After saying this, Grandma Qiao seemed to have used up all her strength, and her body swayed. Fortunately, Qiao Yunni caught her in time.
"The Qiao family has done nothing to wrong me. On the contrary, they have been kind and benevolent to me, and their kindness is as heavy as a mountain."
Du Qinglan said with a look of melancholy, her eyes filled with endless sorrow.
"You know the Qiao family has treated you well, yet you still took this step. Or was this your purpose when you first came to Da Meng's side?" Qiao Laosan's face was as cold as ice.
Da Meng slowly opened his eyes, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Du Qinglan was filled with intense grief and disappointment.
His heart was so aching that it was numb, and he felt completely lost, as if he were in a nightmare from which he could not wake up.
When he first met Du Qinglan, she was standing at the bridgehead, looking weak and helpless. It turned out that she was just trying to lure him in, gain his trust, and then deceive the entire Qiao family, leading them to an abyss of no return.
"Yes, I came with a mission." Now that things had come to this, Du Qinglan made no attempt to hide anything and told everyone, which would actually make her feel better.
She knelt on the ground without moving, enduring the excruciating pain in her knees, and slowly said, "Seven years ago, a third-rank official, also surnamed Du, committed a serious crime. According to regulations, his entire family, including nine generations of relatives, should be investigated and punished. My family had been merchants for generations, and my father spent money to buy a sinecure of the ninth rank. We lived a peaceful and uneventful life, but unexpectedly, even such a simple and peaceful life attracted the envy and jealousy of others."
“Someone reported to the department in charge of this matter that our Du family was one of the nine relatives of that third-rank official. We defended ourselves and presented evidence to prove that we were not involved in that case. However, our family was in business and had accumulated a certain amount of wealth. The people who were investigating and confiscating our property would not let this opportunity pass. In this way, our Du family was dragged into this undeserved disaster.”
"According to the regulations, nine generations of a family should be executed. But there was a general amnesty. The men were exiled and the women were sold. My mother insisted on going with my father. They both died on the way to exile."
Du Qinglan looked up at the sky: "Over the years, I have been thinking that our Du family is honest and law-abiding, and has never wronged anyone. Why did God have to arrange such a miserable fate for us? Why is it so unfair and cruel?"
“I begged countless people, including officials and wealthy merchants, and went to the government offices countless times. I wasted three years, but no one was willing to help me. Later, I learned that the Crown Prince had a fondness for slender waists, so I worked hard to learn dance and went to his side to beg him to clear the name of our Du family. But he never agreed until this time. He said that if I had accomplished this, he would fulfill my long-cherished wish and set me free.”
"I've waited and hoped for this opportunity year after year, and now that it's finally here, how could I possibly give it up?"
Du Qinglan laughed as she spoke, her laughter tinged with a cruel mockery of fate and a deep sense of powerlessness.
The Qiao family fell silent for a moment, realizing that Du Qinglan had such a tragic past.
But they didn't soften their hearts, because they immediately realized that even so, it was not a reason for her to harm the Qiao family.
“Yes, the Du family is innocent, but does that mean our Qiao family deserves it?” the eldest brother of the Qiao family said.
"Even if you initially felt indifferent to the life or death of the Qiao family, our Qiao family has treated you quite well. Didn't you feel even the slightest bit moved, and were you determined to put the Qiao family to death?"
Such a question made Du Qinglan tremble. She couldn't answer it, nor could she face it.
Qiao Lian'er said slowly, "I gave you a chance, but you still made up your mind in the end."
Du Qinglan looked at her with some confusion.
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