The burly woman stumbled as the girl made a fuss, and a man nearby rushed forward to help restrain the girl.
The woman pulled her hand away and slapped the girl across the face. "You little slut, your father and I raised you with so much care and hardship, and you elope with someone at such a young age."
Your grandma was so angry with you that she was on her last breath. Aren't you coming home with us to see her one last time?
Helian Qing was furious.
He didn't know either of them at all—no eloping with someone, no grandmother getting sick from anger.
He had finally managed to sneak into the capital without his grandfather's knowledge, and was just about to enter the city when this woman suddenly hugged him.
It's unclear what was on the woman's handkerchief, but she simply covered his mouth, and he lost his strength.
At this moment, he realized that he had encountered the human traffickers his grandfather had mentioned.
"Let me go! Let me go! I don't know you! You're all human traffickers! How dare you kidnap me! You'll regret this!"
The man's face was full of disappointment, and he cursed, "Is that man so good that you don't even want your family? I think your mother is right, you deserve a beating."
The woman quickly chimed in, "It's all because you and your mother-in-law spoil her. You give her all the good food and clothes, making her arrogant and ignorant, without any filial piety."
She'll make up anything for a man these days, even claiming her parents were human traffickers. You unfilial wretch, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?
"If lightning is going to strike, it will strike you first. You think you can be my parents?"
Helian Qing continued shouting, but he had never encountered such a situation before, and his retorts were limited to what he could say.
It was early morning, just as the city gates opened. Most of the people there were poor villagers carrying their produce into the city to sell. Seeing that the three were dressed better than them and that their parents were taking care of their daughter, no one stepped forward.
Helian Qing felt that the people in the capital were really heartless, which was nothing like what his grandfather had described.
But she couldn't care less about cursing her old man now; she could only desperately shout, "Help! Help! Human traffickers are trying to sell someone! I'm really not their daughter! Help!"
He then cursed at the two men who were holding him captive, "I'm warning you, you'd better let me go, or you can't sell me."
Snap!
The man slapped Helian Qing across the face, saying, "You shameless bastard, how could I have given birth to such a shameless daughter?"
How come this seemingly delicate girl has such a fiery temper and keeps calling herself "Young Master"?
The man didn't want to attract more attention and wanted to knock Helian Qing unconscious with a slap, so he used all his strength.
Helian Qing was stunned by the attack, but fortunately, a city guard finally came over.
The soldier frowned. "What exactly happened? She said she's not your daughter?"
The two were not intimidated at all. The woman said, "Sir, we have ruined our child. He has eloped with a scholar."
We finally found her and managed to separate her from Na Xiu. Now she resents us and doesn't even recognize her parents.
But in all honesty, she truly is our daughter; otherwise, we wouldn't have dared to take her home in broad daylight.
The soldiers were skeptical.
Helian Qing finally saw a glimmer of hope for escape and hurriedly said to the soldiers, "Don't listen to her nonsense. I'm not a girl at all. I'm a man, a genuine man."
"That's enough, how long are you going to keep making a scene?"
The man suddenly became angry, "First he denied us, then he said we were human traffickers, and now he's even saying he's not a woman."
"My own child, how could I not know whether it's a boy or a girl? Are you going to strip naked in public? Are you going to completely disgrace the Zhang family before you're satisfied?"
Helian Qing, "..."
He really can take his clothes off.
But the woman didn't give him a chance. She hugged him, cupped his face, and brought the handkerchief in her hand close to Helian Qing's nose.
He spoke earnestly, "My dear daughter, your father used to love you the most. He wouldn't even bear to touch your finger. This time, you've really broken his heart."
You can't just act recklessly because your family loves you. That scholar is penniless; he only cheated you, a naive child, because he's after your family's money.
Now that your parents have given him money, have you seen him come out and even glance at you?
"You're only twelve years old, not even of marriageable age yet, my dear girl. Stop making a fuss. Come home with your parents, and when you grow up, we'll let you choose a husband you like, okay?"
Helian Qing's sense of powerlessness grew stronger and stronger.
The man then took out his household registration documents and handed them to the soldier, saying, "These are my wife's and my household registrations. The child was stolen from us and we didn't bring her with us, but she really is our child."
The soldier looked closely at Helian Qing: red lips, white teeth, oval face, and a widow's peak.
Although she doesn't resemble either of the two women, she definitely has the appearance of a girl.
Then the child's words could not be trusted. Seeing that both the woman and the man looked disappointed and angry with the child, she returned the household registration to the man.
“Since she is your daughter, reason with her properly and stop hitting her. Go home.”
Helian Qing was biting his tongue to stay awake when he heard these words. His vision went black and he almost fainted.
How did she become their daughter?
Is this soldier's eye just for show? Does he even resemble them in any way?
How could these two possibly produce a child as handsome and dashing as him?
And his father was a hero who died defending his country in the Battle of Shacheng, and his mother was a beauty of unparalleled grace. What are these two?
Ye Zhen spoke up at this moment, "Wait, what evidence do you have to prove that she is your daughter?"
She watched for a while and made a judgment in her mind: "This child does not resemble you in any way. She is wearing the finest brocade, while you are wearing ordinary silk."
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