Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 372 Father and daughter recognize each other
The Jingxin Hall is specifically used to house certain special witnesses, and the environment is very quiet.

The official led Xiao Wang into the Tranquil Hall and pushed open the door to one of the rooms. They saw a woman sitting on the bed. She was only fourteen years old, but she already had white hair and an unnaturally pale complexion. Her hands, which were outside the blanket, were so thin that they were skin and bones.

The clerk introduced her, saying, "This is An Mei."

When Anmei saw a stranger enter, she immediately shrank into the corner of the bed, wrapped herself up tightly in the blanket, leaving only her eyes showing, her gaze filled with fear and unease.

Xiao Wang kept a safe distance from her and asked gently, "Do you remember who your parents are?"

Anmei hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Xiao Wang continued, "Is your father named An Tong?"

Upon hearing this long-unheard name, Anmei's pupils trembled. She opened her mouth, and a few broken sobs escaped her throat.

“Father…”

Xiao Wang sighed, then turned to the clerk beside him and asked, "Could you let her see An Tong?"

The clerk was in a dilemma: "This is against the rules."

Xiao Wang advised, "An Tong did break the law, but An Mei is the victim. As An Tong's immediate family member, she should be entitled to visit An Tong according to the rules."

The junior official recalled the instructions Magistrate Jiang had given him during their earlier meeting—

"If Xiao Liulang has any other requests later, as long as they are reasonable and legal, we can grant them, but don't tell anyone about it."

Xiao Wang's words made sense. An Tong was a prisoner, but An Mei was not. They had no reason to stop An Mei from visiting her biological father, so the clerk agreed to Xiao Wang's request.

Xiao Wang looked at An Mei, who was curled up on the bed, and asked gently, "Would you like to see your parents?"

Anmei stared at him blankly, as if trying to discern whether his words were true or false.

Xiao Wang didn't rush her, patiently waiting for her to give an answer.

After a long while, Anmei spoke cautiously, her voice very soft and delicate.

"Are Father and Mother still alive?"

Xiao Wang nodded: "They are all alive. I just saw your father. They have missed you a lot all these years."

Anmei felt wronged: "If you miss me, why don't you come to see me?"

"Because the sorcerer hid you, your parents can't find you."

Anmei was skeptical: "Really? But the shaman said that my mother and father disliked me because I was a daughter and couldn't carry on their family line, so they didn't want me anymore."

“The sorcerer has deceived you. If you don’t believe me, you can come with me to see your father.”

Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. Rather than listening to what others say, it's better to ask your parents for confirmation yourself.

Anmei mustered her courage, lifted the covers, and slowly dragged her frail body off the bed.

She was so thin that the dress looked excessively large on her, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Xiao Wang and the minor official walked ahead, while An Mei followed silently behind them. Because she was wary, she always kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the two people in front of her.

When she reached the vicinity of the prison cell, Anmei couldn't help but stop.

Seeing her hesitation, Xiao Wang explained, "The sorcerer used you as a hostage to threaten your parents into working for him. For your safety, your parents had no choice but to obey the sorcerer's orders. Over the years, they have been smuggling golden needle flowers from the Western Regions to Chang'an. To hide their secrets, they have even murdered innocent people. Now that the Five Gods Sect has been destroyed, the couple has also been caught and is imprisoned in this cell." An Mei asked in a trembling voice, "Did Father and Mother kill people?"

“The person they wanted to kill was my friend. My friend is very skilled in martial arts and they didn’t succeed. But I don’t know if they had tried to kill anyone else before that. We’ll have to wait for the authorities to investigate.”

Anmei hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She was completely disoriented and muttered to herself, "Will Father and Mother die?"

Xiao Wang couldn't give a definite answer. He said, "As long as they cooperate fully with the government's investigation, they may be able to redeem themselves through meritorious service. In the future, when Magistrate Jiang is sentencing them, he will consider the possibility of leniency. But they are too stubborn and have refused to speak. I hope you can persuade them."

Hearing that there was still a chance to redeem herself, An Mei's heart was immediately filled with hope. Without further hesitation, she followed Xiao Wang into the prison cell.

Led by the jailer, Xiao Wang and An Mei arrived once again at the cell where An Tong was being held.

An Tong remained perched on the wooden fence, anxiously waiting for Xiao Wang to return, desperately wanting to know his daughter's whereabouts.

When he saw Xiao Wang bringing over a thin little girl, he was completely stunned.

Although they hadn't seen each other for ten years, the father and daughter were of one mind, and An Tong immediately recognized her as his daughter!
The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the wooden fence, were bulging, and his lips were trembling violently.

"Plum...is that you? Thank goodness, you're still alive."

He was so excited that his expression became distorted, looking like he was both laughing and crying.

The moment Anmei saw her father, her eyes reddened. She involuntarily took a step forward, but quickly stopped.

She fought back tears and asked in a trembling voice, "Why haven't you come to see me all these years? Have you abandoned me?"

An Tong's voice was terribly hoarse: "You are the apple of our eye, our most precious daughter. We would rather give up our own lives than abandon you! For the past ten years, we have missed you every single moment, but the sorceress won't let us see you. Mei Zi, we really miss you so much!"

Anmei looked at her father's face, which was much older and more haggard than she remembered. His eyes were fixed on her, filled with longing and love.

She finally got the answer she wanted.

It turned out that the sorcerer had been lying to her all along, and that her parents had never abandoned her.

She followed her heart and stepped forward to take her father's hand.

"Father, I miss you all so much too."

An Tong turned around and held her hand tightly. He noticed that her hand was very thin. Looking at her face, he saw that she was pale, her cheeks were sunken, and there were many white hairs mixed in with her hair.

He was heartbroken and hurriedly asked, "How did you become like this? Did that old shaman mistreat you?"

Faced with the care and concern of her loved ones, Anmei could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears of grievance.

“The shaman said I was not worthy to be a divine servant. He ordered people to lock me in an iron cage, depriving me of food and water, and even used me to test medicines. My white hair is a side effect of these medicine tests.”

Upon hearing this, An Tong was filled with hatred and gritted his teeth.

"That old man clearly promised us that as long as we did what he said, he would take good care of you, but he went back on his word!"

Anmei wiped away her tears and advised, "The sorcerer is dead, we don't need to worry about him. The most important thing for you now is to cooperate with the investigation and atone for your crimes. You and your mother must live, I can't live without you."

An Tong now hates the sorcerer to the extreme, and he is willing to do anything that will make things difficult for the sorcerer and the Five Gods Sect!

He said to Xiao Wang, "The sorcerer did indeed have me spread some rumors."