Bend Over [ 折腰 ] - Chapter 5

[Chapter 5 Riding a Tiger]

Mrs. Ding took Shuang Qiao to Changsheng Temple to burn incense. She didn’t want to wake up from a nap, but Da Qiao disappeared. hurriedly asked Xiao Qiao. Xiao Qiao said that he and Da Qiao were originally in the same room. Because he ate a few more bites at lunch, his stomach was bulging, and he wanted to take a walk in the back temple to digest his food. She brought a maid with her, and she was nowhere to be seen when she came back, thinking that Da Qiao was with Mrs. Ding.

Madam Ding was even more flustered, and searched all over the place with servants and monks in the temple, but to no avail. At first, he thought that Da Qiao had been kidnapped by the villains who had sneaked into the temple. Tears burst into his face, and his legs were so weak that he couldn’t even walk. Nubi She also disappeared.

Madam Ding was so upset that she didn’t think of the two as one at first. On the way back to the city, she was still at a loss in the carriage, just clutching her handkerchief to cover her face and crying non-stop. Xiao Qiao was with her. Seeing her aunt was so sad, she couldn’t bear it, and she was afraid that if her uncle really wanted to hunt down the area, the two of them hadn’t gone far. , weeping and blaming himself: “It’s all my niece’s fault. If it wasn’t for my niece being playful and being with my sister, my sister would not have had an accident.”

Xiao Qiao lost her mother early, and Mrs. Ding was a kind person and took pity on her. When she was young, she looked at her like a kiss, and when she saw her blaming herself, she held back her sadness. Instead, she persuaded: “My son, it’s none of your business, you can’t feel sorry for yourself.”

Xiao Qiao said, “Auntie, I just thought about it. How could it be so coincidental that A-jie and that manu happened to get together and disappeared? I was thinking, A-jie shouldn’t have been kidnapped by the wicked…”

Madam Ding stared at her blankly.

Xiao Qiao leaned into her ear and whispered something.

Mrs. Ding was shocked, and said, “You said they were private…”

She stopped suddenly and covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

Joe nodded.

“I thought, this is probably the only possibility. Auntie, think about it, how could the evil thief sneak into the abducted people for no reason in the pure Buddhist sect of Changsheng Temple? This evil thief is so courageous, how dare he attack the female son of the envoy’s mansion? It just so happened that the elder sister was gone, and the manu was also gone. If it wasn’t for the two of them to go together, what else would it be? Speaking of this, I remembered something…”

Xiao Qiao hesitated.

“What’s the matter, tell me quickly!” Mrs. Ding urged anxiously.

“My sister and I were traveling a few days ago, and I was also the servant of the manu. I didn’t accidentally see my sister and him talking while hiding, and they separated in a hurry when they saw me coming. My sister seemed a little panicked. At that time, I didn’t care much. Think…”

She stopped.

What she said was, of course, nonsense. Mrs. Ding never imagined that she would lie to herself. After hearing this, her face turned red and white, and she couldn’t say a word.

“Auntie, I knew that today’s event would happen, I should have told you at that time… I’m so careless at the time…”

Xiao Qiao lowered her head and looked down in tears and sadness.

Mrs. Ding recalled the manu carefully. Apart from the strange green eyes, she was indeed eye-catching.

Two years ago, Xiao Qiao had just married Liu Yan, and Liu Yan’s stepmother’s sister, Mrs. Yangdu of Langya Guo, came to Dongjun, and the man slave of the Qiao family caught her eye and asked for it. Mrs. Yangdu is known for her charming reputation. She has a romantic nature and likes to raise her face. Mrs. Ding has also heard about it. She opened her mouth, but she was only a slave, so she naturally gave it. A few days later, this manu was bruised and bruised all over by the whip, and was thrown out of the city at the last breath. It is said that she was unruly and annoyed Mrs. Yangdu, so she was punished. It can be considered that this horse slave has a great life, so he actually survived, and after a while, he finds the Qiao family again. At that time, Mrs. Yangdu had already left, and the Qiao family did not chase him away and continued to stay.

