The Marquis Is Innocent

Mrs. Ding went to the Changsheng Temple with her Two Qiaos to burn incense. But Da Qiao was nowhere to be found when she woke up. She asked Xiao Qiao in a hurry. Xiao Qiao said she and Da Qiao were in the same room. But because she had eaten too much at lunch, her stomach was bulging and she wanted to take a walk in the back of the temple. She invited Da Qiao to go with her, but Da Qiao said she was tired, so she took her maid with her. When she came back, she didn’t see Da Qiao. She thought she was with Mrs. Ding.

Mrs. Ding was panicked, and asked her servants and the monks in the temple to search everywhere, to no avail. She thought the evil people had taken Da Qiao away. Her tears flowed and her legs were so weak that she could not even walk. She rushed back to the city to report to her husband, but then the house steward, who was with her, reported that Bi Zhi had also disappeared.

Mrs. Ding’s heart was in turmoil. At first, she didn’t associate the two with one another. On her way back to the city, she was still at a loss in the carriage. Clutching her handkerchief to cover her face and crying. Xiao Qiao accompanied her. Seeing her aunt’s sadness, her heart was unbearable. But she was afraid if uncle was searching for them. If they were found, it would be terrible. Halfway down the road, she tearfully blamed herself. “It’s all my fault. If I stayed with sister, I’m sure she wouldn’t have been in trouble.”

Xiao Qiao had lost her mother early. Mrs. Ding was kind and generous, and she took pity on her as a young girl, and treated her like a relative. Seeing that she blamed herself, she held back her sadness and advised her, “My child, it’s none of your business. Don’t blame yourself.”

Xiao Qiao said, “Aunt, I thought about it just now. How could Sister and the horse slave be missing together? I was thinking, Sister is probably not taken away by evil people ……”

Mrs. Ding looked at her in a daze.

Xiao Qiao then came up to her ear and whispered.

Mrs. Ding was shocked and gave an ah, “You said they were  ……”

She jerked to a halt and covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

Xiao Qiao nodded her head.

“I guess that’s the only possibility. Aunt, you think, Changsheng Temple is a Buddhist monastery. How could a thief sneak in? And the thief is so bold that he lay hands on the governor’s daughter? Sister was missing, the horse slave also disappeared. If they were not left together, what else could it be? And speaking of this, I remembered something ……”

Xiao Qiao’s face showed hesitation.

“What is it? Tell me quickly!” Mrs. Ding urged anxiously.

“The other day I traveled with Sister, that horse slave also followed. I unintentionally saw he and Sister were hiding from people to talk, and they hurriedly separated when they saw me coming, and Sister seemed to be alarmed. I paid little attention, now think about ……”

She paused.

Of course, it was a lie. However, Mrs. Ding never thought she would lie to her. She couldn’t say anything after listening to it. Her face was red.

“Aunt, had I known this would happen today, I should have told you…… blame me for being too careless ……”

Xiao Qiao’s voice lowered, bowing her head to make a tearful and sad appearance.

Mrs. Ding carefully recalled that horse slave, except for the green eyes, he was indeed remarkable.

Two years earlier, when Xiao Qiao had just set up a marriage with Liu Yan, Liu Yan’s stepmother’s sister, Lady Yangdu of Langya, came to the East County, the Qiao family’s horse slave caught her eye and asked for him. She had a reputation for being a woman with a flirtatious nature and liked to keep men, which Mrs. Ding had also heard about. She already requested, and it’s just a horse slave, so she naturally agreed. A few days later, the horse slave was whipped all over the body, dying and left outside the city. They said he was untamed, annoyed the Lady Yangdu, therefore he received punishment. The horse slave was lucky to survive, and after some time, he found his way back to the Qiao family. At that time, Lady Yangdu had left, so the Qiao family didn’t reject him, and let him stay.

Mrs. Ding remembered this old matter, and her heart became more and more empty, regretful and hateful. Suddenly, she grabbed Xiao Qiao’s hand and commanded, “My child, this is about your sister’s reputation. Never let another person know about it!”

Xiao Qiao was waiting for her words. Her heart was relieved, and she nodded. “Don’t worry, Aunt, I will tell no one.”

At first, Mrs. Ding thought her daughter was taken away by thieves. Her heart was in a panic, and her brain was a mess, but after listening to Xiao Qiao’s analysis, the more she thought about it, the more she felt right. Her daughter’s life should be safe, and her heart finally gradually settled down a bit. On the way back, she sighed while weeping, and when she arrived home, she hurriedly went to her husband to discuss. Qiao Yue listened as his wife finished wiping her tears and was so shocked that he overturned the table, drew his sword and was about to go out. Mrs Ding grabbed, said in tears: “Husband! If you make a big announcement and search around, my daughter’s reputation will be ruined!”

