Chapter 28 Divorce Deal

Her voice was trembling, not like it was fake. Lu Tingwan heard clearly what Cheng Xianzhi had just said. Even though Han Jinzhang was Cheng Xianzhi's subordinate, it was natural for him to go to Cheng's house often to discuss official business, but he did not have the right to enter and leave Cheng Xianzhi's house at will.

And this person also calls himself "Cheng Xianzhi".

No matter how clear Lu Tingwan's mind was, he couldn't get rid of these words.

Before Cheng Xianzhi opened his mouth, she had already thought of countless ways to make the other party accept her argument.

Cheng Xianzhi also had many questions, such as how she avoided the people in the mansion and went out every day without attracting attention, and why she didn't want to be the second wife of the Cheng family and chose to open a shop.

For example, did Lu Mingqian and the Empress Dowager know that she opened this shop?

The man's figure blocked half of the light column. Lu Tingwan had never felt such a chill running down his spine and penetrating into his heart on such a hot summer night.

"Manager Jiang?" Cheng Xianzhi's tone was cold and emotionless. "You're not going to give me an explanation?"

Lu Tingwan was vague, surprised and unbelievable, "You, you are Cheng Xianzhi?"

Cheng Xianzhi clearly saw her hide the stack of banknotes under her veil, and then she slowly stood up, supporting herself on the table.

Lu Tingwan's legs went weak. She was not afraid of Han Jinzhang, but she was wary of Cheng Xianzhi's identity.

She also had many doubts.

"Who gave you the courage to speak my name directly?" His voice was cold and his invisible aura overwhelmed him. Feng Xin, who had been standing aside for a long time and unable to recover, was stunned for a long time.

Cheng Xianzhi glanced at her, and a sudden shock hit his forehead like lightning. He came back to his senses in an instant, and without him saying anything, she slipped away with a tactful look.

"Master, Second Madam, I will take my leave."

There were only two people left in the room. Lu Tingwan thought for a moment, what should he shout?

Husband...husband?

She couldn't shout.

The room was so quiet that she could hear her pounding heartbeat, and even the slightest sound of falling could be heard clearly.

Cheng Xianzhi was quite patient and not in a hurry. He found a chair and sat down. His bright eyes swept over the various strange and bizarre appliances in the house. They were all used as a cover for Lu Tingwan to hide his absence.

The man sitting upright with his eyes lowered showed a look of scrutiny, his posture was upright, like a green pine. This man looked and had the same temperament as the man who called himself Han Jinzhang she had met before, but for some reason, there was a bit more awe in him.

That kind of alienation and indifference seemed to emanate from the bones.

When he disguised himself as Han Jinzhang, he did not reveal his true self, only 70% at most.

"My Cheng family can't afford to support you anymore. Are you going out to open a shop to earn money?" A sharp gaze swept over her. Lu Tingwan's bedroom was not large, but it was exquisitely decorated. She decorated it according to her own preferences and tastes. There were not many valuable things in it, but it was simple and elegant.

"No, no..." Lu Tingwan's voice was as soft as a mosquito, but he did not forget to push the banknotes back.

Cheng Xianzhi took it all in and sneered, is this still the outspoken and aggressive Jiang Yanli?

"Zhichunli has good revenue. It's only been open for three months. It looks like Manager Jiang has made some money."

Lu Tingwan lowered her head and dared not look up, but she couldn't help but glance upwards, "No, not much..."

She muttered to herself, "Could this man be here to take my money? That was the hard-earned money I'd worked so hard for, day and night, and the money I'd risked my life for. If it were confiscated, wouldn't I be the victim of someone else's fraud?"

Cheng Xianzhi remained silent for a long time. Lu Tingwan felt unsure, so she mustered up her courage and took the lead in defending herself: "Sir, are you asking me to hand over this money? This is all my own money..."

Anyone can understand the implication of the words.

Cheng Xianzhi said slowly, "Everything that enters the Cheng Mansion naturally belongs to me, Cheng Xianzhi, including people."

Lu Tingwan couldn't stand steadily, so he leaned behind the table to support himself.

He is...

What does he mean by this?

The same for people?

Could it be that he suddenly came to visit her tonight to sleep with her?

"No!" Lu Tingwan blurted out, out of breath, his voice so loud that Feng Xin outside the yard could hear it clearly.

"What's wrong?"

"This money is mine. My Lord, you can't confiscate it all. If you feel that I'm eating your food and living your house, you can just send me away. I won't spend a cent of the Cheng family's money. I will also calculate all the expenses I've spent in the Cheng Mansion over the past few months and return them to you in silver..."

"Also, there's more," Lu Tingwan found it difficult to speak, but she had to explain, "I'm not feeling well, it's inconvenient... inconvenient..."

Cheng Xianzhi snorted coldly, twirling his ring. "You've got it all figured out. You want to take advantage of everyone, everyone, and everyone's wealth. No wonder Zhichunli is so successful now."

"Does Luo Yunchu know that you are from Cheng Pushe's mansion?" There was a hint of mockery in his clear eyes. Lu Tingwan felt anxious and uncomfortable.

She had actually forgotten about this. Cheng Xianzhi knew about her relationship with Luo Yunchu. She was only concerned about how to explain it and didn't think of this.

She went out on business without permission, visited Sun's residence with him at night, and revealed a side of herself that was rarely seen. Cheng Xianzhi knew all of this, including the fact that she had told him so many things about herself that night in the dilapidated temple outside the city.

Now Cheng Xianzhi knew everything he should and shouldn't know.

