The Gao family members whispered among themselves:
"This is terrible! This bastard... this child is the governor's?"
"The governor seems young and promising; he could have any woman he wanted. Why would he have a child with a widow?"
"Perhaps it's because Shen is beautiful... Look at that captivating charm..."
"I heard the two of them were lovers years ago! They're both from Yongzhou..."
Qi Zhenheng stared at everyone for a moment, then turned and walked to Shen Qing.
He crouched down, took Shen Qing's hand, looked up at her, and asked softly, "Shall we go back?"
Shen Qing bit her lip, said nothing, and struggled to get up, supporting her waist with one hand.
Qi Zhenheng stood up and picked her up in his arms: "There's a sedan chair outside."
He was tall and strong, and easily picked Shen Qing up in his arms.
The soldiers with swords formed a human wall, blocking the Gao family and their entourage.
Suddenly, a woman in the crowd shouted, "He's the governor! Does that mean he can secretly commit adultery with a widow and covet the Gao family's property? We're going to report this to the higher-ups! We'll report it to the governor-general! Arrest this adulterous couple!"
It was that woman who had been stirring things up.
Qi Zhenheng turned around, carrying Shen Qing, and coldly looked at the woman, roaring, "Arrest this person! Throw her in jail! I want to interrogate her myself!"
"yes!"
The soldiers stepped forward, grabbed the woman, and dragged her out of the ancestral hall.
Everyone present turned pale.
Qi Zhenheng carried Shen Qing into the carriage and immediately instructed Old Xu to return to his residence.
Shen Qing didn't say anything.
She was very tired. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down.
She didn't react emotionally to the insults she received from the Gao family relatives, because as a modern person, she knew how important a mother's emotions were to the fetus.
Ever since she learned of Cheng Zhiwen's passing, she was so heartbroken that she almost miscarried. She told herself that during this time, no matter how big the matter was, she had to deal with it calmly.
However, the baby in my belly was still affected by the commotion just now, and is now moving a lot.
She placed her warm palm on the pregnant belly and whispered to the baby, "It's okay, don't be afraid, Mommy's here..."
As they were talking, the man's warm palm covered the back of her hand.
Qi Zhenheng pulled her into his arms with one hand and said softly, "Qing'er, things have come to this, let's get married. Only if I become the father of this child can I protect you and your child."
Shen Qing was surprised.
Qi Zhenheng had proposed to her before, but that was a long time ago, before she was pregnant.
This time when he went to Guangzhou to pick her up, he didn't mention marriage again. She thought that he had seen that she was pregnant with someone else's child and had given up on the idea.
Unexpectedly, he brought it up anyway.
She shook her head: "We agreed to only be brother and sister."
She didn't want to marry someone she didn't love, and she didn't want to be a burden to him.
“I know you don’t love me…” Qi Zhenheng gripped her hand tightly and said sadly, “Zhiwen is no longer alive. How will you manage with the child all by yourself? Let me take care of you and your child.”
Her hand trembled, and without saying a word, tears rolled down her cheeks from her tightly closed eyes.
It turns out he knew everything.
So he never asked her who the father of her child was, nor did he ask where Cheng Zhiwen was now.
Because he knew everything.
She also knew that the person she was waiting for was no longer alive.
Shen Qing slowly opened her eyes and looked at Qi Zhenheng.
He was a grown man, with red eyes and his head down, looking as aggrieved as a child who had done something wrong.
"Brother, calm down and listen to me."
Shen Qing took a deep breath and continued, "We're siblings, we'll always be there for each other. Even if we don't get married, we'll still be family, right?"
“Qing’er…” Qi Zhenheng looked up at her, his eyes red, “I don’t want to be your older brother, I want to be your husband.”
He released Shen Qing and took out a small red brocade pouch from his sleeve.
Open it, and inside is a gold ring.
Upon closer inspection, the top of the ring features a petal-shaped design, with a diamond ring set in the stamen.
He took Shen Qing's hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger: "Qing'er, marry me, and I will treat you and your son well! I will treat him as my own son!"
Shen Qing subconsciously withdrew her hand and asked with a smile, "This ring is very special, where did you buy it?"
“I asked someone in Shanghai to buy it for me a few years ago.”
Shen Qing guessed that the person was Cheng Zhiwen.
My mood plummeted to rock bottom.
So Cheng Zhiwen knew all along that Qi Zhenheng liked her, which is why she treated her coldly and pushed her towards Qi Zhenheng?
"Qing'er... Seven years ago, from the moment I pulled you from the river, I fell in love with you..."
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze and looked at Qi Zhenheng.
I really didn't expect him to fall in love with me so early.
Remembering how he used to criticize her for showing herself in public, she laughed and said, "You said you fell in love with me the first time we met, so why did you repeatedly scold me for showing myself in public and for staying at home all the time? I remember you didn't like me back then."
Qi Zhenheng choked, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Because I love you, I didn't want you to be seen by other men when you went out. It's just that I didn't know it was Xinyue at the time, and thought it was just anger and disapproval."
It's like when a little boy likes a little girl, he always tries to tease her and get her attention.
Shen Qing was both amused and exasperated. She raised her hand and gently patted Qi Zhenheng's back: "I think you've only had me by your side all these years, so you've misunderstood your feelings and mistakenly thought you were in love with me. Listen to me, go out and interact with other girls more, and you'll find someone you like."
Qi Zhenheng blushed, but said nothing. He simply held Shen Qing and gently stroked the top of her head with his chin.
Jiang Shen and He Fei, sitting in the front cabin of the car, could clearly hear the conversation inside.
The two exchanged a glance but didn't dare say anything.
Shen Qing did not go to Qi Zhenheng's residence. At her insistence, Qi Zhenheng sent her back to the Gao family and left dozens of armed soldiers to guard her courtyard.
Now we don't have to worry about the Gao family relatives causing trouble again.
Shen Qing didn't want to do this, but for the safety of the fetus in her womb, she had no choice but to do it.
Although Jiang Shen and He Fei usually guarded the courtyard, they could handle two or three people causing trouble, but it was uncertain how they would manage when there were more people.
For example, today, dozens of members of the Gao family clan came at once. Even though Jiang Shen and He Fei are skilled in combat, they really can't handle so many people.
Although they were all armed, Shen Qing did not want them to fire their guns.
Jiangzhou is a small place. A few years ago, she invited Germans over because of assembling machines, which was later used as evidence of her treason. She couldn't imagine what would happen after Jiang Shen and He Fei fired the first shot at the Gao family.
She and her child wanted to continue living in Jiangzhou, and they absolutely could not let the gunfire shatter the peace here.
Right now, it's good that Qi Zhenheng sent soldiers to protect her and her child; the soldiers can greatly deter those barbaric relatives of the Gao family.
However, the unexpected happened again...
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