Madam Ding thought of this old incident, and her heart became more and more empty, with regret and hatred. Suddenly stunned, he grabbed Xiao Qiao’s hand and commanded, “My son, this matter is about your sister’s reputation, and no one else is allowed to know about it!”

What Xiao Qiao was waiting for was her words, she was relieved, nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Auntie, she will never say it.”

At first, Mrs. Ding thought that her daughter was kidnapped by thieves, she was flustered, and her mind became a ball. After listening to Xiao Qiao’s analysis now, the more I think about it, the more right I feel. My daughter’s life should be safe, and my heart finally calmed down. On the way back, I sighed and wept at the same time. When I got home, I hurriedly went to her husband to discuss it. When Qiao Yue heard his wife wipe away her tears, she turned pale with shock, and angrily overturned the table. She was about to go out with her sword drawn, but she was grabbed by Madam Ding and wept, “Husband! It is absolutely impossible! You If you make a lot of publicity and search around, your daughter’s reputation will be ruined!”

Qiao Yue calmed down and knew that what his wife said was reasonable, not to mention that it is now at the juncture of marrying the Wei family, if it is known that Da Qiao ran away with a horse slave , No matter how good you are here, the Wei family will never be able to nod. After pondering for a while, he immediately called Zhang Pu, his confidant, to come over.

The marriage plan originally came from Zhang Pu. Hearing this news, Zhang Pu was shocked, but he dared to neglect, and hurriedly ordered to go down. While ordering his entourage not to disclose the news of Zhang Daqiao’s disappearance, he sent a large number of people to look for it. Naturally, he didn’t dare to make a big search, and only secretly sent people to search in the direction where the two might escape.

That night, Xiao Qiao found in the room a begging letter that Da Qiao had left before her and handed it over to her parents. She didn’t dare to delay and took it immediately. After reading the letter, Qiao Yue and his wife were convinced that their daughter was indeed gone with the green-eyed manu. One jumped and cursed in anger, and the other wept and sobbed. In addition, the people who went out to look for never heard back, and outsiders did not respond. I felt that in the Shijun’s mansion, chickens were flying and dogs were jumping, and people were turning their heads.

The big room over there was a mess, but Qiao Ping’s side was a different scene. With a worried face, Xiao Qiao accompanies Madam Ding all day long to relieve her worries. When Qiao Ci knew that her cousin had run away at this juncture, she was not angry but happy, and immediately urged her father to persuade the uncle. Qiao Ping waited for two days. Seeing that when Da Qiao left, it was like a mud cow entering the sea. He didn’t have any news. He knew that he couldn’t delay any longer. He found the study room where his eldest brother was discussing affairs. Pu sat opposite each other, both of them frowning.

Qiao Yue said: “I just got the news that although the messenger sent did not see Wei Shao, but met Mrs. Xu, Wei Shao’s grandmother, Mrs. Xu had already agreed to the marriage, saying that when the date was chosen, she would send someone to Yanzhou to welcome the marriage. Now the envoy is also on the way, and it will arrive soon. At this juncture, Da Qiao is gone, how can this be good?”

He was so anxious that he couldn’t stop spinning around in the same place.

Qiao Ping was startled, looked at Zhang Pu, saw that he was also frowning deeply, thought about it, and asked Zhang Pu to go down first.

…

Yanzhou is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, close to Henan, where Wenshui and Sishui meet, and the Zhongling Yuxiu is not only rich in resources and rich in people, but also a shortcut to Xuzhou and Yuzhou in the south. It is precisely because of this that since ancient times, it has become an important place for military families to compete. When it was passed on to Qiao Yue, the Qiao family’s momentum was not as strong as it was in the past. In addition, Qiao Yue was naturally weak, and when he thought about protecting himself in advance, Yanzhou also declined, which is why today’s trapped by tigers and wolves.

