Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Birthday Changes Her skin is actually fair...
Her skin was fair and delicate, quite different from the impression I had of a country girl.
His facial features were above average, but when put together, they shocked everyone present.
“It’s so similar…”
Old Madam Gu couldn't help but take a step forward and murmured.
Zhao Mingjing was a little confused. What do they mean by similar?
Looking at her mother who was also stunned, she couldn't help but reach out and grab her sleeve and shake it gently.
The Second Madam came to her senses and signaled her with her eyes to keep quiet. When Zhao Sanlang died, Jing was still young, so it was normal for her not to remember. The older ones all remembered it. The girl looked 50% like Zhao Sanlang, and her features and eyebrows were like Liang's.
Just as everyone here came to their senses, Liang fell to her knees with a plop, tears streaming down her face before she could speak. The young lady next to her also knelt down and cried for her mother.
Old Madam Gu fell back trembling, her crying making her head buzz.
She banged the crutch in her hand loudly. "Why are you crying? Tell me what's going on!"
Although Old Lady Gu had already expected this as soon as she saw the girl's appearance.
Although Sheng was pretty, she looked neither like her father nor her mother. There were many people in the world who looked nothing like their parents, but she had never suspected anything before.
But when a girl who looked exactly like Sanlang and Liang stood in front of her.
The answer is obvious.
Liang wiped away her tears and said, "To answer your mother's question, my husband's whereabouts were unknown back then, and I went out to look for him. When I passed through a village, a sudden fire broke out, and I had no choice but to stay at a farmer's house. Less than two weeks after I gave birth, I hurriedly hired a carriage and rushed back to the Marquis' Mansion."
She looked at the girl next to her, her eyes full of guilt.
"The child... the child might have been taken by mistake because we were in a hurry when we left."
Zhao Mingsheng showed a surprised expression at the right time, and his almond-shaped eyes widened.
"What a mess! What a mess!"
Old Madam Gu slammed the table, but this was not enough to express the anger in her heart.
Liang pulled the girl into her arms and cried bitterly, "Everything is my fault, but she finally found the child, and she must return to her roots!"
Liang, who had been silent in the mansion for a long time, seemed to suddenly explode. For the sake of her children, she vented her emotions and didn't care about anything else.
Zhao Mingsheng looked at everything in front of him. Even though he was mentally prepared, he still felt sad inside. He wanted to say something but it was stuck in his throat.
In the past fourteen years, when had her mother ever hugged her? When had she ever looked at her with such tenderness? When had she ever stood up to defend her when she was bullied?
She clenched her fists tightly to hold back the tears.
Old Madam Gu sighed deeply and looked much older in an instant.
All matters concerning children are debts!
"Get up and talk! Girl, tell Grandma, what's your name?"
If it is true as Liang said, that she is Sanlang's direct descendant, then she will definitely be included in the family tree again.
Coincidentally, the family where Liang originally stayed also had the surname Zhao.
Zhao Mingzhu helped Liang stand up, bowed, and then replied, "Grandmother, my adoptive parents also have the surname Zhao, and we named her Mingzhu."
Looking at Zhao Mingzhu's rather considerate manners, Old Lady Gu nodded in satisfaction. Although this girl grew up in a peasant household in the countryside, her conversation was still acceptable.
Looking at the face that looked similar to Sanlang, her heart softened unconsciously. He was also a poor child, that was all.
"Mingzhu is a good name, no need to change it. Tomorrow I will ask the elders of the clan to arrange for it to be included in the family tree."
"Thank you, Grandma!"
Zhao Mingzhu smiled and responded obediently, but from an unobstructed angle, a hint of gloom flashed in her eyes.
If it were a truly inexperienced peasant girl, she would have been terrified by the scene. But Zhao Mingzhu had lived two lives, so naturally, she was not frightened.
Looking back on her previous life, Zhao Mingzhu never understood why she had parents but grew up in her uncle's house in the next village. Until one day, a mysterious man found her and told her about her life experience.
It turns out that she is not an ordinary peasant girl, but the daughter of Pingyuan Marquis, and her biological mother took the wrong child away!
Her adoptive parents had known for a long time that she was not their biological child, and they could not find the whereabouts of their biological child. If they kept her with them for a long time, they would inevitably get angry with her, so they simply sent her to live with her uncle.
With the help of a mysterious person, she returned to Hou Mansion.
But life in the Hou Mansion was not easy.
