Chapter 14, Genealogy

At that time, the words Tong'er said to her most often were: "Don't be afraid, young lady, I will always be with you."

A few years later, Qiao Yuantao actually asked her for Tong'er. Her good mother-in-law also insisted that she take the initiative to make Tong'er her son's concubine, otherwise she would be considered an unvirtuous and jealous daughter-in-law.

For the first time, she refused the shameless demands of the mother and son for Tong'er's sake.

However, Tong'er still couldn't escape their clutches. One day, her mother-in-law used an excuse to send her away, and Qiao Yuantao forcibly took Tong'er as his concubine.

In that cold-blooded household, the master and servant were isolated and helpless, and could only swallow their humiliation and accept their fate.

However, not long after, Qiao Yuantao, for the sake of his career, went so far as to get Tong'er drunk and send her to his superior's bed. When Tong'er woke up, she knelt down in front of him with tears in her eyes and kowtowed three times. That night, she threw herself into a well and committed suicide.

Now, looking at Tong'er alive and well in front of her, Yu Qingci only regretted that she was too weak in her previous life and failed to protect this girl, and she couldn't help but want to shed tears again.

"Girl, what's wrong? Did someone bully you today?"

Seeing that Yu Qingci's eyes were red, Tong'er hurriedly asked her anxiously.

Yu Qingci gently shook her head and casually said, "No one bullied me. I just miss my mother a little. I wonder what she's doing all by herself right now?"

Tong'er comforted her, saying, "Miss, don't worry about Madam. With the Earl taking care of her outside, Madam's life will be fine. Madam instructed me to take good care of you, Miss. You must take me with you wherever you go, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

The "madam" that Tong'er mentioned was naturally Yu Qingci's biological mother, Su Chengniang.

Yu Qingci smiled and nodded at her, secretly vowing in her heart that she would make sure Tong'er found a good home in this life.

She also has her mother and younger brother; in this life, she will protect all her loved ones.

The following day, the family genealogy was displayed at the ancestral hall.

According to family rules, women are not allowed to enter the ancestral hall, so Madam Qiao could only stand outside with her daughters and wait. Yu Qingci and her brother, being the main characters of the day, naturally had to go in.

As for Madam Zhang, she didn't even show up. It was just two of her grandchildren being registered in the ancestral home, and she didn't bother to attend.

Watching the two siblings follow their father into the ancestral hall, Yu Qingyan was alright, but Yu Qingying was so jealous that her eyes could spit fire.

The ceremony was not complicated. After offering incense and kowtowing to the ancestors, the next step was to open the family genealogy and register the names.

Also present today were several clan elders who were in charge of affairs.

Yu Jingsheng held the title of Earl of Nanping and also held an official position in the court. Therefore, he was not only the head of the Earl's Mansion but also the clan leader. Naturally, he personally wrote down the name of the deceased.

Looking at the family genealogy her father had spread out, Yu Qingci spoke up at the opportune moment: "Father, are you planning to register my brother and me under the Qiao family name?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Jingsheng paused and looked at his daughter, Yu Qingci, who said, "My brother and I are from the Su family. Father, you can see that clearly."

Yu Jingsheng sighed inwardly. In the family genealogy, next to his name, Yu Jingsheng, the column for his legal wife read Qiao Shi. Back then, the old lady was very decisive in her actions. She severed ties with Su Shi and her family, not only letting everyone in the capital know that Su Shi had been divorced, but also instigating the elders to remove his mother's name from the family genealogy.

It seems impossible to smooth things over today; his daughter is incredibly meticulous.

Yu Jingsheng hesitated before speaking, "Today, let's add the two of you to the family register first, and then we'll discuss the rest..."

Yu Qingci spoke first: "Father, Mother is your first wife. Since the ancestral hall is open today, why don't you rewrite Mother's name to avoid trouble later? Although Mother is observing mourning for her maternal grandparents and cannot return home, it is with your consent. As the legal wife, her name should be written in the family genealogy."

In her previous life, her mother chose to settle things peacefully so that she and her younger brother could be recognized as members of their ancestral clan. In this life, she would never let her mother suffer such injustice again.

Faced with his daughter's stubborn expression, Yu Jingsheng gritted his teeth and nodded, "Alright, let's take care of this matter together while the elders are all here today."

The clan elders present had different expressions upon hearing this. They were well aware of the divorce of Su Shi back then, and the name of the Earl's legal wife was changed by them at Zhang Shi's request, on behalf of the Earl who was away and had not returned. The current Earl's wife on the clan genealogy is Qiao Shi.

One of the oldest elders spoke up: "Lord, the position of the first wife is of great importance. You should think this through carefully."

Yu Jingsheng said to his two eldest uncles, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, I won't say much about what happened back then, you two know best. That letter of divorce was not written by me, and it doesn't have my seal or signature. I would like to ask you two uncles to be my witnesses."

"this……"

The two elders exchanged a glance, hesitated for only a moment, and then made their decision.

Over the years, the entire family has relied on the Earl's Mansion for survival. The current Earl is in his prime and holds a high position of power. As long as it is not a major matter that goes against the interests of the entire clan, the elders generally follow the Earl's lead and rarely raise any objections.

Besides, this is the Earl's own family matter, so it's best for the old folks to stay out of it.

However, since the Earl has been away from the mansion for many years, Madam Qiao, as the head of the household, has been quite respectful to the elderly, and has never neglected to pay them tributes. Most importantly, the old lady of the mansion is very satisfied with Madam Qiao as her daughter-in-law, so they have turned a blind eye and let things be.

Now that they see that the Earl really wants to change it back, they still have to say a few words in support of Madam Qiao, both out of courtesy and reason.

The second uncle said tactfully, "It is up to you, Lord, to make the decision. We will all listen to you. Lord, please think carefully about which of Madam Qiao and Madam Su you think is the principal wife. After all, it is not good to keep changing the family genealogy."

Third Uncle: "If Madam Su is the first wife, then what about Madam Qiao? Over the years, Madam Qiao has worked hard for the entire Earl's Mansion, serving her mother-in-law and raising the younger generation. She has not made any mistakes. She can't just become nameless and without status in a muddle?"

Other clan elders echoed this sentiment.

Yu Jingsheng looked at everyone with a solemn expression: "I have already thought this through. Su's status as the first wife has never changed. As for Qiao, she will be made a secondary wife. Her three children will still be legitimate, and she will still be in charge of the household affairs. In terms of status, they will not be separated. In this way, Qiao will not be considered to have been wronged."

Everyone agreed that this was the only option and nodded in approval.

Seeing that no one raised any further objections, Yu Jingsheng picked up his pen and began writing on the family genealogy.

Seeing her father rewrite her mother's name on the family genealogy, Yu Qingci finally breathed a sigh of relief. This time, she would see how the Qiao family would suppress her mother.

Next came the brother and sister. In the presence of the clan elders, the names of Yu Qingci and Yu Qingbai were officially written into the family genealogy.

Yu Qingci, the third daughter of the principal wife, Su Chengniang;

Yu Qingbai. The seventh son of the principal wife, Su Chengniang;

From then on, Yu Qingci and Yu Qingbai were the eldest son and daughter of the main branch of the family.