After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

Master Chen Jiu's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Fang Nanzhi understood. She stepped forward steadily, stopped before the old man, and politely performed a junior's salute. Her voice was clear and calm: "Junior Fang Nanzhi, greeting Ninth Grandfather. My mother is Chen Zixi."

"Zi Xi?" Master Chen Jiu seemed to be burned by the name, and his whole body trembled. He stared at Fang Nanzhi's face.

Without warning, two lines of turbid tears rolled down his eyes. "Looks like, so much like, child, are you really Zixi's daughter? Where is Zixi? Where is she? Is she... is she still alive?"

His voice was urgent and hoarse, and there was a hint of hope in his eyes.

Fang Nanzhi lowered her eyelids, avoiding his gaze, and replied softly, "After my mother was rescued from the exile group many years ago, she became overly worried and her health declined. She held on for a few years, but ultimately died young."

"He was rescued, but he died early..." Master Chen Jiu muttered to himself, the light in his eyes instantly extinguished, leaving only a dead ashes.

He suddenly raised his skinny hands and pounded his chest fiercely, tears streaming down his face. "Blame me, it's all my fault! I'm useless and couldn't protect her! I didn't take good care of her. I'm sorry, brother, and I'm sorry, Zijun..."

The sobs echoed in the small cell, filled with desperate self-blame.

Fang Nanzhi looked at him quietly, feeling sad.

She was silent for a moment before speaking to comfort him, "Don't blame yourself so much. Life and death are determined by fate. Before she died, mother said that being able to breathe and live those extra years was a blessing. She never blamed anyone."

In fact, she didn't say these things, but she thought that Grandpa Jiu might feel better.

Master Chen Jiu just shook his head, tears flowing uncontrollably, immersed in great sadness and guilt.

Fang Nanzhi waited until he calmed down a bit before continuing, "I came here today to inquire about some past events. Do you know how my mother left the exile group?"

Master Chen Jiu wiped his face with his dirty sleeves, his eyes a little dazed by memories.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke incoherently, "The road to exile was hard. We had to travel thousands of miles, with little food and clothing, and endure beatings and scolding from yamen runners. Your mother couldn't stand it. She didn't walk far before she fell ill with a high fever that wouldn't go away. Later, she passed away..."

His voice choked, as if he had returned to that desperate moment.

"I thought, even if she's dead, we can't leave her body exposed in the wilderness. We have to take her to the place of exile and find a good place to bury her. If possible, the descendants of the clan might be able to pay their respects in the future. But those yamen runners thought it was unlucky and refused to allow us to do so. They forced us to find a place on the side of the road and bury her hastily..."

He took a deep breath. "It was two years later when we arrived at the place of exile and settled down. I still couldn't let go of her. I always felt so sorry for her. I saved money and scraped together some money. I asked someone to lead the way back to the place where we had been exiled."

"But there are weeds everywhere, and I can't remember the terrain clearly. I can't find it no matter how hard I try. It's my fault. I can't even find her burial place..."

As he spoke, he became a little excited again.

Fang Nanzhi listened silently, and his understanding of his mother's past became clearer. The hasty burial and the subsequent disappearance of the grave seemed to vaguely confirm some of his speculations.

She pondered for a moment, then asked, "Did you ever meet the old steward of the Chen Mansion during your exile?"

Upon hearing this, Master Chen Jiu tried to shake off his sad memories. After a moment of thought, he shook his head. "Butler Chen? The day the mansion was ransacked, there was chaos. The soldiers rushed in, arresting everyone and stealing everything they could find. I haven't seen him since. I guess he escaped during the chaos. I don't know if he's dead or alive."

Fang Nanzhi nodded. He was not surprised by the answer, but a clue in his mind was broken.

She was lost in thought.

Master Chen Jiu looked at her face, gradually calming down from his excitement, and asked with concern about her current situation: "Child, how are you doing now? Did your mother get married?"

Fang Nanzhi raised her eyes, thought for a moment, and felt that there was something she didn't need to hide, so she spoke frankly, "My mother later married my father. I now live with my parents in the capital. My family is doing well. My second uncle and my father are both officials in the court now."

She didn't mention the hardships her family had experienced in the past. The old man had suffered enough, so why bother?

"Official?"

Master Chen Jiu was stunned at first, but then his face was filled with relief. "Good, good, Zixi's daughter has grown up, and her husband is an official. God, at least has a good eye..."

However, he came to his senses and lowered his voice again: "Child, your last name is Fang, and you are the daughter of the Fang family. Listen to my advice. The Chen family's affairs are a serious crime punishable by confiscation of property and exile. It is a thing of the past. You must not interfere in it anymore, let alone get involved! Be a young lady of an official family and live a peaceful life. This is the right way. If your mother is still alive, she will surely wish you a smooth life!"

Fang Nanzhi looked at the anxiety and earnestness in the old man's eyes and knew that he was sincere and was thinking about her safety, but...

She is her mother's daughter and has half Chen family blood in her body. She cannot ignore this matter.

Fang Nanzhi asked again, "By the way, do you know where the troops that the Chen family trained in the past might be now?"

"Military forces?" Master Chen Jiu frowned, trying to recall, but ultimately shook his head. "That was all managed by Zijun. Only a few of their core members know exactly where they're kept and how they're contacted. I don't know the inside story."

Fang Nanzhi nodded, having anticipated this outcome.

She then turned to ask about another key figure: "What kind of person is Chen Yong? Why would you place your hopes for redress for the Chen family on him?"

Speaking of Chen Yong, Master Chen Jiu was helpless: "Chen Yong, his intentions are indeed not very upright. He is a bit cunning and likes to scheme for personal gain. But he swore at the beginning that he had found a way and obtained key evidence, and he would definitely be able to clear the injustice for the Chen family."

"I was desperate, and I wanted to grab any glimmer of hope I could find... Now I think about it, I was getting old and confused, and I trusted him."

As he spoke, he began to blame himself again.

Now he and his clansmen were all living in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Although he had not suffered any punishment, Master Chen Jiu was tormented in his heart every day, fearing that he had made a wrong move.

Fang Nanzhi knew in his heart that this was just a choice made in desperation, and it was not his fault. When people are pushed to a certain point, the choices they make may not be rational.

At this time, Fang Tong, who had been waiting quietly outside the cell, signaled the jailer to open the door.

He walked in, first bowed to Master Chen Jiu, then whispered to Fang Nanzhi: "Zhizhi, it's getting late, we shouldn't stay here for long."

Fang Nanzhi nodded, and finally said to Master Chen Jiu: "I want to take you out of the prison and place you somewhere else."