In her previous life, the first day she entered the mansion happened to be Zhao Mingsheng’s birthday party, and the whole mansion was bustling with activity.
She and Liang were in the quiet courtyard, listening to Liang chattering about how loving she and her husband were in the past.
The next day, Liang quietly told the old lady the whole story. The old lady immediately decided to conceal Zhao Mingsheng's identity and only said that there were two daughters, one of whom was recuperating in the countryside.
Obviously she was the real daughter, but because she grew up in the countryside and didn't know the etiquette and rules, she made a lot of jokes. She was also secretly laughed at by the servants in the mansion, saying that she was not as good as the fake daughter. She was bullied by the sisters in other rooms and had no way to complain.
The fake daughter Zhao Mingsheng was protected by the old lady. Not only did she not have to go back to the countryside, she also got a good marriage.
And what about her? When she reached the age to get married, she was hastily betrothed to a second-generation prince who had no ambition and who beat and scolded her even after marriage.
Before she died, she looked back on her life, feeling extremely unfair and died with resentment. Unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes, she was back to the first day she entered the mansion!
This time she wants to take back everything that belongs to her!
So, Zhao Mingzhu decided to take the initiative and instigate Liang to disrupt Zhao Mingsheng's birthday party. She wanted to expose Liang's identity in front of everyone and see if she would have the nerve to stay any longer!
After making arrangements for Zhao Mingzhu, Old Lady Gu turned to ask Liang: "Mingzhu has returned to her ancestral home, so what are your plans for Sheng?"
Hearing this question, Liang seemed to have just remembered that she had a daughter, and looked up at Zhao Mingsheng who was standing in the corner.
Meeting those bright almond eyes, she looked away guiltily.
She really hadn't considered what would happen to the child she had raised in the Marquis' Mansion for fourteen years.
When Old Lady Gu saw that she was silent, she knew that she had definitely not thought about these questions, and she was furious for a moment.
Zhao Mingzhu, who had experienced her previous life, knew that Old Lady Gu held a high position in the Pingyuan Marquisate, was a man of final say, and had deep feelings for Zhao Mingsheng. If Zhao Mingsheng hadn't been driven away, with the old lady protecting her, she could still live a fulfilling life in the mansion.
Zhao Mingzhu gritted her teeth secretly. She didn't want to live her life again and be suppressed by this usurper! Looking at the beautiful woman with creamy skin and excellent temperament in front of her, a trace of jealousy flashed in her eyes. These were all the result of her usurping her status!
How can we drive Zhao Mingsheng out of the Marquis' Mansion? Zhao Mingzhu thought about it and came up with a good idea.
She pretended to be innocent and said, "Sister Sheng, my adoptive parents have always missed you. Now that I'm back, shouldn't I go back to them and fulfill my filial duties?"
Zhao Mingzhu had a good idea. Filial piety is the most important virtue. If Zhao Mingsheng still refused to leave, she could accuse her of being unfilial.
Hearing this, Zhao Mingsheng looked up at Zhao Mingzhu and caught the undisguised hatred in her eyes. She was shocked. She had never done anything to hurt Zhao Mingzhu before, so where did the hatred come from?
"I......"
Zhao Mingsheng was just about to follow her words and take this opportunity to leave the Marquis' Mansion, but he was interrupted by the old lady just as he started.
"I have raised Sheng girl for so many years, why don't you keep her and show filial respect to an old woman like me."
Seeing that the old lady cared so much about Zhao Mingsheng, she solved the problem with just one sentence. Zhao Mingzhu's hands in her sleeves clenched tightly unconsciously, and her fingertips pinched into the flesh, causing pain, but she still had to put on a well-behaved attitude.
If one plan fails, come up with another.
"Grandmother is right, but my sister has been separated from her family for too long. It won't be too late to return to pay your respects after you've reunited with them! I'm sure you won't be reluctant to leave the wealth of this mansion, will you?"
Zhao Mingzhu spoke innocently, but it sounded as if Zhao Mingsheng was reluctant to leave the wealth of the Marquis' Mansion and was unwilling to go back to suffer.
Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help but laugh inwardly. What a clever trick! If he didn't leave now that things had come to this, he would be branded as someone who coveted the wealth of the Marquisate. He would inevitably be criticized in the mansion, just like what he had experienced in his dream.
If he left, it would just be what Zhao Mingzhu wanted.
Liang, who had been silent the entire time, quickly agreed upon hearing her daughter speak, nodding her head vigorously. "Let Sheng go back to her biological parents. I know the pain of separation."
