northernbook Chapter 184 Zhao Jue: Searching for the Daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei
Chapter 184 Zhao Jue: Searching for the Daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei
That soft and sweet "Father" came through the drizzle and landed in the ears of the Prince of Zhenbei, causing a huge shock in his heart.
The carriage drove away from him, and his gaze followed it.
His arm was touched, and a silk handkerchief was handed to him.
"You better watch yourself, or you'll cry your way down my territory."
Gu Zongci stuffed the handkerchief into his hand.
Prince Zhenbei: "Get out!"
Gu Zongci wasn't afraid of him. Instead of leaving, he asked, "Have you changed your ways? You're not going to make things difficult for Xiao Zhao. That's not like you."
"Difficult?" The Prince of Zhenbei lowered his eyes. "In what capacity do I pose a difficulty?" He countered, "Based on your status as my biological father?"
Gu Zongci was stumped by the question.
"Manman didn't grow up by my side since she was little. When she needed help the most, it was Zhao Erlang who helped her," the Prince of Zhenbei said with restraint. "The person who raised her betrayed her. Her fiancé, with whom she grew up, abandoned her and married another woman..."
Speaking of Shen Qingtan's ordeal, the Prince of Zhenbei's eyes blazed with rage, the veins on the back of his hands bulging menacingly, as if he wished he could execute those who had humiliated her on the spot!
These people paid a price, but it could not make up for the harm done to Shen Qingtan.
The Prince of Zhenbei felt sorry for his daughter and was also grateful to Zhao Yi for his kindness: "Anyone who has been betrayed will not trust anyone again. She trusts and relies on Zhao Erlang now, and based on this, she knows that Zhao Erlang treats her very well."
Gu Zongci looked at the Prince of Zhenbei in surprise, finding it hard to believe that he could remain rational and think so comprehensively at such a time.
“Zhao Erlang is an upright man, someone you can entrust your life to. It’s just that his health is a little weak.” The Prince of Zhenbei clenched the handkerchief in his hand: “Zhao Erlang appeared by Manman’s side before us. Manman likes him and has already married him. Why force them apart and make her sad and heartbroken?”
If Zhao Yi doesn't live much longer, they will take Manman away after he passes away.
She wanted to remarry, and as the young princess of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, she had no trouble finding a husband.
She didn't want to remarry, as the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion could support her for life.
If it can cure the illness, that would be wonderful; there's nothing to complain about.
Gu Zongci fell silent for a moment, and began to re-evaluate the Prince of Zhenbei.
They can actually reason?
The Prince of Zhenbei gazed at the empty, rain-soaked alley, where no carriage could be seen again.
He looked away: "I'll just be her support."
Gu Zongci watched as the Prince of Zhenbei strode steadily into the rain, his brows furrowing. "Where are you going?"
Without turning his head, the Prince of Zhenbei said, "I'm going to the mansion. Have it cleaned up so I can bring Manman home next time and let her get acquainted with the place."
Gu Zongci stood there, and the once bustling mansion suddenly became quiet.
He turned around, placed his hand on the stone pillar, and his eyes were filled with the desolation of the rainy night.
My niece has been found.
Changsheng should go home by now, shouldn't he?
Gu Zongci passed through the side door, and the gauze lantern under the eaves cast a long shadow of him on the ground.
-
Second house, Qingyun Garden.
Shen Mingzhu was wearing a loose-fitting dress and was lying on her side on the chaise longue with her hands resting on her lower abdomen.
After recovering from his injuries in late winter, he returned to Shen Mingzhu's side to take care of her.
Holding a book of family precepts, she read aloud to Shen Mingzhu: "...Treat all children equally, without favoritism. Besides this, it is also necessary to emphasize the moral education of children, and to admonish descendants not to flatter the powerful in order to obtain official positions..."
Zhao Jue stepped into the house and heard Wan Dong reciting the family precepts; his face darkened.
He turned and strode away from Qingyun Garden toward Shian Hall, intending to inquire about the Prince of Zhenbei from the Duke.
He learned from his colleagues that the daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei had gone missing while visiting relatives in Nanling Prefecture.
After making a great contribution, the Prince of Zhenbei returned and took the initiative to apologize to Emperor Jing'an.
For a meritorious official like him, his merits and demerits simply cancel each other out.
Zhao Jue had an idea and decided to find the daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei.
If he finds him, he will be the benefactor of the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion.
Given the Prince of Zhenbei's nature of repaying kindness, he will surely support him.
