Chapter 11

Very soon, Mrs. Meng and Miss Meng Guxue walked in, smiling.

It’s unclear whether it was due to the previous incident, but Mrs. Meng had specifically admonished Meng Guxue. She kept her head low, not as exuberant as the first time they met.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that her eyes still darted around mischievously, far from being docile.

Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly remembered something very important.

In the original story, the first encounter between the male and female leads was at the Qiao residence. She hadn’t thought much about it before, but now upon reflection, wasn’t she inadvertently playing the matchmaker for them?

What’s most disgusting is that after the Qiao family was annihilated, the male and female leads returned to the Qiao residence once again, under the pretext of revisiting old memories.

Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help but ask, didn’t they feel the resentful spirits of the Qiao family glaring at them when they were being all lovey-dovey?

[Argh! It’s infuriating! Who would’ve thought that the first meeting of the female lead and the tranquil prince was facilitated by my full moon banquet!]

[Wuwuwu, is there any way to prevent them from meeting? If the male and female leads hadn’t been together from the beginning, wouldn’t the Qiao family have suffered less tragedy?]

Mrs. Qiao was still sizing up Meng Guxue, and upon hearing this, her heart skipped a beat.

Could this Miss Meng from the Meng family be such a formidable character?

According to Jiaojiao’s suggestion, as long as Meng Guxue doesn’t meet any prince, everything should be fine, right?

Now that Meng Guxue is in her Qiao family residence, for her, as the mistress of the house, this matter should be easily manageable!

At this moment, the mother and daughter from the Meng family had already come forward to offer congratulations. Qiao Jiaojiao raised her eyes and happened to see Meng Guxue’s vacant expression, lost in thought.

Qiao Jiaojiao naturally knew what Meng Guxue was thinking.

It had been emphasized in the original story that Meng Guxue believed herself to be a transmigrated woman from modern society, superior in this ignorant and backward era.

Upon hearing that the crown prince would bring three princes to offer congratulations today, she immediately disregarded Qiao Tianjing.

Meng Guxue firmly believed that only the most noble men in the world were worthy of her, such as the crown prince, who was above everyone else, or the heir to a country!

Thinking that she could become the empress, Meng Guxue’s lips curved into a smug smile.

“Xue’er? Xue’er?”

Mrs. Meng blushed and gently tugged at Meng Guxue’s sleeve.

This girl was becoming increasingly unruly. When asked by Mrs. Qiao, she was still lost in thought!

Seeing this, Mrs. Qiao’s brows furrowed slightly, and her face lost its previous warmth.

She couldn’t understand how their grand Qiao residence could be defeated by such a girl.

Jiaojiao understood.

[It seems Meng Guxue’s mind is probably on the crown prince. She had a clear goal from the beginning, wanting to be superior.]

[But the crown prince didn’t take a liking to her, and she was immediately attracted by the second prince, who had a stunning appearance. They gazed at each other from across the pavilion, love at first sight.]

Thinking of this, Jiaojiao couldn’t help but chuckle.

[Isn’t this just a typical protagonist halo? Meng Guxue is only ten years old now, with a figure like a bean sprout that is not exceptionally beautiful. The second prince has seen countless beauties, so why would he fall in love with her at first sight?]

Meng Guxue snapped back to reality and hurriedly greeted Mrs. Qiao, but in her haste, her movements were somewhat distorted.

Mrs. Qiao saw this and shook her head imperceptibly.

With such temperament and demeanor, she still dared to dream of being the crown prince’s consort?

Mrs. Meng felt the mocking gazes of the wives of the Western Zhou, her ears burning hot. At this moment, the voice outside the door came to her rescue.

“Madam, the crown prince and three princes have arrived. Master instructed the servants to bring Miss over.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qiao’s expression slightly improved. She entrusted Qiao Jiaojiao to Aunt Liu, instructing her to be careful.

Meng Guxue’s eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Jiaojiao was also excited.

