Qi Zhenheng entered Beijing before dawn.
Jiangzhou is more than a thousand kilometers from the capital. Even if Qi Zhenheng kept changing to the best horses along the way and rode day and night at top speed, it would still take him two days to reach the capital.
Including the time spent handling matters in the capital and the return journey, the round trip would take at least seven days.
Shen Qing was in extreme torment.
From the day he left home, he almost lost his appetite.
Ever since she saw that newspaper, she had harbored the idea that Cheng Zhiwen might still be alive.
Because she was captured by the Qing court and sentenced to be executed in the autumn, Cheng Zhiwen used various methods to get her released.
She wondered if the person behind Cheng Zhiwen would use the same method to replace him, just like they had done to her.
This assumption is what makes Shen Qing convinced that Cheng Zhiwen is not dead.
Sun Wen had previously helped her find out that Cheng Zhiwen had died at sea, but in fact Cheng Zhiwen was not on that ship at all.
Yes, the ship was silent, and everyone inside was dead, but Cheng Zhiwen wasn't on board; he escaped.
If she had persisted in investigating back then, would she have found Cheng Zhiwen before the Qing court?
Does that mean he won't be arrested by the Qing government?
This feeling of regret made Shen Qing restless and unable to eat or sleep, and the health she had finally managed to recover was failing again.
She waited for news from Qi Zhenheng in this agonizing state.
Five days later, Qi Zhenheng returned to Jiangzhou.
“Madam,” he pushed open the door and strode into the room, “I’m back.”
Shen Qing was lost in thought when she heard this. She looked at him with a mixture of surprise and nervousness: "How is it? Any news?"
"I've got it."
Seeing his solemn expression, Shen Qing's heart shattered into pieces.
He only stayed in the capital for one day before returning.
One day is simply not enough to save Cheng Zhiwen...
A day is enough time to inquire about some things.
So, Cheng Zhiwen wasn't saved... He might really be gone...
Shen Qing got out of bed in a daze, enduring the pain in her lower abdomen, and walked to the cradle to pick up her daughter.
She nuzzled her daughter's soft cheek with the tip of her nose and murmured, "Chengxi, Mommy doesn't have enough milk lately. Look how thin you've become from hunger. Mommy is so sorry for you and your brother."
The daughter opened her mouth to yawn, was suddenly woken up, and shook her head irritably.
Shen Qing then hugged her son, holding her son and daughter in her arms, one on each side.
She would rub against her son for a while, then against her daughter, eventually waking both children up and causing them to cry incessantly.
Qi Zhenheng observed her for a moment, then came forward, took the child from her, and put him back in the cradle.
Then I helped her back to bed.
Shen Qing suddenly burst into tears, covering her face and crying very sadly.
Qi Zhenheng couldn't bear it, so he hugged her and gently comforted her, "Although Zhiwen is no longer alive, I will definitely take his place and take good care of you and the children."
"I've made arrangements to give Zhiwen a proper burial... May he rest in peace..."
...
In March of the 21st year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, the Japanese army successively captured Niuzhuang, Yingkou and other places. In just ten days, more than 60,000 troops from over 100 battalions of the Qing government retreated from the east bank of the Liao River, marking the complete defeat of the First Sino-Japanese War.
In mid-April, Li Hongzhang, representing the Qing government, signed the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan.
This move drew fierce opposition from patriotic youths, and the revolutionaries became increasingly active.
In order to consolidate its power, the Qing government intensified its crackdown on the revolutionaries. Even revolutionaries whose homes had been confiscated before were once again subjected to the punishment of having their entire families executed, not to mention the continued pursuit of their relatives and descendants.
For a time, the world was like a living hell.
Shen Qing was also very anxious.
She worried that if her two children were found to be Cheng Zhiwen's descendants, they would also be implicated.
By then, it will be difficult for Qi Zhenheng to protect them, and he may even be dragged down by the mother and her two children.
