allonlinenovel Chapter 154 Madam Qiao Argues Reasonably
Chapter 154 Madam Qiao Argues Reasonably
The Shen family suffered a loss, and the Chi family lost their white coat.
It seems that even God was helping He Lingyi, as those who had ill intentions towards her and her mother Chi Guiwan all met with bad ends.
Therefore, when she learned that the Shen family was quietly packing their bags to leave, she stopped pursuing the matter.
The following day marked the seventh day after the passing of Madam Chi.
Inside the Vice Minister's residence, all the servants were dressed in plain white to greet the guests who had arrived that day. When the Qiao family arrived, the procession was quite grand.
It was early summer, and Chi Guiwan, being pregnant, was very sensitive to the heat, so she dressed rather lightly. However, she wore plain brocade clothes from head to toe, and had no hairpins or pearls on her head, but she wore two white velvet flowers as a sign of respect.
Although she wasn't particularly saddened by her grandmother's death, returning to familiar surroundings and seeing everyone with red eyes, she couldn't help but shed tears as well.
Qiao Er supported her, being very careful about everything around them.
Seeing her cry, he only offered a few words of comfort and did not stop her. After all, if his wife was more upset, outsiders would have fewer gossips.
As for Madam Qiao, she walked ahead. To show her sincerity, she was dressed in a purple and white dress from head to toe, with only a few pearl hairpins to hold her hair in place. Compared to her usual attire, she was much more elegant.
When the group arrived at the mourning hall, Chi Yunjing, who was inside, looked up and saw them.
He didn't sleep a wink that night, just sitting there in the mourning hall, exhausted. Plus, he had just come out of the East Palace dungeon, so he looked incredibly haggard.
His eyes were sunken, and when he looked at Chi Guiwan, there was no loving fatherly gaze at all. Instead, he looked at her as if she were an enemy, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction and anger.
Qiao Er was very unhappy with his father-in-law's gaze, so he shifted his body to shield his wife behind him and returned the same impolite look. Chi Yun Jing was a little annoyed, but he didn't say anything.
Sure enough, she found herself a good backer. No wonder she didn't care about anything in her own family. Thinking of the son in Aunt Zhao's belly, Chi Yunjing blamed Chi Guiwan for his early death. Therefore, he also harbored a curse on the child in her womb.
“Father, I’ve come to offer incense to Grandmother.”
"Uncle Chi."
"Father-in-law."
Several people spoke up, but Chi Yunjing ignored everyone. Qiao Er and Madam Qiao didn't care, while Chi Guiwan didn't pay attention. She went up to get incense, lit it, kowtowed, and then got up to insert the incense sticks. Her movements were smooth and efficient, showing that she was in good health during her pregnancy.
The more this happened, the more uncomfortable Chi Yunjing felt, and then he made a sarcastic remark to her face.
"Your grandmother has been gone for so long, and it's only now that you've offered this incense stick. It's truly laughable. You must have married into a high-class family and now you can't stand your own family anymore."
Chi Guiwan frowned. She was also unhappy to hear this, but out of consideration for her feelings, she stopped her husband who wanted to speak up for her, and then humbly replied.
"Father, please forgive me. It's all my fault. I haven't been feeling well these past few days, so I've been resting. I was indeed a little late."
"I thought you were going to use the Qiao family as a shield for life, humph."
Upon hearing this, Madam Qiao and Qiao Er's expressions grew even more unpleasant. How could a father not understand the hardships his daughter endured during pregnancy and speak so harshly?
So, not tolerating this habit, Madam Qiao spoke directly.
"Uncle, what you're saying makes it sound like our Qiao family has done something wrong. My second sister-in-law is pregnant, so of course she should rest more. The Qiao family is her husband's family, so naturally we should be her support for life. Isn't that normal?"
Chi Yunjing glanced sideways at Madam Qiao, clearly unconvinced by her words. Recalling how Aunt Zhao had come to her door seeking help to no avail, his anger flared up again.
"If that's the case, then I don't understand why my concubine was driven away by the Qiao family when she came to visit. If it weren't for that, her unborn child wouldn't have died so young. After all, this child is my eldest sister's brother. Just because they don't have the same mother, they can be treated so cruelly?"
All this strange stuff turns out it's this.
Madam Qiao was not at all ashamed of the matter. With a serious expression, she glanced at the silent steward beside her and directly revealed the truth.
“Uncle Chi, although I am a junior, I must say something today. Since I was born, I have never seen any respectable family allow a concubine to be in charge. That Concubine Zhao is already on her way to give birth, yet she came to the gate of my Zhenguo General’s Mansion to try to cause trouble. If we hadn’t refused to put up with her, I’m afraid her child would have been born into my Qiao family!”
Madam Qiao's family was powerful, both her own and her husband's, so she always spoke and acted with propriety.
You can find out by asking around the whole city, but few people would want to confront him head-on. Unfortunately, Chi Yunjing is on edge today and insists on arguing with him, so naturally Madam Qiao will not give in.
"As far as I know, Aunt Zhao's child clearly died because she couldn't deliver naturally and it took two or three days. How can such a thing be blamed on my Qiao family? If it is as Uncle Chi wishes, then in the future, if any pregnant woman passes by my Zhenguo General's Mansion and has any problems, it will all be our fault?"
"It's a pity that my grandfather, father-in-law, and husband have guarded the frontier for three generations, serving the country and the people without ever complaining about their hardships. Now, Uncle Chi is making it sound like our Qiao family is cursed. Aunt Zhao only visited once, and she's already gotten pregnant?"
Grand principles and true facts were spoken one by one from Madam Qiao's mouth. Chi Yunjing finally saw what a descendant of the Kong family was like. No wonder she could walk sideways in the capital!
Unable to win the argument, Chi Yunjing turned his attention to Chi Guiwan.
He spoke with obvious disgust in his eyes.
"Fine, you have someone protecting you, so I, as your father, can't do anything to you. But remember, even if you are a woman from the Qiao family, you are still a daughter of the Chi family who came from my Vice Minister's residence. If I fall in the future, do you think you can rest easy? When your husband's family despises you, I want to see how comfortable you can be!"
"Father……"
Chi Guiwan never imagined that her father would curse her like that. Tears streamed down her face, which made Qiao Er feel heartbroken. Regardless of the fact that the other party was his elder, he retorted directly.
"Father-in-law, you should mind your own business. You've lost two wives, and your children haven't fared well either. I bet there's something wrong with the feng shui of this Vice Minister's residence, which is why everyone in the family is suffering. Luckily, your wife married into our Qiao family early on, so we're under the protection of our ancestors and living in peace. As for you, with your dark circles and sunken cheeks, I'm afraid you'll bring bad luck to any woman you remarry!"