He and Qiao Si grew up together. They would often quarrel whenever they met, but that was just quarrels between friends. He considered himself to be one of the few good friends.
When Prince Qiao's mansion moved out of the capital, he was reluctant to let her go, fearing that she would be spoiled and unable to adapt to life in Dingzhou. Every day, if he found any interesting items, he would send someone to give them to her.
But despite sending so many letters over the years, he still hadn't received a reply from her. He had also sent a letter to his brother, but Wei Qian had told him that Qiao Si didn't want to contact him anymore. He just thought she was afraid of getting in trouble. So he didn't give up, and continued to hold on until she returned to Beijing. He went to her house several times but was rejected. Later, he learned that she was leaving the house today, so he came here specifically to see her and get to know her.
But the disgust in her eyes pierced his heart like a substance.
"You want to break up completely, I should know why. Why should you break up just like that?" He was unwilling to have no relationship from now on.
"Why not? Don't forget, you and I have never had a good relationship." Qiao Si replied coldly, with impatience in her tone. She walked past him and was about to leave.
Wei Nian wanted to reach out and grab her, but Jing Zhu blocked him in time, separating him from Qiao Si. Zhang You and the others followed closely behind, blocking him tightly.
Jing Zhu stood there stubbornly, and said to him in a seemingly respectful manner, "Master Wei, I'm sorry. My princess doesn't like this, so please don't go forward and cause trouble."
After she finished speaking, she saw that Wei Nian had calmed down and stopped pestering her and cared about him. She took Zhang You and the others and followed Qiao Si.
He was the only one left at the gate of Ling Mansion, watching Qiao Si drive away in a carriage.
He could clearly see the disgust in her eyes.
But...how could that be?
Qiao Si got on the carriage and said nothing. For a moment, the carriage was extremely quiet.
Zhang You looked at the two sisters and felt complicated.
When they were in Dingzhou, they would quarrel every now and then, but now they don’t quarrel anymore, but it makes people feel sad.
They no longer have the confidence to act so recklessly.
Every time Qiao Si argued with her, it wasn't because he really disliked Qiao Er. Zhang You had known her for so long and knew that Qiao Si was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Although she didn't say these things, they could all see that Qiao Si was just trying to gain the princess's attention.
As a biological daughter, how can I not be jealous if I don’t receive my mother’s love?
The princess was very gentle towards the children in the palace. For many years, she even took good care of Qiao Nai, Qiao Er, and Qiao Da to make up for the lack of maternal love. As for Qiao Si, the princess rarely got close to her. Qiao Si was not even as favored by the princess as Qiao Er.
Most of the time, the princess was accompanied by Qiao Nai and Qiao Er, while Qiao Si could only stand aside and watch their mother-daughter love. She didn't vent her anger on Qiao Nai, because she knew Qiao Nai was in poor health and had no parents, which was already very pitiful. Therefore, she always quarreled with Qiao Er.
But now, she no longer needs to gain attention through such childish behavior.
The carriage drove back to the palace, and Qiao Er and Qiao Si went straight to the prince's courtyard. Qiao Er's marriage still had to be told to Prince Qiao.
After the accident, Prince Qiao looked much older, his hair had turned gray, and he no longer had the bravery and majesty he once had, but looked more vicissitudes of life.
He had an old ailment, and every day at the palace, he had to take medicine prescribed by Qiao Er. He no longer practiced martial arts. He used to rise early every day to lead his troops in drills, but now he had nothing to do in his spare time. Fortunately, Qiao Er and Qiao Si found him some new and interesting toys, allowing him to enjoy his retirement in the palace.
He'd been reuniting with a few good friends in Beijing these past few days, playing chess and drinking tea with them. He'd recently found a bird and was figuring out how to raise it with his friends.
When Qiao Si and the others went to find him, he was teasing the bird in the cage with a piece of grass.
Zhang You and the others tactfully left, leaving the three of them, father and daughter, to talk.
When Prince Qiao heard that Qiao Er's engagement had been broken off, he looked at Qiao Er with heartache and said, "Ayin has suffered. He is not a good match for you."
He is only a fifty-year-old man now, and there is nothing he can do...
Qiao Si told him about the upcoming cancellation of the engagement and that she had taken full responsibility for Qiao Er's affairs. Seeing that she had become independent, Prince Qiao seemed to see his wife through her face. His eyes moistened unconsciously, and he looked at Qiao Si with relief and agreed to her arrangement.
A few days later, Prince Qiao's Mansion sent people to the Xie family to properly handle the matter of breaking off the engagement.
It's just that some people just want to cause trouble.
Rumors began to spread in the capital, saying that Qiao Er had a bad character and was rejected by the Xie family. The eldest son of the Xie family married someone else and the wedding would be held soon.
When Zhang You and her friends heard about this in the yard, they angrily cursed their family for a long time.
It was obvious that Lin Qingyao had done this. Unhappy with the humiliation she'd received at the Ling family, she'd spread the rumor. People were only interested in watching the spectacle, so who cared about the truth? She was completely manipulated, being ridiculed and slandered at will.
Qiuyue was so angry that she wanted to go out and catch the protesters and beat them up. However, Qiao Si told them not to do anything.
"In any case, you should all behave yourself during this period. I know your tempers are as impatient as mine. However, the emperor just punished the prince's palace a few days ago, so it's not appropriate to cause any more trouble. Let's wait until after the New Year to discuss everything."
Zhang You and the others could only endure it with frustration.
What Qiao Si said was right. The dog emperor was still angry and was eager to find the weak spot of Prince Qiao's Mansion so that he could wipe it out in one fell swoop. They couldn't do anything.
But they didn't do anything, someone had already helped them.
Two days later, news spread that Wei Nian had sent someone to delay Xie Zhuan's wedding and not marry the Qiao family's daughter, waiting until the Qiao family fell into decline before breaking off the engagement and marrying someone else, trying to curry favor with the powerful. Furthermore, this other woman, while Xie Zhuan already had a fiancée, repeatedly spent time alone with him.
For a time, rumors about Xie Zhuan fawning on the powerful and Lin Qingyao willingly accepting humiliation spread throughout the capital.
There was certainly some exaggeration, but that didn't matter. They were the first to strike, so an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, was the only way to justify their actions.
However, although Qiao Er's reputation has been restored, she has wasted too much time on Xie Zhuan. At her age now, it is difficult for her to find a marriage of equal status.
Qiao Er had privately told Qiao Si and the others that she had no idea about getting married. She could even say that as long as it was beneficial to the palace, she could become a pawn and marry anyone.
Qiao Si did not agree.
She could use herself as a pawn, but she couldn't lose her family anymore.
Qiao San also disagreed with her idea. There were so many bad words about her now. If she was really given to someone as a marriage tool, that person would not cherish her and would sacrifice her in vain.
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