Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

But just as Tao Jiuxi finished speaking, before Tao Qingwan could respond, Tao Hongyuan's stern voice came: "Xier."

Tao Jiuxi suddenly came to his senses and looked towards the source of the sound, and saw Tao Hongyuan walking towards him quickly with a gloomy face.

Tao Jiuxi quickly collected his thoughts, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully: "Father, how are you?"

She lowered her head slightly, and before she could raise it, she heard Tao Hongyuan say without question, "Follow me to the ancestral hall."

After saying that, Tao Hongyuan turned around and walked ahead with big strides, his steps hurried, as if he was carrying an uncontrollable anger.

Tao Jiuxi was full of doubts and turned to look at Tao Qingwan at a loss. Only then did Tao Qingwan come back to her senses from the joy of seeing her sister. She frowned slightly, a trace of worry flashed across her face, and then she took Tao Jiuxi's hand and gently followed her father.

Tao Qingwan moved closer to Tao Jiuxi and lowered her voice, saying, "Jiuxi, father is angry because you went south."

After hearing this, Tao Jiuxi couldn't help but curl his lips, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. He looked at Tao Qingwan, asking with his eyes what to do.

The two sisters looked at each other, both showing helpless expressions, and then followed Tao Hongyuan silently.

Along the way, Tao Jiuxi was feeling very nervous, not knowing how her father would blame her. She walked while secretly thinking about how to deal with it.

Finally arriving at the ancestral hall, Tao Hongyuan stopped, turned around and glanced at the two sisters behind him, then dismissed the servants.

The ancestral hall suddenly became quiet and filled with a solemn atmosphere, which made Tao Jiuxi feel more nervous and uneasy.

Tao Hongyuan stepped into the ancestral hall with a solemn expression. He walked straight to the front of the hall, faced the solemn tablet, slowly bent down, respectfully picked up a stick of incense with both hands, lit it on the candle, and then gently inserted it into the incense burner.

Then, he took the lead by kneeling on both knees and kowtowed solemnly, muttering something, as if telling his ancestors about everything in his family and his expectations and worries for his children.

Seeing this, Tao Qingwan gently pulled Tao Jiuxi's sleeve and signaled her with her eyes to kneel down together.

Tao Jiuxi knelt down with his sister and kowtowed according to etiquette.

After they finished kowtowing, seeing Tao Hongyuan stand up, Tao Jiuxi pulled Tao Qingwan to stand up as well, but Tao Hongyuan yelled at them, "You kneel down. Wan'er, get up."

Tao Hongyuan's voice was stern and firm, leaving no room for doubt.

"Father, Jiuxi just came back..." Tao Qingwan looked worried and pleaded softly for Tao Jiuxi. Her eyes were full of concern for her sister and awe for her father.

"She still remembers to come back?" Tao Hongyuan immediately raised his voice and shouted loudly. His eyes were wide open and full of anger, as if his daughter's behavior made him extremely disappointed.

This was also the first time Tao Jiuxi had seen Tao Hongyuan like this, and her heart couldn't help but tighten. Although he was the original owner's father and now her own father, she felt unfamiliar and depressed by such intense emotional scenes.

"I don't know why my father is angry?" Tao Jiuxi mustered up the courage to look up and look at Tao Hongyuan, with a hint of confusion and grievance in his eyes.

"You still have the nerve to ask, what did your father teach you since you were a child?" Tao Hongyuan pointed at Tao Jiuxi angrily, his fingers trembling slightly, his breathing became rapid, and he was obviously very angry.

"Father, don't be angry. Jiuxi just got back today, so take your time." Tao Qingwan had never seen her father so angry before. Her heart suddenly rose to her throat, and her hands unconsciously clenched with nervousness. At this moment, she just wanted to do her best to protect Tao Jiuxi and prevent her from being blamed too much.

Tao Jiuxi felt mixed emotions. She actually felt very unfamiliar with the word "father." Before she traveled through time, her parents divorced and she was left to live with her grandparents. She had hardly ever seen her incompetent father. After she traveled through time, she had only met Tao Hongyuan once, on the night something happened at home. At that critical juncture, Tao Hongyuan had only helped them get the household registration documents, and then let her and Tao Qingwan go to the capital alone to seek refuge with the Xie family, while he went to investigate the case. When they met again, she didn't really feel that close to Tao Hongyuan, but thinking that he was the original owner's father, she had always been filial to him. However, a few days later, she was sent to the Xie Mansion, and the number of times she met the father in front of her was very few.

Looking at the furious Tao Hongyuan in front of her, Tao Jiuxi really didn't know how to respond at this moment. Her lips moved slightly, but she didn't know what to say.

Seeing that Tao Jiuxi didn't say anything, Tao Hongyuan became so angry that his face turned red.

"Rebellious girl! You rebellious girl!" He shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the ancestral hall, as if to break through the silent space.

"Please tell me clearly, father." Tao Jiuxi felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable.

She knelt on the mat and showed no intention of getting up.

"How dare you say that? Your father has worked so hard to raise you, how could it be for you to go out with a man without permission?" Tao Hongyuan's eyes were wide open with veins bulging on his forehead. He clenched his fists tightly and his body trembled slightly with anger.

