"Even at this time, you sisters are still fighting."
Madam Xiao was so angry that her face turned blue.
"Mother, it's her! She's the one who provoked me again and again." Xiao Qin'er angrily accused, "This is all her fault. She's the one who started it all. She's clearly taking revenge on me. She's deliberately trying to make things difficult for me."
Madam Xiao looked at Xiao Zhaoyi in disbelief, "Shu'er, is everything your sister said true?"
Xiao Zhaoyi scoffed, "Is mother trying to favor my sister? As the eldest sister, she's always bossed her sisters around. Ever since I entered the palace and was named Zhaoyi by His Majesty, she's been looking down on me and trying to outdo me in every way."
My daughter is a dignified Zhaoyi, and she lives in such a dangerous place as the palace. How can I tolerate everything and let her lead me by the nose in everything?
Mother, I don't want to die, so I must fight back. And she, just because she said the Xiao family should support His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince, proved that she was a complete fool and extremely selfish, not caring about the Xiao family's life or death at all.
I am different. I always consider the Xiao family. The interests of the Xiao family are my interests. Mother, please be sure to tell father that the Xiao family does not support anyone and will only be loyal subjects to your majesty.
Madam Xiao nodded repeatedly. "You're right. If anything happens to the Queen Mother, the Xiao family's position will become awkward. The safest thing to do is to continue to be a loyal subject to His Majesty."
"Thank you, mother!"
Xiao Zhaoyi smiled triumphantly and winked at Xiao Qin'er.
Xiao Qin'er's eyes turned red from the stimulation.
She wanted to fight the other person to death.
Madam Xiao stopped her, "Qin'er, don't be willful. Do you want to kill your whole family?"
Xiao Qin'er regained a bit of rationality in her anger.
"Mother, she..."
"Stop talking. No matter what conflicts you have, you must remember that your surname is Xiao, and the Xiao family is your support. Without the Xiao family, men will turn around and abandon you. The Cai family is a lesson for us."
The Cai that Mrs. Xiao mentioned was the third prince's first wife.
When the Cai family case broke out, their property was confiscated and they were exiled.
Cai was demoted and the third prince married another beautiful wife.
Thinking of what happened to Cai, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over her head, and Xiao Qin'er calmed down completely.
Xiao Zhaoyi took Xiao Qin'er's arm and said, "Don't worry, mother. My sister and I will love each other."
Xiao Qin'er didn't move at all, looking very dull.
"Look, my sister agrees with me."
Xiao Qin'er turned her head to look at Xiao Zhaoyi, confusion in her eyes.
How could Xiao Zhaoyi talk about love without batting an eyelid? She was full of lies, was there a single word of truth in her?
"Sister, you performed well today!"
Xiao Zhaoyi whispered in his ear.
"Sister, you'd better be as obedient and calm as you were today. You must remember that if something happens to the Queen Mother, you will have no choice but to rely on me in the palace. As for Liu Yi, sister definitely can't count on him."
"Nonsense!" Xiao Qin'er lowered her voice and refuted the other party.
Xiao Zhaoyi chuckled. "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, I know it in my heart. Remember my words, don't provoke me again. If you dare to provoke me, believe it or not, I will kill you."
"Kill me if you dare." Xiao Qin'er gritted her teeth.
"Sister, you're desperate to die. One day, I'll help you do that."
After saying that, Xiao Zhaoyi let go of Xiao Qin'er.
She walked over to Madam Xiao with a smile, "Mother, you can rest assured now. My sister and I have already agreed that from now on we will help each other and never quarrel again."
"Sisters, that's how it should be!"
"Mother is just worrying about nothing."
Xiao Zhaoyi acted like a little girl, acting coquettishly and making Madam Xiao laugh.
Xiao Qin'er felt extremely uncomfortable.
Shameless bitch!
…
Empress Dowager Xiao's condition was very bad, getting worse day by day.
Even Gu Jiu was powerless to save the situation.
One day in early spring, Empress Dowager Xiao died in her sleep.
The emperor was deeply saddened and suspended court for five days.
Royal family members, high-ranking officials, and court ladies all went to the palace to mourn.
As the prince's wife, Gu Jiu cannot hide at this time.
Even though her body is still relatively weak.
Liu Zhao felt very distressed and was afraid that Gu Jiu would hurt herself by crying.
Gu Jiu comforted him, "I've been taking care of it for almost a year, and my body is almost recovered. You don't have to worry about me."
"How can I recover? When the weather gets cold, your face turns pale and purple. Now you have to kneel for hours a day, how can you bear it?"
Gu Jiu said, "I can't not go, you know. You are the eldest son, and I am the eldest daughter-in-law. No matter what, I must appear at that occasion, and I have to kneel in front. It's useless for you to worry about me."
Bang!
Liu Zhao punched the wall and broke his fingers.
Gu Jiu held his hand and said, "Don't worry about me. I will take good care of myself. If my body really can't take it anymore, I will find a way myself."
Liu Zhao hugged him tightly. "If you can't bear it, tell the eunuchs on duty. I've made arrangements. They won't make things difficult for you."
Gu Jiu agreed with a smile.
Yu Ge'er and Heng Ge'er also wanted to go to the palace to mourn.
It was the first time for the two little kids to experience something like this, so it was natural for them to be nervous.
Along the way, Gu Jiu was comforting the two children.
"During the Queen Mother's funeral, no matter what, you must not cause trouble or fight. Anyone who dares to fight during the Queen Mother's funeral is considered unfilial and will not be forgiven by His Majesty. Remember this?"
