Chapter 2

Mrs. Qiao looked bewildered.

What was the cause of her death? Did a maid actually try to climb into bed?

Qiao Jiaojiao was still desperately trying to remember.

“Yes, I remember this very clearly. Mother, due to the lingering lochia after childbirth, refused Father’s request to stay overnight and sent him to the study.”

“As a result, that very night, while Father was intoxicated and asleep due to his old age, a maid climbed into Father’s bed!”

“Although nothing happened that night, Father later had the maid executed. But Mother still had lingering doubts in her heart!”

“This was the trigger for Mother’s depression. What should I do? I can’t speak, how can I stop this from happening!”

Qiao Jiaojiao was so anxious she felt like scratching her head.

Mrs. Qiao listened to every word and calmed down. After all, she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Yan State, and she quickly regained her composure.

Although she didn’t know why Jiaojiao, who had memories from her past life, knew about things that hadn’t happened yet in this life, she chose to believe rather than doubt.

This was flesh and blood that had fallen from her own body. Mrs. Qiao believed that Jiaojiao also had her best interests at heart.

“Madam! Mother!”

At this moment, a loud and urgent voice came from outside, and soon three figures burst in through the curtains.

The servants had already tidied up for Madam Qiao, and the room was tidy, with even the smell dissipating.

“Madam! It’s my fault for neglecting you, and not being by your side!”

This voice was full of sincerity and quickly reached the bedside.

Jiaojiao lifted her eyes and finally saw a middle-aged face.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! My father is so handsome! Is this the charm of mature men?”

Hearing Jiaojiao also praising Mr. Qiao, Mrs. Qiao couldn’t help but smile.

She looked up to observe her husband and found that he didn’t show any signs of surprise. This confirmed that indeed, only she could hear Jiaojiao’s thoughts.

“Madam, is this our Jiaojiao?”

Mr. Qiao lowered his voice, looking at Jiaojiao with affection.

The couple were now thirty-six and thirty respectively, with their eldest son being eighteen and their youngest fifteen. They had waited too long for this child.

When they first found out they were pregnant, the couple had agreed.

The girl is called Jiaojiao, and the son is called Goudan!

Fortunately, their wish was finally granted, and the Qiao family was finally blessed with a precious little bundle!

“Come, Daddy’s going to hold you!”

Mr. Qiao carefully took Jiaojiao from Mrs. Qiao’s hands.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Such a gentle father! Sob, sob, sob, heaven has been too kind to me!”

Mr. Qiao’s hand suddenly shook. If it weren’t for the foundation he had built from his previous battles on the battlefield, he might have accidentally thrown the child in his arms!

“Oh, why did Daddy shake? It startled me!”

With this remark, Mr. Qiao became even more certain that the one speaking was his child in his arms!

This… how could this be possible!

Thinking about this father, Jiaojiao felt extremely regretful.

“Ah, my father is also a legendary figure. When he was young, he fought on the battlefield for the country and reclaimed the northern territories.”

“After the surrender of the northern kingdom, Father immediately voluntarily surrendered his military power and politely declined the title of Duke given by the emperor, becoming a third-ranking censor.”

“Others laughed at him, laughed at him for inviting trouble upon himself, but who knew his aspirations!”

“He could defend the country with martial prowess and oversee the officials with literary talent, all for the sake of maintaining the purity of the court!”

Mr. Qiao was completely stunned to hear this.

While others laughed and mocked him, some said he coveted power, some said he was thankless, only Jiaojiao in his arms spoke of his true aspirations!

He glanced around the room and found Mrs. Qiao looking calm, while his two sons remained clueless, completely unaware of Jiaojiao’s thoughts!

At this moment, Mr. Qiao not only wasn’t afraid of Jiaojiao’s strangeness but rather felt elated in his heart!

Could this be the intimate cotton jacket specially given to him by the heavens for Qiao Zhongguo?

At this moment, Jiaojiao’s voice rang out again.

“Sob, sob, sob, it’s a pity that my father, such a great hero, ended up as a sacrifice in political struggles, beheaded by the Meridian Gate, and our entire family exterminated overnight!”

With these words, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were both horrified, with Mrs. Qiao almost fainting.

However, for fear of others detecting anything unusual and dragging out rumors that could harm Jiaojiao, they both forced themselves to remain composed.

What’s going on?!

Their entire Qiao family were loyal subjects, serving their monarch faithfully all their lives, yet they ended up with such a tragic fate?

“I won’t let this happen in this lifetime! As such a loving family, even if I have to risk my life, I will protect them and change their fate!” Jiaojiao vowed firmly in her heart.

With these words, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao, though still uneasy, were both comforted and deeply moved.

Mr. Qiao affectionately touched Jiaojiao’s little face and silently said to himself:

“Silly Jiaojiao, how can such a heavy burden fall on you? No matter what, Dad will always protect you all!”

At this moment, Jiaojiao remembered the incident from earlier.

“Oh dear, beheading is still far off, there’s still time for everything, but the maid climbing into bed tonight is the urgent matter at hand!”

“Father and Mother have such a good relationship, how can they let discord arise because of someone else’s schemes!”

Qiao Zhongguo: ?

The maid climbing into bed?

Jiaojiao continued to be distressed. “That maid is always a troublemaker. Even if Mother decides to let Father stay tonight, it can only prevent it for the moment, not forever.”

“The best solution is to catch that maid tonight!”

“If only I could speak, I would have Father pretend to be drunk, and that maid would definitely fall for it!”

“Ah, I hate being so young! I’m so helpless!”

Jiaojiao was extremely distressed, when suddenly a handsome young man approached.

“Dad, let me hold my little sister.”

Jiaojiao’s eyes widened suddenly. “Wow, the genes in this family are really amazing!”

Reluctantly, Qiao Zhongguo let Jiaojiao go. At this moment, his eyes flickered slightly, indicating that he had indeed taken Jiaojiao’s suggestion into account.

Moreover, he felt it was necessary to reprimand the people in the mansion.

Qiao Zhongguo had long sworn that in this lifetime, he would only have one wife, never take concubines, never keep a mistress, and not even keep a chambermaid!

At this moment, the eldest son, Qiao Tianjing, carefully held Jiaojiao, and the second son, Qiao Diyi, immediately came over and gently poked Jiaojiao’s cheek.

“Ah! Both brothers are so handsome! The eldest is gentle and refined, as delicate as jade, while the second is wild and unrestrained, full of spirit. What a perfect combination!”

As Jiaojiao spoke, Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi suddenly looked at each other in shock.

Is… Is my little sister speaking?

“Sob, sob, sob, so pleasing to the eyes! Heaven has been so good to me, Jiaojiao! I’m very satisfied!”

Qiao Diyi, being younger, suddenly changed his expression and was about to speak eagerly.

At this moment, Qiao Tianjing’s expression suddenly darkened, and he immediately used a sharp look to stop Qiao Diyi from speaking.