Shen Qingtang was making plans in her mind.
In her past life, she knew that all of Pei Wuwang's treasures accumulated over the years eventually fell into the hands of a corrupt official named Li Song. Li Song was then the Vice Minister of Revenue, and he used these ill-gotten gains to buy official positions and titles.
In local areas, they levied exorbitant taxes and levies, causing the deaths of at least eighty to one hundred people.
In this life, I must empty the warehouse no matter what. Rather than letting corrupt officials do evil, I'd rather take action myself first.
Just as I was pondering this, a commotion arose in the distance.
The prison carts for exile were ready, lined up at the street corner, twelve in total, with five belonging to Pei Wuwang's family and collateral relatives.
Shen Qingtang's own side had three carriages, while the remaining four were used to transport members of the clan's collateral branches and several capable old servants.
Beside the car, relatives and friends were busy saying their goodbyes, their cries and words of advice mingling together in a chaotic scene.
Shen Qingtang's gaze inadvertently swept over and saw her father standing by the prison cart, her face suddenly darkening.
His eyes, as if tempered with fire, were fixed on a middle-aged man in prison clothes not far away.
The man was also dressed in prison clothes, yet still carried a hint of arrogance; it was Qin Xian, the former Director of the Personnel Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel. Shen Qingtang understood immediately.
Qin Xian and his father had always been bitter enemies in the court. One advocated for upholding the old system, while the other promoted new policies. They had fought openly and covertly countless times. Unexpectedly, they ended up being exiled together.
The two stood a few steps apart.
Their eyes met.
The air was thick with an awkward tension.
The father glared angrily, while Qin Xian sneered, neither willing to look away first.
"Sigh..." The mother stood beside the father, sighed softly, and looked helpless.
It's truly ironic that rivals who have fought for most of their lives are ultimately exiled together.
Shen Qingtang shifted her gaze away from the two of them.
The object landed on a young woman next to Qin Xian. The woman was dressed in a plain-colored dress, with gentle features, and was quietly adjusting the collar of Qin Xian's prison uniform.
At just one glance, Shen Qingtang's heart skipped a beat. It was her.
Qin Xian's daughter, Qin Wanqing.
In her past life, she became her elder brother's wife during their exile.
This marriage ultimately turned into a tragedy. Shen Qingtang watched Qin Wanqing's retreating figure, a bitter feeling rising in her heart.
She clearly remembered that in her previous life, this future sister-in-law died while saving her brother.
The journey to exile was fraught with peril, and for some reason, my father and Qin Xian, who had been rivals for most of their lives, relented.
He tacitly approved of his elder brother's affair with Qin Wanqing.
They thought it was a sweet moment amidst the bitterness, but unexpectedly, a bandit attack occurred.
Qin Wanqing died on the spot while shielding her elder brother from the fatal blow.
Their brief time together ended in tragedy, with the elder brother forever separated by death, leaving an indelible scar on his heart.
"In this life, we must never let this tragedy repeat itself." Shen Qingtang clenched her fists tightly, a resolute glint in her eyes.
No matter what, she had to protect her elder brother and Qin Wanqing so that they could continue on their path.
Just then, Qin Wanqing secretly raised her eyes and looked at her older brother not far away.
Although the eldest brother was wearing prison clothes today, it couldn't hide his strong physique, honed by years of martial arts training, and his handsome features.
He exudes a calm and composed demeanor as he stands there.
Qin Wanqing only glanced at it, and her cheeks quietly flushed.
She hurriedly lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
"What are you looking at!" Qin Xian spotted it and immediately shouted in a low voice.
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