Shen Qing froze.
Everyone was dumbfounded by Yu Jiuqing's sudden move.
After a moment of stunned silence, Yu Zihan thought, 'This is bad!' He scrambled forward to block Shen Qing, spreading his arms wide and crying out anxiously, "Father, you can't!"
'Why did Father come here himself?!'
'And he actually saw Shen Qing!'
'Things couldn't possibly get any worse!'
Yu Jiuqing didn't seem to expect Yu Zihan to rush forward. His brow furrowed slightly, his face turning as frigid as a frozen wasteland.
Sumei Xue's expression turned even fouler.
'It seems I was right. When did this woman bewitch the young master like this?!'
'And how did she even manage it?!'
Yu Jiuqing stared at Yu Zihan, a vein throbbing at his temple. It was as if he were using immense self-control to suppress an urge as he bit out, word by word, "Yu Zihan, move aside!"
As his son, how could Yu Zihan fail to see that his father was in a towering rage?
'But how can I move? The moment I do, Shen Qing will die!'
He bit his lip and glared fiercely at the man before him. For once, the young boy who had defied his father for so many years spoke with a hint of a plea, "No, Father. Shen Qing is a good person. Don't hurt her..."
'Shen Qing...'
Yu Jiuqing seemed to waver for a second. Then, the iciness in his eyes instantly deepened, as if a thousand daggers of ice were aimed mercilessly at the boy. He lifted his sharp, almond-shaped eyes, which now held a trace of bloodlust, and again enunciated each word, "What did you say her name was?"
Yu Zihan instantly felt the urge to bite his own tongue off.
'He knew perfectly well that his father suspected Shen Qing of deliberately disguising herself as his mother to infiltrate the Prime Minister's Mansion, yet he had just blurted out her name—a name almost identical to his mother's—right in front of him!'
'Wouldn't that just stoke his father's suspicion and cruelty?'
Yu Zihan bit his lower lip hard, unwilling to repeat Shen Qing's name. His glare at his father only grew more resolute.
'He knew it was normal for his father to be suspicious of Shen Qing. He also knew he shouldn't be acting like this, blindly protecting her as if he'd lost his mind—she was a woman he had known for less than two days.'
'But he couldn't explain why. He just couldn't bear to watch anyone hurt Shen Qing, couldn't stand the thought of seeing sorrow or pain on her face.'
'He felt he was failing his mother, as if he were projecting his feelings for her onto this other woman.'
'But he couldn't control himself.'
He hadn't said anything, but for the past two days, he had been in a state of inner turmoil. In this tense standoff with his father, that turmoil seemed to swell to its breaking point. A look of pain and grievance appeared on Yu Zihan's usually stubborn face. In those almond-shaped eyes, so like his father's, the faint shimmer of tears began to gather.
Yu Jiuqing faltered.
'How long has it been since Zihan had that look on his face?'
'Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've truly looked at him.'
Just as the atmosphere between father and son grew delicate, a gentle and polite voice interjected in a manner that was anything but. "This humble citizen greets Prime Minister Yu. I wonder why the Prime Minister is pointing his sword at a defenseless maid? This maid has done me a kindness. If she has committed no great offense, I wonder if the Prime Minister might do me the favor of letting her go?"
Yu Jiuqing's brow tightened. He turned his cold gaze to Guo Chengfeng, who had approached at some point without him noticing. He found the man's words both absurd and laughable. "You're saying... she... has done you a kindness?"
He spat out the sentence, one word at a time.
It was as if every word were a preposterous joke.
Guo Chengfeng's smile didn't waver. He bowed again. "That is correct. This maid has done me a kindness. If Prime Minister Yu finds her displeasing, would you perhaps allow this humble citizen to take her away?"
As if he had finally reached the end of his patience, Yu Jiuqing erupted. "Guo Chengfeng, do you have any idea what you're saying...?"
His words trailed off as a thought seemed to strike him. His pupils contracted. He whipped his head around to stare intently at Shen Qing. After a long moment, his thin lips curled into a sinister smile. "Good. Very good. It seems I've underestimated you."
There was a touch of unhinged madness to Yu Jiuqing in that moment.
Shen Qing's brow furrowed as she observed him impassively. After sneering to himself for a moment, he suddenly threw his sword to the ground. "It's rare for Mr. Guo to ask something of me," he said coldly. "But what a pity. This maid belongs to my Prime Minister's Mansion. She is of the Mansion in life, and she will be a ghost of the Mansion in death. Naturally, I cannot simply let Mr. Guo take her away."
As he spoke, his eyes remained locked on Shen Qing. The way he looked at her, as if she were an inanimate object, made her deeply uneasy. She couldn't seem to figure this man out.
'Could it be that Yu Jiuqing didn't recognize me?'
'It would be normal if he didn't. I am in disguise, after all. Besides, I now look like I'm twenty-five.'
'Most importantly, ten years have passed. Even Yu Jiuqing himself has changed so much that he seemed like a stranger when I first saw him. So it's no wonder he wouldn't recognize me.'
Then, Yu Jiuqing commanded coldly, "Guards! Take this maid to Qingzhu Courtyard. I will interrogate her myself!"
Qingzhu Courtyard was Yu Jiuqing's personal residence.
Having said his piece, as if he could no longer stand the farce, he turned and strode away.
In a panic, Yu Zihan started to run after him. "Father—"
But Shen Qing stopped him.
Yu Zihan stared at Shen Qing, stunned. She looked at him gently, then smiled and stroked his head. "I'll be fine. You don't need to worry."
Her gaze was as gentle as the softest down, and Yu Zihan couldn't help but lower his defenses.
He stared at her blankly. The sense of grievance that had been swelling inside him, along with a deeply hidden fondness, silently welled up, leaving him at a loss for words.
Shen Qing patted his head again. Just then, two guards approached. She shot them a look and said irritably, "I can walk on my own."
What she didn't see was that the moment the words left her mouth, Yu Jiuqing, who was not far off, faltered in his stride.
The two guards, however, were not about to listen to her. "You don't have a choice in the matter!" one of them said, his face like stone.
Others might not have noticed Yu Jiuqing's fleeting reaction, but Chen Li, who was watching him closely, did not miss it.
He was silent for a moment before turning to the two guards. "Let her walk on her own. Just keep a close eye on her from behind."
'After all, this whole place is full of our men.'
'There are Hidden Guards in the shadows. It's not like she can stir up any real trouble.'
Though the two guards were surprised, Chief Chen himself had given the order, and their Lord didn't seem to object. They had no choice but to cup their fists and declare, "Yes, sir!"
As he watched Shen Qing about to be led away, Yu Zihan rushed to follow, but Guo Chengfeng stopped him with a smile. "Don't worry, she'll be fine."
Yu Zihan was both anxious and confused. "Uncle Guo, how do you know? Are you going to go help Shen Qing?"
Guo Chengfeng wasn't sure how to explain it to him.
'Besides, the truth of the matter wasn't something for an outsider like him to reveal.'
He could only pat the boy's head and say noncommittally, "Yes. In any case, you can rest easy."
'Even though it's infuriating to watch.'
'But from the very beginning, no matter how arrogant or cold-blooded Yu Jiuqing became, Shen Qing was always the one person who could handle him.'
'If Yu Jiuqing had been able to let Shen Qing go, he would have done so ten years ago.'
'He wouldn't have spent the last decade living like a ghost, a hollow shell of a man.'