"Boss Cheng?" Old Master Gao laughed heartily, immediately shaking Cheng Zhiwen's hands with great enthusiasm. "I've long admired your name! I never imagined I'd have the honor of meeting you today!"
Having said that, his expression immediately changed, and he angrily looked at Gao Laosan, scolding, "This is Boss Cheng from Yongzhou! He and my niece-in-law are from the same hometown, how could he be involved in such filthy things? Release him right now!"
Gao Laosan quickly ordered his servants to leave.
Shen Qing regained his freedom.
Grandpa Gao kindly helped her to a seat, and even asked with concern, "Niece-in-law, what's wrong? You look so pale."
Seeing this, Gao Laosan remained silent, as if his earlier threats to kill Shen Qing were just a joke.
Shen Qing guessed: The eldest son's wife originally agreed to let the third son's wife drown her, but she did not expect that the man she was having an affair with was Cheng Zhiwen. Now that she saw that she and Cheng Zhiwen were brought here together, she changed her mind and chose to turn a blind eye to their affair.
After all, for people like the Gao family, profit is everything.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she and Cheng Zhiwen still have some leverage that the Gao family can use, it means they are temporarily safe.
That's good, it saves her the trouble. She really doesn't have the energy to deal with these people right now.
The wound was getting more and more painful, and I felt weaker and weaker, my whole body was almost curled up like a shrimp.
Shen Qing felt that his most urgent task was to rest, otherwise he would collapse soon.
She gritted her teeth, gripped the armrest of the armchair, and stood up, intending to return to the inn to rest. The servants who had just left now all surrounded her again, taking hemp ropes and tying them around her.
"Why are you doing this?" Shen Qing asked weakly, twisting her body as she endured the pain. "Didn't the old man just tell you to let me go?"
As he said this, he looked around, searching for Cheng Zhiwen.
But they were nowhere to be found.
"Cheng Zhiwen?" she shouted with all her might, "Cheng Zhiwen!"
"Guards!" shouted Gao Laosan, who was standing beside Gao Liushi. "Send Shen Shi on her way!"
Shen Qing then belatedly realized that these people had probably worked together to lure Cheng Zhiwen away so they could deal with her!
She glared at Gao Liushi with hatred, and seeing that Gao Liushi also looked indignant, she knew that Gao Liushi would not save her.
She struggled again, but was too weak to budge the rope.
A sack completely covered her, and she could no longer see anything. In a panic, she shouted for Cheng Zhiwen's voice, but Cheng Zhiwen never appeared.
She was carried away, and after a long time, she felt increasingly cold all over, and even heard the sound of flowing water.
We've reached the river!
She really should be drowned in a pig cage!
In such cold weather, and with her injuries, being tied up and thrown into the water like this, even if she could swim, she was doomed!
She escaped a calamity at the county government office last time, but is Heaven determined to make things difficult for her this time?
No!
You must survive!
Never give up your life easily!
Shen Qingsheng struggled with tremendous strength.
She roared, "Let me go! You killed me today, and I'll haunt you even as a ghost! I will definitely take my revenge!"
The sack was suddenly ripped open, revealing her to the light of day. Just as she was about to scream, another bamboo cage was slung over her.
She struggled, but her weakened body had little strength left, and she was soon completely trapped in the cage.
Behind him, the river was surging, and Shen Qing knew very well that if he were thrown in, he would be immediately submerged by the rapid current.
In this situation, there is absolutely no chance of survival.
She glared hatefully at Gao Laosan, who was standing not far away, and shouted with all her might, "You want the Gao family's wealth? I'll give it to you! Why do you have to take a life?"
Gao Laosan chuckled and then recited something she couldn't understand.
It looked like scripture, or perhaps some kind of incantation.
Shen Qing felt that this person had gone mad with evil, and there was no point in wasting words on him!
She looked around, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to save herself.
"Guards!" Gao Laosan shouted, "Send Shen Shi on her way!"
Two servants then carried the pig cage containing Shen Qing one after the other and walked towards the river. With a forceful throw, they threw the cage into the swift-flowing river.
Shen Qing felt extremely cold all over, and her wounds were very painful. A foul-smelling liquid kept pouring into her mouth and nasal cavity.
She knew she was finished.
Overwhelmed by despair and a deep attachment to the world, she wept uncontrollably, her tears mingling with the river water.
A handsome, indifferent face flashed past her.
She recalled their meetings with foreign businessmen, their confrontations, their shared noodles, and their work extracting chemical reagents together…
Shen Qing then realized that, in the Qing Dynasty, the person she spent the most time with, besides her personal maid Chunju, was Cheng Zhiwen.
Even though Cheng Zhiwen had various suspicions that she wasn't the original owner, she never thought of harming or killing her, and even helped her in various ways.
The person she thought was the most dangerous had never touched her; the Gao family, whom she considered harmless, harbored murderous intentions.
In the last moments before her life ended, all she wanted to say to Cheng Zhiwen was, "Thank you, I'm willing to tell you the truth."
But it was too late...
Shen Qing's body gradually sank, and the pressure of the water made her heart feel extremely uncomfortable, as if it were hanging above her head, floating up and down.
The feeling of suffocation grew stronger and stronger until she could no longer breathe, and she felt less and less of her body...
Not far away, someone rode up on horseback, the leader wearing a dark blue official robe and a black official hat.
The horse stopped in front of Gao Laosan, who immediately knelt before the man, trembling as he said, "Sir! Sir, why are you here today..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted sharply by the man: "How dare you use torture within my jurisdiction! Arrest them all!"
The officers and soldiers immediately dismounted and worked together, subduing Gao Laosan and his servants while retrieving Shen Qing from the river.
Shen Qing was laid flat on the shore. He had almost lost consciousness when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his chest. He coughed up a mouthful of water and was able to breathe again.
She opened her eyes weakly and looked around in confusion.
A young man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a handsome appearance was looking at her anxiously. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her open her eyes.
"Who are you……"
It was a stranger. Shen Qing thought she had traveled through time again, but when she looked down, she saw that the person was wearing a dark blue Qing Dynasty official robe.
Suddenly she jolted awake, remembering everything. She struggled to her feet and cried out urgently, "My lord! Someone is trying to murder me! Please, my lord, do justice for me!"
The other person gently supported her, listened patiently, and said softly, "No rush. The people involved have already been taken back to the yamen. Madam, please rest for a while, and we'll talk when we get there."
Shen Qing felt a pang of unease upon hearing the word "government office," and quickly asked, "Which government office?"
"The Prefectural Government Office".
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