In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Zhu Qingyu and Zhang Shen got married after Zhao Shiyuan fell from power.

At that time, Zhang Shen came to the clinic to find her and cautiously asked her:

"Qingyu, I'm a little worried about you being out there alone. There's probably more than one Zhao Shiyuan in the world. If it happens again, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you. You... have you ever considered marrying me? I didn't want to hold you back, but after what happened with Zhao Shiyuan, I thought that having the identity of a married woman as a cover would be much better, wouldn't it?"

Because Zhang Shen used the word "conceal," it proves that his coming to tell her about marriage was the result of weighing the pros and cons, rather than an expression of impulse. Therefore, Zhu Qingyu did not think about romantic love at all at the time.

She thought Zhang Shen was repaying her kindness in treating her illness, so she didn't agree and instead said:

"Jingyan, I did treat you and Ruohua, but you also opened a clinic for me. You don't owe me anything, and you don't need to go to such lengths for me. If I marry you, I'll have a cover for my identity, but what will you do when you meet a woman you love?"

Before coming to her, Zhang Shen had mentally prepared himself for a long time, so exposing his flaws to her and saying those unspeakable words didn't seem as difficult as he had imagined. He replied with a wry smile:

"Qingyu, you may not understand what I mean by not wanting to hold you back. Do you know why I haven't married? It's because I can't marry. No matter which girl I marry, it would only be a waste of her time and youth. There's already a lot of gossip about me not marrying at my age."

Zhu Qingyu finally understood what Zhang Shen meant, and felt both embarrassed and apologetic at the time.

If it weren't for her, how could Zhang Shen have said something like this, revealing his own shortcomings?

In the end, the two still got married.

Although they were supposed to be covering for each other, Zhang Shen didn't skip any of the proper formalities with her. The two exchanged marriage certificates, bowed to heaven and earth, and became husband and wife.

While reviewing the account books, Zhu Qingyu didn't say a word. After finishing reviewing them all, she tidied up the account books written by Zhang Shen, smoothed out the curled corners, and then put them back in the box. She then took out the second manager's testimony to read.

Having calmly and methodically read through everything without missing a single one, and then putting everything back exactly as it was, Zhu Qingyu smiled at Gu Zhao and said:

"I've finished reading it, thank you, Shouming."

Although she didn't say anything while watching and remained very calm, Gu Zhao felt that something was off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Zhu Qingyu had run here barefoot, and now she was preparing to go back barefoot along the same route.

As soon as she stood up, a belated pain suddenly struck her heart.

Zhu Qingyu braced herself on the table with one hand for balance, while the other hand rested on her heart. The pain was so intense that she could barely stand and even had difficulty breathing.

So that's why you once tried so hard to protect me, Jingyan.

This time, it's my turn to protect you.

Jingyan, wait for me.

Someone came over and helped her up.

Gu Zhao had felt that something was wrong with Zhu Qingyu from the very beginning, so he kept an eye on her.

Seeing her swaying as if she were about to fall, he quickly ran over, caught her, picked her up, and carried her to the bed, asking:

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Shall I ask the old gentleman to come up and take another look?"

Zhu Qingyu grabbed his hand, shook her head, leaned against the headboard, slowly inhaled and slowly exhaled, finally suppressing the pain. Then she looked at Gu Zhao with a curious and inquisitive gaze.

Before opening the box, Zhu Qingyu felt as if she had encountered a calamity released from Pandora's box when she saw Gu Zhao. She had suspected that he was the source of Zhang Shen's imprisonment, so she kept thinking about how to appease him and release Zhang Shen while extricating herself from the situation.

But after opening the box, Zhu Qingyu saw the account book written by Zhang Shen himself and realized that Gu Zhao's claim that he hadn't tampered with Zhang Shen's case might actually be true.

Zhang Shen's life was less in Gu Zhao's hands and more in the Emperor's hands.

Ha, so what if it's true? So what if Zhang Shen wrote the ledger? Deceiving the emperor, what a load of bull!

Did Zhao Shiyuan not do these bad things? Shouldn't Zhao Shiyuan have died?

Zhang Shen neither killed anyone nor committed arson, nor did he embezzle a single copper coin from the public treasury. What crime has he committed?!

Zhu Qingyu had only thought about saving his life before, but now, a surge of anger was rising in her heart, which had just been struck. She not only wanted to save Zhang Shen's life, but also wanted him to clear his name of this bullshit crime and walk out of the prison with a clear conscience and dignity!

She couldn't see the Emperor. The person who could accomplish this would have to be someone who could speak to the Emperor, someone who could influence the Emperor, and someone who could ultimately change the Emperor's mind.

There just happened to be someone like that right in front of her, and that person was Gu Zhao.

Zhu Qingyu stared at Gu Zhao for so long that Gu Zhao touched her forehead, worried that she was delirious from her illness again.

She finally smiled and said:

"Shouming, you said I've confused good people with bad people, so are you a good person?"

Gu Zhao, unusually, fell silent.

In other matters, no matter who asks him, Gu Zhao can always answer frankly and openly:

"Gu has a clear conscience."

But in front of Zhu Qingyu, his behavior was far from gentlemanly, and he didn't have the confidence to act like a good person in front of her, nor did he have the confidence to call himself a good person in front of her.

Zhu Qingyu didn't need him to answer; she answered herself with a chillingly blunt tone:

"So it seems I wasn't mistaken, was I? In my eyes, he is the best person in the world, unmatched by anyone. He is not only a good person, but also a virtuous man who benefits the country and its people, a true hero who dares to do practical things. You say he committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, but isn't it the one who blinds the emperor who is deceiving him? Jingyan's actions have cleared the emperor's eyes, preventing him from being misled by the villains in the court, and bringing order to the court, thus curbing the corrupt practices in officialdom. When Zhao Shiyuan fell from power, the people of Liangjiang spread the news and praised the emperor's wisdom. My husband, Zhang Jingyan, is not only innocent but also meritorious. The emperor should reward him greatly to set an example for the world!"