bookrebus Chapter 238 Confession
Chapter 238 Confession
Qiao Qingshu paused, turned her head slightly, and met those shrewd and experienced eyes.
Madam Xiao continued in a deep voice,
“I knew the eldest son of the family harbored wolfish ambitions and plotted wicked schemes, but he was still my child, and I couldn't bear to... yet you disposed of him... In truth, you didn't do anything wrong..."
Old Madam Xiao slowly turned her head and knelt down again, kowtowing once towards the mourning hall, her voice deep and distant.
"You did something that I dared not do."
Qiao Qingshu stood outside the threshold, the sunlight warming her, but the inside was dimly lit, and the cold bluestone bricks seemed to carry a chill to the bone. It was as if the inside and outside were two different worlds.
Qiao Qingshu stood in the light, while Old Madam Xiao knelt in the shadows.
Her throat bobbed, but she ultimately didn't know what to say.
Then, Old Madam Xiao slowly got up and walked towards her, her gloomy face gradually brightening up.
Old Madam Xiao actually reached out and grasped Qiao Qingshu's hand, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears, and said...
“I am old, but you are young. The Xiao family will depend on you in the future.”
Qiao Qingshu's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected the old lady of the Xiao family to say such a thing. Did she mean that she was going to hand over the Xiao family to her to manage?
Madam Xiao continued to give instructions,
"Zhijie is pure and kind, not very calculating, unlike you who are deep and intelligent. Although he is a prince, his future is uncertain. Please help him out."
"You were the one who planned to marry him in the first place, so don't even think about abandoning him now, or I won't let you off the hook."
A pair of cunning and sharp eyes stared at Qiao Qingshu. After speaking, he gave a faint smile, patted Qiao Qingshu's hand, and then stepped out the door and slowly left.
Qiao Qingshu stared at the departing figure, unable to take a step for a long time.
Grandma Xiao had actually sensed her desire to leave...
This thought had been brewing in her mind for countless times; she had already made up her mind, without the slightest hesitation...
But how could Old Madam Xiao possibly see through all of this...?
Qiao Qingshu had originally planned that now that Xiao Zhijie had ascended to the position of prince, the emperor was getting old, and the court was being managed peacefully by the old emperor.
It was only a matter of time before Xiao Zhijie became emperor; there were few obstacles.
Her initial plan to marry Xiao Zhijie was simply to enter the Xiao family to seek revenge and to separate from the family after her husband's death, moving away from the Xiao family mansion and everything here.
If it weren't for this reason, she wouldn't have deliberately bumped into Xiao Zhijie and caused him to fall into the water, thus arranging the marriage.
Now that their goal has been achieved, their fake marriage is over, so why bother pretending anymore?
Naturally, she had to be honest with Xiao Zhijie and leave the Xiao family.
Now, upon hearing these words from Old Madam Xiao, she began to hesitate.
Xiao Zhijie did not return to the Xiao family that night, but stayed in the palace and talked with the old emperor all night without sleeping.
Qiao Qingshu also couldn't sleep at night. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, thinking about what the old lady of the Xiao family had said to her during the day.
Feeling somewhat agitated, I put on my clothes, got out of bed, went to the window, and stood facing the bright moon until dawn.
The next morning, Xiao Chengyan returned to his residence, surrounded by many guards, eunuchs, and palace maids.
The Xiao family already knew Xiao Zhijie's identity, and knew that he was no longer the second son of a concubine, but had become the emperor's only prince.
Therefore, every face was filled with a kind smile, welcoming the return of this noble prince.
Su Yunzhen and Xiao Zhinuo, the second master of the Xiao family, were so surprised after learning the truth that they couldn't sleep all night.
They had no idea that the child born to this concubine was hiding such a big secret.
They were initially taken aback, but after Xiao Zhinuo carefully analyzed the matter from Xiao Caiwei's perspective, they were able to understand her sister's actions back then.
Although he was taken advantage of by this younger sister, he could understand it deep down.
In fact, all four branches of the Xiao family could have adopted her child, but Xiao Caiwei chose them. Xiao Zhinuo knew it was because the couple had no children of their own and were of upright character, making them trustworthy.
Su Yunzhen felt more sorry for Xiao Zhijie. A noble prince had suffered so much contempt and disrespect over the years because of his status as a son of a concubine. She was moved to tears. Now, no one dared to look down on Zhijie anymore.
Therefore, when they saw Xiao Zhijie again, the couple were both excited and wanted to kneel down to pay their respects, but Xiao Zhijie stopped them.
"Father, Mother, what are you doing!"
Xiao Zhinuo's knees still wanted to bend downwards.
"Now that you are a prince, your subjects should naturally pay their respects."
Xiao Zhijie, however, pulled him up abruptly, saying somewhat angrily,
“You are my parents, no one can deny that, not even the Emperor. If it weren’t for your careful care over the years, how could I have grown up so healthily? I should be the one bowing to you, not the father kneeling to the son.”
These words carried a hint of anger, and Madam Su noticed her son's displeasure. She tugged at the sleeve of the Second Master Su, which finally made him stand up.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xiao Zhijie looked around in the crowd but couldn't see his wife anywhere.
He frowned slightly and said,
"Where's Madame?"
Madam Su said,
“There have been a lot going on at home lately, and Qing Shu must be exhausted. I noticed that her room light was on all night last night, so she probably didn’t get enough rest.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhijie left the others and went straight back to his and Qiao Qingshu's room.
Pushing open the door, I saw Qiao Qingshu sitting in front of the table, lost in thought. She only looked up slightly when she saw someone come in.
The two looked into each other's eyes, and although they hadn't seen each other for only a day, it felt as if they were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, and hundreds of days and nights.
The two spoke at the same time.
"you.."
"I..."
Xiao Zhijie quickly cupped his hands and smiled,
"You go first."
Qiao Qingshu raised her eyes and then lowered her head again,
"I...I need to be honest with you about something."
She told Xiao Zhijie that she had indeed planned to push him into the water long ago, but she couldn't say that she did it because she wanted to take revenge after being reborn.
She told him that she did this to get revenge on Xiao Chengyan.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhijie's eyes dimmed for a moment.
Qiao Qingshu then told him that they had not consummated their marriage. They did not have marital relations after he got drunk that night. She said she did this only because she was reluctant to let him leave her without any support.
Xiao Zhijie's eyes dimmed even more.
Qiao Qingshu also told him that she helped him enter the palace and become a prince, but she did so because she was greedy for wealth and glory.
Xiao Zhijie's expression finally darkened, and he interrupted her,
"That's enough, I don't want to hear anymore."
Qiao Qingshu slowly raised her eyes and met his gaze again.
“I married you not out of my own heart, but for ulterior motives. Now that you are a prince, I regret my decision. It would be better for everyone if we parted ways.”
Xiao Zhijie's face was ashen and cold. He regretted letting her speak first, as she had said such hurtful things.