He was murdered after his family was wiped out and left with no descendants; his whole family knelt

Chapter 229 Arrow Through the Heart

Although Qiao Qingshu had previously brought them together, he hadn't formally expressed his opinion, so he felt he should have a proper talk with Qiu Rui.

Slightly nervous, he clenched his hands on his knees and said,

"Qiu Rui, I have something to tell you."

Qiu Rui was stunned.

"Ah, I also have something to tell you... You go first."

Qiao Anlan suddenly stood up from the stool, stood in front of Qiu Rui, took out a ruby ​​ring from her pocket, and handed it to Qiu Rui.

"Qiu Rui, will you marry me?"

Qiu Rui covered her mouth in fright, and looking at the incredibly sincere Qiao Anlan in front of her, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Qiao Anlan handed the ring forward. It was a gift from Bai Chanzi when they first met. It was a personal item of his mother, Bai Chanzi, who told him that if he fell in love with a girl, he should give her this ring.

Large tears rolled down Qiu Rui's cheeks, and the ruby ​​emitted an extremely dazzling light, making her heart tremble.

She frowned slightly, took a step back, and ultimately declined.

"An'er, you deserve a better girl..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Anlan took a forceful step closer, slipped the ring onto Qiu Rui's finger, and gripped her hand tightly, saying...

“There are no other girls. All these years, my heart has only been filled with you. I know what you want to say, but you don’t have to say it. No matter what reason you use to refuse, it won’t work. I’m going to marry you. Now that I’ve passed the imperial examination, I’ll definitely become an official in the future. Who will manage this huge Qiao family? Naturally, I need you, the mistress of the house, to help me. No one else can compare to you. I only want you.”

These words were spoken quickly and urgently, clearly indicating that Qiao Anlan had already repeated them countless times in her mind.

Qiu Rui was stunned at first, then burst into laughter through her tears.

The farewell words they were supposed to say vanished without a trace, completely forgotten. The two had supported each other since the Xiao family days, and no one else could ever squeeze into their lives. They would continue to support each other in the future.

Qiu Rui felt as if her heart was filled with honey, a sweet and warm feeling spreading through her, and a smile appeared on her lips without her even realizing it.

Finally, he looked at Qiao Anlan and nodded deeply.

From then on, she felt reassured, and Qiu Rui, who had been wandering and helpless, now had someone to rely on.

The two hugged and laughed, as if they had returned to several years ago.

Xiao family

After being scolded by his mother, Xiao Chengyan returned to his room in a fit of anger and smashed broken porcelain all over the floor to vent his frustration.

Princess Yongxian sat in front of her dressing mirror, drawing her eyebrows as if no one was around, looking very relaxed and content.

She glanced sideways at the impotent, furious man, and felt even more contempt for him.

Her hopes seemed to have largely vanished when she first got married.

Her married life was far from happy, and the man in front of her became increasingly boring after they got together. She gradually shed the illusions she had of Xiao Chengyan.

It turned out that this man was not as presentable and clean as he appeared from the outside; his feet were extremely smelly, and he never liked to change his socks.

He has an oily constitution, and his embroidered brocade pillows need to be replaced every month, otherwise the bed will smell of grease.

He has a short temper and is not calm. He always gets angry when something happens, but doesn't try to solve it.

He always listened to Madam Xing and was her darling.

What's most infuriating is that the face I was once obsessed with has become increasingly obese after marriage.

Now that she has failed the imperial examination again, Yongxian naturally looks down on Xiao Chengyan even more.

Seeing him throw a tantrum in the house, I felt even more sorry for him and just watched like a spectator.

"What's the use of smashing it? If you fail, you fail. Unlike the second son, who didn't study much but still passed the imperial examination. It seems that talent is also a factor in studying."

Already angry, Xiao Chengyan felt even more humiliated by the princess, and wished he could slap her three or five times to vent his anger, but he couldn't.

Because she is a princess!

He had to serve her in bed and coax her off the bed. He didn't dare to talk back when ridiculed. Xiao Chengyan felt so frustrated that he wanted to punch the wall. He rushed out of the room to find Liu Wan'er.

Liu Wan'er was gentle, considerate, and caring; Xiao Chengyan has now remembered her good qualities.

He slept with Liu Wan'er in his arms, but his mood still couldn't be relieved.

Now that the eldest son of the Xiao family has failed the imperial examination, while the lowly illegitimate son of the second wife has passed with flying colors, the old lady's heart was already biased. Wouldn't she be even less concerned about her in the future?

If Xiao Zhijie were to be summoned by the Emperor, would he recognize him as his own prince? If so, Xiao Zhijie's status would instantly become more prestigious.

The second wife will surely enjoy the limelight, while the first wife will have no chance at all.

Xiao Chengyan was holding his head in his hands, feeling extremely agitated, but Liu Wan'er beside him was overjoyed.

She can still win Xiao Chengyan's heart now. If she can wait until he becomes a prince, will she be able to get a concubine position in the future?

The two lay on the same bed, each lost in their own thoughts and plans.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the front yard. Xiao Chengyan abruptly got up, rolled out of bed, dressed, and went to see what was going on.

A large crowd had gathered at the courtyard gate, including Madam Xing. Xiao Chengyan quickly stepped forward and asked,

"Mother, what happened? Why are you so anxious?"

Madam Xing quickly grabbed his hand, exclaiming in surprise,

"The crown prince is dead; he was shot through the heart with an arrow in the hunting grounds."

Xiao Chengyan almost gasped. He and Madam Xing exchanged glances, both realizing what was going on.

At this moment, the masters of the second, third, and fourth households were dressed in their official robes and preparing to go to the palace, while the ladies gathered together to discuss the matter.

This matter caused a sensation throughout the capital, as the Crown Prince was the Emperor's only son and was destined to inherit the throne.

Now that the future emperor has died, who will inherit the throne?

At the beginning of the new dynasty, the government was unstable. The emperor's brothers were all killed, and only then was the country able to be stabilized.

Now that the crown prince, whom they have carefully nurtured for many years, has died, what will become of the future of the Southern Zhao Kingdom?

The ladies would gather together and chat about these kinds of things.

The third wife said with a crooked mouth,

"This is also the Empress's fault. She is extremely jealous. She can't have children herself, so she won't allow others to have them either. Well, maybe our Nanzhao will be ruined by her."

"That's right! It's a shame that our Consort Xiande gave birth to a daughter. If it had been a son, who knows how he might have died. But then again, if she had really given birth to a son, it would have been perfect. He could have taken over after the Crown Prince died. It's just a pity that she wasn't destined for that!"

Madam Xing and Xiao Chengyan exchanged a glance and then withdrew from the crowd.

Behind a secluded artificial hill, Xiao Chengyan said excitedly,

"Mother, this is a perfect opportunity!"

Madam Xing was well aware of his scheme, but her face was still tightly furrowed with worry.

"This...could very well be considered deceiving the emperor..."