Chapter 233 Don’t Blame Me for Being Ruthless

Chen Xiuhe suddenly rushed to the prison door and whispered to Chen Ning, "Dad was threatened by the Queen and became obsessed with you. The assassin who entered the palace this time is also related to the Queen. She has murderous intentions towards Prince Ding. Because of what happened back then, I'm afraid she will also regard you as a thorn in her side... Dad doesn't want you to be confused."

Chen Xiuhe originally planned to take those secrets to the grave, but when he saw his daughter, who had been harmed by him since childhood but still had deep admiration for him, he suddenly changed his mind.

He was finished, but at least... at least he could be a father for once and protect his daughter.

Seeing Shen Ning's astonished expression, Shen Xiuhe was filled with bitterness, and whispered to his daughter everything he had hidden for many years.

It turned out that Shen Xiuhe was not a talented person back then. After arriving in Beijing, he realized that his qualifications were mediocre. He was very distressed at that time, for his empty future and for the beautiful young lady from a noble family.

He knew that he would not be able to pass the imperial examination, and he also knew that there was no possibility for him and the young lady from the Xie family.

Yes, he fell in love with Xie Yunqing at first sight when they met for the first time. However, the huge separation between them was just a dream after all.

But he could never have imagined that someone would come to him that night... and give him a clue to the problem, on the condition that he do something for the other person.

He didn't even take the paper seriously when he took it, but he still had some hope, so he prepared according to the paper. However, he never imagined that what was on the paper was actually the test questions.

He passed the imperial examination in one stroke and was selected as the third place in the imperial examination.

On the day the results were announced, he was overjoyed but also filled with fear. When he met Xie Yunqing under the list, he ran away out of fear.

He knew that if the other party could give him something like that, then what he was asked to do would naturally not be a trivial matter.

He wanted to escape... but he couldn't move his feet.

That was the third place in the imperial examination, a place that thousands and thousands of people could not hope to become even after studying hard for more than ten years.

One step forward is the noble girl with a promising future and the one he longs for. How could he refuse such temptation?

After marrying Xie Yunqing, Shen Xiuhe lived in fear for several years, but no one came to see him... Just when he was full of luck and thought that the incident was over, the nightmare that had haunted him for several years appeared.

When he was happiest: he had a happy family and two sons and one daughter!

At that time, because his wife gave birth prematurely in Huguo Temple, he was called to accompany his wife, but unexpectedly, chaos broke out in Huguo Temple.

In the chaos, he was kidnapped aside and forced to pretend to be a gangster and hand over his daughter to the thieves, telling them that this was the tenth princess born to Concubine Xu.

Concubine Xu also happened to be in the Huguo Temple. The Tenth Princess was not even a month old, and it was difficult to distinguish between the babies.

Give your daughter to a thief?

Shen Xiuhe was stunned at the time and subconsciously wanted to refuse, but unexpectedly the man suddenly pointed out his cheating in the imperial examination a few years ago as a threat.

Chen Xiuhe was devastated, but the time was too short for him to consider or hesitate... If the cheating was exposed, his reputation would be ruined and he would die!

The happy life now is gone...

It's just one daughter. By losing one daughter, you can keep everything else...you only need to sacrifice the newborn daughter.

So he disguised himself, snatched the baby daughter from his wife's side, and handed her to the thief, saying that the tenth princess had been found.

The thieves dispersed in an instant. Chen Xiuhe hurriedly changed his clothes and returned, only to see his heartbroken wife who had fainted from crying...

It was not until he was summoned by the queen that he found out to whom he had sold his life.

"Lord Shen is a man of his word. I will not treat you unfairly."

That sentence was like the most evil and terrifying curse, haunting him for more than ten years...

"I'm sorry, Ningning. Dad is a sinner. I'm the one who let you down."

Shen Xiuhe's eyes were filled with pain: "Dad is not worthy of being your father, I am not worthy."

Chen Ning was just trying, and didn't even hold out much hope that this show of affection could awaken Chen Xiuhe's conscience or make him say something.

She didn't expect it to be so useful.

Or perhaps it was when his future was ruined and the road ahead was bleak, and he was cut off from his daughter who he had raised for more than ten years. This scene finally awakened Shen Xiuhe's guilt towards the daughter who was taken away by him and handed over to the thieves.

Shen Ning's heart was filled with ridicule, but she showed no trace of it on her face. Instead, she made an expression of shock, pain, and disbelief.

"You mean, back then... you were the one who handed me over to the thieves?"

Tears rolled down Chen Xiuhe's red eyes: "Dad is sorry for you. Now that things have come to this, I owe you the truth, I owe you an apology, I owe you, I owe you too much..."

Shen Ning shook her head blankly and asked, "But why did the Queen hand me over to the thieves instead of the Tenth Princess? The Tenth Princess has been fine since then!"

Chen Xiuhe smiled bitterly and shook his head: "These are not things Dad can know. Dad is just a chess piece... a chess piece that can be thrown away at any time."

Just like now, when it is used up and useless, just throw it away.

The queen held the evidence that could bring disgrace upon him and put his life in danger, so even if he was convicted and exiled, he should be grateful.

Back then, someone wanted to kidnap the Tenth Princess, and the Queen did it to prevent her from being kidnapped...

Shen Ning couldn't figure out the clues for a moment, so she didn't continue thinking about it. Instead, she whispered to Shen Xiuhe, "Daughter thanks Daddy for telling me this."

