HCB Chapter 80 A Perfect Match
Chapter 80 A Perfect Match
Looking at the lively and adorable Princess Yonglin, Qiao Qingshu knew in her heart that she was innocent.
I absolutely cannot let her die in vain.
Yonglin stepped forward, grabbed Qiao Qingshu's hand, and looked her up and down, a smile playing on his lips.
"She is indeed a beautiful woman. It is rare to find such a beauty in the capital. Her demeanor is also excellent, even more noble than the concubines and imperial consorts in the palace."
"Since my mother has recognized you as her goddaughter, you will be my older sister from now on. How about you come to the palace to play with me from now on? I get quite bored by myself."
Princess Yonglin was the only daughter of Consort Xiande, and had no brothers or sisters. Although she was loved by many, she was ultimately lonely.
She felt an instant connection with Qiao Qingshu and became very close to and fond of her.
Qiao Qingshu nodded in agreement.
Yonglin suddenly turned to the Qiao family members, frowning, and said...
"Did you all hear that? Qiao Qingshu will be my older sister from now on. If anyone dares to bully her, they will suffer a terrible fate!"
Everyone in the Qiao family knelt down. Old Madam Qiao was so frightened that her body trembled, and her lips turned even paler.
The once arrogant Granny Zou now had a confused look in her eyes and was trembling with fear.
After Li Pu and Princess Yonglin left, Old Madam Qiao quickly grasped Qiao Qingshu's hand affectionately and said...
"Good child, you are so lucky!"
"Look at this honor, it truly belongs to you."
Qiao Qingshu raised an eyebrow and smiled, finding it amusing to see everyone's expressions change 180 degrees in an instant.
Upon learning of her arranged marriage, he immediately became cold and dismissive, but now he's shamelessly trying to coax her.
"Oh right, what did Grandmother just say about taking control of the family?"
Old Mrs. Qiao pulled her back into the house, smiling kindly.
"What Grandmother is trying to say is that now that the power to manage the household has been handed over to you, you are naturally in charge and can do whatever you want. Grandmother will definitely support you wholeheartedly."
Madam Qiao's previous indifferent and cold demeanor vanished, replaced by eyes full of admiration, as if she wanted to praise her granddaughter to the heavens.
The adopted daughter of the Imperial Concubine! She is the adopted daughter of the Imperial Concubine!
What supreme honor!
Qiao Qingshu patted her chest and teased deliberately.
"You startled me. Grandmother looked so serious just now. I thought you were going to take over my control of the family."
Old Madam Qiao hurriedly waved her hand guiltily.
"How could that be? I have complete confidence and satisfaction with Shu'er managing the household."
Qiao Qingshu smiled and turned to Granny Zou,
“Granny Zou, I told you to kneel, but you bypassed me, the head of the family, and went to Grandmother to plead for mercy. Clearly, you don’t respect me.”
"You have no respect for elders and no manners! Then take off your padded jacket and trousers and kneel down for ten hours in my courtyard."
Granny Zou felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, her heart sinking completely, and she was filled with deep regret.
How did I offend her? I thought she was finished, but who would have thought she'd be even more popular than before.
I deeply regret my actions; why did I have to show off like that?
They really shot themselves in the foot.
She tried to plead with the old lady again, but the old lady kicked her over.
"Shu'er's punishment is too lenient! Get down and kneel down now."
In the crowd, Aunt Chen pulled Aunt He aside and whispered to her.
"My goodness, the young lady is truly remarkable. She managed to obtain such a respectable status. Isn't this more advantageous and prestigious than marrying into the eldest branch of the Xiao family? With this status in the Xiao family, she can practically walk sideways in the future."
"That's a blessing for the young lady, something she deserves."
When Liu Wan'er heard these words in the crowd, she almost couldn't catch her breath.
The imperial concubine's adopted daughter, whom he had been planning for almost half a month, ended up being snatched away by Qiao Qingshu.
She gritted her teeth, filled with resentment, and glared fiercely at Qiao Qingshu as she walked away.
