At that same moment, Jiang Chengyi was led by Chen Li into Yu Jiuqing's study. The man who had been lying unconscious in bed that very morning was now sitting behind his desk, expressionlessly reviewing a memorial. A cold, unapproachable aura radiated from him, prompting an exasperated laugh from Jiang Chengyi. Standing at the study's entrance, he sneered, "You've never been this dedicated to your work before, Yu Jiuqing. I'll say it again: even if you want to die, you'd better hold on. I won't be helping you take care of your precious son after you're gone."
The man behind the desk had a face that was as exquisitely handsome as it was frigid. He wore a loose white robe, his black hair casually tied back with a simple green cord. His features were picturesque, yet they held the maturity and reserve unique to a man of thirty.
A pair of phoenix eyes, naturally alluring with their upward tilt, remained slightly downcast. He didn't so much as raise his gaze at the sound. His voice, cool like the chime of jade but tinged with hoarseness from his grave injuries, was utterly indifferent. "Is that so? Why don't we put it to the test and see if you truly won't help me look after Yu Zihan after I die."
Feeling like he'd been completely cornered, Jiang Chengyi's temper flared. He strode forward and SLAMMED his hands on Yu Jiuqing's desk, glaring at him. "Yu Jiuqing, I'm being serious with you! I thought you'd been reckless enough these past few years, but this morning's assassination… you could have dodged it. Why didn't you?! If Divine Doctor Lu hadn't been here, you would have succumbed to that rare poison and died!
If you keep this up, how will you face Zihan? How will you face Shen Qing?! If she comes back and sees you in this wretched state…"
"Heh."
The man behind the desk finally showed a flicker of emotion. The corner of his mouth twitched into a look of extreme mockery, yet one that also seemed to hold extreme pain. "Do you really think she'll come back?" he said coldly. "Jiang Chengyi, I've always known you're more of a dreamer than I am. But it's been ten years. It's time to wake up."
Seeing the lifeless expression on the man's face, a vein throbbed on Jiang Chengyi's temple.
Still, it wasn't that he couldn't understand how Yu Jiuqing felt.
Ten years. Not one or two, but ten whole years.
If that person was going to come back, she would have done so long ago.
Yu Jiuqing's devotion to Shen Qing had always bordered on a terrifying obsession. For the first three years, he had turned over nearly the entirety of Da Qi and all its neighboring countries, searching for her. Yet he found not a shadow of the beautiful woman, not even a single credible piece of news.
It was only then that they discovered the background she had told them was a complete fabrication. Born in Lu State, parents died young, left to wander the world alone after the grandfather who raised her passed away… All of it was a lie!
It was as if she had appeared out of thin air, only to vanish just as mysteriously. Other than the few years when she suddenly appeared by the late emperor's side and came to know them, there was no other trace of her to be found in the world.
Searching his heart, Jiang Chengyi had to admit that if he were Yu Jiuqing—discovering his beloved wife had been deceiving him all along, only for her to vanish without a trace—he wouldn't have handled it any better.
'Besides, the man has always been an out-and-out madman. What else would you call someone who doesn't even value his own life?'
Jiang Chengyi took a deep, sharp breath and said with forbearance, "I think she will come back. I'm not just your best friend; I was her best friend, too. I know her. She could never abandon you and Zihan. Besides, she left you a letter, didn't she? One that said she would definitely be back?"
No one knew about this except for a few people close to Yu Jiuqing.
When Shen Qing left, she had indeed left a letter. It contained only a short message—"I have something to attend to. Do not worry. I will be back as soon as I can."
Now, however, looking back on the words "I will be back as soon as I can," they seemed to be filled with nothing but irony.
The mockery on Yu Jiuqing's face deepened. He lowered his eyelids, as if nothing in the world could hold his interest any longer. "Are you done with your nonsense? If you are, then leave. I'm not dying just yet."
Jiang Chengyi's brow furrowed as he looked at the man, who seemed to be shrouded in a deep twilight, cutting himself off from the outside world. He desperately wanted to ask, 'What's the difference between how you are now and being dead?'
His lips pressed into a tight line. After a long moment, he seemed to deflate. "Regardless, you need to be better to Zihan. He's your and Shen Qing's only child. My heart ached for him yesterday when he sent a message begging for my help. You're his father, yet when he's helpless, he can only turn to me, his uncle, for aid…
Let me confirm one more time—you didn't do anything to those three poor Maids, did you?"
