coobybook Chapter 43 Xiao 2 Gets Beaten
Chapter 43 Xiao 2 Gets Beaten
The opportunity Liu Wan'er mentioned was in half a month, when Xiao Chengyan's aunt, who was an imperial concubine, was going home to visit her family.
Liu Wan'er, reborn, knew clearly that the Imperial Concubine's return to the Xiao family for a visit would be fraught with peril.
In her previous life, she was a maid in the Xiao family who helped the imperial concubine avoid this calamity.
This maidservant thus rose from humble beginnings to become the goddaughter of Consort Xiande.
After that, the maid's life went smoothly. She married into the Prince Yu's mansion as the Princess's goddaughter, a position of great prestige, and became a concubine.
What if it was Liu Wan'er who helped Consort Xiande avert disaster in this life?
Xiao Mansion
When Xiao Zhiheng learned of what his son Xiao Chengyan had done at the Qiao residence, he was so angry that he smashed several fine Ru kiln porcelain vases in his study and cursed for a long time.
Xiao Chengyan regretted running away from the Qiao family as soon as he left. He knew he had acted impulsively and that he would definitely get a good beating from his father when he got back.
This was not the time to go out and fool around. He was smart, so he went straight home and hid in his study to read.
Although the book was open, he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word; Xiao Chengyan's greatest fear was his father.
Having been the subject of his father's high hopes since childhood, he would receive a good beating for any improper sitting or lying posture or lack of diligence in his studies, let alone for something as despicable as what he did today...
Xiao Chengyan could already picture his father's furious expression in his mind, and he couldn't help but shiver.
At this moment, everyone was on high alert, and sure enough, a moment later, his father's old servant, Uncle Zhong, called out to him at the gate of his courtyard.
"Young Master, please come out yourself. It would be impolite for this old servant to go in and take your things. The master is waiting for you in the study."
Xiao Chengyan's servant, Shuqi, was terrified; his legs trembled and his voice shook.
"Sir, hurry up and get out of here. Maybe you can avoid getting hit a few more times."
Xiao Chengyan slammed the books on the table to the ground, cursing under his breath.
"It's all because of that Qiao Qingshu! If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be getting this beating today!"
He stormed out of the house and went to his father's study.
With each step he took closer, his arrogance diminished, and by the time he reached the doorway of the study, he was completely submissive and obedient.
As soon as he entered the room, a purple inkstone came flying toward Xiao Chengyan’s head.
Xiao Chengyan was unable to dodge in time, and his forehead was immediately broken, with blood flowing down his forehead.
Xiao Chengyan stood woodenly at the door, head bowed, not daring to move.
Madam Xing screamed and lunged forward from inside the house.
Oh, my son!
She covered her bleeding forehead with a handkerchief, held Xiao Chengyan's head and looked at it repeatedly, tears of heartache streaming down her face.
Seeing this, Old Madam Xiao, who had been sitting in the study, though her expression remained unchanged, also spoke up.
"Zhiheng, you discipline your son, I won't interfere, just don't let it escalate into a fatality."
After saying this, he got up and left with the help of the nanny.
As soon as Old Madam Xiao left, Madam Xing immediately burst into tears, hugging Xiao Chengyan and sobbing.
"Master, how cruel you are! Chengyan is your eldest son, what if he gets damaged! Ting'er is gone, do you want my Yan'er to be gone too?!"
As Xiao Zhiheng's legal wife, Madam Xing had two sons and a daughter. Her eldest son, Xiao Chengting, died of illness at a young age, leaving only Xiao Chengyan as his only son. Therefore, everyone in the Xiao family doted on Xiao Chengyan, which made him increasingly unruly.
Xiao Zhiheng, hands behind his back, his anger undiminished, pointed at Madam Xing's nose and cursed.
"You've corrupted Yan-ge'er! The marriage between the Xiao and Qiao families was arranged by the old master; who dares to say no? Your son is quite something, saying he wouldn't marry Miss Qiao in front of the Qiao family, and then getting involved with a down-on-his-luck relative. Truly..."