[Oh wow, I’m going to see the male lead! Let me see just how devilishly handsome he is!]

Mrs. Meng took the opportunity to lead Meng Guxue to her seat, while Meng Guxue’s eyes rolled around, her thoughts already trailing away with Aunt Liu.

Surveying the Western Zhou surroundings, bustling with activity, one less her wasn’t noticeable at all.

So, she pretended to be impatient and twisted her body slightly, lowering her voice as she said, “Mother, I want to go change.”

Mrs. Meng’s expression darkened. “Didn’t I tell you not to drink too much tea before going out?”

Meng Guxue, afraid she might not keep up with Aunt Liu’s pace later, hurriedly exclaimed, “Oh mother, nature’s call is a matter of course!”

Mrs. Meng had no choice but to carefully instruct, “Let one of the Qiao household maids escort you, be quick.”

Meng Guxue cheerfully agreed and, while everyone’s attention was elsewhere, carefully made her way out.

Little did she know, with Qiao Jiaojiao’s reminder, Mrs. Qiao kept a part of her attention on her.

Seeing Meng Guxue indeed being restless, Mrs. Qiao called her attendant, Liu Mo, and whispered a few words to her.

Liu Mo respectfully acknowledged it and quietly left.

On the other side, under Aunt Liu’s escort, Qiao Jiaojiao was smoothly delivered into Qiao Zhongguo’s embrace.

Compared to the lively chatter between the ladies in the back courtyard, the front yard was eerily quiet and solemn.

Qiao Jiaojiao’s eyes darted around curiously.

[Quick, let me see where the male lead is!]

Hearing her daughter’s thoughts, Qiao Zhongguo immediately turned her face towards where the second prince was.

Qiao Jiaojiao took a closer look and instantly gasped in shock.

The young man’s features were delicate, with a high-bridged nose, jade-like complexion, and eyebrows that seemed to dance.

His eyes were slightly deeper than usual, with a slight upward tilt at the corners, adding a touch of charm to his extremely handsome face.

Qiao Jiaojiao objectively evaluated:

[Handsome! So handsome that it spirals into heaven and back down again without a dead angle!]

Qiao Zhongguo: ?

Qiao Tianjing: ?

The second prince’s appearance was indeed rare in the world.

His birth mother was the most beautiful woman in the Northern Kingdom at the time, Princess Yuliu.

After the Northern Kingdom’s defeat, Princess Yuliu was sent for a political marriage and became the consort to the current emperor, giving birth to the second prince before passing away.

Regarding palace secrets, it was unfathomable.

Qiao Jiaojiao sighed inwardly, realizing that one’s stance truly determined one’s attitude.

Back when she read the original story, she thought the male lead was unbelievably handsome, and the revenge later was satisfying.

Now standing in the Qiao family’s position, she realized the male lead’s collusion with the Northern Kingdom for revenge, the massacre of loyal ministers, and the elimination of all obstacles were truly ruthless.

[Alas, it all started with the incident where the mother was left behind and the child was taken away, causing the emperor and empress to resent him.]

[Don’t be fooled by his current appearance of vulnerability and innocence standing here. In fact, he has already shown his fangs!]

[Soon, people from the Northern Kingdom will come to contact him.]

[Why do the documents Aunt provided to the Qiao Mansion for treason and collaboration with the enemy seem so authentic? Because all the seals on those documents are genuine!]

Qiao Zhongguo’s heart trembled violently. Along with the shock, an uncontrollable anger surged within him.

The second prince was actually colluding with the Northern Kingdom?

It should be noted that the Northern Kingdom inexplicably invaded the border of the Great Yong Dynasty, causing destruction and massacres. They even callously harmed tens of thousands of civilians along the border.

Countless sons of the Great Yong Dynasty laid down their lives on the battlefield, shedding their blood, and after three years of bitter struggle, they finally completely repelled the Northern Kingdom, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity.

How could the second prince conspire with the enemy nation, once again putting the Great Yong Dynasty at risk of war!