Chapter 5: Paying Homage to Grandmother, the Empress Dowager Issues an Imperial Decree
Her mother was truly a remarkable woman.
With just one sentence, Ji Qingwu discerned Qiao's temperament: decisive and efficient in handling matters, making her an excellent person to manage the household.
She likes someone who is so straightforward.
Mrs. Qiao has already made the decision for her daughter.
Even if that unreliable son-in-law hadn't died in battle and came looking for her after learning about their daughter, he would just be a lowly soldier guarding the border, and the Ji family could handle him.
Fearing that she might not be willing and still had something on her mind, Madam Qiao gently persuaded her, "Little Fifth, I've been through this before. Let go of everything from the past and look forward to the future. Don't waste your precious youth on such a heartless person."
Ji Qingwu nodded, her fair face full of trust.
Seeing her daughter so obedient, Mrs. Qiao felt a warm glow in her heart.
But the next moment, Ji Qingwu got up and walked to the center of the main house, under Qiao's surprised gaze.
She knelt down gracefully.
He kowtowed deeply.
The words that came out of her mouth made Qiao's heart tremble violently.
"Daughter thanks Mother for your protection."
The sound was as clear and crisp as pearls and jade.
Mrs. Qiao had imagined many scenes of Xiao Wu returning home, weeping and blaming herself.
But the child didn't show a trace of resentment; he was so sensible and reasonable.
Qiao's eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly got up and went to Ji Qingwu's side to help her up. She wanted to hug Xiao Wu, but found that Xiao Wu was already taller than herself.
"Little Wu, from now on, I will always be there for you and will never let you suffer again. Our bond as mother and daughter is very strong. I am only afraid that I will not protect you enough."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Qiao's eyes.
Ji Qingwu took out a handkerchief with a medicinal scent from his sleeve and gently wiped away her tears.
"Mom, don't cry, don't cry. Your eyes will look ugly if you cry until they look like little walnuts."
Ji Qingwu subconsciously used a coaxing tone to gently coax Qiao Shi.
Qiao felt a mix of bitterness and sweetness, feeling that she could give her life for Xiao Wu right now.
The mother and daughter were talking in hushed tones.
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."
Madam Qiao: "Xiao Wu, come with your mother to pay your respects to the old lady."
Madam Ji had 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 Commission. He would only return home when he returned to the capital to report on his duties. His second uncle, Ji Shulan, had passed away from illness a few years earlier.
The eldest daughter-in-law, Qiao, had one son and two daughters. Besides her elder brother Ji Changlin, Ji Qingwu also had a married elder sister, Ji Qingrong.
The second branch of the family was small, consisting of the third son, Ji Changyan, the fourth daughter, Ji Qingyuan, and their widowed mother, Madam Wu, making a total of three people.
Ji Qingwu was the fifth child in the family and the youngest.
When the mother and daughter arrived at Old Madam Ji's Shou'an Hall, there were already quite a few people sitting inside.
The second wife, Madam Wu, laughed heartily and triumphantly, and Ji Qingwu could hear it clearly even through two doors.
Ji Qingwu helped Qiao Shi into the room, and the noise of the crowd gradually subsided.
Ji Changlin was not there; he had official business to attend to.
Sitting in the first seat to the right of the old lady was the fourth daughter, Ji Qingyuan, who had been holding an umbrella at the door earlier. It was clear that she was the most favored daughter of the old lady.
She waved the round fan in her hand and said with a coquettish smile, "Grandmother, my aunt and the others have come. Now that there is a new little sister in the family, Grandmother won't have to look for me every day when she opens her eyes. It'll be a good opportunity for me to rest."
Ji Qingwu and Ji Qingyuan exchanged a glance and saw the obvious disdain in each other's eyes.
The old lady looked over and beckoned, saying, "Is this Fifth Girl? Come here quickly so I can take a closer look."
Mrs. Qiao sat down on the lower left and said gently to her daughter, "Go and talk to your grandmother."
The main seat was a long couch, where the old lady sat in the middle, looking at her with loving eyes.
Ji Qingwu stepped forward, picked up the gold-embroidered lumbar pillow from the side, placed it behind the old lady, and said with a smile, "Grandmother, you will be more comfortable sitting with this against you."
The old lady's eyes deepened.
Looking at her face, he sighed, "This child is not only beautiful, but also kind and polite, just like Fangmin."
Ji Qingwu didn't know who "Fang Min" was, but the women in the room all changed their expressions when they heard the name.
The smile that had been playing on the lips of the second wife, Madam Wu, was now frozen on her face.
Ji Qingyuan's phoenix eyes sharpened, her gaze like a dagger piercing Ji Qingwu.
Qiao showed no outward expression, but was inwardly extremely surprised.
Ji Fangmin was the old lady's only daughter. She married Zhao Shichang, the Marquis of Yong'an, as his second wife.
Unexpectedly, the heir of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion proved to be exceptionally capable, rising through the ranks of the border army from the position of Pacification Commissioner to the rank of General Who Pacifies the North.
After the chaos of the previous dynasty, he commanded widespread support and entered Lin'an City, becoming the most honored master in the imperial city.
Now that Ji Fangmin has become the Empress Dowager, second only to the Emperor, who wouldn't envy her good fortune?
In the entire Northern Li region, the only person who could address the Empress Dowager by her given name was Madam Ji, her own mother.
Hearing her haughty mother-in-law say that Xiao Wu resembled the Empress Dowager, Qiao straightened her back considerably.
The eldest son's wife was in charge of the household, but Qiao was upright and unwilling to engage in scheming and manipulative schemes. She was also unlike the second son's wife, who could shamelessly fawn over her mother-in-law. As a result, she suffered a lot of hidden losses over the years.
The mother and daughter from the second wife's side were highly regarded by the old lady, and the servants in the mansion were quick to change their tune.
Currently, the two branches of the Ji family are in a state of mutual disharmony, with neither side able to prevail over the other.
Qiao replied, "Mother, it's perfectly normal for a niece to resemble her aunt."
Although Ji Qingwu didn't know why she had become the target of everyone's criticism, she still smiled sweetly and gently.
His eyes and brows showed little joy, nor did they show any fear; he simply allowed everyone to look him over with an open and generous attitude.
The old lady was even more pleased to see her like this.
The second wife nodded in agreement: "Eldest sister-in-law is right. Yuan'er has always respected her aunt and has been practicing the Qingping Dance, which is the Empress Dowager's favorite dance, for over a month. I wonder when she will have the time to perform a dance and bring some joy to the Empress Dowager."
With a few words, the conversation shifted to the Fourth Sister.
Ji Qingyuan looked at Wu Shi reproachfully: "Mother, why did you say it now? I was planning to give Grandmother a surprise."
The old lady's smile widened: "Good, good child, your grandmother has not spoiled you for nothing."
Was this dance intended for the Empress Dowager, or for that person in the palace...?
Qiao lowered her eyes, picked up the tea from the rosewood table, and took a sip. She knew perfectly well what the mother and daughter were up to.
Looking at her two beautiful granddaughters, the old lady said, "We are all of the same bloodline. We share the same glory and the same loss. Now that Fifth Sister has returned home, the women of the Ji family must be self-disciplined and respectful, and not disgrace the status of the noble family."
Ji Qingyuan wanted to say something.
Then his mother, Wu, tugged at his sleeve.
Before dinner.
The Empress Dowager's decree was urgently delivered to the residence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
