Chapter 124 Gu Zongci's Test
Shopkeeper Gu’s eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately came out of the carriage and asked Shen Shaoheng to get on the carriage.
Shen Shaoheng got into the car and patted Boss Gu on the shoulder, "Old Gu, you are quite reasonable." He sat opposite him and said, "I will make friends with you."
Gu Zongci: “…”
After so many years in business, Gu Zongci has met all kinds of people, and most of them are flattering, trying to get close to him, or exchanging a few polite words.
This was the first time he had seen someone like Shen Shaoheng in his lifetime.
"Prince Shen is the elder brother of the second wife of Duke Zhao. She is a major customer of Gu's Trading Company. For her sake, I should give Prince a ride." Gu Zongci introduced Shen Qingtan.
"Is that so." Shen Shaoheng smiled and said, "Then we are old friends."
Gu Zongci: "..." The title of Cheng'en Marquisate can only be passed down to Shen Shaoheng's generation, right?
"The prince is a casual person with a very easygoing temperament." Gu Zongci smiled. Perhaps because he was old, he couldn't keep up with Shen Shaoheng's train of thought. He could only continue to lead the topic to Shen Qingtan: "Second Madam Zhao has mentioned you to me several times, but I haven't heard her mention other siblings. I guess the relationship between you siblings is very good?"
Hearing this, Shen Shaoheng became interested: "What did my elder sister say about me in front of you?"
"She said that you are free and easy by nature and treat her with the utmost sincerity." Gu Zongci just made up this sentence based on the situation in Cheng'en Marquis Mansion.
Everyone in the capital said that Marquis Cheng'en and his wife doted on Shen Qingtan. Even their little daughter, who had been living in the countryside, returned to her roots, but it couldn't shake her position in the Marquis Cheng'en's mansion.
If it is true as the rumors say, it is impossible for someone to get into the wrong sedan chair on the wedding day.
Even if they got into the wrong sedan chair, Shen Qingtan's maidservants who came with her as a dowry had grown up by her side and could tell from the subtle details which bride was their master.
It just so happened that before Shen Qingtan got married, the maid who grew up with her had an accident and could not send her off to get married.
After such a series of coincidences, can it still be a coincidence?
It was just a carefully calculated plan.
From ancient times to the present, rumors are the least trustworthy.
Because some rumors are spread by people who want to let the world know.
It is obvious that Marquis Cheng'en and his wife prefer their youngest daughter.
Otherwise, why would the younger daughter's sickly fiancé be replaced with the "favored" eldest daughter?
He had overheard someone discussing the absurd incident of the two legitimate daughters of the Marquis of Cheng'en getting into the wrong bridal sedan and marrying the wrong husband. Their conversation then drifted off into more internal affairs of the Marquis's mansion.
Gu Zongci can still recall those two sentences.
"Miss Shen was lost when she was three years old, and was later found. The Marquisate became even more concerned about her, and treated her like a precious child, doting on her."
"Miss Shen Er was so pitiful. She was stolen from her mother's womb by a midwife, who lied to her husband and wife about her premature death. Fortunately, she was destined to be rich and noble, and after many twists and turns, she was able to find her ancestral home again."
It was because of this conversation that he became concerned about the Marquis' Mansion. He secretly investigated and confirmed that Shen Qingtan had been lost as a child and was found by Madam Shen on her way back to Beijing from Nanlingzhou.
Whether it was Shen Qingtan's age when she went missing, or the location and time she was found, it was too sensitive for him. Coupled with the inconsistent attitude of the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion towards her, it made him think - was Shen Qingtan actually the Cheng'en Marquis's biological daughter?
Because there was another suspicious point, he sent people to investigate Cheng'en Marquis Mansion, and they found out that the midwife who delivered Madam Shen was living in Guanzhou.
Logically speaking, the midwife stole the daughter of the Marquis of Cheng'en, and the matter was exposed. The Marquis's Mansion would definitely hold her accountable.
In fact, the people in Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion seemed to have forgotten the midwife and did not deal with her at all.
Gu Zongci became even more certain that there was something strange about the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion, so based on the information he had found out, he went to Guanzhou specifically to find the midwife who had delivered Madam Shen.
It was a pity that the midwife was a little confused and her speech was unclear and confusing, making it impossible for her to communicate normally with others. He did not get any useful information. That was why he asked Shen Shaoheng to get on the carriage and ask him about Shen Qingtan.
Shen Shaoheng was stunned for a moment, then said with great joy: "It turns out that I am so good in the heart of my elder sister."
As he laughed, his smile faded.
He was not sincere to Shen Qingtan before, and could even be considered a bastard, because he had disliked her since childhood, so he was always verbally offensive to her.
But many things happened later, and he saw through the true colors of the people around him. His second uncle and second aunt, whom he had always trusted, harbored evil intentions towards him and even had a blood feud with him.
When the Cheng'en Marquisate established a crown prince, he and Old Madam Shen were isolated and helpless, and it was Shen Qingtan who stepped forward to help him secure the position of crown prince.
He knew that Shen Qingtan was not helping him intentionally, but they both had a common enemy to deal with, so they were on the same front.
In this way, Shen Qingtan seems too pitiful.
Because he still has the love of Old Madam Shen, while Shen Qingtan has never been treated sincerely in the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion.
Shen Shaoheng curled his lips: “Maybe it’s because I didn’t lie to her?”
Gu Zongci: “…”
He had originally made up a bunch of nonsense, but Shen Shaoheng answered it in a proper manner.
So in Shen Qingtan's heart, as long as he doesn't lie to her, he is treating her sincerely?
When Gu Zongci thought about the situation in Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion, he felt that it made sense, because Shen Qingtan lived in lies, so it was rare for him to appear sincere.
"Now that you put it that way, does that mean everyone else is lying to her?" Gu Zongci feigned confusion. "I heard that Second Madam Zhao got lost when she was a child, and the Marquisate never gave up looking for her, and finally found her. It shows they truly care about her."
Shen Shaoheng sneered: "People like them who only care about profit are not looking for their daughter, they are looking for goods. With their status, if they package the goods well, they can get considerable benefits."
"How could biological parents mistreat their own child? The distance between the capital and Nanling Prefecture is too far. It would be unreasonable for them to find the child there without any affection at all." Gu Zongci paused for a moment before continuing, "They found the child in Nanling Prefecture, right?"
"No, isn't it?" Shen Shaoheng frowned and said, "I was too young at that time. No one in the mansion would mention such things. I can't remember it clearly."
At this point, Shen Shaoheng asked back: "Why are you asking this?"
"I just feel that we are destined to meet." Seeing Shen Shaoheng's suspicion, Gu Zongci casually explained, "My ancestral home is in Nanlingzhou."
"Is that so?" Shen Shaoheng understood, and then remembered something: "My second aunt went to visit relatives in Nanlingzhou, and on the way back she found my eldest sister. She was seriously ill, so my second aunt delayed her return to Beijing."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
