Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 2: The People of Dongfu ()

Qiao Jiaojiao felt the pain and burst into tears: "It hurts so much, my hands, my face, wuwuwu, mom and dad, wuwuwu..." She only had one good hand left, and she couldn't cover her face. She covered one side of her face, but the other side was left. The tears washed away the powder on her face, and she wiped it with her hand, but she couldn't bear to look at it.

Qiao Lili said in her heart, Oh, how miserable. In the previous life, she bullied her a lot. Qiao Lili was too busy with work to pay attention to her, so she just ignored her and treated her like a dog barking. One Mid-Autumn Festival, Qiao Zhen couldn't bear to see her sister being ridiculed. At a young age, she ran to Qiao Jiaojiao to argue with her, but was pushed into the lake by Qiao Jiaojiao.

The weather in August was already very cold. Although Zhen'er was rescued immediately, she still fell ill and had a fever for two or three days.

"Daddy, Mommy, my fingers are broken, and my face, my face is disfigured." Qiao Jiaojiao cried loudly and threw herself into Madam Qiao's arms.

The old lady of the Duke pretended not to see or hear anything. If anyone dared to say anything about her beloved granddaughter, she would have to bear the consequences. She lowered her eyebrows, picked up her tea bowl, skimmed off the foam, and took a sip.

She was originally thinking about how to teach this girl who committed insubordination a lesson, but it was not easy for her as she was of a different generation to hers to do anything. Unexpectedly, this girl Lili stood up on her own. The legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion should not be a soft persimmon. It was really good. This girl named Caiqi was very capable. She would reward her later.

The people in Dongfu were stunned by Qiao Lili's sudden attack. Qiao Lili was a softie. Usually she wouldn't say a word no matter what they said. Was she a different person today?

In her previous life, Qiao Lili often disdained to engage in intrigue with them and was too lazy to pay attention to them. They could do whatever they wanted. After all, they were from the East Palace and would go back soon. She had a lot of work to do and was unwilling to care about these verbal disputes. Now, she was an evil ghost that crawled out of hell and was looking for revenge on them. If you didn't provoke her, she would find fault with them, not to mention that they came to her door.

"Chun Tao, use the young lady's azure jade cup to make her a cup of the best Biluochun tea. It will go perfectly with her outfit today." This sentence undoubtedly gave Qiao Jiaojiao another slap on the face.

She even stopped crying, but she was shaking with pain.

Qiao Yuan reacted and stepped forward to the old Duke's wife and said, "Aunt, Jiaojiao is a little willful, but Lili can't hit anyone. What's more, what Jiaojiao said makes sense, and Jiaojiao is also angry."

"Oh, I didn't know. Lili just wears bright clothes. I, an old woman, like to look at them. How can it bother her, a concubine's sister from the next room? Not to mention that Lili only wears one set of clothes, she changes ten sets a day. Her mother's dowry shop can afford it. She didn't spend a penny from your East Mansion. How could she be mad? She is right. She is a concubine's daughter and she speaks rudely to the legitimate daughter. What's the logic?" The old Duke's wife put the tea bowl heavily on the small carved rosewood table.

"Aunt Rong Bing, because of Lili's broken engagement, the family that Jiaojiao is engaged to must increase the dowry by ten loads, otherwise the engagement will be cancelled." Qiao Yuan looked embarrassed.

At this time, the second master Qiao Gun, who had been watching, also stood up and replied. Her daughter Qiao Tingting saw her father stand up, fell to her knees on the ground with a plop, and began to cry.

"Aunt, Tingting is in the same situation. Last night, the Fu family sent someone to tell them that they must add two shops on Imperial City Street to their dowry, otherwise, they will cancel the engagement."

The old Duke's wife glanced at the people sitting in the main hall. What are these people doing? Do they think I'm easy to bully? She glanced at the Fourth Master of the East Palace who was still sitting steadily, and asked in a cold voice: "Fourth Master, will Lili's breaking off the engagement affect the marriage of your fourth room's children?"

Qiao Yi was still assessing the situation, whether to stand with the two idiots, his elder and second brothers, and get some benefits, or to stay out of trouble and maintain relations with this side for longer-term benefits. Unexpectedly, the old lady of the Duke of Guo would ask him about it, so he could only stammer and say vaguely, "It's not Lili's fault, after all."

When Qiao Yuan and Qiao Gun heard that Qiao Yi did not share the same attitude as them, they immediately looked at him viciously. That look was like the truth, telling him that if he got the benefits, he would not get a penny.

"So, your family is not affected." Qiao Yi heard the old woman say this. Was she going to give compensation? He was thinking about how to express tactfully that his family was also affected when he saw his wife, daughter and son kneeling down together.

Qiao Lili was sitting next to her grandmother, observing every move of these people. Qiao Wuwu didn't want to kneel at first, and struggled for a few times, but couldn't persuade her mother, so she knelt down. Even while kneeling, she was resentful and disdainful, unlike Qiao Tingting who was crying.

When Qiao Lili took a look at her, she discovered that Qiao Wuwu was the best dressed among the girls in the East Mansion. Although her clothes were not particularly bright, the fabrics were much more luxurious, and her head jewelry was also more expensive.

This also confirms Qiao Lili's previous guess about the Fourth Master. How is it possible that he would lose everything he did?

Qiao Wuwu's brother Qiao Lin was wearing a brocade scholar's robe. Normally, he should be in the academy at this time and would also take the imperial examination this year. I don't know why he came to pay his respects to grandmother today. I'm afraid they had discussed it and the whole family was out, well prepared.

"My aunt, my husband is embarrassed to say that, in fact, not only does Wuer's in-laws want to increase the dowry, but Lin's parents-in-law's family also want to increase the bride price, otherwise they will cancel the engagement." The fourth lady said while pressing the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Is this all because of Lili's decision to break off the engagement?" the old Duke's wife asked sternly.

Things have evolved to this point, and the people in Dongfu have no way out, let alone a tactful way of expressing themselves. They can only say hesitantly: Yes.

Qiao Lili sneered, her voice as sweet as a mountain spring: "I didn't know that my quiet cancellation of the engagement would cause such shocking consequences." It can be said that it was full of irony.

"You are the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion, so of course you will affect us." Qiao Jiaojiao, who has always been arrogant, didn't care about the pain in her hands and face, and immediately made sarcastic remarks.

Qiao Lili looked at her disdainfully, "So you knew that I'm the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion." Knowing this but still daring to be so presumptuous is stupid. Being beaten but still not behaving well is not just stupidity, it is sheer stupidity.

Qiao Lili looked at her grandmother with a smile and said in a consultative tone, "Grandma, after my great-grandfather and great-grandmother passed away, we separated from my stepfather's family. The reason why my cousins' marriages are still influenced by me is probably because they still live in the East Palace. They live too close, and outsiders may think we are still one family."

The old lady laughed when she heard this. She was indeed her granddaughter and thought the same as her. Normally, she would just turn a blind eye to her when she got some benefits from him, but now, she came to threaten and blackmail her. This was too unkind. The whole family was full of black-hearted people.

Everyone in the East Palace who were kneeling, standing, or sitting suddenly felt that this statement was not right. Just as they were about to refute it, they heard the old Duke's wife say, "Lili is right. In this case, you should move out of the East Palace and move far away. This way, all your relatives will know that we are two families, and we won't affect each other in anything we do."

"It's just right. We can give the East Palace to Peng'er for his marriage. Peng'er is already grown up, and he will eventually come back from the border to get married." The old lady's words were like thunder, shocking everyone in the East Palace.