Chapter 50: The Charming Girl Whose House Was Confiscated and Her Family Was Exterminated 2

The heavy snow was still falling, and the snow in the yard was already above the shin. The servants of the Nan family did not realize that a disaster was coming, and they were still diligently doing the tasks at hand.

It was getting dark, but Mrs. Nan brought a few servants and came to her daughter's residence holding an umbrella.

She did not go in immediately, but stood at the gate with her servants for a while. Seeing that the lights were on in the house and there were servants guarding outside, she felt relieved.

After waving away the maid who came forward to pay her respects, Madam Nan gently tucked aside the curtain and entered the room.

"Qiao Qiao, you're still awake?" Madam Nan looked at the pretty figure sitting at the desk and smiled lovingly, "It's so late, reading hurts your eyes. You should get up and read tomorrow."

"Mom? Why are you here so late?" The girl who was reading with her head down looked up when she heard the voice and looked at her mother with a smile.

Two lamps were lit on the desk, and the warm yellow light flickered and shone on the girl's face, casting a layer of warm yellow shadow on her.

hiss!

The servant following behind Madam Nan took one look at the girl under the light, and immediately couldn't help but take a breath and quickly lowered her head.

"You go down first." Mrs. Nan looked at her daughter under the light and couldn't help but be distracted for a moment.

After coming back to his senses, he heard the sound of inhalation behind him. His face turned cold and he turned around to give orders.

After all the servants had left, Madam Nan took her daughter's hand and sat down on the beauty couch beside her.

"Mother, why are you here so late? Is there something important?" The girl raised her head slightly, with a warm light reflected in her clear eyes.

Madam Nan touched her daughter's soft black hair, with relief in her eyes. The child whom she had worried day and night about dying when she was in swaddling clothes had now grown into such a graceful young lady.

"It's nothing serious. It's just that your grandmother hasn't been feeling well lately, and your brother and sister-in-law have been busy lately. Can Qiao Qiao go to Longhua Temple tomorrow to pray for your grandmother?"

Longhua Temple is a royal temple located on Hanshan Mountain outside the city of Bianjing. It is the place where dignitaries often offer incense and pray for blessings.

The girl knew her grandmother had been unwell recently, but she was still a little surprised: "Mother, are you saying that I should go alone?"

It's no wonder the girl was surprised. She had gone out very few times in recent years, and every time she went out, she was always accompanied by her family.

Madam Nan paused slightly, her face hidden in the shadow of the firelight. She was naturally worried about Qiao Qiao going alone, but this was Madam Ye's request, and she couldn't refuse.

This is the only chance to rescue her daughter from the Nan family's hell, and she doesn't want to miss it.

Holding her daughter's hand, Madam Nan soothed her softly, "Qiao'er will go alone. But don't worry, Qiao'er. Mother will arrange for more attendants to accompany you. Don't be afraid."

The girl had a puzzled look on her face, but she didn't ask any more questions and just nodded obediently.

"Okay, it's getting late, go to bed early, and mother will go back to the room first." Madam Nan held back her tears, looked at the sky outside the red window, and said softly.

Seeing her daughter stand up and want to see her off, Madam Nan waved her hand and said, "No need to see me off. Mother has a maid here. You are weak, go and rest."

The girl had no choice but to obediently walk towards the inner room.

Madam Nan watched her daughter walk into the inner room, and only came out after her figure disappeared behind the curtain. Looking at the several personal maids standing outside the door waiting on her daughter, she knocked on the door and said:

"Take good care of the girl."

After the four maids bowed their heads in agreement, Madam Nan left with a heart full of worry.

…

The next morning, it was still snowing lightly. Mrs. Nan looked out the window at the falling snow, feeling worried, but she had to harden her heart and wake her daughter from her sleep.

Looking at her daughter sitting in front of the mirror without any makeup but still stunningly beautiful, Mrs. Nan felt both satisfied and sad.

She never worried that the young general of the Ye family would dislike her daughter, but could the Ye family really protect her beautiful and gifted daughter?

Her Qiaoer has grown more and more beautiful over the years. As time goes by, she has become hesitant and anxious instead of happy and proud at the beginning.

Beauty is indeed a blessing, but excessive beauty can also be a disaster. If it is revealed to others, it will surely be fought over.

If that happens, I'm afraid the Ye family won't be able to protect us.

But now that things have come to this, she has no time to think too much. Lord Nan and Madam Nan can only reluctantly send their daughter to the carriage. They watch the carriage carrying their daughter gradually go away, but they still can't let go of her.

Longhua Temple is located on the outskirts of Bianjing City. Because it is a royal temple, it has become the most popular temple near Bianjing City. During the spring outings, there are often dignitaries and pilgrims coming and going.

Even though it was winter, the nobles and dignitaries were reluctant to go out, but they still sent their servants to Longhua Temple to burn incense and donate incense oil.

Nan Qiao had been frail since childhood and rarely left the house, never having been to Longhua Temple. She wore a cloak and a veil, and following the monk's guidance, she entered the main hall for worship, her bright, clear eyes gazing out with curiosity.

Longhua Temple was a place of great patronage and wealth, so the Buddha's golden statue was built to be magnificent and tall, and covered with gilt. The golden statue is located in the center of the main hall, making it a very conspicuous place.

There is a row of monks chanting Buddhist scriptures under the Buddha statue. The endless Buddhist chants accompanied by the curling incense smoke fill the hall. In the early morning, the sounds of morning bells and evening drums in the distance can be faintly heard, which makes people feel peaceful.

Nan Qiao didn't dare to look any closer. She took the incense and candles handed to her by the monk, knelt on the cushion in front of the Buddha statue, and prayed for the elders and relatives of the Nan family one by one according to the rules.

