On September 18th of the eighth year of Qianwu, the eldest daughter and eldest son of Qiao's East Mansion celebrated their birthdays. , the situation is a bit bad now.
"How is Madam now? Wasn't it already stable when I entered the palace last time, why did it suddenly go bad?"
After receiving the notification from his family in the afternoon, Qiao Yingxuan hurried back as soon as he was on duty. When he entered the bedroom, the big maid came out to greet him. He walked over and asked in a low voice.
Since the autumn of the fourth year of Qianwu, Yang Yingmo had a hard time giving birth to her third son, Qiao Minli, and her body was completely unable to conceive again. Yang Yingmo was very worried and sensitive because of this. After all, her natal family and her husband's family were at odds, so she was afraid of offending her husband's family. , and worried that Qiao Yingxuan would accept concubines for his children, so he was really nervous and hurt for a while, but for Qiao Yingxuan, having these three sons and one daughter was already a great blessing to him, so he could only be grateful to Yang Yingmo. There would be a little disgust, and the old lady felt pity for her even more, so under the careful care of her family, Yang Yingmo gradually recovered her spirits.
It's a pity that the body that was hurt by the confinement period can't be fully recovered. After all, it has fallen to the root of weakness and easy disease. This is not a cold after the autumn cold this year.
"Back to the lord, my wife's fever had subsided yesterday. In the afternoon, my natal wife came... took Miss Yang Wu, and talked to my wife for a while. After they left, my wife kept wiping her tears. She had a little fever again at night. After eating The medicine has not returned, and I will not be able to get up this afternoon."
The eldest girl Qier who answered the call was taken by Yang Yingmo's side after entering Beijing. After Yang Yingmo's original dowry maids were all released, she was the most trusted by Yang Yingmo, and she was also the most loyal to Yang Yingmo, so I mentioned Yang Yingmo at this time. The mother and younger sister couldn't help showing some resentment in their expressions.
"They... Forget it, I'll go in and see Madam."
Hearing that Qi'er mentioned his mother-in-law, Qiao Yingxuan couldn't help but frowned slightly, then turned and went into the back room.
Although he could understand the Yang family's thoughts, wouldn't it just be an embarrassment for her to talk about this with the patient at this time
"Ma'am, don't get up, take a good rest."
As soon as he walked into the bedroom that smelled of medicine, Qiao Yingxuan saw that Yang Yingmo was holding her arms and wanted to get up, so she quickly walked over to support her shoulders, but seeing Yang Yingmo shaking her head and insisting on getting up, she had to let Qi'er sit behind her Thick pillows and cushions propped her up, and then helped her to lean on herself, and carefully covered her with the quilt.
"My husband..."
There was a sick flush on her pale face, Yang Yingmo looked at Qiao Yingxuan's gentle actions in front of her, and thought of her mother's worry and earnestness, her eyes that were already red and swollen from crying couldn't help but burst into tears again.
"Stop crying, if you don't relax and take good care of yourself, how is your health?"
Taking the handkerchief from Qi'er and wiping Yang Yingmo's tears, Qiao Yingxuan couldn't help feeling sorry for her when he saw her so vulnerable and wronged.
They have been married for ten years, maybe they have no love for each other, but the family affection and dependence they have been together for ten years is already very deep, and no matter what Yang Yingmo thinks about their Qiao family, she has never lost her as a daughter-in-law, It is the duty of a wife and a mother, so Qiao Yingxuan also sincerely hopes that she can recover and continue to live a good life under his protection.
"Xianggong, Yiyue and their four siblings are the lifeblood of this concubine. I really can't worry about them. Even if it's to make my concubine feel at ease, you just... just agree."
Yang Yingmo struggled to raise her hand to cover Qiao Yingxuan's. Yang Yingmo was really unwilling in her heart, but just like what her mother said, the Qiao family is now in prosperity. There are too many, there is a saying that if you have a stepmother, you will have a stepfather. If Qiao Yingxuan marries someone who is taller than himself to fill in the house, how will his children deal with themselves in this family? like…
"Ma'am, don't say such unlucky words. Even if there is such a day, I, Qiao Yingxuan, will never marry another woman in my life, let alone let the children suffer any grievances!"