Qiao Yue calmed down and knew that his wife had a point. It was the time to make a marriage with the Wei family, and if they knew Da Qiao had run away with a horse slave, the Wei family would never accept this marriage. After a brief pause, he immediately called his trusted advisor Zhang Pu to come over.

The marriage plan came from Zhang Pu, and when he heard this news, Zhang Pu was shocked and dared not to be slow, so he hurriedly ordered his followers to keep the news of Da Qiao’s disappearance from the public, while sending a wide range of people to search for them. He did not dare make a major search, but only secretly sent people to search in the direction in which they might have fled.

That night, Xiao Qiao found a letter in her room that Da Qiao had asked her to pass on to her parents. She didn’t dare delay and took it up immediately. After reading the letter, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao Yue were convinced that their daughter had indeed left with the green-eyed horse slave. One of them was angry and cursed, while the other sobbed in tears.

The people who went out to look for her didn’t find her. The outsiders were unaware of it, but the governor’s house was actually in turmoil and devastated.

Qiao Yue said: “Just now I got the news that the messenger sent to Wei Shao did not meet Wei Shao, but met his grandmother, Mrs. Xu, who has already agreed to the marriage, and said that she will choose a good day, and then she will send someone to Yanzhou to accept the marriage. The envoy was going to arrive soon. But Da Qiao has escaped. What can we do?”

He was so anxious that he couldn’t stop spinning around.

Qiao Ping was stunned, looked at Zhang Pu, saw that he was also frowning deeply, thought about it, then asked Zhang Pu to leave first.

……

Yanzhou is in the middle of the Central China, in Henan province, where the two rivers of Wen and Si converge. Therefore, it has been an important place for soldiers since ancient times. The Qiao family, whose ancestors were the shepherds of the Han emperor, has been here for generations. When grandfather Qiao Gui was still alive, he had a powerful army and horses. Others didn’t dare to have an idea about Yanzhou. When it was passed on to Qiao Yue, the Qiao family’s momentum was not as strong as in the past. In addition, Qiao Yue was weak, always thinking of self-protection. And Yanzhou is in decline, which has led to today’s difficulties.

The grandmother of Wei Shao, Mrs. Xu, was the daughter of Princess Gao Yang of Zhongshan, the royal family, who was married to Wei Shao’s grandfather because of his success in defending against the Xiongnu. She was a wise and capable woman. Ten years ago, when conquering Li Su, she lost her eldest son and grandson, and Wei Shao was only twelve years old. And they’re surrounded by powerful enemies. Youzhou’s foundation is in danger, but survive because of Mrs. Xu’s guidance. It is said that Wei Shao has great respect for his grandmother. Although the marriage did not get Wei Shao’s personal promise, but since Mrs. Xu promised, things must be done. No wonder the eldest brother is so anxious.

Qiao Ping said: “Brother, like I said, even if my niece is married there, I’m afraid it’s not a long-term plan. The Wei family is in the north, but they are planning to use Yanzhou as a springboard to go deeper into the Central China without spending a single soldier. When the Wei family gets a firm foothold and then turns against the Qiao family, how will we be able to handle it? How will my niece be able to handle herself? The Wei family must still have a grudge about what happened back then. This marriage is like riding a tiger. The previous Li Su family is a lesson from the past!”

Qiao Yue frowned and said: “Second brother, you are thinking too much. Since we have become in-laws, how can the Wei family turn against us? The situation is urgent. It’s important to get through this first. As for Ah Fan, she is the eldest daughter of the Qiao family. Yanzhou is in danger, she can help the Qiao family to solve the problem, it is her duty. I didn’t know that she was unfilial. I have raised this daughter for nothing!”

Qiao Ping persuaded: “Eldest brother, since we cannot find my niece, then we should retreat to the second option. Please let me go to Chen Liu to persuade Zhang Fu. There might be a way out.”

Qiao Yue sighed: “You speak so lightly! Let’s not talk about whether we can overcome the difficulties by joining forces with Zhang Fu. On the Wei family’s side, the marriage’s envoy is about to arrive, but Ah Fan is nowhere to be found. How can we explain this?”

“Just say Ah Fan suddenly caught a dangerous disease, could not continue the marriage, and send people to the Wei family to send more gifts to make amends. I believe the Wei family will do nothing.” Qiao Ping was already prepared and said.

Qiao Yue frowned. He pondered for a moment, let out a long sigh, and said, “Let me think about it again.”

Qiao Ping knew he couldn’t rush him and had no choice but to retire. He went back and briefly told Qiao Ci, who told Xiao Qiao. Xiao Qiao immediately felt hopeful and urged his brother to come back to tell her as soon as there news. Qiao Ci promised.

