Going to Beijing to save his father, all the powerful officials in the city are vying to be his fath

Su Qin followed Zhao Liangchen into a clean and quiet cell. The jailer took them there and left, leaving them as the only two people in the cell.

There was a table and two benches in the cell. Zhao Liangchen put the food box in his hand on the table, sat down, and then motioned Su Qin to sit down as well.

Su Qin didn't have enough strength to stand all the time, so she sat down.

Zhao Liangchen opened the box on the table, and the aroma of food wafted out. Su Qin drooled uncontrollably, and the cramps in her stomach became even more painful.

Zhao Liangchen slowly placed all the food in the box in front of Su Qin, and then said softly, "Eat, and talk after you're full."

Su Qin looked down at the food on the table: a clay pot of vegetable porridge, two steamed buns, a plate of soft stewed tofu and vermicelli, and a dish of green vegetables. Although they were not expensive foods, they were the most suitable for Su Qin to eat right now.

There was a wet towel next to the bowl and chopsticks. Seeing the delicious food, Su Qin became even hungrier, but she was not happy. Instead, she became more nervous and alert. She stared into Zhao Liangchen's eyes and asked, "Who are you? Why did you arrest me? Why did you give me food?"

Zhao Liangchen and Su Qin looked at each other and introduced themselves, "My name is Zhao Liangchen, I am the commander of the Imperial Guards, and my father is Zhao Jian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

The reason I put you in jail is because I think I know your father. I have something to say to you, but it's not convenient to talk to you in front of strangers on the street. I gave you food because I thought you might have been hungry for a long time. Only when you are full will you have the strength to answer my questions.

Su Qin kept staring at Zhao Liangchen's eyes, trying to carefully determine whether what he said was true or false.

Although she is not a smart person, she has been in the workplace for so many years and has some basic judgment. She thinks she has some ability to distinguish whether a person is lying or a good person.

She looked at it for a long time but couldn't find any flaws. It was really that Zhao Liangchen's attitude was frank and sincere.

Zhao Liangchen looked at her for a moment, then lowered his head, picked up the bowl and chopsticks on his side and said, "Eat, I haven't eaten either. Eat with me, and we'll talk after we're full."

After saying that, he didn't care about Su Qin's reaction and just served himself porridge, took the steamed buns, and picked up the vegetables.

Su Qin just watched him eat a little bit of everything, and finally couldn't help but pick up the bowl and chopsticks. If she didn't eat anything, this man would finish it all.

He should have no reason to poison himself. Even if he did, it wouldn't matter. She would rather die with a full stomach.

She wanted to serve the porridge, but when she raised her arm she felt resistance. Then she remembered that she was still holding the axe and carrying the pot on her back. She hesitated for a moment and used the axe to cut the rope. In order to prevent the pot from falling, she had tied a knot, so she did not untie the rope just now, but tried to turn over.

She put the pot on the ground, wiped her hands with a wet cloth, and couldn't wait to get a bowl of porridge. Although she was hungry, she knew that the hungrier she was, the less likely she was to eat quickly, so she didn't eat quickly.

She lowered her head and ate attentively. Zhao Liangchen raised his head and glanced calmly at the pot on the ground. There were two things wrapped in cloth bags in the pot. One looked like luggage such as clothes and bedding, and the other was shaped like a jar.

He was not curious about what was inside, he just wanted to confirm whether there was anything prohibited. If someone else found it, he might get into trouble.

There wasn't much food, and both of them finished eating quickly. Su Qin had been here for five years and didn't do much activity every day, so she didn't eat much. She had been hungry for so long that her stomach had shrunk, so she ate very full.

She watched Zhao Liangchen put the dishes back into the lunch box before asking, "You know my father. Do you know who my father is?"

Zhao Liangchen nodded: "If I'm not mistaken, your father should be Su Jijing, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Su Qin showed a surprised expression: "Yes, how did you know?"

Then she asked in confusion, "Since you know my father and who I am, why did you put me in jail?"

Zhao Liangchen replied, "I can tell you the reason, but I hope you'll be mentally prepared and not get too excited after hearing it."