Previously, a servant boy who helped Zihan escape the Prime Minister's Mansion had been beaten to a bloody pulp and carried out. The incident seemed to have left a deep shadow on Zihan.
Zihan had only been six at the time. After fleeing the Prime Minister's Mansion, he was targeted by Yu Jiuqing's enemies and nearly lost his life. Jiang Chengyi understood Yu Jiuqing's desire to make an example of the servant, but he had clearly failed to consider the child's feelings.
Sometimes, Jiang Chengyi would be frantic just watching from the sidelines.
'That's no way to raise a child.'
No wonder Zihan and his father were now like fire and water.
This time, Yu Jiuqing simply ignored him, his eyes fixed on the memorial in his hands, as cold and remote as a solitary moon in the room.
If Jiang Chengyi didn't pride himself on his self-control, he might have been unable to resist kicking him viciously to see if he could shatter that layer of ice.
The Yu Jiuqing from before he met Shen Qing had been just like this—as cold as a thousand-mile frozen tundra, rejecting anyone who tried to get close.
It was only after meeting Shen Qing that he had slowly gained a touch of human warmth.
But that rare warmth seemed to have slowly dissipated and vanished along with her departure.
Chen Li, standing to the side, seemed unable to watch any longer. He bowed and said, "Marquis, please rest assured. The Lord promised you he would not punish the three Maids too severely, and he will not go back on his word. However, in accordance with the household rules, a small punishment is still necessary."
Only then did Jiang Chengyi's worries subside.
'As long as it's a reasonable punishment, there's no problem.'
'I was just afraid he'd pull that "making an example of someone" stunt again.'
Jiang Chengyi looked at the man who was now treating him as if he were thin air. Annoyed yet helpless, he rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Fine. Just keep on being this shadow of your former self. I can't control you. Just you wait until Shen Qing comes back, you'll see what's coming to you."
'Those six women he brought into the mansion in a fit of madness alone will be enough for Shen Qing to give him a proper thrashing.'
With that, Jiang Chengyi flicked his sleeves and stormed out in a huff.
Only then did Yu Jiuqing, still seated behind the desk, slightly raise his eyes to glance at his retreating back. A flicker of gloom passed through his gaze.
'Come back?'
'Heh.'
'I was the one who forced her to stay in the first place.'
'She said countless times that she would leave here one day. And now, she really has.'
'It's just that… back then, I really thought that after she agreed to stay, she would never leave again.'
The pain in his heart had long since turned to numbness. It wasn't even as strong as the sensation from the residual poison in his right leg.
Yu Jiuqing slowly closed his eyes and leaned back against his chair.
He hadn't been lying about a single thing he'd just said. All these years, he had been living with sober clarity.
Soberly accepting the fact that she would probably never come back.
Sometimes, he even hoped she was out there somewhere, watching him secretly, only to discover that without her, his life went on just as before.
'Yu Jiuqing doesn't need her to survive.'
...
Xiang Qiao escorted Shen Qing out of the Moon Cave Gate and then returned, not uttering a single word the entire time, dutifully carrying out the task of seeing her off.
Before leaving, Shen Qing couldn't help but look back and sigh inwardly.
'I originally came here to ask about Yu Jiuqing's injuries.'
'Oh well. Seeing how calm the mansion is now, Yu Jiuqing must be fine.'
Shen Qing collected herself and returned to her quarters.
However, as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw a stone-faced Sumei Xue standing there with a group of Maids. Chen Ying and Zhu Yuan were kneeling on the ground, trembling. Upon seeing the late-arriving Shen Qing, Sumei Xue shot her a fierce glare and barked, "Get on your knees!"
Shen Qing wasn't surprised for long; she knew this was likely the punishment for yesterday's events.
Amused, she thought, 'Yu Jiuqing still has the presence of mind to deal with three lowly Maids like us. It seems he really is fine.'
She compliantly knelt beside Zhu Yuan. Sumei Xue immediately said in a cold voice, "I really underestimated you all. On your very first day in the mansion, you caused such a huge mess! The Lord is merciful. Believing you didn't do it on purpose, he has specifically instructed me to only give you a minor punishment as a warning to others.
You will kneel in this courtyard until dawn tomorrow. Qiu Yun, you will watch them. If any of them moves, you will whip them fiercely with a bamboo cane. Make them learn the rules of the Prime Minister's Mansion and commit them to memory!
If you make the same mistake again, it won't be something as simple as a minor punishment!"