Chapter 5: Meeting Grandmother, the Queen Mother's Order
Her mother is truly a deity.
From this sentence, Ji Qingwu saw through Qiao's temperament. She was decisive in everything and was a good head of the family.
She likes such straightforward people.
Qiao has already made the decision for her daughter.
Even if the unreliable son-in-law had not died in the war, and came back to look for his daughter after hearing the news, he would be just a soldier guarding the border, and the Ji family would be able to suppress him.
Qiao was afraid that she would not agree and was still thinking about it, so she persuaded her gently, "Xiaowu, mother is an experienced person, you should let go of everything in the past and look forward to the future. You can't waste your best years for such a heartless person."
Ji Qingwu nodded, his fair little face full of trust.
Seeing her daughter so obedient, Mrs. Qiao felt warm in her heart.
But the next moment, Ji Qingwu stood up and walked to the center of the main house, under Qiao's surprised gaze.
She prostrated herself on the ground.
He kowtowed hard.
The words that came out of his mouth made Qiao's heart tremble violently.
"Thank you for your protection, my daughter."
The sound was as clear as pearls.
Qiao had imagined many scenes in which Xiaowu would return home crying and blaming her.
But this child didn't even have a trace of complaint. He was so sensible and reasonable.
Qiao's eyes were filled with tears. She quickly stood up and walked to Ji Qingwu and helped her up. She really wanted to hug Xiaowu in her arms, but she found that Xiaowu was taller than her.
"Xiaowu, from now on, I will be there for you. I will never let you suffer any injustice again. You and I have a deep bond as mother and daughter. I am just afraid that I am not protecting you enough."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Qiao's eyes.
Ji Qingwu took out a handkerchief with a scent of medicine from his sleeve pocket and gently wiped away her tears.
"Mom, don't cry, don't cry. It won't look good if your eyes turn into walnuts after crying."
Ji Qingwu subconsciously used a coaxing tone to gently comfort Qiao.
Mrs. Qiao felt both sad and sweet in her heart, and felt that it was worth it to give her life to Xiaowu.
The mother and daughter were talking in low voices.
Chunhua, the head maid of Anjuyuan, knocked on the door.
"Madam, Miss, the old lady has woken up and is waiting for you to come over."
Mrs. Qiao: "Xiaowu, come with mother to pay respects to the old lady."
Madam Ji gave birth to two sons and one daughter.
Ji Qingwu's father, Ji Bolian, was an official outside the capital, holding an important position in the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office. He would only return home when he returned to the capital to report on his work. His second uncle, Ji Shulan, had died of illness several years earlier.
The eldest wife, Mrs. Qiao, gave birth to one son and two daughters. In addition to his eldest brother Ji Changlin, Ji Qingwu also has a married sister Ji Qingrong.
There are not many people in the second house, including the third son Ji Changyan, the fourth daughter Ji Qingyuan, and the widowed mother Wu, a total of three people.
Ji Qingwu is the fifth child and the youngest in the family.
When the mother and daughter arrived at Mrs. Ji's Shou'an Hall, there were already quite a few people sitting in the room.
The laughter of Mrs. Wu, the second wife, was hearty and proud. Ji Qingwu could hear it clearly through two doors.
Ji Qingwu helped Qiao into the house, and the voices of the crowd gradually faded away.
Ji Changlin was not there as he had official business to attend to.
Sitting in the first seat on the right below the old lady is the fourth girl, Ji Qingyuan, who was holding an umbrella at the door just now. It can be seen that she is the most favored by the old lady.
She waved the round fan in her hand and said with a sweet smile: "Grandma, my aunt and the others are here. Now that we have a new sister, grandma won't have to look for me every day when she opens her eyes. It's a good opportunity for me to take a rest."
Ji Qingwu and Ji Qingyuan looked at each other and saw the obvious contempt in each other's eyes.
The old lady looked over and waved, "This is the fifth girl, right? Come here quickly so I can take a closer look."
Mrs. Qiao sat down on the left side of the lower table and said to her daughter gently, "Go and talk to your grandmother."
The main seat was a long couch, and the old lady was sitting in the middle, looking at her lovingly.
Ji Qingwu walked forward, picked up the gold-branch waist pillow beside him, and placed it behind the old lady, saying with a smile: "Grandma, you will sit more comfortably with this."
The old lady's eyes deepened.
Looking at her face, he sighed: "This child is not only good-looking, but also caring and polite. She is very similar to Fang Min in character."
Ji Qingwu didn’t know who “Fang Min” was, but the women in the room changed their expressions when they heard this name.
The smile that had always been on the lips of Second House Wife Wu froze on her face.
Ji Qingyuan's almond-shaped eyes became sharp, and her gaze was like a falling knife, shooting at Ji Qingwu.
Qiao didn't show it on her face, but she was extremely surprised inside.
Ji Fangmin was the old lady's only daughter. She was married to Zhao Shichang, the Marquis of Yong'an, as his second wife.
But unexpectedly, the eldest son of the Yong'an Marquisate was so ambitious. He served in the border army and rose through the ranks from a envoy to the rank of General Dingbei.
After the chaos in the previous dynasty, he gained the support of hundreds of people and took control of Lin'an City, becoming the most honorable master in the imperial city.
Now Ji Fangmin has become the empress dowager, second only to the emperor and above everyone else. Who wouldn't envy her good fortune?
In the entire Beili, the only person who can call the empress dowager by her maiden name is her biological mother, Madam Ji.
When Qiao heard her arrogant mother-in-law say that Xiaowu looked like the Empress Dowager, she straightened her back a lot.
The eldest wife is the head of the household, but Qiao has a straightforward character and is unwilling to make any roundabout plans. She is also unable to throw away her pride and act like a spoiled child to her mother-in-law like the second wife, so she has suffered a lot of losses over the years.
The mother and daughter from the second house were very respected in front of the old lady, and the servants in the mansion had to follow suit.
Nowadays, the two branches of the Ji family are in a situation where the east wind cannot prevail over the west wind, and they are in a state of disharmony in their hearts.
Mrs. Qiao continued, "Mother, it is perfectly normal for a niece to resemble her aunt."
Although Ji Qingwu didn't know why she had become the target of public criticism, she still smiled tenderly.
There was no sign of joy or fear in his eyes, he just let everyone look at him openly.
Seeing her like this, the old lady felt even more satisfied.
The second wife also nodded and said, "Sister-in-law is right. Yuan'er has always respected her aunt. She has been practicing the Qingping dance that the empress dowager likes the most for more than a month. I wonder when she will have time to perform a dance to entertain the empress dowager."
In a few words, he passed the conversation to the fourth girl.
Ji Qingyuan looked at Wu with a stern look on her face: "Mother, why did you say it now? I was planning to give grandma a surprise."
The old lady smiled even more: "Good, good child, grandma's love for you is not in vain."
Is this dance for the Queen Mother or for the one in the palace...
Mrs. Qiao lowered her eyes, picked up the tea on the rosewood table and took a sip. How could she not know what the mother and daughter were thinking?
The old lady looked at her two beautiful granddaughters and said, "We are all of the same bloodline. We prosper together and we suffer together. The fifth girl has returned home now. The women of the Ji family should restrain themselves and behave properly. Don't disgrace your status as nobles of the royal family."
Ji Qingyuan wanted to say something.
His mother, Mrs. Wu, who was standing beside him, pulled the corner of his clothes.
Before dinner.
The Queen Mother's order was quickly conveyed to the palace.
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