Peach Blossom.

As time passed, Tao Ye could not tell the years in her dream, and it seemed that many years had passed in a flash.

A piece of good news was spreading everywhere: Qi and Wei were at war, and the commander-in-chief Chen Xi returned victoriously.

The city gates were wide open, and countless soldiers entered the city. Chen Xi rode a tall horse and walked in front, followed by Chen Yong on horseback, Chen Ji, Chen Chong, Chen Yao and others also followed on horseback, and behind them were neatly marching cavalry and infantry teams.

Both sides of the team were crowded with people, all cheering for the triumphant army.

Everything seemed to be in order until a prison van appeared at the end of the team, startling everyone who was cheering.

The person in the prison van had gray hair and bloodstains on his body. His eyes were closed, his lips and teeth were moving, and he was breathing with difficulty, looking like he was dying.

When everyone was whispering about who was in the prison car, Tao Ye recognized at a glance that the prisoner was Mantangjiao's father Manlong.

The prison car swayed from left to right and entered the gate of Jiankang Palace, and Manlong's movements became weaker and weaker.

Emperor Si Yu, Empress Dowager Meng, and Empress Shen Hui all sat on the Phoenix Terrace. All the officials stood below the terrace, all looking at the large group of troops returning in triumph.

"Father! Father!" Man Yu shouted, squeezed out from the crowd of ministers, and ran towards the prison car.

Manlong leaned against the fence of the prison van, his eyes slightly opened.

Man Yu ran to the prisoner's car, looked at his father covered in wounds, and turned around to shout at the Phoenix Terrace: "Your Majesty, my father would never commit treason!"

Si Yu, who was sitting in the middle of the stage, also had a strange look on his face. He stood up involuntarily and looked at Meng with a pleading look: "Mother, this matter...this matter needs further verification..."

"What else are you investigating?" Meng sat upright and said righteously, "The memorial submitted by the Grand Marshal has already made it clear that Manlong met with the Wei envoy in private, and all the soldiers witnessed it with their own eyes. Could it be that everyone is blind?"

Si Yu was speechless and stood there in embarrassment.

Meng looked at Man Long in the prisoner car again and asked sternly, "General Man, do you have anything else to say?"

Manlong said nothing, but reached out to his collar with a trembling hand, slowly took out a booklet from his arms, and stretched it out over the fence with difficulty towards Manqi.

Man Yu had a confused look on his face and hurriedly took it with both hands, thinking that it was evidence that could prove his father's innocence. However, when he took a closer look at it in his hands, he found that it was just the Man family's genealogy.

"What is that?" Si Yu asked quickly.

Man Yu was stunned for a moment, then answered hesitantly, "It is... it is the Man family tree."

Si Yu's excitement just now disappeared in an instant. He also thought that it was some kind of evidence. He thought that Manlong was the patriarch of the Man family, and it was just a handover before his death.

Queen Mother Meng sneered and said calmly, "General Man doesn't even try to defend himself. Does the emperor have anything else to say?"

Si Yu just stood there blankly.

Queen Mother Meng began to pronounce the verdict: "General Manlong, the Eastern Guardian, made private contact with the enemy while the two armies were at war, which is tantamount to treason. According to the laws of the Great Qi, his entire family should be sentenced to death. Come, throw Manlong and Manyu, father and son, into the death row."

Before Man Yu could react, his arms were controlled.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, Man Yu is not the son of General Man Long and should not be charged with the same crime." Wang Dun hurriedly stepped out from among the ministers and bowed on the stage.

Si Yu asked hurriedly: "Are you serious?"

Wang Dun replied, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, General Man and my uncle Wang Xiao were stationed at the border in their early years. They found a baby boy and brought him back to the barracks. Since General Man had no children at the time, he adopted him and later brought him back to his home in the capital. My uncle told my father about this personally, and I dare not lie."

Queen Mother Meng raised her eyebrows, without even looking up, and asked coldly, "Since it happened many years ago, and General Wang Xiao is not in the capital right now, you can't prove it with your words, so what is your evidence?"

Wang Dun pointed to the family tree held by Man Yu and said, "Your Majesty, the Man family tree proves that Man Yu can only be considered an adopted son. General Man Long never included his name in the family tree."

After hearing this, Man Yu was startled. He shook off the officers and soldiers who were controlling him and tried to look through the family tree.

At this time, Empress Shen Hui had walked up to Man Yu and said, "General Man, please present it."

Man Yu was completely confused and had to hand the family tree to Shen Hui.

Shen Hui took the genealogy, flipped through a few pages, and walked to Queen Mother Meng: "Mother, it is just as the Secretary of State said. There is only one person in General Manlong's family tree. According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, this death penalty can only be given to one person."

"Yes, yes, the Queen is right." Si Yu quickly added.

Queen Mother Meng raised her head, looked at Shen Hui, and then looked at Si Yu: "Even so, who doesn't know that Man Yu is the son of Man Long? The death penalty can be avoided, but the punishment for living cannot be escaped. Man Yu's sentence is changed to exile and he is sent to the southern barbarians to do hard labor. In addition, all those in the Man family tree are dismissed from office and are not allowed to enter the government from now on."

