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

Chapter 97 The Library

Qiao Qingshu was sitting in the courtyard, teasing the thrush under the eaves, when Qiao Jizhou rushed over.

"Shu'er, how do you plan to get this money back? Your aunt has been locked up at home for three days."

Qiao Qingshu casually teased the birds with birdseed and laughed.

"Father, why are you in such a hurry? It will take at least half a month for the Shen family to find out. Just wait patiently."

Qiao Jizhou was so anxious that he kept scratching his head.

"Oh dear, it's taking so long! Father needs the money!"

Qiao Qingshu gave her father a cold look and said indifferently,

"I just scraped together a lot of silver for you, and now you want more?"

"Shu'er, you don't know, it's Prime Minister Lin's birthday. I need to smooth things over and give gifts. The things I prepared the other day were really meager. I was embarrassed to say it to my colleagues. I still need to spend some more money to give something better."

A mocking smile appeared in Qiao Qingshu's eyes.

In her previous life, her father had tried to curry favor with Prime Minister Lin, showering him with gold, silver, and precious treasures, only to have it all go down the drain in the end.

Within two years, the emperor thoroughly investigated and found that Lin, the chief minister, had colluded with foreign traitors. All seven hundred members of the Lin family were confiscated and exiled. Those who were close to him were also dismissed from their posts and had their property confiscated.

If Qiao Qingshu hadn't begged the Bai and Xiao families in her past life, her father would have been implicated, and the Qiao family would never have had the wealth and glory they enjoyed later; they would have been raided and exiled long ago!

Qiao Qingshu's smile deepened; she would never save her father again in this lifetime.

She wanted to see with her own eyes how the Qiao family was raided and how they were exiled; just thinking about it made her excited.

“Father is right, but you should ask Grandmother for the money.”

"If it weren't for the debts incurred by Grandmother, our Qiao family wouldn't be in such dire straits."

Qiao Jizhou nodded, thinking to himself that it was true; the money should have come from Old Madam Qiao, using her own savings to make up for it.

Without saying a word, Qiao Jizhou headed towards Fushou Hall.

Granny Zou was reporting Qiao Chunli's condition to Old Madam Qiao.

"Madam, she's still making a scene. She's smashed all the tables and chairs in the room, and she's yelling until her voice is hoarse, demanding that she be let out. She hasn't eaten any of the meals that have been brought in these past two days, and she keeps cursing."

Old Madam Qiao listened with furrowed brows, her face extremely unpleasant.

His own daughter was imprisoned by his granddaughter, and he had no say in the matter.

Although Qiao Qingshu said she could recover the debt, her domineering attitude, which bypassed her grandmother, still angered Old Madam Qiao.

Granny Zou continued her report.

"Madam, I just went to deliver a few thick quilts, but I was stopped by the eldest daughter's people. Now the eldest daughter is increasingly disregarding you."

"If this continues, won't the eldest daughter be the one to decide everything in this family?"

A few days ago, Granny Zou knelt down in Qiao Qingshu's courtyard and eventually fainted and had to be carried out. Her legs are still very painful.

She had long harbored resentment towards Qiao Qingshu, so naturally she would seize any opportunity to complain to the old lady.

Madam Qiao's brows furrowed more and more, and she felt increasingly unhappy.

At this moment, Qiao Jizhou lifted the curtain and barged in, reaching out to ask Old Madam Qiao for money.

Madam Qiao was stunned, and Qiao Jizhou actually started rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

"My mother must have a lot of savings saved up over the years. Let's give some to my son to tide him over."

Granny Zou rushed forward to stop him, but Qiao Jizhou stumbled and pushed her to the ground.

“Mother, you should pay for this! Shu’er said that you lost the money, so now it’s your turn to pay for it.”

As Madam Qiao watched Qiao Jizhou walk away with the money, her teeth clenched so tightly they clicked.

It's Qiao Qingshu again!