Su Qin's heart sank: "What happened?"

Zhao Liangchen: "The emperor promptly allocated relief funds for the flood in Chanzhou, but a large number of victims still arrived in Shangjing City."

Su Qin immediately retorted: "There is no disaster relief money at all. We haven't seen anything."

Because there was no one to accommodate the refugees after the flood, many refugees headed north, and she followed this group of refugees.

Zhao Liangchen nodded. "I know. The relief money was lost during transportation, so the court sent people to investigate. The final conclusion was that your father and others had secretly replaced the relief money along the way."

"This is impossible."

Su Qin stood up quickly and denied it hastily.

Although she had not met the original owner's father many times, in her impression, this father was not the kind of corrupt official who did not care about the lives of the people, nor was he an honest official. However, after only a few contacts, she found that the original owner's father was a man with conscience and very wise.

He is very sensible and knows what to do and what not to do. Every time he goes back to his hometown to see them, when he encounters fellow villagers coming to complain about grievances, he will listen carefully to their complaints and try to find ways to help them solve the problem.

Su Qin has seen many hypocritical people, and she feels that Su Jijing does not seem to be pretending. He is an official who has a responsibility to the people.

Chanzhou is his hometown. It is impossible for him to embezzle disaster relief funds without caring about the lives of the people in his hometown. Even if he wanted to embezzle it, he would not embezzle all of it. Moreover, with his intelligence, he would do it very covertly and would not be discovered so easily.

Zhao Liangchen raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling Su Qin not to be so excited: "Sit down first. The evidence of corruption was found by people sent by the court. The evidence is irrefutable. Regardless of whether your father is wronged or not, he has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. If your identity is known to others, you will definitely be arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice as well. You may not survive by then.

That's why I stopped you from revealing your identity on the street. The city is patrolled daily by imperial guards to check for refugees who have sneaked into the city. It's dangerous for someone like you without a legal identity to be in the city. It's better for you to stay in the prison for now, where you'll be safe. I'll find a way to settle you down and then take you out."

Su Qin understood that if what he said was true, then prison would definitely be the safest place, but she did not believe what he said. She was captured by him as soon as she entered the city. It was not ruled out that he was her father's political enemy and had noticed her a long time ago. He deliberately brought her into the city and captured her to threaten her father.

After all, she had no way to confirm anything Zhao Liangchen said now.

She didn't question whether Zhao Liangchen was lying, but asked: "We have never met before, how do you know who I am and why are you helping me?"

Zhao Liangchen paused and replied, "When the imperial court was investigating your family, they learned of your existence. When you said your name just now, it seemed familiar to me. Then when you blurted out the word 'Hu', it reminded me of who you were. That's why I was so anxious to have Zou Tai tie you up, just to prevent you from revealing your identity.

I owed your father a favor before, and now I don't have the ability to do anything else for your father, so I can only protect you first."

Su Qin did not miss his hesitation for a moment. As a social animal who had been serving her boss for a long time, she was very sensitive and could feel the subtle changes in her boss's mood. So she felt that Zhao Liangchen was not telling the truth and he lied.

As for why he lied, Su Qin didn't intend to delve into it. Asking would only result in a more sophisticated lie.

She planned to obey Zhao Liangchen and stay in jail first. No matter what his purpose was, as long as he still needed her, he would not kill her. She would stay in jail to recuperate and take things one step at a time as to the future. Although she was timid, she had been a very tough person since she was a child and would not compromise or give up easily.

Otherwise, she would not have been admitted to a very good university from a poor family and found a well-paid job. No matter how hard she was at work, she persisted.

Now she thought, she had come here through so much hardship, there must be a way to leave here.

She nodded to Zhao Liangchen: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I will stay here obediently and won't cause you any trouble. Thank you for your help and care."

Zhao Liangchen breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know that he was not trusted, and he was still sighing in his heart that Su Qin was easy to talk to.

"Rest in prison for a few days. I'll have someone bring you food on time. Someone will also bring you some daily necessities later. Once I find a place to put you, I'll find a way to bring you to see your father."