"Treason and collusion with the enemy..."
Shen Qing shuddered at the thought of those four words.
This crime is extremely serious in any era.
Let alone feudal society, even in modern times, this crime would warrant execution.
Shen Qing hugged her arms, trying to find strength and force her trembling body to calm down.
She was trying to figure out from what angle to defend herself, but she couldn't come up with a solution no matter how hard she tried.
No clues whatsoever...
Everything can only be decided once it goes to court and we see what evidence the corrupt official presents.
Thinking of this, she stopped wasting her energy on futile efforts, leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes to rest, and awaited the fierce battle to come.
With a loud bang, the cell door was pushed open again.
New inmates have been brought in.
Shen Qing opened her eyes and looked over curiously, only to find that the new prisoner's figure was very familiar...
It's Chunju!
She immediately got up and walked over, hugging the wooden railing with both hands, watching Chunju get closer and closer.
Chunju's eyes were red as she looked at her and cried, "Young mistress... Young mistress..."
She was then locked in the cell next to hers.
The master and servant met through the thick wooden bars of the prison cell.
Shen Qing asked anxiously, "How did you get arrested too? What's the charge?"
Chunju sobbed, "They say I'm your accomplice... and they want to interrogate me too..."
Shen Qing immediately realized what was happening.
The corrupt official was afraid that Chunju would go to Qi Zhenheng to inform him, so he simply found a pretext to lock Chunju up as well.
As long as she can get out, Chunju will be fine!
Shen Qingping calmed himself down and asked, "How is Su Lan? Have they done anything to her?"
"No, Sulan went home with her mother."
"That's good." Shen Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly realized what he meant, "Erhong went home? What about the factory..."
Chunju burst into tears immediately, and after crying for a long time, she finally recounted what had happened after Shen Qing was arrested.
"The soldiers smashed up the factory, claiming they were searching for evidence, but they ended up destroying our looms and raw materials... The factory was a complete mess, and the workers were all scared and went home..."
After hearing this, Shen Qing was so powerless that she didn't know what to say.
The factory she had painstakingly built up could be destroyed with a single word from the county magistrate.
She and Cheng Zhiwen painstakingly translated, assembled, and maintained those spinning machines, which were neatly arranged in the factory like an array. The servants only needed to wave their water and fire sticks a few times to turn them into a pile of scrap metal.
Why is this happening?
Why!
Shen Qing's eyes reddened with hatred, her heart throbbed with pain, and she clutched her chest, pounding it hard.
Chunju was frightened by her out-of-control appearance and reached her hands through the barriers to try to stop her from hurting herself.
"Young Madam... don't worry, as long as you can get out of here alive, you'll definitely be able to make a comeback..."
Shen Qing gradually calmed down.
Leaning against the railing, he stared blankly at the dust drifting in the air.
"I don't know when I can get out. The corrupt official dealt with me last time and knows my methods. This time he will definitely avoid me completely. I have no confidence."
After hearing that the factory had been destroyed, she lost all her fighting spirit.
As if in an endless loop, everything returned to the starting point, beginning with his imprisonment.
Even if she manages to get out alive this time, she will be left with nothing and a mountain of debt.
Now that the factory has been destroyed, all the deposits received from customers must be returned in full.
Not only did she not have the money to repay Master Zhao, but she also owed money to Gao's relatives, coachman Lao Xu, and others.
That 100,000 taels will be due in less than six months...
“Let’s go find Lord Qi! Lord Qi will save you!” Chunju cried.
Shen Qing chuckled: "You've been imprisoned too, who can inform Lord Qi?"
She took off the purse hanging from her waist, went through the partition, and stuffed it into Chunju's hand.
"If I don't make it back this time, give five hundred taels back to the coachman, Old Xu, and return the remaining silver notes to the three merchants. Also, sell the silk and rayon stock in the warehouse, buy a small courtyard in the countryside, and live there with the old lady..."
She whispered her last wishes, her throat tightening as she finished speaking in a different tone.
With red eyes, she turned back, not wanting Chunju to see her sorrowful face.
"I understand..." Chunju nodded, her face covered in tears and snot. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"
A young and handsome face appeared before Shen Qing, and the tears welling up in her eyes surged even more fiercely.
The man gazed at her calmly as always, but did not look away for a long time.
She closed her eyes and said in a trembling voice, "If Second Young Master Cheng asks about my whereabouts, just say—I'm fine, I've returned to my hometown."
Chunju wept: "Okay..."
After making his final arrangements, Shen Qing closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, waiting calmly.
My mind was rewinding like a movie, with memories of the past flashing through my mind—
During the Lantern Festival, amidst a dazzling sea of lanterns, young men and women stood among the bustling crowds.
The boy gently kissed the girl's forehead through the mask.
The half of his face visible beneath the mask was angular, lean, and delicate.
Shen Qing opened her eyes in surprise.
That boy... looks like Cheng Zhiwen!
She immediately turned around and asked Chunju on the other side of the fence, "Are Cheng Ershao and I going to celebrate the Lantern Festival together?"
Chunju, her eyes red, recalled for a long time before nodding: "It was before Second Young Master Cheng went abroad to study..."
Before going abroad!
Therefore, Cheng Zhiwen and the original body in the picture both appear as young boys and girls.
It turned out that their relationship wasn't as bad as she had imagined.
This discovery gave Shen Qing a glimmer of hope, which had previously made him feel powerless.
She had promised Cheng Zhiwen that she would tell him the whereabouts of the original owner after the rayon was put on the market, but now she didn't know if she would survive, and Cheng Zhiwen might never find the original owner in his lifetime.
The woman who suddenly disappeared, the truth that will never be revealed—this is an extremely cruel regret, and also a true death.
We can't let this happen!
Shen Qing looked at the dark prison cell door and wondered why they hadn't gone to court yet.
She needs to see what kind of "evidence" the corrupt official has to come up with before she can figure out how to deal with it.
Although the factory was destroyed, she was desperate and felt that no matter how hard she tried, it would be in vain.
But she can't die!
She hasn't done what she promised Cheng Zhiwen!
She has to get out of here alive!
Just then, the cell door was pushed open.
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