Chapter 7

That night, the things copied from the Hua family had already been placed on the desk in Qiao Zhongguo’s study.

Qiao Zhongguo’s gaze swept over a pile of gold and silver objects, landing directly on an inconspicuous wooden box.

He opened the wooden box with his fingers, revealing a thick stack of scrap paper inside. The handwriting on it was messy, some even showing traces of being crumpled.

With just one glance, Qiao Zhongguo recognized his eldest son’s handwriting.

While feeling shocked and relieved in his heart, the next moment was filled with anger.

“Call the eldest young master to come see me!”

Qiao Tianjing hurried over, but as soon as he pushed the door open, a wooden box slammed to the ground at his feet.

“Take a look for yourself!” Qiao Zhongguo’s voice was full of anger.

Qiao Tianjing bent down to pick up a piece of paper from the ground, his face instantly turning pale.

On it was a passionate rant he had written a month ago after witnessing the hardships of the people. The words were intense, full of fervor.

If this piece of paper fell into the wrong hands and was misinterpreted as dissatisfaction towards the emperor or the court, it would truly be indefensible.

Seeing that Qiao Tianjing had realized the seriousness of the situation, Qiao Zhongguo suppressed his anger and said sternly:

“Eldest son, you have always been steady in your actions. How could you not understand the principle that a gentleman does not stand under a tottering wall?”

“There are no walls impervious to wind. Even at home, there are some words you must keep to yourself!”

Qiao Tianjing lowered his eyebrows and respectfully agreed.

Qiao Zhongguo still couldn’t let go of his anger. If it weren’t for Jiaojiao’s reminder, his eldest son would have been digging his own grave!

“Tonight, you will kneel in the ancestral hall and personally burn these papers one by one. Take the opportunity to reflect on what mistakes you’ve made in your eighteen years of life!”

“Eldest son, our Qiao family may seem to be thriving, but we should always be prepared for adversity—”

The last sentence was heavy with meaning, addressed both to Qiao Zhongguo himself and to his eldest son.

Qiao Tianjing had deeply realized his mistake.

He picked up the scraps of paper from the ground, collected them all back into the wooden box, and said solemnly, “Father, I will never do such foolish things again.”

After Qiao Tianjing finished speaking, he turned and walked out, heading firmly towards the ancestral hall.

Qiao Zhongguo watched his eldest son’s figure, unable to hide the pain in his eyes. But he also knew that sometimes, a person had to experience a harsh lesson to learn from it!

Before going to bed, Qiao Zhongguo went to see Mrs. Qiao again.

Mrs. Qiao had heard from the servants about Qiao Zhongguo’s outburst in the study and couldn’t help but look concerned.

“Why did you get so angry with the eldest?”

Qiao Jiaojiao had just finished drinking her milk and was in high spirits. Her ears perked up instantly.

Qiao Zhongguo didn’t make any excuses. He earnestly explained today’s events, including the pros and cons, to Mrs. Qiao, who listened with a pale face.

“Thank goodness!” Mrs. Qiao expressed her gratitude with lingering fear.

[Oh! That’s great! My dad is really reliable, he really found out what happened!]

[With this, coupled with the eldest brother’s upright character and clean officialdom, those with ill intentions won’t be able to easily frame him!]

Upon hearing Qiao Jiaojiao’s words, Mrs. Qiao knew that her eldest son had truly passed through a major ordeal in advance, and her mood relaxed.

“By the way, husband, my elder sister-in-law mentioned that she would come to see me tomorrow, and she might also bring Ning’er.”

At this point, Mrs. Qiao looked a bit embarrassed. “My elder sister-in-law has hinted at me many times. She has her eyes on our eldest son. What do you think, husband?”

When Jiaojiao heard this, her hair stood on end.

[Mother! This won’t do! My elder sister-in-law is from the household of the Minister of Industry!]

[My elder sister-in-law is really great. She and my eldest brother are like a harmonious couple. When our Qiao family fell into dire straits, my eldest brother let her return home, but she still stood by his side!]

[Sob sob sob, I really admire my eldest brother and elder sister-in-law!]

Qiao Zhongguo had already heard Jiaojiao mention this future daughter-in-law during the day, and now knowing how loyal and righteous she was, he was extremely satisfied.

It was the first time Mrs. Qiao had heard of this news, and she couldn’t help but be surprised.

Minister of Industry?

Isn’t that Mrs. Han’s daughter?

But the Han family’s reputation isn’t very good, and Mrs. Han always keeps to herself.

However, since Jiaojiao speaks so highly of that Han family daughter, she must be a good girl!

Qiao Zhongguo was about to find a suitable reason to refuse, but he was afraid of hurting Mrs. Qiao’s feelings, after all, she was her own niece.

But Mrs. Qiao spoke first, “Alas, husband, I think it’s better to forget about it. This relationship is too close, and the eldest son has his own thoughts. He needs to agree to this himself.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Jiaojiao immediately nodded.

[Yes yes yes! Mother is so understanding and respects her children. She’s the best mother in the world!]

This rainbow fart made Mrs. Qiao feel so relieved.

At this moment, Qiao Jiaojiao’s thoughts returned to the aunt who would visit tomorrow.

Mrs. Qiao’s maiden name was Zuo Hejing, and she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Yan. She only had one older brother, Zuo Heying, who was already in his forties.

Their maternal grandfather, the Duke of Yan, was now sixty-three years old. He had followed the former emperor on expeditions and battles, although he had some health issues, his body was still robust.

Perhaps because he was busy with battles back then and neglected to discipline his son, Uncle Zuo Heying had been a wastrel for many years, far inferior to his grandfather.

My aunt is the daughter of the former young minister of Dali Temple, and her status is much inferior to that of the prince’s son.

But he couldn’t bear the fact that his aunt was so beautiful that his uncle fell in love with her at first sight and refused to marry her.

But this aunt’s character is not simple at all.

[Well, my mother is very close to my aunt. After my aunt married into the Duke’s palace, my mother also helped her a lot. 】

[My uncle is a generous person, and my aunt suffered a lot for this, so my mother intervened and comforted her, and she also gave her a lot of beautiful jade jewelry. 】

[But how could my kind-hearted mother know that this aunt is actually a smiling tiger! 】

When Mrs. Qiao heard this, her heart trembled suddenly.

[Actually, my aunt is very jealous of my mother! In the past, I was jealous that my mother had a good family background and good looks. Later, I was jealous that my mother married well and lived happily after marriage. 】

[So when my mother regarded her aunt as a close friend and complained that the girl had climbed into dad’s bed, she even encouraged her to have a cold war with him even though she knew that dad had done nothing wrong. 】

[She also used her uncle as an example and spoke very unfavorably about the man, which made her mother have grudges and doubts in her heart. 】

[Every time she came, she would give her mother eye drops. Seeing that her mother was getting worse and worse, she was gloating about her misfortune. 】

[The most detestable thing is that after my mother passed away in despair, my grandfather couldn’t bear the shock and his hair turned gray overnight, and he no longer had the intention to take care of the Duke’s mansion. 】

[My aunt was easily instigated and induced by King Jing, and she took this opportunity to attack the Qiao family with her uncle! 】

[During my mother’s funeral, my father was so distraught that he didn’t care about him. My aunt and uncle took this opportunity to sneak into my father’s study and hide the false evidence of collaboration with the enemy and treason! 】

Hearing this, Qiao Zhongguo and Mrs. Qiao really felt like a thunderbolt hit them on the head!

Who would have thought that the accomplice who killed everyone in their Qiao family was actually the person closest to them!