Several paintings hung on the walls of the secret room. Cheng Zhiwen held up a torch and walked closer to take a look.
There are three paintings of ladies.
The girl in the first painting has a round face, slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes, and two small buns symbolizing her unmarried status.
In the second painting, her figure has become fuller, her two small buns have become one, and her bangs are gone, all of them are coiled behind her ears. This symbolizes that she has become a wife.
In the third painting, she is wearing a dark red fitted cashmere dress and an English cashmere hat, with a piece of black veil falling down to cover the upper half of her face.
The three paintings correspond to Shen Qing's girlhood, her married life, and her present life, respectively.
These three paintings are clearly depicting Shen Qing. If they fall into the wrong hands, they will be irrefutable proof of Shen Qing's true identity!
Cheng Zhiwen took out a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his suit, lit it at the wick, and placed it under the painting.
The flames instantly enveloped the drawing paper and quickly ignited.
The fire spread to the entire wall, and the raging flames illuminated the entire secret room.
“Mr. Cheng,” Jiang Shen walked over, “the other one is open.”
Cheng Zhiwen walked out with a gloomy face.
He stood at the door of the last secret room.
At first glance, it looks like a bathroom, complete with bathing and urination facilities.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that one wall was covered with various handcuffs and chains, as well as a dildo!
Realizing that Cheng Zhiwu still intended to sexually abuse Shen Qing, Cheng Zhiwen's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "Burn it all! Burn it!"
...
Cheng Zhiwen came out of the accounting office and immediately returned to the courtyard.
Shen Qing was still unconscious, and Qi Zhenheng was watching over her.
He went in to take a look, wiped the sweat from Shen Qing's forehead, and then left the room.
He sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard.
He Fei stood under the pavilion and reported: "The young master came by just now and wanted to take the servant who was locked in the cellar."
Cheng Zhiwen's gaze grew increasingly gloomy. He raised his hand, signaling He Fei to step back.
He stared blankly at the moon in the sky.
Cheng Zhiwu dug this dungeon under the accounting office instead of in his own yard, which shows that he knew it was a shameful thing that his wife couldn't know about.
It's clear he still has a sense of shame.
Since there's a weakness, things become easier.
Cheng Zhiwen stepped down from the pavilion and instructed He Fei, "Continue to keep an eye on Cheng Zhiwu. Report to me immediately if he makes any move!"
"yes!"
Cheng Zhiwen returned to her room.
Seeing that Qi Zhenheng was still sitting by the bed watching over Shen Qing, he said coldly, "You didn't rest all night. Go back to your room and rest early. As soon as Qing'er wakes up, I'll have someone call you over immediately."
Qi Zhenheng glanced at him, said nothing, tucked the blanket around Shen Qing, and stood up.
He walked to the sofa and sat down, looking at Cheng Zhiwen seriously: "Why did Cheng Zhiwu kidnap Qing'er? What exactly did he do to Qing'er?"
Cheng Zhiwen closed her eyes in pain and shook her head: "I don't know."
He didn't want Qi Zhenheng to suffer like he did, and he didn't want to ruin Shen Qing's reputation, so he would never tell a third party about Shen Qing's experience in the dungeon.
Qi Zhenheng strode forward, grabbed his collar with one hand, and growled, "Qing'er has a long gash on her back. What did he do to Qing'er?!"
Cheng Zhiwen remained silent.
Qi Zhenheng felt that he was protecting Cheng Zhiwu, so he shoved him backward and said, "I'll take Qing'er away when she wakes up!"
"Whatever you want."
...
After sleeping for a day and a night, Shen Qing finally woke up.
When she opened her eyes and saw Cheng Zhiwen bending down to wipe her face, tears welled up in her eyes immediately.
Cheng Zhiwen immediately put down the towel, bent down and hugged her, gently comforting her: "I'm here, don't be afraid."
She said nothing, only sobbed and cried.
The mournful cries were heard even by Jiang Shen and He Fei, who were guarding outside the door.
