amaotonovel Chapter 254 Xiao Qiaoen
Chapter 254 Xiao Qiaoen
Gu Rong was clearly surprised that Qiao Qingshu would come to her courtyard. Although somewhat astonished, she suppressed her surprise and stepped forward with a smile to inquire.
"What wind is blowing today that brought Shu'er here?"
Qiao Qingshu pursed her lips and remained silent, only smiling as she walked into the house and sat down. She looked around and said…
"Hey, where's Enge'er?"
Xiao Qiaoen is the legitimate son of the third branch of the family, born to Madam Gu. The third branch also has two illegitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter, all of whom are more outstanding than this legitimate son.
This spring, Xiao Qiaoen failed the imperial examination, but her illegitimate son, Xiao Qiaoge, made the list. Although his ranking was also quite low, this news still infuriated Madam Gu.
Her only son was stupid and didn't do well in school. He was also timid and couldn't be presented in public. Madam Gu's scheme was precisely because her son was disappointing, so she had no choice but to help him win the title.
Mrs. Gu responded with an "oh,"
"He went out to drink tea and chat with some of his colleagues and brothers again. He's become more and more unruly these days."
Qiao Qingshu forced a calm smile and said...
"Now that the imperial examinations are over, it's only right for us brothers to have some fun after all the hard work we've put in."
He then glanced at Madam Gu and said,
"It's time to relax and get back into the swing of things, and prepare well for the next exam."
Gu Rong's face was already quite unpleasant. In recent days, no one in their third branch of the family dared to mention the upcoming imperial examination; they all knew to avoid Madam Gu.
Even Xiao Qiaoge, who was well-known among them, was a sensible person. When his aunt told him to go out and hide for a while, he really disappeared as if he had vanished from the Third Hospital, for fear that Madam Gu would be angry and punish him if she saw him.
The words that no one dared to mention were spoken by Qiao Qingshu in such a bright and cheerful voice that the maids and nannies in the room looked at Madam Gu with some trepidation.
Gu Rong's face stiffened, but she was already furious inside, knowing that Qiao Qingshu was deliberately saying those things to provoke her.
Although she was furious inside, she didn't show it, and just smiled and agreed.
"That's right, Shu'er is absolutely right. We'll send him back to school to study later."
Qiao Qingshu smiled meaningfully.
In her previous life, Xiao Qiaoen, the third wife, didn't go out to chat and party with friends after the imperial examination. Instead, she went out to fool around with a few playboys.
He lost all his money gambling at the casino and even harassed a woman who was passing by.
This woman was no ordinary girl; she was the only daughter of Chang Wei, a valiant general in the imperial court. Because of this, Xiao Qiaoen and a few other playboys touched her face and even her hands. The girl had run away from home because she was being bullied by her stepmother. Now, after being harassed by everyone, she was so angry that her chest felt like it was going to burst. She went home to cry to her stepdaughter, but her stepmother insulted her, accusing her of being shameless and seducing men. The young girl was isolated and helpless. In a moment of despair, she left a letter and hanged herself.
Chang Wei was stationed in the southwest year-round and did not live in the capital. Everything at home was managed by his second wife, Zhang, and his daughter Chang An'er from his first marriage was also raised by Zhang.
However, the rugged man was unaware that his daughter was being mistreated by his stepdaughter, and the daughter, not wanting to worry her father, always swallowed her bitterness.
After Chang An'er died, Zhang came to the Xiao family with a letter and made a scene, saying that if they didn't give enough money, she would take the matter to the government!
The Third Madam knelt before Old Madam Xiao, crying and begging for her help. After all, it was a matter of the Xiao family's reputation, and Old Madam Xiao eventually settled the matter by paying an exorbitant sum of money.
Qiao Qingshu initially only lamented how pitiful the girl was, that even in death she was still being used by her stepmother for personal gain. Little did she know that she herself was no different from that girl.
Later, I heard that General Chang Wei did not return to the capital for another six months. By then, his only legitimate daughter had been hastily buried by her stepmother. The stepmother even hid the truth about Chang An'er being harassed and the letter, saying only that she had died of illness.
The matter was quietly covered up. Years later, the second wife of the Chang family gave birth to a son, and everyone in the family was overjoyed. The fourteen-year-old girl seemed to have never been there at all.
Qiao Qingshu was acutely aware that today was the day the eldest daughter of the Chang family would be harassed by Xiao Qiaoen and her gang.
Just then, a maid rushed in, knelt down, and cried out.
"It's terrible! It's terrible! Madam, the young master has been arrested!"
The third wife's hand, which was still pouring tea, suddenly trembled, and the teapot rolled to the ground with a clatter, shattering into pieces.
She said in horror,
"What's wrong? What happened?"
The little maidservant said hurriedly,
"The servant outside told Madam to hurry to the yamen, saying that our young master had harassed the wife of the valiant general, and has now been taken to the government office by the Chang family!"
Gu Rong's face turned pale instantly. She didn't even bother to change her clothes, and rushed out wearing only her usual home clothes and an outer robe.
She took two steps and then stopped, turning to look at Qiao Qingshu.
"Shu'er, is this valiant general very familiar with your uncle?"
Chang Wei and Qiao Qingshu's second uncle were childhood friends. Both of them took the military route, one stationed in the Northwest and the other in the Southwest.
Even the investiture took place on the same day, indicating that the two families had a close relationship.
Qiao Qingshu nodded casually.
"Yes, Uncle Chang is very familiar with me."
Madam Gu's face immediately lit up with a fawning expression again. She grabbed Qiao Qingshu's sleeve and pulled him outside.
"Good child, come with your aunt. If possible, you can put in a good word for her."
Qiao Qingshu initially declined a few times, but Madam Gu kept dragging and pulling her along, so she went with her.
They went straight to the government office, and Zhang actually filed a lawsuit against Xiao Qiaoen and the others, who are currently on trial.
Madam Zhang was so angry she felt like her lungs were about to explode. She had only exchanged a few words with her legitimate daughter, Chang An'er, when Chang An'er, as if she had gone mad, actually pulled her most precious jade hairpin off her head, snatched it, and ran away.
Knowing that the jade hairpin was priceless and Zhang's most prized possession, she couldn't possibly let this little girl snatch it away, so she immediately led her people to chase after her.
Little did she know that the streets were crowded, and she was separated from the servants at home. Somehow, Zhang ended up in front of a restaurant.
Looking up, she saw Chang An'er standing on the second-floor railing, holding the hairpin and smiling smugly at her, as if she was about to throw it down.
Startled, Zhang hurriedly went into the restaurant to find the hairpin, but bumped into a group of young men reeking of alcohol.
Just as she was about to leave, a lecherous man grabbed her sleeve and groped her face. Seeing this, the others became bolder and started touching her hands and face as well.