I won't keep Madam Wan talking any longer. You can go directly to see Concubine Shen."
"Oh, yes, Madam Wan, you should also persuade Concubine Shen. Since the prince has decided on the marriage of his children, she, a concubine, has no right to interfere. Although the prince dotes on her, she must also abide by the rules and etiquette. Perhaps people born into wealth and nobility are generally unable to see themselves clearly and do not know their own weight."
When she said the last sentence, Princess Guangling glanced at Chen Qing meaningfully.
Princess Guangling spoke very quickly, not giving Shen Qing a chance to retort. Before Shen Qing could react, she stood up and left.
Chen Qing: “…”!
As the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, she never had a chance to speak at any banquet in the capital.
It wasn't a matter of how fast she spoke, but rather that the Princess of Guangling simply didn't take her seriously. When she went out, she represented not only her own reputation, but also the reputation of the mansion.
Hearing Princess Guangling say that Concubine Shen was so unpleasant, and she just looked at people with her nose turned up, Shen Qing also became annoyed.
She had never seen a woman treat guests like this.
Then Wan Jinlan saw her mother casually smash the cup next to her to the ground.
The sound of a cup breaking was heard. Princess Guangling had not yet left through the side door, but she turned back when she heard the sound.
Shen Qing smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes: "I accidentally slipped my hand, please don't blame me, Princess."
There was anger in the eyes of Princess Guangling, and she stared without saying a word for a long time.
Shen Qing was not afraid of her. She had seen the empress dowager, the queen and the concubines in the palace, and none of them was less imposing than her.
Shen Qing never thought that coming to the Guangling Palace today would be humiliating.
"I've just arrived at the palace today, but I didn't expect this kind of hospitality. They made me sit and wait for half an hour without even a sip of tea. Perhaps it's because of the reputation of my palace that Princess Guangling looks down on me from the bottom of her heart."
Princess Guangling gritted her teeth and said, "Madam Wan, are you here to cause trouble in my house?"
She had been in Yangzhou for many years. As a princess, she didn't need to bow to anyone in any occasion, let alone try to please anyone. Therefore, she was used to being the only one in charge. How dare she do this to Shen?
Shen Qing snorted: "I just told the facts, why are you looking for trouble?"
"Princess, please ask a maid to lead the way for me. If I don't go to Concubine Shen's place, it will be almost time for lunch."
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