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

Chapter 257 My Brother's Wedding

Gu Rong quickly helped the man over and said,

"Brother En, hurry up and come over to thank Sister Shu. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be back now."

Although General Chang Wei spared Xiao Qiaoen's life out of respect for Bai Zhiqing, he couldn't just do nothing. He gave Xiao Qiaoen a severe beating, leaving her covered in sores that she would probably need at least half a year to recover.

Xiao Qiaoen's mouth was also swollen from being hit, and her speech was indistinct and difficult to understand.

"Thank you, Sister Shu."

Qiao Qingshu simply smiled and nodded, making way for them to help the unfortunate young master into the carriage.

Gu Rong no longer had her usual arrogant and smug expression; only helplessness and confusion remained. She followed her son out.

Qiao Qingshu went straight to Madam Xiao's room, where Madam Xiao was drinking a nourishing soup.

Qiao Qingshu greeted them, found a seat, and said with a smile,

"Madam, there's no one to drug you anymore."

Old Madam Xiao paused while drinking her medicine, then finished the rest of the bowl. She took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and looked at Qiao Qingshu.

"You're really something, killing two birds with one stone, solving the problem of the third wife and helping your childhood friend at the same time."

Qiao Qingshu simply smiled faintly, and when she met the gaze of Old Madam Xiao, they both laughed.

They were both foxes who had been around for a thousand years, so naturally everything was understood without words.

Qiao Qingshu felt that the Xiao family home suddenly became very empty and large. It used to be full of people, but now it was empty.

The entire main branch of the family was wiped out, the third branch moved away, leaving only the fourth branch.

The fourth wife was aloof and unassuming, never causing trouble, and always treating each other with courtesy. They lived together peacefully like this.

Qiao Qingshu knew very well that Yan Yaping from the fourth branch of the family was a smart and aloof woman who had probably seen through the situation and was not going to walk into the line of fire.

If the third wife had such a brain, she wouldn't need to drag her family back to the old house to live now.

The Xiao family enjoyed peace for quite some time.

Qiao Qingshu has had some rare free time these days, so she's been helping her brother with his wedding preparations.

Everyone already knew about Qiao Anlan's proposal to Qiu Rui, so the wedding was naturally put on the agenda.

Bai Chanzi specially chose an auspicious date and set their wedding for the eighth day of next month.

That was an auspicious day, suitable for marriage.

On her wedding day, Qiao Qingshu got up early, found a light blue dress with embroidered plum blossoms and sat in front of a bronze mirror to do her makeup.

She looked through the mirror at the man changing clothes by the screen. Today, the man had also chosen a bamboo-green outer robe and was buttoning it up.

She said through the mirror,

"Don't wear that black belt, wear another white jade one instead."

Xiao Zhijie obediently put down the black gold belt in his hand and picked up another white jade belt to tie it.

As he tied the hairpin, he walked to Qiao Qingshu's side, hugged her neck and kissed her, then took the red-gold plum blossom hairpin from her hand and pinned it to her temple.

He kissed Qiao Qingshu's cheek again, looked at her through the bronze mirror, and said...

"Madam, you are so beautiful."

Qiao Qingshu gently patted the back of his hand and said,

"Never serious."

Both of them were smiling, and the atmosphere was very warm.

This kind of daily life was something Qiao Qingshu had never experienced in her previous life, and this simple and warm life made Qiao Qingshu feel very at ease.

The two got dressed and prepared to leave. Wanqiu and Xiazhi followed behind, each carrying a box. The carriage soon arrived at the Qiao family's residence.

As soon as they stepped out of the sedan chair, they saw the festive atmosphere of the Qiao family. Red silk cloths were hung all over the courtyard, and guests had already arrived one after another.

Qiao Qingshu and her group actually arrived quite early, but they didn't expect there to be guests who arrived even earlier than them.

Indeed, with the added prestige of being the newly crowned top scholar, the Qiao family has long been a rising star sought after by powerful figures in the capital. Many people have come with generous gifts even without receiving an invitation.

Butler Lai, who was greeting guests at the door, spotted Qiao Qingshu immediately and quickly came over to greet her.

"Miss and son-in-law, you've arrived!"

Butler Lai personally led them inside, muttering happily as he went.

"Miss, you don't know, many of the people who came today were not on the invitation list. I saw that there were so many people, so I added about ten more tables! I'm afraid there won't be enough room at home, so we'll have to set up tents along the street. Look, now that our young master has become the top scholar, so many people are coming to curry favor with him. He hasn't even been appointed an official yet, and so many people are already trying to get close to him. Hehehe."

As he walked, Butler Lai spoke, his tone a mixture of joy and anxiety, but a smile remained on his face; he was genuinely happy.

Qiao Qingshu went straight to Qiu Rui's room, while Xiao Zhijie went to check on Qiao Anlan.

Upon entering the room, one could see Qiu Rui, dressed in red, being dressed up by the matchmaker.

Qiu Rui was already pretty, but now that she was dressed up like this, she was even more beautiful, and she also had a dignified air about her.

Seeing Qiao Qingshu enter, Qiu Rui happily greeted her.

"Shu'er, you're here."

Qiao Qingshu stepped forward and carefully examined her.

"You're absolutely stunning, sister-in-law. If my brother saw you, he'd be completely captivated by you."

These words made Qiu Rui blush, and she playfully patted Qiao Qingshu's hand.

Qiao Qingshu smiled and looked around. There were only a few nannies and a few maids from the Xiao family who had previously been related to Qiu Rui and had come to see her off.

Qiu Rui was sold to the Xiao family when she was young and had long lost contact with her parents. Before her marriage, Qiu Rui thought about finding her parents, but she couldn't find any information about them after searching for a long time.

All that is known is that after her parents sold Qiu Rui to the Xiao family, they moved away and have been missing ever since.

Qiu Rui's parents probably never dreamed that the daughter they sold off for a pittance would now become the wife of a top scholar.

Qiao Qingshu couldn't help but sigh in her heart that Qiu Rui was born with a life of wealth and honor. A maid in the Xiao family, she married a prince as a concubine in her previous life, and in this life, she married a top scholar as his wife.

Both are noble and respectable identities, but this life is better than the previous one because Qiu Rui is married to a man she truly loves in this life.

Qiao Qingshu waved her hand, and Wanqiu walked in carrying the small box, smiling.

"Miss Qiu, my wife has come to add to your dowry."

After saying that, he opened the box, and the room was immediately filled with gasps of surprise.

The box contained a set of jewelry made from pearls from the East China Sea, inlaid with various gemstones. Once the box was opened, the whole room became much brighter, and it was simply dazzling.

Qiao Qingshu said with a smile,

“These were originally bestowed upon me by Consort Xiande during her visit home. Now I am giving this set of jewelry to you.”

This set of headdresses was a rare and precious item brought to the palace from another country. It was unique and dazzling. The emperor bestowed it upon Consort Xiande, who then gifted it to Qiao Qingshu, who has now given it to Qiu Rui.

In fact, in her previous life, this set of jewelry was a reward Qiu Rui received after saving Consort Xiande, and now it can be considered to have been returned to its rightful owner.

The matchmaker was delighted.

"I was just saying that Miss Qiu's jewelry styles aren't very modern, and people might laugh at her if she wore them out. But that's perfect! This lady's jewelry is so luxurious and elegant, why don't you wear this set?"

Qiu Rui was still hesitating when Qiao Qingshu smiled and said...

"That would be perfect. This is the most suitable thing to wear today, and it matches Rui'er's clothes perfectly."

Several of the maids who used to work with Qiu Rui stared wide-eyed at the scene.