Chapter 162 Meeting 2
There is no wind today, and the branches of the trees are swaying slightly under the shade. Shen Fu and Shen Qingru walked along the way quietly, without saying a word to each other.
Only when they reached the place did the palace maid leading the way turn around and say, "We have arrived at the front. The two young ladies can go in by their own. I will not see you off."
After the palace maid finished speaking, she lowered her head and walked away, leaving Shen Qingru and Shen Fu alone.
The door in front of her was closed. Shen Fu looked forward and took a deep breath.
Not sure if it was psychological or if a long-held fantasy had come true, Shen Fu looked at the closed door in front of her, took a few deep breaths, and tried to raise her hand to push the door open several times, but in the end she let it go.
She was actually a little scared...
I don’t know what she is afraid of. Is she afraid that the person inside is not who she thinks? Or is she afraid that there is a truth in it that she doesn't want to know?
Shen Fu was just afraid in her heart, with a feeling of uneasiness in her mind.
He didn't even dare to raise his hand to push the door open.
"Heh..." A sneer came from the side, and Shen Qingru walked forward, holding her stomach.
Those cold eyes looked back and forth at Shen Fu several times, and there was contempt in their eyes.
She blew gently at Chen Fu, exerted a little force with her armored fingertips, and pushed the door open.
Shen Qingru held her stomach, twisted her waist, and walked into the house with full confidence.
Shen Fu followed behind, looking at the open door in front of her. He took a deep breath and followed him in.
"Fuer..."
As soon as Shen Fu entered the door, before she could react, she saw a man rushing towards her.
The man was not young. Judging from his appearance, he was probably in his sixties or seventies. She wore a lake green outer garment with the pattern of Five Blessings and Longevity, and a dark gray brocade skirt with scattered flowers.
Her hair was covered with gorgeous pearls and jade, and she was leaning on a pearl-studded cane. He limped towards Shen Fu, and before Shen Fu could react, he hugged Shen Fu tightly with both hands.
"Fuer, my Fuer."
Shen Fu stood there stiffly, not daring to move. She had never experienced such a scene before.
Shen Fu has been loved and pampered since she was a child. But I have never seen this kind of thing before.
However, the person who hugged her was crying.
He stretched out his hands and hugged Shen Fu tightly, muttering over and over again: "Fu'er, my Fu'er."
The sound of crying was heard in the house, and for a moment the only sound in the house was crying.
"You..." Seeing her mistress being hugged by someone, Zi Su was extremely anxious.
"Who are you? Why are you hurting our young lady like this?" Zi Su was afraid that this person would hurt Chen Fu and cause her pain.
He quickly reached out his hand to pull the two people apart.
But before she could exert force on her palm, the person holding Shen Fu raised his head.
"Fuer, you don't even recognize your grandmother." Old Mrs. Shen let go of the hand that was hugging her, took out a handkerchief from her bosom and gently wiped her tears.
"I am your biological grandmother, Fuer."
Shen Fu had guessed something just now, but when she heard what Old Lady Shen said, she finally turned her attention to her.
Judging from the way the person in front of me is dressed, he can be said to be elegant and luxurious. She wore a red hairpin on her head and her wrists were adorned with jade and agate. Although he is old, he is still very strong.
She raised her hand to wipe her tears and looked at Shen Fu.
Shen Fu met that gaze, then glanced away. She stared at the cane that Old Lady Shen was holding tightly, and her eyes curved downwards as she spoke:
"grandmother."
Shen Fu spoke, her voice sweet and pleasant.
Old Mrs. Shen breathed a sigh of relief visibly, and the slight tension on her face disappeared.
She stretched out her hand, held Shen Fu's, and patted her palm gently: "Good child, good child."
Old Mrs. Shen held Shen Fu's palm tightly, calling her a good child.
There were a few tears on that kind face. Old Mrs. Shen held Shen Fu's palm, and she was shaking with excitement.
"Grandma misses you day and night, and just wants to see you once."
She held Shen Fu's hand, her palm trembling. Looking at Chen Fu's face, she was in tears.
"Fortunately, God has granted my wish, allowing me to finally see you before I die."
Old Mrs. Shen held Shen Fu's hand, calling her a good child and her sweetheart for an unknown amount of time.
Shen Fu was touched and let Old Lady Shen hold her hand. It was not until a long time later that she asked, "Grandma, let's sit down and talk."
"Good boy." Old Madam Shen patted Shen Fu's palm affectionately: "Look, grandma is so happy to see you that she forgets everything."
Old Madam Shen smiled gently at Shen Fu, and then said, “Fuer, besides grandma, there is another person who came to visit today.”
As Mrs. Shen spoke, she took Shen Fu to the inner room. Shen Fu followed behind Old Lady Shen and realized that the matter was not that simple.
