Chapter 480: Qingyao’s Decision 5

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Zhu Shen had returned Madam Wu her bundle but she had been in such a hurry to return home and had left the bundle by the side of the road. Madam Wu was relieved to see that the whole family was still there and that no one had been kidnapped. She could not help but sigh with relief. With a hand over her chest, she murmured, “That’s good, that’s good…”

Qi Yuanxiu scratched his head when he saw the mud stains on his mother’s trouser legs and clothes.

After Madam Wu entered the house, she rested for a while before heading into the inner room to change her clothes. When she came out, she found the entire family waiting for her with confused eyes to explain. Madam Wu did not say anything. She sat down, picked up her bowl, and began to devour her food.

After eating.

Madam Wu retired into the inner room to sleep.

Her actions left the entire family in the dark.

The old lady had been in the hall, cursing for a bit before she started stitching soles for her grandchildren.

At three quarters past nine at night.

The sky had darkened.

Most of the villagers had returned to their homes to rest.

The entire village appeared very quiet.

A black carriage drove into the village slowly and quietly.

The ground was a little muddy from the rain and because of this, there was no sound when the horse’s hooves stepped on it.

The old Qi family had naturally gone to sleep.

Qi Yuanxiu did not react when he heard a knock on the door. However, in the back rooms, Madam Wu was as sensitive as a quail. She hurriedly woke up, got out of bed, and looked toward the source of the sound. She turned to wake the old man.

“Old, old man… Someone’s knocking on the door.”

Madam Wu could not help her teeth clattering when she said this.

She had just gotten kidnapped by the State Preceptor during the day and it left a very deep impression on her. That man was a monster!

Could the person knocking on the door right now be a killer sent by the State Preceptor…

With the troupe who murdered Qingzhu.

It was a dark night, a perfect time for murder.

The lives of their old Qi family would be decided tonight…

Madam Wu gulped. Hugging her blanket, cold sweat began rolling off her body and she could not help her legs trembling under the sheets.

Old Man Qi felt that the old woman was acting strange. He finally could not take it anymore and sat up and lit the oil lamp with a spill.

Under the glow of the lights, he saw the old woman trembling all over.

“What’s the matter?”

“A-A killer has come!!!” Madam Wu clutched her knees and said nervously through gritted teeth.

Old Man Qi, ???

What was she saying so nervously on a night like this?

While Old Man Qi did not know what was going on, he still hurriedly hugged Madam Wu and comforted her, asking if she had a nightmare…

Madam Wu could not speak, she could only hug the old man and cry.

After a moment passed, Qi Yuanxiu got up, cursing and muttering impatiently.

“Who is knocking up a storm in the middle of the night?”

After getting out of bed and throwing on some clothes, he went to the front door. He opened the door and saw the figure at the doorstep. Qi Yuanxiu thought he must have been mistaken. He rubbed his eyes to make sure that the person outside the door under the dark moonlight was indeed Qi Qingyao. Qi Yuanxiu then jumped up happily.

He pulled Qi Qingyao into the house.

“Mother, look who came back,” he shouted.

Madam Wu was crying while hugging the old man. Hearing Qi Yuanxiu’s excited voice, she was stunned and quickly wiped the tears off her face. Outside the house door, Qi Yuanxiu was shouting happily, saying that his sister, Qi Qingyao, had returned.

Old Man Qi jokingly said to Madam Wu, “What killer were you even dreaming about? Isn’t this just our daughter coming back?”

Madam Wu jumped off the bed and ran to the door without putting on more clothes. Seeing that it was indeed Qi Qingyao, she once again held Old Man Qi and continued to cry, surprised and happy.

Qi Qingyao was stunned by her tearful appearance.

Without saying a word, he comforted Madam Wu for a while.

Old Man Qi shrugged his shoulders and explained that she had a nightmare and asked Qi Qingyao not to give it much thought.

Qi QIngyao gave a simple “Oh.”

“Y-Yaoyao!!” After Madam Wu was done crying, she gave a teary smile. “Why did you come back?”

She pulled Qi Qingyao into the house.

“Come in quick, let’s sit and talk.”

Everyone else in the house was sleeping and Qi Qingyao did not want to bother them. After entering the house, she sat down by the stove and said very seriously to Madam Wu and Old Man Qi, “Father, Mother, let’s cut to the point. I came back this time to bid my goodbyes.”

Qi Yuanxiu was the first to respond. He asked, “Goodbye? Where are you going?”

Old Man Qi and Madam Wu were also waiting for her answer.

Qi Qingyao held her forehead and said, “I received an edict, the empress has summoned me to meet her in the capital.”

“Ah!!” Madam Wu could not help crying out. She had just heard about it from the State Preceptor earlier in the day. It seemed that he was not lying.

“What did you do that made the empress want to meet you?” Old Man Qi heard this and felt it was inconceivable.

Qi Qingyao scoffed and said, “Why would the empress want to meet me? It’s just because I know Si Jin. The empress is afraid of his strength that is above a grand master’s so she deliberately summoned me. She wants to see exactly how special I am as I was able to obtain the adoration of a grand master.”

Qi Yuanxiu, Old Man Qi, and Madam Wu were bewildered. Obviously, the three did not know much about the struggle within the court.

Qi Qingyao said, “Maybe they just want to use me to get Si Jin.” The only flaw to that was that the empress did not expect that Si Jin was missing now.

While Old Man Qi did not understand what the empress was thinking, as common folk, he knew a saying, “accompanying a king was like accompanying a tiger; the power of the supreme was unpredictable.”

Qi Yuanxiu pursed his lips and said, “Even if the emperor is a girl, she is still the emperor! She is so scheming.”

Madam Wu did not know what to say and blankly said, “You must be careful when you go to the capital.”

“I will,” Qi Qingyao assured her.

“Yaoyao, there is something…” If Qi Qingyao was really going to the capital, she was afraid that she might not be able to see her again. If the State Preceptor really found something out, Madam Wu did not want this adopted daughter of hers to be in the dark. She accepted the risk that Li Ruoxuan might find out and contemplated for a moment. Steeling her gaze, she said, “Old Man, Yuanxiu, go out first. I have something to discuss with Yaoyao alone.”

Saying this, she chased Old Man Qi and Qi Yuanxiu out.

Qi Qingyao was curious.

Outside the door, Old Man Qi and Qi Yuanxiu were also curious.

Inside.

After Madam Wu shut the door, she pulled Qi Qingyao to sit by the stove, then carefully told Qi Qingyao everything that happened that day.

“He threatened me with the entire family’s lives, he even threatened me not to tell you. But your future is so uncertain once you go to the capital. How could I hide this from you?”

Madam Wu started crying after she recounted everything.

Qi Qingyao said consolingly, “It doesn’t matter if he knows.”

Shrugging, Qi Qingyao said calmly, “I don’t have any clue about the jade amulet now. If Li Ruoxuan gets one with his contacts, it will be a good thing.”

Madam Wu’s only concern was… “Will he really not kill you?”

Qi Qingyao replied with slight intrigue, “If everyone wants to use me to get Si Jin, then he would leave me alive.” As a chess piece, a very useful chess piece in fact… She would not die.

Madam Wu was instantly relieved.

She went on to explain to Qi Qingyao that she must keep this a secret and pretend that she did not know that the State Preceptor knew about this.