Xiao family
Consort Xiande was sitting in Old Madam Xiao's room talking.
She knew that if she directly arranged the marriage between Qiao Qingshu and Xiao Zhijie, the snobbish people in the Xiao family would still look down on her son.
But since they couldn't openly promote their own son, they promoted Qiao Qingshu instead.
In this way, when she marries into the Xiao family, she will have the noble status of being the adopted daughter of a concubine, and the Xiao family will probably not dare to bully the second branch of the family.
Madam Xiao also chimed in from the side.
"Your Highness can rest assured. I will protect this child once she enters the household. Zhijie and Qingshu are both good children. As long as I am in charge of the household, I will not let them be bullied."
Madam Xiao had considered it carefully. In fact, the old master's original intention was for Qiao Qingshu to marry into the Xiao family as his granddaughter-in-law, which was the most important thing.
It doesn't matter which branch of the family she marries into; as long as she's a granddaughter-in-law of the Xiao family, that's all that matters.
Madam Xiao had no intention of standing up for the eldest son's family; Xiao Chengyan was truly disappointing.
Let Qiao Qingshu marry into the second wife's family; they can help the second wife in the future.
She didn't want to create any more complications or obstruct anything.
It's always best to maintain harmony within the home.
Consort Xiande nodded, but she was still unhappy. In the two days she had been at the Xiao family's residence, she had only seen her son twice.
She couldn't summon him specifically to talk to him, and she had nowhere to express the myriad thoughts in her heart.
At the main gate of the Xiao residence.
Xiao Zhijie had just stepped out with his sword when he ran into Xiao Chengyan, who was drunk and returning home.
He wanted to go around it, but Xiao Chengyan blocked his way.
"Third brother, you're quite something! You actually dared to steal my man. I really underestimated you before."
Xiao Chengyan was severely punished by his father, and feeling depressed, he sneaked out to a brothel to drink and carouse until dawn before returning home.
He has always looked down on Xiao Zhijie.
Although Xiao Zhijie was superior to him in both academics and martial arts, what good was it for a son of a concubine to be so powerful?
Xiao Zhijie's eyes were filled with coldness. He took two steps back and looked at him with disdain.
There's really nothing to talk about with an alcoholic.
He turned around and prepared to leave the mansion through the side gate.
I had only taken two steps when I heard a woman scream.
"Ah! What are you doing!"
Turning his head, he saw Xiao Chengyan lunging at a woman, muttering something incoherently.
"Little Peach Blossom, don't run away, have a couple of drinks with Grandpa."
The woman was so frightened that she turned pale and hid behind Li Pu.
Xiao Zhijie immediately leaped forward, drew his sword, and pressed a sharp knife against Xiao Chengyan's throat.
The tip of the sword pierced a small patch of flesh, and drops of blood slid down the blade.
Upon seeing the specks of crimson, Xiao Chengyan instantly sobered up considerably, raising his hands and daring not to move.
He only pleaded,
"Third brother, no, no..."
At this moment, the eunuch Li Pu also summoned the imperial guards, who surrounded Xiao Er, scaring him sober up completely.
Li Pu angrily rebuked,
"You dare to flirt with Princess Yonglin? How many heads do you have to chop off!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Er trembled with fear and fell to his knees with a thud, his face filled with terror.
Xiao Zhijie sheathed his sword, glanced at Princess Yonglin, bowed slightly in respect, and quickly left the mansion through the side gate.
Yonglin stared longingly at the departing figure in black, then tugged at Li Pu's shoulder and whispered, "..."
"Who is this? How imposing!"
When Li Pu told her that the man was Xiao Zhijie, Princess Yonglin's eyes showed approval.
"Such a talented person is truly a perfect match for Sister Qingshu."
Consort Xiande was very surprised to learn that Princess Yonglin had come to the Xiao residence.
Hearing that Princess Yonglin had been harassed by a member of the Xiao family, she was so shocked that she stood up from her bed.