Thinking of this, Qin Chang sighed heavily and bowed deeply to Zhao Yuan, "This sinful subject Qin Chang is grateful for the Emperor's boundless grace and for Lord Zhao's personal escort of Wen'er to meet this sinful subject."
Zhao Yuan nodded slightly, his eyes revealing a complex emotion.
He helped Qin Chang up and said softly, "Old Qin, the journey to Lingzhou is long and arduous. Please take good care of yourself."
Qin Chang looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Lord Zhao, I, Qin Chang, have dedicated my life to the country and have never had any disloyal intentions. Although I am imprisoned today, my heart is still with the Ming Dynasty, and I have no complaints. However..." He paused, his voice slightly choked, "...it is just that Wen'er is still young, and I don't know when I will be able to return after this trip. I hope that Lord Zhao can take care of her for me."
Zhao Yuan patted Qin Chang on the shoulder and said slowly, "Elder Qin, I will do my best to protect Miss Qin."
Qin Chang had long anticipated that the Qin family would fall into misfortune.
After his first wife died, he married Liu Wanyi as his second wife. Liu Wanyi was beautiful, but she was brainless. She indulged her relatives and brothers, who, relying on Qin Sheng being the empress, ran rampant in Dunyang City, bullying women and committing all sorts of evil deeds.
The downfall of the Qin family was only a matter of time.
After exchanging pleasantries with Qin Chang, Zhao Yuan took a few steps outside, turning his back to the two of them, leaving them alone.
"Father—I'm so scared—Father—"
For the past few days, Qin Wen had been confined to the dark and gloomy prison, her eyes were extremely sensitive to light, and her legs were weak. Upon seeing her father, she could no longer suppress her fear and burst into tears.
“Wen’er, it’s not that your father doesn’t want to save you. It’s just that,” he glanced helplessly at Zhao Yuan, “the higher-ups have given orders that no one is allowed to visit you in prison.”
"Father, Father is going to be conscripted into the army, and my mother, my mother and I are going to be sold into slavery by the government. What should we do, Father? It's all Wen'er's fault, Father!"
Qin Wen cried uncontrollably.
"Wen'er, don't cry." Qin Chang gently stroked Qin Wen's face. "None of this is your fault. Fate has brought our Qin family to this point, and no one can do anything about it. You must remember, no matter where you are, you must do everything you can to survive."
Qin Wen held her father's hand tightly, tears blurring her vision, and choked out, "Father, your daughter is unfilial and cannot serve you until the end."
"Wen'er, don't say that. Your being alive is the greatest comfort to us." Qin Chang forced a smile, but his eyes were full of reluctance.
"Time's up," Zhao Yuan reminded him at the opportune moment.
Qin Wen reluctantly said goodbye to her father.
After this parting, I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to meet again in this lifetime.
On the other side, inside Song Jin's cell, there was a deathly silence.
Song Jin stared blankly at the only light in the prison, recalling her original intention for entering the palace.
At first, he was deeply in love with Qin Sheng. Although his family, the Song family, was a family of doctors, his heart was not in it.
In order to be able to stay close to Qin Sheng, he went to great lengths to enter the Imperial Hospital and climbed the ranks by any means necessary.
He went through countless hardships to finally reach her side, only to discover that although she still harbored feelings for him from their youth, those feelings were merely a substitute for the ones Qin Sheng had been unable to reciprocate with Zhao Yi.
He doesn't want to be someone else's substitute; he wants to take their place.
But now, his once-great clan has been destroyed by his selfish desires and greed.
"What have I done?" Song Jin murmured to herself, tears silently streaming down her face.
The festering wounds on his legs, and the spot where he had been bitten by a cat, emitted a foul, fishy odor. At night, he was often awakened by rats that came to gnaw at his body, drawn by the smell.
He knew perfectly well that the emperor was deliberately tormenting him.
Finally, amidst endless pain and self-blame, Song Jin made a decision. He picked up a shard of metal and resolutely plunged it into himself.
In the dark and gloomy prison, a life was lost silently in the dead of night when all insects were still.
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