novelzi Chapter 118
Chapter 118
Based on the intelligence gathered by the women’s army, the woman practicing in the temple was almost certainly Shen Chan.
Qin Zheng decided to go to the temple herself to investigate.
In the original book, Shen Yanzhi’s sister was only briefly mentioned, with her fate being “died in childbirth.”
A young woman, used as a pawn for political marriage and losing her life in childbirth—despite never meeting Shen Chan, Qin Zheng couldn’t help but feel some pity for her.
In these turbulent times, the lives of women from noble families were not their own.
Not having any impression of Shen Chan, Qin Zheng first visited Madam Qin before setting out.
Although Madam Qin hated the Shen family, she was mostly sympathetic when speaking of Shen Chan: “She is also a pitiful child. She lost her mother at a young age, and her stepmother was very cunning. Who knows how much she suffered in the deep recesses of the mansion. She has a soft heart, much like her mother, which made people pity her.”
**
The temple was built on a mountain.
After arriving at the foot of the mountain, Qin Zheng had her people ask the local woodcutters about all the paths up the mountain.
She then had 3,000 elite cavalry block all exits.
She took 1,000 elite cavalry up the mountain and easily subdued the guards outside the temple, from whom she learned that Shen Chan was indeed the one practicing inside.
Some guards tried to enter the temple to take Shen Chan away, but they were stopped by the armed maids inside.
Two maids, who were Shen Yanzhi’s people and responsible for caring for Shen Chan, stood guard at her door and demanded, “Who are you?”
The sky was overcast, and the wind blowing through the temple was cold, hinting at rain.
A figure approached from the winding path.
Her long hair and light purple skirt fluttered in the wind, her movements graceful.
As she came closer, those in the courtyard saw her face and found their breath taken away.
If there were truly goddesses or fairy maidens in this world, they would likely look like this.
She looked like a crescent moon in a clear sky, or a tree covered in snow, cold and untouched by mortal concerns.
“Who... who are you?” one of the maids at the door stammered.
Qin Zheng’s gaze was calm as she asked, “Is Shen Chan inside?”
Before the maid could answer, there was a sound of something falling inside the room, followed by the door opening from within.
A woman in a sea-blue robe, her eyes brimming with tears, looked at Qin Zheng.
She was pale and frail, as if she could be blown over by the wind—this was Shen Chan.
She clutched a prayer bead tightly and, uncertain, called out, “Sister A-Zheng...”
Shen Yanzhi had sharp, piercing eyes, but Shen Chan, possibly taking after her mother, had rounder eyes that were always slightly watery, giving her a timid appearance, like a small, sheltered animal.
Qin Zheng responded with a gentle “Hmm,” her gaze falling on Shen Chan’s belly.
Despite the loose fit of her sea-blue robe, it couldn’t completely hide her pregnancy.
Shen Chan instinctively covered her stomach with her hands.
Knowing from the original book that Shen Chan would die in childbirth, seeing her so frail made Qin Zheng’s heart ache.
Regardless of whether the Li family had a hand in her fate in the original story, her current physical condition was clearly very poor.
“The wind is strong outside, let’s talk inside,” Qin Zheng suggested.
The maid at the door tried to stop her, but Shen Chan gently admonished them, “Do not be rude.”
“But...” The maids were still worried about Shen Chan’s safety.
Qin Zheng gave them a cold look and said, “If I meant her harm, I wouldn’t need to waste words here.”
But this flesh was growing inside her day by day.
Shen Chan had lost her mother when she was young, and now, about to become a mother herself, she struggled internally.
Did she really want this child to be born as a tool for revenge?
Before being sent by the Shen family to become Li Xin’s concubine, she had never imagined that her life would become so bitter.
Shen Chan cried bitterly for a while, barely holding back her tears as she asked, “Is Sister Zheng here today because of my brother?”
Qin Zheng nodded silently.
After the tea in the pot had been boiled again on the clay stove, Qin Zheng told Shen Chan the whole story of Shen Yanzhi’s plan to use Yuan Qing.
Shen Chan was shocked and distressed again, tears welling up in her eyes. “Sister Zheng, I’ll go with you. You can use me to exchange for General An’s family. My brother is a man of integrity and should not be like this. That’s not my brother. I want to go and wake him up...”
On the way back to the city, it started to drizzle.
The official road was muddy, and the carriage swayed.
The coachman, fearing the slippery road, deliberately slowed down the carriage.
Shen Chan sat opposite Qin Zheng, hesitating for a long time before asking, “Sister Zheng, does the Crown Prince really treat you well?”
She asked this question with no ulterior motive, just that the Crown Prince had a notorious reputation before, and the rumors that came back to the capital later were all from hearsay.
She was afraid Qin Zheng was also pretending for the sake of her family, just like her.
Before Qin Zheng could reply, the coachman suddenly exclaimed, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince is here to pick you up!”
Qin Zheng lifted the curtain of the carriage, and the cold rain breeze rushed in, chilling them instantly.
Afraid of Shen Chan catching a cold, Qin Zheng lowered the curtain slightly.
On the misty official road ahead, there were about a hundred cavalrymen parked.
A tall figure walked towards them through the drizzle, holding an oiled paper umbrella with twenty-four ribs.
The clear rainwater slid down the edges of the umbrella ribs, leaving faint watermarks on the brocade silk robe.
Under the umbrella was a clear and cold face.
Qin Zheng leaned out of the carriage and asked, “Why are you here?”
Chu Chengji approached, worried that she might get wet, he tilted the umbrella towards the slanting rain and handed her a warm cloak, “It’s raining, and you haven’t returned for a long time, so I came to check on you.”
Qin Zheng took the cloak with one hand, her eyebrows softened, “I’ve just returned.”
It seemed that the carriage curtain had been open for a while, and the cold wind blew in.
Shen Chan, whose health was not very good, suddenly sneezed.
Qin Zheng immediately handed over the cloak Chu Chengji had given her to Shen Chan, “I forgot to give you a thick coat earlier. Put this on first, don’t catch a cold.”
Shen Chan repeatedly refused, “Sister Zheng, I’m not cold...”
Qin Zheng didn’t want Shen Chan to fall ill on this trip with them, so she insisted on putting it on her.
Shen Chan glanced fearfully outside the carriage, but the tall, stern man’s gaze had never fallen on her.
Seeing that Qin Zheng didn’t have her cloak, he simply took off his own silver satin cloak and handed it to her.
Even after Chu Chengji left, Shen Chan was still somewhat dazed.
As the carriage started moving again, Shen Chan looked at Qin Zheng, who was wrapped in the silver satin cloak opposite her, her eyes somewhat sad, but her lips slowly curved upwards.
She already had the answer to her previous question.
This disaster of the country was caused by her, but it brought suffering to her elder brother and Sister Zheng.
Now that Sister Zheng was doing well, half of her wish had already been fulfilled.