Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Does Father Not Believe His Own Daughter? "Miss, the master is here." Father Jia had arrived, and he called out Jia Qingcheng's name the moment he entered. Qingcheng naturally knew why her father had come. She said nothing but quickly signaled Chunyan to take the medicine pills away. "Go." "Take care of yourself, miss." Chunyan hurried away with the medicine pills. After watching Chunyan leave, Jia Qingcheng stepped forward and made a respectful bow. Though she had long been disappointed in family affection, she would never forget proper etiquette. "Daughter greets Father!" "Unfilial girl!" With a sharp crack, Father Jia slapped Jia Qingcheng hard across the face. The force sent her tumbling to the ground, her cheek burning with pain. After recovering her senses, she covered her face and looked up stubbornly at her father—the man who had doted on her dearly in her childhood, now glaring at her with fury and shame. "Why?" Why did he hit her? What had she done wrong? "Why! You have the nerve to ask? Yesterday, when Princess Ping'an held the Cuju match, did you go?" Father Jia never expected that Jia Qingcheng would become increasingly outrageous, showing no mercy toward her own sister. Theirs was a family of medicine, with an ancestral precept to heal the sick and save lives, to harbor compassion in their hearts. But what had his ugly daughter done? Pushing her sister out of jealousy and causing her injury—how could she be so foolish? Did she not know that such actions would only bring trouble upon herself in the future? Jiaojiao was destined to become the future mistress of the Pei family, while Jia Qingcheng—what was she? A concubine of the Pei family, the widow of Prince Chu. Bearing such a widow's status, Pei Wuliang did not despise her, so how dare she lay a hand on Jiaojiao? Truly devoid of conscience! "Daughter did go. So what?" "So what? Still unrepentant! Your sister was pushed by you. How vicious your heart is! When your stepmother told me, I refused to believe it. I always thought you were an innocent, kind-hearted child. It doesn't matter if we are ugly on the outside, but the heart must be beautiful. Yet what have you done, Qingcheng? How could you become like this?" "So Father also believes this was my doing. You trust an adopted daughter but not your own flesh and blood?" Jia Qingcheng had long been disappointed by this suffocating paternal love, but she never expected her father to side with outsiders in framing her. Yes, she was ugly, but that did not mean every wrong deed was hers. "Enough! I don't want to hear your excuses. Though Jiaojiao did not personally accuse you, I know she is protecting you. Even at this point, Qingcheng, how can you still misunderstand your sister?" "She is not my sister. My mother bore only one daughter—me!" Hearing this, Father Jia was utterly disappointed in her. "Fine. Since you are so obstinate, I have nothing more to say. What you need to do now is properly make amends to Jiaojiao. Come, follow me to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness!" With that, Father Jia reached out to drag her to apologize to Song Jiaojiao. But she had done nothing wrong—why should she apologize? "Let go of me!" She wrenched herself free from Father Jia's grip, stepped back a few paces, and looked at him with desolation in her eyes. "Father, I am your biological daughter. Why won't you believe me?" "Still making excuses! You are beyond saving!" Father Jia shook his head helplessly. "Enough. Go kneel in the ancestral hall and repent before our ancestors." Repent? She had done nothing wrong—what was there to repent for? "Guards! Take the young miss to the ancestral hall and make her kneel for three days." "Master, you can't! In three days, the young miss is to be married into Chu Wangfu. If anything goes wrong, we cannot afford to offend the prince's household!" In the end, it was the steward who pleaded on her behalf. Though Father Jia was still furious, he knew the steward spoke the truth. Whether or not Prince Chu survived the night, Jia Qingcheng was still to be married into Chu Wangfu in grand style to ward off misfortune. If anything happened to her, he could not answer to the prince's household. Fine! And so, Jia Qingcheng was locked in the Jia family's dark room—though only for that one day. It was her first time in the Jia family's dark room. Four walls of pitch black. Though it was called a dark room, there was actually a candle inside—but only a single flame like a bean, making it feel utterly claustrophobic. Chunyan had come in with her, and upon seeing such a dreadful place, she was scared out of her wits. "Is anyone there? Let us out!" Chunyan's voice echoed through the dark room, sounding eerie and unnatural, which frightened her even more. "Miss, what do we do? The master is truly angry this time!" In the past, the master had never locked up the young miss. But Jia Qingcheng remained calm and unhurried. Her feelings for her father had reached their end. "Don't worry. We'll be out soon." She was now completely dead to her father. On the contrary, Chu Wangfu was the last place that could shelter her. "Miss, you must be confused! The master said he would lock us up for an entire day!" Jia Qingcheng said nothing. The dark room was freezing cold, and she couldn't help but think of her mother. If her mother were still alive, how could she bear to let her suffer so? She curled up into a ball from the cold, and then, using her finger, she began writing one stroke after another... At the first watch, the cold outside was at its peak, yet inside the room, crimson charcoal burned brightly, warm as spring. "Uncle, will Sister be alright?" Song Jiaojiao still remembered to worry about Jia Qingcheng, which moved Father Jia deeply. "Jiaojiao, after the way your sister treated you, you still worry about her?" "Uncle, although I don't have the fortune to be your daughter, in my heart, Sister is my own flesh and blood, so of course I care about her." "Dear, listen to how sensible our daughter is. Why not take this opportunity to let Jiaojiao join the family again..." "No!" Father Jia had thought about it before. Last time, he suddenly fainted and delayed Jiaojiao's entry into the clan. Only later did he learn that his father had done it—when his father learned he wanted to let an outsider woman join the Jia family, he drugged his tea. That was what caused him to fall unconscious. Though he was the head of the Jia household, he could not defy his old father. "Auntie, don't anger Uncle anymore. Jiaojiao simply doesn't have the fortune to become your daughter." Hearing this, Father Jia felt even more guilty toward Song Jiaojiao. He was about to say something when, suddenly, an urgent voice came from outside, "Uncle! Uncle!" Young Master Pei? What was he doing here so late? Father Jia hurried out and saw Pei Wuliang arriving in haste with his men. "Uncle, people from Chu Wangfu have come. They say they must see Qingcheng immediately." People from Chu Wangfu wanted to see Qingcheng? Father Jia grew nervous. Qingcheng was currently locked up in the small dark room—why would Chu Wangfu suddenly come looking for her? "Uncle, I went to Qingcheng's room and she wasn't there. Do you know where she's gone?" Father Jia sighed upon hearing this. "That girl is stubborn. I told her to apologize to Jiaojiao, but she refused. In my anger, I locked her in the small dark room." What? When Pei Wuliang learned that Jia Qingcheng had been locked in the small dark room, he said, "Uncle, we cannot let the people from Chu Wangfu know about this, lest they start spreading rumors." "In that case, go fetch Qingcheng out. She listens to you the most."