He was murdered after his family was wiped out and left with no descendants; his whole family knelt

Chapter 264 The Beggar

The carriage driver also grew anxious and said to Qiao Qingshu...

"Please wait a moment, Madam. I'll go down and drag him aside."

As he spoke, he jumped off the carriage and rushed towards the beggar. Just as he bent down to grab the beggar and drag him away, a fog suddenly appeared in front of him, and a burly man staggered and fell to the ground.

This is a street where the suburbs and the capital meet. It's almost evening, and there are very few people on the street; at this moment, it's practically deserted.

The driver was suddenly knocked to the ground, and Qiao Qingshu immediately became alert.

She deliberately went out without any attendants today, but she never expected to encounter something like this.

She was pregnant and not very agile, so she couldn't jump off the carriage and had to sit inside.

The beggar got up and staggered over.

Qiao Qingshu took a few steps back into the carriage, but the space was small, and she had nowhere to retreat.

The beggar approached step by step, even jumping onto the carriage and lifting the curtain.

Qiao Qingshu frowned and asked,

"who are you?"

The beggar reached out and pulled away the tangled hair covering his forehead, revealing a hideous face.

It was Qiao Qingle, her third younger sister.

The third sister who was exiled along with the Qiao family after their property was confiscated.

Qiao Qingle was no longer recognizable as a human being. Her face was tattooed, filthy, and she was emaciated, exuding a fierce aura.

Qiao Qingle grinned, her face contorted with rage, and said...

"Dear sister, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm back again."

Qiao Qingshu's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Qiao Qingle, judging from your appearance, you must have escaped back. Do you know that escaping is a capital offense? If we catch you, we can be beheaded on the spot."

Qiao Qingle gave an indifferent, cold smile.

"So what? As long as I can kill you before I die, I will have no regrets."

Qiao Qingshu also smiled indifferently.

"Kill me? What grudge do I have against you that you want to kill me?"

Thinking about all this, Qiao Qingle became agitated and indignant.

"When the Qiao family's property was confiscated, why was I the only one of the three sisters to be exiled? Why were you two so lucky to escape this calamity!"

Qiao Qingshu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Isn't this your own choice? Before I got married, I said I would help you two younger sisters get engaged. Qingqiao listened to me and got engaged, but you, you absolutely refused. You were worried that I would make you marry a poor scholar, and you insisted on choosing your own husband. This was your choice, wasn't it?"

That's absolutely right. Qiao Qingle insisted on not getting married back then because she was afraid that Qiao Qingshu would ruin her life, but she never expected that she would end up ruining herself.

She was momentarily speechless, but still unwilling to give up.

"You knew our family was going to be raided, didn't you? You framed me on purpose, didn't you! Do you know how much I've suffered? I've been bullied, beaten, and forced to do hard labor in the dark coal mine every day, while you all live a life of luxury. We're sisters, why am I not living as well as you? I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled!"

"In that harsh and cold land, I thought of you day and night, my dear sister. I'm waiting to return and take revenge! I won't be satisfied until I kill you!"

Qiao Qingle became increasingly agitated as she spoke, pulling a broken dagger from her pocket and revealing a maniacal smile.

"Today I will have my wish fulfilled. You will die by my blade, Qiao Qingshu!"

She closed in step by step, leaving Qiao Qingshu with nowhere to retreat.

"Pfft!"

It was the sound of a knife piercing flesh.

Qiao Qingshu stared in horror at the scene before her, watching Qiao Qingle slowly fall to the ground, her gray eyes wide open in death.

Xiao Zhijie, who was behind Qiao Qingle, immediately rushed in, hugged Qiao Qingshu, and looked her up and down with concern.

"Shu'er, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Qiao Qingshu shook her head.

"I am fine."

"How did you end up here?"

Xiao Zhijie held the person in his arms and said,

"When I saw you hadn't returned yet, I came out to look for you. You told me your itinerary before you left, so I went to the palace first before coming to the bamboo forest. Luckily, I made it in time; if I had been any later, it would have been..."

Xiao Zhijie was also a little frightened and hugged the person in his arms even tighter.

He kicked the dead man down with his foot, then sat in front of the rut and drove back home.

Because of this incident, Xiao Zhijie became even more concerned about Qiao Qingshu's safety and forbade her from going out these days.

Even at home, guards and maids were arranged to stay by her side at all times.

At first, Qiao Qingshu could stay in the house for a few days, but later she got really bored and started wandering around the yard.

He would occasionally go to talk and chat with Su Yunzhen.

On this day, Su Yunzhen was doing needlework in the house as usual. When she saw Qiao Qingshu come, she hurriedly served her tea and water, and asked the small kitchen to make fresh pastries and snacks.

Since becoming pregnant, Qiao Qingshu's appetite has become increasingly better. She eats four or five meals a day and craves both sour and spicy foods.

Qiao Qingshu was eating a piece of jujube cake, her mouth full, when she said...

"Mother-in-law, do you think the baby in my belly is a boy or a girl?"

Su Yunzhen said with a smile,

"It's fine for both boys and girls. I've made clothes for both, so they can all wear them."

As they spoke, they held up a small garment that was still being sewn, showing it to Qiao Qingshu.

"Shu'er, look, isn't this style pretty?"

Qiao Qingshu grabbed another spicy chicken foot and started gnawing on it.

“It looks good. No matter what my mother-in-law makes, it looks good.”

For a moment, Qiao Qingshu was a little dazed. She had never had such a relationship with her mother-in-law in her previous life. In her previous life, she was just grateful that her mother-in-law didn't give her a hard time or impose rules. How could they possibly be sitting together so happily, talking, eating tea, and chatting?

Although Su Yunzhen is Xiao Zhijie's adoptive mother, she doesn't seem to have changed in the slightest after Xiao Zhijie's true identity was revealed.

She still regarded Xiao Zhijie as her most beloved son and Qiao Qingshu as her most beloved daughter-in-law.

She continued to give silently, asking for nothing in return.

Even Master Xiao the Second was the same, always calling Xiao Zhijie to his study to inquire about his well-being, just like before.

This couple are truly rare individuals of noble character.

Qiao Qingshu also felt very comfortable and at ease in his company.

After leaving Su Yunzhen's room, Qiao Qingshu was called back by several maids to prepare a dowry for Lin Dong.

Qiao Qingshu smiled and picked out several extremely precious items from her jewelry box, giving them to Lin Dong.

This left Wanqiu Xiazhi and Cuimei, who were standing nearby, completely dumbfounded.

"Madam is so generous! I'd like one too!"

Qiao Qingshu gently pinched Wanqiu's nose and said,

"Once you get married, you'll naturally get your share too."

Wanqiu immediately pouted.

"Then I don't want it. I'd rather stay with Madam."

While preparations for Lin Dong's wedding were still underway, Princess Yonglin's wedding had already begun.