After the prayer was over, Nan Qiao left the main hall and followed a round-faced little monk into the back mountain of Longhua Temple.

"Whose girl is this?" A deep male voice suddenly rang out in the silent snow.

Gu Qiao looked at the girl walking not far away with a puzzled expression.

Even common people would not go out easily in such cold weather. Noble ladies have always been proud and pampered. They would not even leave the house easily, let alone come to Longhua Temple in the suburbs.

Are these girls still so devout when they pray to Buddha and seek scriptures?

Shuangquan paused, not daring to hide anything from his master, and told the truth: "I just heard that this girl seems to be from the Nan family."

Nan's girl?

Gu Qiao paused slightly, his eyes narrowed slightly, "What unusual activity is taking place in the General's Mansion today?"

Shuangquan said cautiously, "Mrs. Ye also came to Longhua Temple today."

I think it's about a marriage between two families, but since it's the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, it should be a meeting between the parents of both parties...

The hill behind Longhua Temple is covered in vast expanses of plum trees. Now, in December, the plum blossoms are in full bloom, and from afar, they resemble a sea of fiery red blossoms amidst the snow, a breathtaking display of beauty.

Nan Qiao was delighted when she saw this and couldn't help but pick up a branch of blooming red plum blossoms. Just as she was about to lift her veil to smell the fragrance, a female voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Is this Miss Nan?"

Nan Qiao has been weak since childhood and rarely goes out. He is seldom familiar with people outside the house. He was a little confused for a moment, turned around, and looked at the person behind him with clear eyes.

She saw a gorgeously dressed woman standing in front of her. Her hair was covered with pearls and jade, and she was holding a heater in her hands. She had an elegant temperament and was accompanied by a maid.

Nan Qiao's eyes moved slightly, and she began to feel a little panicked. She usually stayed at home and seldom saw outsiders.

The girl's clear eyes showed panic, which made Mrs. Ye's heart soften. However, when she thought of her son, Mrs. Ye couldn't help but harden her heart.

After being reminded by the maidservant beside her, Nan Qiao finally knew the woman's identity. She bit her lower lip, her cheeks slightly reddened under the veil, and bowed slightly: "Nan Qiao greets Madam Ye."

"No need to be so polite." Madam Ye said gently and kindly, looking at the girl from the Nan family in front of her subtly. She looked well-behaved and indeed lovable.

"Miss Nan, there is hot tea in the pavilion. Would you like to sit with me there?" Mrs. Ye invited.

A gift from an elder cannot be refused, especially since she is her future mother-in-law. Nan Qiao did not dare to refuse and obediently followed Madam Ye to sit down at the stone table nearby.

There was a warm cushion on the stone chair and hot tea on the table. The maid beside Mrs. Ye poured a cup of hot tea for the two of them and then retreated respectfully.

The hot tea in the teacup was emitting smoke. Nan Qiao lowered her head slightly, and held the cup with her delicate hands. The warmth of the tea flowed through the cup into her palms, dispelling the coldness from her hands.

Madam Ye lowered her eyes and slowly drank a sip of hot tea, then put down the cup in her hand and said directly:

"Miss Nan, I came to see you today because of the marriage you have arranged with my son."

Nan Qiao was startled, her hand holding the teacup tightened slightly, and a blush appeared on her face again.

"The Nan family is in such a dangerous situation now. I'm afraid they will become prisoners in a few days. When my Ye family marries a daughter-in-law, we don't require her to be from a wealthy family, but we must have a clean family background..." Mrs. Ye steeled her heart and continued.

"Mrs. Ye, I wonder what you mean by the Nan family being in danger and being imprisoned soon?"

Nan Qiao interrupted Mrs. Ye anxiously, her clear eyes revealing confusion and panic.

She didn't quite understand what Madam Ye said. What did she mean by the Nan family was in danger and would soon be imprisoned?

Could it be that Daddy and Brother have made some big mistake?

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ye stopped talking. She looked at the girl in front of her in surprise, carefully observing the expression in her eyes and eyebrows.

The confusion and puzzlement on her face were so obvious that Mrs. Ye couldn't help but feel choked up. It seemed that the people in the Nan family hadn't even told this girl about the big things that were going to happen in the family.

Mrs. Ye felt pity for her and did not choose to hide the truth from her. Instead, she explained to the girl the disaster that the Nan family was facing.

The former crown prince, the new emperor, the liquidation, the confiscation of property... everything was explained one by one. Nan Qiao listened to it one by one. Her face under the veil became paler and paler. The teacup in her hand had turned cold, just like her heart which was chilled at this moment.

"So, Madam Ye came here this time to break off the engagement?" After hearing everything, Nan Qiao's whole body turned cold and he asked with difficulty.

Madam Ye paused slightly, tilted her head, avoiding the girl's clear eyes filled with pain, and said again with a hardened heart:

"Girl, please don't blame me for being cruel. The Nan family is an old branch of the Crown Prince's lineage. If you marry into my Ye family, I'm afraid my Ye family will also be disliked by the new emperor."

"If Miss Nan doesn't mind, I will choose a man of good character from among the nephews and nephews of the side branches. When the time comes, she will get married and sever all ties with the Nan Mansion. This will also save her life, right?"

The hands on her knees couldn't help but clench the tassels at the edge of her cloak. Nan Qiao frowned and tried to maintain her elegance on the surface.

"No need, Mrs. Ye." The girl's voice was still gentle, soft and melodious.

"Thank you, Madam Ye, for telling Nan Qiao about these things today. But Nan Qiao is still the daughter of the Nan family, and she has shared the hardships with her parents."

The author has something to say:

For the sake of her children, Mrs. Ye is not a vicious character.

Please prepay!!!