Shen Xiuhe's face was full of bitterness, his hands clinging to the cell bars tightly, and he asked in a trembling voice: "Then can you forgive Dad?"

He couldn't help but ask, "Your mother really cries every night thinking of me... I miss her too. Ningning, tell your mother that she's the only one in Dad's heart!"

Shen Ning had a subtle expression and said nothing.

Missing you?

How is that possible...

Chen Xiuhe suddenly felt that his daughter looked a little strange, as if something was wrong.

Shen Ning got what she wanted, but was very cautious not to tear her face apart. Instead, she whispered, "You have a good rest. I have to go."

After saying that, she turned and went out. Outside, the palace maids sent by the Queen Mother were guarding her diligently and responsibly, not letting anyone get close.

Behind him, Chen Xiuhe shouted loudly: "Ningning, can you and your mother come to see Dad off? When the time comes, you can come and see Dad off. Dad wants to see your mother again, Ningning..."

However, the hoarse shouting received no response.

Shen Xiuhe fell to the ground, looking completely lost.

After a while, he suddenly laughed at himself.

In fact, it was not a bad thing to reveal the secret that had been hidden for many years. At least he felt much more relieved... He apologized to his daughter!

He was also forced into a desperate situation at the time.

It turns out that Yun Qing still misses him. How great... It turns out that Yun Qing still misses him.

Shen Ning walked out expressionlessly, with no trace of sadness on her face anymore.

I was so exhausted from acting that scene for her just now... After all, it's really not easy to act out the deep love between a father and a daughter while calling a man you hate and despise "Dad".

The moment she walked out of the cell door, she saw a figure in front of her.

It was Xu Zhiyi...Xu Zhiyi in the dark red Jinyiwei Feiyu uniform.

Meeting Chen Ning's surprised eyes, Xu Zhiyi seemed very satisfied, and then shook the cloak behind him: "How about it, the dress is quite eye-catching... It was because of this dress that I took the unpleasant position of Jinyiwei Commander."

Shen Ning: ...

Which good person becomes a Jinyiwei just for the fancy clothes?

"Greetings, Commander." She said perfunctorily.

"Tsk, there's no one else here... call me uncle."

Shen Ning: ...

"My little uncle has something important to tell you." Xu Zhiyi said with a smile.

This trick again!

There are always important words...

Shen Ning was in no mood to pay attention to him at the moment: "I won't listen to anything that has nothing to do with me. I was tired most of the night last night, and I want to go back and rest."

After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Then she heard Xu Zhiyi say, "It has nothing to do with you, but it has something to do with your good brother Shen Qingbai."

Shen Ning stopped abruptly and turned back.

Xu Zhiyi curled his lips and said, "Shen Qingbai will be sent to escort the captured rioters from Jinnan... Those rioters have been sentenced to exile and will be sent to Beihai Prefecture."

He tutted his words and said, "Guess who is so kind as to promote your good brother?"

Shen Ning's heart sank instantly.

Students of the Imperial Academy can indeed get in touch with officialdom in advance through court examinations or selection by the Ministry of Personnel, which is similar to an internship. Shen Qingbai is the best among many students of the Imperial Academy, so it is not surprising that he is promoted.

But according to convention, the most a student could do was to get a small position in various departments in the capital to learn and do odd jobs and see the world. How could he be assigned to manage and escort exiled prisoners?

Shen Ning frowned: "What does your majesty think?"

Xu Zhiyi uttered an "oh," "They say the Tatars and Wala are eyeing Beihai Prefecture covetously. If we escort those nearly 5,000 prisoners to Beihai Prefecture and then build the city's defenses, then returning home would be a great achievement... It's indeed a good opportunity."

Shen Ning sneered: "Coming back is a great achievement? The premise is that you can come back alive."

Xu Zhiyi smiled: "That's right, if it was really a good job, the prince wouldn't have recommended your brother."

The Crown Prince... The Queen...

The abduction of the original body was done by that beast Chen Xiuhe, but it was also ordered by the Queen, so they are indeed irreconcilable!

"Hey, you just came out from inside. Didn't you see the Seventh Prince interrogating the prisoner?" Xu Zhiyi suddenly asked.

Shen Ning frowned: "Is Xiao Nanchen also in there?"

"yes."

Xu Zhiyi smiled and said, "I heard that he was grooming the captured assassin."

Shen Ning was confused: "Wash?"

"Oh, you don't know... This grooming isn't our usual grooming. It's using a sharp iron brush to brush the prisoner over and over again, scraping off the flesh and blood bit by bit. In the end, only the bloody skeleton is left..."

As they were talking, footsteps were heard behind them. Shen Ning turned around and saw Xiao Nanchen walking out of the dungeon with several men in black.

The moment she walked outside, Shen Ning saw a string of blood beads on the side of his face, which set off his handsome features and cold expression, revealing a strong sense of ferocity.

Seeing Chen Ning and Xu Zhiyi standing together, the coldness between Xiao Nanchen's eyebrows almost condensed into frost and snow.

At this moment, a palace servant came running over and said urgently, "Your Highness, the Queen is feeling unwell and wants to see you."

"What happened to the Queen Mother?"

Xiao Nanchen showed a worried expression and subconsciously took a step to leave, but just as he was about to move, he remembered something.

He turned to Chen Ning and said expressionlessly: "It seems that you didn't listen to what I said. If that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying this, His Royal Highness Prince Ding turned and strode away...