The Cheng Mansion was located in the western suburbs of the capital, not far from the Marquis' Mansion. As soon as Song Shian's carriage arrived at the Cheng Mansion, the housekeeper came out to greet him personally.
"Welcome, Prince."
The butler stepped forward and said respectfully.
"Butler Fang, you're too polite."
Song Shian nodded, got off the carriage gracefully, and brought a veiled woman with him.
The butler was stunned for a moment, but he didn't say anything. He just made a gesture to invite him in, "Please come in, my prince."
"Um."
Song Shian nodded slightly and walked inside with Gu Xiaoqiao.
The Cheng Mansion faces south and occupies a large area.
Although it is not as exquisite as other aristocratic homes, it looks extremely grand.
The flowers, plants and trees in the palace are all lush, and the rockery pavilions are arranged in an orderly manner.
There is also a huge martial arts training ground with shelves filled with all kinds of weapons.
It didn't take long before they reached the hall.
As soon as they stepped into the hall, they saw General Cheng sitting in the first seat and Madam Cheng standing beside him.
General Cheng is only in his early forties this year, and he looks even more elegant after taking off his armor and putting on casual clothes.
But he looked serious and upright.
Mrs. Cheng looked to be no more than thirty years old, still graceful and elegant, with every move filled with the grace of a noble lady. One could tell at a glance that she came from a high-class family.
She sat next to General Cheng, her eyes fell on Gu Xiaoqiao behind Song Shian, and she couldn't help but frowned slightly.
"General Cheng, Madam Cheng."
Song Shian bowed his hands, his attitude humble and polite.
"Please take a seat, Prince."
General Cheng and his wife stood up at the same time and gestured to Song Shian to come in.
Song Shian nodded and pulled Gu Xiaoqiao to sit down together.
General Cheng and his wife sat down on the chairs opposite.
"Come here, serve tea to the prince."
Madam Cheng gave an order to the servant at the door, then turned to look at Song Shian, "I wonder why the prince is visiting today?"
Song Shian smiled faintly upon hearing this, "To be honest, I came here for something, and I would like to ask the general and his wife for help."
"oh?"
General Cheng was stunned for a moment, then asked, "I wonder what it is that the Crown Prince wants? As long as it's not particularly difficult, my Cheng family will do their best to help you accomplish it."
"No, no, General, you are too kind."
After saying that, Song Shi settled down for a moment and continued, "I would like to ask General Cheng to adopt a daughter. I wonder if you would agree?"
General Cheng was stunned. "Adopt a daughter?"
Song Shian nodded.
"Could it be that the prince is referring to this girl beside him?"
Mrs. Cheng looked at Gu Xiaoqiao behind her and asked with some confusion.
"That's right."
At this time, Gu Xiaoqiao also stood up and bowed slightly according to the movements she remembered. "Meet Madam Cheng Guo, meet General Cheng Guo."
When Mrs. Cheng saw this behavior and this figure, she was stunned for a moment and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
"Could you please take off your veil, young lady?"
Gu Xiaoqiao nodded.
When her face was exposed to the public, General Cheng and Mrs. Cheng were both slightly startled.
Because this girl looks 90% like that kid Chao Yan.
Even worse than Asagao.
"you......"
Mrs. Cheng looked at Gu Xiaoqiao in shock, "Who is this girl?"
"Madam, you can just call me Xiao Qiao."
Gu Xiaoqiao smiled at Mrs. Cheng.
Madam Cheng was a little confused, but she still asked Song Shian, "Sir, where did you bring this Miss Qiao from?"
"Madam, may I have a moment to talk?"
Gu Xiaoqiao suddenly said.
Mrs. Cheng nodded.
Seeing this, Song Shian did not stop them, and General Cheng did not object, allowing the two to walk into the inner room.
......
In the inner room.
Gu Xiaoqiao and Mrs. Cheng sat opposite each other.
"Miss Xiao Qiao, please forgive me for being so presumptuous, but I really can't understand why you and Lu Zhaoyan, the second young lady of the Lu family... look so much alike?"
Mrs. Cheng looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Gu Xiaoqiao pursed her lips and said, "Aunt, it's me."
"What?"
Mrs. Cheng looked up suddenly, her eyes widening in shock.
Gu Xiaoqiao nodded, "It's me."
Mrs. Cheng was a little confused for a moment, "But..."
Gu Xiaoqiao smiled slightly. "This is a long story. I hope my aunt will listen to me slowly."
Mrs. Cheng nodded and motioned for her to continue.
"Lu Qingqing and I were married on the same day, but before we could leave, we were both knocked unconscious and our sedan chairs were swapped. I married the prince, while Lu Qingqing married Xu Jiaren."
"After I woke up in the Marquis' Mansion, I received a farewell letter from Xu Jiaren, saying that Lu Qingqing was the only one in his heart and that there was no possibility for us."
"I cried my heart out, feeling betrayed. Add to that the rumors that the prince wouldn't live past twenty, and I just wanted to commit suicide. That's how the fire started."
"But actually, that night, I was accidentally rescued by the prince's men. The deceased was someone else. Plus, a part of my face was burned at the time, so it was inconvenient for me to show my face."
"Then the prince learned of my condition and took me in to recuperate in his courtyard. Now that I have fully recovered, I dare to come to visit you, aunt..."
At this point, Gu Xiaoqiao's acting skills exploded. Her pretty little face was full of sadness, and tears slid down the corners of her eyes, dripping onto the tablecloth, soaking a large area.
Mrs. Cheng felt a little distressed when she saw this, and quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
"Silly girl!"
Mrs. Cheng was so sad that she patted Gu Xiaoqiao's shoulder gently.
"Your uncle and I suspected something fishy was going on, but the body was charred and unrecognizable, and we couldn't find any other evidence, so we had to give up. It was our fault for not taking good care of you..."
Speaking of this, Mrs. Cheng choked up even more.
"It's none of your business, Aunt. It was Lu Qingqing and Xu Jiaren who set me up, and God has mercy on me and spared my life."
Gu Xiaoqiao sniffed and continued to act pitiful.
Mrs. Cheng looked at her with even greater heartache. "Yan'er, I'm glad you're still alive. I'm glad you're still alive! If your grandmother knew, she would definitely be very happy."
As she spoke, she held Gu Xiaoqiao's hand and tears couldn't help but flow down.
…
In this way, the two of them talked in the inner room for half an hour. The tea outside was refilled three or four times before they came out hand in hand.
Seeing how close the two of them were, Song Shian and General Cheng fell silent.
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