Last Meal (Part Four)
The sound of a girl crying came from inside the prison.
The private prison in Marquis Gu’s Manor was not large, and it was very rarely used to imprison anyone. As a result, it was very empty.
This happened to be when the night was darkest and the wind fiercest. This made the girl’s cries sound even more ghostly.
“Ting’er, don’t cry.”
Qi Zhou placed the food basket on the table, and the fragrance of the food spread. They were all of the foods that Qi Ting liked eating.
He pulled out some chopsticks and was about to place them on the table, but after a bit of thought, he did not feel at ease and simply placed them on the bowl.
“Go ahead and eat. Dad came to see you in secret. If we’re discovered, you won’t be able to eat.”
“Dad!”
The crying came to an abrupt end, as Qi Zhou quickly covered up Qi Ting’s mouth when she cried out.
“Keep it down! It was hard for dad to come and see you. If you attract any attention, it would be terrible!”
Qi Ting cried for a little longer before finally calming down, “Dad, have things gotten that bad for us? Grandfather is someone who has worked in this manor for his entire life. Even Lord Marquis gives him a bit of face! Although I came back under someone else’s direction, I did not have a chance to sell out Lord Marquis. Why have I been locked up here for over a month!”
Qi Zhou’s heart also ached for his daughter, handing the chopsticks to her, “Eat first, eat first.”
During her time in prison, Qi Ting was given very little to eat. Upon seeing all of the meat and fish, she began wolfing it down, “Don’t blame Lord Marquis. Naturally, Lord Marquis will give your grandfather a bit of face, but there is a difference between master and servant. The more he gives him face, the less he needs to do it in the future. This time… your grandfather did not speak up for you at all.”
“What?!”
Qi Ting was sullen, “Is he still my grandfather or not? Does he want me to die here? What a ferocious old man…”
Qi Zhou angrily glared at her, “With you doing such a dreadful thing, why did you not consider whether or not your grandfather and I could be implicated? You’re the one with a ferocious mind!”
“Dad, I didn’t. How could I implicate you and grandfather? Prime Minister Yin said that as long as I helped him, he would definitely protect our family and make us wealthy!”
Moonlight entered the room through a small window, and the bars in the window created a shadow that made her expression looked very twisted.
Qi Zhou looked at her face in shock, as the feelings of grief were made apparent on his brow.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“It, it’s nothing. Dad was just thinking that regardless of what you did, Lord Marquis would not implicate me or your grandfather. After all, we have served the manor for many decades, but you are different…”
A bad feeling filled Qi Ting. She looked at the delicious foods placed on the table and recalled that this was the first time that Qi Zhou had come to visit her since her imprisonment. He even brought such delicious food with him…
Her entire body shuddered.
“Dad, this shouldn’t be a last meal, right?”
Qi Zhou remained silent and raise his head to look at her.
“Dad! Save me! Save me! I don’t want to die!”
After a long while, Qi Zhou tidied up the leftovers on the table and placed them back into the basket, returning the table to the same state that it had been in when he first arrived.
Qi Ting tightly hugged his arm, “Dad!”
“There’s no need to say anything else. Something has happened at the manor recently. Prime Minister Yin has too many people watching, and Lord Marquis is troubled by this the most. Third young sir will be going to the border shortly. This matter is now pressing, or he would not be forced to have you killed… If there is anything to blame, it would be you choosing to follow the wrong path.”
“Dad, I don’t want to die! I’m begging you. Go and plead Lord Marquis for forgiveness! Try and persuade grandfather!”
She was hysterical and was choked with sobs. Why was this not the case for Qi Zhou?
He forcefully broke free from Qi Ting’s grasp, “For the sake of being able to send you off, I dismissed all of the prison’s guards. I have already expended all of my affection as a father. Your mother and I have already decided to have another child and properly raise them. We absolutely will not allow them to become like you!”
After saying this, he strode out of the room. The food basket created a bit of a racket, betraying his feelings of guilt.
“Dad, dad!”
Qi Ting could not get him to stay any longer, and the sound of her voice echoed inside the prison. It sounded like a ghostly wail that belonged to an abandoned graveyard.
She suddenly remembered something.
Qi Zhou had just said that he had dismissed the prison’s guards for the sake of bringing her the food basket…
Carrying the food basket out of the prison, Qi Zhou wiped away the tears on his face and saw Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu admiring the flowers beneath the tree.
He stepped forward and saluted. The two noticed the tears on his face and felt a little melancholic.
“The matter has been taken care of. Eldest young sir, please be at ease.”
Gu ShuBai spoke in a heavy voice: “Steward Qi, this time, it will depend on her choice. If she feels remorseful, we will consider the positions of you and the old steward and forgive her past misdeeds. If she wants to sell out third brother…”
He stopped there, as saying too much would just be hurtful.
How could Qi Zhou not know?
He bowed deeply, “Regardless of what she chooses, this servant will first thank eldest young sir for giving her this chance.”
Gu ShuBai nodded, and the person carrying the food basket left in the direction that he had come from.
He was both a loyal servant and a loving father. When the two came into conflict, loyalty won out.
Yu Fu could not help but feel emotional, “Marquis Gu’s Manor’s servants really are loyal. Only a righteous and noble official like the head general is able to have such loyal servants.”
Gu ShuBai laughed and said: “Loyalty is a quality that is inherited most easily. Everyone in the Gu family army revere’s father’s character. This is also true of the old steward and steward Qi. Unfortunately, they did not do a good job of raising their daughter.”
Yu Fu looked at him in confusion, “Eldest brother means to say that Qi Ting is certain to not feel remorse?”
