The Qiao family.
When Qiao Mingxuan returned home after his official duties, he saw his wife sitting there lost in thought.
They didn't even notice him coming in.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
Huo Tong was startled by the sudden sound. She looked up and saw that her husband had returned, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.
She came to her senses and said, "My sister-in-law came to tell me something today, and I don't know what to do."
Qiao Mingxuan sat down next to her and asked, "What's bothering you so much?"
Huo Tong didn't hide anything and repeated almost exactly what his sister-in-law had said today.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Mingxuan's face darkened instantly. "What should we do? Of course, we should listen to your sister-in-law and call off the engagement!"
He added, "Just as the Duchess said, it's not good for our daughter to marry Huo Jiwen or be rejected by him."
Huo Tong thought for a moment and said, "I was thinking, could I persuade him to break up with that woman?"
"At his age, he is most easily deceived."
She still found it hard to accept that her nephew, whom she had doted on for many years, would be so heartless for a woman.
I'm wondering if I should try to salvage the relationship again.
Qiao Mingxuan saw it very clearly: even Huo Jiwen's own mother had come to their door, which meant there was no room for negotiation.
However, he also knew how much his wife valued his nephew, so he said, "I'll have someone look into it before making a decision."
As the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he naturally had very capable investigators around him.
I never imagined that one day I would need to use my future son-in-law.
However, in his heart, he had already sentenced Huo Jiwen to death and would never marry his daughter to him.
Huo Tong nodded. "Okay, that's what I think too."
"Should we listen to what your sister-in-law and Yue'er say?"
Qiao Mingxuan replied, "Just tell me. It's something we'll find out sooner or later anyway, so we might as well let her prepare early."
Huo Tong sighed, "Then I'll go sit in her yard for a while."
The two talked for a while, then Qiao Mingxuan went to arrange for someone to investigate Huo Jiwen, while Huo Tong went to Qiao Xinyue's courtyard.
Huo Tong first chatted with Qiao Xinyue about everyday things before repeating what Qingyou had said.
Qiao Xinyue was taken aback at first, then seemed dazed for a moment, before finally showing an expression of knowing it was true.
It would be a lie to say I'm not sad.
From a young age, she knew that Huo Jiwen was not only her cousin, but also her future husband. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts and had always had a very good relationship.
She naturally liked the handsome and considerate Huo Jiwen.
After growing up and understanding what marriage is, her feelings for Huo Jiwen changed from seeing him as a brother to seeing him as her lover.
It was indeed difficult for her to accept that her partner was going to break off their promise for another woman, and even disregard her reputation by wanting to annul the engagement.
Huo Tong had been observing his daughter, and seeing the changes in her expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you discover something?"
Qiao Xinyue, suppressing the urge to cry, said, "I can tell he's changed."
"More than half a year ago, he began to distance himself from me, and the way he looked at me was more complicated and guilty."
“Recently, he no longer looks at me with guilt, but with distance and indifference, and even dislike.”
“I wrote him two letters, but he never replied to either of them.”
“Last time I saw him buying jewelry at a jewelry store on the street, I thought he was buying it for his aunt or for me.”
"Now it seems he definitely bought it for that woman."
Over the past six months, she has clearly sensed a change in her cousin's attitude towards her.
She felt a sharp pang in her heart when the other person looked at her with displeasure.
She already had a suspicion that her cousin might have fallen for someone else, which was why he was becoming increasingly indifferent to her.
But I still couldn't help deceiving myself and pretending not to know.
Hearing her mother's words, she felt as if she had finally arrived.
Huo Tong's face was filled with anger. "That bastard! He betrayed our Yue'er after so many years of relationship with him, all for a merchant's daughter."
"He even argued with your aunt multiple times because of this, which is simply outrageous."
Qiao Xinyue threw herself into her mother's arms and cried, releasing all the emotions she had been holding back for so long.
Huo Tong hugged his daughter with heartache and gently patted her back, saying, "Our Yue'er is so good. Even if she leaves Huo Jiwen, she will definitely be able to remarry a good man."
This was the first time she felt anger towards her nephew.
If my sister-in-law hadn't brought this up beforehand, that scoundrel would probably have come to the Qiao family to break off the engagement.
What about her, her aunt? What about her daughter?
But there was something else that made Huo Tong even angrier.
Two days later, Qiao Mingxuan returned with a sullen face.
He went to the backyard and had someone call his daughter over.
Seeing his expression, Huo Tong guessed that the results of the investigation might be even more serious than his sister-in-law had said.
When Qiao Xinyue arrived, Qiao Mingxuan took out a few sheets of paper from his pocket and placed them on the table.
"This is what I had someone investigate; you can all take a look."
Huo Tong picked up the paper, and Qiao Xinyue came over, the mother and daughter reading it together.
After reading through all the papers, both of them looked quite grim.
Huo Tong was trembling with anger. "That bastard Huo Jiwen actually hooked up with that Shi Lingqiao a year ago."
"He and Yue'er's wedding is only six months away, and he's already thinking about breaking off the engagement. Isn't that just setting my Yue'er up?"
"And even if they're not engaged, they're still cousins, right?"
"Last time, Yue'er's carriage broke down. He encountered it but ignored it because Shi Lingqiao was unhappy, leaving Yue'er's carriage to be soaked in the heavy rain all afternoon. She was sick for several days after returning."
This wasn't the only such incident; all of it combined made Huo Tong lose heart towards his nephew, Huo Jiwen.
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