The item was indeed in Qiao Shanwei's possession, but he was currently in a state of panic.
His mother had repeatedly warned him on her deathbed not to dispose of it carelessly, unless it was a matter of life and death.
But now, they were living on the silver left by his mother. Though not wealthy, they were not in hardship. If he truly gave the item to this "mother" before him, could he ever get it back?
His small face was etched with worry, and the old servant and old woman standing beside him also looked troubled.
Seeing that the three of them were unwilling, Madam Shen's anger had already reached its peak. A thankless wretch, just like her mother.
However, she was afraid that if she was not careful and they discovered her true intentions, it would be a loss outweighing the gain.
So, she patiently said, "Your father and mother secretly pledged their love long before I married him. If she had truly entered the family, you would now be the eldest son. Although you are a concubine's son, wasn't your father also a concubine's son? And yet he achieved what he has today. Don't worry, Shan ge'er, I've come to take you home. I only have one daughter and haven't had any children for many years. When you return home, I will recognize you as my legitimate son. Then, no one will be able to say anything, will they?"
Her words were full of deception and flattery towards Qiao Shanwei. The young boy had longed for this for so many years, and now he could finally live openly in front of everyone. The temptation was too great.
So, he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and said to the old servant, "Uncle Qiao, please bring the item. I believe Mother wouldn't lie to me. When we get home, Father will return it to me."
After saying this, he glanced at Madam Shen, who smiled and nodded, "Of course, it will be returned. Your father only needs to use it for a while. Don't worry."
Seeing this, the old servant hardened his heart, turned, and went into the inner room. After a slight delay, he came out with a small bundle.
It was carefully wrapped in red cloth, and inside was a zitan box, carved with lifelike intertwined flowers, and locked with a small golden lock.
When Madam Shen saw the item, her eyes lit up. But fearing that Qiao Shanwei might see through her facade, she suppressed her joy and pretended to be indifferent.
The box was opened, and inside lay the jade pendant.
Just as Bai Sanlang had said, it was clearly valuable at first glance.
Qiao Shanwei took the box from the old servant, looking at it with deep affection.
He heard Uncle Qiao say that his mother had held it tightly in her hand before she died, murmuring that his father would come to pick them up. This item was their token of love.
Now that his father wanted it, he must be about to fulfill his promise.
He respectfully handed the box over with both hands. Madam Shen was overjoyed. Like a loving mother, she patted Qiao Shanwei's shoulder and said, "Good child, you spend the rest of the year well. After the new year, our family will return to Qiongzhou, and no one will dare to bully you again."
These words brought tears to Qiao Shanwei's eyes.
He had waited for so many years, and finally, the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.
He nodded happily in agreement.
Madam Shen put on a show, instructing the old servant and old woman to take good care of Qiao Shanwei. Before leaving, she repeatedly told him to take care of his health and that they would come to pick him up.
The old couple were so touched that they thought this mistress was kind-hearted, and their young master would have a good life from now on.
After leaving the courtyard and getting into the carriage, Madam Shen revealed her true colors. With greedy eyes, she looked at the box and said to Madam Zheng beside her.
"That little slut always wanted to enter my Bai family. Even in death, she wasn't even considered an outside consort. You say her son is also a fool, handing over the treasure with just a few words. If that little slut knew, would she crawl out from under the ground in anger? Hahahaha."
Her arrogant demeanor surprised even Madam Zheng.
In fact, Qiao Xiuniang's fleeting romance with her master was long before she married him. When she was still a young lady, she had seen that Qiao Xiuniang from afar in Shuanggui Lane.
Gentle and moving, she was pitiable.
Even with a bulging belly, she didn't look bloated, making her truly captivating.
No wonder that even after she had been dead for many years, the master would occasionally call her name in his dreams.
She wasn't so idle as to quarrel with a dead person, but she would not let the son born to that dead woman hinder her own children's future!
Qiao Shanwei, it's your fault for not being born into the right family. In your next life, beg the King of Hell to find you a good family to be reborn into.
The carriage headed north of the city. This time, Feng Jinyao only asked Lamei to follow from a distance, while she and Yunxu stayed by the alley.
Her intuition told her that the secret here was more important than Madam Shen.
Yunxu didn't know what she was waiting for, but she patiently accompanied her.
The winter weather was cold, and the charcoal in her hand gradually cooled, but she still waited.
After about an hour, a young man walked out from the alley entrance. It was Qiao Shanwei, whom Madam Shen had just seen!
Beside him stood a thin old man with a long beard and white hair, looking like an enlightened master.
"Sir, you can only escort me this far. I will walk the rest of the path myself."
His words had a double meaning. The old man stroked his beard and sighed, "Good child, remember that you cannot force everything. If you can let go of the resentment in your heart, the road ahead will be a hundred times easier."
People were coming and going at the alley entrance at this time, but no one cared what they were saying.
Qiao Shanwei's eyes reddened again and again. He bowed deeply to the old man.
All words fell silent at this moment, and he didn't know what to say. He simply closed his mouth.
He looked up again, turned, and left, without any trace of his former timidity.
At this moment, Feng Jinyao, sitting in the carriage, was stunned when she saw Qiao Shanwei.
It was him!
Feng Jinyao never expected that Madam Shen would come to see him today.
Although he was still young, Feng Jinyao would never forget those intelligent eyes.
In his previous life, after the Bai family declined, he changed his surname to Qiao and became a strategist for the Ninth Prince, helping him seize the throne.
Most strategists were gloomy and cunning, but he was as clear and pure as the moon, perhaps because the blood of the Bai family flowed in his veins.
The Feng family was severely framed and their population dwindled. The Bai family suffered repeated losses, yet he rose to prominence.
Before she was burned to death, she had met this cousin in the Wen family, but unfortunately, there was no affection in his eyes. The decline of the Bai family was even inseparable from his instigation.
To be able to make a name for himself in that flood case and rise from a commoner to a coveted prince's advisor in court, one could imagine his prowess.
Feng Jinyao smiled. This time, no matter what, she had to pull him into the Bai family's camp. Only then would the Bai family be saved!
She didn't believe that people harbored hatred for no reason. There must be something fishy going on!
Recalling the hurried departure of Madam Shen, her heart seemed to understand something.