met free Chapter 175 The Prince of Zhenbei Returns to the Capital
Chapter 175 The Prince of Zhenbei Returns to the Capital
When Madam Shen heard Prince Yu's drawn-out tone, her heart couldn't help but jump, fearing that Prince Yu might change his mind.
“Shen Qingtan is not the daughter of the Gu family, but the daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei.” Prince Yu dropped this bombshell, raising the corners of his lips: “I was unaware that the Prince of Zhenbei’s mansion could not afford to raise a daughter and had to send her to your Marquis’s mansion to be raised.”
Madam Shen's pupils contracted, and her expression changed drastically. Before she could think of anything, she heard Prince Yu's sarcastic words.
Prince Yu initially wanted to support Zhao Jue, but they were fighting amongst themselves with Shen Qingtan. Prince Yu intervened to stop them, not allowing them to ruin his grand plan.
They had to confess to Prince Yu that Shen Qingtan was not the daughter of the Marquis's family. They couldn't very well say that she was stolen, so they made up an excuse, saying that when they went to visit relatives in Nanling Prefecture, a family surnamed Gu gave them the child to raise.
Now that she had been exposed to her face, she was losing face and said awkwardly, "Your Highness, is there a misunderstanding here? She clearly said that she was a child of the Gu family, and she would never lie to us."
Prince Yu said unhurriedly, "Gu Zongci is her uncle."
Madam Shen's face drained of color, and a chill ran from her feet to her head.
Shen Qingtan is actually the daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei. If the Prince of Zhenbei knew this, would he let them go?
No, that's not right—
The late emperor once issued an edict that anyone from the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion who left Liangzhou without authorization would be punished for treason.
No wonder... no wonder that all these years, when the Prince of Zhenbei lost his daughter, he didn't send people to search for her in a big way.
This also explains why Shen Qingtan secretly recognized Gu Zongci instead of going to Liangzhou to find the Prince of Zhenbei and his wife.
So it turns out they were afraid of being punished.
Madam Shen's hand, clutching the handkerchief, trembled slightly.
Exciting.
She almost laughed out loud.
It truly is a case of heaven never closing off all doors.
As long as she holds this leverage, Shen Qingtan will be under her threat. Perhaps she can even use the power of the Prince of Zhenbei to protect the Chengen Marquis's mansion.
Madam Shen couldn't stay a moment longer. After bidding farewell to Prince Yu, she hurriedly left the Prince's residence.
She got into the carriage, took out her gift box, hastily wrote a greeting card, and ordered someone to send it to Shen Qingtan.
She returned to the Marquis of Chengen's residence, taking a special bath and dressing up, unwilling to show her disheveled side in front of Shen Qingtan.
After everything was tidied up, the maid, Lüyin, invited Shen Qingtan in.
As soon as Shen Qingtan entered the room, she saw Madam Shen sitting upright on the daybed, wearing a crimson purple robe with intertwined floral patterns, adorned with pearls and jade, and her eyebrows drawn high, giving her an imposing air.
She stood in the middle of the room, without bowing, and said in a calm voice, "What brings you here, Madam?"
Madam Shen looked at Shen Qingtan with a cold gaze. Just like before she got married, Shen Qingtan had a gentle and dignified demeanor, and looked kind and harmless.
But his heart is colder and harder than anyone else's, and he is more ruthless than anyone else's.
Shen Qingtan deserves much credit for the current state of the Chengen Marquis's mansion!
"We've been mother and daughter for fourteen years. Now that you've recognized your own family, you won't even call them 'mother'?"
Madam Shen retorted sarcastically, "As the saying goes, the kindness of raising someone is greater than the kindness of giving birth. Although you weren't born from my womb, I raised you with my own hands. Don't you deserve to be called my mother?"
Shen Qingtan found it amusing that even now, Madam Shen still had the nerve to mention the debt of gratitude she owed her for raising her.
If it weren't for Madam Shen abducting her, her family wouldn't have had to suffer the pain of separation from their loved ones.
Madam Shen's shamelessness is truly unparalleled.
Shen Qingtan realized that Madam Shen had already revealed her background in the visiting card, and had specially invited her to the Chengen Marquis's residence. Clearly, Madam Shen wanted to use her background to blackmail her and rescue the Chengen Marquis's residence from its predicament.
“Madam, please speak frankly. There’s no need to discuss favors with me,” Shen Qingtan said cryptically. “No one knows better than you why I was raised by you.”
Madam Shen's face darkened.
Shen Qingtan reminded him, "If you're a person of high status and have a bad memory, you might not remember clearly. But the troupe leader who's currently imprisoned and awaiting execution in the autumn should be able to help you recall him, right?"
Madam Shen looked at Shen Qingtan in disbelief; how could she know the truth!
"Now that things have come to this, do you think I still care about my reputation?" Madam Shen remained unfazed.
"And what about your son?" Shen Qingtan smiled slightly and asked, "A noble lady like yourself, colluding with the troupe leader to abduct a little girl and raise her in the manor as her own daughter. With a mother who is a child trafficker, how far do you think Shen Shaohuai can go in the future?"
Madam Shen's fingers tightened. Without a doubt, Shen Shaohuai's future was ruined, and he would have to endure criticism from others.
Because he has a mother who brings him shame.
She sacrificed so much and did so many evil things for Shen Shaohuai.
What he found most unbearable was that she had ruined his future with her own hands.
At this moment, it was a battle between two people. Madam Shen steadied herself and forced herself to say, "If the Marquis's mansion is about to fall, my tarnished reputation is worth it in exchange for the lives of the Prince of Zhenbei and you."
How could Shen Qingtan not see through her thoughts? She was just at the end of her rope.
She asked, "Do you know where my biological father is?"
Madam Shen frowned, not understanding the meaning behind Shen Qingtan's words.
“The Prince of Zhenbei is defending the northern border against foreign enemies. Even if you were to report us, would the Emperor immediately issue an edict to punish him for such a trivial matter, abandoning the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the north?”
Shen Qingtan shattered Madam Shen's beautiful dream: "If the Emperor refrains from punishing him, and waits for the Prince of Zhenbei to return in triumph, he will be rewarded according to his merits, and he can atone for his crimes with his merits."
Madam Shen felt a chill in her heart, because what Shen Qingtan said was true.
Seeing Madam Shen's ashen face, Shen Qingtan curled her lips and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
As Madam Shen watched Shen Qingtan's departing figure, a sense of defeat welled up in her heart.
This bitch!
She grabbed the incense burner from the table and smashed it hard on the ground.
Suddenly, she realized something.
Emperor Jing'an ruled the country with filial piety in mind. As long as she made a big fuss about this matter before the Prince of Zhenbei returned in triumph, she would not be able to easily clear her name after the Prince of Zhenbei's return.
As for her son, he will have a place once Prince Yu ascends the throne.
A ruthless glint flashed in Madam Shen's eyes as she came up with an idea.
-
Several sturdy warhorses were tethered in front of a broken bridge dozens of miles away.
The subordinate glanced at the broken bridge, then at the rushing river, and said to the Prince of Zhenbei beside him, "Your Highness, shall we turn back and find an inn to stay in first, and then figure out a way to cross the river back to the capital tomorrow?"