Late at night, Quan Heng sat alone in the room, staring blankly at the candlelight before her.
Another day had passed, and Wen Zheng still hadn’t shown up.
He had clearly said yesterday that he would definitely come again, but even now there wasn’t the slightest sign of him. Could something really have happened?
Quan Heng let out a self-deprecating laugh.
When he had just locked her up, she was full of hatred.
She could still remember clearly: at that time, he had pinned her down, torn open her outer robe by force, even attempting to rape her—like a beast completely devoid of reason. It had left her humiliated to the bone.
She hadn’t expected that after just two days, she would already begin to worry about him. Truly, how spineless.
Just then, a strange sound came from the window. Quan Heng instantly became alert, retreating to a corner.
The window was pushed fully open, and a man jumped in. He brought with him the chill of the night, sending a shiver through Quan Heng.
“Who are you?!”
The man didn’t answer. He simply dusted off his clothes and walked toward her.
Quan Heng was filled with both fear and shock. If this was some villain, her life might truly end here!
In a panic, she grabbed the pillow beside her and hurled it at him.
“Get out! Get out! Don’t come near me—stay away!”
The man staggered when hit, then quickly said, “Ah Heng, it’s me! I’m Ah Zheng!”
At that moment, the flickering candlelight finally lit up his face.
Quan Heng hesitated. “…Wen Zheng?”
Her eyes moved from the man’s features downward, but the small red mole wasn’t there.
At that instant, amidst her joy, a trace of disappointment arose in her heart.
“Brother Ah Zheng, why are you here?”
When she called him Wen Zheng, Shen Zhengyu felt a pang in his heart.
At this point, even though Wen Zheng’s impersonation had been exposed, even though he had imprisoned her and stripped away her freedom, when she saw someone appear in the room, her instinctive reaction was still to think it was him.
But it had only been a few years since he left her, and yet his place beside her had already been taken by someone else.
He was unwilling to accept it.
If that was the case, then he would snatch her back—even if he had to use underhanded means.
“Ah Heng, you’ve been gone for days. I was worried sick! Do you know that?”
Quan Heng gave a bitter laugh. “There was nothing I could do. If I could’ve escaped, I would have long ago.”
Shen Zhengyu grasped her shoulders and gave them a light shake, his expression grave. “You’ve been locked up here for days without a word. Do you know that Wen Zheng has gone completely mad?!”
At those words, Quan Heng’s head snapped up, her voice tight with worry. “What happened to him? What’s going on?”
Shen Zhengyu looked at her with a “hating iron for not becoming steel” expression. “Even now, you’re still worried about his safety? The one you should be worried about is yourself! Wen Zheng locked you up just to take you by force, and now he’s planning to imprison the entire Yongning Marquis Manor. He’s doing all this just to leave you with no way out. Don’t you understand?”
Upon hearing that, Quan Heng felt her vision darken.
Imprison the entire household?
Everything was playing out almost exactly like that dream. If it really continued down this path, she would likely die before long.
“How could this be…”
Clearly, in those months Wen Zheng had spent by her side—though he wasn’t as gentle and elegant as Shen Zhengyu—his intentions didn’t seem bad.
But ever since his true identity was exposed, everything had irreversibly spiraled into a dark abyss.
Seeing her pale face, Shen Zhengyu’s heart ached. And yet, he also felt a faint surge of secret joy.
He then pulled out a cloth bundle from his robes, unwrapping the outer handkerchief to reveal a blood-stained pouch—its embroidery and style unmistakably Ziyun’s.
Quan Heng snatched it over, her fingers tracing the pattern as tears poured down like rain. “What happened? Why is Ziyun’s pouch here? And why is there blood on it?”
Stricken with grief, her legs gave out and she collapsed, but Shen Zhengyu reacted quickly, catching her and seating her on a nearby stool.
“Fortunately, I learned of Wen Zheng’s plan ahead of time. Last night, I fled with the Marquis Manor’s people before the Crown Prince’s men arrived. But…”
At this point, Shen Zhengyu hesitated and looked at her.
Quan Heng, overwhelmed with sorrow, couldn’t stand that look. She grabbed his sleeve and shook it hard. “But what? Tell me! Say it!”
Shen Zhengyu let out a long sigh. “Along the way, we encountered many assassins—most likely sent by the Crown Prince. Ziyun was caught off guard and was captured. She fell down a slope… and died. Only these belongings remain.”
Quan Heng’s eyes widened in disbelief. Tears streamed down her face, soaking the pouch in her hands.
The blood spread across the fabric, seeping across the table—harsh and terrifying.
“How could this happen? Ziyun grew up with me. In my heart, she was never a servant—she was like a sister to me.”
Clutching at the pain in her chest, she ground out through clenched teeth, “That beast Wen Zheng—how could he—how dare he lay a hand on my Ziyun!”
At that moment, she could no longer contain herself and broke down in sobs.
But the next second, Shen Zhengyu suddenly covered her mouth and whispered, “Do you want to die? This manor is filled with hidden guards and servants. If they hear you and come running, what then?”