Both of them had tears in their eyes.
They had followed Shen Qing for many years, and now that Shen Qing was about to be sent to the dungeon and abused, they were all very sad.
He Fei glanced at Jiang Shen and whispered, "Boss Shen is crying so sadly, did Mr. Cheng tell her about his decision?"
Jiang Shen remained silent.
He also agreed with He Fei's statement.
Based on his understanding of Cheng Zhiwen, Cheng Zhiwen would probably choose his ideals and his brothers.
This means that Shen Qing must be sacrificed.
Jiang Shen's emotions were complicated.
He personally witnessed the dungeon that Cheng Zhiwu had set up.
It's dark and damp all year round. If someone is locked inside, they'll go crazy in three days, let alone three years.
Moreover, Cheng Zhiwu has sexual perversions... If Shen Qingzhen were handed over to him, she would be tortured beyond repair.
If it were him, he would never be able to give up the woman he loves.
But Cheng Zhiwen was different; he was a man destined for great things.
So many brothers risked their lives to follow him, including Mr. Cai and Mr. Zhu, who gave up their wealth and official positions to support his ideals.
He carries such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. If all those who follow and support him are executed along with their entire families because of a woman, he cannot go on living.
Perhaps it really is true that in the face of an ideal heavier than Mount Tai, a woman is as light as a feather.
Inside the room.
Shen Qing cried for a while, then gradually calmed down.
She sat leaning against the headboard as Cheng Zhiwen fed her millet porridge.
Seeing that he didn't ask what had happened, Shen Qing took the initiative to bring it up: "Your older brother locked me up in a place that was like a cave..."
Cheng Zhiwen nodded: "I know. Let's not think about those things anymore."
He didn't want Shen Qing to relive the pain of being violated.
He held the spoon to Shen Qing's lips: "You'll need to drink herbal medicine later, so eat some millet porridge to fill your stomach."
Shen Qing obediently opened her mouth.
She looked at Cheng Zhiwen's calm face and recalled how he had lost control when he rushed in to save her.
She knew that Cheng Zhiwen cared about her.
But the Cheng family really scared her.
She wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Thank you for saving me."
Cheng Zhiwen gave a wistful smile but said nothing.
Shen Qing looked at him and continued, "Once I've recovered in the next couple of days, I'd like to leave with Brother Qi."
She didn't want to force Cheng Zhiwen to avenge her; they were brothers, and it would put Cheng Zhiwen in a difficult position.
The best solution is for her to leave this place on her own initiative.
Cheng Zhiwen continued to feed her the millet porridge, saying, "Take care of yourself first, we can talk about this later."
After taking her medicine, Shen Qing shrank back into bed and lay there for a while.
Qi Zhenheng returned, and Cheng Zhiwen left again.
Shen Qing lay down for a while, then remembered that the goldfish in the pond hadn't been fed for two days, so she asked Qi Zhenheng to help her out.
Seeing Jiang Shen and He Fei guarding the doorway, as well as Cheng Zhiwen's other subordinates guarding the courtyard gate, and with people patrolling the four sides of the courtyard wall, Shen Qing regained some sense of security.
As he tossed fish food into the pond, Shen Qing asked softly, "Brother, when will you leave the Cheng family?"
Qi Zhenheng said, "I've given Cheng Zhiwen three days. If he doesn't deal with Cheng Zhiwu, I will take action myself!"
"Brother, I don't want to pursue this matter any further. I just want to leave with you as soon as possible."
Qi Zhenheng asked in surprise, "You want to come with me?"
Shen Qing nodded firmly: "Yes, I want to go with you. But can you let this matter drop?"
"Cheng Zhiwu hurt you so badly, you wouldn't even have time to tear him to pieces, why don't you pursue the matter?"
Shen Qing smiled weakly: "I don't want to put Cheng Zhiwen in a difficult position."
Qi Zhenheng understood and put his arm around her shoulder: "We'll do whatever you say. We'll leave once you've fully recovered!"
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