Her eyes flickered, and she asked knowingly, "Oh? Could it be that father is here too?"
When Shen Fu mentioned the word father, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
Her father has been missing for many years and has never come to Suzhou to see her. She doesn't know whether they can meet today.
"He's not your father." When Mrs. Shen heard the word "father" come out of Shen Fu's mouth, her face was embarrassed for a moment.
Then, he quickly turned back and comforted Shen Fu: "Today, we are visiting relatives. According to the rules, men are not allowed to enter or leave."
"Your father also wants to come, but Fu'er, the palace has its own rules." Old Lady Shen seemed to be afraid that Shen Fu would be unhappy. She held Shen Fu's hand and looked at Shen Fu's face carefully.
Chen Fu faced Old Lady Shen and forced a smile on her face: "Oh, if it's not my father, then who is it?"
“You’ll know when you meet her later.” Mrs. Shen took Shen Fu’s hand affectionately and walked towards the inner room.
Only then did Shen Fu see that in the inner room, besides Shen Qingru, there was another person.
The moment she looked up and saw that person for the first time, Shen Fu was shocked.
The man stood beside Shen Qingru, with his eyes lowered so that his face could not be seen clearly. She was wearing a plain dress made of snow-white material, and she looked extremely elegant.
There was only a hairpin holding up her long black hair. When she lowered her head, a section of her snow-white neck was revealed.
Eyes like jade, the whole person is delicate and elegant. Even though I didn't see the face clearly, I knew that the person in front of me had an extremely attractive face.
But what surprised Shen Fu was not only this, but also that the person in front of her was quite similar to her mother.
Although Shen Fu had never seen her mother since she was a child, she had seen her mother's portrait.
Since I was a child, there was a wall in my home, on which hung portraits of my mother from childhood to adulthood. From a child to a young girl, and finally to marriage.
Chen Fu has seen the life of a child grow up, so she knows how similar the life in front of her is to her mother's.
At the first glimpse, she almost thought she saw a real person.
"This is your Aunt Cui." Shen Fu froze in place. Old Madam Shen took Shen Fu's hand affectionately and brought her to Aunt Cui:
"Why don't you go meet Concubine Shen?" These words were obviously directed at Aunt Cui.
Since ancient times, concubines have had a low status, and Aunt Cui is obviously no exception. She stood timidly beside Shen Qingru, not even daring to sit down.
She just lowered her head and bowed respectfully to Shen Fu: "Cui Shikou greets Concubine Shen."
Chen Fu felt more and more irritated as she listened to that clear and pleasant voice. She didn't even dare to look directly at Aunt Cui and just nodded perfunctorily.
"The palace rules state that no one except female family members can enter the palace." Old Madam Shen said as she glanced at Shen Fu.
"I, your grandmother, am old and have difficulty moving, so I called your Aunt Cui here."
As she spoke, she looked at Shen Fu with worry, as if she was afraid that she would be unhappy.
Shen Fu indeed didn't know that there was another concubine.
When they were in Suzhou, the Gu family never told her about any matter in the Shen family.
So apart from knowing who her father is, Chen Fu knows nothing else.
What's more, this Aunt Cui looks so much like her mother.
Shen Fu looked at Old Madam Shen's worried expression, then looked at the person in front of her whose face she couldn't see clearly.
She actually didn't want to embarrass this person any more, and after a moment's hesitation, she said, "This Aunt Cui, this is the first time I've heard of her."
Over the years, the Shen family had never released any information to her, let alone asking her actively.
Otherwise, how could she, already so old, not know that her father had a concubine?
Sure enough, when Shen Fu finished speaking, Mrs. Shen’s expression turned ugly for a moment.
But after a moment, he recovered and said, "This Concubine Cui entered the mansion a long time ago."
When Old Lady Shen said this, she couldn't help but sigh: "It's all my grandmother's fault."
She began, "Your mother died early, and you are in Suzhou and cannot return to Beijing. Not only is the atmosphere in your mansion gloomy, but your father also has no one who cares about him."
When Old Mrs. Shen talked about this, tears streamed down her face. It was as if she had returned to those difficult times: "Your father was extremely sad, and only had your mother in his heart. He refused to remarry no matter what. Grandmother had no other choice, so she decided to let your father marry Concubine Cui."
"For so many years, it is thanks to your Aunt Cui's dedicated service." Old Lady Shen sat down and said, "She has taken very good care of your father and elder sister."
Eldest sister?
Shen Fu raised her eyebrows and stopped looking at Aunt Cui.
He turned his head and looked at Shen Qingru beside him.
From the moment she entered the room, Shen Qingru sat on the chair with a calm and composed look on her face.
