Chapter 132: Empathy

Lady Jiang was stunned by the scene before her. She glanced quickly at the person beside her, then at the person standing in the doorway, and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Could there really be someone in this world who looked so much like him?

Shen Qingyun parted her red lips, her eyes cold. "Father, I heard you wanted to live a life of domestic bliss with your little family of three. I pondered long and hard, and this is the only solution I could devise for you. Since you asked me not to hold onto past grudges, surely you can appreciate my good intentions?"

Shen Zhifeng’s mind went blank. His wide eyes were filled with terror and confusion. His heart hammered against his ribs as he instinctively tightened his grip on Lady Jiang, gasping, "Shen Qingyun, what on earth do you mean? What are you doing? Who is this?"

He vaguely sensed her plan, but he could not believe she would be so audacious.

"Why, this is the future Duke, of course!" A smile curled at the corners of Shen Qingyun’s lips. She frowned slightly as she looked at the newcomer, as if something were still missing. "Hanqing, change their clothes."

"Yes, Miss."

"You wretched slave, what are you doing? How dare you be so disrespectful to me! I’ll kill you!"

Hanqing leaped forward, ignoring Shen Zhifeng’s desperate struggle. With a few swift movements, he stripped Shen Zhifeng of his outer robes and led the man from the doorway away.

"Shen Qingyun, you unfilial daughter! You madwoman! Do you think you can replace me with just anyone? It’s pure delusion! Once you bring him back to the manor, the charade will be exposed. We’ll see what you do then! Let me go this instant!"

Watching Shen Zhifeng’s panicked, furious, and helpless state, Shen Qingyun sighed softly. "Father, don't worry. Concubine Wang will treat him as you and take good care of him."

Hearing this, it was clear that Wang Qingrui was on her side. Shen Zhifeng began to curse, "That slut, that wretched slut!"

Shen Qingyun offered a word of comfort: "Concubine Wang is indeed quite something, only concerned with her own pleasures. Fortunately, there is still Lady Jiang, who is so deeply and loyally devoted to you that she even abandoned her own manor for your sake. You must be very touched, Father, aren't you? You really should take good care of her, especially since she is still carrying your child."

The remark was filled with double meaning, her tone suggesting there was more to the story than met the eye. Lady Jiang clutched her stomach, a look of horror crossing her face. Trembling, she asked, "You... how do you know I am with child..."

If she had discovered the pregnancy, had she also discovered that the child was not Shen Zhifeng’s?

Lady Jiang looked at Shen Qingyun, her face deathly pale, terrified that the next words out of her mouth would expose everything.

***

Shen Qingyun merely smiled and offered no answer. She turned back to Shen Zhifeng. "Oh, and Father, as for Steward Ding and his embezzlement, I have sold off his entire family. You need not worry. Grandmother is old and rarely leaves Yansong Hall, and her eyesight is failing anyway. You may rest easy here."

Shen Zhifeng’s eyes burned with rage. He tried to lunge at Shen Qingyun, but Hanqing pinned him down, rendering him unable to move.

He struggled, screaming and cursing, looking as if he wished he could tear Shen Qingyun limb from limb.

How ridiculous. She was merely treating him the way he had treated her—giving him a taste of his own medicine—and he already couldn't bear it?

He had enjoyed the status of a Duke for so long, but what about her in her past life? She had been swapped at birth and sent to a remote, impoverished countryside. She had suffered through a grueling life until her teenage years, and when she was finally brought back, they only suppressed her and forced her to jump into the fiery pit of the Jiang manor in place of Shen Sisi.

She remembered when she first returned to the manor in her past life, she had harbored hopes that her father would love and cherish her just as her mother had.

But what was the result? Shen Zhifeng had said, "Qingyun, you come from the countryside and lack the elegance for high society. You and Sisi are worlds apart. It is your fate, so don't blame others. Just stay in the manor and don't go out and embarrass us."

Before she was married off, he had said, "Given your state, only the Jiang manor is willing to take you. You must be grateful, and you must treat your husband as your heaven. Whatever Jiang Lin says, you must do."

And so, she had been cautious and submissive. She had tried to please them, offering up her entire dowry, yet she never received a shred of genuine affection in return.

In her past life, she had been timid and foolish. In this life, she wanted to see just how detached and composed Shen Zhifeng could be when faced with the same circumstances.

Shen Qingyun raised her hand in a signal, and Hanqing promptly knocked both Shen Zhifeng and Lady Jiang unconscious.

When they eventually awoke, they found themselves in a strange room; they had clearly been moved.

Lady Jiang asked tremblingly, "My Lord, where is this?"

Shen Zhifeng felt a dull ache in his head. He tried to inspect the furnishings. The room contained only a table with a kettle and a cup, two stools, and two cabinets containing a few items of clothing. It was incredibly crude.

He threw off the quilt covering them, feeling a wave of disgust. The quilts in the Duke's manor were made of fine silk and were incredibly soft.

He wanted to open the window to look outside, but he felt his entire body go limp. He couldn't even push the window open; he lacked all strength, and Lady Jiang was in the same state.

He began to shout, "Is anyone there? Someone come! Is there anyone? Shen Qingyun! You unfilial daughter, get out here!"

An old woman walked in. Ignoring their shouting, she set down a food box and left.

Shen Zhifeng and Lady Jiang cursed for a long time, but when no one responded, they grew weary. When Shen Zhifeng finally gathered the strength to move, he felt his stomach growling with hunger. He opened the food box, only to find two small dishes and thin porridge that had long since gone cold.

Enraged, Shen Zhifeng kicked the box over and demanded sharply, "Where is everyone? Get out here! Shen Qingyun, you lunatic!"

Lady Jiang was also famished. Seeing the food scattered on the floor, a flicker of heartbreak crossed her eyes, making her feel even hungrier, but she said nothing and sat quietly on the bed.

The old woman, who was skilled in martial arts, heard the clattering from the room from far away. She pushed the door open, saw the overturned box on the floor, and gave a cold, mocking laugh. "If the master doesn't want to eat, he can cook for himself."

Without bothering to clean up, she walked out to the courtyard to rest.

Shen Zhifeng was stunned. He chased after her to look, and was so frightened by what he saw that he couldn't speak. They were clearly in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the capital; there were even vegetables growing in the courtyard outside.

Back at the Duke’s manor, Shen Qingyun returned with the "Shen Zhifeng."

Concubine Wang was stunned when she saw him. The eldest young miss was truly formidable! The man's appearance, mannerisms, and attire were so similar to the real Shen Zhifeng!

Shen Qingyun smiled. This man was someone Hanyu had painstakingly sought out. He was eighty or ninety percent similar, and with the help of professional makeup and practice, no one who didn't know him well would ever notice the difference.

Wang Qingrui and Shen Qingyun exchanged a look, and she calmly led the "Shen Zhifeng" away.