Hiding nearby and gleefully enjoying the show, Jiang Chengyi watched the woman leave with Yu Jiuqing. He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
'It seems my stubborn refusal to leave, all because I was worried about Yu Jiuqing, has paid off after all!'
'I never would have thought that after ten years, someone would still be audacious enough to imitate Shen Qing to get close to Yu Jiuqing—and even court death by sneaking into the Prime Minister's Mansion!'
In the first two years after Shen Qing went missing, her imitators were a dime a dozen. Yu Jiuqing was frantic back then, so much so that he lost all reason. He would personally investigate any news regarding Shen Qing, and as a result, he fell into many of his enemies' traps. It would be no exaggeration to say he was constantly cheating death.
Later, as his hopes were shattered time and again, he finally calmed down somewhat. He issued an order forbidding the circulation of Shen Qing's portraits, with severe punishments for any violators, and he even put away all the portraits of her in his own mansion.
Thanks to his actions, coupled with the rampant rumors that Shen Qing had abandoned her husband and son, the number of imitators gradually dwindled.
Even so, six years ago, after getting drunk at a banquet, Yu Jiuqing was lured into a political enemy's trap by another woman imitating Shen Qing. He was so gravely injured that he nearly died.
To make matters worse, a six-year-old Yu Zihan then snuck out of the Prime Minister's Mansion and was caught by that same political enemy. If his personal guard hadn't arrived in the nick of time, Yu Zihan would have been gone from this world.
Jiang Chengyi would never forget it. Yu Jiuqing at that time had been as cold and vicious as an Evil Ghost clawed up from the underworld. He didn't just slaughter that political enemy's entire clan; he also cut down the woman sent to imitate Shen Qing.
From that day forward, any woman who tried to get close to him by imitating Shen Qing was cut down on sight.
He was like an emotionless Yama.
He slaughtered them until no one dared to use Shen Qing for their schemes again. But his actions also fueled the rumors that Prime Minister Yu despised his own wife, to the point that even Zihan believed them.
'But Yu Jiuqing probably does resent Shen Qing, at least a little.'
Jiang Chengyi watched the distant white figure, who limped as if isolated from the rest of the world, his expression complex.
At some point, Yu Jiuqing had stopped hoping that Shen Qing would return.
Perhaps he had held on to too much hope, and when those hopes went unanswered year after year, he finally succumbed to despair.
He had no right to blame Yu Jiuqing. It was just his way of protecting himself from what must have felt like endless despair.
...
As they walked, Shen Qing had been mulling over how to confront Yu Jiuqing. But when she glanced ahead and saw the limping figure not far in front of her—a figure that seemed much thinner than she remembered—her heart clenched, and her train of thought vanished.
'He hurt his leg just this morning, didn't he? Not even a full day has passed, and he's already wandering around. He's that injured, yet he won't let anyone support him, insisting on walking by himself. Even a reincarnated Hua Tuo would have to call him a superman.'
Shen Qing complained internally, not realizing that in the meantime she had followed Yu Jiuqing into a quiet and elegant courtyard.
The man in front of her stopped abruptly, turned, and stared at Shen Qing with frigid eyes.
Shen Qing finally gathered her scattered thoughts and met his gaze in silence.
She wasn't sure if Yu Jiuqing had recognized her.
Although her original purpose was to have a showdown with him, the thought of the women in his rear courtyard and his emotionally neglectful way of raising Zihan made her want to sneer. She had absolutely no desire to speak with him calmly.
'Calm my ass! If I were capable of being calm, I would have charged in and castrated him the moment I found out about all the crap he's pulled over the years!'
Yu Jiuqing merely stared at her. Suddenly, his narrow phoenix eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, reached out his right hand to her cheek, and began to scrub it harshly.
Shen Qing was caught completely off guard. She stared blankly at the man before her, whose eyes had inexplicably reddened, feeling that the force he was using on her face could rival a farm wife scrubbing a rag that hadn't been washed in decades.
