The smile on Han Liqing's face slowly faded. "I've let her down. I'm grateful for her taking care of my child, but that's all."
Shen Huaixu looked at her steadily for a long time before saying, "You seem more relaxed than when you were at the Qiao family."
"You're joking, County Master. How can you relax while you're imprisoned?"
"That's not necessarily true. When you're imprisoned, you can still reminisce about the beautiful mountains and rivers you once saw. But when your heart is imprisoned, you have to be careful and vigilant at all times."
A hint of surprise crossed Han Liqing's face. "The first time I saw the County Master, I felt she was extraordinary. I never expected her to be so knowledgeable about people's hearts at such a young age."
"I used to read people's faces more often, so it's no surprise that I understand more now."
"The county lady is not afraid of me?"
Shen Huaixu was puzzled, "Why should I be afraid?"
Han Liqing slowly raised her hands, "My hands are stained with blood."
"The naked eye cannot see through the human heart, and those who kill are not necessarily bad people."
Han Liqing looked at Chen Huaixu and suddenly laughed out loud. The laughter became louder and louder, attracting the jailer to look around. However, because Chen Huaixu was still there, he did not dare to come forward.
After laughing, Han Liqing wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her eyes softened a little when she looked at Shen Huaixu.
"Does the county lady have time to listen to a story?"
A quarter of an hour later, Shen Huaixu and Han Liqing sat face to face in the cell, with the wine and food that Shen Huaixu brought in front of them.
Han Liqing poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. After savoring it for a long time, he said, "The county lady is very thoughtful. How can a dying person deserve such good wine?"
Chen Huaixu curled his lips but said nothing.
"Does the county lady know my origin?"
Shen Huaixu shook his head.
Han Liqing looked hazy as he recalled the past.
"I was born into the Han family of Shaozhou. My father was a minor official under the jurisdiction of Shaozhou. When I was young, I was loved by my parents and grew up carefree until I reached the age of marriage.
Because of my good looks, countless people came to my house every day to propose marriage. My father and mother were very worried about my marriage. After much deliberation, they chose Gu Sanlang from the Gu family in Shaozhou. He is not really good-looking, but ever since I met him by chance, I have been attracted to him..."
Soon, the two families decided on a marriage.
The Qiao family was a wealthy family in Shaozhou at that time. Since they had just started their business, Mr. Qiao Changsong often had to make deals with his superiors. As a result, the two families had frequent interactions.
Whenever Han Liqing saw Qiao Changsong, he would respectfully call him "Uncle Qiao".
Unfortunately, the very year the Han and Gu families were about to marry, the border war intensified, requiring troops and food supplies. Shaozhou was close to the battlefield, and the Gu family was full of military commanders, so they naturally felt obliged to help. So, after a private meeting with Han Liqing, Gu Sanlang followed his father and brother to the battlefield.
He never came back.
Afterwards, the previous dynasty was destroyed, and Han Liqing's parents both died of acute illness in those years, leaving Han Liqing and his brother and sister-in-law to depend on each other.
At this time, Qiao Changsong, who had not been seen for a long time, appeared again. His first wife had just passed away, and he came to ask for Han Liqing's hand in marriage.
Not to mention Han Liqing, even Han Liqing's brother and sister-in-law were shocked. Although the Han family had declined, Han Liqing's brother was preparing for the imperial examination in the new dynasty. With time, he might be able to secure a share of the family business.
Besides, Qiao Changsong was already in his forties at that time, and he and Han Liqing were not a good match in any way, so the Han family refused without a second thought.
"Then, for some reason, my brother got involved in gambling." Han Liqing smiled bitterly. "By the time my sister-in-law and I noticed, it was too late to stop him. Originally, with the little property our parents had accumulated over the years and the support of my sister-in-law's family, my brother would most likely have been able to get a government job. But after he got involved in gambling, his mind was no longer on studying, and he also swallowed up the family business.
This went on for a long time. The sister-in-law was at her wit's end. In despair, she decided to divorce her brother. The brother finally realized his mistake, but it was too late. Overwhelmed with remorse, he threw himself into the river.
Han Liqing drank another glass of wine with shaking hands. "After my brother passed away, Qiao Changsong came to my door every day to express his feelings for me. I only treated him as an elder, so how could I have any other feelings for him? But when I reported him to the authorities, they didn't care, and my reputation continued to deteriorate. At that time, I really wanted to jump into a well and die."
"Later, I left Shaozhou and came to the capital. I had nothing and eventually fell into prostitution. At that time, I kept thinking, if I had followed Qiao Changsong, would I not be so miserable?
Later, Qiao Changsong came to the capital and became an imperial merchant. We met in a brothel and he wanted to redeem me, and I agreed. I should have accepted my fate, but, but…”
Han Liqing's hand holding the wine jug was shaking more and more, and his eyes were red as if dripping blood. "This man is a beast! He thinks I don't know anything, but he has a problem, he likes to talk in his sleep.
I finally realized that my brother's gambling addiction was his. He had been attracted to me since I was little—this bastard, he loved young girls the most. It was only because I was pretty that he couldn't get me out of his mind.
"In order not to wrongly accuse him, I later checked. That casino is still owned by the Qiao family..." Han Liqing looked at Shen Huaixu, her eyes red, and every word she spoke was like a sob. "My brother and his wife divorced, and my brother committed suicide because of him. How can I not hate him? But he is now an imperial merchant, and my brother's death was not his own doing. I know I can't do anything to him."
Han Liqing burst into laughter the moment she shed tears, her smile still full of charm. "The only good thing is that I became his bedmate. If I wanted to, I could take his life at any time. Unfortunately, it didn't go as I wished. I got pregnant."
"This child might be the only one I'll ever have. I couldn't sleep every day, constantly trying to make excuses for him. Finally, I gave up on killing him so my child would have a father.
But he shouldn't have, ever, ever suspected me of cheating on him, shouldn't have suspected the child wasn't his. He said he was going to throw the child to death—I was afraid he'd gone crazy. After hearing that, I took a hairpin and stabbed it into his neck. He died, and what I felt wasn't fear, but relief.
Han Liqing wiped the tears from her cheeks, her previously frantic emotions buried beneath her drooping eyes. Her tone became calmer, "This beast has a house in Changping County where he keeps several girls under the age of ten. I hope the county lady will order someone to rescue them. This will be a blessing for my son."
Shen Huaixu stood up, looked at the woman who was pretending to be calm with complicated eyes, and said slowly: "I will."
Just as she was about to open the prison door and leave, a voice called her again, "County Lady, please don't tell Baozhu what I said. Her father is a beast, and she is a good..."
Chen Huaixu tilted his head slightly, "You two seem to get along well. After the incident at the house in Changping County was exposed, Qiao Changsong's reputation will be ruined."
After saying that, she left.
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