bestfiction Chapter 853 Tell them I'm not here
Chapter 853 Tell them I'm not here
The courtyard arranged by the Bureau of Residence was only two streets away from the Qiao family's residence.
The four of them found the Qiao family's door without much effort.
The outer walls of the gate are majestic and solemn. The color scheme is not so eye-catching or high-profile, and the design is not ostentatious, but it exudes a sense of nobility, luxury, and stability.
Through a screen wall, one can vaguely glimpse the exquisite and elegant layout inside: courtyards upon courtyards, orderly connecting corridors, and winding paths leading to secluded spots, all of which inspire the imagination.
In comparison, the traditional courtyard house seemed small and insignificant.
Song Dujuan stared inside, even though she couldn't see anything.
She felt a sense of disgust towards that courtyard house; only a place like this was where her true dreams resided.
Above the main gate, two large gilded characters read: Qiao Mansion.
Song Fusheng said indignantly, "What Qiao family? This family was obtained with the honor and merit of the Princess Zhenguo. She is a member of our Song family, so it should be renamed the Song family. The whole Qiao family is enjoying the blessings that should be enjoyed by our Song family."
There were only two guards at the entrance, pacing back and forth, not looking particularly serious, but when they casually glanced into the distance, their eyes were sharp as knives.
Although they were quite a distance apart, they seemed to sense Song Fusheng's emotions, and their eyes immediately fell on him.
Song Fusheng felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shrink back. He quickly gave the two guards an awkward smile.
He mustered his courage and, with his family, went to the door.
"What's the matter?" a guard asked as he approached.
"Is Princess Zhenguo here?" Song Fusheng tried his best to appear scholarly.
"To see Princess Zhenguo, you must first send an invitation with your name and address. We will then deliver it to her, and she will decide whether or not to grant the audience," the guard said.
Song Qijin frowned: "Isn't it said that Princess Zhenguo is benevolent and righteous, has done many good things for the people, and has upheld justice in many ways? How can she be so arrogant?"
Upon hearing this, the guard's face turned cold: "This is the necessary etiquette between families. How can you call it being arrogant? So many people want to see Princess Zhenguo. If she were to accept everyone, she would have no energy for it. If you want to see Princess Zhenguo, go back and write your invitations first."
Song Fusheng thought that the young man was right; indeed, they couldn't even get through the main gate.
Fortunately, we made preparations in advance. With this stamped document, how could we not see Qiao Lian'er?
Song Dujuan stepped forward: "It's not that we don't want to send an invitation, but we have a very close relationship with Princess Zhenguo. If we send an invitation, it would seem too distant."
The guard raised an eyebrow, seemingly finding her explanation somewhat amusing.
Suddenly, a few people appeared and said they had a close relationship with the Princess Zhenguo.
Seeing that he clearly didn't believe her, Song Dujuan took out the document from her sleeve and handed it to the guard.
“We are relatives of Princess Zhenguo. We have traveled thousands of miles to the capital. Because of the hardships along the way, we are all so thin that we look different. We were afraid that we would not be recognized, so we went to the Bureau of Residence to prove our relationship before we dared to come and bother you.”
She was very serious, and the guard took the document.
Upon seeing the contents and the stamp, the guard paused for a moment. Looking at the family, who were emaciated and looked as if they had indeed suffered a lot on the road, he was taken aback.
"You all wait outside first."
He left another guard to watch the gate, while this guard, carrying the documents, entered the courtyard.
When they encountered Steward Chai patrolling with his men, Steward Chai spotted the document.
"What is this."
"By the way, Steward Chai, Princess Zhenguo has a relative from afar. This is the certificate from the Bureau of Residence. The person is waiting outside the door. I dare not let the person in. I will go and verify with Princess Zhenguo first."
Butler Chai took the document and looked at it again and again, his face expressionless.
"Stand guard outside the door for now, I'll handle this."
"Yes."
Qiao Lian'er was in the warm pavilion, playing with several nephews and nieces.
She could pull out many novelties from her spatial storage, and her nephews and nieces all adored her, surrounding her and refusing to let go whenever she had free time.
Seeing the children's warm and lively smiles, Qiao Lian'er was also in a good mood.
Butler Chai arrived at the door: "Princess."
Qiao Lian'er put Qiao Yue, who was clinging to her like an octopus, down and walked out of the warm pavilion.
"what's up."
"Several people came to the door, claiming to be relatives of the princess, and they even brought kinship certificates from the Bureau of Residence." Butler Chai handed the documents to Qiao Lian'er.
Qiao Lian'er glanced at the contents and her eyes darkened.
Unexpectedly, it was Song Fusheng's family who came to the capital.
Song Fusheng was Old Man Song's brother, belonging to another branch of the Song family. He also lived in Datian Village and was quite wealthy, considered rich in the rural area, similar to the Shen family.
Because they were doing well, Song Fusheng's family was wary and distrustful of the villagers, especially his elder brother's family. When Old Mrs. Song fell on hard times, she went to Song Fusheng's family for help several times, but was turned away each time.
Of course, this is a matter between them. Compared to that, Old Lady Song's character is even more despicable and does not deserve sympathy or pity.
Unexpectedly, Song Fusheng's family came to seek refuge with her. If it weren't for this incident, Qiao Lian'er would have forgotten about the family's existence.
If someone is living a good life in the countryside, with fields, land, and a house, yet has to travel thousands of miles, something must have happened at home.
Butler Chai noticed that Qiao Lian'er's expression was a bit off and immediately guessed that the princess didn't like that family at all.
He said, "There shouldn't be any problems with this document, right?"
“There’s nothing wrong with the document; it’s stamped by the Ministry of Personnel’s subordinate office,” Qiao Lian’er said confidently.
Regardless of how Song Fusheng's family obtained it, the document is genuine.
Logically speaking, country folk are straightforward. They were tired and hungry, and once they arrived in the capital, they should have been eager to find her and seek a place to settle down. However, they went to the Bureau of Residence first, which is quite intriguing. There must have been someone else involved.
This government office was very obscure; it wasn't even established in other dynasties, and few people in the capital knew about it, let alone ordinary people in the countryside.
Then who could have done it? A name popped into Qiao Lian'er's mind: Song Rui'er.
That's right, only he recognized Song Fusheng's family, and only he knew the relationship between Song Fusheng's family and her.
"So, what are the princess's plans for next? And how should these people be settled?"
Qiao Lian'er said, "Tell them that Princess Zhenguo is away on business and will be out for the next few days."
Now that it's officially confirmed that she's related to Song Fusheng's family, she has to be responsible for them and can't act like she did before.
But how could she possibly let those who wanted to cling to her and enjoy wealth and luxury through her do so?