ebookland Chapter 245 Congeniality
Chapter 245 Congeniality
Qiao Qingshu raised an eyebrow and smiled. She got up, dressed, and went to the main courtyard with the help of a maid.
The entire family of Uncle San was present. Qiao Jiye was with his birth mother, Qiu Shi, his wife, Chang Yin, and their two children, Qiao Hesong. Qiao Xiaomei was sitting in the main hall.
Qiao Jiye's family had always lived in Beijing, with his wife, mother, and daughter all living together, accompanying their son Qiao Hesong as he studied.
Qiao Jiye himself was constantly traveling between the two places; his business couldn't stop, and he still needed to make a living.
Originally, thanks to Qiao Qingshu's introduction, Qiao Hesong was able to successfully enter Wanqing Academy to study, which made Qiao Jiye very gratified. He felt that severing ties with the Qiao family was worthwhile.
Not long after, news spread that the Qiao family's property had been confiscated, and notices were posted all over the capital.
He had just returned to Beijing from out of town that day, and upon seeing the notice, he was so frightened that he felt he wanted to go home and flee with his wife and children.
When he got home, he saw his wife, daughter and elderly mother sitting quietly around the table eating.
He hurriedly stepped forward and pulled them, urging them to pack their things and run away so as not to be implicated by the Qiao family.
His wife, Chang Yin, frowned and said,
“Husband, have you forgotten? We have severed ties with the Qiao family. We have a deed with the government.”
Qiao Jiye then slapped his forehead and remembered this matter; his family had already been asked by Qiao Qingshu to sever ties with the Qiao family.
It should be noted that the laws of the Southern Zhao Kingdom stipulate that if a family commits a crime, it does not apply to married women, those who have severed ties, or those who have renounced worldly life.
Therefore, their lineage will not be affected in the slightest by the confiscation of the Qiao family's property.
Qiao Jiye stood there stunned for a moment before coming to her senses.
At this moment, his mother, Qiu, said...
"I originally thought severing ties was a bad thing, but now I see it as a good thing."
His wife, Chang Yin, smiled and pulled him to sit down at the dining table.
"Husband, please sit down and eat. The food is getting cold."
Qiao Jiye sat down, picked up his chopsticks, but the image of Qiao Qingshu appeared in his mind.
Was his niece's action intentional?
This question couldn't help but cross Qiao Jizhou's mind.
But soon Hesong entered the palace to take the exam. The children of Wanqing Academy were all prodigies. They did not take the imperial examination route and went directly to the palace to be tested by the emperor himself.
This exam was even held three days earlier than the imperial examinations in spring, but the results were released much later.
They only received the news yesterday that Qiao and Song were on the list!
However, due to the frequent accidents in the palace these days, and the successive mishaps of several nobles, the emperor has repeatedly postponed the time for the audience to bestow official titles.
I heard from outside that I would be going to the palace to meet the emperor in January, along with the top three winners of this year's imperial examination.
Qiao Jiye was not one to forget kindness. Qiao Qingshu had given him such a rare spot, and now that he was in high school, it was impossible for him not to come back and express his gratitude.
He went to the Xiao family first. The servant at the Xiao family gate said that the third mistress had returned to her parents' home. He was puzzled. The Qiao family had been raided. What was Qiao Qingshu doing back?
Later, they arrived at the Qiao family mansion and found that there was no sign of the house being ransacked. Instead, the house was as usual, with servants and stewards coming and going.
He frowned in confusion, and only after asking a passerby did he learn that the eldest son of the Qiao family, who had been missing for many years, had actually been found!
He was busy doing business in two different places, and his children, wife, and mother were all staying at home, unaware that such a big thing had happened outside.
He was somewhat surprised and curious when he came to see him. After the steward went in to announce his arrival, he followed him in.
Along the way, the Qiao family home was even cleaner, tidier, and more elegant than when that dead old lady was alive.
A handsome young man stood in front of him, smiling.
Qiao Jiye's heart trembled. This child looked exactly like Bai Chanzi, handsome and elegant, with a refined and graceful demeanor, but he didn't see a trace of his second brother, Qiao Jizhou.
Before Qiao Jiye could speak, the person opposite him stepped forward with a smile and said...
"Uncle Three."
Qiao Jiye felt a sudden surge of joy. He had just learned from passersby that Qiao Anlan was the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination.
He also smiled and said.
"Ah, you must be An Lan's nephew."
Qiao Anlan nodded.
Qiao Hesong and Qiao Anlan met eyes in the crowd. Qiao Anlan smiled first, and Qiao Hesong nodded in response with a smile.
They had actually known each other for a long time.
Qiao Anlan had already learned of the great name of Wanqing Academy from the private school teachers, and had also heard them mention a prodigy named Qiao Hesong who had recently arrived.
He had also read his articles and was amazed, which made him even more eager to get to know the man.
Now that I can finally meet him in person, and he turns out to be a relative, I am naturally even happier.
Qiao Hesong was the same. He went to see the results on the day they were announced and saw that the top scholar also had the surname Qiao. He initially thought it was a coincidence, but when he saw that it turned out to be his own brother, he naturally wanted to get to know him.
"Uncle Three."
A clear, melodious female voice rang out, and everyone turned to look. Qiao Qingshu walked in with a warm smile on her face.
Qiao Jiye noticed that she was much thinner than before and frowned.
"Thin."
Qiao Qingshu said with a smile,
"It's nothing. I caught a cold a few days ago, but I'm all better now."
The fact that she was assassinated by Xiao Yirou was kept completely secret, so no one else knew about it, and she didn't intend to cause any more trouble.
Qiao Jiye waved his hand, and several men carried in several boxes. He smiled.
"Now that Hesong has been chosen by the Emperor, if it weren't for your contributions back then, he wouldn't be where he is today. I've brought Hesong back here specifically to thank you. Please accept these small gifts."
After saying that, he ordered someone to open the box, which was filled with precious items such as pearls and corals from the East China Sea.
Qiao Jiye said with a smile,
“I’ve been doing business along the coast lately. These pearls and corals are treasured by the daughters and wives of officials in the capital, and their prices have been driven up. But I have plenty here. I’ll give you a few boxes as a gift. I hope you won’t find them too expensive.”
Everyone stared wide-eyed; the dazzling luster shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
Those who knew the market and prices were astonished; the items here could fetch tens of thousands of taels, let alone a few thousand.
Each of these pieces would have been displayed in the most prominent place in the jewelry store for the daughters and wives of officials to admire. Now, a whole box of them is piled up together, which is simply astonishing.
Qiao Qingshu picked one up casually and held it up to the sunlight to examine it. It was bright and delicate, with a lustrous sheen, a rare and exquisite item.
But here were several large boxes of top-quality goods, allowing Qiao Qingshu to see her third uncle's true feelings.
She said with a smile,
"Uncle, you've gone to a lot of trouble. I really like it."
Seeing that she liked it, Qiao Jiye smiled smugly. It was worth staying up three long nights to carefully select these treasures.
At this moment, Qiao Hesong could no longer contain himself and finally stepped forward to look at Qiao Anlan and said...
"You're Brother Anlan?"
Qiao Anlan looked at him and smiled.
"Yes, it's me, Hesong, your younger brother."
The two looked at each other and smiled, and the next sentence they began to discuss poetry, songs, and the details of the upcoming imperial examination.
The two got along very well and even went straight back to the study to admire the calligraphy and paintings, ignoring everyone else.