"Son, I'll remember this. No matter who provokes me, I won't take any action." Yu Ge'er was obedient, holding Heng Ge'er's hand and promising to take good care of Heng Ge'er.
Entered the palace.
In the Liangyi Hall, white flags are fluttering.
Men and women were separated and cried in side halls respectively.
Emperor Wende led the royal family to keep vigil in the main hall.
Crying for the dead is a very, very hard thing.
Gu Jiu knelt in the front row with a blank expression.
She turned her head and saw Xiao Qin'er.
Xiao Qin'er's eyes were red and swollen from crying, like two walnuts.
She also saw Xiao Zhaoyi.
Xiao Zhaoyi looked tired and sobbed softly.
"Is your health good, sister-in-law? If you are not feeling well, don't force yourself. If your health deteriorates, you will be the one who suffers."
Ouyang Fu whispered.
"Thank you for your concern, second brother and sister-in-law. I can bear it for now."
"Things are unpredictable. How could the empress dowager die just like that?" Ouyang Fu sighed softly.
Gu Jiu said, "As far as I can remember, the Queen Mother was in good health. Who would have thought she would have a heart attack?"
Ouyang Fu sighed again, "Ever since the Empress Dowager became seriously ill, Fourth Brother's wife has lost her appetite and has become noticeably thinner. With the Empress Dowager gone, I'm afraid the Xiao family will be in turmoil for a while."
Gu Jiu's eyes swept over Xiao Zhaoyi and whispered, "The Xiao family might have already made preparations, so there won't be any chaos."
Gu Jiu never explained this to Xiao Zhaoyi.
But she could see that Xiao Zhaoyi was an extremely powerful and intelligent woman.
She would not allow the Xiao family to take risks at this time.
She will definitely use tough measures to suppress the Xiao family.
Ouyang Fu looked at Gu Jiu calmly, "Sister-in-law knows the Xiao family very well."
"It's not that I understand. The Xiao family has clear-headed people who know what's best for the Xiao family."
Ouyang Fu stopped talking, as if trying to figure out what Gu Jiu meant.
After crying for an hour, I was finally able to get up and go to the side room to rest.
"This servant will give Madam a hot compress."
The maid Aqing was very reliable. She had prepared hot water and put a hot towel on Gu Jiu's knees.
"Madam, are you feeling better?"
Gu Jiu let out a satisfied sigh, "Much more comfortable."
The maid Ah Qing said, "Madam's knees are a little red and swollen. Can you hold on?"
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth and said, "I can still hold on."
She was actually very tired.
Giving birth to twins severely damaged her energy and almost drained her body.
In addition, he was too weak to be nourished and needed to be nursed back to health, so Gu Jiu's recovery was very slow.
A little slower than expected.
Her body was born with deficiencies and she relies entirely on acquired care.
Now that I have returned to my original form, I feel two points weaker than when I was a child.
When we are young, we are growing and our body functions are on the rise.
Now that I’m older, my health is starting to decline.
This is the law of nature. No one can violate the law of nature. We can only delay this process through exercise.
Boom boom boom…
There was a knock on the door.
Gu Jiu signaled the maid to open the door.
The door opened and Xiao Qin'er stood outside with a haggard look on her face.
"Is sister-in-law free? I want to chat with you."
"Sister-in-law, come in."
"It turns out that my sister-in-law is busy."
"It's nothing! My knees just hurt a little. Does your knee hurt, sister-in-law?"
Xiao Qin'er shook her head slightly, "I'm fine, my body can still handle it."
She sat down gently, her expression listless and her eyes bloodshot.
"If you have anything to say, please speak directly."
Xiao Qin'er smiled bitterly, "Without the Queen Mother, I feel so empty inside, like I've lost my backbone. I don't know what to do in the future."
Gu Jiu thought for a moment before saying, "You still have children, and they can be your backbone. Live the same way you lived before."
Xiao Qin'er shook her head and smiled bitterly, "The children are still young and still rely on me for care. When the Queen Mother was here, no matter what happened, I was never afraid. Because I knew that the Queen Mother would protect me. Now that the Queen Mother is gone, I am very scared. Who will protect me in the future?"
Gu Jiu couldn't answer this question.
She and Xiao Qin'er have different values.
Her answer didn't suit Xiao Qin'er at all.
Xiao Qin'er's eyes were blank, and it took her a while to come back to her senses. "I made a fool of myself by showing my sister-in-law this. I also know that from now on, no one can protect me."
"Don't be too sad, sister-in-law."
Xiao Qin'er nodded. "Don't be offended, sister-in-law. I've been holding these words in my heart for a long time and they're almost killing me. I just want to find someone to talk to. After thinking about it, sister-in-law is the most suitable person."
"If you need anything, just come to me."
"Thank you, sister-in-law. I won't disturb your rest."
Xiao Qin'er stood up and prepared to leave.
When she reached the door, she turned back and asked, "Is sister-in-law on good terms with the Gu sisters?"
Gu Jiu asked, "What is good? What is bad?"
Xiao Qin'er said, "Caring for each other and lending a helping hand in times of crisis is good. Hatring each other and taking advantage of others' misfortunes is naturally bad."
Gu Jiu said: "There are good and bad things."
"How does a sister-in-law get along with sisters who have a bad relationship?"
"Of course I keep my distance! If they bully me, I'll beat them back. If they're scared, they won't dare to mess with me."
"Thank you, sister-in-law, for clearing up my confusion. I understand!"
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