The coachman was a bodyguard of Ye Shangzhou. After decades of calm and collected behavior, his heart pounded in his chest after hearing Qiao Liang's words.
Qiao Zhen could only smile. The unlucky guy her nephew was talking about was herself. What could she do? She was desperate too. She looked at Ye Shangzhou and, after a glance, knew for sure that this guy was no human being.
She took a plate of pastries from the low table and handed it to Qiao Liang, saying, "Have something to eat first, and let your aunt rest for a while."
"Okay." Qiao Liang took the pastries.
Qiao Zhen lowered the carriage curtain and looked at Ye Shangzhou with a half-smile, "Is this how you are perceived by the people? Shouldn't you reflect on that?"
Ye Shangzhou flicked his finger across her delicate nose. "Alright, I'll reflect on this and never hit you again."
Qiao Zhen snorted and leaned against the window, looking at the scenery outside, sorting out the original owner's memories. Before entering the palace, the original owner was no different from the daughters of ordinary families. She did housework every day, such as planting rice seedlings, harvesting rice, and growing vegetables. She could do some of these things. Moreover, her parents, older brother, and sister-in-law were all laborers. She and Qiao Liang were the two youngest in the family, so they lived a more carefree and relaxed life than others.
The original owner also had some terrible relatives, but very few. The original owner's father's elder brother, who was also the original owner's uncle, was a lazy good-for-nothing who married a fierce, unreasonable, and mean-spirited wife. Back then, they didn't want to send their own girl to the palace, so they persuaded the village chief to replace the original owner.
The village chief is the most influential person in the village. No matter what the original owner's parents did, they couldn't change the fact that they wanted to send the original owner to the Night Palace to be a maid.
"Tsk, it's such a pity we can't go back in style." Qiao Zhen said regretfully. According to the normal mission participants' itinerary, they should be returning home adorned with gold and silver, and then slapping those people in the face repeatedly.
Ye Shangzhou looked at Qiao Zhen with amusement, "If you want to make a grand entrance, I will draft an edict when I get back, allowing Lady Zhuohua to return to her hometown to visit her relatives. How about that?"
"Your Majesty, I think it's excellent. Why don't you bestow some more gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks, whatever is precious, please?" Qiao Zhen cupped her face and looked at Ye Shangzhou, smiling coquettishly and blinking her bright eyes a few times.
"Alright, whatever you say." A doting smile played on Ye Shangzhou's lips.
Ah! That's so charming.
Qiao Zhen's heart was pounding like a deer.
The contrast between Ye Shangzhou and his appearance was too great for Qiao Zhen to accept. The power of this unexpected cuteness was too great!
Qiao Zhen buried her face in her arms to cover her slightly flushed cheeks. They were supposed to be an old married couple, but she still couldn't help blushing o(*////â–˝////*)q.
When they arrived at the Qiao family's residence, Qiao Zhen first had Qiao Liang knock on the door. After the door opened, Qiao Zhen carried Ye Shangzhou into the Qiao family's courtyard. Few people knew that Ye Shangzhou had left the palace today, so Qiao Zhen and Ye Shangzhou didn't care too much about whether they would be ambushed at the Qiao family's residence.
This was a good time to go to the fields to harvest rice or to the town market. Only Qiao's mother was at home taking care of Qiao's wife, who was still in confinement after childbirth. Qiao Liang brought Qiao Zhen and Ye Shangzhou into the house, and then shouted loudly, "Grandma! Mom! Aunt is back!"
Hearing the noise, Qiao's mother rushed into the house, her expression a mix of crying and laughing, which ultimately turned into a series of firm slaps on her arm. "You brat! You've been alive and well for months and haven't sent a single word home?! Are you trying to scare your mother to death?!"
Qiao Zhen hurriedly dodged her mother's "beating," exclaiming, "Mom! I accidentally forgot!"
Although Qiao Zhen had tried her best to explain, her mother still chased her around the yard and beat her.
Ye Shangzhou frowned as he looked at it.
Qiao Liang explained, "Grandma often treats Auntie like this; it's just a regular occurrence for her."
Looking at Qiao Zhen outside, who was being chased and beaten but was still laughing heartily, Ye Shangzhou asked, "Isn't she angry that she's always being beaten?"
Qiao Liang was a little confused by the question. He scratched the back of his head and asked, "Why are you angry? Grandma is only doing this for Aunt's own good."
Nightfall Boat still frowned.
Qiao Liang asked, "Would you like some water?"
He gave an irrelevant answer, saying, "Just call me uncle."
Qiao Liang hesitated for a moment.
Ye Shangzhou continued, "It's only a matter of time before you call me uncle. Besides, I only have your aunt as my wife, so it's not unreasonable for you to call me uncle."
"Uncle," Qiao Liang called out obediently.
Ye Shangzhou took out a jade pendant from his sleeve. It was a round jade pendant carved from Hetian white jade. He smiled and said, "This is a gift from your uncle."
In the Great Night Dynasty, there is a custom that the junior must accept the gift given by the elder when they first meet, as a sign of acknowledging the elder. So Qiao Liang accepted the jade pendant, happily touching it, "Thank you, Uncle."
Qiao Zhen was beaten from the door of the house all the way to the courtyard gate. Qiao's mother was still not satisfied, so she took a long pole and chased after Qiao Zhen. The mother and daughter ran and chased each other for half of the village, and Qiao Zhen circled back to the Qiao family's courtyard.
She sat on the doorstep, panting, "Mother, was it really that bad? This beating hurt more than a spanking."
Upon hearing this, Qiao's mother was both angry and heartbroken. "Why did you run away? If you hadn't run away, I would have just given you a few slaps. How did you manage to come back today? Did some important person let you leave the palace?"
Qiao Zhen waved her hand, "No, I have to go back in a bit. I heard my sister-in-law gave birth?"
"Yes, it's a girl, just like you when you were little!" Mrs. Qiao went to the east room and came out carrying the swaddled baby. "Look, doesn't she look like you?"
Qiao Zhen reached out her hand, "Let me hug you."
"Go away! You're so clumsy, what if you hurt my granddaughter?" Qiao's mother scolded her.
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