Qi Zhenheng turned around: "Lord Li?"
Shen Qing gripped the blanket and nodded vigorously: "Yes! And that person seems to want to be the emperor!"
She described in detail to Qi Zhenheng the dragon bed, the golden quilt, the dragon painting, and the dragon throne that she had seen.
Qi Zhenheng said gravely, "I understand. You should get some rest."
After saying that, he hurriedly left the room.
Shen Qing sighed deeply and snuggled into the blankets.
It was very quiet outside, with only the occasional sound of a maid walking by.
Like the Gao family's, it is a traditional and tranquil courtyard.
But I feel safer here than at the Gao family home.
This sense of security came not only from the fact that this was the residence of the prefect, but also from Qi Zhenheng.
Qi Zhenheng is capable; he can not only protect her, but also those she wants to protect.
But she did not regret rejecting him.
She didn't like him, and she couldn't drag him down by making him lose his principles.
Tomorrow, if anyone tries to arrest her for questioning, she will go!
Several days passed quietly, and no one came to arrest Shen Qing.
Qi Zhenheng would visit her several times a day, and she had asked about the identity of that Lord Li, but Qi Zhenheng always said that he was still investigating.
Shen Qing then stopped asking.
One day, Qi Zhenheng brought Chunju with him.
The two hadn't seen each other for half a year. Shen Qing excitedly hugged Chunju and pulled her to sit down.
Chunju was also very happy.
Shen Qing asked, "Have you heard that Master Zhao was murdered these past few days?"
Chunju shook her head: "No. Is Master Zhao dead?"
Shen Qing said in a low voice, "Could you go to the county government office and ask around to see if any murders have occurred in the past few days?"
"Okay!"
Chunju went out happily and came back in the afternoon.
“Young mistress, the people at the county yamen said that a few days ago, a wealthy man outside the city was murdered, but because no evidence or murder weapon could be found, the murderer is unknown. The case has been ruled a headless miscarriage of justice, and no court hearings will be held until evidence and the murder weapon are found.”
Shen Qing was surprised.
She clearly left the hairpin knife on Master Zhao's neck; the coroner couldn't possibly have missed it during the autopsy.
That hairpin was very unique; it had no flowers or jade, only a ruby shaped like a water droplet.
Shen Qing remembered that every time she went out, passersby would glance at the hairpin and knife a few times, and with just a few inquiries in Jiangzhou City, they would know that the hairpin and knife belonged to her.
She also had a debt dispute with Master Zhao, and had injured him once a year ago.
It's actually quite easy to trace it back to her.
The magistrate would love for her to die, but now he's saying there's no evidence?
Shen Qing was completely baffled, and when Qi Zhenheng came to see her that evening, she asked him about it.
Qi Zhenheng said with a solemn expression, "The coroner did not find the murder weapon, and all those who witnessed you at the scene died in an 'accident'."
Shen Qing was horrified: "How did he die?"
"I heard he died from a poison from Japan."
Shen Qing then realized that it was Cheng Zhiwen's people who had made the move.
Cheng Zhiwen was silently protecting her life, using every possible means.
But he was ultimately a traitor...
...
"Young Master, why are you so late?"
The gatekeeper was surprised to see Cheng Zhiwen get off the carriage and quickly stepped forward to take the box from his hands.
"I'll go in and tell you, sir, that you've returned."
Cheng Zhiwen blocked with his hand, his face gloomy. Although he didn't say anything, the servant already understood what the second young master Cheng meant.
She followed silently behind him, neither reporting nor saying anything more.
Cheng Zhiwen entered the study in the main courtyard.
The old man stood with his hands behind his back in front of a long landscape painting.
Hearing the door open, he turned around, looked at his second son, and said emotionlessly, "You should stop interfering in Lord Li's matter!"
Cheng Zhiwen sneered: "Since when can eunuchs be called 'adults'? You real adults, don't you find it smelly when you see a eunuch sitting on your head and urinating?"
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately snorted with disdain and anger, and said resentfully, "What can we do? Li Zhongman is a favorite of the Empress Dowager, who dares to offend him?"
"If the Empress Dowager knew that the eunuch who emptied her chamber pot was plotting to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a eunuch regime, she would probably behead him ten times over and still not be satisfied. How could she blame you for this?"
The old man sighed, pointing at Cheng Zhiwen, speechless with frustration.
Cheng Zhiwen smiled and sat down in the armchair, playing with the Cheng family seal on the table.
After playing for a while, he took out a piece of Xuan paper, wrote down an amount, stamped it with the seal, folded the paper, put it in his pocket, and was about to leave.
The old man stopped him: "Zhiwen!"
He paused, but didn't turn around.
The old man said, "Let's forget about Li Zhongman's matter! Don't investigate any further! I'll have them keep the case of that illegitimate daughter of the Shen family a secret! This is also Old Qi's idea!"
Cheng Zhiwen turned her head and glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye: "Uncle Qi's meaning? So Qi Zhenheng also agreed?"
The old man didn't say a word.
Cheng Zhiwen immediately suspected something was amiss.
Qi Zhenheng belonged to the royalist faction. Although he was dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager's control of the court, he knew that someone was plotting a rebellion and was eager to have those people arrested immediately. How could he possibly let them go?
"It's impossible to let it go! How many people did Li Zhongman kill for the Gao family's mansion? If we don't get rid of him, how many more innocent people will die because of him?"
He didn't say Shen Qing's name, but every word he spoke was about defending Shen Qing and paving the way for her future.
He turned to look at the old man and questioned, "Father, tell the truth! What secrets are hidden in the Gao family's house? Why is Li Zhongman so insistent on owning the Gao family's house?"
The old man paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, remaining silent for a while.
But the way he did it clearly meant he knew.
Cheng Zhiwen, growing impatient, roared, "Father! Just tell me!"
The old man then said in a low voice, "It is said that there is a large amount of gold and silver treasure buried under that house. If Li Zhongman wants to rebel, he will indeed need a lot of money to support him."
Cheng Zhiwen was taken aback, then burst into laughter, waved his hand, and prepared to leave the study.
The old man shouted from behind, "Now is not the time to oppose Li Zhongman!"
A sinister glint flashed in Cheng Zhiwen's eyes: "If he doesn't die, someone else will!"
After saying this, he opened the door and left, but instead of immediately returning to his own courtyard, he went to the accounting office and exchanged the paper that had been stamped with the official seal in the study for a thick stack of silver notes.
Cheng Zhiwu put the remaining silver notes back into the cabinet and locked it.
Turning to look at her younger brother, she casually asked, "Zhiwen, I heard that you made contact with that illegitimate daughter of the Shen family in Jiangzhou?"
Cheng Zhiwen put the silver note into his pocket, looked up at the face that resembled his own by seven or eight points, and said indifferently, "I met her by chance in the market. Her husband's family owns a shop, right? It doesn't count as getting in touch."
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