Chapter 139 Waiting for them to come to me
Gu Zongci frowned and looked at Zhao Yi with some surprise.
After all, Zhao Yi came from a noble family, while he was just a businessman, so there was no need to be so polite to him.
But Zhao Yi treated him with courtesy, even following the etiquette of a junior.
Gu Zongci couldn't help but look at Zhao Yi, and he saw that he was handsome and elegant, and the jade-colored brocade robe he wore made him look like a handsome jade tree.
Whether it is appearance, background, cultivation, or talent, everything is impeccable.
The only drawback is that he is weak and sickly.
I heard that she can't have children.
When Gu Zongci heard the news, he was very dissatisfied with his nephew-in-law.
If my niece had not been separated from her family since childhood, how could she have married a sickly man who would not live long?
He couldn't even imagine how his brother-in-law would react when he found out.
After all, my brother-in-law is not a person who cares about worldly views. He has always done his own thing and is very arrogant.
How could he bear to let his daughter suffer?
Gu Zongci looked at Zhao Yi, who was as gentle as jade and a gentleman.
He had no dissatisfaction in his heart, just some regret.
The couple stood together, the man was talented and the woman was beautiful, a perfect match.
"Please sit down." Gu Zongci invited the two to sit down, personally carrying the teapot and pouring tea for them. "Why did you invite me to the Qin Mansion today?"
Shen Qingtan held the teacup in both hands and looked at Gu Zongci carefully.
She didn't know if it was because of the close observation or the change in her mood, but she actually saw a sense of familiarity in Gu Zongci's eyes and eyebrows.
"The Princess arrested a troupe of opera singers a while ago. I happened to be there when the Jinyiwei interrogated them. The troupe leader confessed that fourteen years ago, during the Nanlingzhou Lantern Festival, he abducted several children."
Shen Qingtan noticed Gu Zongci's expression change, and continued, "Besides that, someone approached him privately, specifically to kidnap a child. Because the other party didn't show their face, he didn't know who bribed him, and he only had a jade pendant as evidence."
Gu Zongci's hand trembled, and the tea in the cup sloshed out and flowed down the back of his hand onto the table.
"I recognize that jade pendant. It's the one worn by a nanny who was close to my mother," Shen Qingtan asked. "I was lost when I was a child, and my mother found me. Do you think I'm the daughter of the Marquis, or the child abducted by the opera troupe?"
Gu Zongci's eyes were red and he opened his mouth several times to speak, but his throat seemed to be blocked by a ball of cotton wool and he couldn't utter a single word.
"If it was before I got married, I wouldn't have suspected that I was abducted by the opera troupe. They treated me very well and never asked for anything in return. It wasn't until my second sister came back to her ancestral home that their attitude changed."
Shen Qingtan explained calmly, as if she were discussing someone else's affairs: "First, she changed my marriage, then she tried to murder my maid, and even inserted a concubine into my husband's room. Is this really what a mother would do to her daughter?"
Gu Zongci turned his head, his eyes moist, as if he had not expected her life to be so hard.
It turned out that when they met last time, she already knew that she was not the daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, and she wore the filigree bracelet specifically to test him.
Today she spoke frankly and openly, probably because she had already confirmed her background.
"That shouldn't be the case. No mother would be so cruel to her own flesh and blood." When Shen Qingtan said this, her nose suddenly felt sore and her throat choked as she said, "I want to take back everything the Marquis' Mansion did to me."
Gu Zongci clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. "The Marquis' Mansion kidnapped you and forced you to be separated from your biological parents. This debt must be repaid."
If the Marquis's Mansion had not abducted Shen Qingtan, the old ancestor would not have died, and his son would not have run away from home and disappeared without a trace.
There is no more joy in the Zhenbei Palace, and everyone lives in pain.
My younger sister cried all day long because she was depressed and her health was fluctuating.
"Yes, this account must be settled." Shen Qingtan clenched the handkerchief in her hand and said in a subtle tone: "The Marquis' Mansion is in trouble now. I will take advantage of the situation to add fuel to the fire and make them sever ties with me on their own initiative. However, they will not sever ties with me easily. Unless my reputation is ruined and even implicates them, they will kick me away."
Gu Zongci understood what Shen Qingtan meant. She wanted to sever ties with the Marquis' Mansion, and her reputation might be affected in the process.
His heart moved slightly. If Shen Qingtan had not deliberately reminded him, if he heard that she had a bad reputation in the future, he might really do something to protect her reputation, which would probably ruin her plan.
"After I left the Marquis' Mansion, I no longer had my natal family to rely on. After a woman gets married, if she has her natal family as a backer, she will also be respected in her husband's family."
Shen Qingtan said softly: "I hope that by then, my biological parents will be able to find me."
"Yes, they will find you." Gu Zongci looked at Shen Qingtan's face, pulled the corners of his lips and said, "Parents will recognize their own flesh and blood at a glance."
Shen Qingtan's eyes were sore and misty: "Really? Is it the same for you?"
Gu Zongci nodded and wiped his eyes with his fingers.
Shen Qingtan smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll wait for them."
Gu Zongci saw that her eyes were filled with tears and her lips were moving, as if she wanted to say something.
At this time, Shen Qingtan got up and went to the door of the tea room, took a wooden box from Liu Yue who was waiting at the door, and then returned to the tea room.
"Thanks to your help with the Guanzhou incident this time, this is my thank you gift to you."
Shen Qingtan held the wooden box in both hands and handed it to Gu Zongci.
Gu Zongci worked with Boss Qin to sell grain to corrupt officials in Guanzhou, and he himself was also a beneficiary. After a little thought, he realized that Shen Qingtan was not giving him a thank-you gift, but using this as an excuse to give him a gift.
It was as if he had given the property to her through Boss Qin.
"I have something to say to Uncle Qin, so I'll go first."
Shen Qingtan had achieved the purpose of this trip, so he said goodbye to Gu Zongci.
Gu Zongci escorted the two of them out of the tea room, and only looked at the wooden box in his hand when he could no longer see them.
He reached out and opened the box. When he saw what was inside, tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably.
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