Chapter 52: The Charming Girl Whose House Was Confiscated and Her Family Was Exterminated 4

"Madam..." After the girl left, the maid beside her looked at the woman whose face had completely darkened, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Madam Nan's face darkened slightly as she twirled the jade bracelet on her hand. This was a birthday gift from her daughter on her birthday. The bracelet was transparent and emerald green.

The warm and delicate touch of her fingertips calmed the woman's restless heart.

"Go to the front yard and invite the master over..."

The girl who had finished breakfast with her mother did not know that her sensitive mother had already noticed her abnormality. Mrs. Ye's words lingered in her mind. When she was about to return to her own yard, she turned into her brother and sister-in-law's yard.

Her little niece is not even one year old yet. Because the room is warm, she only wears a bright red bellyband, and her whole body is wrapped in red brocade sprinkled with gold. She is so cute and fair, just like the boy under the lotus pedestal of Guanyin.

My brother was not in the room. Only my sister-in-law was sitting on the couch, embroidering a handkerchief boredly, and watching my sister-in-law teasing the child with a smile on her face.

The incense-lit room was filled with warmth, his sister-in-law's gentle and caring voice was right beside his ears, and his eyes were fixed on his own adorable nephew, who was as delicate as a piece of jade. All these beautiful things made Nan Qiao feel greedy.

But Madam Ye's words were like a devil's voice, lingering in her ears again and again, casting a bloody coat over the warm scene before her.

"Qiao'er, Qiao'er..." A concerned and gentle female voice sounded. Nan Qiao came back to her senses and saw that her sister-in-law had unknowingly stopped weaving and embroidering, and was looking at her with worried eyes.

"Qiao'er, what's wrong?" asked my sister-in-law with concern.

"It's okay!" The girl came back to her senses and smiled at her sister-in-law. The room, which was originally a little dim, seemed to become brighter in an instant because of this bright smile.

The young woman was startled by what she saw and was unable to recover for a long time.

"Sister-in-law, where is my brother?"

"Your brother has been very busy these days, going out early and coming back late every day." The young woman opposite once again sighed at her sister-in-law's peerless beauty, and complained slightly after coming to her senses, but there was sweetness in her eyes.

The weather was getting colder, and she became less and less willing to go out. But for some reason, her husband started to become busier and busier, leaving early and returning late all day long.

If he hadn't remembered to bring her some of her favorite snacks or exquisite jewelry every time he came home, she would have really thought that her husband had a new home outside.

Nan Qiao did not miss the sweetness in her sister-in-law's eyes. Thinking of her brother who was often missing and extremely busy these days, her thoughts were in a mess for a moment.

"Sister-in-law, I'll go back to the house first." Nan Qiao said calmly, trying hard to hide the uneasiness in her heart.

"Well, okay, the snow will get heavier soon. Qiao'er, go back to the house first. When your brother comes back later, I'll ask him to look for you."

The young woman looked at the falling snow outside the window, turned around and said with a smile.

After getting off the bed, she watched her sister-in-law leave with a smile on her face. Then she turned around, picked up her daughter who was playing with bubbles in the rocking bed, tapped her soft cheek and said with a smile:

"My dear mother, have you seen my aunt? Isn't my aunt very beautiful..."

Thinking of her sister-in-law's beautiful face, the gentle woman smiled and tapped the tip of the child's nose and said with a smile:

"Everyone says my niece, Aunt Xiao, from now on, if my darling can be half as beautiful as your aunt, I, your mother, will be satisfied..."

The wind and snow outside the house were getting stronger and stronger. The cold wind blew through the green pines, blowing the snow off the branches and hitting the layers of green tile eaves, making a puffing sound.

"So..., ma'am, you mean..."

"Let's cancel this marriage with the Ye family." Madam Nan supported her forehead with one hand and said with a slightly tired look.

"But, what about Qiao'er..." Lord Nan frowned.

"When we were here, the Ye family treated my daughter Qiao'er like this. If my daughter marries into their family and we're gone, she won't have a good life!"

Madam Nan's voice was full of coldness. If she had not just asked the servant who was following her daughter about the situation, she would still be in the dark!

The Ye family posted a message asking the two children to meet each other, but unexpectedly it was Mrs. Ye who showed up. It turned out that Qiao'er had never met the young man from the Ye family!

But she was asking a few servants who were doing menial work. They were far away and had no idea what the lady of the Ye family had said to her daughter in the pavilion.

Whenever she thought of the servants saying that her daughter ran directly from the plum garden of Longhua Temple to the carriage, Madam Nan's heart ached as the daughter of a general, and she even couldn't help crying.

As a mother herself, she understood Mrs. Ye's concerns, but she blamed her for having to find Qiao'er when she could have just talked to them as parents.

Could it be that he wanted Qiao'er to cancel the marriage herself to save the face of their Ye family?

She was just picking on the weak because the Nan family was now in decline. Her Qiao'er had never suffered such injustice before.

Lord Nan naturally knew these principles, but he also had concerns. The Ye family could be said to be the best family in Bianjing, and the young man from the Ye family was also well-known in Bianjing City, and he had been married to his own daughter since childhood.

No one knew when the new emperor would take action against the Nan family. He wanted to marry his daughter off to avoid disaster. Now time was running out, and if he canceled this marriage, he probably wouldn't have time to choose another one for his daughter.

After sleeping in the same bed for more than 30 years, Mrs. Nan also saw her husband's concerns, but since it was her daughter's marriage, she still wanted to think about it.

