Chapter 269 Five Years Later
Fortunately, the wife, Ruan, realized that something was wrong with her body early on. She then devised a plan to feign illness and faint in public when her eldest granddaughter, Qiao Shuang, was getting married at the Vice Minister's residence. She then joined forces with her family to make a scene in front of everyone.
The imperial physician quickly diagnosed that Ruan was poisoned by arsenic. The person who poisoned her added a small amount of arsenic to her food every day. Over time, the toxins accumulated little by little. If it had been discovered a few days later, it would have been enough to kill her.
Ruan was already in poor health, and recently she had been busy with the wedding of her illegitimate daughter and had to endure all kinds of criticism from her husband's family. Her body and mind could not withstand it, so she fell ill early.
Because the incident was exposed at a wedding banquet, with so many eyes watching, the Qiao family had no way to cover it up. After the matter was revealed, Ruan's family resolutely reported it to the authorities, and the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture quickly found out that it was the work of the concubine Wen Yuexiu.
Even if the Wen family wanted to protect their niece, they couldn't do it under the watchful eyes of everyone. Wen Yuexiu was imprisoned, and Qiao Shuang's marriage was called off because of her own mother's actions; she wasn't even allowed to get into the bridal sedan chair.
The guests at the wedding banquet were all talking about it, and some even revealed the Wen family's misdeeds of tormenting their daughter-in-law over the years. Suddenly, the Vice Minister's Mansion was thrust into the spotlight.
As the news spread, for some unknown reason, the fact that Qiao's great-aunt, who had married into the Qiao family half a year ago and was divorced by the Nanping Earl's wife, was also brought up again.
Although the incident at the Earl's Mansion was initially covered up, rumors still circulated. Some people spoke with great detail, and it was probably true. It was said that Qiao had poisoned the Earl's wife, nearly killing her, which led to Qiao being divorced by the Earl's Mansion. In order to protect the children she had given birth to, the Earl's Mansion had to claim that Qiao had gone to the suburbs to recuperate, but in reality, she had been sent to the family temple and placed under house arrest.
At that time, the concubine of the Qiao family went to the Earl's Mansion with the old lady Wen to participate in the mediation. Unexpectedly, this concubine was quite scheming. She secretly remembered Qiao's insidious tricks during the disaster at the Earl's Mansion. She brought them back and tried to kill the first wife so that she could take over the position completely.
Once these two incidents were exposed, the reputation of Vice Minister Qiao's household was completely ruined. Censors submitted memorials to impeach Vice Minister Qiao, and even brought up some of the things that Qiao's eldest son had done while serving in other places, such as accepting bribes and oppressing the people.
The emperor was furious and stripped Qiao Chengfeng of his official position, demoting him to a commoner. Qiao, the vice minister, was demoted two ranks for failing to properly educate his son and was confined to his home for half a year to reflect on his mistakes.
After this incident, the Qiao family began to decline. Qiao Shilang fell ill while reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors and had no choice but to submit a memorial requesting to retire and return to his hometown, and the whole family left the capital.
Three months later, war broke out on the border again. Lu Yunqi and Li Beifeng were ordered to lead their troops to the frontier. Yu Qingci held her young son in her arms, and Lu Yunchu was pregnant. The two sisters-in-law stood at the highest point outside the capital to see their husbands off.
...
Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Marquis's residence, an elegantly dressed woman was teaching a boy of about five years old calligraphy. The boy tilted his little head up and said in a childish voice:
"Mother, when I grow up, I want to be a great general on the battlefield just like Father."
Yu Qingci smiled gently as she looked at her son's tender little face: "Yu'er is so ambitious! But becoming a great general is not so easy. First, you must be able to read military books thoroughly, and you must practice martial arts from a young age. Only when you have mastered your skills can you become a great general and protect your country when you grow up."
Right now, you should focus on practicing your calligraphy!
Lu Yu's little brows furrowed when she heard her mother say this, but they quickly relaxed, and she nodded her little head in assurance:
"Okay, starting tomorrow I will definitely study hard and practice calligraphy, and I won't let the teacher complain to my mother again."
