Zhao Chang Chun hugged Zhao Jin Yu,

emotionally moved.

His originally thick and broad chest, was now only skin and

bones, as if it would smash with only the lightest push, but this person, had a

compa.s.sionate father’s chest, making Zhao Jin Yu greedily draw warmth from it,

crying increasingly uncontrollably.

Night slowly descended, there were no candles inside the

prison cell, only the small narrow window lent moonlight for them to look at

one another, Zhao Chang Chun smiled and said, “Jin girl, you’re so big already

but still a cry-baby.” Having spoken he wanted to help her wipe her tears, but

in the end he saw his clothes were dirty, his hand was even more filthy, he

slowly lowered the hand he had softly raised, his heart filled with a feeling

of uselessness.

Zhao Jin Yu eyes were swollen like walnuts, but she still

had good eyesight to see her adoptive father’s sense of loss, with not thoughts

or hesitation she moved her face closer, rubbing against his apparent filth

because of living in a prison for a long time and not being able to change

clothes and wash, moreover his clothes emitted a mouldy smell.

“Daddy’s dirty.” Zhao Jin Yu acted like a young daughter,

heart even more aggrieved, the tears he held back finally fell down, he was

afraid this time there were no positive signs, since he entered this prison

cell he had prepared himself to meet death, until he had no extravagant hope, his

wife was the Xu family of Jinling’s first wife’s daughter, her older brother

was also the newly appointed clan leader, naturally he wouldn’t treat her

unfairly, as for his son Zhao Jing Chuan he was a boy, even if he had the label

of being the son of a criminal official, at the very least he could still

continue with his life, all except this adopted daughter, all alone by herself,

stubborn and honest nature, to curry favour by showing obedience, also too

frank nature…, what’s to be her future? The more he thought about it the more

he felt distressed, unable to part with it.

The father and daughter cried for a while holding each other

now it quietened down, especially Zhao Chang Chun, after all he wasn’t an

ordinary person, at a young age he had been a fifth ranked official, if he had

not been linked with the Yan high official corruption case, he would have had

boundless prospects.

“Jin girl, the food you make is tastier than your mother’s.”

Zhao Chang Chun changed into new cotton-padded clothes, he allowed Zhao Jin Yu

to brush his hair, showing a bit of his former cultured and handsome manners, now

with a content expression he ate the rice b.a.l.l.s made by Zhao Jin Yu.

Xu s.h.i.+ was a woman of a prestigious family, leading a

pampered life from childhood, when she had married Zhao Chang Chun she almost

broke off relations with her family, when she was first with Zhao Chang Chun, she

could only learn to cook herself, sew clothes, if the feminine arts would not

work then she can improvise, after all she had learned from childhood, all

except cooking, this past ten years, she still hadn’t made any progress.

Zhao Jin Yu recalled, Zhao Chang Chun thought money and

power will help you in any occupation, occasionally he would go in and out of

Yayuan pleasure house or social interactions, even though he never messed

around he would however carry some smell of cosmetics on his body, Xu s.h.i.+ would

make a bowl of white fungus congee for Zhao Chang Chun to drink without batting

an eyelid, watching Zhao Chang Chun’s face as he drank it down, her expression

would only then faintly relax.

Thinking up to here, the tears she had just stopped again

started falling again.

Nine years went by in a flash, how can her originally serene

and happy life be broken like this so suddenly?

After speaking Zhao Chang Chun obviously also thought of his

wife Xu s.h.i.+…, and seeing Zhao Jin Yu’s tearful outer corner of her eyes, he

sighed, saying, “Jin girl, don’t blame your mother.” Even though he didn’t ask

Zhao Jin Yu what happened, but based on being husband and wife for so many

years, he obviously already caught a glimpse of the whole sequence of events,

“You will soon understand, your mother seems harsh, but in fact she’s acting in

your best interest.”

Zhao Jin Yu hung her head not speaking, the dim moonlight

shone on her face, making her look even more pale and frail.

Zhao Chang Chun heart ached, almost immediately he was

determined, saying, “Jin girl, come to your dad.” Having spoken he looked all

around vigilantly, seeing it was extremely quiet, the prisoners in the prison

cell next door were just fighting over a black steamed bun, the prisoner

opposite had his head down sleeping in the pitch-dark, then did he speak with a

profound gaze, “daddy has hidden a letter inside the house, deliver that letter

to…”

The more Zhao Jin Yu listened, the more serious her

expression.

