He was murdered after his family was wiped out and left with no descendants; his whole family knelt

Chapter 244 Uncle 3

"Alright, then we won't get a divorce."

When Qiao Qingshu said those words, Xiao Zhijie was so delighted that he hugged her even tighter.

He even excitedly picked her up and spun her around, startling Qiao Qingshu so much that she patted his shoulder.

"Put me down quickly, be careful."

Xiao Zhijie revealed a simple, honest smile, scratched his head, and carefully put Qiao Qingshu down.

Because Qiao Qingshu was still recovering, he carefully helped her to the bedside to lie down, covered her with a blanket, and urged her to go to sleep quickly.

Outside the door, Wanqiu slapped her thigh and laughed,

"Wow! It's done!"

Even in late winter, he still carried a water bottle, innocent and authentic.

"Should we go in and bring in some water? It's a freshly boiled pot."

Wanqiu patted her on the head and pulled her away.

"All you do is boil water. If we go in now, we'll be disturbing the young couple's sweet time. Let's go quickly."

With that, he pulled Lin Dong away.

Inside the room, the red candles burned brightly as Qiao Qingshu slept peacefully. Xiao Zhijie gazed at his wife's sleeping face, a gentle warmth suddenly rising in his heart.

He knew perfectly well that this was exactly what he wanted, and he had gotten it.

The news that Xiao Zhijie had given up his status as a prince and the throne spread almost instantly throughout the aristocratic circles of the capital.

In particular, the third and fourth branches of the Xiao family took turns coming to persuade Xiao Zhijie, signaling him not to act impulsively or do anything foolish.

Today, when Xiao Zhijie returned to the courtyard to get something, he was stopped by Madam Gu from the third branch of the family.

Madam Gu smiled broadly, holding a plate of freshly baked mung bean cakes in her hands.

"Jie-ge'er, come and see what your aunt made for you! It's your favorite mung bean cake!"

Xiao Zhijie smiled and stepped forward to greet him, picked up a piece and ate it, thanked him and then wanted to leave in a hurry.

But Madam Gu grabbed her hand and said,

"Hey, hey, don't rush off, your third aunt has something to tell you."

Xiao Zhijie naturally knew what she wanted to say, but because she was an elder, he couldn't help but stop and listen to her.

“Jie’er, I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. You’re the most honest child I’ve ever had, and your third aunt likes you from the bottom of her heart. But now you’ve made a mistake. Do you know how many people long for your identity? How many people dream of having your identity? Yet you’ve turned it down. How foolish!”

"If you ask me, child, go back and apologize to the Emperor, and the throne will still be yours!"

They couldn't help but clap their hands when they got excited.

"The third son's family."

A deep, aged voice came from behind, startling the Third Madam. She turned around and saw that it was Old Madam Xiao.

Her initial excitement instantly cooled. She straightened up, bowed her head, and waited to hear the old lady's reprimand.

"Now that Jie'er has made her choice, what are you outsiders doing here gossiping about? In any case, she has no empty title, but you third and fourth branches will still receive all the benefits you are entitled to."

Mrs. Gu looked up in surprise, somewhat incredulous.

Really?

Xiao Zhijie smiled and nodded.

"Third Aunt, don't worry. If my brothers pursue official careers, I will definitely help them out. Although they won't have real power, it's easy to say a few good words for them in front of Father."

The Third Madam was overjoyed. As long as the interests of their third branch of the family were not harmed, she naturally wouldn't care what Xiao Zhijie did.

Old Madam Xiao waved her hand impatiently.

"Go down."

The third wife turned and left happily.

Although the emperor granted Xiao Zhijie permission not to be named crown prince, not to be included in the family genealogy, and not to inherit the throne, the emperor also set conditions for him: he must enter the palace every month to pay his respects and have meals and tea with the old emperor.

Even the day after Xiao Zhijie decided not to inherit the throne, the emperor still bestowed a large amount of gold and silver jewelry upon the Xiao family, showing that the emperor did not want his son to suffer.

It can be almost concluded that although Xiao Zhijie did not inherit the throne, the old emperor's favor towards Xiao Zhijie only increased.

Old Madam Xiao looked at him and said slowly,

"No regrets?"

Xiao Zhi nodded and said,

"I definitely won't regret it."

Madam Xiao sighed softly. She knew that her grandson and daughter were of the same character, both indifferent to worldly affairs and not very interested in power.

She was not surprised by this choice; in fact, she had expected it.

She added,

"Is your stubborn wife any better?"

Upon hearing Qiao Qingshu mentioned, Xiao Zhijie's face lit up with a happy smile.

"I'm much better now, thank you for your concern, Grandmother."

Madam Xiao chuckled softly.

"She was stubborn, but you were even more stubborn than her, so you won."

Madam Xiao turned around and said slowly,

"Let's find an auspicious day to bring her back; the Xiao family is counting on her to manage the household."

Xiao Zhijie nodded slightly in agreement from behind.

Originally, the eldest branch of the Xiao family, Madam Xing, was in charge of all matters. Now that the eldest branch has almost been wiped out, the old Madam Xiao has been managing all the affairs of the family.

The old lady was already quite old and not in good health; she was starting to feel the strain of managing all this time.

I also considered three or four bedrooms, but ultimately none of them were good choices.

Gu Rong, from the third wife's household, is a bit gossipy and loves to talk behind people's backs. She's also petty and holds grudges, which isn't the behavior of a matriarch.

Yan Yaping, the fourth wife, was too aloof. She didn't like to deal with mundane matters and left the affairs of her own courtyard to her children, acting as a hands-off manager.

Looking around, she realized that the younger generation was still quite inexperienced and lacked the maturity to handle matters. After observing them for so long, she felt that Qiao Qingshu was the best.

Despite her young age, she is very shrewd and mature in her work, and one could even say that she is meticulous.

The old lady was also secretly amazed. Logically speaking, a girl of ten years old could not possibly have such courage. Her style of doing things was actually somewhat like that of a mature woman in the inner quarters, which surprised the old lady Xiao.

She pondered for a long time but still couldn't quite understand the reason. Even if her family had many troubles in the past, it shouldn't have led to this kind of experience.

But since she couldn't figure out why, she stopped thinking about it. The result was more important; she liked this granddaughter-in-law very much.

Madam Xiao wanted to hand over the reins of the family to her.

Qiao Qingshu sneezed on the bed, and Xia Zhi immediately came over and draped another garment over her.

"Young lady, you should wear more clothes. You're feeling just right now, so you can't catch a cold."

Qiao Qingshu gathered her clothes and said,

"Someone is eyeing me."

The busy maids inside the room all smiled.

Suddenly, Wanqiu's shouting came from outside the door.

"Miss! The Third Master has arrived! The entire Third Master's family has come!"

As Wanqiu pushed open the door and entered, she hurriedly said,

"The eldest young master is receiving guests in the front yard. The third master said he wants to see the young lady!"

Third Uncle?