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

Chapter 163 Heartbreaking

Granny Zou realized the seriousness of the situation and knelt before Qiao Qingshu, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Young lady, I know I was wrong! Please forgive us. I will make sure San'er breaks off all contact with Miss Wanqiu."

Liu San was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Please forgive me this time, young lady. I promise you I will never harass Wanqiu again."

Granny Zou knelt at Qiao Qingshu's feet, even tugging at the hem of Qiao Qingshu's skirt.

Qiao Qingshu's face was as cold as ice. She kicked away the withered hands that were binding her.

She spoke in an icy tone.

"You just shouted so loudly that the whole mansion probably knows it. You didn't leave me, Wanqiu, any room for maneuver. Whether your Liu San marries or not, my reputation, Wanqiu's, has been ruined by your loud voice."

"If you leave no room for maneuver in your actions, how can I leave any room for you? If you and your child don't disappear, how can I, Wanqiu, start a new life in the future?"

After saying that, Qiao Qingshu smiled and looked at Granny Zou.

Granny Zou felt a chill run down her spine and immediately regretted her actions. She really shouldn't have tried to cause trouble for Wanqiu today.

She slapped her thigh in regret, crying and lamenting her loss.

Liu San's face turned deathly pale with fright. He turned to Wanqiu and begged her to spare them this time.

But Wanqiu gritted her teeth and shook off Liu San's hand.

"You filthy thing, stay away from me!"

Lin Dong and two other maids stood in front of Wan Qiu, protecting her from contact with Liu San.

Liu San knew it was all in vain, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground.

At this moment, Xia Zhi led the slave trader and several burly men in.

Xia Zhi pointed to Granny Zou and Liu San.

The burly men immediately swarmed over and tied the two men up tightly.

Granny Zou's hands were tied, but she took advantage of the moment when she lifted her leg and ran wildly towards Old Madam Qiao's courtyard.

He kept shouting as he ran.

"Help! Madam, help me! My eldest daughter is trying to sell me! I am loyal to the Qiao family, Madam, please have mercy!"

She ran and shouted all the way, attracting many people from other courtyards to come out and see.

Granny Zou was caught by several burly men from the slave trade outside the courtyard of Fushou Hall. She was just one step away from breaking into Fushou Hall to complain to Old Madam Qiao.

The servants immediately gagged Granny Zou, stuffed her into a sack, and carried her out of the Qiao residence along with Liu San.

Qiao Qingshu turned her head and looked at the quiet Fushou Hall, a smile curving her lips.

Old Madam Qiao, inside Fushou Hall, had already heard the commotion outside. She knew about it as early as when Granny Zou brought Liu San to cause trouble in Qiao Qingshu's courtyard.

But she pretended not to know anything.

She tacitly allowed Granny Zou to do this, hoping that Granny Zou could give Qiao Qingshu a warning and teach her a lesson.

However, Granny Zou turned out to be incompetent. Even when she and her son fought together, they were no match for Qiao Qingshu, and they were even betrayed by Qiao Qingshu.

Madam Qiao originally intended to have someone come out and manage the situation, after all, Granny Zou was an old servant of hers, having followed her for more than ten years, and even if she hadn't done anything meritorious, she had certainly worked hard.

But then she thought about it again and realized that Qiao Qingshu was clearly trying to punish the two women to vent her anger on behalf of her maid, Wanqiu.

If I were to step in and stop her, Qiao Qingshu would definitely be unhappy. What if she then tried to find a way to punish me?

She is already powerless now that she is bedridden, and if she offends Qiao Qingshu, she will be no match for her.

Thinking of all this, Old Madam Qiao, who had just sat up, fell back asleep.

Aunt Gui was taken aback and asked with some confusion,

"Madam, are we not going to save Granny Zou?"

Old Madam Qiao waved her hand, sighed, and turned over to go to sleep inside.

"Let her be if she wants to die."

Madam Gui's heart skipped a beat. She and Granny Zou were both part of Old Madam Qiao's dowry and had been with Old Madam Qiao since they were teenagers.

Despite so many years of kindness, Madam Qiao refused to help, leaving Aunt Gui feeling inexplicably heartbroken.

If it were her outside today, would Old Madam Qiao have been so indifferent and refused to help her in her time of need?

Thinking about how my family of three has served the Qiao family for many years, we've done our part, even if we haven't made any great contributions. Will we end up like Granny Zou in the future?

For the first time in her life, the ever-loyal Gui Mama harbored a change of heart.

She wanted to start planning for her future.

Qiao Qingshu watched as the slave trader took Granny Zou and Liu San away before returning to her own courtyard.

At this moment, Wanqiu, Xiazhi, and Lindong all looked at Qiao Qingshu with blank expressions.

Qiao Qingshu coldly glanced at the three of them and gave the order.

"Summer Solstice is approaching, so go down to prepare dinner. Late Autumn, come inside with me."

The three men received their instructions and immediately got up and set off.

Wanqiu followed Qiao Qingshu into the house.

Qiao Qingshu waved her hand and said,

"Close the door."

Wanqiu nodded, obediently closed the door, and stood by the door with her head down, waiting for Qiao Qingshu's instructions.

Qiao Qingshu sat at the table, poured herself a cup of tea, held it to her nose, sniffed it gently, and slightly raised her eyes to say...

"Late Autumn, are you satisfied with my handling of the matter today?"

Upon hearing this, Wanqiu was startled and knelt down with a thud.

“Young lady, if you hadn’t saved me today, I would have had no choice but to drown myself.”

"Young lady, you are like a second parent to me. I am willing to die for you!"

After saying that, he bent down and kowtowed three times.

The white forehead struck the bluestone slab with a resounding thud.

Qiao Qingshu waved her hand and said softly,

"Stand up and speak."

Wanqiu then got up and stood with her head bowed, awaiting Qiao Qingshu's instructions.

"In my house, you are the smartest and most intelligent one. Naturally, I can't bear to see you suffer. I hope that from now on you will open your eyes wide and not misjudge people again, thus ruining the rest of your life."

These words were spoken softly and gently, yet they struck late autumn's heart like a heavy drumbeat.

Wanqiu was intelligent to begin with, and after this experience, she understood and saw many things clearly. She nodded solemnly.

She became much more alert after this, and said in a calm voice,

"Young lady, I understand."

Qiao Qingshu nodded, reached out and took Wanqiu's hand, and continued,

"If you meet a man you like in the future, please tell me. I will help you check him out first."

Large tears rolled down her cheeks in late autumn. She nodded deeply and said...

"Yes, definitely. From now on, if I fall for anyone, I will tell you first and ask you to help me make the right choice."

Only after hearing Wanqiu's words did Qiao Qingshu feel relieved.

At least for now, we can be sure that Wanqiu has avoided the tragic fate of her previous life.

The next step is to help Wanqiu find a good marriage so that she can live a happy life.

Suddenly, at that moment, Xia Zhi knocked violently on the door from outside.

"Young lady! Young lady! The Bai family has sent word that you should hurry up and go."