When Tao Jiuxi heard this, her heart tightened. She pursed her lips but did not refute.

"Where do you want your father to put his face?"

Tao Jiuxi knew why Tao Hongyuan was angry, and she knew she was in the wrong. She lowered her head slightly and said softly, "My daughter knows she is wrong."

"You knew it, but you still did it knowingly? What's going on with the mansion in front?" Tao Hongyuan panted, staring at Tao Jiuxi, as if he wanted to see something from her face.

Seeing that Tao Hongyuan was angry, Tao Jiuxi was afraid that he would say something to anger him, so he could only continue to kneel there, his posture straight, without saying a word.

Seeing her like this, Tao Hongyuan became even angrier: "I don't care what happened between you and Duke Shen, but you are not allowed to have any dealings with him in the future."

"Father, I accept the punishment, but as for Shen Zhi..." Tao Jiuxi immediately spoke to explain, but before she could finish her words, Tao Hongyuan became even more angry.

"I asked you to come to the capital to seek refuge with your aunt, but you didn't go to my aunt's house and instead went to him. What's your relationship with him? Why should he take you in?" Tao Hongyuan's face was full of anger. He paced back and forth as he spoke. The anger in his heart was difficult to calm down. He really didn't understand why his daughter made such a choice.

"Father, if Shen Zhiyi hadn't secretly sent people to protect me, my sister and I wouldn't even be able to reach the capital." Tao Jiuxi raised her voice, with a hint of anxiety in her eyes. She hoped her father could understand how difficult their situation was at the time.

"Are you siding with him now?" Tao Hongyuan stopped and glared at Tao Jiuxi fiercely. He felt that his daughter seemed to be a little disloyal.

"I accept my father's punishment, but if I really go to my aunt's house, I don't know if I can come out alive." Tao Jiuxi's tone was a little disappointed, and a trace of loneliness flashed in her eyes. She thought of the unknown and dangers she might face when going to her aunt's house, and she felt a little scared.

"If you knew your limits, people wouldn't hurt you?" Tao Hongyuan said, his tone softened a little, but still full of blame.

Tao Jiuxi opened her mouth slightly to retort when she heard her father's words, but in the end, she remained silent. She knew very well that her father was furious at the moment, and no matter what she said, he would probably not listen.

"Father, Jiuxi has realized his mistake. Please don't be angry." At this time, Tao Qingwan hurriedly pleaded. Her eyes were full of worry, and her gaze switched back and forth between her father and sister, fearing that her father's anger would continue to burn and hurt her sister.

Seeing Tao Qingwan pleading for mercy, and looking at Tao Jiuxi's expression, Tao Hongyuan's anger still could not dissipate. He simply flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked out, leaving behind a message: "The second young lady is reflecting on her actions in the ancestral hall. Without my order, you are not allowed to let her out."

When Tao Jiuxi heard this, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

She looked at her father's departing back, feeling all kinds of emotions mixed together in her heart, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Tao Qingwan felt distressed when she saw her sister looking so lonely.

She turned around and told the servants, "Go and guard outside the ancestral hall."

After sending the servants away, Tao Qingwan quickly walked to Tao Jiuxi and slowly squatted down.

"Jiuxi, father knew that his previous dismissal was related to Duke Shen. I don't know how he knew that we had found the wrong place from the beginning, so he refused to live in Duke Shen's mansion. Jiuxi, father..." Tao Qingwan said softly, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes. In this complicated situation, she also felt a little powerless.

"Jiuxi, I know that on the way to the capital, we were able to do so thanks to the secret help of Duke Shen, otherwise we might not have been able to set foot in the capital. We were also fortunate that Duke Shen took us in, otherwise we might have frozen to death in the capital that day. It's just that father doesn't know about these things, so we should talk to him about it." Tao Qingwan held Tao Jiuxi's hand tightly, trying to give her some comfort, hoping to ease the pain and grievance in her sister's heart.

Tao Jiuxi felt a sharp pain in her heart. She recalled that Tao Hongyuan was only concerned about the people he wanted to protect, and let his two daughters, who were powerless, travel a long distance to the capital alone.

She couldn't help but ask herself, has her father ever thought about whether they can arrive safely?

Have you ever thought that the Xie family will definitely take them in?

Have they ever thought that if Shen Zhiyi had not rescued them later, they would have lost their father. If they lost their father, they would have to live under someone else's roof, and what would have happened to them?

If there hadn't been so many misunderstandings before, would Shen Zhiyi have been so eager to save her father? Tao Jiuxi knew she was wrong, but could a different path lead to better results?

Who isn't pushed around by life?

She could only grasp everything she could and try her best to survive.

She asked herself over and over again, what is the right thing to do?

My heart was filled with confusion and helplessness, and tears kept welling up in my eyes.

"Don't cry, Jiuxi. I understand how difficult it has been for you. You have different ideas from us, and you've tried hard to adapt and struggle here, just to survive and to make my life better. I've seen everything you've done."

Tao Qingwan gently hugged Tao Jiuxi and patted her back softly, trying to give her some comfort.