"Don't even think about trying to sow discord between Li." The butler growled excitedly.
"I don't believe you."
It's unclear whether he was trying to persuade Qu Jingyun or comfort himself.
Qu Jingyun didn't take these words to heart, but simply said, "You are the Zhang family's steward, you know the Zhang family members best."
"If you take all the blame, they will only be eager to distance themselves from you."
"If you take good care of your wife and children, people will only think that this matter must be related to them. How could they do such a foolish thing?"
“You might think the Zhang family can keep their secret, but the Zhang family has countless political enemies, and everyone will want to dig out this secret to use against the Zhang family.”
"Given Zhang Zhou's ruthlessness, how could he possibly leave behind such incriminating evidence?"
Qu Jingyun continued talking to herself, completely ignoring the housekeeper's expression.
He said directly, "I didn't mean to sow discord by saying this. I just had nothing else to do, so it's okay if you don't listen."
"Don't you want to escape? Aren't you afraid of dying?" the butler couldn't help but ask.
Qu Jingyun chuckled lightly and countered, "But would you kill me?"
"Your goal is simple: you want to use me to threaten Shen Yunting, so how could you possibly actually hurt me?"
"If anything happens to me, neither the Zhang family nor you will be able to extricate yourself from this matter."
"Since you won't hurt me, what do I have to worry about?"
Qu Jingyun slumped into the chair, unconcerned, and found herself in a more comfortable position.
She complained, "Couldn't you have been a little gentler when you tied me up? It hurts so much from all this tying."
"And this chair, couldn't you put a soft cushion on it? You're practically torturing the hostages."
"So the county princess knew she was a hostage. We kidnapped you, not invited you here as a guest." The steward couldn't help but roll his eyes.
He glanced at the sky and then said, "Judging from the time, General Chen should be arriving soon. You will be meeting soon, and the county princess should be very happy."
Qu Jingyun couldn't help but sigh, then complained, "When I was the general's wife, it was one thing for the emperor and Shen Yunting's political enemies to cause me trouble."
"I've already divorced him, why are these troubles still coming my way?"
"There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone can see that General Shen values you highly," the steward said ambiguously.
Qu Jingyun's ears turned red involuntarily.
Is Shen Yunting's affection for her really that obvious?
The butler fell silent, glancing out the window every now and then, his expression showing a hint of anxiety.
As time passed, there was finally a knock on the door.
A voice came from outside the door: "General Shen will be here soon. Our men have been watching him the whole way, and no one has followed him."
The butler responded and then instructed, "Keep an eye on it."
After a single response, there was no further movement outside the door.
After a long time, the knocking sounded again.
This time, it was Shen Yunting's voice that came through: "I have arrived."
The door was pushed open, and Qu Jingyun hurriedly looked over, revealing Shen Yunting's slightly anxious expression.
The two exchanged a glance, and Qu Jingyun's face lit up with joy.
Shen Yunting quickly asked, "Are you alright?"
Qu Jingyun shook her head: "It's nothing, it's just that the rope was tied too tightly, and it hurts a little."
Shen Yunting was relieved and looked up at the steward, confronting him.
"I've arrived. You can release the person now."
"Of course you can't let her go. You've brought the evidence of the cheating in the imperial examinations. Destroy it here and report to the Emperor that Lu Qi was the one who did it. Then I'll release her. Otherwise, I'll make her die with me."
The butler gritted his teeth and deliberately put on a fierce expression.
However, Shen Yunting remained unmoved, only scoffing and saying meaningfully, "You think you can resolve this matter this way? Your master behind you may not."
Hearing Shen Yunting's inexplicable words, the butler's face showed a look of bewilderment.
Then he saw Zhang Zhou walking up from behind Shen Yunting and was taken aback.
He hurriedly asked, "Sir, didn't you say I would handle this matter? Why have you come here?"
"I'm here, you can leave now." Zhang Zhou gave a soft "hmm".
He ignored the housekeeper and walked slowly to Qu Jingyun.
He chuckled and said, "I really didn't expect that even though you two are divorced, you still value her so much."
He held the dagger and made a light slash in front of Qu Jingyun, the gesture full of threat.
"Shen Yunting, do you know what your biggest flaw is? It's that you're too sentimental and loyal. You're destined to die because of it."
"You want my life?" Shen Yunting asked with certainty.
After glancing at the butler out of the corner of his eye, he said with a smile, "You are much more ruthless than your butler."
"That's why I'm a high-ranking official of the third rank, while he's just a steward," Zhang Zhou sneered.
Upon hearing this, the butler froze on the spot.
He looked at Zhang Zhou with disbelief: "My lord, do you want to kill General Shen?"
“This is absolutely unacceptable. He is a general. If he dies like this, it will definitely cause a huge uproar. This is much more serious than cheating in the imperial examinations.”
His heart was filled with fear at that moment.
But then Zhang Zhou smiled and suddenly looked at him, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise.
Then Zhang Zhou continued, "Yes, that is indeed a serious crime."
"I failed to manage my household properly, which allowed the steward to kill General Shen. I was truly wrong. I will go to the palace later to apologize to the Emperor."
Zhang Zhou smiled broadly and said to himself, "I wonder if the Emperor can forgive me for getting rid of the person who has been bothering him all along."
Upon hearing this, the butler could no longer suppress the fear in his heart.
He immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Sir, you can't do this."
"I have committed cheating in the imperial examinations, and I have also caused the deaths of the county princess and the general. In his fury, the Emperor will have my entire family executed. Please spare me, considering that I have served the Zhang family for half my life."
This was something the butler never expected.
His whole body stiffened with fear, and he kept kowtowing.
Only one thought remained in my mind: to survive.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhou in front of him said nonchalantly, "Didn't you say you were very grateful to me and would do anything to help Zhang Jia? I'm giving you a chance."
"Being able to die for the future of the Zhang family is an opportunity that others cannot find. You have lived a life of luxury in the Zhang family for thirty years. You should be content."
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