Hearing Liang, who had never fulfilled her duties as a mother, talking about the pain of separation from her own flesh and blood, Old Lady Gu was so angry that she almost fainted.
"The girl that the Marquis' Mansion has pampered for fourteen years is now being sent back to be a village girl. How can this be said! Can't our Mansion support one more person?"
Even if Sheng Yatou is not her biological daughter, but having raised her by her side for so many years, it is impossible to say that she has no feelings for her! Sending Sheng Yatou away like this, Liang is willing to do so, but she is not willing to do so!
Seeing that the old lady was trembling with anger, Zhao Mingsheng hurried forward to help her calm down, and asked the maid to bring some qi-regulating pills and mix them with water for the old lady to take.
After feeding the medicine, Zhao Mingsheng was about to step back, but was grabbed by the wrist by Old Lady Gu.
"Sheng girl, tell me yourself, do you want to stay or go back to your biological parents?"
Zhao Mingsheng met his grandmother's loving eyes, and the tears that he had been holding back for a long time finally slid down from his eye sockets to his cheeks.
Yes, although she lost her mother’s love for fourteen years, she still has the love of her grandmother.
But the things that happened in the dream were still vivid in her mind. If she continued to stay in this wealthy and prosperous life, with the gap in status in the future, she could hardly guarantee that she would not repeat the same mistakes and do something irreparable. After all, jealousy can change a person beyond recognition.
Thinking of this, Zhao Mingsheng slowly knelt in front of his grandmother and kowtowed several times.
"What are you doing! Stop Sheng girl!"
The servant was a little slow after all. After a few kowtows, when Mother Li helped him up from the ground, his forehead was visibly red and swollen, with a few beads of blood in the middle.
"Silly girl! Does it hurt?" Old Lady Gu was both angry and distressed. While checking Zhao Mingsheng's injuries, she ordered the maid beside her, "Hurry up and go to my room and bring me the blood-dissolving ointment given by the palace!"
Zhao Mingsheng shook his head gently, and smiled with tears in his eyes, "Grandmother's kindness in raising me cannot be repaid with these few kowtows. These kowtows are to hope that Grandmother can forgive me for not being able to fulfill my filial duties in front of her from now on."
Now that things have come to this, what else could Old Lady Gu not understand? She sighed.
"Forget it, forget it! If you want to leave, just go. Grandma is old and can't take care of you for a few more years."
"Pfft! Grandma will surely live a long life. I will definitely come back to visit you when I have the chance! And I will bring you the most delicious fruits!"
"You girl, you're still thinking about eating!"
Old Madam Gu was so angry that she poked her on the head, and finally smiled.
Hearing that Zhao Mingsheng had voluntarily left the mansion, Zhao Mingzhu's clenched fingers loosened slightly, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had made up her mind that even if Zhao Mingsheng didn't leave today, she would eventually kick her out!
Zhao Mingsheng brought nothing with her except two sets of clothes and a package that her grandmother had forced upon her. She packed up all the hairpins, rings, pearls and jadeite that the palace had rewarded her with in the past and handed them over to Liang.
After all, these things in the Marquis' Mansion did not originally belong to her.
From this point on, the trend was obviously different from that in her dream, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The sky outside the door is blue and the air is clear. There is no restriction from the high gates and large courtyards, and birds can still fly freely in the sky.
Zhong Cui and Zhong Yan came out to see Zhao Mingsheng off.
Zhong Yuan was so happy that she could be reunited with her family.
Zhong Cui stood there with a worried look on her face, sighing uncontrollably.
Zhao Mingsheng smiled and rubbed her brows, "If you sigh again, you'll really become an old maid."
Before being sold into the Zhao residence at the age of seven, Zhong Cui had also grown up in the countryside, so she naturally knew the environment there was vastly different from the Zhao residence. How could a pampered young lady endure this?
Her soft fingertips gently rubbed her eyebrows. Looking at the young lady who was making her laugh, Zhong Cui held back the tears in her eyes. Why did such a good young lady have such a rough fate!
"Don't be afraid, young lady. If you have no money, come and ask me for it!"
"And me! I will start saving money from this month!" Zhong Yuan came over at some point, looking serious.
Zhao Mingsheng smiled and rubbed their heads. "Don't worry, I won't starve myself."
As Zhao Mingsheng was laughing, she suddenly slapped her head. Where was the Zhao family of her biological parents? She didn't know!
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