Chapter 393
Chapter 393: Chapter 393, Qiao Ruoyi’s past
Qingming festival in the sixth year of Jingyuan.
Qiao ruoyi wore a white mourning dress and went to Luo Wei’s grave. Luo Wei’s favorite wine was placed in front of the grave. It had been a year.
This year, when Qiao Ruoyi woke up in the middle of the night, she still remembered that Luo Wei was still by her side.
Little Nichang kneeled in front of the grave and kowtowed obediently. “Father, mother and nichang miss you very much.”
Qiao ruoyi used a handkerchief to carefully wipe the words on the gravestone for Luo Wei.
Qiao ruoyi thought back to her entire life. Although she was the daughter of the marquisdom when she was young, she knew that her father and mother were unreliable. Her eldest sister was weak, and her third sister Qiao Ruoshui was unruly and looked down on her in every way.
There was Aunt Qian in the residence, and she would act like a demon from time to time. Every time her father and mother were in love, Qiao ruoyi would know that it was her aunt’s bad luck.
Although Aunt Qian was doted on by her father and was his cousin, she was still an orphan girl. How could she dare to openly deal with the Marquise?
It was even more impossible to spoil a concubine and destroy a wife with old madam Qiao in the manor.
When Aunt Qian dealt with her mother, it was mostly to sow discord between her mother and her father. At most, it was between husband and wife.
Sometimes, when Aunt Qian failed in her plan, she would bully the weak and bully the strong to humiliate her aunt.
The year her mother was pregnant with her younger brother, Qiao Ruoyi was already six years old.
At that time, Aunt Qian came to torture her aunt every day. Aunt Qian was already sick, but Aunt Qian still forced aunt Hu to serve Aunt Qian.
Aunt Qian hated that Aunt Hu could have children, but she also hated that Aunt Hu was a servant girl. She was a servant girl that she could order around and bow to since she was young, but now she was on equal footing with Aunt Qian.
Qiao Ruoyi saw that Aunt Hu’s health was deteriorating, and she was extremely worried. She cried and said that she wanted to tell her stepmother about this to her father.
Aunt Hu stopped Qiao Ruoyi. Aunt Hu told Qiao ruoyi that she was originally a servant girl and had a humble background. Aunt Qian used to be a cousin of the marquisdom, so there was a difference in status.
Aunt Hu did not want to stir up trouble. She only hoped that she could live a peaceful life with Qiao Ruoyi. When Qiao Ruoyi got married, it would be good as long as her life was peaceful and smooth.
Qiao ruoyi secretly told her mother about Aunt Qian torturing her aunt. Her mother was pregnant and came to uphold justice, but Aunt Qian knelt in front of her father and kept saying that it was her mother who had used her aunt to slander her.
She even accused her mother of using a child.
Her father back then, however, believed Aunt Qian and fiercely blamed her mother and aunt Hu, saying that the two of them had no good intentions and even instigated the young child.
Qiao ruoyi felt bad that her mother was implicated. Her mother did not blame her, but Qiao ruoshui came over and scolded her.
Sometimes, Qiao Ruoshui was actually quite good. Ever since that incident, she had always been a concubine’s daughter.
Aunt Hu hugged Qiao Ruoyi and told her that after she got married in the future, she would not have to suffer such grievances. She would marry a good husband and a husband who loved her.
However, Qiao Ruoyi didn’t think so. She began to love books and paintings. She only cared about the principles of the sages. The sages would never make mistakes. She wanted to become a genius herself so that the Qian family would not dare to bully aunt Hu again.
However, when she was only twelve years old and her name was widely spread in Chang ‘an, everyone in the Qiao family was honored. Even Aunt Qian, who had always been on bad terms with her, didn’t say anything. However, her aunt ignored her for several days.
At that time, Qiao Ruoyi was extremely frightened. Aunt Hu had always cared about rules. If she was angry from a young age, she would not blame her.