Quan Heng’s hot tears fell, drop by drop, onto the back of his hand.
In such times, she didn’t even have the freedom to cry aloud.
What a cruel joke.
Shen Zhengyu withdrew his hand and wiped away her tears.
“Luckily, I saved the rest of the people in the Marquis Manor. They’re safe for now, hidden away where Wen Zheng can’t find them—at least not yet.”
Quan Heng closed her eyes, fighting to hold back more tears. “Brother Ah Zheng, thank you.”
Just as in the dream—when she was isolated, when she had no way out—it was still only Ah Zheng who would do everything to save her.
Looking at her grief-stricken expression, Shen Zhengyu’s heart softened, but he still spoke.
“There’s something else. Do you know why your Yiniang died back then?”
Quan Heng frowned and looked up. “My Yiniang? Wasn’t she lured out of the manor by Gu Yue and Qin Rou, and then killed by bandits?”
Shen Zhengyu nodded. “Yes—but not entirely. Haven’t you ever wondered why Wen Zheng was gravely injured and fell off a cliff, which led to his amnesia?”
Quan Heng blinked. “Why?”
Shen Zhengyu sneered, “Because that outbreak of bandits back then—was his doing! Near Changle County, there was a group of mountain bandits. The Emperor ordered Wen Zheng to eliminate them.”
At this, he slapped the table in rage. “But our esteemed Crown Prince found it too troublesome, so he simply set the whole mountain on fire! The bandits who survived, who’d lost their families and homes, came down the mountain and went on a rampage through Changle. That’s what led to the bloodshed and deaths—he caused it!”
He looked at her, voice tinged with sorrow. “Your Yiniang’s death—everyone says it was an accident, but in truth, it was murder. If Wen Zheng hadn’t been so heartless, how would such a tragedy have happened?”
Quan Heng was too stunned to speak.
If this was true, then Wen Zheng had a hand in her Yiniang’s death. And yet she had saved him, cared for him day and night.
How unfilial. How foolish.
Shen Zhengyu sighed. “And there’s one more thing. You probably don’t know. After I passed the imperial exam, I wanted to visit Changle. Just a few days ago, I went there. And do you know? The entire Gu household—dead.”
Quan Heng blurted out, “What?!”
The Gu family had influence in Changle. How could they have been wiped out just like that?
As she stared at him, Shen Zhengyu continued, “I suspect it was Wen Zheng. After regaining his memory, he must have sought revenge for the hardship he endured while staying at their manor. I heard the Gu family members all jumped off a cliff—the same one you fell from. How could that be a coincidence?”
In that moment, Quan Heng felt as though she’d fallen into an icy pit, frozen to the core.
The Gu family hadn’t treated her well—but they had raised her. And they had taken in Wen Zheng for a time. How could he do such a thing?
She had misjudged him. She’d thought the man who stayed by her side was a good person. But in reality, he had no heart.
All the rumors about the Crown Prince’s cruelty—none of them were false.
Knowing she must now hate Wen Zheng to the bone, Shen Zhengyu took her hand gently. “I spent a long time tracking down this place. I came tonight to take you away. Will you come with me?”
Unexpectedly, Quan Heng shook her head, eyes red with rage.
“I’m not leaving. Wen Zheng dared to do all this—he killed Ziyun, caused my Yiniang’s death—I won’t let him off easily!”
She looked at Shen Zhengyu. “Brother Ah Zheng, I’m already grateful you came to see me. Please take care of my family… but as for me, I’ll stay here. I’ll kill that demon Wen Zheng with my own hands!”
Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
Perhaps their voices just now had been too loud and disturbed the night watch. Fendai, who had been keeping watch outside, knocked on the door suspiciously and asked with concern, “Miss Gu, did you have a nightmare? I thought I heard you talking in your sleep. Should I come in and keep you company?”
Quan Heng glanced anxiously at Shen Zhengyu and forced herself to appear calm. “I’m fine. You must have misheard. Just stay at the door and continue your watch. I’m alright!”
Hearing this, Fendai responded with an “Oh,” then added, “Please do rest well, then. If the young master comes back and sees you looking unwell, we’ll be the ones to get punished.”
Quan Heng gave a bitter smile. “Alright. I’ll sleep now.”
When she heard Fendai sit back down outside and lean against the wall, falling asleep again, Quan Heng finally let out a breath of relief.
“Brother Ah Zheng, you should go now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
Shen Zhengyu gave her a complicated look before finally saying, “Very well. I’ll leave for now. Take good care of yourself here.”
“If I find a chance in the future, I’ll come see you again.”
With that, he sighed, climbed out through the window again, and disappeared into the night.
Watching his departing figure, Quan Heng suddenly felt a bit dazed, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Back then, Ah Zheng would also come into her Mingyue Pavilion every day through the window, and leave again before dawn the same way.
Those days in the Marquis Manor had clearly not been that long ago, but now, they felt like a lifetime away.
Let it be, let it be.
It was her poor judgment in people that led to such a miserable outcome.
