Chapter 132: The Background is Clear
Shen Qingtan stood by the corner gate and saw Zhao Yi's unusually solemn expression. She was already preoccupied with worries, and now she was even more worried.
She said softly, "Go back to the house first. I also have something to tell you."
Seeing that she was frowning, Zhao Yi guessed that she must have encountered something unpleasant during her visit to Gu Zongci.
The couple returned to Lanxue Garden in silence, with Liu Yue and Ting Xue standing guard at the door.
Zhao Yi held her hand and took her to sit on the Arhat couch.
He looked at the sadness between her eyebrows and asked gently, "Didn't you get the result you wanted from Boss Gu this time?"
"I specially wore a gold bracelet as a token of my love to meet him. When he saw me, he lost his composure for a moment and said I looked familiar."
Shen Qingtan said with a complicated expression, "After that, he saw the bracelet on my wrist, and his expression clearly showed recognition. But he seemed to be hesitant and tried his best to restrain himself from showing it in front of me."
But some things cannot be hidden, and clues will be revealed unconsciously in the eyes and behavior.
Thinking of this, she sighed softly: "We had lunch together, and he ordered a table full of dishes. Most of them were my favorites since I was a child, and there were also some picky habits."
She held Zhao Yi's thumb in her hand and looked up at him: "My life experience should be related to the Gu family. They don't want to recognize me. Maybe they haven't met their destiny yet. They are afraid that if they recognize me rashly, it will bring disaster to me."
Shen Qingtan was in a very low mood. They both knew each other's identities, but they could not recognize each other because of external obstacles. This feeling made her feel very powerless.
Especially since Gu Zongci cared about her very much, otherwise, how could he remember her childhood preferences after fourteen years?
But the more this happens, the more uncomfortable it becomes.
"He wants to protect you, so he hasn't acknowledged you yet. When the time is right, they will come and acknowledge you." Zhao Yi held her wrist, lowered his eyes to look at the bracelet on his wrist, and stroked the characters on it with his fingertips. "I heard a piece of news in the imperial study today. The King of Zhenbei is taking his three sons to fight in the northern border."
Shen Qingtan's thoughts were briefly confused, and for a moment he couldn't figure out Zhao Yi's intention of mentioning the King of Zhenbei.
"The King of Zhenbei sent someone to deliver a secret letter to tell the emperor about this matter. I saw his seal on the secret letter, and the characters on it are the same as those on your bracelet. This kind of characters is a unique symbol of a family and no one else will use it."
Zhao Yi whispered, "If you are from the Zhenbei Palace, it's understandable that they temporarily don't acknowledge you. After all, the late emperor issued a decree that anyone from the palace who leaves Liangzhou will be charged with treason. Even if the emperor is kind and won't punish the palace for this, he still needs a reason to silence the gossip."
Emperor Jing'an ruled the country with benevolence and promoted filial piety, and would not openly violate the will of the previous emperor.
Moreover, given the status and position of the King of Zhenbei, there must be treacherous officials who are eyeing him and trying to bring him down.
If the Prince of Zhenbei made meritorious deeds in the northern border, Emperor Jing'an would be able to pardon his crime, and no one would dare to make a big fuss about it.
"Zhenbei Palace..." Shen Qingtan suddenly figured out the key point and said hurriedly, "Boss Gu has a younger sister. His sister has been in poor health since childhood, and was fostered in Liangzhou to recuperate. Later, she got engaged in Liangzhou and married in Liangzhou. Do you think... the person she married is the Zhenbei Prince?"
Boss Qin said that Gu Zongci's sister married into a wealthy family, but few people knew who she married.
If she were to marry into a prominent family, there would be no need to be so secretive.
She had previously suspected that she was the daughter of the Gu family, and had speculated about every aspect, but she still couldn't figure out why Gu Zongci didn't recognize her.
Finally, it was speculated that Gu Zongci was afraid of the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion. After all, he was just a merchant, and she was officially the daughter of the Cheng'en Marquis. He was worried that if he recognized her, it would bring revenge from the Marquis' Mansion.
If it was just this concern, Shen Qingtan wouldn't care.
There was no problem in them secretly recognizing each other.
Because she was stolen from the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion, given Zhao Yi's attitude towards her, he should support her.
With the Duke of Zhao's Mansion standing behind her, she has nothing to fear from the Marquis of Cheng'en's Mansion.
Besides, she had other confusions.
The Gu family is a merchant family. No matter how lucky they are, it is impossible for them to make the Cheng'en Marquisate fear them in just one year.
If it was the King of Zhenbei, then everything would make sense.
The King of Zhenbei was suppressed by the previous emperor and is now stationed in Liangzhou. His sons have no achievements.
In his previous life, General Qi died on the battlefield. Could it be that the Prince of Zhenbei was ordered to take his son to fight in the northern border, and only after he made military achievements was he able to return to the capital to find her?
"Boss Gu dotes on his sister very much. If I were his sister's daughter, it would make sense that he would love me very much. However, these are all our speculations based on the clues, and we still need to confirm them."
Shen Qingtan said cautiously: "Second Master, can you check who the princess of Zhenbei is?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, your guess wouldn't be wrong." Zhao Yi coughed a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "The status of the King of Zhenbei doesn't allow him to marry freely. The late emperor wanted to arrange a marriage for him to restrain him. But he was arrogant by nature and had his own abilities, so he naturally wouldn't listen to the late emperor's arrangements. He acted first and asked for permission later, and secretly married the princess."
"The late emperor considered the Prince of Zhenbei a grave threat. His actions humiliated the late emperor, and his dissatisfaction with him reached its peak, which is why he issued that decree."
Zhao Yi pondered, "If the Prince of Zhenbei had married someone of equal status, given the late emperor's paranoia, I'm afraid he would have dealt with the Prince of Zhenbei regardless of Liangzhou's situation when he died."
The implication was that the Prince of Zhenbei married a merchant girl of low status, and the influence she brought was such that the late emperor had nothing to fear.
Even though the late emperor was dissatisfied with the King of Zhenbei's disobedience, he turned a blind eye to it because there was no one else available.
Shen Qingtan felt a sense of sadness in his heart, as if the rabbit had died and the dog was abandoned.
Since ancient times, loyal ministers and good generals have often had difficulty in ending their lives well.
Zhao Yi raised his hand to smooth her frown: "I will go and find out who the Princess of Zhenbei is."
This is a serious matter, so we must be cautious.
Shen Qingtan felt a chill between his eyebrows, and all his thoughts were focused on his fingers.
Seeing her staring at his hand blankly, Zhao Yi retracted his hand: "What are you thinking about?"
"Ah?" Shen Qingtan came back to his senses and spoke faster than his brain could think: "I didn't think anything."
Zhao Yi burst out laughing.
Shen Qingtan's fair face turned red instantly. She realized that she was disturbed by his small action and even acted stupidly.
What’s even more hateful is that this man asked the question even though he knew the answer.
She felt ashamed and annoyed, and glared at him: "I was just thinking, if I am really the daughter of the King of Zhenbei, then we can't recognize each other for the time being. Only when he returns triumphantly can we recognize each other."
After a pause, a cold look flashed in her eyes: "However, there is another way."
That is to get rid of the Marquis Cheng'en and his wife.
After all, only the people in the Cheng'en Marquisate knew that she was lost in Nanling Prefecture. As long as they were gone, there would be no one to confirm that she had been to Nanling Prefecture, so it could be said that she was lost in Liang Prefecture.
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