Mrs. Xu, Wei Shao’s grandmother, who was just described by Qiao Yue, was originally the daughter of Princess Gaoyang of the royal family of Zhongshan, and was named Wengzhu. At that time, because of Wei Shao’s grandfather’s great deeds in resisting the Huns, she married into the Wei family. She was shrewd and capable. During the expedition against Li Su ten years ago, he suddenly lost his eldest son and eldest grandson. Wei Shao was only twelve years old at the time, surrounded by powerful enemies, Yan You’s foundation was in jeopardy, and it was only under the auspices of Mrs. Xu that she survived the crisis. It is said that Wei Shao respected her grandmother very much. Therefore, although Wei Shao did not personally agree to this marriage, since Mrs. Xu agreed, it must have been done. No wonder the eldest brother was so anxious.

Qiao Ping said: “eldest brother, I still say that, even if the niece is married, it may not be a long-term solution. Now the Wei family is still in the north, but I plan to use my Yanzhou as a springboard, and go south without a single soldier. It’s just going deep into the hinterland of the Central Plains. When the Wei family gets a firm foothold and turns against my Qiao family, how should I deal with it? How will my niece handle herself? Feeding tigers with one’s body, Li Su’s family before, is a lesson from the past!”

Qiao Yue frowned and said, “Second brother, you are thinking too much. Now that we are in-laws, how can the Wei family turn their back on their faces? And now the situation is urgent, it is important to get over this difficulty first! As for Afan, as the daughter of Qiao’s family, Yanzhou is exhausted, and it is her duty to solve the problems for the Qiao family. The original matter has been solved, but I didn’t expect her to be so unfilial! I raised this daughter for nothing!”

Qiao Ping persuaded: “eldest brother, niece If you can’t find it, then retreat and ask for the next best thing. For today’s plan, please let me go to Chen Liu to persuade Zhang Fu immediately, and give it a shot, there may not be a way out.”

Qiao Yue sighed: “You said it lightly! As for whether we can overcome difficulties with Zhang Fu, we will say that at the moment the Wei family, the marriage advisors are coming, but the people of Afan are not there, how should I explain it?

” Send someone to the Wei family to give more gifts of apology, and I don’t think the Wei family will do anything.” Qiao Ping had already responded and said.

Qiao Yue frowned, pondered for a moment, sighed deeply, and said, “Let me think about it again.”

Qiao Ping knew that he would not come, so he resigned. After going back, Qiao Ci, who was simply talking and looking up, told Xiao Qiao. Xiao Qiao suddenly felt hopeful, and told his younger brother to come back and tell himself as soon as there was new news. Joe Ci agreed.

Two days later, Da Qiao still had no news at all. While Qiao Ping was anxiously waiting for his brother’s reply, the news spread in Puyang City, Dongjun for no apparent reason, saying that Zhou Qun had heard that the Qiao and Wei families had gotten married and had quietly retreated. Difficult to solve, Wei Hou’s envoy will be able to arrive soon. When the people of Puyang heard the solution, they all jumped for joy. From morning to night, men, women and children continued to support each other to the gate of the envoy’s mansion, kneeling and giving thanks. Qiao Ping knew something was wrong, so he hurriedly found his eldest brother. Seeing him and Zhang Pu sitting opposite to each other and talking in front of the case, when Zhang Pu saw Qiao Ping coming, he stopped talking, got up, bowed to him, and left. .

“Eldest brother! Zhou Qunbing has retreated, and the Wei family’s marriage is being talked about everywhere in the city. How did it spread?”

Compared with Qiao Ping’s confusion, Yanzhou prefect Qiao Yue changed his panic and seemed very calm, saying, “This is not a good thing. Can you? Can you teach me how to avoid military disasters in Yanzhou?”

“It’s naturally a good thing for Zhou Qun to quit the army. Could it be that the eldest brother has news from his niece?”

Qiao Yue shook his head and said with a heavy face: “Where is the news! I’ll mention this shameless girl later! I’m Qiao There is no such daughter in the family!”

