After that, the two did not speak to each other again, remaining silent back to back.
When Shen woke up, Cheng Zhiwen was no longer in bed.
She went into the bathroom to wash up and then came out to the outer hall.
Cheng Zhiwen changed into a new suit, holding a newspaper in one hand and a coffee cup in the other, with a slight smile on her lips, looking like she was in a good mood.
Shen Qing stepped forward and sat down opposite him: "What pleasant news do you have?"
The newspaper was immediately handed to her, with a large photo taking up most of the page.
It's a photo of her and Cheng Zhiwen kissing at the pier yesterday.
Shen Qing picked up the newspaper uncomfortably and read it carefully.
It was a newspaper delivered from Shanghai early that morning. On the left side of the photo, a small line of Chinese characters read: "Cheng Zhiwen, owner of the Chenghe Trading Company in Shanghai, will marry Miss Zhu Shining, a British-Chinese, on a chosen date."
Below the photo is a description of Zhu Shining's illustrious family background and the story of how he and Cheng Zhiwen fell in love while studying in the United States.
The newspaper was founded by the British. As Cheng Zhiwen said, once her new identity was reported by the British media, it was as if she had the endorsement of the British, and everyone would believe that she was a British citizen of Chinese descent.
Her status as a death row inmate was completely cleared.
But because she was Cheng Zhiwen's fiancée, she had to live in the Cheng family home...
The thought of the old woman who came to provoke them before dawn made Shen Qingxin feel numb.
I need to clear my name and leave the Cheng family as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, she put the newspaper back and asked, "Can I go out for a bit?"
Cheng Zhiwen put down her coffee cup, looked up at her, and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I want to go back to Jiangzhou."
Cheng Zhiwen frowned: "Back to Jiangzhou?"
It's unbelievable that she would appear in the most dangerous place.
"I want to go find Brother Qi; his residence is in Jiangzhou."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiwen's expression changed, and she said coldly, "Do you really have to rush to see him? Can't you wait a little longer?"
Shen Qing calmly said, "I don't want to wait any longer."
Right now, only Qi Zhenheng, an official of the imperial court, knows the whole story. If she wants to clear her name, she must meet with Qi Zhenheng!
“Right now, everyone in Jiangzhou knows you’ve been beheaded. If you suddenly appear in Jiangzhou and someone sees you and reports it to the authorities, what do you think the consequences will be? I can save you once, but I can’t save you a second time.”
Cheng Zhiwen picked up the newspaper again, opened it to read, and stopped looking at Shen Qing.
Shen Qing thought for a moment and said, "I can disguise myself so that no one will recognize me."
Cheng Zhiwen didn't discuss the matter with her anymore, and said to the maid waiting to the side, "Go and make Miss Zhu a cup of coffee."
The maidservant bowed and left.
Shen Qing stared at him for a while with his head down, then said, "If you think it's not appropriate for me to go to Jiangzhou, how about having Brother Qi come to Yongzhou?"
Cheng Zhiwen looked up at her, her gaze cold.
Shen Qing suddenly felt a little afraid of his gaze.
He looked back at the newspaper: "I'll think about it."
The maid brought in coffee and lifted the lids of three silver dishes on the coffee table.
It's a dessert.
Western-style naked cake, Yongzhou specialty Bazhen cake, and Shen Qing's favorite osmanthus cake.
Upon seeing the osmanthus cake, Shen Qing knew that Cheng Zhiwen had specially prepared it for him, because she had once told him that osmanthus cake goes best with coffee.
"Thank you for your kindness." After saying that, she picked up a piece of osmanthus cake with her fork and ate it in small bites.
Cheng Zhiwen put down the newspaper and stood up: "Have something to eat before you drink coffee. I have to go to Shanghai for something."
After saying that, he said to the maid, "Remember to bring Miss Zhu her medicine an hour after the meal."
Shen Qing nodded: "I understand, go ahead, be careful on the road."
Cheng Zhiwen left the room, leaving only Shen Qing and Zi Yan inside.
Shen Qing took a book from the bookshelf, picked up his coffee and blew on it as he read, preparing to drink it.
"Aunt Zhu! Wait a minute!"
The old woman came in and called out in a shrill voice.
Shen Qing's hand trembled, and some black coffee spilled onto her legs. The hem of her silk nightgown was soaked with the scalding liquid, which clung to her skin, making her heart skip a beat and causing her some discomfort.
Ziyan came forward to help her wipe herself and called the maid at the door to prepare ice water.
The old nanny stood aside watching, her face expressionless, and said, "Aunt Zhu, please change out of your inappropriate clothes and begin to learn the ways of female virtue from this old servant, and learn how to serve the Second Young Master and Miss Liu in the future."
Shen Qing was very agitated.
Not only was my delicious breakfast ruined, but I also burned my leg.
But then this old woman brought up discipline again, and her anger flared up. She snapped, "Why should I have to learn that?"
"This old servant is merely reminding you of your responsibilities as a concubine! Let me remind you one more time: once Miss Liu enters the household, if you continue to be so reckless, she might sell you off, and then it will be too late for you to regret it!"
Shen Qing pushed Zi Yan away, stood up, and pointed to herself: "Sell me?"
The old woman raised her chin smugly and said, "The legal wife has the right to dispose of concubines, whether she locks them up, sells them to widowers, or even sells them to brothels. The legal wife has this right. You may be new here and don't understand our customs. Here, concubines are no different from servants, not much more noble than servants..."
Anger surged within Shen Qing's chest.
She wasn't angry that the nanny treated her like a servant or mocked her for not being noble; she was angry that the nanny threatened to sell her!
The act of one woman selling another woman into a brothel is a crime against humanity!
Shen Qing suppressed her anger and smiled at the old woman: "What right does Miss Liu have to sell me?"
The old woman held her chin high, opened one eye and glared at her: "The principal wife has the right to dispose of the concubines!"
"Is this granted by your Qing Dynasty law?"
"Exactly!"
Shen Qing smiled, picked up the newspaper on the table, unfolded the page with the photo of herself and Cheng Zhiwen kissing, and pointed to a line of text for the nanny to see:
"Zhu Shining, a British citizen of Chinese descent, that is, me. You are openly buying and selling a British person, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
The old woman glanced at her and repeated loudly, "The principal wife has the right to dispose of concubines!"
Shen Qing shouted, "The British don't care about the rights granted to you by the laws of the Qing Dynasty! If you dare to buy or sell a single British person, it will cause diplomatic problems, and they might even chop off your head!"
The old woman's face paled, and she snorted, "Don't try to scare me! Just wait and see how Miss Liu deals with you!"
Just as Shen Qing was about to continue his outburst, a deep, resonant voice rang out: "Insolence! Get out!"
She and the old woman both looked towards the doorway.
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