With her bulging belly, Shen Qingru drank tea leisurely from beginning to end, as if she was not worried at all about today's meeting.
Shen Fu met Shen Qingru's expression, her throat rolling, and deliberately smiled and said to Old Lady Shen: "Grandma, did you remember it wrong? My mother should have only given birth to me?"
Shen Fu tilted her head and asked with an innocent look on her face.
Old Madam Shen paused holding the teacup and nodded helplessly: "It's just you."
Her mother died during childbirth, so how could there be a second one?
What's more, Shen Qingru is a few years older than her.
Shen Fu held Zi Su's hand and sat down opposite Old Lady Shen, and asked with a smile on her face, "If that's the case, how can I be called the eldest sister?"
When Shen Fu said this, she looked around, then lowered her head and took a sip of tea:
"Back then, my mother married into the capital and had no children for many years. Later, their relationship broke down somehow. My mother went back to the Gu family in anger, and that's how Chen Fu grew up in the Gu family."
When Shen Fu said this, her face was full of sarcasm. Just now, Old Madam Shen kept saying that she couldn't see her.
How far is Kyoto from Suzhou? If we really meet, then why isn't that a solution?
How could it be that we haven't seen each other for so many years that we can't even recognize our own family members?
Chen Fu shook her head and tapped her fingertips on the table. "Besides, as far as Chen Fu knows, my father has never remarried, and he has never taken a concubine. If that's the case, I am the legitimate daughter. Is what Chen Fu said wrong?"
Old Madam Shen's expression froze. She turned to look at Shen Qingru beside her, coughed twice, and nodded: "Well said."
Shen Fu took advantage of the victory and continued to attack:
"And what Shen Qingru said when she entered the mansion was true. The grandmother missed her granddaughter so much that she found a child who looked similar and adopted her as her adopted daughter. I wonder if what Shen Fu said is true."
It is said that when Shen Qingru entered the palace, she was extremely pitiful. At that time, the Shen family also passed the news to the Gu family and deliberately took the open approach.
These words that Shen Fu said were also passed on to the Gu family by the Shen family back then, word for word.
Only then did Mrs. Shen realize that the woman in front of her was not so easy to fool.
She put down the teacup in her hand and nodded.
The moment she saw Old Lady Shen nod, Shen Fu's lips curled up.
It’s good to admit it, the worst thing is not admitting it.
The handwritten letters from the Shen family to the Gu family are still there. Even if they want to cheat, Shen Fu will have a way to make them admit it.
"Since she was not born to my mother, and my father never remarried, even if she is listed in the family tree and has a legitimate life, a legitimate daughter is still a legitimate daughter, and an adopted daughter is still an adopted daughter."
Shen Qingru has occupied the position of eldest sister and legitimate daughter for long enough. So long that Shen Fu could no longer tolerate her.
Chen Fu put down the teacup and said calmly, "Identities and bloodlines must not be confused. I hope that grandma will go back today and ask my father to write a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to explain the reasons for Chen Fu's life experience."
"you!"
As soon as Shen Fu finished speaking, Shen Qingru stood up suddenly without saying a word.
She raised her hand and pointed at Shen Fu, holding her bulging belly with one hand: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
What does Shen Fu mean by this? She was included in the family tree and was rightfully recorded under the name of Madam.
She was selected into the palace through a selection process and her name was also listed as a daughter of the Shen family. In the harem for so many years, she relied on her status as her biological daughter.
Shen Fu was making such a fuss that she was actually trying to tear off her face and stomp it on the ground!
joke! ! !
"Don't even think about it!!!"
Facing Shen Qingru's raging anger, Shen Fu was not afraid at all. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea leisurely.
"Grandma, what did I say wrong?"
From beginning to end, Shen Fu only looked at Mrs. Shen who was sitting at the top, and didn't give a wink to Shen Qingru and Aunt Cui who was standing beside her and was serving as a servant.
"Chen Fu, you wish!"
Shen Qingru was obviously extremely angry. Before Old Lady Shen could even speak, she flew into a rage.
Shen Qingru pointed trembling fingers at Shen Fu, her eyes red.
"Who do you think you are? Who do you think you are?"
"Qingru!" Before Shen Qingru could finish her words, the old lady next to her shouted loudly.
She raised her hand and slapped the table hard, watching Shen Qingru sit down obediently.
Only then did she squeeze her lips and smiled affectionately at Shen Fu: “Although Qingru is an adopted daughter, she is older than you and can be considered your sister.”
Shen Fu smiled but said nothing.
Old Madam Shen felt for the pearl on her cane and tried to comfort her, "She is pregnant and about to give birth. You have the favor of the Emperor and are loved by him."
"As long as you two sisters unite as one, you will bring honor to the Shen family."
"Why should we care about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children?"
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