Chapter 533: Layers of Collapse
“The second man is someone very close to Madam,” Song Qingshu stated.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiao Wan’er reacted immediately, her face turning pale with anger. “Are you planning to use my brother to threaten me? He’s admired you so much, constantly praising you in my ears every day.”
After the death of Jiao Gongli, he left behind a son and a daughter. The daughter was naturally Jiao Wan’er, while the son was only seven or eight years old at the time. Over the years, the siblings had relied on each other, sharing a deep bond.
“Back then, even as a young maiden, Madam braved countless dangers to avenge your father, earning the admiration of everyone in the martial world as a dutiful daughter. I believe you hold filial piety in the highest regard. So, I wish to ask Madam: what constitutes unfilial conduct?” Song Qingshu’s voice suddenly turned cold.
“There are three major unfilial acts, the greatest being without offspring!” Jiao Wan’er gritted her teeth, clenching so hard they almost made a grinding noise. She understood precisely how Song Qingshu intended to threaten her.
“If Madam, due to personal reasons, leads the Jiao family to extinction, how will you face Master Jiao in the afterlife?” Song Qingshu pressed her further, his gaze intense.
“If Wan’er does anything to disgrace the family, others will likewise have no face to meet our father in the afterlife,” Jiao Wan’er retorted, though her eyes now showed a flicker of panic.
“May I ask, Madam, what is the ultimate act of filial piety?” Song Qingshu gave her no chance to breathe, continuing his relentless questioning.
“To establish oneself, to act according to the way, to gain fame for posterity, and thus bring honor to one’s parents—that is the ultimate act of filial piety.” Jiao Wan’er instinctively recited. In this era, few people hadn’t read the “Classic of Filial Piety,” and she naturally remembered the opening lines.