That brat is getting more and more arrogant these days!

If we don't take action, won't she really be able to ride roughshod over us?

Qiao Qingshu received a letter from Xiao Zhijie, which stated that An'er's whereabouts had been found.

An'er is now in charge of the library in Madam Xiao's courtyard.

Because he was literate and well-mannered, had a handsome appearance, and was mute, he was greatly loved and cherished by Old Madam Xiao.

She was even more favored than the top-class maids in front of Old Madam Xiao.

Qiao Qingshu held up the paper, her hand trembling uncontrollably, and large tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She finally learned her brother's whereabouts.

After a moment of excitement, she suppressed her emotions and slowly began to recall.

In her past life, she lived in the Xiao family for many years, and she seemed to have a vague impression of this person in her mind.

In her previous life, although she often went to Old Madam Xiao's courtyard to pay her respects and have meals, she rarely went into the old lady's inner courtyard.

The library was located at the very end of the courtyard; one had to walk through a garden to reach it.

It was a lonely attic.

The original Master Xiao loved reading, so he specially built a pavilion to store books, which contained many rare copies and ancient books from previous dynasties.

Because it needed someone to manage it, several literate servants were hired to take care of the library.

Although she had never been to that pavilion in her previous life, she clearly remembered that after Old Master Qiao passed away, the pavilion fell into disrepair and caught fire one summer night in the third year after she married into the Xiao family. The entire library was burned to ashes overnight, and the four servants in charge of the library perished in the fire.

At that time, she was already the mistress of the Xiao family. She gave each of the four servants fifty taels of silver for funeral expenses. One of them was an orphan, and in the end, she didn't know who to give the money to. Qiao Qingshu sighed to herself.

She vaguely remembered that the name seemed to be An'er...

She was so frightened that goosebumps rose all over her body. She quickly took the letter and rushed to the bamboo forest to tell her mother.

Bai Chanzi held the letter, laughing and crying at the same time, and held Qiao Qingshu for a long time without being able to speak.

After a long while, Bai Chanzi calmed down before speaking.

"Shu'er, now that we know where your brother is, let's go find him quickly."

Qiao Qingshu patted her mother's shoulder, signaling her not to rush.

“Mother, although we have news, we are still not sure if this person is my brother. We need to confirm before we can take action.”

Bai Chanzi nodded, her brows furrowing.

"The inner quarters of the Xiao family are not so easy to enter, and it will be difficult for us to go in and identify the place. Why don't we go home and ask your maternal grandmother? The Xiao and Bai families have a good relationship, and she might be able to help take a look."

Qiao Qingshu shook her head and smiled.

“Mother, have you forgotten? I am the Xiao family’s future granddaughter-in-law. The Xiao family’s old lady will be celebrating her birthday in a few days. I’m not afraid that they won’t invite me.”

Bai Chanzi was taken aback, remembering Qiao Qingshu's marriage.

Looking at it now, it's true that Qiao Qingshu has a closer relationship with the Xiao family, making it easier for her to infiltrate the Xiao family and investigate the inside story.

Bai Chanzi spoke after a long pause.

"Shu'er, you must be careful in everything you do, and remember to bring Aunt Gui with you."

Qiao Qingshu nodded, and it was already evening when she returned to the Qiao family home.

As soon as they returned to Zhuqingxuan, Wanqiu and Lindong rushed in, panting.

Late Autumn said hurriedly,

"Miss, Miss is back! She was brought back in the Crown Prince's carriage!"

Lin Dong added,

"Miss Cousin has been acquitted for some reason! The old lady and the second master are talking to her in Fushou Hall right now, and they are being very affectionate."

Qiao Qingshu was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, she got up and went to Fushou Hall.

Before even entering the house, they heard Liu Wan'er's sweet, coquettish voice.

"When Wan'er was being interrogated, the Crown Prince happened to see her. He took pity on me, pardoned me, and even sent someone to bring me back."