Upon hearing Cheng Zhiwen's name, Shen Qing's lips drooped, and her heart felt heavy.
Qi Zhenheng looked at her and said, "At the time, I instructed the official in charge of handling the body to make sure that Zhiwen's body and head were sewn back together to ensure the body was intact and to give her a proper burial."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing was heartbroken, her eyes welled up with tears, and she struggled to hold them back.
“Some time ago, that official wrote to me saying that there was an opportunity to steal Zhiwen’s remains and asked if I wanted to pay money to bury Zhiwen in his hometown. I agreed and asked him to arrange carriages and horses to send Zhiwen back to Yongzhou and bury him in the Cheng family cemetery…”
Shen Qing looked at him with tears streaming down her face: "Cheng Zhiwen's tomb is finished, right? So you went to Yongzhou to see him today?"
Qi Zhenheng nodded: "I told him to rest in peace, that I would take good care of you, and that I would also insist on petitioning the Emperor to continue the path of reform."
Shen Qing cried out in anguish, but dared not utter a sound, causing her body to convulse violently.
Qi Zhenheng pulled her into his arms and comforted her, saying, "When the time is right, I'll take you to see him."
Shen Qing sobbed, "Tomorrow...tomorrow you'll take me and the children...okay?"
Qi Zhenheng lowered his voice: "No. Not now. I'm not sure if this is a trap set by the imperial court. If the court wants to use this to arrest Zhiwen's descendants, and you show up at his grave with the children at this time, it would be very dangerous."
Shen Qing broke down in tears.
...
Upon learning that Cheng Zhiwen's tomb was in Yongzhou, Shen Qing became even more restless.
But Qi Zhenheng's words made perfect sense, and she couldn't go see Cheng Zhiwen at this time.
She had no choice but to send He Fei to Yongzhou to personally confirm that Cheng Zhiwen's grave was in good condition, and to ask two people to keep an eye on the Cheng family cemetery and clean Cheng Zhiwen's grave regularly.
He Fei returned a few days later and reported: "Mr. Cheng's tomb is very well done. I found a master to perform a ritual for him at the temple, and I also found two tomb keepers to look after the cemetery."
Shen Qing nodded without saying anything, gazing sadly out the window in a certain direction.
He Fei looked over and immediately understood that the direction she was looking in was the direction of Cheng Zhiwen's villa in Shanghai.
"Master has found Mr. Cheng's soul and said that Mr. Cheng's soul is in Shanghai with his wife and children."
Shen Qing looked at He Fei in surprise, her voice extremely low: "Did you tell Master that Mr. Cheng has children in Shanghai?"
He Fei shook his head: "How could I possibly say that... I didn't say anything, I only gave Mr. Cheng his birth date and time."
Shen Qingsong sighed, "Then this master is quite capable. He guessed correctly how many people are in Mr. Cheng's family and the location."
He Fei scratched his head: "Anyway, no matter what, Mr. Cheng's soul has found a home."
Shen Qing asked sadly, "Home? Is this where Lord Qi and I live?"
If Cheng Zhiwen's soul truly protects her and her children, seeing her sharing a bed with Qi Zhenheng and the children calling Qi Zhenheng "Dad," he would be very sad.
Thinking of all this, Shen Qing felt a lump in her throat and wanted to cry again.
She returned home dejectedly, and seeing Qi Zhenheng's horse in the garden only deepened her sorrow.
She entered the living room without saying a word, and the butler quickly said, "Madam, the master has returned from his post."
"I see."
Shen Qing dragged her heavy steps upstairs.
Qi Zhenheng was playing with a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, while his wet nurse and Chunju waited nearby.
Seeing Shen Qing go upstairs, Chunju quickly followed and helped her change her clothes.
Qi Zhenheng quickly entered the room and hugged Shen Qing from behind in front of the bathroom mirror: "It's been a few days since we last met. Has my wife missed me?"
Looking at herself in the mirror, Shen Qing suddenly remembered He Fei's words—
Mr. Cheng's spirit is in Shanghai with his wife and children.
She suddenly pushed Qi Zhenheng away agitatedly and screamed, "Don't touch me!"
Qi Zhenheng, still with his arms outstretched, looked at her in astonishment: "What's wrong with you?"
Shen Qing then came to her senses, turned around, and looked at Qi Zhenheng apologetically: "I'm sorry, I remembered some unhappy things."
Qi Zhenheng's expression changed, but he quickly stepped forward and hugged her: "If you're unhappy about something, tell your husband, and I'll teach those people a lesson for you!"
Shen Qing shook her head stiffly: "No...it's nothing."
"It's good that you're alright."
Qi Zhenheng lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
This time, she couldn't dodge; he fiercely captured her lips in his mouth.
The man's breathing was heavy and rapid. His hand slipped under the hem of her blouse and precisely kneaded the mound of her breasts.
She looked at herself in the mirror, crying.
Through her blurry tears, she seemed to see Cheng Zhiwen also appearing in the mirror.
His eyes were bloodshot, and blood was streaming from his eye sockets.
Shen Qing cried even more bitterly.
Now, Qi Zhenheng lost interest in sex. He released her, stared at her coldly for a long time, and then turned and left the bathroom.
Shen Qing squatted down with her arms crossed, burying her face in her knees.
In that instant, she calmed down again.
Qi Zhenheng worked hard at the garrison for four or five days. Every time he came back, he had to ride a fast horse for two or three hours to get back here. He would stay for a couple of days and then ride back to the garrison.
He couldn't ride in a horse-drawn carriage because once the horse started pulling the carriage, the speed would slow down, and it often took a whole day to travel from Hengzhou to Shanghai.
He always rode his horse back and forth so he could get home as quickly as possible to see his wife and children.
After six months of tireless travel, my once fair skin has become dark and rough.
He could have lived a very comfortable life at his post, with high-ranking official positions, beautiful women around him, and children thronging his knees...
Right now, he's not only exhausted from all the running around, but he can't even have the most basic marital intimacy...
Thinking of this, Shen Qing immediately stood up and rushed out the door.
She was going to discuss taking a concubine with Qi Zhenheng.
Qi Zhenheng wasn't in his room, so she went to the study, only to find...
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