Qiao Yingxuan held her thin and weak hand in his palm, looked into her eyes and sincerely made his promise.
Since he can't marry the person he loves, then he should never marry again for the rest of his life. If that person can fight hard and never marry a concubine, what is the pressure on him
Besides, the elder brother and the third younger brother in the family have a great future, so there is no need to worry about it. I am a martial artist, so how can the career prospects be as important as the one I love
"Sir, you..."
Hearing Qiao Yingxuan make such a promise, Yang Yingmo couldn't help looking at him in shock and bewilderment. For a moment, her heart was full of sorrow and joy, and her tears rolled down uncontrollably. It's worth it, and regretted that he was reserved and wanted face in the past, and always felt that he was a rough person who loved martial arts and disliked literature, and he refused to take the initiative to show affection to him, and he really owed him a lot.
"So Madam, since you don't want to part with the children, you should take good care of them yourself, and don't mention the matter of asking me to marry your concubine sister."
Seeing that Yang Yingmo was crying and smiling at the same time, and she seemed to be a little more energetic than before, Qiao Yingxuan secretly heaved a sigh of relief, let Qi'er take good care of Yang Yingmo, turned around and left to greet her grandmother.
When Qiao Yingxuan arrived at the old lady's yard, the old lady was ordering the maids to decorate the hall. Although Yang Yingmo's illness did not give the great-grandchildren a birthday celebration, it was still necessary to invite the family to have a meal together. Lin and the others hadn't come here because they were on duty, but Qiao Minyan and the others, who were studying together in the Gong family, came here directly after school.
"Kids play by themselves for a while, Ying Xuan, you and grandma come into the house."
Asking the maid to follow behind her with the four-year-old Qiao Minli in her arms, the old lady went back to her room with the help of Qiao Yingxuan, sat down on the outer couch, and hugged the well-behaved Qiao Minli in her arms , and then let the maids back out.
Different from the shy and delicate eldest son Qiao Minren and the lively and clever second son Qiao Minyi, the third son Qiao Minli is quiet and extremely intelligent, and it may be because of dystocia, he is also born with some frailty. His childhood appearance, and because of Yang Yingmo's poor health, he has been raised by the old lady, but he has really become the old lady's heart.
"Ying Xuan, according to my wife, you want to refuse to marry the fifth young lady of the Yang family to fill in the house. Grandma would like to ask, what exactly is your idea?"
Greeting Qiao Yingxuan to sit beside her, the old lady looked at his increasingly heroic face, and patted the back of his hand lovingly.
Although the old lady also felt sorry for Yang Yingmo and hoped that she would get better, but after all, it was about her grandson's future, so she had to understand it clearly and be aware of it. In ancient times, a man married his sister-in-law to fill the house, so that he would not be afraid of the children being wronged, and he could continue the in-law relationship, so it was almost a common practice. Now that Qiao Yingxuan directly refused, there must be a reason.
Yesterday, when a lady from the Yang family came to visit, the old lady also saw that fifth girl with her own eyes. Although she was only fifteen years old this year, thirteen years younger than Qiao Yingxuan, she had a delicate appearance, a calm and docile personality, and she was raised since she was a child. The one beside the aunt, seeing that the aunt is also close, if she really married, she would not treat the children badly, and she is the concubine daughter of the Yang family after all, even if she has children in the future, she will not be able to surpass the older ones , so no matter how you look at it, she is the best candidate for Qiao Yingxuan's successor.
"Grandmother, it seems a bit too fickle to talk about these things now that the granddaughter-in-law is still there. Even if she is unfortunately gone, the grandson will have to mourn for her for a year, and it will not be too late to talk about the matter of marrying and filling the house."
Qiao Yingxuan could promise Yang Yingmo that she would never marry again, but she couldn't say it directly in front of the old lady, fearing that the old family would not accept this decision, so she could only delay it as much as possible, and then slowly get her understanding later.
"You can wait for three to five years, but the girl is not good. The girl's grandmother looks pretty good, but if you really don't want to marry the Yang family, the grandmother will explain it clearly for you. It's okay to complain about it yourself. Don't delay the girl's marriage."
