nucmednet Chapter 195 Seal
Chapter 195 Seal
Qiao Jizhou hurriedly came out and said,
"Oh dear, esteemed officials, what's going on this time? Why are they resorting to knives and guns?"
The leading officer flung Qiao Jizhou's hand away, grabbed him with a swift movement, and kicked him in the knee, saying...
"Kneel down now! Traitor!"
Qiao Jizhou then realized something was terribly wrong; he was drenched in cold sweat. He struggled to lift his head and said...
"I hope Your Honor will tell me clearly, what exactly have I done to deserve this arrest?"
"Hahaha!"
A burst of hearty laughter came from not far away.
A man dressed in black walked in through the gate of the Qiao family mansion. The man had an extraordinary bearing, but his voice was high-pitched.
"You audacious Qiao Jizhou, you still don't know your crime!"
The newcomer was none other than Li Pu, the Grand Eunuch who was a favorite of the current emperor, followed by Bai Zhining.
Li Pu approached Qiao Jizhou and squatted down beside him.
"Lord Qiao, I never expected you to collude with Lin Xun to plot a rebellion."
Lin Xun is the Prime Minister Lin. Qiao Jizhou has been getting very close to Prime Minister Lin in the past six months. Before, he couldn't fit into Prime Minister Lin's circle at all. If it weren't for Qiao Qingshu's efforts to make arrangements and prepare gifts that were very appealing to Prime Minister Lin, he wouldn't have been able to get close to him.
Li Pu's languid voice rang out again.
"The Emperor discovered that Lin Xun had colluded with foreign traitors. Now, all 367 members of the Lin family have been killed, and naturally, none of his accomplices can be spared either."
Qiao Jizhou screamed and protested his innocence, claiming that he was just a peripheral figure in that group, always sitting at the outermost table when drinking and eating, and never participating in the core matters!
I felt truly wronged and cried out in injustice.
"Lord Li, I'm innocent! I'm just a lowly official, not even worthy of Lin Xun's attention. I'm just an insignificant lackey!"
Li Pu chuckled and patted Qiao Jizhou on the shoulder, saying...
"Lord Qiao, are you still pretending? Back then, the matter of you colluding with Prefect Liu Zhiyong to smuggle government salt in Ganzhou has already been reported with evidence collected. Now the authorities have thoroughly investigated and caught you, the one who slipped through the net."
After saying that, Li Pu tapped Qiao Jizhou's forehead, as if he were talking to a naughty child, his face full of teasing and mockery.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Jizhou's mind went blank; the secret he had kept hidden for so many years had finally been exposed.
Half of his body was numb, his lips were trembling, and his face was deathly pale.
At this moment, everyone inside realized that something was wrong and came out. Old Madam Qiao was also carried out by Li Mama.
Li Pu pulled out an imperial edict from his sleeve, and everyone was so frightened that they knelt down.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Qiao Jizhou has colluded with foreign traitors to betray the country and with the local prefect to smuggle salt... Qiao Jizhou shall be executed immediately, and his entire family shall be exiled to the Northwest. So be it."
The courtyard was filled with sighs and groans. Even someone as heartless as Qiao Qingle collapsed to the ground against the wall, her legs giving way.
Startled, Li's mother stumbled and knocked Old Madam Qiao to the ground as well.
The courtyard was filled with cries, shouts, and screams; it was utterly miserable.
Qiao Qingle looked up at Qiao Qingshu and Qiao Qingqiao with eyes full of jealousy.
According to the laws of the Nanzhao Kingdom, married women would not be implicated in the punishment of their families.
In other words, of the three daughters of the Qiao family, only she would be exiled to the Northwest to do hard labor, but Qiao Qingshu and Qiao Qingqiao cleverly avoided this disaster because they were already married.
Even her own mother, Aunt He, escaped unscathed. It should be noted that her aunt had already been divorced, and even the contract of indenture was in her own hands.
Qiao Qingle's eyes were full of resentment. Why did she get none of the benefits, but all the bad things happened to her?
Madam Qiao was also in a state of panic. She had thought that after Qiao Qingshu got married, she would regain power in the Qiao family and have everything back in her hands.
But before they could even enjoy their happiness for two days, this devastating news arrived.
Qiao Jizhou was trembling all over. When he saw Bai Zhining was there, he rushed to his feet and cried out.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, save me! Please save me! I don't want to die!"
Bai Zhining kicked Qiao Jizhou away hard, her face showing utter disgust.
"You useless piece of trash, you're hopeless, how can I save you!"
The case from back then was thoroughly investigated again. The Bai family secretly assisted a lot because of Qiao Qingshu's instructions. When this matter was brought before the Emperor, the Emperor was almost furious.
Bai Zhining was also present at the time, and he was very clear that Qiao Jizhou's death was imminent!
He kicked away Qiao Jizhou's hand and walked towards Qiao Qingshu.
The guards and soldiers quickly subdued Qiao Jizhou, dragged him away, and his pitiful cries could be heard throughout the courtyard.
Old Madam Qiao collapsed to the ground, trying to stop them but unable to crawl more than a few steps. She cried out in despair...
Jeju! My Jeju!
Qiao Qingshu slowly approached, squatted down, and tilted her head to look at her.
"Grandmother, is this what you look like when you're heartbroken? I don't think it's enough."
As Madam Qiao looked up, she saw Qiao Qingshu standing in the sunlight, dressed in red. The sunlight made her face shine brightly and radiantly.
"Qiao Qingshu, did you do this?"
Qiao Qingshu slowly stood up and chuckled twice.
"What do you think?"
There was neither affirmation nor denial.
She gently put her finger to her lips and shushed him.
"Grandmother, you should take care of yourself first. The Northwest is a harsh and cold place, and you're already paralyzed. Do you think you can live for another six months?"
These words sounded like a death knell to Old Madam Qiao, and her face scrunched up in a strange expression.
She could already sense that her death was imminent, and that despair was unmistakable, shining through her eyes.
Qiao Qingshu straightened up and walked around the courtyard with light steps. Everything here would be reduced to ashes after today.
An era of the Qiao family, a noble family, will also come to a temporary end today.
Qiao Qingle realized the hardships ahead, and what's worse, she would never be able to see His Highness the Crown Prince again. Her dream of becoming the Crown Princess vanished at that moment.
She couldn't help but throw her head back and burst into tears.
"No, I don't want to! I'm not married yet, I don't want to go to the Northwest, I haven't become the Crown Princess yet."
Qiao Qingqiao stood aside, recalling how Qiao Qingshu had wanted to help her third sister find a husband, but she had refused no matter what.
She even plotted to frame her older sister, believing that both of them were jealous of her and couldn't stand to see her doing well.
Now she has no choice but to reap what she sowed; Qiao Qingle's current predicament is entirely of her own making.
She couldn't feel any regret or pity, and Qiao Qingqiao also believed that her third sister had only herself to blame.
The soldiers rushed up and took away all two hundred members of the Qiao family.
The entire large Qiao family residence was sealed off.
Qiao Qingshu touched the seal and thought to herself,
"Brother, everything is waiting for you to come back."