Because aunt Hu thought that she was a slave and Qiao Ruoyi was the young lady of the Hou Mansion. However, if Aunt Hu did not agree with Qiao ruoyi, she would only ignore Qiao ruoyi.
Qiao Ruoyi was extremely scared at that time. It was her eldest sister, Qiao Ruoyun, who saw her crying and helped her to plead with Aunt Hu.
Aunt Hu finally revealed the truth. All the daughters in the Hou Mansion, apart from Qiao Ruoyin, were of a higher status than Qiao ruoyi. She did not even have a reputation outside, it was wrong for a daughter of a concubine to dare to make a name for herself in Chang ‘an.
Qiao ruoyi was really wronged at that time. Later, Zheng Xiao found out about this from Qiao Ruoyun.
Zheng Xiao told Aunt Hu that Qiao Ruoyi was the daughter of the Hou mansion. It was an honor for a sister to be famous. They should not have buried Qiao Ruoyi’s talent like this.
Aunt Hu also felt that Qiao Ruoyi was wronged. She held Qiao Ruoyi in her arms and kept her safe.
At that time, when Aunt Hu and Qiao ruoyi were in the same room, Aunt Hu told Qiao ruoyi that the most important thing was to find a good husband to marry. Any reputation was a sham.
Now that the world had changed, Qiao Ruoyi could openly refute what aunt Hu said was wrong.
However, she had missed the best husband. In this life, she would never find a better husband than Luo Wei.
After Qiao Ruoyi and Nichang returned to the Qiao residence, she was extremely weak.
In the courtyard, Lan Xin stood beside Qiao Ruoyi with a bowl of blood in her hands. She said, “Fifth miss, you’re finally back. This blood is about to solidify.”
Qiao ruoyi smelled the blood in the bowl and downed the blood in one gulp with a frown. She returned the porcelain bowl to Lan Xin and said, “Thank you for bringing me the blood.”
Lan Xin wanted to say something, but when she saw Nichang beside Qiao ruoyi, she forcefully stopped herself.
Yan Yu saw that Lan Xin wanted to say something but stopped herself, so she left with Nichang.
Lan Xin knelt in front of Qiao ruoyi with her back straight. “Fifth miss, my master has been giving you blood every half a month for the past year. His essence is already extremely poor.
“If this goes on, my master’s life will be in danger. If you don’t have the antidote, you won’t live long.”
Qiao ruoyi said coldly, “He owes me the antidote!”
Lan Xin said, “My master was innocent in that incident. He was just plotted against by the palace maid. He is also a victim!
As for General Luo’s death, it had nothing to do with my master. I beg you to change the antidote. You Don’t want Miss Nichang to lose her parents at such a young age, do you?”
Qiao ruoyi ignored Lan Xin and entered the room. She closed the door and shut Lan Xin, who was still begging bitterly, outside.
Qiao ruoyi pressed against the door. She definitely could not accept Xie Yun.
If there really was a day, she would probably choose to let Xie Yun live. Xie Yun was still alive and Nichang still had a blood relative who loved her dearly.
Although the Qiao family had so many relatives, Nichang was only a cousin after all. Without her parents, she would still be living under someone else’s roof.
On the 100th day of Princess Weiyang’s birthday, the officials celebrated. When Qiao Ruoyi saw her little niece, she also changed the worries she had for the past year.
At the 100th day banquet, Qiao Ruoyi also saw Xie Yun, who had no blood on his lips. He was now the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had come to receive the main guests of the Ministry of Commerce. He had a flourishing trade with foreign merchants, and this position was extremely popular.
The Emperor had given this position to Xie Yun, and all the officials could not understand it.
Today’s 100th day banquet was organized by Princess Chu, eldest Princess Jinghua, and the Minister of the Shang Palace. No one knew how it was arranged, but it was actually arranged according to officials, and the wife was to sit together with the wife, according to rank.
Qiao ruoyi and Xie Yun, who were also vice ministers of the Minister’s Province, were coincidentally arranged to sit at the same table.