Chapter 232: Deep Love between Father and Daughter
Shen Ning went back to the Queen Mother to rest and think of a solution, but as soon as she returned, she learned from the Queen Mother that Shen Xiuhe was imprisoned.
Shen Xiuhe is the Minister of the Honglu Temple, and is in charge of the reception of the Yuan Dynasty envoys. Xu Zhiyi, ordered by the emperor to investigate from last night to early morning, finally found a clue: the assassin had sneaked in by taking the identity documents of the ceremonial guard welcoming the Yuan Dynasty envoys.
Those documents all had the seal of the Honglu Temple, and the seal of the Honglu Temple was in Shen Xiuhe's hands.
Shen Xiuhe argued that the funds were stolen by a subordinate who committed suicide out of fear of punishment when he was found. However, one-sided statements are difficult to verify, and poor supervision cannot absolve him of guilt.
"Chen Nian is about to marry, at this time, Shen Xiuhe's crime will be punished less severely."
The Queen Mother said to Shen Ning, "He will probably be exiled... He will be escorted back to the capital this afternoon. If you want to see him, I will send someone to take you there."
In the eyes of the Queen Mother, Shen Xiuhe is Shen Ning's biological father after all, and Shen Ning would not care at all no matter what, so she proposed to take Shen Ning to meet him.
Shen Ning really didn't have any feelings for Shen Xiuhe...but she did want to meet Shen Xiuhe.
Recent events have indicated that there might be some secret between Shen Xiuhe and the Queen, so she wants to give it a try.
"Thank you, Queen Mother." Shen Ning thanked her.
"Don't try this on me from now on."
The Queen Mother snorted, then asked, "How's things going with the Seventh Brother?"
Chen Ning sighed and told the Queen Mother about Xiao Nanchen being poisoned. The Queen Mother frowned upon hearing this: "Although I am also angry at Old Seven's rebellious nature, but he... Sigh, even if I don't want to admit it, I have to admit it. The Great Xuan Dynasty cannot do without Old Seven now, so why did he have to be in trouble..."
Shen Ning fell silent.
After a pause, she gathered her spirits and said, "Queen Mother, I have something I want to ask for your help."
The Queen Mother looked suspicious. "What is it that requires you to beg me so solemnly?"
Shen Ning approached the Queen Mother and whispered her plan. The Queen Mother frowned after listening: "Now that Shen Nian has been decided to marry, Shen Xiuhe has been convicted. The Great Xuan Dynasty will naturally not allow the daughter of a criminal to marry... She has already been given the title of Princess, so even changing her father is easy. Why are you going to do this?"
Shen Ning explained in a low voice: "I have my own plans, please help me."
The Queen Mother glanced at her, then raised her chin and said, "Alright, I'll have someone do it. You just wait."
Shen Ning nodded quickly: "Thank you."
Not long after, Shen Nian was brought before the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother was frightened last night and was already exhausted. She looked a little impatient: "Do you know why I summoned you here?"
Shen Nian knelt below, looking terrified: "Your servant does not know."
"Your father is in prison. You are no longer a servant, but the daughter of a guilty minister..."
Chen Nian quickly confessed her crime, and was filled with panic and didn't know what to do when she heard the Queen Mother slowly explain the whole story: How could the daughter of a guilty minister marry into the Yuan Dynasty with the dignity of a princess!
But before Chen Nian could be happy that she didn't have to marry into a foreign alliance, she heard the Queen Mother's words, which meant that she now had two choices: because she had already had a relationship with Mu Huali, but now she was the daughter of a criminal, she could not marry into Mu Huali's marriage to become his princess. The court could only appoint a new princess for the marriage, and she would be sent to the Yuan Dynasty along with the newly appointed princess. She would no longer be the principal wife, but a princess who came with the dowry.
There is also a second way, which is for her to sever her relationship with Shen Xiuhe. The Queen Mother will arrange to find a noble family for her to marry into, and she can marry into the Yuan Dynasty with a new identity and become Mu Huali's principal wife.
Therefore, she had only two choices: either go to the Yuan Dynasty as a dowry maid as the daughter of a criminal, or sever her relationship with Shen Xiuhe and continue to be the principal wife of the Yuan Dynasty with a new identity.
In fact, after Shen Xiuhe was convicted, it was decided to arrange a new identity for Shen Nian. The court had no intention of harming any other noble lady. This was just a means for the Queen Mother to help Shen Ning intimidate Shen Nian.
And Shen Nian was obviously frightened.
After all, she didn't know what kind of torture she would have to endure if she married into the Yuan Dynasty's crown prince's wife. If she became a dowry maid, she would probably live a life worse than death.
Shen Nian kowtowed to the Queen Mother, her whole body trembling. "Please have mercy on me, Queen Mother. If I become a maidservant, I will have no way out."
This is the second option.
The Queen Mother looked down at her condescendingly and said, "I cannot bear to see you ruin the rest of your life. In that case, I will send someone to take you to see your father... We are father and daughter, so kowtow to him. It won't be long before he is exiled."
Shen Nian's originally tense heart suddenly relaxed, and she kowtowed vigorously: "Your servant thanks the Queen Mother for her mercy, Your servant thanks the Queen Mother for her mercy."
The Queen Mother closed her eyes and waved her hand, and the palace maid helped Shen Nian up and took her out.
After breakfast, Shen Ning was taken to the dungeon of the palace under the arrangement of the Queen Mother.
In a cell, Shen Xiuhe sat there silently, his face dejected.
