Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Or, she could simply approach Yuezheng Xiao and ask for his agreement. She knew he would undoubtedly support her.
In reality, she was merely making excuses to push her father away.
She wasn’t a dutiful daughter!
How dare she behave this way?
Officer Qiao was consumed by anger.
Qiao Xuan remained silent.
Indeed, she harbored resentment towards her father. So what? Wasn’t she entitled to feel that way?
Officer Qiao was both taken aback and infuriated. “You… You truly are an ungrateful daughter! ”
“l apologize, Father. Mother never taught me how to be a filial daughter, so I have no understanding of it. You should comprehend that, shouldn’t you?”
“Qiao Xuan, what are you saying?”
Madame Qiao was seething with rage and embarrassment.
Qiao Xuan looked up, her expression cold, as she addressed her. “You know perfectly well what I’m referring to. Mother once said that my mother seduced you, Father, and how fortunate it was that she died young. Otherwise, Mother would have made sure she suffered until her dying breath. You suggested that I should bear the suffering that was intended for my own mother!”
Madame Qiao snapped back, her voice filled with anger. “You’re lying! If it weren’t for my generosity, you wouldn’t have enjoyed a comfortable upbringing. You are nothing but a concubine’s daughter!”
“So you admit it! You did say that I should suffer and not be allowed an easy death. Why don’t you own up to your words? My maids served you faithfully and never heeded my requests. I had to do everything myself. No one assisted me with bathing water. I was given tasteless and inferior food, worse than what was given to the maids and aunts! I was served cold and spoiled dishes in both winter and summer, and I was never provided with proper clothing. Whenever you were displeased with me, you and Qiao Wei took out your frustrations on me!”
“Nonsense!” Madame Qiao’s voice grew hoarse. “These are outrageous claims! Where is the evidence? Or are you simply fabricating lies? You will be punished for spreading falsehoods about your biological mother! ”
Qiao Xuan sneered. “Evidence? Mother, you are the mistress of the Qiao mansion. Which evidence and which auntie would dare to step forward and defend me? It’s a rather astute question you’re posing.”
“That’s enough!” Officer Qiao’s realization hit him hard. He knew that Qiao Xuan had been living a miserable life under their roof, but she was just a timid and insignificant concubine’s daughter. Her presence had no bearing on their lives, so he had chosen to ignore her completely, thinking it wouldn’t do them any harm.
He couldn’t possibly jeopardize his marriage for the sake of a concubine’s daughter, could he?
But he never expected that his legal wife had subjected his concubine’s daughter to such torment, resulting in her deep-seated resentment towards them!
Yet, despite the shock and fury he felt, he found himself blaming his concubine’s daughter more than anything else. How foolish she was!
She could have confided in him about her grievances. Instead, she kept everything bottled up, only to plan her revenge.
And why bring up all of this now, right in front of his son-in-law?!
In this moment, he still felt compelled to defend his legal wife. Her reputation was intertwined with his own, after all.
“Girl, your mother couldn’t have been such a malicious woman. There must have been some misunderstanding between you. The maids and the aunties must have acted on their accord. But your mother and I failed to consider that without your mother’s presence, you would become a target for bullying.
“But it’s also your fault, too! You should have confided in us, and your mother and I would have stood up for you!’