Chapter 131 Your parents love you very much
Shen Qingtan saw Gu Zongci staring at the bracelet motionlessly, and waves surged in his usually calm eyes, but then they returned to calm in an instant, as if he was trying his best to restrain himself.
His unusual reaction made her think deeply.
"Boss Gu, do you recognize this bracelet?" Shen Qingtan stroked the bracelet on her wrist with her fingers, and said with a slight curve of her lips, "This is a gift from my parents. It's a bracelet of this exquisite craftsmanship. Apart from the nobles in the palace and the emperor's rewards to his meritorious officials, it's rare to see others have bracelets of this kind. It shows how much they love me."
Gu Zongci restrained his emotions and whispered, "Yes, your parents love you very much."
Shen Qingtan's words were meant to test Gu Zongci, and his somewhat dazed expression made her certain that he knew the bracelet and even more so her biological parents.
But he didn't point it out clearly. Could it be that he had some concerns?
Gu Zongci's eyes unconsciously revealed a trace of kindness: "It's noon now, let's have a meal together?"
As he spoke, he had already pushed a basket of skewers in front of her.
Gu Zongci said in a friendly tone: "See if there is anything you want to eat. Don't be polite with me, just order."
"The guest should follow the host's wishes. Please order." Shen Qingtan pushed the bamboo tube containing the skewers back.
She keenly noticed the change in Gu Zongci's attitude, and he treated her more intimately, as if he were a younger member of the family.
After all, when she first met Gu Zongci, he treated her with a bit of distance and politeness.
Especially when Boss Qin praised her, Gu Zongci defended his sister's position in his heart.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan asked tentatively, "Uncle Qin said you were a wealthy businessman in Nanlingzhou, and the Gu family's reputation was well-known there. So why did you go to Qingzhou to develop your business? Did your sister marry in Qingzhou?"
"No." Gu Zongci did not hide the truth from her: "My sister has not been in good health since she was a child. She was raised in the care of my grandfather in Liangzhou. My grandfather knows some medical skills, which is just right for her to take care of her body."
When Shen Qingtan heard the word Liangzhou, he subconsciously asked, "Does she rarely go back to Nanlingzhou?"
"She seldom comes back." Gu Zongci sighed. "Before, she was weak, and the constant coming and going took its toll on her body. After she reached the age of marriage and recovered, she arranged another marriage and stayed in Liangzhou to get married."
Shen Qingtan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Gu Zongci ordered two cold dishes, four hot dishes, two sweet soups, and four dim sum.
A table was filled with food.
Shen Qingtan was surprised and said, "You ordered too much. We can't finish it, so it will all be wasted."
Gu Zongci smiled and said, "I don't know your taste, so I just ordered a few random dishes."
Shen Qingtan: "..." Is this what you call casual? If it's not casual, then don't we have to put together another table?
She glanced at the dishes on the table, her eyes paused slightly, and fell on a Song Mansion egg custard dish. This was a dish she had loved since she was a child, and it was quite unique.
Next to it was a dish of bamboo shoots and chicken soup. There was nothing special about this dish, but it caught her attention because the chicken was all skinless.
No matter what kind of meat she eats, she doesn't like to eat it with the skin on, and she has to peel it before putting it into the pot.
This habit has also been there since childhood, and no one else knows about it except those close to me.
There are four kinds of snacks, among which the chicken bean cake and mince fruit cake are her favorites when she was a child.
At this time, the waiter brought a bowl of apricot cheese and placed it in front of her.
Shen Qingtan raised his eyes and looked at Gu Zongci.
Gu Zongci asked, "Is it not to your taste?"
Then he added, "Then have the waiter go away and order again."
"No need to bother." Shen Qingtan was in a complicated mood and didn't think it was a coincidence: "I like it very much."
Hearing this, Gu Zongci breathed a sigh of relief.
When ordering food, he ordered according to Shen Qingtan's childhood taste.
Seeing that her taste had not changed much, Gu Zongci felt a sour feeling in his heart, as if she had just gone out for a trip and had spent more than ten years on the way home.
She is still the same soft little ball as when she was a child. Except for being taller, there is no other difference.
Gu Zongci said, "Then eat more."
Shen Qingtan lowered her eyelashes and hummed softly. She waited until Gu Zongci started to eat before she started. She took a little bit of each dish.
When she put down her bowl and chopsticks, she saw Gu Zongci bringing a bowl of sweet soup and placing it in front of her.
Then he brought out a honey pot.
When Shen Qingtan eats sweet soup, he doesn't like the kitchen to put sugar in the soup. Instead, he adds two spoonfuls of honey while eating.
The doubts in her heart grew even deeper.
But since Gu Zongci didn't say anything, she didn't ask.
Because of her relationship with Gu Zongci, there was no need to even think too deeply about it; the clues were already revealed because of this table of delicious food.
After the meal, Shen Qingtan said goodbye and returned home.
Gu Zongci couldn't wait to return to the palace, went straight to the study, and wrote two letters.
One letter was sent to the northern border to King Zhenbei.
One letter was sent to my sister in Liangzhou.
He also instructed his confidants to expedite the journey by eight hundred miles, the faster the better.
Afterwards, he called the steward and asked him to donate silver and food to the northern border.
I'll accumulate more merits, hoping they will be useful in the future.
——
In the imperial study of the palace, Emperor Jing'an and Zhao Yi played chess.
There are traps and dangers everywhere on the chessboard.
Emperor Jing'an frowned in the face of Zhao Yi's relentless pressure.
"Ahem..." Zhao Yi coughed softly and casually placed a piece on the chessboard.
Emperor Jing'an's brows suddenly relaxed, and he said with a smile, "Yier, you lost half a piece to me this time."
Zhao Yi smiled and said, "The emperor's chess skills have improved."
Emperor Jing'an snorted softly and threw down the chess piece in his hand: "No more."
He couldn't win anyway, and the winning situation was also given to him by Zhao Yi without any effort.
At this time, Eunuch Cao came in to report: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenbei has sent someone to deliver a secret letter 800 miles away."
Emperor Jing'an said in a deep voice, "Present it."
Eunuch Cao respectfully presented the secret letter to Emperor Jing'an.
Emperor Jing'an did not avoid Zhao Yi. He opened the secret letter and read ten lines at a glance.
The King of Zhenbei explained in a secret letter that he was bringing his three sons with him to support the northern border, and he also brought his own food and supplies to the northern border.
"Yier, what do you think about this?"
There was no information in the secret letter that could not be disclosed to the public, so Emperor Jing'an handed the secret letter to Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi said in a gentle voice, "The Zhenbei Palace has been loyal and righteous for generations and has received the emperor's grace. This time, the Zhenbei Prince wants his descendants to achieve great things and serve the court."
Suddenly, his gaze paused and fell on the seal of King Zhenbei.
The characters on the seal are very unique and will leave a deep impression on you once you see them.
Coincidentally, Zhao Yi had seen him once.
The last time he saw it was on Shen Qingtan’s filigree inlaid bracelet.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing'an closed the secret letter.
He actually hoped that a tiger father would have good sons, and that the sons of King Zhenbei would all be brave and good at fighting, adding several powerful generals to the Great Zhou.
"I am waiting for the victory news from the front."
——
After Zhao Yi left the imperial study, he left the palace and returned to Duke Zhao's mansion. He happened to meet Shen Qingtan who had returned from outside at the corner gate.
He thought of the seal of the King of Zhenbei and said softly, "Tan'er, I have something to tell you."
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