Just now, his daughter Shen Nian came to kowtow to him, begging for his forgiveness, and said that she would sever ties with him, otherwise she would become a dowry maid and be sent to the Yuan Dynasty.
"Father, if I can't become your wife, I will have no way to survive. Please forgive me."
Shen Nian cried bitterly, while Shen Xiuhe smiled bitterly and forgave her.
He is already a sinner, so how can he implicate his daughter as well?
However, it was still a bit sad that his daughter had come to sever ties with him just after he was convicted an hour ago...
Shen Ning slowly approached and stood outside the cell.
Shen Xiuhe noticed someone and looked up. When he saw it was Shen Ning, he immediately showed a look of surprise: "Ningning."
Shen Ning didn't say anything, just looked at him, tears slowly rolling down...more and more.
Seeing Shen Ning crying silently and so heartbreakingly, Shen Xiuhe froze and was a little at a loss for a moment.
The daughter doesn't really hate him, nor does she have no feelings for him at all, so why is she crying?
And she cried so sadly.
"Ever since I was little, I've wondered why other people's parents love their children, but my parents treated me like that..."
"They had no clothes to cover their bodies, no food to eat, and even in the coldest months of winter, they had no shoes to wear. They had to chop ice from the river to wash clothes, and their bodies were covered in sores from the cold."
"I was sold when I was less than fifteen. After my husband died, my parents wanted to sell me to a street bully..."
"I've been wondering why my parents treated me like this..."
Shen Xiuhe's lips moved, and a hint of pain and guilt welled up in his eyes.
"Ningning, I'm sorry."
Even though he had not raised her by his side, the love between father and daughter was limited, but at this moment, looking at the girl who was whispering and crying, perhaps because of the blood relationship, Shen Xiuhe finally felt guilty.
He said, "Ningning, I'm sorry."
"When my mother found me, I was really happy. It wasn't that my parents didn't love me, it was just that they weren't my parents. I actually have my own parents... My parents, like everyone else's, must love and dote on me."
Shen Ning closed her eyes: "But later I found out that after I was kidnapped, my biological father took another child and raised him in my mother's care, completely replacing my existence."
She curled her lips and said, "During those ten years when I was living a life worse than death, my biological father carefully raised and loved another person... Dad, tell me, how could I not hate him?"
Shen Xiuhe looked bitter.
"But, the more I hate you, the more I expect you to treat me like you treat Shen Nian, to hold me in your hands, to comfort me from the pain of living a life worse than death for more than ten years... But, you don't care about me at all, not at all."
Shen Ning laughed at herself and said, "You knew I was being bullied and framed... but you were like an unrelated outsider, watching coldly. Dad, I am your daughter. I have gone through so much hardship to return to the home I have always dreamed of, but you don't care about me at all."
She took a deep breath and held back her tears: "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you don't care about me. I will prove to you that I am no worse than your beloved Shen Nian... Now, do you see it?"
Shen Ning raised her chin, like a childish girl showing off in front of her father, declaring her victory, but at the same time it was difficult to hide the grievance in her heart.
"It doesn't matter if you don't love my mother or me... or if you don't care about us. From now on, my mother won't have to cry secretly hoping you'll change your mind and leave that disgusting family behind and come back to us. I won't long for a father of my own anymore, ever again!"
She sobbed and said, "I begged His Royal Highness Prince Ding to have someone look after you during your exile. This is my way of repaying your kindness in giving birth to me."
Chen Ning couldn't stop crying, looking very sad.
Chen Xiuhe looked at his daughter and thought about how Chen Nian had come to see him crying just a moment ago, but she didn't ask him where he would go. Instead, she couldn't wait to sever ties with him, the sinner, to save her own future. Chen Xiuhe felt a strong sense of self-mockery in his heart.
It seemed as if he was wrong from the very beginning, and the things he wanted to grasp were getting farther and farther away.
Yes, if something is built on falsehood from the beginning, how can it be true?
"Ningning, it's Dad who's sorry for you." Shen Xiuhe's voice was hoarse.
In one sentence, Shen Ning burst into tears.
"I just want to ask you one question."
She looked at Shen Xiuhe, sniffed, and then asked in a trembling voice: "I was abducted when I was born... Did you hold me after I was born?"
With just one sentence, Shen Xiuhe was hit hard, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
It was as if at this moment he remembered that he had also hugged Shen Ning in the past.
That pink little baby is his daughter with his wife. The first son, Shen Chengxi, is very naughty, and the second child is a delicate and beautiful daughter.
He also imagined that in a few years, he would hold his daughter in his arms in the study and teach her to write... hold her in his arms and watch the moon, snow, and fireworks...
Shen Xiuhe's entire body began to tremble, and he lowered his head to cover his face.
Chen Ning said in a bitter and trembling voice: "If I hadn't been kidnapped and separated from you and mother, Dad, we should have been a very happy father and daughter, and you would have loved me too..."
With just one word, a painful whimper escaped from Shen Xiuhe's throat.
"sorry……"
"Ningning, Daddy is sorry for you."
"Dad is sorry for you..."
Shen Ning said softly: "I forgive you, Dad, you are my biological father, I forgive you."
Shen Xiuhe was deeply saddened: "No, no, no..."
In the past few days, ever since he received the paper from the Queen, Shen Xiuhe has understood that his life is in danger.
But he had no choice.
Ever since he was bewildered enough to accept the olive branch extended by the Queen many years ago, it was destined to be a dead end.
"Ningning, when you marry Prince Ding... be careful of the Queen."
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