After discussing it with Qi Zhenheng, Shen Qing decided to move to the Shanghai International Settlement with their two children.
Fortunately, there was a factory in Shanghai, so she could go out to work and change her mood. Otherwise, she would stay at home all day taking care of the children, and her mind would only be filled with Cheng Zhiwen's affairs. Every time she thought about it, she would feel very sad and lose all motivation. Her life was withering away day by day.
Qi Zhenheng always listened to her. When she said she wanted to live in Shanghai, he sent people to Shanghai to buy a house and arranged for dozens of maids, housekeepers, and soldiers to serve Shen Qing and her son.
He himself frequently traveled between Hangzhou and Shanghai, traveling day and night.
When the twins, a boy and a girl, were six months old, Shen Qing officially moved with her children to the foreign concessions in Shanghai.
Qi Zhenheng would return every few days for a short stay, but soon he had to return to his post in Hengzhou to work.
They still slept in the same bed, but never had marital relations.
At first, Shen Qing injured her birth canal during forceps delivery, and it hurt whenever she was touched. Even after she finished her postpartum period, Qi Zhenheng didn't dare to touch her.
Later, her birth canal recovered, but she didn't want Qi Zhenheng to touch her, so she lied and said she was still in pain.
Qi Zhenheng cherished her and indeed didn't touch her. At most, he would kiss her cheek and hold her as she fell asleep.
But Shen Qing knew that this excuse would eventually expire. Qi Zhenheng was at the peak of his desire and couldn't hold back for long. Sooner or later, she would have to have marital relations with him and bear his child...
When the twins were almost a year old, Shen Qing, who had been recuperating for a year, was much better and decided to reopen a villa-style silk shop in Shanghai.
Finding a villa, designing a style, decorating, and furnishing—the Silk Estate was completed six months later.
The first floor is the counter, the second floor is the showroom, and the third floor serves as her own office.
She spends most of her time working at the silk factory, bringing her children with her, and only visits occasionally when there's something going on at the factory.
Nowadays, her down jacket business and her supply of silk to the Imperial Silk Manufactory are both very stable, and these two businesses are the majority of her income.
But she knew that more than twenty years later, a great political party would be born, which would save the people from their suffering and would need financial support.
This is something Cheng Zhiwen has been doing all along.
Shen Qing hopes to continue and help Cheng Zhiwen fulfill his unfinished dream.
So next, she wants to continue doing business and earn more money.
Right now, the future wealth that down jackets and silk can bring her is already clearly visible. To earn more profits, she needs to launch new products and redevelop the market...
"Oh my! Isn't this Boss Shen?" a sharp female voice rang out.
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze, stopped in her tracks, and stood on the stairs looking at the person who had come.
The man walked over from behind the counter, stood at the bottom of the stairs, looked at her, and said happily, "It's me! Mrs. Zhuang!"
Shen Qing thought back for a while before realizing that this was one of the guests from the silk shop a few years ago.
Her husband is a Chinese banker who was sent from Singapore to Shanghai for work, and she came with him.
Before Shen Qing transmigrated here, she was going to work in Singapore, so she learned about some local customs and got along quite well with this Mrs. Zhuang.
Thinking of this, she quickly went downstairs.
Mrs. Zhuang hugged her happily: "Mr. Shen, it's been such a long time! I should have guessed that this silk shop belonged to you!"
Shen Qing smiled and said, "Mrs. Zhuang, it's been a long time. I'm back in Shanghai. How have you been these past few years?"
"I'm fine! How about you?"
"I'm fine too."
Shen Qing invited Zhuang Tai to sit in his office on the third floor.
As they went up the stairs, Mrs. Zhuang said happily, "I bought your silk a few years ago, and I'm still wearing it today! All the ladies praise your silk!"
Shen Qing smiled and said, "Thank you."
Mrs. Zhuang added, "Those ladies are coming to my house tonight. Mr. Shen, why don't you come along? I'll introduce you to them and encourage them to buy silk from you!"
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