"Take the children and come with me to the base. Give me yourself, or I'll make sure Cheng Zhiwen dies a horrible death!"
Qi Zhenheng threatened.
After saying this, he began to unbutton the Chinese knot buttons on his jacket.
Shen Qing looked at him in despair. In her utter despair, she raised her hand, took out the hairpin knife, and held it to her neck: "If you come any closer, I'll kill myself!"
Qi Zhenheng's hand, which was resting on the Chinese knot button, froze, and despair filled his eyes.
...
Shen Qing was forced to take her two children and go with Qi Zhenheng to the garrison.
She didn't want to go at all, but Qi Zhenheng threatened her with Cheng Zhiwen's life and death, so she had no choice.
As long as Cheng Zhiwen is alive, she will do anything she is asked to do.
After arriving at his post, far away from the business and people in Shanghai, Shen Qing had no friends or family in Hengzhou, only Chunju and his two children.
I was completely devastated.
He Fei, who protected her every day, was driven away from Shen Qing's side by Qi Zhenheng on the grounds of Xia Zhu's death.
He stayed at the hotel to recover from his injuries and did not go to Hengzhou with Shen Qing.
Shen Qing also lost her means of inquiring about Cheng Zhiwen's whereabouts, and she was extremely anxious about whether Cheng Zhiwen was safe.
Now that Qi Zhenheng knows Cheng Zhiwen's identity, he might report him to the Qing court in a moment of madness, putting Cheng Zhiwen in a very dangerous situation.
Shen Qing regretted telling Qi Zhenheng when she discovered that He Danqing was Cheng Zhiwen. She thought Qi Zhenheng treated Cheng Zhiwen as a good brother, but she didn't expect that Qi Zhenheng's mindset had already changed.
He had promised her that he would let Cheng Zhiwen go as long as she brought the child to the post, but perhaps one day they would have an argument, and he would get agitated and start thinking about dealing with Cheng Zhiwen again.
Shen Qing decided that from then on, she would never mention Cheng Zhiwen in front of Qi Zhenheng again.
When she stopped mentioning Cheng Zhiwen, Qi Zhenheng's emotions stabilized considerably. Although the two still slept in the same bed at night, it seemed that Qi Zhenheng was still angry, so he didn't force her to have marital relations.
A few days of peace passed like this.
On the day before the Lunar New Year, Shen Qing and Chunju packed the children's clothes together, preparing to return to Jiangzhou to celebrate the New Year.
Qi Zhenheng was receiving guests in his study.
"Madam, Madam..." a servant rushed in to report, "People from the palace have arrived!"
Shen Qing put down what she was doing and asked in surprise, "Who is it?"
"Eunuch Liu, who serves the Emperor!"
The wooden toy in Shen Qing's hand immediately fell to the ground.
Last time, she was still at the Gao family's house when an imperial edict came from the palace, arresting her and the entire Gao family!
Shen Qing turned deathly pale with fright and asked in a trembling voice, "Did you say something?"
"I don't know either. The adults have already gone over there. Please go to the gate to greet them quickly."
Qi Zhenheng is gone...
With him around, he shouldn't get into any trouble, right?
Shen Qing glanced at his children, gritted his teeth, told Chunju to watch over the children, then quickly got off the bed, put on his cloak, and hurried to the front door.
Qi Zhenheng, his advisor, and a group of soldiers from the governor's office were all kneeling at the main gate.
A man dressed as a eunuch stood among the crowd, holding what appeared to be an imperial edict.
With a pale face, Shen Qing lifted her skirt and quickly went to greet Qi Zhenheng, kneeling beside him.
Qi Zhenheng said, "Eunuch Liu, my beloved Shen Qing has arrived. Please read the imperial edict."
Eunuch Liu immediately unfurled the imperial edict and proclaimed: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Qi Shen, wife of Qi Zhenheng, Governor of Jiangzhe, is skilled in craftsmanship. Her knitted sweaters and woolen garments are both warm and beautiful, deeply pleasing to the Emperor. She is hereby summoned to the capital to knit warm clothing for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. This is the imperial decree!"
They're not here to arrest her.
Shen Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief.
"Qi Shenshi, why haven't you received the imperial decree yet?"
Shen Qing snapped out of his daze and took the imperial edict from Eunuch Liu.
Qi Zhenheng asked, "Eunuch Liu, have the Emperor and Empress Dowager instructed my wife on when she should enter the palace? It's almost the New Year, could you allow her to spend the New Year at home before entering the palace?"
Eunuch Liu laughed and said, "It's the New Year, and His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are going to reward you! Inviting your wife to the palace at this crucial moment is to reward her for her merits! Why don't you hurry up and come to the palace with me today!"
Qi Zhenheng knew he couldn't refuse, so he helped Shen Qing to her feet and bowed to Eunuch Liu, saying, "Thank you, Eunuch Liu. Please come inside and sit for a while. My wife has packed her valuables and will go to the palace with you."
Eunuch Liu nodded in satisfaction and walked into the governor's office with his hands behind his back.
Shen Qing looked at Qi Zhenheng with a heavy heart: "Why were you suddenly summoned to the palace?"
Qi Zhenheng frowned, glanced at the sky, and his breath turned into white smoke.
"This year, the capital is extremely cold. When I went to the capital a few days ago, I saw many people freezing to death along the way. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager must also be freezing, which is why they summoned you to the palace to inquire about items to keep warm."
Shen Qing nodded: "If that's really the case, that would be great. I'm just worried that there might be some kind of trap."
Qi Zhenheng held her hand, passing on the warmth of his palm to her: "My child and I will also go to Beijing with you. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
After saying that, he put his arm around her and led her through the gate.
...
Shen Qing went back to her room, packed a few sets of winter clothes, and also brought a few samples of the down jackets and sweaters she had recently developed.
This batch of down jackets uses goose down, which is both light and warm, several times warmer than duck down. The sweaters, on the other hand, use imported American wool, which is even softer and warmer.
If the Emperor and Empress Dowager really came for her clothes, then these samples would come in handy.
Before leaving, she invited Qi Zhenheng to her study.
"I'm going to the palace soon, so I'm entrusting the children to you." Speaking of leaving her two children, Shen Qing couldn't help but tear up. "I've already arrived at your post with you, and I'll be going to the palace soon. I won't contact Cheng Zhiwen anymore, so don't worry."
She was telling Qi Zhenheng that she would sever all ties with Cheng Zhiwen, and that she would still be his wife, hoping he would treat their children well.
Qi Zhenheng looked at her, his bright eyes now red, and pulled her into his arms.
He knew better than Shen Qing what the palace was like.
No one can say for sure what will happen when Shen Qing enters the palace this time.
Perhaps one wrong word could incur divine wrath and lead to being dragged out and beheaded.
He was truly afraid that this parting would be forever.
But he didn't tell Shen Qing any of this. He just choked up and comforted her, "I am Cheng An and Cheng Xi's father. I will protect them with my life. You don't need to worry."
Shen Qing nestled in his arms, nodding through her tears.
He kissed her temple and said, "I will visit you in the palace often, and I will also ask my father to try to get you back to your children as soon as possible."
"good."
"Let's stop arguing and stop talking about divorce, okay?"
Shen Qing nodded: "Okay."
Before that palace, a symbol of power that could take her life at any moment, all their past grievances, quarrels, and troubles seemed insignificant.
At this moment, Shen Qing could only pray that she could leave that place as soon as possible and return to the children.
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