Zhao Jin Yu was seen off by the jailor Feng Er, Feng Er had

once been shown kindness by Zhao Chang Chun, therefore he always showed some

consideration towards them, this was also the reason why the previous jailor

did not make things difficult for Zhao Jin Yu.

“Young lady, wait a moment, I’ll call for my wife, take you

home together.”

The night had darken, and the outside was also bitterly

cold, Zhao Chang Chun could not be at ease with Zhao Jin Yu walk at night alone,

so he entrusted Feng Er to take his daughter home, Feng Er was after all a man,

so he called for his own wife to go with them, otherwise if people saw a man

and woman alone it would ruin Zhao Jin Yu’s reputation.

Zhao Jin Yu’s brain was in a muddle, because of Zhao Chang

Chun’s words just now, half a beat slow she then said, “Thank you uncle Feng.”

Hearing Zhao Jin Yu call him like this, Feng Er, the seven chi

man somewhat bashfully scratched his head, saying, “It’s fine for the young

lady to call me Feng Er, I’m just a very minor jailer how can I be addressed

like this by you.”

Feng Er’s wife Zhang s.h.i.+ had a suntanned complexion, a

st.u.r.dy and tall woman, when she came she pulled along a mule cart, saying, “Why

are you not smart? The young lady is a sweet fair daughter of an official, how

can she be like our family’s Hong Er such a wild girl, who can walk home by

herself?”

“I didn’t think about it, wife you still think of

everything.” Feng Er with an extremely good temperament laughed, “no wonder

they say my life is good, marrying such a clever wife, truly blessed with a

woman of pure heart and spirit.”

Hearing this Zhang s.h.i.+ looked at Zhao Jin Yu worried,

turning to look at him and scold, “Be serious, carefully take the young lady

back.” Immediately she apologised to Zhao Jin Yu saying, “Young lady, don’t be

angry, my husband is an uneducated person, he speaks crudely.”

Zhao Jin Yu couldn’t help smile at this scene, the anxiety

in her heart also faded quite a lot, they say people in ancient times had many

wives and many concubines, but apart from those influential families with

extravagant lifestyles, the ordinary people were monogamous, honestly and

genuinely live their lives, amongst those there were also not a lack of

henpecked males like Qian Feng Er.

Originally she had thought she would return home very

quickly, who knew having just come out of the alleyway in front their path was

blocked, an Embroidered Uniform Guard wearing feiyu attire leading ordinary soldiers coldly and ruthlessly

berated, “What is your status? Don’t you know there is a nigh curfew not

allowed to go out?”

Feng Er explained for quite a while with a good manner but

still couldn’t make the other person accommodate them, and almost caused them

to be arrested, if it wasn’t for the fact Feng Er was a jailer, showing the name

badge around his waist it really would have been difficult to settle the

matter, finally Zhao Jin Yu under the invitation of the husband and wife,

temporarily stayed at the Zhang house.

Zhao Jin Yu was taken to the main house, bringing over the

house’s best bedding, Zhang s.h.i.+ pulled on Zhao Jin Yu’s lily-white hands,

stopping all her protests, that suntanned face held a solemn seriousness,

“Young lady, you mustn’t treat us as outsiders, if it wasn’t for Lord Zhao

rescuing my nearly frozen husband at that time, I would be a widow now, not

only did Lord w.a.n.g arrange for my husband to work here? Your Zhao family gave

our family a new lease of life, me and my husband, and our child, even if we

worked like an ox in our next life we still wouldn’t be able to repay your

kindness!” Speaking up to here she sighed, glancing at her thin clothes, Zhao

Jin Yu’s thin and pallid expression, her heart both took pity on her, and was

furious, her tone unconsciously became a few octaves higher, “Lord Zhao is a

good person! Many people say him and high official Yan together got hundred

thousands of silver from corruption, but my husband knows, this time he entered

prison, the fact is he couldn’t even raise the money to make things better…”

Zhao Jin Yu also believe Zhao Chang Chun wasn’t that kind of

person, but this was actually the first time she heard such a bright favouring

statement, the rim of her eyes couldn’t help but water, saying, 

“Many came when

we were blessed with double the good fortune, not many provided help in our

hour of need, I thank you on my father’s behalf.”

