Soon, Gu Jingchun and the other two arrived at the main hall together.
As soon as they approached, Chu Qianlan led the two in bowing.
"Your humble wife, Lady Yong'an, along with her two daughters, pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, wishing Her Majesty boundless happiness and longevity."
After Gu Jingchun bowed, he heard a kind voice coming from the head of the table.
"Alright, everyone get up."
The three of them stood up, and only then did Gu Jingchun look up at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was about fifty or sixty years old. Her white hair was adorned only with a jade hairpin. She wore a brown brocade palace dress, exuding elegance, nobility, and solemnity.
But she had a smile on her lips, and her face was full of kindness and generosity, displaying the epitome of a mother's virtue, which made Gu Jingchun feel respect for her.
Perhaps it was because Gu Jingchun's gaze was too intense.
The Empress Dowager's gaze also fell on her.
She looked Gu Jingchun up and down and found that although she was dressed simply, her face was extremely stunning.
Especially her overall demeanor and her calm yet powerful eyes, which were so bright that the Empress Dowager took a few more glances at her.
However, in an instant, the Empress Dowager spoke:
"I heard that the Marquis of Yong'an recently found his long-lost biological daughter. This must be the young lady!"
When Chu Qianlan saw that Gu Jingchun dared to look directly at the Empress Dowager's face, she frowned slightly. While secretly tugging at her clothes to remind her, she respectfully bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it is indeed my daughter."
“My daughter has been living away from home for many years and grew up in the countryside. She does not know the rules of the palace. If she has offended the Empress Dowager, I hope Your Majesty will forgive her.”
The Empress Dowager shook her head upon hearing this.
"Lady Yong'an is mistaken about what she said."
"Although your daughter grew up in the countryside, her demeanor is in no way inferior to the carefully cultivated noble ladies present."
Upon hearing this, the ladies present all changed their expressions, and their eyes showed some displeasure.
After all, no one wants their daughter to be compared to a widow raised in the countryside.
Moreover, few of them agreed with what the Empress Dowager said, after all, they were arrogant and had never even glanced at Gu Jingchun.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingchun immediately bowed.
The Empress Dowager liked it even more.
"Indeed, this child is not only good-looking, but also has a good sense of propriety."
Moreover, she was certain that this child was pregnant.
The Empress Dowager had seen countless people throughout her life and believed she had a good eye for judging character.
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Gu Yunjin again.
From the beginning, she didn't like Gu Yunjin.
Although she was raised as the Crown Princess from a young age, her every move exuded the demeanor of a noble lady, and her conduct was extremely disciplined.
But she just doesn't like it.
She always felt that this woman was too fake, like a mannequin, with all her thoughts hidden behind this human skin, yet she still had to put on a kind and amiable appearance.
The Empress Dowager had always disliked this kind of person, so when she learned that she was not the biological daughter of the Marquis of Yong'an, she actually felt relieved.
After all, she didn't want to be the bad guy.
If the Emperor really allows Shen Hechuan to marry Gu Yunjin, she will definitely try to stop it.
The ladies from prominent families present, upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words of praise and noticing that her gaze was constantly shifting between Gu Jingchun and Gu Yunjin, suddenly became somewhat flustered.
Lady Situ had been observing the Empress Dowager's reaction, and at this moment she quickly spoke up jokingly, "This humble woman's opinion is the same as Your Majesty's."
"Although this young lady grew up in the countryside, she has a noble temperament that is no less than that of the noble ladies in Tiandu who have been carefully cultivated since childhood."
"If Miss Gu were not married, she would probably become the object of pursuit for another young master from a prominent family in Tiandu."
"It's just a pity that Miss Gu got married so early."
Madam Situ sighed as she spoke.
The Empress Dowager was slightly surprised upon hearing this.
"They're already married?"
Chu Qianlan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, my daughter was married when she was in the countryside, but her husband died young, leaving her all alone."
As Chu Qianlan spoke, she even pretended to wipe away her tears with a handkerchief.
Those present, seeing that Chu Qianlan was intentionally keeping the matter of the child a secret, quickly chimed in.
"That's right. It left Miss Gu all alone with a three or four-year-old child. It's all thanks to Marquis Yong'an who sent people to find her in time, otherwise Miss Gu's future would probably be very difficult."
This surprised the Empress Dowager even more.
She only knew that the Marquis of Yong'an had found his true daughter, but she didn't know that Gu Jingchun was actually a widow with a child. She sighed with regret.
The ladies present also breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought to herself that it was fortunate that Gu Jingchun was a widow, otherwise their daughter would have had even less of a chance.
After all, they weren't as blind as Chu Qianlan; they could clearly see from the Empress Dowager's eyes that she was extremely fond of Gu Jingchun.
Upon hearing this, Chu Qianlan couldn't help but glance at the lady who had spoken.
She was trying everything to cover up the fact that Gu Jingchun had a child, but she never expected that Gu Jingchun would reveal it to the Empress Dowager.
This is troublesome. If the Third Prince takes a liking to Gu Jingchun later, she'll have to spend a lot of time explaining the child's situation.
Thinking of this, Chu Qianlan couldn't help but recall her plan.
I wonder how the people in the Marquis's mansion are doing with their preparations.
Once they send the child away, she will have no more worries.
After paying her respects to the Empress Dowager, Chu Qianlan stayed in the main hall and, like the other ladies, kept the Empress Dowager company while she spoke.
She took the opportunity to let Gu Yunjin and Gu Jingchun go out for a stroll together.
However, before Gu Jingchun left, she took out a jade-carved puppy pendant from her sleeve and hung it around Gu Jingchun's neck.
"This is a little trinket that I specially made for you by Mingren. It's very cute."
I thought you'd like it, so I thought I'd keep it for you. I was in such a rush today that I forgot! Luckily it's not too late yet, so why don't you try it on first?
Gu Jingchun examined the puppy pendant.
The puppy is entirely brown, exquisitely carved, and lifelike. Its fur is curly, giving it a憨憨 (simple and honest) and very cute appearance. If it were a little fatter, it would look like an adorable little lamb.
Most women would definitely like it.
Gu Jingchun in his previous life was the same.
In her past life, after Chu Qianlan gave her the item, she cherished it and felt that her mother still cared about her, which was why she thoughtfully gave her such a lovely jade pendant.
But no one knew that the shape of this dog carving was exactly the same as the dog that the Third Prince used to keep.
The third prince suffered from intellectual impairment and was bullied in the palace in his early years.
This little dog has always been with him and protected him.
If any eunuchs or palace maids bully him, the puppy will bravely bite them away.
As a result, he was beaten up several times.
Every winter night, when the Third Prince was cold, the little boy would hug it to keep warm.
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