Two days later, there was still no news from Da Qiao. While Qiao Ping was anxiously waiting for his brother’s reply, news spread in Puyang, East County, that Zhou Army had heard of the marriage between Qiao and Wei and had quietly withdrawn his troops. The people of Puyang were excited to hear the troops had retreated. From morning to night, men, women, and children were constantly kneeling in front of the Governor’s residence to pay their respects. Qiao Ping knew something was wrong and hurriedly found his eldest brother, seeing him and Zhang Pu sitting opposite each other, talking. When Zhang Pu saw Qiao Ping coming, he stopped talking, got up and bowed towards him and withdrew.

“Eldest brother! The Zhou’s Army has retreated, and there is talk of the Wei family’s marriage all over town. How did the word get out?”

In contrast to Qiao Ping’s confusion, Qiao Yue, the governor of Yanzhou, appeared calm and composed, saying, “Isn’t this a good thing? It will prevent the people of Yanzhou from the calamity of war.”

“It is good that Zhou’s Army has retreated. Maybe there is news from my niece, my elder brother?”

Qiao Yue shook his head and said with a sullen face, “What news! From now, don’t mention this shameless girl again! My Qiao family does not have such a daughter!”

Although Qiao Yue had several concubines, besides Da Qiao, he had another son and a daughter in his early years, but they all died young, so Da Qiao was Qiao Yue’s only daughter.

There was no news from Da Qiao, and the city was filled with rumors of marriage, but Qiao Yue was not the least bit anxious, Qiao Ping was confused, looked at his eldest brother, saw him looking at him with gaze, suddenly remembered the glance that Zhang Pu cast at himself before he went down, a light appeared, his face suddenly changed.

“Could it be that eldest brother is trying to marry Xiao Qiao instead?” He hesitated and asked.

Qiao Yue said: “I am planning to do this. I wanted to ask second brother to come and discuss, but you came yourself. What do you think?”

Qiao Ping was shocked, did not even think about it, immediately shook his head: “This is absolutely inappropriate! Man Man already has a marriage contract with Liu Yan. Next year is the wedding date! So how can she marry Wei Shao again?”

Qiao Yue said: “As far as I can see, there is no serious problem with Liu Yan, I will send a capable messenger to go over, withdraw the marriage, and then present a generous gift, I think Lang Ya’s side will do nothing.”

He spoke slowly and methodically, repeating Qiao Ping’s words from earlier.

Qiao Ping couldn’t stop waving his hand: “Eldest brother, this is absolutely unacceptable! The two of them are in love. How can they withdraw just like that? Forgive me for not being able to agree ……”

“Lu An!”

Qiao Yue shouted his brother’s name and fiercely got up from the seat.

“The people of the county were happy when they heard the Zhou’s Army retreat. This situation, second brother, you should have seen it! Our family has been here for generations. You really want to put 200,000 people in Yanzhou in danger?”

“The news of the marriage with the Wei family has already made Zhou’s Army retreat! I don’t need to tell you what is more important to me, my niece, or the 200,000 people of Yanzhou, right?”

Qiao Ping was stunned for a moment. In his heart, he finally understood.

The eldest brother is determined to make peace, and perhaps listened to Zhang Pu’s other proposal, and thought of marrying his daughter instead, but was afraid that he would not respond, so he deliberately put the news out early, resulting in today’s situation, which made himself riding a tiger instead.

He loved his children, especially Xiao Qiao, like a treasure, and was afraid to aggravate her in every way. He was reluctant to marry her off to the Wei family, but the word “no” was heavy as a thousand pounds at this moment.

Qiao Ping’s forehead is sweating. After holding it for a long time, he finally said, “Eldest brother, not that I don’t know what is important, but this matter is too ……”

Qiao Yue suddenly walked up to him, without saying a word, kneeling down towards him, looking like he was going to touch the ground with his forehead. Qiao Ping was shocked and hurriedly took a step forward, stopping him.

“Eldest brother, what do you mean by this ……”

“Second brother!” Qiao Yue’s eyes were filled with tears and his voice was full of emotion, “I know you don’t want to marry Man Man far away. I only have one daughter, Da Qiao, so how could I bear to keep her away from her parents? But for today’s sake, listen to your eldest brother’s advice. There is no other option but to seek favor with Wei Shao! If Ah Fan hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have taken your Man Man away. I’m begging you on behalf of the 200,000 people of Yanzhou.” After that, without regard to Qiao Ping’s stopping him, he bowed again.

Qiao Ping’s hands and feet were cold. He held his brother and said, “Please get up. I will listen to your orders.”

When Qiao Yue saw him finally surrender, he breathed a sigh of relief and got up, clutching Qiao Ping’s hand and said with tears in his eyes, “There is no one like brothers! Second brother, you can understand my difficulties. I am really grateful.”

Qiao Ping knew that the matter had been settled, only remained a bitter smile. After leaving, he wondering how to tell her defenseless daughter about it. His heart is sad and confused. He arrived in front of her room, but lingered up, afraid to see his daughter’s face.