Zhang s.h.i.+’s heart ached when she saw tears fill Zhao Jin

Yu’s eyelashes, comfortingly saying, “Young lady don’t be too broken-hearted,

there will be one day Lord Zhao’s name will be cleared, the whole truth will be

revealed, the truth will come to light.”

Zhao Jin Yu knew most of Zhang s.h.i.+’s words were to comfort

her, and did not say much else, waiting until she got into bed, blowing out the

candle, but she couldn’t sleep.

Yesterday she had also heard from next door’s Zhang Zhi s.h.i.+

say, there were a lot of implications with this case, even Ningguo princess’s

son had been taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guards…, and suggested to

her, this case seems like a corruption case, but was actually different, there

were other hidden motives.

Thinking up to here, Zhao Jin Yu again unconsciously worried

about the thing her adoptive father Zhao Chang Chun’s careful and insistent

instructions, what exactly was written inside that letter? Why would there be

such importance attached to it? So much so that even mother Xu s.h.i.+ wasn’t told?

With these chaotic train of thoughts, Zhao Jin Yu slowly

joined the land of dreams.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Jin Yu woke up to the sound

of a sharp weeping noise, it was brightly lit outside, “My Lord, my daughter is

to marry tomorrow, she hasn’t done anything, how can you just arrest her like

that?” The usually straightforward Zhang s.h.i.+, her voice held a bit of rare

panic.

Very quickly the cold and ruthless voice of a man could be

heard, “Is your daughter’s name Zhang Hong?”

“She is called that…”

“Is the head of your household’s surname Feng, why is your

daughter’s surname Zhang?”

Very soon Feng Er’s eager explanation could be heard, “I’m

the son-in-law that married into the family, my daughter therefore follows my

wife’s surname.”

“Oh, so it’s like that.”

“My Lord, this is to show a little bit of my respect…”

“Get lost, only two silvers? Do you take me as a dest.i.tute

beggar to be made to leave? Tell me does your family have a first-rate jade

pendant? Hehehe, that also won’t do!” The man’s voice ceased resolutely, even

more indifferent like ice, “this is our commander’s order, not a single person

can be let off! Come, arrest them.”

“Dad, mother…, wuwu…”

“This is my family’s jade pendant pa.s.sed on from generation

to generation, reportedly it’s worth quite a few tens of silver, my Lord is

this fine with you, just turn a blind eye!”

It was quiet inside the courtyard for a while, but very

quickly an even more piercing wail was heard, “It’s not that I don’t want to

let your daughter off, if you need to blame something blame that your daughter

has such a name, I won’t hide from you, today so long as a girl has this name,

they will be arrested!”

A quiver worked itself up Zhao Jin Yu, with quick steps she

reached the window, for some reason she didn’t hear the other words clearly,

however the two words Zhang Hong was like a thorn, suddenly stabbing her heart.

What was this all about?

She had just told the stone yesterday of this name, today

early morning the Embroidered Uniform Guards started interrogating the whole city!

On the other side Feng Er because his daughter was taken

away, was covered in a gloomy cloud, a depressing mood, and Zhao Jin Yu’s house

was also not peaceful, after the emperor opened his eyes 

he discovered, the

house was completely empty without a single person, bouncing around in circles

for half the day, and very haughtily threatening Zhao Jin Yu if she dared to

hide then she will…, who would have imagined that girl would disappear!

The weather after snowing was very cold, the underfloor

heating in the house was not lit, and there was no wood charcoal, the bone

piercing winter night wind was like a knife stabbing into a person’s body,

thinking about it when he was in the palace, he didn’t feel the eerie coldness

of the palace hall was difficult to bear, since changing into a stone he

couldn’t even stand the slightest chilliness.

The anger in his heart surged forth, hard to control, the

emperor gritted his teeth saying, “We will make life living h.e.l.l!” His stomach

hungry rumbled incessantly, the emperor thought of that dish which looked alike

by the imperial kitchen, but eating the potato stewed with meat it was not to

his liking at all, he felt more and more angry.

Two hours pa.s.sed.

Four hours pa.s.sed.

Six hours pa.s.sed.

The emperor’s fierce expression lost its intensity, it

somewhat wilted, in low spirits he returned to bed, covering himself with the

handkerchief Zhao Jin Yu had given him as a quilt, sticking out half his body,

absent-mindedly he looked outside.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was too…hungry.