Xiao Zhiheng grew angrier and angrier, and in his rage, he took off his official boots and rushed forward to slap Xiao Chengyan hard.
"You filthy thing! Shameless! You've completely disgraced me! You never study so hard, but you're quite good at flirting with cats and dogs! You even send out such filthy things, are you secretly plotting something? I'll beat you to death!"
Xiao Chengyan didn't protect his head, but just straightened his back and let his father hit him without saying a word.
Madam Xing cried and clung to Xiao Chengyan's back to shield him.
"Master, please stop hitting him! What if you hurt him? Which young man hasn't been through that? We've all been young. When you were young, you had four or five maids in your room. What did I say when I married into this family? These are all minor things. Master, please don't be so harsh."
Xiao Zhiheng was so angry that his beard stood on end, and he jumped up and down, saying...
"You're comparing him to me! I was the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination when I was fourteen, what is he compared to me! He's seventeen already, and he's taken the imperial examination twice, and he's failed to make the list twice. If he doesn't make the list this year, he can go and join his third uncle in the army!"
Thinking of this, he became furious again and slapped Xiao Chengyan hard on the forehead twice more.
"In this dire situation, he still doesn't know how to study hard. His mind is full of filth. He has brought shame to the Qiao family. If I don't beat him to death today, I'm not a member of the Xiao family."
Xiao Zhiheng, panting, finally managed to knock his boots off his hands.
"A few men, tie Yan-ge'er up in the yard and give him thirty strokes of the cane! Beat him hard again!"
Madam Xing let out a mournful cry.
"Master, how cruel you are! You might as well kill me too."
But it was to no avail. Madam Xing was helped up by several maids, but was not allowed to go forward.
Xiao Chengyan was tied to a bench, and Uncle Lao Nuzhong thoughtfully stuffed a soft cloth into his mouth to prevent Xiao Er from biting his tongue during the beating.
All the servants knew that Xiao Er was favored, and they also knew that they couldn't beat him too severely, but after thirty strokes, Xiao Er, with his delicate skin, still fainted from the pain.
I was able to get out of bed and walk after lying in bed for almost seven or eight days.
Medicine was sent to each household, and even the old lady sent someone to deliver the best wound medicine that the emperor had brought to the palace.
Sisters and brothers from various courtyards came in waves, bringing new trinkets and trying to cheer Xiao Er up. In short, Xiao Er enjoyed good fortune again after the fight.
After applying the medicine to her son, Madam Xing said softly,
"Your father's complexion has finally improved these past few days. In a few days, take the articles you've been working on to your father and apologize for them. That will put the matter behind you."
He paused and then said,
"Your imperial aunt will be home visiting her family in half a month. That will be a good opportunity to send an invitation to the eldest daughter of the Qiao family. You should write it yourself. Invite her over for a meal and apologize properly. Make sure she's happy so we can continue discussing the marriage."
Xiao Chengyan lay on the bed, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Mother, do I really have to marry her?"
Xiao Chengyan originally liked Qiao Qingshu. They grew up together and had a good impression of each other. However, after his visit to the Qiao family, Xiao Chengyan felt that Qiao Qingshu had changed and was not the same as before.
The former Qiao Qingshu was gentle, kind, modest, quiet, and had little opinion of her own; she was docile and easy to manipulate.
She agreed to everything Xiao Er said, she coaxed him when he was angry, she didn't say anything and just smiled when he teased her, and she only cried when he pulled her hair and didn't know how to resist.
In addition, Qiao Qingshu has grown more and more beautiful and charming in recent years. She is considered one of the most beautiful women in the capital. Her demeanor is also dignified and elegant, exuding nobility. If Xiao Er were to marry such a woman, he would naturally be delighted.
But now Qiao Qingshu seems to have become a different person; the admiration and love in her eyes are gone.
Xiao Er wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Qiao Qingshu was looking at him with mockery and contempt, even with the condescension of a superior looking down on a subordinate. This feeling made him very uncomfortable.
Moreover, it was Qiao Qingshu who first proposed breaking off the engagement, which made him lose face in front of everyone, so Xiao Chengyan disliked her even more.