The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Identifying Relatives

“Rest assured, I don’t mean any harm,” Huang Zhong said, “It may be a bit abrupt, but could I meet Miss Gu Jiao?”

“No.” Gu Changlu rejected without a second thought.

If the other party doesn’t even let him meet her, how can he bring her to the town to meet the Marquis? He surely could not knock out a whole family, and kidnap the child, could he?

Moreover, he didn’t even know who the child was yet!

Huang Zhong thought there was a high chance that the child could be his young mistress, so he dared not offend the child’s adopted parents.

He softened his tone, “May I know where the child’s parents are? I have something to discuss with them.”

Madame Wu said, “Her parents passed away. I’m her nanny and I took care of her. So you can talk to me!”

Had the child been orphaned since young? Huang Zhong’s emotions became complex. He thought for a moment and then asked, “May I come in and talk?”

Madame Wu lead Huang Zhong into the house.

Huang Zhong proceeded to ask some detailed questions about the childbirth years ago, especially why Madame Xun, with her heavy pregnant belly, climbed the mountain.

It turns out that Madame Xun was not from this village. She married far away. A letter from her parents reached her, saying that her father was dying and wanted her to find a way to visit him.

Madame Xun was pregnant, so naturally, her in-laws wouldn’t allow her to travel far. In desperation, she decided to go to the temple to pray to the Bodhisattva.

She went to the temple without telling her in-laws, saying that she went to pick some wild vegetables, thinking that she could be back before dark. But, unexpectedly, a thunderstorm broke out, and she was trapped in the temple, where she slipped and fell.

The Marquis’ wife gave birth prematurely due to twin pregnancy, but her premature birth was an accident.

The Gu family initially didn’t know she had gone to the temple. It was raining heavily and she hadn’t come back, so Gu Sanlang insisted on going out to find his wife, but was stopped by his two brothers.

To enter the forest in a thunderstorm was like asking for death!

Madame Xun returned two days later. By that time, she had already given birth to a daughter, who had a red blotch on her face, so ugly it didn’t look like Gu Sanlang’s biological child.

Gu Sanlang had a well-known handsome face. Many people from nearby villages were willingly married to him, but he chose Madame Xun, mainly because of her substantial dowry.

Madame Wu once suspected that Madame Xun had fallen and miscarried in the mountains. Out of fear of blame, they picked up a child and brought it back.

Madame Xun was an honest person. She said that it was her child, born in the temple. If they didn’t believe her, they could ask the abbot of the temple.

Madame Wu and her second daughter-in-law, Madame Liu, went to ask and confirmed that Madame Xun had given birth in the temple, and the baby was alive when born, and her crying was heard throughout the temple.

“It wasn’t picked up?” Madame Wu asked at the time.

The monks all laughed: “Do you know who the other woman in labor was at the temple that night? It was a noblewoman from the capital city. Who could possibly pick up her child?”

Madame Wu was immediately stunned into silence.

A noblewoman’s child was more precious than gold. Not to mention picking one up, not even stealing was an option.

Upon hearing this, Huang Zhong was entirely certain that the child Madame Xun had given birth to was the one he was looking for.

However, it seemed that Madame Xun didn’t know she had taken the wrong child.

“Also a Gu, what a coincidence.” Huang Zhong suddenly felt a sense of fate. He quickly asked, “Did Madame Xun and Sanlang love their child?”

What kind of question is this? Madame Xun and Gu Sanlang treated the child as if they should’ve tied the child to their waistbands!

This was also something that Madame Wu was not happy about. Madame Xun, that barren hen, occupied such a wonderful husband like Sanlang, but couldn’t produce a son.

They finally had a daughter, not only was she ugly, she was also dumb.

The dumbness was discovered as she grew up. Other kids could jump and hop around, but she still didn’t know how to walk. She didn’t call out ‘mother’ until she was three.

Despite that, Sanlang and his wife didn’t despise her at all and loved the child dearly.