Although the old lady said that she was almost seventy, she was still shrewd. She couldn't tell that Qiao Yingxuan was trying to evade, so she couldn't help but wonder if he had someone in mind, otherwise he wouldn't have been so ignorant when the Yang family just tentatively asked him what he meant. He refused without hesitation.
If the Yang family hadn't seen his firm attitude and thought he was dissatisfied with the Yang family, they wouldn't have let Mrs. Yang come over to test her out, which made Yang Yingmo very sad.
"Grandmother, grandson really doesn't want to marry the Yang family anymore, so please trouble grandma to push for grandson."
Hearing the words, Qiao Yingxuan quickly climbed up the pole. Anyway, he didn't like the Yang family in the first place. He was so indifferent to his own family at the beginning. Now that his brothers are going well in their official careers, he is getting married again. They are really willing to spoil it so casually, letting a fifteen-year-old girl be the stepmother of their nine-year-old children.
"Good grandson, tell grandma the truth, do you have someone in your heart? Grandma doesn't ask you to marry Gao Zhi, it's just for the sake of the children, and you have to cherish your reputation."
The old lady looked at Qiao Yingxuan's eyes and looked at his words. If you know that girls from good families don't hide deeply these days, they are afraid that a little bad reputation will affect the marriage. It doesn't come from a serious background, if Qiao Yingxuan is still safe, he can accept him as a concubine if he wants, but marrying to fill a house is absolutely impossible.
"Grandmother... don't worry, I won't be able to marry him."
Qiao Yingxuan reflexively wanted to deny it, but seeing the old lady's loving face, he couldn't bear to deceive her with more lies, so he could only vaguely pass it with a wry smile.
"Can't get married? You won't be looking for a married woman... Could it be a man?"
Qiao Yingxuan's word shocked the old lady. She first thought that Qiao Yingxuan fell in love with someone else's wife, but then she thought that her grandson was not such a willful person, so she immediately rejected this guess, and then thought that it might be Man, her heart was beating fast and she felt dizzy.
"Grandma, grandma, don't get excited, don't get excited."
Seeing this, Qiao Yingxuan hurriedly comforted the old lady, thinking to himself why he couldn't bear it so much, the good brother said that the old lady had "high blood pressure", so he must not get angry.
"Ying Xuan, tell grandma, are you..."
The old lady filtered through Qiao Yingxuan's close friends, and the one who popped out of her head was the one with the highest status and who was still unmarried. Combined with Qiao Yingxuan's sentence of "I can't get married", the old lady grabbed Qiao Yingxuan's with a little trembling. Hand, wrote a word 'loyalty' in his palm.
"Grandmother..."
Qiao Yingxuan's eyes were red with anxiety, and he shook his head while holding the old lady's hand. He really wanted to give himself a hard punch, so he just continued to hide it honestly, so why bother talking about what's there and what's not!
"Water, water... you bastard, who is that, you dare to provoke him, you are playing with fire!"
Panting heavily, the old lady stretched out her hand on the couch table, and after Qiao Yingxuan brought her the water, she quickly drank a couple of sips. Seeing Qiao Yingxuan, she lost her temper and slapped him hard on the back twice, only to see that he blushed. The old lady couldn't help but feel soft-hearted again, pointing at Qiao Yingxuan bitterly, but she was reluctant to continue beating her.
She is not such an unreasonable person, otherwise she would not let the eldest grandson marry a man to fill the house, but unexpectedly, the second grandson's side is even worse than that, and she is on good terms with the prince, that is the loyal prince, this matter If it gets out, let's not talk about how Qiao Yingxuan will be viewed, do the royal people want to be with him so much? Youdao said that the power of heaven is unpredictable, so the majesty of His Royal Highness is also extraordinary!
"Old Ancestor, don't hit Daddy, don't hit Daddy, Li'er touches it, Daddy doesn't hurt..."
Little Min Li, who was frightened by the two, hugged the old lady's beating arm with tears in his eyes. Seeing that the old lady withdrew her hand, he turned around and hugged Qiao Yingxuan's shoulder, touching and blowing on his back childishly.
Although he didn't understand why his father made the ancestor angry, but he couldn't bear to let his father be beaten, his father was about to cry, it must be in pain.