He was murdered after his family was wiped out and left with no descendants; his whole family knelt

Chapter 196 Reassurance

Xiao Zhijie frowned slightly as he looked at the composed Qiao Qingshu, and said in an extremely low voice,

"You knew all along?"

If an ordinary woman saw her entire family being raided and exiled, she would not only cry and wail, but would also feel sad and reluctant to part with them.

Why was Qiao Qingshu's expression so calm and composed, as if this wasn't her home?

Qiao Qingshu slowly turned her head and met Xiao Zhijie's eyes. The light in her eyes was clearly one of excitement.

She smiled slightly and said softly,

"Me? How could I possibly have the ability to foresee the future? Everything is just the cycle of cause and effect. Father must bear the consequences of his crimes. I am powerless to do anything about it."

She spoke with extreme composure, as if she were talking about something trivial.

These words left Xiao Zhijie speechless.

Indeed, how could a young lady like her have such foresight and even influence the court to reopen old cases? Moreover, how could a young lady like her possibly control her father's relationship with Chief Minister Lin?

Qiao Qingshu nodded slightly. She knew what Xiao Zhijie was thinking, and silently added in her heart, "..."

Yes, I was just adding fuel to the fire.

"Waaaaah..."

On the other hand, the second sister, Qiao Qingqiao, was overcome with grief as she watched the Qiao family members being taken away.

It's my home after all, and my family and friends with whom I spend every day.

Now that she had been arrested by the soldiers, she couldn't remain calm and composed like Qiao Qingshu. Her nose started to sting uncontrollably, and she began to sob softly.

Zhou Quanshu was holding his wife's arm and quietly comforting her.

Even Zhou Quanshu was shocked by what happened today. He had only come back to his wife's parents' home with her, but he never expected that their home would be ransacked.

Thinking that his wife would be all alone in the future, he felt even more tenderness and love for her and hugged her even tighter.

Qiao Qingshu stepped forward, took Qingqiao's hand, and simply gave a few words of advice.

"Qiao'er, now that you're married and your family is gone, you should live a good life with your husband. If you need anything, come to the Xiao residence to find me. Remember, Qiao'er, your good days are yet to come."

Just moments ago, Qiao Qingqiao felt empty and adrift, but after hearing her older sister's words, she felt a sense of peace wash over her.

Her aunt had died long ago, and her father's family had been raided. She was indeed feeling panicked and uncertain. Moreover, she had just gotten married, and her husband was from a poor family. She didn't know his character or whether he was easy to get along with. Naturally, she felt like she was walking on clouds and was very uneasy.

But as soon as her older sister said those words, she seemed to find a pillar of support.

Yes, she also has an older sister.

The older sister was like a reassuring pill for Qiao Qingqiao, calming her mind and spirit.

Qiao Qingshu turned to look at Zhou Quanshu, her gentle expression vanishing, replaced by a serious one.

“Zhou Quanshu, I was the matchmaker for your marriage to Qiao’er. Don’t let me down. If I find out that you are not good to Qiao’er, you will have no future.”

Zhou Quanshu's body trembled uncontrollably, and his heart skipped a beat.

Logically speaking, Qiao Qingshu was just a newlywed woman confined to the inner quarters, so how could she speak with such a commanding presence, making the person opposite her feel inferior, even causing their knees to buckle and want to kneel before her?

Zhou Quanshu felt a sense of fear without any apparent reason, but he also agreed with Qiao Qingshu's words.

He was infatuated with the second daughter of the Qiao family, a dream he himself believed was something he could never realize in this lifetime.

Now that he has actually married the woman he loves, how could he not treat her well?

He nodded emphatically and bowed very respectfully.

"Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely treat Qiao'er well."

Qiao Qingshu nodded slowly and waved her hand,

"Take Qiao'er back first and comfort her properly."

Zhou Quanshu had already planned to leave this place as soon as possible, lest his wife feel even more heartbroken and saddened by the desolate scene in the courtyard.

So he helped Qiao Qingqiao leave slowly.

Seeing the two walk away, Qiao Qingshu slowly turned around and looked at the huge Qiao family compound.

One second the courtyard was full of people and the atmosphere was lively, the next second everyone had left and the place was desolate and bleak.

She walked slowly through these courtyards, gazing at the familiar scenes, her heart deeply moved.

Xiao Zhijie followed behind her, feeling increasingly confused. He felt as if he knew nothing about his new wife.

Although his wife was younger than him, why did she always have such a mature and weathered expression on her face, like a woman who had experienced many hardships and was exhausted?

This woman held a high position, and every move she made exuded an air of nobility, making people feel as if they were about to submit to her.

Xiao Zhijie shook his head abruptly, then looked at the slightly immature face. How could such a young face possibly belong to a high-ranking noblewoman?

However, the doubts and unease in his heart could not be dispelled, and he became even more curious about Qiao Qingshu.

The two walked together, bypassing the entire Qiao family compound, before Qiao Qingshu slowly walked out of the gate.

Xiao Zhijie couldn't help but ask a question.

Why aren't you sad?

This time, Qiao Qingshu didn't hide anything; instead, she raised her face and smiled,

"Because of hatred."

The warm spring sunshine shone on her young face, and although her expression was relaxed, why did she utter such words?

Xiao Zhijie was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

"Shu'er!"

At that moment, a person jumped out of the carriage and, trembling with fear, threw himself into Qiao Qingshu's arms.

It was Aunt He who had just helped her into the carriage to wait.

Aunt He was resting with her eyes closed in the carriage, thinking that she would have a good talk with Qiao Qingshu when she came out.

She was startled to hear a commotion of voices and the clash of weapons outside. Peeking out, she saw a large contingent of soldiers rushing into the Qiao family's residence.

She clutched her handkerchief tightly, unaware of what major event had occurred in the Qiao family, and peered anxiously into the room.

Before long, all the members of the Qiao family were brought out bound hand and foot and put into a prison van.

Aunt He covered her mouth and quickly pulled her head back, her body trembling uncontrollably with fear.

The crowd gathered outside was also discussing it animatedly.

"Oh dear, it looks like their house has been ransacked!"

"That's right, it seems like this Master Qiao is about to be executed, tsk tsk tsk."

"Look! Aren't these the two concubines that Master Qiao brought in yesterday? They're so unlucky, they haven't even enjoyed their good fortune yet, and they're already going to suffer along with the Qiao family!"

Hiding in the carriage, Aunt He's lips were trembling. Her heart skipped a beat. If she were still in the Qiao family, would she also be taken away with them?

The coachman noticed Aunt He's fear and spoke up to comfort her.

“Madam, now that you have the indenture, you are no longer a member of the Qiao family. So, you can’t be arrested.”