novelkee Chapter 90 Wedding Date
Chapter 90 Wedding Date
Actually, this is just the beginning; this year's Spring Festival will be the coldest day yet.
Qiao Qingshu clearly remembered that tens of thousands of people froze to death in the capital alone, not to mention other impoverished areas.
Lin Dong helped Qiao Qingshu change her clothes; today she was wearing a thick mink fur jacket and a brocade cloak with fox fur trim.
Qiao Qingshu boarded the sedan chair at the hanging flower gate, and the sedan chair bearers carried her slowly towards the east side of Lin'an Street.
As Qiao Qingshu passed the gate, she slowly opened the window and saw that Liu Wan'er was not there.
Seeing this, Wanqiu smiled and continued,
“Young lady, you guessed right. The temperature dropped sharply last night, and that cousin was shivering from the cold while guarding the corpse. She couldn’t stand it for more than three hours before she got up and slunk back into the mansion, not even caring about her mother’s body.”
"When the servant opened the door in the morning, he found that Consort Xu's body was frozen solid. The master went to the morning court and saw it. He hurriedly ordered someone to throw the icy body into the mass grave in the west of the city."
Lin Dong stared wide-eyed, clutching her handkerchief.
“Yesterday, my cousin vowed to kneel before her mother for three days, but she couldn’t even kneel for three hours. This is her mother, after all.”
Qiao Qingshu straightened her sleeves, lowered her head, and smiled. Having fought with Liu Wan'er for many years in her past life, she truly understood her all too well.
Selfish, heartless, and cold-blooded, Liu Wan'er even dared to push her own young daughter off a cliff just to gain Xiao Chengyan's pity. What else wouldn't she do?
Such a person would naturally not ruin his body for the sake of a deceased mother.
The sedan chair moved slowly down the street. Qiao Qingshu slightly raised her eyelids and asked...
"Has the carriage behind caught up?"
Late Autumn glanced outside, nodded, and whispered,
"Young lady, keep up."
Four or five days ago, Qiao Qingshu received a letter from Xiao Zhijie, delivered by a servant, inviting her to meet.
Qiao Qingshu had just learned that her brother was now in the Xiao family, so she naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity and immediately agreed.
The two agreed to meet at a secluded restaurant today.
Qiao Qingshu deliberately wore a white veil to avoid attracting attention.
When Xiao Zhijie and Qiao Qingshu sat facing each other, they remained silent for a long time.
Seeing that the steaming dishes were gradually cooling down, Xiao Zhijie finally spoke.
"Our wedding date is set for next spring, on the eighth day of the third lunar month."
Qiao Qingshu nodded slightly. There was less than a month left until the Chinese New Year, and about three months left until her wedding.
She had ample time to destroy the Qiao family; Xu Biyun's death was just the beginning.
Seeing her composed expression and eyes full of joy and hope, Xiao Zhijie assumed that she was truly looking forward to this marriage.
He clenched his fist, unsure of what to say.
But if we don't say anything now and just let that girl marry into the family, wouldn't that be a disgrace to them?
He finally spoke slowly.
"I'm joining the army next spring, after my wedding. It will probably be for three years, and then..."
It's really unfair for a newlywed couple to leave their daughter alone for three years, but Xiao Zhijie doesn't intend to change his plans for Qiao Qingshu.
This was something he had planned two years ago, and it was impossible for him to change it because of a marriage.
"It might take three years, or even longer. I don't think that's fair to you. I don't want to deceive you. If you don't like this marriage, I'll ask my grandmother to go to the palace tomorrow to ask the Imperial Concubine to withdraw her decree."
"I don't want to hold you back."
Qiao Qingshu looked up and stared intently at the young man in front of her, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Yes, you can only die on the battlefield if you join the army. According to the timeline of your previous life, you would have to die in battle before you had served in the army for three years after getting married.
When the news gets back, I can move out of the Xiao family home with my in-laws and live alone. Then my in-laws will treat me like their own daughter.
Thinking of this, Qiao Qingshu couldn't help but smile, looking at Xiao Zhijie with delight.
But then he thought about how this good life was earned by the man in front of him with his life, and how he was the one who benefited. He couldn't help but feel indebted to Xiao Zhijie.
She picked up a piece of fish and put it in his bowl, saying...
"It's alright, I don't mind. I will wait for your triumphant return with my in-laws."
Xiao Zhijie's ears turned red.
She's not even married into the family yet, and she's already calling her in-laws. This eldest daughter of the Qiao family seems very satisfied with this marriage.
Xiao Zhijie's face flushed slightly, and he nervously rubbed his hands together on his lap, unsure of what to say next.
Qiao Qingshu spoke up,
"Zhijie, I'd like to ask you about someone. Does your Xiao family have a servant named An'er?"
Such an intimate address made Xiao Zhijie's heart beat a few beats faster.
This woman seems to have been in love with him for a long time, otherwise why would she be so intimate with him?
He coughed lightly twice, frowned slightly, and asked,
"An'er? We in the second branch of the family don't seem to have such a person. Who is this person to you, eldest daughter?"
Qiao Qingshu sighed softly, put down her chopsticks, and smiled calmly.
"It's just a son that the old woman in the family lost. She searched for him for many years and found out that he seemed to be working for the Xiao family. She came to me for help, and I felt sorry for her, so I just asked around for her."
Xiao Zhidian nodded.
“I see. The Xiao family’s fourth branch has no less than four or five hundred servants. We don’t have this person in our courtyard. Perhaps he is in another courtyard. It won’t be difficult for me to go back and inquire about him carefully.”
Qiao Qingshu's eyes immediately lit up. In fact, Bai had already used some connections to investigate the servants of the Xiao family.
However, the Xiao family was too large and had too many members, making it difficult for them to penetrate deep into the Xiao family compound and thus causing a great deal of trouble in their investigation.
If we could find Qiao Anlan with the help of Xiao Zhijie, that would be wonderful.
Qiao Qingshu was happy and quickly poured him another cup of tea.
Xiao Zhijie interpreted Qiao Qingshu's attentive attitude as a sign of affection.
He ate until his face was flushed, and although he drank tea, he felt dizzy and lightheaded when he left, as if he were drunk.
When he told Su Yunzhen and Xiao Zhinuo everything Qiao Qingshu had said, the couple were stunned.
After a long while, Su Yunzhen held his hand and said happily,
"It seems that Miss Qiao has been in love with our Zhijie for a long time. We don't need to worry about being out of her league in this marriage. Even a fortune can't compare to true love. I think this marriage is a lucky break!"
Xiao Zhinuo pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“It’s rare that this girl doesn’t mind that you’ve been away from the capital for three years and is willing to stay by your side. I think she’s quite good. So let’s not hesitate or worry anymore. Let’s settle down and prepare the betrothal gifts and present the betrothal gifts before the Spring Festival.”
Su Yunzhen's eyes welled up with tears of excitement as she grasped Xiao Zhijie's hand and said...
“My Zhijie is getting married! That’s wonderful! I’ll go to your mother’s grave another day to pay my respects and tell her the good news.”
When Qiao Qingshu returned home, she saw Butler Lai standing at the door, already waiting for her.
As soon as Qiao Qingshu alighted from the sedan chair, he went to greet her.
"Young lady, your third great-uncle has arrived."
Qiao Qingshu slowly stepped out of the sedan chair, a composed smile playing on her lips.
"You're only just arriving? You've been holding back for quite a while now."