As Meng finished speaking, Manlong's trembling hands finally fell down in the prison car.

"Father..." Man Yu ran to the prison van again, only to see that Man Long's eyes were completely closed, with a hint of smile still remaining at the corners of his mouth.

Man Yu burst into tears instantly, and cried out: "Father..."

Si Yu looked at him from afar, tears welling up in his eyes, and whispered to Xie Cheng beside him: "Take General Man's body out, and take care of it..."

"You cannot bury him in the capital!" Queen Mother Meng suddenly interrupted Si Yu and said sternly, "Manlong committed treason, how can he be buried as an official? Let Manqian take his body to Nanman, and do not arrange funeral arrangements or erect a monument for him."

Manwei's eyes were blurred with tears, and his forehead was pressed deeply against the fence of the prison van. Tears flowed down his cheeks, passed his chin, and dripped onto the ground.

The next day, Man Xun, along with his wife and children, was escorted out of the capital by officials. They were also accompanied by a shabby wooden cart, on which was Man Long's coffin.

Man Tangjiao and Wang Jing came on horseback from the city. When they walked out of the city gate, they saw from afar Man Yu pulling a wooden cart with difficulty, with his wife and children following by his side, and several officials in front and behind.

"Brother..." Mantangjiao rode her horse closer, dismounted, and ran quickly towards Manxu.

Man Yu turned around and saw Man Tang Jiao and stopped.

Wang Jing also dismounted immediately, ran over to plead with the officials, and gave a few officials some silver. The officials then stepped aside to let the brother and sister say goodbye.

"It's all my fault... I offended the Chen family, so the Grand Marshal accused my father of treason. I'm the one who harmed you..." Mantang Jiao cried all the way here, her eyes were swollen. She threw herself on the coffin, sobbing: "I'm sorry to my brother, and even more sorry to my father..."

Manyi took off the shoulder straps of the cart and helped Mantang Jiao up: "Ah Jiao, I don't have time to talk to you too much, but you really don't need to blame yourself. It's not your fault."

Mantang Jiao shook her head, unable to stop her tears.

"My father and I always hope that you are well." Man Yu smiled gently.

Man Yu turned to Wang Jing again, his expression becoming somewhat serious: "Son-in-law, our Man family has completely fallen. You must remember why our family fell. Ah Jiao has no one to rely on. In the capital, in your family, you are her only support. If you let her down in the future... remember, I will ask you to pay double for the injuries she has suffered."

Wang Jing bowed to Man Xi and replied solemnly: "Brother, rest assured. Ah Jiao and I will live and die together. I swear to God that I will never let you down."

Man Yu's gaze returned to Man Tang Jiao, and his voice became gentle again: "My dear sister, our uncles and aunts probably hate us to death now. What if... I mean what if, one day you can't stay in the Wang family anymore, come find me. You have to believe that your brother will not be an exiled prisoner forever."

Mantangjiao nodded and cried even more sadly.

The brother and sister hugged each other tightly, reluctant to part, and finally, at the urging of the official, Man Yu picked up the cart again and staggered forward.

Mantangjiao stood there, crying for an unknown amount of time. She cried until her voice became hoarse, but she was still unwilling to leave.

In a daze, Tao Ye saw again that in the Wang family's inner courtyard, Mantang Jiao was holding the long spear that her father had used when he was alive, practicing the spear skills that her father had taught her, and she was very skilled.

As soon as Wang Jing walked into the yard from outside, Mantangjiao stabbed him with a gun.

Wang Jing quickly dodged to the right, but Mantangjiao swung the spear to the right again. Wang Jing had a sword hanging on his waist, but he didn't use it. He dodged left and right, or used his arm to block the spear, and kept retreating.

"I know you are unhappy. It's good for you to practice spear, but you can't practice without eating or drinking all day long. How can your body bear it?" Wang Jing dodged and persuaded at the same time. Although he was not stabbed by the spear, his arm hit the spear barrel several times.

Mantangjiao said nothing, but just kept swinging her spear and fighting endlessly.

"If stabbing me can make you feel better, I will stand here and let you stab me." Wang Jing suddenly stopped dodging and stood there motionless.

Mantangjiao stabbed forward, but stopped when the tip of the gun touched Wang Jing's chest.

"It's all because of you... If I hadn't married you, but married Chen Ji, my father might not have died..." As soon as Mantang Jiao opened her mouth, she burst into tears and her spear trembled with her sobbing.

"I married you, but I am unable to protect you and your family. I am ashamed. Whether you believe it or not, if possible, I am really willing to exchange my life for my father-in-law's life." Wang Jing stood opposite Mantangjiao, looking equally haggard.

"What's the use of saying this? My father will never come back to life..." Mantangjiao cried and roared.

Mantang Jiao put away the spear and held it in her arms, as if she was holding her father, crying with tears in her eyes: "I really regret it... I regret not listening to him... If he can live well... what does it matter who he marries..."

"Ah Jiao..." Wang Jing approached Mantang Jiao worriedly and tried to support her slowly.

As she was crying, the spear in Mantangjiao's hand suddenly loosened and she fainted.

Wang Jing looked flustered: "Ah Jiao... Ah Jiao..."