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

There was no news about Da Qiao, and there were rumors of marriage in the city, but when he saw Qiao Yue, there was no anxiety at all, and Qiao Ping was also confused. The glance that he cast seemed to contain, and his face suddenly changed.

“Could it be that the eldest brother wants to marry Xiao Qiao?” He hesitated and asked. Qiao

Yue said: “I’m making this plan. I just wanted to ask the second brother to discuss it, but the second brother came by himself. What did the second brother think?”

It’s not right! The eldest brother has forgotten that Manman and the son of Langya have already had a marriage contract, and next year will be the wedding date! How can we marry Wei Yan again?”

Qiao Yue said, “On the son of Langya, as far as I can see, there is no serious problem. , I will send a talkative messenger over, so that I can give up the marriage, and then present a generous gift, I don’t think Langya’s side will be too serious.”

His tone was slow, and he repeated Qiao Ping’s previous words.

Qiao Ping couldn’t help waving his hand: “eldest brother, this is absolutely impossible! Manman and Shizi have a long-term engagement, and the two of them are in love. How can they quit? Shu Yu can’t agree…”

“Lu An!”

Qiao Yue shouted . With his brother’s words, he abruptly got up from the couch in front of the case.

“The people of the county are so happy to hear that Zhou Qun has withdrawn from the army. You should have seen this situation, second brother! My Qiao family has been here for the emperor and herdsmen for several generations. Second brother, you really have the heart to put me in Yanzhou. The 200,000 soldiers and civilians are in dire straits? Now that the news of the marriage with the Wei family has come out, Zhou Qun has already withdrawn from the army! The niece and the 200,000 soldiers and civilians in Yanzhou, which is more important, don’t need to say more for the brother?”

Qiao Ping was stunned for a moment. I finally understood in my heart.

The eldest brother wanted to make peace. Xu Shi heard Zhang Pu’s other suggestions and thought of marrying his own daughter, but he was afraid that he should not, so he deliberately released the news early, resulting in today’s situation, which made it difficult for him to ride a tiger.

He loves his sons and daughters, especially Xiao Qiao, like a treasure, and he is afraid of wronging her everywhere. He was really reluctant to marry her into the Wei family in this way, it was just a word of “no”, but at the moment it seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Even with the weather in November, Qiao Ping was sweating on his forehead. After holding it for a while, he finally wondered, “Eldest brother, it’s not that I don’t know the importance of being a younger brother, but this matter is too much…”

Qiao Yue suddenly walked up to him . In front of him, without saying a word, he knelt down toward him. Seeing that he was about to touch the ground with his forehead, Qiao Ping was shocked, and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

“Eldest brother, what do you mean…”

“Second brother!” Qiao Yue’s eyes were full of tears, and his voice was full of emotion, “I know that you are reluctant to marry Manman to Youzhou. I only have one daughter, Da Qiao, originally. How could she bear to keep her away from her grandfather and mother? It’s just for the sake of the present. Listen to your elder brother, there is no other way but to beg Wei Shao well! If Afan hadn’t left without mercy, how could I have robbed you savagely? As a big brother, on behalf of the 200,000 soldiers and civilians in Yanzhou, I beg you!” After saying that, despite Qiao Ping’s obstruction, he still wanted to bow again. Qiao Ping’s heart was filled with arrows, and his hands and feet were even colder. He held his elder brother hard and gritted

his teeth: “Eldest brother, please get up, and everything will be at your elder brother’s orders.”

He got up, grabbed Qiao Ping’s hand tightly, and said with tears in his eyes: “No one today is like a brother! Second brother, you can understand the difficulty of being a brother, and I am really grateful for it.”

Qiao Ping knew that the matter was settled, but only Yu smiled bitterly. After she came out, she thought that she didn’t know how to tell her about this to her unsuspecting daughter. She felt sad and confused. Everyone was in front of her room. Dare to see the face of his Jiaojiao daughter.

[End of This Chapter]