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

Chapter 116 Birthmark

Qiao Qingshu then said calmly,

"Is there any possibility of leniency?"

Enraged, the official thrust his long sword into the open ground, where it plunged deep into the soil.

"Spare him! You think the people will just let him go? These women look very similar to those who went missing in recent years. If their parents knew, this lecherous thief wouldn't even have a proper corpse!"

Qiao Qingshu nodded, smiled, and turned to look at Wukong.

“Master Wukong, I have pleaded for you, but unfortunately your sins are too grave. I'm afraid even the Bodhisattva cannot forgive you.”

Seeing that he had been tricked by Qiao Qingshu, he was furious and lunged forward to tear Qiao Qingshu apart, but his body was slapped away hard the moment he pounced.

Wu Kong's body flew and landed in the corner, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Qiao Qingshu looked at Xiao Zhijie and felt a warmth rise in her heart for no reason.

She never expected to meet Xiao Zhijie today, nor did she expect him to come to her rescue.

Looking at the man in black, with his striking and handsome features, her expression softened involuntarily.

She slowly nodded to Xiao Zhidian as a way of thanking him.

The officers and soldiers rushed forward and tied Wukong up, then dragged him away.

The officers arrested the people and prepared to take all the imprisoned women back to the government office for investigation.

The leading official bowed to Qiao Qingshu.

"Thank you very much, Miss Qiao. You have helped the government solve several old cases today. We will send someone to express our gratitude once the cases are closed!"

After saying this, the officers and soldiers escorted the people away from Wanfu Temple in a grand procession.

The courtyard suddenly felt spacious.

Qiao Qingshu stepped forward and bowed slightly to Master Wannian.

"Master, now you see your disciple's true colors."

Master Wannian had been standing there speechless for a long time. He choked up a few times, sighed deeply, and then turned and left.

Ye Qingqiu reached out and tapped Qiao Qingshu's brow.

"Miss Qiao, you are truly remarkable. You have impressed me greatly today."

Qiao Qingshu returned his smile with a faint smile, and Ye Qingqiu also turned around and quickly went to help the slightly trembling Master Wannian.

Xiao Zhijie gave her a forced smile and quickly left.

A mature-looking monk stepped forward from among the monks, clasped his hands together, and bowed to Qiao Qingshu.

"Miss Qiao, if it weren't for your righteous act today, we don't know how much more suffering we would have endured at Wu Kong's hands!"

A row of monks knelt down in unison, kowtowing and paying their respects to Qiao Qingshu.

Qiao Qingshu quickly said,

"Please get up quickly, monks, there's no need for such a grand gesture. It was just a small favor."

The leading monk addressed Qiao Qingshu solemnly,

"If you ever need anything in the future, young lady, just say the word, and we monks of Wanfu Temple will do anything to help you!"

Qiao Qingshu nodded, and the group slowly got up and dispersed.

The incident escalated until dawn.

Seeing that the women of the Qiao family were still standing in the courtyard, Qiao Qingshu immediately told them to go back to their rooms and rest, and to return to the mansion at dawn the next day.

Just as Qiao Qingshu was about to rest, she saw a figure outside the window.

She didn't want to go forward, but after watching for a long time, the figure didn't leave.

Qiao Qingshu rolled out of bed, opened the back window, and addressed the figure.

"Is there anything else?"

Xiao Zhijie stood in the darkness and handed a hairpin back to Qiao Qingshu.

"This is what you lost in the yard. I couldn't give it back to you in front of everyone, so I'm returning it to you now."

Qiao Qingshu gazed at the gold filigree hairpin in his hand, which shone brilliantly in the darkness.

Her face slowly flushed in the night, but the darkness concealed everything, completely hiding the girl's shyness.

Qiao asked Shu to reply as calmly as possible.

"Okay, thank you."

Xiao Zhijie was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head before saying,

"You are special today."

Qiao Qingshu was stunned when she heard this. Her demeanor and behavior today were very fierce, and she even had an air of absolute authority.

In her previous life, after becoming the Empress of the Southern Zhao Kingdom, she became increasingly dignified and intimidating.

Xiao Chengyan disliked her very much, and even said on several occasions that Qiao Qingshu's appearance was becoming increasingly repulsive.

He mocked Qiao Qingshu for being too old and no longer possessing the youthful innocence of her younger days; her current demeanor made people feel no desire to get close to her.

Qiao Qingshu would sometimes reflect on herself, wondering if she was really too domineering and seemed not to be considerate enough.

But after years of experience, Qiao Qingshu has come to realize that men simply can't stand seeing you better than them.

The stronger you are, the more they will hate you and suppress you.

When Xiao Zhijie said she was special, she couldn't help but tremble. She was afraid that this man, like Xiao Chengyan, couldn't stand her looking like this.

Qiao Qingshu's expression turned cold, and her tone lost its warmth.

"Special? Do you think I'm very assertive and domineering?"

Xiao Zhijie chuckled and said,

"No, I don't think you're tough. I say you're special because I think you're very decisive, capable, and intelligent."

"The scene you caused at Wanfu Temple today is something that many men couldn't do. I admire you very much."

Qiao Qingshu's hardened heart slowly softened under the influence of these words.

She still had some doubts.

"Do you really think so?"

Xiao Zhijie slowly took two steps back.

"Yes."

"Go to bed early, it's almost dawn."

After saying that, the tall figure disappeared into the backyard. Qiao Qingshu looked down at the hairpin in her hand and was lost in thought.

The next day.

As soon as it was light, the Qiao family's carriage returned to the capital.

They had already returned to the Qiao family home before lunchtime.

Qiao Jizhou was in his study at the moment. Upon hearing that everyone had returned home, he hurriedly went out to greet them.

Then Qiao Qingshu threw Aunt Chen, who was tied up tightly, in front of Qiao Jizhou.

Qiao Jizhou was dumbfounded.

"Shu'er, weren't we going to the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings? Why did you tie up Aunt Chen?"

Qiao Qingshu was too lazy to speak, so she just waved her hand, and Granny Gui stepped forward and explained the whole story of what happened at Wanfu Temple in detail.

Qiao Jizhou's mouth gaped wider and wider as he listened. He stared at Aunt Chen in disbelief, then looked at his second daughter, Qiao Qingqiao.

He asked incredulously,

Are these real?

Qiao Qingqiao nodded slowly, then threw herself into Qiao Jizhou's arms in grief and indignation.

"Father, my aunt really wants to scheme to marry me into the Jing Prince's mansion, and she even wants to ruin my reputation!"

Qiao Jizhou's face darkened further, and he slowly stepped forward and slapped Aunt Chen across the face.

"You bitch, how could you do such a thing!"

Although the Qiao family is not a prestigious family, if word got out that their daughter was having an affair with a man outside the home, wouldn't the Qiao family have any shame?

That wretched woman, Aunt Chen, only cares about her own selfish desires and doesn't care about the reputation of the Qiao family at all. How could Qiao Jizhou not beat such a fool?

Qiao Qingshu slowly opened her mouth and asked,

"Father, Abbot Wukong of Wanfu Temple said that Aunt Chen has a birthmark on her buttocks. Is that true?"