allonlinenovel Chapter 255 Childhood Playmates
Chapter 255 Childhood Playmates
Zhang screamed in fright.
"Ah!! What are you doing!!!"
The leader was Xiao Qiaoen. Xiao Qiaoen was usually very timid and cowardly, but after drinking some horse urine, she became arrogant and irrational.
He wanted to show off in front of his friends, and emboldened by alcohol, he stepped forward, grabbed Zhang's face, and kissed her.
The kiss drew laughter from the onlookers, who were even making jokes.
"Oh my! Whose daughter is this? She's probably going to marry our young master Xiao."
"What girl? This woman is probably not young, but her charm is undiminished; she is a mature beauty!"
Xiao Qiaoen was almost a decade younger than Zhang Shi. Being teased like this by a few young boys, Zhang Shi couldn't stand it and slapped Xiao Qiaoen across the face.
Xiao Qiaoen was slapped but instead of getting angry, she laughed, feeling even more excited. She reached out and hugged Zhang Shi, about to kiss her again.
Just then, the Chang family's servants arrived in time and pulled Zhang Shi out of Xiao Qiaoen's arms.
When the crowd saw that she was a servant of the Chang family and that the woman had her hair in a bun, they immediately realized that she was not a young girl, but a married woman.
When the servants of the Chang family called her "Madam," everyone guessed that this woman must be General Chang's second wife!
It should be noted that the news of General Chang's remarriage circulated in the capital for a month or so, and this second wife was the talk of the town for quite some time.
It is said that Zhang Shi was originally an injured orphan girl brought back from the border by General Chang. After being brought back to the mansion, she was carefully cared for by the then mistress Cao Shi and recognized as her younger sister.
But later, when Cao fell ill, this woman took advantage of the opportunity to climb into her bed. Cao died under mysterious circumstances, and the woman became her second wife.
Everyone said that Cao had let a wolf into the house, but now that the person is dead, there's no point in saying anything more.
Today, when everyone saw that this woman was actually the ungrateful Zhang, they started to make a ruckus, joking and shouting. People on the second floor even threw eggs and vegetable leaves downstairs, and some even poured the leftover soup down.
The entire restaurant suddenly became very lively. Seeing that the situation was getting out of control and that even the mistress of the house couldn't be rescued, the servants of the Chang family reported the matter to the authorities.
Not long after the time came, rumors spread that Zhang had a secret meeting with his young sweetheart, and was beaten up by everyone who saw him.
And this young lover was undoubtedly Xiao Qiaoen, who was kneeling to the side.
Madam Gu hurriedly stepped forward and knelt beside Xiao Qiaoen, addressing the prefect in the hall,
"Your Honor, there must be some misunderstanding here! My son would never do such a thing!"
Zhang, who was kneeling on the other side, jumped up and cursed angrily.
"Damn it, not a single good person in your Xiao family is any good! Your son did such a despicable thing and you still have the nerve to deny it!"
Zhang was a woman confined to her household, and General Chang was not in the capital, so she didn't know much about what was happening in the imperial court.
She only knew that the Xiao family was wealthy, and if she didn't act assertively, she would definitely not get the better of them!
Madam Gu was not one to be trifled with; she immediately spat at Zhang Shi and cursed contemptuously.
"You ungrateful wretch who sleeps with people in my bed, what right do you have to stand here and talk to me!"
Gu Rong was born into a respectable official family, while Zhang Shi was nothing more than an orphan girl brought back from the borderlands. If she hadn't climbed into the bed of a mistress, even pouring Gu Rong's foot bath water would have been considered dirty!
Zhang was so angered by these words that she rushed forward and started tearing at Madam Gu's clothes, beginning a fight.
Qiao Qingshu stood aside and watched coldly. She turned her head and looked at the crowd outside the yamen, where she met a pair of bright eyes.
Qiao Qingshu winked at her, and Chang An'er grinned at her in return.
A few days ago, when Qiao Qingshu came to her, Chang An'er was hiding in a private room of a teahouse, crying, being bullied by her stepmother.
The Chang family is now entirely Zhang's spies. No matter how much she wants revenge, she can't find an outlet. And being oppressed for so many years, she is naturally angry, annoyed, and aggrieved.
Just as she was crying, a girl pushed open the door and entered, and she hesitated for a moment.
It was Qiao Qingshu who called out her name first, and only then did Chang An'er realize that the person in front of her was her childhood playmate, Qiao Qingshu.
The two met at the Bai residence. At that time, Bai Zhiqing and Chang Wei were good friends and often got together. Sometimes Chang Wei would bring his daughter Chang An'er with him.
That's how Qiao Qingshu met Chang An'er, but the two spent very little time together. Soon after, General Chang's first wife, Cao, fell ill, and Qiao Qingshu never saw Chang An'er again.
As time went by, Qiao Qingshu never saw Chang An'er again, and the two gradually forgot each other in the long river of time.
Now, after so many years, I can't believe I'm seeing this teahouse again.
Although the two had not seen each other for many years, they knew each other's situation in general. The capital was only so big, and the people there were all prominent figures. Even if they didn't want to know, they would have heard something about each other at gatherings.
Chang An'er was still somewhat surprised by this coincidence when Qiao Qingshu sat down beside her and instructed her on how to lure her stepmother, Zhang, to the restaurant in a few days.
After hearing Qiao Qingshu's arrangements, Chang An'er was somewhat puzzled.
"Why do you want to do this? Qing Shu, what are you planning to do?"
Qiao Qingshu, however, told her seriously and bluntly,
“I know you hate her, but you don’t have the power to deal with her. She killed your mother, and she will kill you in the future. If you don’t want to be at someone’s mercy, then listen to me.”
Chang An'er was somewhat surprised that Qiao Qingshu had seen through her thoughts so clearly and even said these secret words so directly and without concealment.
She was a little stunned, but looking at her old friend and thinking about the inhuman life she had endured over the years, she suddenly felt that she might as well give it a try!
If she can't get rid of this vile woman to avenge her mother herself, why not try Qiao Qingshu's method? If it really works, that would be wonderful.
If it doesn't work, it seems she won't lose anything.
With an inexplicable trust in Qiao Qingshu, she successfully led Zhang to the restaurant as instructed by Qiao Qingshu.
At first, she hesitated, wondering if her actions were just a joke.
When she saw Zhang being stopped and harassed by the crowd, she suddenly saw hope, and a smile finally appeared on her face, which had not shown a smile for a long time.
At that moment, she wanted to kneel down in front of Qiao Qingshu to thank her. She knew that Zhang's family was doomed!
Seeing Zhang and the third wife of the Xiao family wrestling in a tangled mess, she wrote a letter to her father, who was far away on the frontier, without hesitation, informing him of the incident. She even embellished the story, making it even more complicated, and sent the letter by fast horse.
Zhang was undoubtedly imprisoned in the dungeon, as was Xiao Qiaoen.
At this moment, Xiao Qiaoen had sobered up and realized the terrible disaster he had committed. He huddled in a corner of the cell and cried bitterly.
Xiao family
Madam Gu knelt before Old Madam Xiao, begging her to save the person, while Qiao Qingshu stood by and watched.