Chapter 136 Returning to the Capital
Now that the decision had been made, Madam Min Qiao stopped dwelling on it and began to seriously consider how to allow these children to appear openly and honestly in front of others.
She considered keeping the children in the cabin until disembarkation, then having them hide in the crates again and be carried off the ship.
However, with dozens of children hiding in the cabin, not to mention the risk of being discovered, the food they consumed daily was bound to arouse suspicion.
Moreover, they would be on the road for more than a month, and keeping people together for a long time would be bad for their physical and mental health. In addition, the weather was too hot, and people crammed together would easily get sick.
But how can they be allowed to appear on the ship and beside her openly and legitimately without arousing suspicion?
While Min Qiao was still figuring things out, when the ship stopped at its second port after leaving Jiangnan to purchase supplies, she heard some shocking news.
The Cui family in Hangzhou was wiped out; all 87 members were killed.
When Madam Min learned of this news, she deliberately made the ship stay for half a day longer and sent someone to inquire about the situation.
However, before the person who had gone out to gather information could return, Yang An, who had gone out to purchase supplies, returned with a secret letter.
“I don’t know who put it on me.” Yang An handed the secret letter to Madam Min Qiao. “The letter said to be opened by the Grand Madam herself, so I didn’t dare to open it.”
Madam Min Qiao glanced at the secret letter but did not take it. Instead, she called Mu Jin over and asked her to check if the letter was laced with poison or anything like that.
Mu Jin didn't dare to be negligent. She carefully sniffed and examined the letter, and only after confirming that there was no tampering with it did she hand it to Min Qiao Shi.
However, when she handed over the letter, she hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam, this letter seems to be from Old Woodcutter."
Min Qiao glanced at the handwriting on the envelope, then looked at Mu Jin sideways. "Is this Old Woodcutter's handwriting?"
Mu Jin nodded: "Yes, I recognize Lao Qiao's characters."
Min Qiao ignored Mu Jin, opened the letter, and read it quickly.
After reading it, Madam Min couldn't help but start over and read it again carefully.
In the letter, Qiao Jingyao confessed everything about him to her.
In summary, there are three points.
First, he took control of the assassin organization. He used its members to wipe out the entire Cui family and eliminate the spies planted within the organization. He also sent the young assassins he was training to her ship.
From this day forward, this assassin organization will cease to exist.
As for those dozens of children, she could keep them if she liked, or find a dock and abandon them if she didn't. If she was afraid of causing trouble, she could simply throw them into the sea to feed the fish.
Secondly, Mu Jin is his woman, and Fang Feng is his son.
Mulan was kidnapped by him. In order to make Mulan willingly serve him, he schemed against her feelings and even made her give birth to his child.
After obtaining the capital, she can tell Mu Jin the truth, and the choice of whether to hate him or forgive him is left to Mu Jin.
Third, Zhou's madness was feigned. It was all his idea.
The second wife has already sacrificed enough for the Qiao family. He didn't want anything to happen to Zhou Shi, so he had her pretend to be sick.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Qiao Jingyao didn't trust the Qiao family, and even less so his uncle, Qiao Qingping.
After reading Qiao Jingyao's letter, Madam Min felt a mix of emotions.
Does he really trust himself that much? He told everyone everything?
Wasn't he afraid that she would side with the Qiao family and tell his uncle about his resentment and dissatisfaction with the Qiao family?
And what about Mu Jin and Zhou Shi? Is it really necessary to tell her everything?
At this moment, Madam Min felt that she could no longer understand her nephew.
However, regardless of what Qiao Jingyao thought, she was clear about one thing: Qiao Jingyao trusted her very much.
He not only sent his mother and younger sister to the capital with him, but also his wife and son to her side.
Hmm, she thought that perhaps in the near future, Qiao Jingyao would also send himself to her side.
Madam Min composed herself, instructed her people to purchase supplies, and then quickly set off to continue her journey. Now that she knew what had happened with the Cui family, there was no need for her to inquire further.
