Shen Qing, who was about to turn and leave, froze when she saw Cheng Zhiwen there.
She knew this tea party would reveal the hidden side of men, so she changed her mind.
She wanted to know another side of Cheng Zhiwen.
She had long suspected that Cheng Zhiwen was not a simple comprador.
Whether it was how he managed to get the Ministry of War to change its decision and reallocate the fodder quota to the Gao family's eldest branch in just one day, or how he freely entered and exited the German consulate, or how he openly shot Japanese people in the concession and remained unharmed...
Shen Qing believed there were many more things she didn't know.
It seemed as if several forces were supporting him from behind.
How could a mere comprador possibly manage all these matters?
"Miss Chen, please—"
Cai Chong politely invited Shen Qing to take a seat.
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze and instinctively walked forward.
As she got closer to Cheng Zhiwen, fearing that Cheng Zhiwen would discover her, she moved closer to Cai Chong's side to avoid being noticed by Cheng Zhiwen, but her eyes were fixed on Cheng Zhiwen.
At this moment, a fair-skinned young man walked up to Cheng Zhiwen, leaned down and whispered something in his ear.
Cheng Zhiwen's eyes turned cold instantly, and the cigar in her hand snapped in two.
Shen Qing discovered that this young man was the one who had come to her rescue when the crew suspected her ticket was fake and tried to kick her off the ship.
It turns out this person was also one of Cheng Zhiwen's subordinates.
As Shen Qing looked at him, he felt increasingly familiar with the young man.
On her first day aboard the ship, she noticed that the young man's profile looked familiar. She was sure she had seen him somewhere before, but she just couldn't remember where.
Shen Qing walked to Cai Chong's left and went forward.
She was worried that Cheng Zhiwen would discover her, but fortunately he was focused on listening to his subordinates' report and his face was turned inward, so he did not notice her and Cai Chong.
Coincidentally, Cai Chong arranged for her to sit next to Cheng Zhiwen, and Cheng Zhiwen was right behind her.
The distance between their backs was less than a meter.
"Please have a seat. I'll go invite that gentleman over," Cai Chong said in a low voice, then knocked on the waiter's door. The waiter brought coffee to Shen Qing.
Shen Qing didn't drink it.
He sat there, expressionless.
Behind him, Cheng Zhiwen listened to his subordinate's report, waved his hand, and dismissed him.
A middle-aged man at his table chuckled and asked, "Mr. Cheng, what happened? You look terrible."
Then Shen Qing heard Cheng Zhiwen sneer and say, "Zhang Zhidong has petitioned the Qing court to postpone Wang Debang's military punishment!"
"It seems that Empress Dowager Cixi intends to give this Lord Wang a break!"
Someone exclaimed indignantly, "Wang Debang recently annihilated the French army at You'ai! This man is brave and skilled in battle. If he doesn't die, when will the Qing Dynasty ever perish?"
Someone immediately chimed in: "That's right! We thought Empress Dowager Cixi was determined to deal with Wang Debang, but it turns out she let him go! Let's just find someone to kill Wang Debang!"
Cheng Zhiwen chuckled softly, "What's the rush? Killing someone isn't difficult, it's just a matter of a word... The most important thing is to see the Qing court's next move through the Wang Debang incident..."
“Mr. Cheng is right, we will do whatever Mr. Cheng says…”
"Yes, yes, we'll do as Mr. Cheng says..."
Shen Qing felt as if his blood had frozen.
Cheng Zhiwen and the other three were plotting to assassinate a general who had just returned victorious from the Sino-French War!
Assassinate the general who defends against the enemy...
Therefore, Cheng Zhiwen was a... traitor!
He wasn't even a revolutionary!
The revolutionaries only thought about overthrowing the Qing Dynasty; they wouldn't assassinate generals who had rendered meritorious service in resisting foreign enemies!
Only traitors would want everyone who is beneficial to this country to die! Because that way, the country they are loyal to can easily take over the country!
Cheng Zhiwen's comprador status was merely a facade to facilitate his entry and exit from the country and the transmission of intelligence.
In the buying and selling of goods, he might also bring in things that shouldn't be brought in and send out things that shouldn't be sent out.
Therefore, he was able to extricate himself from the incident of shooting the Japanese unscathed and was also able to freely enter and leave the German consulate.
It turns out he was a complete traitor!
It is because of people like him that China in history was invaded and plundered by the Eight-Nation Alliance, and trampled by the iron heel of Japanese militarism, resulting in national ruin and destruction!
Shen Qing's frozen blood surged again, and she raised her hand to touch the hairpin in her hair.
At that moment, she didn't think of anything else; she only had one thought in her mind—to kill Cheng Zhiwen, the leader of the traitors!
These traitors deserve to die!
She didn't consider that her only wish after transmigrating to the late Qing Dynasty was to survive; nor did she consider that she had previously "liked" Cheng Zhiwen.
She only thought about the impending national crisis, and how she had the opportunity to eliminate a traitor. Why didn't she do it?
Thinking of this, she took out her hairpin knife, hid it in her palm, and stood up.
Cheng Zhiwen was sitting behind her. She planned to use her left arm to strangle his neck and her right hand to plunge the hairpin knife directly into his heart.
But in the instant she turned around, the faces of Su Lan and Chun Ju appeared before her eyes.
If she openly assassinates Cheng Zhiwen on this ship, she will certainly not be able to disembark, and she will die on this ship!
Cheng Zhiwen's men will not let her go!
But what will happen to Sulan, Chunju, and the dozen or so members of the Gao family after she dies?
Shen Qing suddenly regained consciousness.
He gripped the hairpin knife tightly in his right hand and sat back down without making a sound.
Even if we wanted to kill Cheng Zhiwen, that traitor, now wouldn't be the time...
Not far away, Cai Chong was talking to someone while watching this side.
When Shen Qing looked at him, he smiled at her but didn't seem inclined to come closer.
Shen Qing had no choice but to sit and continue waiting.
Since she was already here, and seeing that the Chinese trader he mentioned hadn't suffered any losses, perhaps he could sign the European order tonight, so that when the ship docked in Macau tomorrow, she could disembark and return to Shanghai.
Behind them, after Cheng Zhiwen and the others finished talking about the Qing Dynasty, they started talking about their own families.
Shen Qing learned from their conversation that the other three had sent their families to Japan, the United States, and other places, and that they no longer had any family members in China.
This way, even if their country falls in the future, their families can be guaranteed to be unharmed.
Someone asked Cheng Zhiwen, "Mr. Cheng, I really don't understand why you would marry into the family of a Qing Dynasty prince's confidant? If the Qing Dynasty falls in the future, your wife and children will be implicated."
Cheng Zhiwen laughed loudly.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Haven't you heard that saying? How can you guarantee that the Qing Dynasty will definitely perish? If the Qing Dynasty doesn't fall and we lose, as a confidant of the Prince, I can still continue to operate in China, while you will have to leave for distant lands and never be able to return to China. China has fertile land and abundant resources, and I can't bear to leave."
Shen Qing bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her lips.
A breath caught in my throat, I couldn't go up or down.
It turns out that his reason for breaking off the engagement with the original owner of the body was not because he fell in love with educated and cultured women while studying abroad, but because he wanted to climb the social ladder and curry favor with the powerful!
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