Chapter 269
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine
Seeing Xu Qingshi's red-rimmed eyes, The Old Princess's heart softened a bit more. She had watched this child grow up and had taught him bit by bit.
Although the child could be a bit willful at times, she believed that the child she had taught would not be unreasonable.
"Where did this child come from?" The Old Princess softened her tone and asked again.
Xu Qingshi was still angry. Thinking of his grandmother's furious look just now, he pursed his lips, looking unwilling to speak.
"If this child's parents cannot find their baby, how sad would they be?" Seeing Xu Qingshi stay silent, The Old Princess said with a sorrowful expression.
"They won't be sad at all. This is a child they didn't want!" Xu Qingshi pouted and retorted, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness.
"Did you see the child's parents abandon the child with your own eyes?" The Old Princess had a rough idea in her heart that her grandson had indeed picked up the child. However, she still needed to ask about the reason why the child was abandoned.
Xu Qingshi shook his head. Naturally, that person was not the child's mother.
She was probably just a servant from the Grand Princess's estate.
But didn't she only dare to do so under the orders of the Grand Princess?
If it weren't for the Grand Princess's instructions, Xu Qingshi felt that the maid would definitely not have dared to do such a thing.
"Qingshi, sometimes what we hear might not be right, and what we see might not necessarily be true. Can you tell Grandmother what happened?" The Old Princess looked at her grandson and gently guided him with her question.
Xu Qingshi glanced at The Old Princess, a trace of hesitation still in his eyes.
He didn't know if he told his grandmother the whole story, whether she would send the child back. If it was truly the Grand Princess who wanted to abandon the child, wouldn't the Little Dumpling just be thrown away again?
Thinking of this possibility, Xu Qingshi was extremely reluctant.
By now, Xu Qingshi had already treated Gu Nuonuo as his own.
However, seeing his grandmother looking at him with eyes full of trust, Xu Qingshi couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Xu Qingshi, who had been like a little hedgehog, instantly retracted all his spikes. He then carefully sat down beside The Old Princess and looked at Gu Nuonuo, who had cried herself to sleep on the bed.
Only then did Xu Qingshi whisper, "Today, I went to the Grand Princess's estate, and later I ran into the two of them." Xu Qingshi pointed to Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu beside him.
He continued, "We played for a while. There were only madams and young ladies around, and we weren't familiar with them, so we decided to go see the little young miss together. We searched for a long time before hearing that the little young miss was in the Fulu Hall. However, just as we saw the Little Dumpling, a maid came over, saying that the Grand Princess wanted to see the child, and carried her away." When Xu Qingshi reached this point, his tone inevitably carried some disappointment.
Hearing this, The Old Princess frowned deeply. She could already sense that something was wrong; there was likely a problem with that maid.
However, she didn't interrupt Xu Qingshi, waiting for him to continue.
Still, The Old Princess felt very fortunate in her heart. Although the child was young, he described the matter very clearly.
It wasn't so confusing that it left her in the dark.
However, seeing her grandson staring intently at her without continuing, The Old Princess voiced the doubt in her heart, "At that time, were there no other maids or servants in the courtyard?"
The Old Princess was very puzzled. If the children didn't recognize the servants of the estate, it was quite normal; after all, it was their first time visiting the Grand Princess's estate.
But logically, since the child was so young, there should have been servants by her side to take care of her.
How could there be no one around?
"I didn't see anyone else," Xu Qingshi thought seriously for a moment and said with absolute certainty.
"I didn't see anyone in the courtyard either," Xie Yanzhi also hurriedly raised his small hand and said earnestly.
"Me too, I didn't see anyone in the courtyard either," Jiang Yu said, not willing to be left behind.
"What happened after that?" The Old Princess asked again.
By now, she was quite certain that the children had likely blundered into the courtyard by mistake while someone else was setting up a scheme.
But why was this child carried back by them?
After all, it was obvious that someone wanted to harm the child of the Grand Princess's estate.
"Just as we were about to head to the front courtyard, we saw that bad woman carrying the child towards a small door. Out of curiosity, we followed her," Xu Qingshi thought for a moment and added.
The Old Princess's heart leaped into her throat. These silly children! They actually followed along on their own in such a dangerous situation.
If that had been a vicious thug, the children might have lost their little lives.
This was truly too dangerous.
"After taking many twists and turns, that person arrived at a riverbank, left the child by the river, and walked away. Then, seeing that the child was pitiful, we picked her up and brought her back. Grandmother, we really picked the child up," Xu Qingshi said, his face full of worry.
"Did that person see you?" The Old Princess asked, very worried at this moment.
"We don't know if she saw us or not," Xu Qingshi thought about it, shook his head, and said.
He really wasn't sure. After all, when that person came back later, they were only focused on running away.
They had no idea at all if that person had seen them.
"So, it was that woman who abandoned the child by the river, and you picked her up. Are you certain that this child belongs to the Grand Princess's estate?" The Old Princess asked again.
After all, there was still no news of a missing child from the Grand Princess's estate.
Moreover, with the Grand Princess's estate full of guests for the one-month-old banquet today, the security should have been even stricter.
Logically, it was impossible for them to lose a child.
Yet her grandson insisted that this was the child from the Grand Princess's estate.
"We followed right behind that bad woman the whole time, and she didn't come into contact with anyone else. This child is definitely the one that bad woman carried out of the Grand Princess's estate. However, when we found the child, that bad woman came back again. Could she have regretted it?" Xie Yanzhi couldn't help but shiver as he recalled how ferocious and terrifying Xiaolian looked when she returned.
"I understand the situation now. I will send someone to the Grand Princess's estate to find out what happened. If the child was stolen, she still needs to be returned to her parents." The Old Princess was actually quite certain in her heart that the child had been stolen, but she phrased it differently for fear of upsetting Xu Qingshi.
"Grandmother, if this child is truly unwanted by them, can we raise her in our estate?" Xu Qingshi looked at The Old Princess with a pleading expression and asked.
"You silly child, if you want younger brothers and sisters, your father and mother will surely be able to give you several in the future," The Old Princess teased.
Just as Xu Heming returned to the capital, he was stopped by the servants of his estate.
"Your Highness, The Old Princess has an urgent matter and requests that you return immediately."
Seeing Xu Heming breathe a sigh of relief, the servant hurriedly spoke up.