Soon, everyone returned to the ship, and the large ship set sail again.
Along the way, Madam Min Qiao pondered the matter, and finally took the letter to see Madam Zhou and Qiao Yuanyao.
Upon seeing Madam Min Qiao enter, Madam Zhou, who was still doing needlework, paused for a moment, then her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Qiao Qinghe..."
Min Qiao waved away Ayi and the others, then went into the cabin of Zhou and her daughter alone, closing the door behind her.
"Alright, Second Sister-in-law, stop acting. I know you're faking it."
Zhou choked, and Qiao Yuanyao, who had already made a move to grab Zhou's arm, heard Min Qiao's words.
Both of them were taken aback when they saw the handwritten letter from Qiao Jingyao handed over by Madam Min.
"Take a look at Jingyao's letter."
Madam Min Qiao found a chair and sat down, waiting for the mother and daughter to finish reading the letter before saying, "I'll leave the matters of Mu Jin and Fang Feng to you. I still need to think about how to handle the children's affairs."
After saying that, he took back the letter and turned to go back to the third floor.
"Is your aunt angry?" Zhou asked, looking towards the door with some concern.
Qiao Yuanyao shook her head blankly and said, "I don't know either."
"Oh dear, your second brother is really something. How could he tell your aunt about wiping out an entire family? Isn't he afraid of upsetting her?" Zhou Shi said worriedly.
Qiao Yuanyao thought for a moment, then said, "Mother, don't be afraid. My aunt signed an agreement with me back then. Even if she has some reservations about my second brother, she wouldn't dare to mistreat you."
Zhou glared at Qiao Yuanyao. "Is that what I'm worried about? I'm worried that your aunt will feel uncomfortable."
Zhou sighed, "Your second brother is ruthless and unscrupulous. I used to be like sisters with your aunt, but I've been lying to her ever since we met."
Zhou paused, then hesitated, "Your aunt must have realized that our second branch and the Qiao family are no longer on the same page. Do you think your aunt might..."
Qiao Yuanyao pouted and said, "Mother, don't think so much. In my opinion, Aunt may not necessarily be of one mind with the Qiao family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone decades without ever returning to the Qiao family."
Seeing that Zhou was still hesitant, Qiao Yuanyao smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Mother, don't think about those unhappy things. Second Brother said in his letter that I have a sister-in-law and a nephew now, and you have a daughter-in-law and a grandson. When are we going to meet them? Also, Second Brother mentioned in his letter, should we tell Second Sister-in-law?"
As expected, Zhou focused her attention on her daughter-in-law and eldest grandson who had suddenly appeared.
After leaving the matter of Mu Jin to the Zhou mother and daughter, Madam Min Qiao focused all her attention on the group of children.
How exactly is she going to get these children to appear on the ship openly and legitimately?
After much deliberation, Madam Min Qiao finally came up with a solution that was hardly a solution at all.
When the large ship docked at the next pier, Madam Min Qiao had several boxes carried down to dispose of them, claiming that they were disposing of some goods from Jiangnan and purchasing some local specialties.
When they disembarked, the boxes contained children; when they boarded, the boxes were filled with local specialties, and the children walked onto the ship openly with the people carrying the boxes.
The official explanation was that Min Qiaoshi didn't have enough servants, so she bought a few more locally.
After that, at each stop, this process was repeated.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Madam Min would occasionally disembark herself and bring back a few children. She would tell the public that she bought them because she felt sorry for them.
Following this procedure, by the time Madam Min and her entourage arrived at the Linjingfu dock, almost all the children had already passed through the main gate. The few who hadn't yet passed through the main gate also mingled with the crowd and disembarked together.
After disembarking at Linjing Wharf, the final leg of the journey will be by land.
The journey was safe and uneventful.
Two days later, Madam Min and her entourage finally arrived in the capital.
...
P.S.: Writing the transition chapters was so difficult! o(╯□╰)o
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