Having boarded the ship of the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, they no longer had to be suppressed by the Duke.
When Zhao Jue arrived at the entrance of Shi'an Hall, he was stopped by the servant guarding the entrance: "Third Master, the First Master, the First Madam, the Second Master, and the Second Mistress are inside."
Zhao Jue's eyes darkened, suspecting that the eldest branch of the family had also heard rumors and went to the Duke to inquire about the Prince of Zhenbei.
"How long have you been here?"
"I just arrived."
Zhao Jue glanced at the tightly closed courtyard gate, his face tense, and went to wait in the pavilion not far from Shian Hall.
Inside the house, the Duke and his wife sat on the couch.
The master, his wife, Zhao Yi, and Shen Qingtan sat on stools.
"Your whole family has come to Shian Hall, is there something you need?" The old lady placed the small wooden mallet she was using to massage her legs on the small table beside her. "I noticed that you all look very serious, and it makes me uneasy. Tell me, what is it about?"
The old man gave a dry laugh: "Mother, this matter... is a good thing, isn't it?"
"I've come today to deliver good news," the First Madam said with a beaming smile. "The Prince of Zhenbei disobeyed the late Emperor's decree, sending his daughter out of Liangzhou to visit relatives in Nanlingzhou. He won a battle this time and came to the capital to plead guilty. The Emperor, being a man of great righteousness, pardoned him."
The Duke and his wife didn't understand what the First Madam meant. "What does this have to do with us?"
"Of course." The First Madam glanced at Shen Qingtan and took a small wooden mallet to massage the Old Madam's legs: "Our family is related to the Prince of Zhenbei by marriage."
The old lady was taken aback: "In-laws?"
The Duke was drinking tea when he choked on it and coughed silently.
Emperor Jing'an had just announced his intention to bestow a marriage upon the daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei, and suddenly the Duke's mansion and the Prince of Zhenbei were related by marriage...
Could it be that Emperor Jing'an has issued an imperial decree to bestow the marriage upon him?
"Tan'er is the biological daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei." The First Madam didn't keep them in suspense and curled the corner of her mouth: "I was wondering how a good bamboo shoot could grow from a bunch of bad bamboo. It turns out that Tan'er is not the daughter of the Marquis of Chengen at all."
The Duke and his wife looked at Shen Qingtan in surprise, never expecting that their grandson would marry the daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei by such a twist of fate.
When they thought about what Marquis Chengen had done to Shen Qingtan, they weren't surprised.
What parent would kill their own child?
The Duke looked at Shen Qingtan, then at the sickly Zhao Yi, and said with a complicated expression, "Does the Prince of Zhenbei know?"
Zhao Yi said gently, "My father-in-law already knows. We visited him today and had a meal together."
The Duke blurted out, "Shen Zhili has accepted you as his son-in-law?"
Zhao Yi: "..."
Shen Qingtan: "..."
One was that the Duke of Guo spoke without thinking, as if the Prince of Zhenbei shouldn't have accepted him as his son-in-law.
One of them was the name of the Prince of Zhenbei, and the other was a man who didn't care about etiquette, yet he had such a proper name.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Yi'er and Tan'er are a perfect couple, what could the Prince possibly be dissatisfied with?" The old lady glanced at the Duke, and when facing Shen Qingtan, she said kindly, "That's good too. You've escaped the hellish place, and now you've found your family to rely on. No one in the capital will dare to gossip about you behind your back."
The Marquis of Chengen severed his father-daughter relationship with Shen Qingtan, which caused a great uproar and ultimately affected Shen Qingtan's reputation.
"Your mother-in-law is right, you are a blessed girl." The old lady held Shen Qingtan's hand, genuinely happy for her: "That's wonderful."
A warm feeling welled up in Shen Qingtan's heart. Even after the Marquis of Chengen severed ties with her, the Duke and the old lady treated her as well as ever.
Now they are genuinely happy for her, because she is a child with parents again.
The Duke instructed the eldest master: "Tomorrow, send a letter to the Prince of Zhenbei and pay him a visit in person. After the Prince's family arrives in the capital, the two families can meet again."
The master said solemnly, "My son will send someone to deliver an invitation to our in-laws as soon as he gets back."
Once the agreement was reached, the eldest son left Shian Hall.
Zhao Jue followed closely to Shi'an Hall. As he entered, he could still hear the old lady and the Duke preparing a gift list.
I could also vaguely hear the words "King of Zhenbei".
Could it be that the eldest son's wife beat them to it?