There was grievance and guilt in her almond eyes. Would the living devil kill Luo Yunchu to vent his anger?

Although the two of them had a mutual understanding, they had never done anything beyond the boundaries of a man and a woman. If Cheng Xianzhi was as the rumor said, a vindictive and ruthless person, he would still be considerate of the girl from the Lu family and would not take his life.

But it’s not certain for Luo Yunchu.

She tried to clear her mind, took a deep breath and looked directly at the man in front of her. That face didn't look as cruel and brutal as the rumors said.

Before he could say anything, Cheng Xianzhi asked again, "Do your father and the Queen Mother know that you are doing business abroad?"

What does he mean by this?

Threaten her?

Control her?

Threaten her?

Lu Tingwan seemed to have his throat strangled and couldn't speak. His usual cleverness turned into cautiousness, and he was afraid that a single word he said would anger others.

But now her identity could no longer be concealed. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to have a one-time deal with Cheng Xianzhi and reach a consensus so that no one would get in each other's way in the future.

Everyone is happy.

"Sir, it was wrong of me to conceal my identity and go out to do business, but I didn't go out under the name Lu Tingwan. First, I didn't damage your reputation, and second, I didn't cause trouble in the mansion."

"My Lord and the Madam have a deep bond. I know why I came to the mansion, and I don't want to be an eyesore to you and the Madam, so I decided to go out and do business."

"You must be tired." Cheng Xianzhi stared at the beams and the equipment in front of the window.

"What?"

"You have to run a shop, run back and forth between the city, rush back to Cheng Mansion at night, and secretly pass on messages to the Queen Mother. Aren't you tired? Lu, listen, Wan?" This was the first time he called this name.

Lu Tingwan's body trembled, and he felt his limbs being fixed to the beams by several flying needles, like being whipped nakedly.

Cheng Xianzhi left her no way out and made things clear. She was the one who had to panic from the beginning to the end.

"I, I have never passed on any news about the mansion to the Queen Mother..." Lu Tingwan explained, "I have never been to any place in this mansion except Yansheng Hall. How could I have passed on the Queen Mother's information? If you don't believe me, just check and you will know."

Cheng Xianzhi finally changed his posture and stopped playing with the ring. He propped up his head and looked at her: "Oh? What if the Queen Mother asked? How would you answer?"

She was silent for a moment, then carefully and courageously chose her words, "Can I discuss something with you, sir?"

Cheng Xianzhi raised his eyes and waited for her to speak.

"I will not pass on any matters concerning the mansion and Your Excellency to the Lu family and Jinhua Palace. Your Excellency, please do not interfere with my business outside. I will continue to run Zhichunli as Jiang Yanli and will certainly not cause trouble for Your Excellency or the mansion. The name Jiang Yanli will not have any connection with Cheng Pushe."

"Once your goal is achieved and the time is right, please grant me a divorce letter. I will take it and leave. From now on, both of us will be free to marry as we please. Is that okay?"

After Lu Tingwan finished speaking, he suddenly realized that a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead and his fists were clenched in his sleeves.

Her undergarment was still hanging loosely. She had never expected that this was the first time they met in this capacity, and she would look like this. Her face was filled with discomfort.

If Cheng Xianzhi didn't respond, she would have to think about how to persuade him.

Unexpectedly, the man put away his supporting hands, stood up and took two steps closer, then stopped in front of her, his broad back blocking her view.

Cheng Xianzhi agreed immediately: "Deal."

The moonlight fell to the west, and a tall figure walked out of Yansheng Hall. Lu Tingwan stood behind the screen for a long time, unable to calm down, still feeling frightened.

Feng Xin hurried in from outside the yard, and Lu Tingwan's face was pale and bloodless.

Feng Xinxin was worried but didn't dare to alarm her. He spoke softly, "Second Madam, how come the lord looks so similar to Lord Han who came to Zhichunli to arrest someone before?"

"Just now he called you Jiang Yanli?"

With the help of Feng Xin, Lu Tingwan sat down on the couch, and after a while he smiled.

Feng Xin felt a numbness in his heart for some reason, and thought that Lu Tingwan was frightened silly.

"Feng Xin, he said it's a deal."

"What deal? What is the Second Madam talking about?"

"Cheng Xianzhi promised me to continue my business, and also promised me," she paused, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid, "promised to do what I wanted to do."

Feng Xin was relieved after confirming that no one was hurt. "That's great. This means we don't have to sneak around to leave the house anymore, right?"

Lu Tingwan nodded heavily.

Feng Xin confirmed again, "So from now on, I don't have to crawl through the dog hole when I come home at night?"

Lu Tingwan was amused by her, "Let's not go through the dog hole, let's go through the main gate and walk out openly."

With Cheng Xianzhi's permission, she no longer needed to go through the back door. She had only walked through the Cheng family's main door a few times since she married into the family.

Instead, it was the promise she made herself that became a thorny issue. The Empress Dowager had not sent any news for a long time. Cheng Xianzhi stole the limelight in the house tax case. He not only turned the crisis into safety, broke the situation, but also uncovered the source of the Ministry of Revenue's deficit.

As for her, Queen Mother Jiang would not keep this useless chess piece who had no news from her. By then, she would be nothing but a discarded pawn. No matter how Cheng Xianzhi wanted to control her, she would have no one to rely on and would be nothing but a floating corpse.

Divorce!

As long as she gets a divorce, she can escape from the predicament and no longer be a pawn.

The dusk deepened and the dawn gradually came. Lu Tingwan stayed awake all night.