"What!" Qin Wanru and the other women were shocked and furious. Who was so cruel and vicious? They knew that this was a cultivation world where strength was paramount. Without cultivation, one could only be slaughtered by others.
Even though he was still a Duke, various crises came knocking, and he couldn't keep his title at all.
Furthermore, the physical difference of a cultivation level dropping to that of an ordinary person is too great; no one can withstand it.
The most obvious difference is in lifespan. For example, Qin Zheng used to be full of energy and vigor, but now she looks like a frail old woman who could die at any moment.
The crying gradually woke Qin Zheng, who opened his eyes groggily: "Is that Xiaoru? I think I heard Xiaoru's voice."
"Father, it's me." Qin Wanru knelt down beside him, holding his hand tightly, and couldn't help but sob.
“Grandpa!” Chu Huanzhao and Chu Youzhao also knelt down in front of him with a thud, surrounding him and shedding tears uncontrollably.
"Okay, okay..." Qin Zheng said, tears streaming down her face. "I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime."
"Am I dreaming?" Qin Zheng asked, somewhat incredulous.
"No, it was Azu and Principal Jiang who brought us to see you. We're late." Qin Wanru was somewhat regretful. If she hadn't gone to pick up Youzhao but had come directly to the prison, she might have been able to save them.
“Ah Zu,” Qin Zheng looked at Zu An with a complicated expression. Back when he first came to the capital, he looked down on him. The thought of his angelic granddaughter marrying such a guy made him angry. He never expected that Zu An would become more and more powerful, and now he needed Zu An to save him. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” Zu An said in a deep voice, “I’ll go check on Master Qin.”
Qin Zheng sighed: "He's probably in a similar situation to me."
Zuan quickly ran to the next room, and sure enough, Qin Se had also lost all his cultivation. He was no longer the dashing old man he used to be; he had become a decrepit old man as well.
He went back and told everyone what had happened, and Qin Wanru cried even more bitterly.
"Duke Cheng, who on earth caused this to happen to you?" Jiang Luofu's face was icy cold. She had boasted in front of everyone that she had entrusted the people here to take care of them, but who knew it would end like this.
Her father was still a high-ranking official, which proves that some people completely disregarded them.
What angered her even more was that the Qin and Murong families were still unconvinced of their crimes, yet someone was already using the death penalty, showing no regard for the laws of the country!
Qin Se's gaze fell on Ye Ping, who was standing to the side: "He was the one who brought people over just now. The one who made the move was a man in black robes. I don't know who that man is."
All eyes immediately focused on Ye Ping.
Ye Ping's liver trembled, and he hurriedly said, "It has nothing to do with me. I was just following orders."
At this moment, he was completely different from his arrogant and domineering self at the beginning.
Before he could finish speaking, Zu'an had already grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.
Zu An said in a deep voice, "Duke Cheng, I'll kill this man first to avenge you, and then I'll go find the mastermind behind it all!"
Ye Ping was immediately terrified. It seemed that Prince Jin had been strangled to death in the street in the same way before. How could his status and position compare to Prince Jin's?
He was so scared that he wet himself on the spot.
At this moment, Qin Wanru exclaimed and hurriedly grabbed Zu An's hand: "Azu, please don't! He is, after all, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Killing a court official without authorization is a serious crime."
She didn't want to implicate her son-in-law because of her family's affairs. If he ended up having to flee the world, she would truly be letting Chu Yan down and letting him down.
Jiang Luofu also comforted him, saying, "Yes, Ancestor, the matter of killing the Prince of Jin has already caused quite a stir. If you kill the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice this time, the public will probably be even more outraged. Even the position of Chancellor might not be able to protect you."
Zuan said in a deep voice, "I have never done these things because of any status. I am who I am."
Ultimately, his personal strength is his greatest source of confidence. Even if he were not a high-ranking official or a son of a concubine in the Crown Prince's palace, he would not be afraid in the slightest.
“Grandfather, don’t be impulsive,” Qin Zheng said. “If you kill him here, we’ll lose all our rights. In my opinion, we should use your position to report this to the court. Justice will prevail, and I refuse to believe the court can’t give us justice!”
Zu An frowned and said, "Duke, not all justice can be upheld, and the reason you are now in prison is because you trusted the court too much."
Given the strength of the two Dukes of Qin in the military, if they were truly ambitious individuals who wanted to carve out their own territories, the imperial court would not dare to touch them.
They were so loyal that it was too easy for the court to deal with them.
Qin Zheng remained silent for a while before saying, "I have been loyal to the country all my life, but I never expected to lose my honor before my death."
Zuan sighed. Although he didn't agree with his way of thinking, he admired such a person to some extent.
It is precisely because of these seemingly foolish acts of perseverance that so many righteous legends exist in the world.
"Since the Duke has said so, I'll spare your life, but you'll be spared the death penalty, though you won't escape punishment. I'll let you taste the suffering of the Qin family." Zu An coldly looked at Ye Ping, and with a casual wave of his hand, Ye Ping screamed and fell from the air, rolling around on the ground clutching his leg.
Seeing the blood seeping from the trouser legs, it was clear that both legs had been broken.
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Ancestor." Ye Ping said, trying to suppress his screams. He thought he was going to die, but he was spared. Now it seemed like he had gained something.
Anyway, I'm a cultivator with amazing recovery ability. My legs will be fully recovered in half a year. And the other party didn't hold back any hidden strength or anything.
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