SFS Chapter 209 The Return of the Eldest Son
Chapter 209 The Return of the Eldest Son
It turns out he was Qiao Jizhou's eldest son...
The emperor frowned slightly. When Qiao Jizhou colluded with foreign factions and smuggled government salt, the emperor was furious.
At that moment, he heard a soft sobbing sound beside him. The emperor turned his head and saw Consort Xiande wiping away her tears.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Consort Xiande's face showed a sorrowful expression as she spoke.
“I recognize the child’s mother. Years ago, when she was still unmarried, she was a very close friend of mine. I was heartbroken when her son had his accident. I never expected to find her now. This child didn’t enjoy any of the good fortune he had in his early years. Now that he’s been found, we can’t let him suffer anymore. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy.”
After saying this, she knelt down at the emperor's feet, and the emperor quickly helped his beloved concubine up.
He waved his hand before speaking.
"Since both my beloved minister and my beloved concubine have pleaded for this son, I will naturally not make things difficult for him. I imagine this child has been away from home for many years and must have suffered a lot. His father's sins should naturally be borne by his father and will not implicate his descendants. So let this legitimate son inherit the Qiao family again, and from then on, the title of Marquis of Yongchang will be passed down for three generations."
He sighed again and looked at Bai Zhiqing.
"I didn't expect you to care so much about your deceased sister. You are truly a person of deep affection and righteousness. You will not miss out on any of the rewards you deserve. Promote you to the rank of First-Rank Mighty General, and the other rewards will be in accordance with the rank of First-Rank General."
When Bai Zhiqing returned to the Bai family from the palace, it was already late at night, but the Bai family was brightly lit, and even the old lady of the Bai family was holding on to wait for her son to return home.
Suddenly, a deafening sound of firecrackers erupted outside, and the Bai family's servant rushed in, excitedly shouting...
"Second Master is home! Second Master is home!"
The entire Bai family rushed out and stood at the door to welcome Bai Zhiqing's triumphant return.
When the imposing general in military uniform rode a tall horse and stood in front of the Bai family's gate, Bai Zhiqing's wife, Xia Qiong, almost rushed forward.
Bai Zhiqing jumped off his horse and pulled his wife into his arms. At that moment, Bai Zhining also came over and called out happily.
"Second brother, welcome home."
The crowd ushered the general into their home.
The next day, at the Xiao family residence.
Madam Xing was woken up by the sound of firecrackers in the morning.
She hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, and now being woken up early made her so angry that she threw her pillow on the floor.
"It's so noisy! Who's setting off firecrackers so early in the morning?!"
The eldest son of the Xiao family was just entering the house from the outside when he went to the back and changed into a more formal outfit.
"Get up! People from the Bai family have come to take the eldest son of the Qiao family home."
Madam Xing was still confused, and hearing this only made her more confused. Why would the Bai family come to our Xiao family to pick up people?
She squinted and stretched.
"Sir, you're really good at talking nonsense. What Qiao family heir? Wasn't he kidnapped long ago? Besides, why would the Bai family come to our house to pick up their heir..."
She was about to complain a bit more when Xiao Zhiheng grabbed her arm and yelled at her.
"How can you still be sleeping! Get up! The old lady's room is full of Bai family members right now. I'm going to change my clothes and go."
Upon hearing this, which didn't sound like a joke, Madam Xing immediately got up and helped the master get dressed. She then quickly dressed herself and went to the old lady's room.
They were late; the second, third, and fourth wives were all gathered there, along with a whole room full of Bai family members.
Madam Xing frowned slightly, glanced around, and saw a handsome man with a slender figure standing next to the old lady of the Bai family.
The man was still dressed as a criminal, and Madam Xing's brows furrowed even more as she muttered to herself,
"Who is this one?"
The third wife happened to be standing behind the first wife and began to whisper something behind her back.
“Sister-in-law, you don’t even recognize him? This is An’er, a little pageboy from the old lady’s library. He’s the one the Bai family is looking for.”
What? This pageboy is Qiao Anlan, the eldest son of the Qiao family!
At that moment, Old Madam Xiao was holding Qiao Qingshu's hand and pushing her to An'er's side. The sight of the two standing together surprised even Old Madam Xiao.
"It really is true. Look at those eyes, they're so alike. You can tell they're siblings at first glance."
Madam Xing's face scrunched up; these two were actually siblings.
Qiao Qingshu smiled as she looked at An'er, who lowered her head shyly, as it was the first time An'er had faced so many people.
In the letter Qiao Qingshu had sent him earlier, she had already told him most of his background. He digested this information alone in the deep of night.
Does he really have such a distinguished status?
Is his original surname really Qiao?
He hesitated and doubted, but Qiao Qingshu swore in her letter that she would definitely take him out and bring him home.
Whenever he thinks about this, he wonders if he's dreaming.
But standing here today, he knows that the girl didn't lie to him; she did everything she said she would do.
Looking at the girl's features, which were almost identical to his own, he had to believe that he really did have a younger sister.
Qiao Qingshu stepped forward, took his hand, and called out sweetly.
"Brother, let's go home."
For some unknown reason, An'er let out a soft "hmm" from deep in her throat.
The third wife was still whispering with the first wife.
"Sister-in-law, you didn't see it when you weren't here. The second master of the Bai family actually used all his merits to exchange for Qiao Anlan's safety and wealth. Now that Qiao Anlan is going back, he will directly become the new Marquis of Yongchang, and the title can be inherited for three generations! Such honor and dignity have been given to the Qiao family again."
Madam Xing felt very uncomfortable. She glanced at Qiao Anlan with disdain and whispered,
"What good would it do to go back and inherit the Qiao family business? The Qiao family is just an empty shell now. This eldest son was worn down to the point of being mute and lame in his early years. What skills could he possibly have? He's probably just going to sit around and squander the family fortune. Even if the Qiao family were in his hands, it wouldn't rise up. It would still be the same impoverished marquis's mansion."
Her words were full of disdain and contempt; in fact, she looked down on Qiao Qingshu.
If the Qiao family regained power, Qiao Qingshu would naturally be able to live a more respectable life, but she didn't want to see that. She hoped that Qiao Qingshu would always be inferior to her and be looked down upon forever.
The firecrackers outside the door started going off again. Qiao Anlan, dressed in new clothes, was escorted into a sedan chair by a crowd and went back to the Qiao family with Qiao Qingshu.
Upon learning the news, Butler Lai immediately returned to the Qiao family home and thoroughly cleaned the place inside and out.
He then used the money Qiao Qingshu gave him to buy new maids, and within two days, the entire Qiao family was completely transformed.
When Qiao Anlan stepped out of the sedan chair and looked up at the huge plaque of the Qiao family gate, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth in her heart.