eurekapd Chapter 239 Divorce and Returning Home
Chapter 239 Divorce and Returning Home
He rushed back to the Xiao family early this morning because he wanted to tell her that he wanted to share wealth and glory with her.
He wanted her to be his queen, and perhaps even his empress.
However, Qiao Qingshu's words choked him up, and he couldn't utter another word.
Qiao Qingshu slowly stood up and said,
"The divorce papers are on the desk. Take a look. If there are no problems, sign them. I'll go back to the Qiao family first. There are a lot of things waiting for you to handle at the Xiao family. Once you're done, just give me the divorce papers."
After saying that, he waved his hand and summoned his four personal maids to leave with some personal belongings.
Xiao Zhijie sat at the table for a long, long time. He stared at the neatly written divorce papers on the table, feeling as if a huge stone was pressing down on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
My heart is aching slightly.
It turns out that all of this was fake.
Her concern, her care, her smile, her coquettishness—it was all fake.
Xiao Zhijie stared at the divorce papers, where something dripped down, blurring the writing.
He clutched his chest, gasping for breath, as if only in this way could he alleviate the bone-deep sorrow.
At the Xiao family's main gate, a pretty figure watched as Qiao Qingshu left the Xiao family with four maids.
A malicious smile crept across his lips.
"Qiao Qingshu, you've ruined my brother Chengyan's life! Do you think you can just walk away like this?!"
Beside her, Xiao Qianqian, her eyes swollen and red from crying, choked out,
"Yi Rou, you can't let her get away with this! You must avenge Father and Mother, and your elder brother was also harmed by her!"
The eldest branch of the Xiao family is now like a pile of loose sand. The legitimate son has gone mad, and the legitimate daughter only knows how to cry and make a fuss. The only one in the eldest branch who can still make decisions is the illegitimate daughter, Xiao Yirou.
She secretly liked Xiao Chengyan. How could she be willing to let the handsome young man be tormented into a fool by Qiao Qingshu!
She wants to get revenge on Qiao Qingshu!
Qiao Qingshu packed only some personal clothes and returned to the Qiao family with four maids who served her closely.
With such a big incident happening in the Xiao family, Qiao Anlan was already worried about her younger sister and was instructing Steward Lai to go to the Xiao family to check on the situation.
Just as Butler Lai was about to leave, he ran into Qiao Qingshu, who had just entered the room.
Lai Da said with delight,
"Hey! The young lady is back!"
He hurriedly stepped forward to take the package from Qiao Qingshu's hands and led her towards the inner courtyard.
"Young Master was worried about the young lady and was just sending this old servant to the Xiao family to check on her when she returned."
At this point, Lai Da finally realized something was wrong. Since entering the room, Qiao Qingshu had been looking depressed and unhappy, with an unyielding sorrow on her face.
She was accompanied by four personal maids. In the past, when Qiao Qingshu returned, she would only bring two maids with her at most.
Now, the four maids are carrying large and small bags, which makes it seem more like they're coming back for a short stay than to come back for a visit.
Butler Lai winked at Wanqiu behind him and asked what had happened.
Wanqiu pouted, shook her head, and waved her hands, truly unsure how to bring up the subject.
Lai Da didn't ask too many questions, and simply took Qiao Qingshu to Qiao Anlan's courtyard. Qiu Rui was watering flowers in the courtyard when she saw Qiao Qingshu enter.
He hurriedly dropped the kettle and rushed over, grabbing Qiao Qingshu's sleeve and asking her how she was doing.
"Qingshu, are you alright? Your brother and I were so worried about you."
Qiao Anlan, who was writing inside the house, heard the voices in the courtyard and hurriedly ran out, somewhat unsteadily.
He looked at his sister and immediately noticed the melancholy in her eyes. He quickly said,
"Shu'er, what's wrong? What happened? You seem unhappy."
Qiao Qingshu felt as if a stone was lodged in her heart, and her eyes involuntarily reddened. It was a rational decision she had made after much thought, so why did her eyes still redden and her heart ache at this moment?
She suppressed her unhappiness and forced a smile.
"I...I'm getting a divorce from Xiao Zhijie. I'm going home to wait for him to bring the divorce papers."
Qiao Anlan's brow twitched violently. Although he hadn't seen this younger sister for over ten years, they did indeed have some kind of telepathic connection.
He knew his sister was unhappy, and he could also see that she had some unspeakable troubles.
He simply grabbed her hand and asked...
"Did you suggest that?"
Qiao Qingshu nodded slowly.
"why?"
Qiao Qingshu murmured,
“We are not suitable for each other. My marriage to him was partly calculated, but not entirely based on genuine affection... I don't want to hold him back either. He is now a prince... and will be the emperor in the future..."
At that time, she will inevitably have a large harem and many favored concubines. If Xiao Zhijie is kind and does not abandon her, then she will be a princess or an empress.
But she didn't want to relive her past life's story again; she had finally escaped the painful life in the deep palace.
She would never forget those lonely days and nights, and she never wanted to live those days again, standing alone by the window of the cold palace until dawn.
She knew very well that no matter who became emperor, no matter how virtuous and kind-hearted a person was, they would change once they stood at the pinnacle of power, and would become different from before.
Xiao Chengyan was completely transformed in his previous life, and Xiao Zhijie may not have changed as drastically, but he would certainly have changed as well.
There were many things she didn't say, and she felt there was no need to say them; as long as she understood them in her heart, that was enough.
She suddenly felt so tired, and could only manage a weak smile.
"Brother, I want to sleep. I'm so tired."
Seeing the dark circles under Qiao Qingshu's eyes and her haggard face, Qiao Anlan knew she hadn't rested well, and nodded with heartache.
"Go to sleep. It's safe and peaceful at home. Get a good night's sleep."
Qiao Qingshu slept for a full day and night.
In her dream, she dreamt again of the days she spent in the cold palace before her death in her previous life; it was winter.
So cold, so cold. The house is freezing cold, and so are people's hearts.
Xiao Chengyan even ordered that she not be given a winter quilt, charcoal, or hot water.
She huddled in a thin summer blanket, shivering from the cold, her mind filled with images of her stillborn child.
They're all dead.
Her children, her mother, her friends, her sister—everything she cared about was strangled one by one in this cold, indifferent palace.
This was the beginning of her dream, and also the end of her death.
She hated the palace!
I hate it!
All she wants in her life is to be an ordinary person!
Awakened by that painful feeling, she stared blankly at the top of the tent, her heart slowly returning to normal.
She's home, she's safe.
As she slowly got up, Wanqiu and Lindong quickly came forward to help her get dressed. The two of them chatted and gently pulled Qiao Qingshu back to reality from her dream.
"I knew the girl was sleeping soundly; she slept for a whole day and night."
"That's right. We couldn't get the young lady to come for dinner. We were worried that something might have happened to her, so we asked the young master to come and check on her. The young master said that she was just sleeping soundly and told us not to disturb her and to let her get enough sleep."
"Are you hungry, girl? Is your stomach rumbling with hunger? Get up and eat quickly. The kitchen has just made some bird's nest cakes and poria and lily porridge. They're so delicious!"
Qiao Qingshu was arranged by the maids to sit at the table. Chopsticks were handed to her, and she obediently lowered her head and began to eat.
Just then, a maid came to report that the second young lady and her husband had returned to visit her. After finishing her meal, Qiao Qingshu went to the main hall.