SFS Chapter 124 Gu Zongci's Test
Chapter 124 Gu Zongci's Test
A look of surprise flashed across Manager Gu's eyes. He immediately came out of the carriage and invited Shen Shaoheng to get on.
Shen Shaoheng climbed into the carriage, patted Boss Gu on the shoulder, and said, "Old Gu, you're pretty savvy." He sat down opposite him casually and added, "I'll consider you my friend."
Gu Zongci: "..."
Having been in business for so many years, Gu Zongci had met all sorts of people, most of whom were flatterers, trying to get close to him, or exchanging a few polite words.
This was truly the first time in his life he had ever seen someone like Shen Shaoheng.
“Young Master Shen is the elder brother of the Second Mistress of the Duke of Zhao’s Mansion. She is a major customer of the Gu Family Business. I should give the young master a ride out of consideration for her.” Gu Zongci introduced Shen Qingtan.
"I see," Shen Shaoheng said with a smile. "Then we're old friends."
Gu Zongci: "..." The title of Marquis of Chengen can only be passed down to Shen Shaoheng's generation, right?
“The young master is a man who doesn’t fuss over details and has a very easygoing nature.” Gu Zongci smiled. Perhaps because he was getting old, he couldn’t keep up with Shen Shaoheng’s train of thought at all, so he could only continue to steer the conversation toward Shen Qingtan: “Second Madam Zhao has mentioned you to me a few times, but I haven’t seen her mention any of your other siblings. I suppose you siblings have a very good relationship?”
Upon hearing this, Shen Shaoheng became somewhat interested: "What did my younger sister say about me to you?"
"She said you are naturally free-spirited and unrestrained, and that you are most sincere towards her." Gu Zongci just made up this sentence on the spot based on the situation of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion.
Everyone in the capital said that the Marquis of Chengen and his wife doted on Shen Qingtan. Even after their youngest daughter, who had been living in the countryside, was recognized by her family, it did not shake her position in the Marquis of Chengen's mansion.
If it were really as rumored, it would be impossible for the couple to get into the wrong sedan chair on their wedding day.
Even if she got into the wrong bridal sedan chair, Shen Qingtan's maids, who had grown up by her side since childhood, could tell from the subtle details which bride was their mistress.
As fate would have it, before Shen Qingtan got married, her childhood maid had an accident and couldn't see her off at the wedding.
After a series of coincidences, can it still be a coincidence?
It was nothing more than a carefully calculated scheme.
Throughout history, rumors are the least trustworthy thing.
Because some rumors are things that people with ulterior motives want the world to know.
It is obvious that the Marquis of Chengen and his wife favored their younger daughter.
Otherwise, why would she have given her sickly youngest daughter's fiancé to her "favored" eldest daughter?
He overheard people talking about the two legitimate daughters of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, who had actually caused the absurd situation of getting into the wrong bridal sedan chair and marrying the wrong husband. As they talked, they drifted off again, bringing up more inside stories about the Marquis's mansion.
Gu Zongci can still recall those two sentences.
"Miss Shen went missing when she was three years old, but was later found. The Marquis's mansion took even more care of her, treating her like a precious treasure."
"Miss Shen is so pitiful. She was stolen by the midwife as soon as she was born and was lied to the Marquis of Chengen and his wife that she died young. Fortunately, she was born with wealth and honor and eventually returned to her ancestral home."
It was because of this conversation that he became interested in the Marquis's mansion and secretly investigated, confirming that Shen Qingtan had been lost as a child and was found by Madam Shen on her way back to the capital from Nanling Prefecture.
The age at which Shen Qingtan went missing, as well as the location and time she was found, were all too sensitive to him. Coupled with the Chengen Marquis's family's duplicity towards her, it led him to wonder—was Shen Qingtan truly the Chengen Marquis's biological daughter?
Because there was another suspicious point, the people he sent to investigate the Chengen Marquis's residence found that the midwife who delivered Madam Shen's baby was living a retirement life in Guanzhou.
Logically speaking, since the midwife stole the daughter of the Marquis of Chengen's family and the matter was exposed, the Marquis's family would definitely hold her accountable.
In fact, the people of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion seemed to have forgotten about the midwife and did not deal with her at all.
Gu Zongci became even more certain that something was amiss at the Chengen Marquis's residence, so based on the information he had gathered, he made a special trip to Guanzhou to find the midwife who had delivered Madam Shen's baby.
Unfortunately, the midwife was somewhat senile, speaking unclearly and incoherently, unable to communicate normally, and he didn't get any useful information. That's why he let Shen Shaoheng get on the carriage to inquire about Shen Qingtan.
Shen Shaoheng was stunned for a moment, then said with great joy, "So I'm that well-liked by my little sister."
As he laughed, his smile faded.
He wasn't sincere with Shen Qingtan before, and could even be considered a scoundrel, because he had disliked her since childhood, so he always offended her with his words.
But then many things happened, and he saw through the true colors of the people around him. His second uncle and aunt, whom he had always trusted, harbored malicious intentions towards him and even had a blood feud with him.
When the Marquis of Chengen was establishing his heir, he and Madam Shen were isolated and helpless. It was Shen Qingtan who stepped forward to help him secure his position as heir.
He knew that Shen Qingtan wasn't helping him intentionally, but rather that they shared a common enemy and were therefore on the same side.
In this way, Shen Qingtan seems all the more pitiful.
Because he still had the love of Old Madam Shen, while Shen Qingtan was never treated sincerely in the Chengen Marquis's mansion.
Shen Shaoheng curled his lips into a smile: "Perhaps it's because I didn't lie to her?"
Gu Zongci: "..."
He had only made up a sentence, but Shen Shaoheng answered it in a very proper manner.
So, in Shen Qingtan's mind, as long as someone doesn't deceive her, it means they are being sincere?
When Gu Zongci thought about the situation in the Chengen Marquis's mansion, he felt that it made sense and made sense, because Shen Qingtan lived in a lie, so her sincerity was rare.
"If you put it that way, then everyone else was lying to her?" Gu Zongci feigned confusion and said, "I heard that Second Madam Zhao went missing when she was a child, and the Marquis's mansion never gave up looking for her. In the end, they found her again, which shows that they really cared about her."
Shen Shaoheng scoffed: "People like them, who only care about profit, aren't looking for a daughter; they're looking for goods. With their status, if they package the goods well, they can get a considerable profit in return."
“How could biological parents mistreat their own child? The distance between the capital and Nanling Prefecture is too far. If they could find their child there, it wouldn't make sense if they had no feelings for them at all.” Gu Zongci paused slightly here, then continued to ask, “They found her in Nanling Prefecture, right?”
"No, right?" Shen Shaoheng frowned and said, "I was too young at the time, and no one in the manor would mention such a thing. I don't remember."
At this point, Shen Shaoheng countered, "Why are you asking this?"
"I just feel it's fate." Seeing Shen Shaoheng's suspicion, Gu Zongci casually explained, "My ancestral home is in Nanling Prefecture."
"I see." Shen Shaoheng understood, then remembered something: "My second aunt went to Nanling Prefecture to visit relatives. On her way back, she found my younger sister, who had fallen seriously ill. My second aunt delayed her return to the capital because of this."