Nowadays, the wealthy families are giving the Nan family a wide berth. Perhaps she can pick a few well-behaved candidates from the humbler families...

Although their family was poor, they could make up for it by giving Qiao'er more dowry when she got married. They could also choose a well-behaved scholar who would not need to serve his parents-in-law. Although they did not have the prestige of a wealthy family, their daughter would have money in her hands and could live a more comfortable life.

Mrs. Nan was secretly planning in her heart, and she even asked someone to bring back some picture albums of poor family children from outside the house, wanting her daughter to see them.

It's a pity that Madam Nan's wish is destined to fail. An imperial edict suddenly arrives in the Nan Mansion, catching everyone off guard.

Lord Nan held the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, and it took him a long time to recover from his shock. He looked at his old wife beside him with trembling hands.

"Madam, this, this..."

Why would His Majesty specifically order their family to attend the palace banquet on New Year’s Eve this year?

He also specifically told them to bring Qiao Er with them???

What does this mean, Your Majesty?

Mrs. Nan was also puzzled and could only look at her daughter beside her. Her daughter was standing quietly and obediently beside her, with a look of confusion on her face.

The soft fur brocade cloak she wore wrapped her entire body, leaving only her jade-like face exposed.

Her eyebrows are as light as willows, her eyes are as black as ink, her eyelashes are trembling, her lips are red and her hair is black. She has an appearance that will make anyone who sees her fall in love with her.

Recalling the extremely polite attitude of the palace maid who delivered the imperial edict, Madam Nan felt conflicted and lost in thought.

However, since it concerned her daughter's reputation, she considered it for a while and finally asked:

"Qiao'er, did you meet anyone at Longhua Temple the day before yesterday?"

Nan Qiao shook her head upon hearing this, confusion still lingering in her eyes:

"I only saw Mr. Ye... Mr. Ye, and no one else."

Lord Nan was no fool. Seeing his wife's behavior, he naturally understood what she was thinking.

"Ma'am, what do you mean... Ouch?"

"What I mean is, thanks to your majesty's care and grace, this time the angel has come to my Nan family, and my husband still has to go to the palace to express his gratitude later." Madam Nan interrupted him and said with a gentle smile.

She turned to look at her daughter beside her and said with pity:

"Qiao'er, it's too cold. Go back to the house first. Mother asked the kitchen to make your favorite plum cake and will send it to your yard later."

The girl with beautiful eyes and eyebrows seemed not to notice the quarrel between her parents. She nodded obediently after hearing what her mother said, turned around and left the main hall.

Seeing her daughter leave, the smile on Mrs. Nan's face slowly disappeared, and she expressionlessly released her hand that was twisting Lord Nan's waist.

"Hiss..." The dull pain in his waist made Lord Nan gasp. As soon as he thought of the horrifying guess in his mind, he didn't care about anything else!

"Madam, what you just said... could it be that His Majesty saw our Qiao'er? That's why, that's why...?"

"Your Majesty's thoughts are unpredictable. We cannot guess what your intentions are." Madam Nan frowned.

"So my husband, when you go to the palace to express your gratitude later, you still have to find out everything carefully."

"Madam, if His Majesty is really interested in Qiao'er, then we..."

Thinking of his daughter's appearance that did not resemble that of an ordinary human, Lord Nan hesitated slightly.

Madam Nan's brows furrowed, and she seemed a little tired. She had always hoped that her daughter would find a husband who truly loved and protected her, and had never considered sending her daughter to the royal family.

The imperial inner court may appear to be a scene of flourishing flowers, but it actually harbors hidden dangers. Although the new emperor does not yet have concubines in his harem, as an emperor, he is bound to have three wives and four concubines in the future.

She only wanted her daughter to be happy, so how could she want her to go into a place like that?

However, if the new emperor insisted, how could they refuse?

Mrs. Nan was also a little confused for a moment.

"Miss, the plum blossom cakes are here!" Ming He walked in with a food box in her hand and lifted the curtain.

She took a plate of pastries out of the lunch box and placed it on the table. The plum blossom cakes, which had just been taken out of the oven, were still steaming. The pink pastries were square, and a number of blooming plum blossoms were printed on the upper side.

The girl had already taken off her cloak and was now wearing a plain velvet jacket embroidered with flowers and a satin skirt with golden butterflies and flowers. The flying fairy bun she had tied up to receive the imperial edict had become a little loose, and the few strands of black hair hanging down on her shoulders made her look a little lazy.

The hand with lightly powdered fingertips picked up a cake and took a light bite. The cake was soft, sweet, and a hint of plum blossom fragrance lingered on the tip of the tongue.

"Miss, is it delicious?" Ming He said flatteringly, "I heard that the new chef in the kitchen makes delicious plum blossom cakes!"

Nan Qiao smiled without saying anything, picked up a piece of cake with her other hand and put it directly to her mouth.

The pinkish-white fingertips looked even more delicate and fair under the weight of the pastries. Ming He looked at the flawless jade fingers in front of her, swallowed her saliva, and her face began to turn red.

"Try it, it's really delicious."

Minghe quickly bit off the piece of plum cake in her girl's hand, her face flushed red.

Ahhhhhhh! Her girl is so beautiful!

The girl seemed not to notice her embarrassment. Seeing her eat the pastry, she raised the corners of her lips slightly and slowly ate the pastry in her hand.

The author has something to say:

Please prepay, please prepay.