Qiao Jinniang returned to the small courtyard behind the Hundred Savory restaurant and pulled Qiao Ruoyi into the study:
“Are you crazy? You promised Xie Yun to give him Nichang? Back then, he didn’t want this daughter. Now that he’s given nichang to him, aren’t you afraid that Nichang will hate you?”
Qiao ruoyi said, “Sister, the Xie family is the current head of the aristocratic family. There are still some weak aristocratic families with the Xie family as the head. They want the Xie family to restore the glory of the aristocratic family. If Xie Yun dispels the private army of the Xie family, this is a good thing for the country and the people!”
Qiao jinniang frowned and said, “You should trust Lu Chen. It’s not that the imperial court can’t get rid of the private army of the Xie family. It’s just that back then, when Lu Chen was in Lin ‘an, he received a lot of care from Xie Yun. Lu Chen only cares about relationships.
“Even if you don’t agree to give Nichang to Xie Yun, Lu Chen still has a way to make Xie Yun willingly submit to the imperial court. Why should he let you and Nichang suffer such grievances?”
Qiao ruoyi said, “Sister, it’s not without conditions that I agree to give nichang to him.”
“Huh?”
“If he wants Nichang, he has to promise me that he will never take a wife or a concubine for the rest of his life!”Qiao ruoyi said, “So many things have happened since we first came to Jiangnan. First it was Jiang Yu, then it was Mei canruo. Not to mention that some of the daughters of the eschatology family all want to become Xie Yun’s wife and concubine.
“As the saying goes, how can a thief who has been a thief for a Thousand Days Guard against a thief the day before? Rather than guarding against those women who are scheming in the dark, why don’t I let Nichang become the fair and aboveboard daughter of the Xie Family? Let’s see who else dares to hurt her?”
Qiao jinniang said, “But ruoyi, if even the Qiao family can’t protect Nichang, what about the Xie Family?”
Qiao ruoyi shook her head and said, “The Qiao family can protect Nichang, but it’s impossible to guard against. And if Xie Yun is willing to stop taking wives and concubines for Nichang, then there’s naturally no need to guard against some women in the dark.”
Seeing that Qiao Ruoyi had made up her mind, Qiao Jinniang could only say that she had a different opinion.
Nichang’s third birthday was coming up. Qiao ruoyi first returned to Chang ‘an to deal with Luo Wei’s funeral and left Nichang in the Xie residence.
Xie Yun planned to hold a birthday banquet when Nichang was three years old and announce to everyone that Nichang was his daughter.
However, what made Xie Yun depressed was that after Qiao ruoyi left, Nichang still refused to change the way she addressed him as ‘Daddy’. She only addressed him as ‘Uncle Xie’.
Tomorrow was the birthday banquet. Xie Yun specially ordered someone to buy osmanthus and glutinous rice sweet lotus root that both father and daughter loved from the Hundred Savory restaurant. He coaxed nichang to address him as ‘Daddy’.
However, nichang pouted and said, “You’re not my daddy. My Daddy is Luo Wei. He’s a very powerful general!”
Xie Yun touched the little pinch on Nichang’s head and said, “You’re my daughter!”
“No, mother said that I only have one father, Luo Wei! You are not my father, you are Uncle Xie!”
Xie Yun really wanted to go and find Qiao ruoyi from Chang ‘an. Was this the promise she made to return her daughter to him?
Xie Yun said with a dark expression, “I am your father, call me father. Otherwise, you are not allowed to eat this sweet lotus root!”
“HMPH!”Little Nichang walked up to Yan Yu and grabbed her hand. “Aunt Yan Yu, I want my mother. I don’t want to stay at Uncle Xie’s house anymore. He is so fierce!”
Xie Yun said to Yan Yu, “Tell her that I am her father.”
Yan Yu could only squat down and say to little nichang, “Nichang, he is your father.”