Yu Qingci couldn't help but smile. This child must have inherited someone's personality from her; she's been exceptionally mischievous since she was little. From the moment she could walk, if you weren't watching her closely, she would take off on her short legs and disappear from sight.
Or they'd drag Yun Chu's kid into their mischief. Whenever those two got together, they were so naughty they could practically climb on the roof and tear off the tiles, causing everyone a headache.
At this moment, Yu Qingci was not buying her son's flattery at all: "Little rascal, are you trying to slack off again? If you want to be a great general, you'd better finish practicing your calligraphy today from now on, or you're not allowed to go anywhere."
Seeing that his idea had been exposed, Lu Yu had no choice but to grit his teeth, lower his head, and continue practicing calligraphy.
The maid Mulan came in from outside carrying freshly made snacks from the kitchen. Seeing this, she smiled and said:
"Our young master is so intelligent, and with Madam's careful guidance, he will definitely grow up to be a majestic general like the Marquis. He will achieve great things and earn another title of the highest rank for Madam."
Looking at her son, Yu Qingci sighed, "I don't care about any super-rank imperial title. I just hope that he will live a peaceful and safe life."
Five years ago, border war broke out again. My husband, Lu Yunqi, accepted the imperial order, bid farewell to his wife and children, and led a large army to the border. This war lasted for five years until he returned in triumph two months ago.
Over the past five years, Lu Yunqi has repeatedly made outstanding military achievements. After this triumphant return, the imperial court issued an edict to confer upon Lu Yunqi the title of Marquis of Yong'an, and the plaque outside the main gate of the General's Mansion was replaced with the imperial plaque of the Marquis of Yong'an Mansion.
Lu Yunqi quickly petitioned for his son Lu Yu to be granted the title of heir apparent.
With her husband away for the past few years, Yu Qingci's son's company has eased her worries, and she has lived a smooth and contented life. Her mother-in-law, Old Madam Ning, is gentle and doesn't concern herself with anything. She rarely interferes in the affairs of the household, except when she is playing with her grandson or chanting sutras and praying to Buddha in her small Buddhist shrine in the backyard, hoping that the Bodhisattva will bless her son, who is far away at the border, so that he can return safely.
Because the inner quarters were quiet, Yu Qingci managed the entire large general's mansion with ease. Two years ago, her two most relied-upon maids, Lianqiao and Tong'er, both got married. Lianqiao married the eldest son of Steward Lu, while Tong'er fell in love with a guard in the mansion. Yu Qingci generously released the two maids from their slave status and held a grand wedding for them.
Now that these two young couples are helping her manage her businesses outside, she has promoted her two maids, Bai Shao and Mu Lan, to higher positions in the household.
Lu Yun Chu, the younger sister-in-law, married into the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion. Thanks to her mother-in-law's tolerance, she lived a good life. Apart from worrying about her husband on the battlefield, just like Yu Qing Ci, she only needed to take care of her son on weekdays.
Lady Zhenbei never stopped her from returning to her parents' home. After Lu Yunchu gave birth to her son, she often brought him back to visit her mother and sister-in-law. The two children had a companion and stayed together all day long, sharing happiness and trouble.
Since the Nanping Marquis's family divorced Qiao, the old lady Zhang has lost her energy. After recovering from her illness, Su Chengniang took over the management of the household and assumed the heavy responsibility of being the head mistress.
Yu Qingbai, the heir of the Bo family, has achieved great success in his studies under the guidance of Master Li. Two years ago, under his mentor's tutelage, he passed the county-level imperial examination and became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination). Moreover, at a young age, he achieved the highest score in the examination, earning him the reputation of a young prodigy.
With such an outstanding disciple, Mr. Li's reputation once again spread widely among students across the country. Unfortunately, he announced a few years ago that Yu Qingbai was his last disciple, which made students across the country feel regretful.
After Yu Qingbai passed the county-level imperial examination, fearing that he would become arrogant, Mr. Li became even more diligent and strict in his teaching. Yu Qingbai understood his teacher's good intentions, and the two of them put in their best efforts to win the top prize in the provincial-level imperial examination the following year.
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