Last Meal (Part Four)
The sound of a girl crying came from inside the prison.
The private prison in Marquis Gu’s Manor was not large, and it was very rarely used to imprison anyone. As a result, it was very empty.
This happened to be when the night was darkest and the wind fiercest. This made the girl’s cries sound even more ghostly.
“Ting’er, don’t cry.”
Qi Zhou placed the food basket on the table, and the fragrance of the food spread. They were all of the foods that Qi Ting liked eating.
He pulled out some chopsticks and was about to place them on the table, but after a bit of thought, he did not feel at ease and simply placed them on the bowl.
“Go ahead and eat. Dad came to see you in secret. If we’re discovered, you won’t be able to eat.”
“Dad!”
The crying came to an abrupt end, as Qi Zhou quickly covered up Qi Ting’s mouth when she cried out.
“Keep it down! It was hard for dad to come and see you. If you attract any attention, it would be terrible!”
Qi Ting cried for a little longer before finally calming down, “Dad, have things gotten that bad for us? Grandfather is someone who has worked in this manor for his entire life. Even Lord Marquis gives him a bit of face! Although I came back under someone else’s direction, I did not have a chance to sell out Lord Marquis. Why have I been locked up here for over a month!”
Qi Zhou’s heart also ached for his daughter, handing the chopsticks to her, “Eat first, eat first.”
During her time in prison, Qi Ting was given very little to eat. Upon seeing all of the meat and fish, she began wolfing it down, “Don’t blame Lord Marquis. Naturally, Lord Marquis will give your grandfather a bit of face, but there is a difference between master and servant. The more he gives him face, the less he needs to do it in the future. This time… your grandfather did not speak up for you at all.”
“What?!”
Qi Ting was sullen, “Is he still my grandfather or not? Does he want me to die here? What a ferocious old man…”
Qi Zhou angrily glared at her, “With you doing such a dreadful thing, why did you not consider whether or not your grandfather and I could be implicated? You’re the one with a ferocious mind!”
“Dad, I didn’t. How could I implicate you and grandfather? Prime Minister Yin said that as long as I helped him, he would definitely protect our family and make us wealthy!”
Moonlight entered the room through a small window, and the bars in the window created a shadow that made her expression looked very twisted.
Qi Zhou looked at her face in shock, as the feelings of grief were made apparent on his brow.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“It, it’s nothing. Dad was just thinking that regardless of what you did, Lord Marquis would not implicate me or your grandfather. After all, we have served the manor for many decades, but you are different…”
A bad feeling filled Qi Ting. She looked at the delicious foods placed on the table and recalled that this was the first time that Qi Zhou had come to visit her since her imprisonment. He even brought such delicious food with him…
Her entire body shuddered.
“Dad, this shouldn’t be a last meal, right?”
Qi Zhou remained silent and raise his head to look at her.
“Dad! Save me! Save me! I don’t want to die!”
After a long while, Qi Zhou tidied up the leftovers on the table and placed them back into the basket, returning the table to the same state that it had been in when he first arrived.
Qi Ting tightly hugged his arm, “Dad!”
“There’s no need to say anything else. Something has happened at the manor recently. Prime Minister Yin has too many people watching, and Lord Marquis is troubled by this the most. Third young sir will be going to the border shortly. This matter is now pressing, or he would not be forced to have you killed… If there is anything to blame, it would be you choosing to follow the wrong path.”
“Dad, I don’t want to die! I’m begging you. Go and plead Lord Marquis for forgiveness! Try and persuade grandfather!”
She was hysterical and was choked with sobs. Why was this not the case for Qi Zhou?
He forcefully broke free from Qi Ting’s grasp, “For the sake of being able to send you off, I dismissed all of the prison’s guards. I have already expended all of my affection as a father. Your mother and I have already decided to have another child and properly raise them. We absolutely will not allow them to become like you!”
After saying this, he strode out of the room. The food basket created a bit of a racket, betraying his feelings of guilt.
“Dad, dad!”
Qi Ting could not get him to stay any longer, and the sound of her voice echoed inside the prison. It sounded like a ghostly wail that belonged to an abandoned graveyard.
She suddenly remembered something.
Qi Zhou had just said that he had dismissed the prison’s guards for the sake of bringing her the food basket…
Carrying the food basket out of the prison, Qi Zhou wiped away the tears on his face and saw Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu admiring the flowers beneath the tree.
He stepped forward and saluted. The two noticed the tears on his face and felt a little melancholic.
“The matter has been taken care of. Eldest young sir, please be at ease.”
Gu ShuBai spoke in a heavy voice: “Steward Qi, this time, it will depend on her choice. If she feels remorseful, we will consider the positions of you and the old steward and forgive her past misdeeds. If she wants to sell out third brother…”
He stopped there, as saying too much would just be hurtful.
How could Qi Zhou not know?
He bowed deeply, “Regardless of what she chooses, this servant will first thank eldest young sir for giving her this chance.”
Gu ShuBai nodded, and the person carrying the food basket left in the direction that he had come from.
He was both a loyal servant and a loving father. When the two came into conflict, loyalty won out.
Yu Fu could not help but feel emotional, “Marquis Gu’s Manor’s servants really are loyal. Only a righteous and noble official like the head general is able to have such loyal servants.”
Gu ShuBai laughed and said: “Loyalty is a quality that is inherited most easily. Everyone in the Gu family army revere’s father’s character. This is also true of the old steward and steward Qi. Unfortunately, they did not do a good job of raising their daughter.”
Yu Fu looked at him in confusion, “Eldest brother means to say that Qi Ting is certain to not feel remorse?”