Niching tilted her head and said, “Is mother going to remarry Uncle Xie? It’s like brother Tang’s mother remarrying him. He will call Uncle Tang father, right?”
“No.”Yan Yu did not know how to explain to niching. She had always been wise.
Niching frowned and said, “Since mother is not remarrying him, he is not my father. When will mother come to pick me up? My Birthday is tomorrow. She promised to give me a birthday gift!”
Xie Yun went over to little nichang and said, “I am your father.”
“Father is mother’s husband. You are not mother’s husband.”Little Nichang lay in Yan Yu’s arms and said, “Aunt Yan Yu, I don’t want to be here. I want mother!”
Little Nichang said with a sobbing tone.
Yan Yu said to Xie Yun, “Family head Xie, Little Nichang is still a little young. She will understand when she grows up. Don’t force her.”
Xie Yun looked at the clear and cold tears in Little Nichang’s phoenix-like eyes. He had no choice but to compromise. “Uncle, uncle. It’s getting late. You should rest early. We still have many guests tomorrow.”
Little Nichang stretched out her small hand and held Xie Yun’s sleeve. “Uncle, sing ‘Little Boat’.”
Xie Yun hugged little nichang and smiled. “Okay.”
Lan Xin and Yan Yu followed behind Xie Yun. Lan Xin said to Yan Yu, “Master has never been so happy.”
Yan Yu said, “Nichang is no longer by my lady’s side. I don’t know how she will get over the pain of losing her husband. I also don’t know how she will cry in Chang ‘an. It was not easy for her to get over the grief of her aunt’s death. This time, she will not be able to get over it for the rest of her life!”
Lan Xin immediately shut her mouth and didn’t dare to say anything else.
The next day, at the Xie family’s birthday banquet, because the guards of honor and the officials were still on the way, Qiao Jin and Lu Chen naturally didn’t want to show their faces at this time. Therefore, the two of them only let little Lu Xi and Little Lu ang go to The Birthday Banquet for their cousin.
Qiao Jin and Lu Chen went to the ancestral hall in Lin ‘an Bo. This ancestral hall was built locally after Qiao Jin’s parents were conferred the title of Emperor.
When Qiao Jinniang entered and saw the memorial tablet, she knelt down and kowtowed heavily.
Although this didn’t make sense, she and Lu Chen were the only ones here who couldn’t care so much.
“Father, mother, I’m unfilial. I only came back to see you after seven years. After this visit, I don’t know if I’ll have the chance to come to my hometown in Jiangnan in the future…”
Lu Chen stood beside Qiao Jinniang and said, “I’ll definitely have the chance to come back again in the future.”
Qiao jinniang continued, “Now that I have elder sister to do my filial duty for me, father and mother can rest assured in heaven.”
At this time, it was raining profusely in Jiangnan. Just as Qiao Jinniang and Lu Chen were about to go out, they saw that it was raining heavily. It was useless to hold an oil-paper umbrella.
Qiao Jinniang stayed in the ancestral hall and heard whispers coming from the side.
“I heard that the head of the Xie family just got a daughter!”
“I went to watch the show just now. That daughter called him Uncle in public.”
It should be two commoners who came to the ancestral hall to take shelter from the rain.
Qiao Jinniang sighed when she heard that. “Why does Xie Yun have to do this? Back then, he didn’t want this daughter. Now, seeing how cute and clever she is, he wants to take her back. And ruoi actually gave her daughter back to him!”
Lu Chen said, “A man ultimately values his own bloodline. Moreover, she is such a cute and clever daughter. Xie Yun’s heart is not made of iron after all.”
“Back then, if he was willing to marry Qiao Ruo Yi, why would there be so many things? Now, Ruo Yi is deeply in love with Luo Wei. From her tone, I’m afraid that she will not get married again in the future.”.
“Now that her only daughter has been given to Xie Yun, could it be that she will have to live a poor life in the future? “She’s only in her early twenties.”
