Cheng Zhiwu looked on with suspicion, his eyes fixed on Cheng Zhiwen: "It's not in Jiangzhou, it's in Shanghai."
"Shanghai?" Cheng Zhiwen looked calm, put away the silver notes and was about to leave. "You must have misread it. How could that illegitimate daughter of the Shen family go to Shanghai? She's an illiterate who can't read a single character."
After saying that, he turned and left the accounting office.
He didn't even go into his own courtyard; he walked straight out the gate and got into the carriage.
The carriage disappeared into the night.
Meanwhile, Shen Qing, who was still living in the prefectural government, spent a sleepless night.
She put on her cloak and went to open the window.
A crescent moon hangs in the dark blue sky.
Today is August 19th, and the moon is not full.
She recalled the moon in the Shanghai sky a few days ago, and she also remembered Cheng Zhiwen calling that night "reunion".
He was far away in Shanghai, yet he still knew something had happened to her. It makes sense; Old Xu and Jiang Shen would definitely find a way to tell him.
Shen Qing just couldn't figure out how he managed to remove the hairpin knife from the corpse while avoiding the coroner.
Qi Zhenheng appeared at the window at some point, gazing at her tenderly through the glass.
Shen Qing snapped out of her reverie, feeling a little uneasy, and pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
"Lord Qi, how is the case progressing now?"
Qi Zhenheng, with his hands behind his back and a solemn expression, said, "The direction of this case is very strange. Although it seems to be in your favor at the moment, I am worried about a potential backlash later."
He didn't know it was Cheng Zhiwen who made the move, and assumed that the person who made the move wasn't trying to save Shen Qing.
But Shen Qing knew all this, so he wasn't worried.
This case has now become an unsolved mystery, and the probability of it being traced back to her is very small. She has no reason to continue living in the prefectural government office.
She had to go back to the Gao family home; she still had business to attend to.
Living here, facing Qi Zhenheng, made her feel very awkward.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing said, "Lord Qi, I want to go back tomorrow."
Qi Zhenheng was surprised: "I have already led people to the house you mentioned, and I have guarded all the evidence. I will send a letter to the court as soon as possible. Why don't you wait until Li Zhongman is released from prison before leaving the prefectural government? As long as he is not severely punished, you will be in danger... He has countless Zhao Yuanwais under his command."
These words made Shen Qing conflicted again, and he asked, "When will Li Zhongman be severely punished?"
Qi Zhenheng shook his head, his expression grave: "He's a favorite of the Empress Dowager, and few in the court dare to touch him. It's hard to say."
Shen Qing sighed, "I should go back first. My business needs me. I can't live in the prefectural government like a useless person."
After she finished speaking, she closed the window and sat down on the bed.
Qi Zhenheng's figure was reflected on the yellow window paper, and he left after a long time.
...
The following day, at Shen Qing's insistence, Qi Zhenheng agreed to let her return to the Gao family.
He personally escorted her back to the Gao family home.
In autumn, Jiangzhou is covered with fallen leaves, creating a desolate scene.
Shen Qing, wearing a cloak, sat on her horse. Behind her, Qi Zhenheng held the reins, his tall body shielding her from the bleak autumn wind and protecting her in his arms.
They traveled from the prefectural government office, through bustling streets, all the way to the Gao family's doorstep.
Passersby stared at them in astonishment and whispered among themselves.
Everyone knew that this was a young and promising prefect, and that he was the newly widowed Gao family member.
Even the young servant of the Gao family was so shocked when he saw it that he stood still and dared not come over.
Shen Qing pressed Qi Zhenheng's hand and dismounted.
As soon as he stood still, he bowed to him and said, "Lord Qi, thank you for saving me this time. I'll go in first."
Qi Zhenheng looked at her reluctantly and nodded: "Take good care of yourself. If you need anything, come to the prefectural government office to find me."
Shen Qing bowed to him again, then turned and went up the steps.
The gatekeeper quickly ran over and helped her into the house, glancing back every now and then at Qi Zhenheng, who was still standing below, reluctant to leave.
"Young Madam, why was it Lord Qi who brought you back? Where is Old Xu?"
Shen Qing said calmly, "Old Xu is unwell and still receiving treatment. Lord Qi has a horse, so I'm just asking for your help."
The servant suddenly realized what was wrong and asked, "What's wrong with Old Xu?"
"My hand is injured, and it will take some time to recover." Shen Qing didn't say anything more.
Jiang Shen was seriously injured, and Lao Xu also injured his hand. The two should be recuperating somewhere nearby.
Thinking of how they were injured because of her, and how Jiang Shen's life was currently hanging in the balance, Shen Qing felt very guilty.
Passing by the main hall, Shen Qing saw Gao Liu sitting quietly inside and went in to greet her.
Gao Liushi was unaware that she had been kidnapped and thought she had just returned from Shanghai.
Hearing that she had secured an order in England and earned hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, Lady Gao was overjoyed.
Shen Qing returned to the Intermediate People's Court.
Su-lan was studying, and Chun-ju was cleaning the house. When they saw her return, they excitedly gathered around her room.
Seeing his suitcase beside the bed, Shen Qing asked, "Who delivered this suitcase?"
When she was kidnapped, her suitcase was still on the carriage.
Chunju said, "A young man delivered it a couple of days ago, saying that Old Xu asked him to deliver it."
"Did they say anything else?"
Chunju thought for a moment and said, "Tell them that Lao Xu and Jiang Shen are both fine, so you don't need to worry."
Jiang Shen is alright...
Shen Qing felt relieved and her mood improved. She opened her suitcase and took out the clothes she had bought in the London department store, distributing them to Chunju and Sulan.
Chunju held up the cashmere dress against herself, exclaiming happily, "This dress is so unique! The fabric is so soft and warm!"
She put down her skirt and went to look at Su Lan's.
Su Lan wore a double-breasted cashmere coat, a dress, and a pair of knee-high boots.
Chunju was immediately unhappy when she saw that she didn't have leather shoes.
Shen Qing had anticipated this, so he slipped her two gold coins and comforted her, saying, "You've worked hard taking care of Su Lan while I was away."
Chunju immediately smiled, carefully hid the gold coins, and took Sulan out.
As Shen Qing tidied up the things in the suitcase, she couldn't help but think of her trip to England and Cheng Zhiwen.
She sighed and packed everything away.
...
After Shen Qing returned to the Gao family, she was initially living in fear, afraid that one day the case would come to light and she would be implicated, and the magistrate would come to arrest her and behead her.
She worked hard while worrying.
Old Xu and Jiang Shen quickly recovered from their injuries and returned home.
At Shen Qing's insistence, they all moved into the Gao family home, working as grooms and bodyguards.
Shen Qing kept his promise—he would no longer let them live in the open.
Shen Qing remembered the way they risked their lives to protect themselves.
As for the 100,000 taels of silver owed to Master Zhao, under Qi Zhenheng's supervision, Shen Qing returned it to Master Zhao's family and successfully retrieved the house and land deeds.
She handed over the house and land deeds to Gao Liu for safekeeping, and then devoted herself to the business.
She travels to and from Shanghai daily to produce down vests.
During her time in Shanghai, she stayed at Cheng Zhiwen's villa, where Zhang Ma still took care of her three meals a day, but she never saw Cheng Zhiwen again.
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