Chapter 361 Kinship
Chapter 361 Kinship
After all, Old Master An was old and could not travel as fast as him and the secret guards, so Xie Guimo hardly stopped all the way to Qizhou. He walked and rested when he came back, and barely made it back to Beijing today, otherwise he would have to spend the New Year on the road.
It looked very similar, but the princess knew that this was not her father who had passed away more than ten years ago.
The old man had an elegant temperament and none of the murderous aura his father had acquired through experience on the battlefield.
The princess wiped away her tears and looked at Xie Guimo, "Mo'er, who is this?"
Xie Guimo said, "He's my grandfather's cousin."
In fact, the princess had already guessed it. They had exactly the same appearance, and Xie Guimo had left Beijing in a hurry and brought him directly to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
The princess burst into tears.
Mrs. An choked up even more, "If the old master is still alive in heaven, he would be very pleased to know that the descendants of the second master have been found."
"Come on, please come inside and talk."
Xie Guimo would not have brought Old Master An to Beijing in such a hurry before the New Year unless he was absolutely sure of his identity.
After entering the house, Mrs. An asked again, and everything matched what she knew. In fact, based on Old Master An's face, there was nothing to doubt.
The princess asked Xie Guimo, "You found the people and brought them to the capital without telling mother in advance."
Xie Guimo said, "I'm afraid that my mother will be disappointed, so I have to keep it a secret for now."
The princess asked, "Your grandfather and great-grandfather searched for it for many years but couldn't find it. How did you find it?"
Xie Guimo laughed and looked at Shen Tang, "When it comes to finding someone, it has to be Tang'er. She doesn't have to look for it, the clues will come to her on their own."
This is an exaggeration, but it is also true.
The princess looked surprised.
Everyone looked at Shen Tang.
Shen Tang said, "My cousin and Young Master Jiang went to Qizhou, and Old Master An went to the Jiang family for a wedding. The Jiang family's housekeeper's mother had witnessed the Duke of Zhenguo's elegance and thought they looked exactly alike. She told my cousin about it, and after my cousin returned to Beijing, she thought the Duke of Zhenguo was not dead, so she went to the palace to ask me..."
Mrs. An said, "No wonder the old master's tablet fell down when the Crown Princess paid tribute to him. It turns out that it was really because the Crown Princess was able to fulfill his last wish."
After praising Shen Tang, Mrs. An and the princess focused their attention on Old Master An's family.
Although Old Master An's status in Qizhou was far inferior to that of the Jiang family, they were still a well-off family. Old Master An had four sons and daughters, and his four sons gave him seven or eight grandchildren, the oldest of whom was seventeen years old and the youngest was still in swaddling clothes.
This is only the lineage of Old Master An. He has two brothers. Although they don’t have as many descendants as him, they have at least fifteen or sixteen grandchildren.
Old Master An said, "When my father was alive, he was also looking for my uncle. I didn't expect that the old Duke Zhenguo, who was famous all over the world and feared by his enemies, was the person he was looking for."
In fact, when he was young, some people were surprised that Old Master An looked very similar to the Duke of Zhenguo, but Old Master An just heard it and never thought that he would be a cousin of the Duke of Zhenguo who held military power. It was not easy for him to survive when he was separated from the Duke during the escape, let alone achieve such an achievement.
I dare not even think about it.
Thinking about how the Duke of Zhenguo and his two sons died in the battlefield, and even his little grandson couldn't save his life, so that the title they earned by sacrificing their blood on the battlefield had no one to inherit, Old Master An sighed.
Mrs. An wiped her tears and said with relief, "The old master still has so many relatives around, so there is no need to worry about having no one to carry on the family line."
The princess nodded repeatedly.
The prince said, "It's almost time. Let's go to the palace first. Mo'er will arrange the rest."
The princess apologized, "This should have been a day for a family reunion, but for my sake and my sister-in-law, you were forced to rush to the capital..."
Old Master An said hurriedly, "Today is the day of our true reunion."
It is such a rare thing that descendants can be reunited after being separated for decades.
Compared with such a reunion, the New Year is insignificant.
Old Master An and his family traveled to Beijing, looking tired. When the prince and princess entered the palace, Mrs. An asked the maid to bring the food into the house and eat together.
They had not yet formally acknowledged their ancestral roots, and since there were only Madam An, her daughter, and her son-in-law in the Zhenguo Mansion, it was inconvenient for them to stay overnight. The Zhenguo Mansion had a four-story house, which was just across the street from the main house, making it convenient for travel, so Madam An gave the house directly to them.
Old Master An asked, "How can this be done?"
Mrs. An said, "I should have let you live in the Duke's Mansion, but I feel bad about placing you in the other courtyard."
"Besides, these are all external possessions. Now that we have returned to our roots, it's only right that we move to the capital. Your clan is so large that a four-story house may not be enough for everyone. I'll have someone buy a nearby house and expand it."
When the eldest young master and mistress Huo came to Beijing, Mrs. An became a little more lively from her previous dull demeanor.
Now that she knew that the Zhenguo Mansion still had a clan and many descendants, Madam An had the confidence to revive the Zhenguo Mansion.
I just wonder if among all of Old Master An’s grandchildren, there is anyone with excellent aptitude and suitable for practicing martial arts.
Knowing Mrs. An's thoughts, Xie Guimo said, "I've seen several of my cousins. One of them is six years old and has good physique. If he is well trained, he will definitely be able to inherit the family business."
Mrs. An had an idea in her mind.
At the age of six, it is just the right age to study or practice martial arts.
Since the child is adopted, there is always hope that the son can inherit the father's business.
After having dinner at the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Old Master An felt tired and could not hold on any longer, so Xie Guimo and Young Master Huo sent them to that house to stay.
Xie Guimo said, "If you need anything, just come to me and Young Master Huo."
After settling Old Master An's family, Xie Guimo went to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to pick up Shen Tang. Shen Tang thought they were going to go back to the mansion directly, but Xie Guimo said, "There's a lantern festival tonight. I'll accompany you to visit the lanterns."
Shen Tang really wanted to visit the lantern festival, but——
"are not you tired?"
Xie Guimo said, "How can a husband get tired so easily?"
If he hadn't considered Old Master An, he would have returned to Beijing three days earlier.
It was only with great difficulty that the clan of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was found. Xie Guimo did not dare to let them enter the capital slowly, so he could only accompany them.
He is eager to go home.
If he could accompany Shen Tang if she could, he would definitely do so.
This was also the reason why he immediately decided to go and pick them up when he learned the whereabouts of Old Master An's family that day. Only by rushing there could he come back in time to spend the New Year with Shen Tang.
Originally, he planned to bring Master An and Young Master An to Beijing, but since Old Master An wanted to come, he agreed.
Old Master An’s face is so convincing.
Standing there, most of the doubts would disappear, and it would save the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion a lot of trouble.
Shen Tang said, "There's a lantern festival tomorrow, so it won't be too late to go shopping tomorrow night."
Xie Guimo looked at Shen Tang, "Are you sure?"
Shen Tang looked up and saw desire in his eyes.
Shen Tang shuddered, "Let's go shopping today."
This person is really not tired.
Xie Guimo whispered in her ear, "I haven't seen you for so many days. Do you miss me?"
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