She suddenly remembered that she had altered her skin tone. It used to be fair and radiant, but now it had a faint, sallow hue.
She had also added a small mole to the corner of her left eye.
She suddenly understood what he was trying to do.
'With Yu Jiuqing's intelligence, how could he not have noticed something was off about me? He just can't be certain... or rather, he doesn't dare to be.'
Shen Qing couldn't help but secretly purse her lips.
'The materials I used for this disguise are professional-grade. They can only be removed with a special method. Did he really think he could just rub it off?'
Her voice, too, had been altered with a special medicine. Since the change was subtle, it should have sounded perfectly natural and seamless.
'But if he keeps scrubbing like this, the makeup won't come off, but my skin will.'
'Besides, Chen Li over there looks like his eyes are about to pop out.'
Shen Qing furrowed her brow. Feigning extreme pain, she pulled away from his hand, lowered her head slightly, and said, "May I ask how I have angered you, my Lord, for you to find me so disagreeable?"
Shen Qing's words seemed to snap Chen Li back to his senses, and he couldn't help but look at her with a hint of scorn.
'This woman actually has the nerve to ask the Lord why he finds her disagreeable?'
'Dressing up like that and sneaking into the Prime Minister's Mansion... she should have known what would happen once the Lord discovered her, shouldn't she?'
'But she really does look too much like their heartless mistress. Not just her face, even her voice is a better match than all the other women who've tried to get close to the Lord. I wonder where the mastermind behind this found her.'
'If not for a few small differences, I'm afraid even I would have been deceived.'
'The Lord's strange actions just now were probably because he was momentarily bewildered by her strong resemblance to his wife.'
At this thought, Chen Li grew more vigilant.
'Our Lord has always been exceptionally intelligent, wise, and decisive. The only thing that makes him stumble, time and again, is matters concerning his wife.'
'I have to be extra careful this time.'
Yu Jiuqing seemed to laugh out of anger at her words. "So, you're aware I find you disagreeable, yet you still dare to show your face to me. You've got some nerve."
As he spoke, he snatched his hand from Shen Qing's face as if he had touched something utterly filthy, hiding it behind his back. "Which 'Qing' is your name?" he asked coldly.
'Is he asking for my name?'
Shen Qing didn't look up, replying faintly, "The 'Qing' from the phrase 'A beauty by birth'."
Yu Jiuqing fell silent for a moment, then seemed to sneer. "'A beauty by birth, alas, a thief by trade.' The name suits you."
"..."
Shen Qing bit back her retort, but finally couldn't resist. She looked up at Yu Jiuqing, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "My family was poor, so I'm not well-read. I had no idea that line had a second part to it."
It felt as if Yu Jiuqing's heart skipped a beat.
The vivid, animated face before him overlapped so easily with the one in his memory.
Yu Jiuqing and Shen Qing shared a wealth of intimate, heart-pounding memories that no one else could know. These memories were so profound and radiant that they hadn't faded in the slightest, even after ten long years.
Yu Jiuqing's hands at his sides unconsciously clenched into fists. His right hand twitched, lifting slightly, only to fall back down in defeat. He lowered his gaze and seemed to mutter in self-mockery, "Now... I can't even tell which of your words are true and which are false..."
He spoke so softly, as if talking in his sleep, that it was hard to tell if he had even said the words aloud.
Shen Qing froze.
The next moment, the man before her shot her a cold glance, then abruptly turned and walked inside. "Since you're a Maid in my household, you should do a Maid's job. Come change my wound dressing."
Chen Li was alarmed. "My Lord!" he exclaimed.
Yu Jiuqing, however, acted as if he hadn't heard. When he was halfway inside, he saw that Shen Qing hadn't followed and turned back, his lips pressed into a thin line as he shot her a look of extreme impatience.
Shen Qing: "..."
'Heh. Fine. He wants me to change his dressing, does he?'
'Then I'll just have to give him a *very*, *very* thorough change of dressing.'