Chapter 367 Locked at home, personally taught
Ji Qingwu raised his head, his posture even more upright than the lush green bamboo standing at the door.
"You're an official, and you're only listening to one side of the story. Do you think that's right?"
Upon hearing her question, Ji Bolian froze, his hand holding the teacup stiffening, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Mrs. Qiao's heart tightened, and she wanted to mediate and say something.
Ji Qingwu's clear voice rang out again, his tone calm and unhurried.
Her gaze first fell on Ji Qingyuan.
"Fourth sister, you said that Grandmother was made sick by me, but I don't believe that."
Ji Qingyuan said, "You still want to argue? It's clearly because you've repeatedly contradicted Grandmother that she's been bedridden until today."
"Fourth sister, you must be careful what you say. Grandmother is ill because Ji Changyan attempted to assassinate the censor, and also intends to..."
Ji Qingwu paused deliberately.
Ji Qingyuan's throat tightened at those words, and her wrists began to ache slightly. Earlier, outside Ji Changyan's mourning hall, she had learned the inside story: a man in black who appeared out of nowhere had attacked her.
Ji Qingwu said, "Does Fourth Sister want me to explain the whole story to everyone?"
Mrs. Qiao coughed lightly and shook her head slightly at her.
Ji Qingwu's gaze softened.
In the end, they still gave the second wife face and didn't reveal in front of everyone that Ji Changyan had drugged them.
She looked at Madam Ji with clear eyes and continued, "Grandmother fell ill because she lost her grandson and was overcome with grief."
The old lady remained silent, sitting quietly.
Seeing that his eloquent second niece was not only overshadowed by Ji Qingwu, Ji Bolian's eyes also began to show fear.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, then quickly lowered them again.
Finally, Ji Qingwu met his eyes and said, word by word, "You say you don't dare to acknowledge me, and I don't dare to acknowledge such a person as my father."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Bolian's hand holding the teacup wobbled, and the tea at the bottom was shaken out in anger.
"What did you say!"
Qiao came over, took her hand and said, "Xiao Wu, don't be angry, apologize to your father."
Ji Qingwu looked back at Qiao Shi, puzzled as to why she had come to stop her time and time again.
Normally, no matter what she does, her mother always supports her and gives her advice.
Is it because she deceived Yuan Heng and Qiu Qiu about their status as imperial heirs that the mother and daughter have become so estranged?
Or perhaps it was because the man in front of her, who couldn't distinguish right from wrong, was the head of the Ji family and Qiao's husband, that her heart completely turned away.
Ji Qingwu asked stubbornly, "Mother, do you also think I'm wrong?"
There was a hint of heartache and a touch of guilt in Qiao's eyes as she avoided her gaze and looked at the ground.
"No matter what, he is your father. I believe you understand the principles of filial piety and brotherly love. Don't disobey him."
Ji Qingwu disliked these rules and regulations.
She straightened her back even more, turned her face away, and said angrily, "If that's the case, then a woman should obey her husband after marriage. I wouldn't have had to listen to him for a long time."
"A woman should obey her husband after marriage." Hearing her say this in public, even the usually composed Gibran was so angry that his face contorted with rage.
He stood up and angrily smashed the teacup on the ground, sending shards of porcelain and tea flying far away.
The old lady next to him was startled and clutched her chest, reciting a Buddhist prayer.
Qiao tried to persuade Ji Qingwu a few more times, but it had the opposite effect.
She felt increasingly aggrieved, and her nose stung with tears.
It wasn't just because this father, whom she had never met and had been eagerly awaiting, smashed a cup at her as soon as he got home.
Furthermore, it was because the Qiao family no longer sided with her and no longer stood by her side when things happened.
Ji Qingwu refused to back down, her lips pursed, her cheeks puffed out in anger.
Among the Ji family members in Shou'an Hall, some were stirring up trouble, some were angry, some felt aggrieved, some offered words of comfort, and some found it strange.
Ji Qingrong touched her belly and looked at her father, who was in a rage.
The Gibran she remembered was upright, principled, and never had the temperament to lose his temper so indiscriminately.
Thinking back, when she was young, her father was more patient than her mother when teaching her and Changlin, while Qiao's temper was more impatient.
Is this still her father?
Ji Qingrong frowned and remained silent.
Gibran took a deep breath, puffed out his beard and glared, and said, "It is the father's fault if the son is not taught properly. Today I will teach you a lesson!"
"You made a marriage agreement without your parents' consent, and I'm still alive! Your marriage to the Wei family is invalid."
Upon hearing this, Madam Ji, no longer a bystander, hurriedly said, "Bolian, calm down. Qingwu is married after all; how can we treat this so lightly..."
Gibran raised his hand to stop the old lady from speaking.
"Guards, lock her up! Don't let her out without my orders!"
He turned his back, ignoring everyone's pleas for mercy.
Madam Ji's face tightened. If the Wei family came to cause trouble, even the Empress Dowager in the palace was no longer of any use. Wouldn't this be leaving a troublemaker in the family?
The old lady quickly turned to another person and said, "Ruying, you should persuade him not to do this."
With reddened eyes, Madam Qiao said, "Mother, I also hate to see Xiao Wu locked up, but... but even Master scolded me, I'm really in a difficult position..."
Two maids came up and pulled Ji Qingwu away.
"Fifth Miss, come with us."
Ji Qingwu wanted to break free, but when she saw that it was Chunhua and Qiushi, who served by Qiao's side, who were pulling her.
She glanced at her mother and noticed that Mrs. Qiao had turned her face to the side, closed her eyes, and had tears in the corners of her eyes.
Ji Qingwu's arm went limp, unwilling to let her mother be saddened by her presence, and she let the maids pull her away.
After this incident, Ji Bolian left Shou'an Hall in a rage.
Madam Qiao stood up: "Mother, I'll go see the eldest master first."
Madam Ji said, "Go quickly and wait until Bolian's anger subsides before trying to persuade him. It's not good to force Qingwu to stay at home."
Mrs. Qiao nodded and hurriedly left.
Qiao did not see Ji Bolian along the way. When she returned to Anju Garden, the door of the main house was wide open.
He drove all the servants out, leaving only the young servant who had been attending to him standing at the door.
As soon as Qiao appeared, angry shouts came from inside the house.
"This is the kind of daughter you raised! She's absolutely lawless!"
The servants lowered their heads even further.
As Gibran watched Qiao walk in, he continued, "This time, I'll keep her at home and personally teach her!"
While gently persuading, Mrs. Qiao said, "Don't be angry, sir. Children need to be taught slowly."
As she turned to close the door, after it was closed, Qiao glanced at him, walked to the couch and sat down, her face no longer showing any trace of caution.
Gibran also came over and squeezed in to sit next to her.
Qiao said coldly, "Go sit at the table over there. There's not enough room for two people."
Gibran's anger vanished, and he said with a smile, "When we were young, we could sit on the same chair. Now, with such a spacious place on this couch, how could we not fit?"
Not wanting to be next to him, Mrs. Qiao moved to the west to make room.
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