Chapter 362 Young Miss, You're Free
After lunch, Shen Ci'an felt unwell and needed a rest.
Lu Yuan immediately sent several of his men to help him tidy up the storage room next to Feng Shaoyuan's residence.
Looking at the cramped and dark room even after it was tidied up, Ye Qi couldn't help but secretly give his boss a thumbs up.
The eldest brother is truly a great man for being able to bend and stretch for the sake of the Princess of Qinghe.
As the night deepened and all was quiet, the Shen residence also fell silent.
Lu Yuan rested his hands behind his head and lay down on the bed in the storage room with his knees bent.
His enormous size made the bed look pitifully small, as if it might collapse under his weight at any moment.
Beside him was his usual embroidered spring knife, which gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
There was no sound from Feng Shaoyuan's room; his steady, long breathing indicated that he had fallen asleep.
Lu Yuan turned around, his ears twitched, and he suddenly heard slow footsteps.
He opened his eyes, which had been closed as if he were dozing, in the darkness, and with the agility of a cheetah, he was already at the door.
"Sir, you are not feeling well, please walk slowly. Let me help you."
Shen Ci'an's weak voice came through, "Has Madam fallen asleep?"
"It should be soon. Just now, Miss Qingxing said she was worried that Madam wouldn't sleep well, so she lit some calming incense for her."
"Then let's hurry up."
"yes."
The conversation between master and servant came to an abrupt end.
Lu Yuan followed behind the two without showing any emotion, a cold sneer on his lips.
Didn't you say you'd be staying in the study?
Even though he was so weak, he still went to find Azhi at night.
They weren't afraid of dying on the way.
He watched as Shen Ci'an knocked on the door and entered the side courtyard. From inside came Jiang Zhi's sleepy voice, "Master? What brings you here?"
"I can't sleep well, I have something I want to ask you."
Lu Yuan, standing at the door, scoffed inwardly, mocking Shen Ci'an's lame excuse.
But it's not appropriate to eavesdrop on other couples' conversations late at night, and besides, there's nothing Shen Ci'an can do in his current condition.
He turned to leave, but then he heard the sounds coming from inside.
"Then please sit down, teacher. Would you like some water?" Jiang Zhi poured him a glass of warm water from inside the room.
Shen Ci'an took the drink but didn't drink it. He calmed his slightly erratic breathing from walking quickly before speaking, "Does Lu Yuan know about the divorce papers?"
Lu Yuan stopped in his tracks, his figure hidden in the shadows under the porch, motionless, like a statue devoid of joy or sorrow.
“Hmm,” Jiang Zhi clutched the coat she was wearing, her voice very soft, “He came over suddenly today, and I happened to be watching. I didn’t mean to let him know.”
"Well, does Miss have any objections to this divorce agreement?" Shen Ci'an asked her.
Jiang Zhi took a deep breath. "Yes."
“You don’t need to give me your property, Master. I still have Qifeng Tower, and I have enough money,” she blinked, her dark pupils slightly moist. “I already owe you a lot, Master. I can’t be greedy anymore.”
Shen Ci remained silent.
Lu Yuan, standing outside the door, couldn't help but grip the hilt of his sword tightly, suppressing the unusual pounding in his heart.
So she agreed to the divorce.
Upon realizing this, Shen Ci'an felt a huge emptiness in his heart, yet he still managed to force a smile onto his face.
"Alright, then I'll do as Miss says and draft a new one."
He slowly walked to the table, lit the oil lamp, and took out the brush and ink. In no time, three identical rewritten divorce papers were placed in front of Jiang Zhi.
Except for the cancellation of the portion of assets that Shen Ci'an had previously written to give to Jiang Zhi, everything else is the same as before.
Jiang Zhi held the divorce papers tightly, her knuckles turning white, a bitter feeling welling up in her heart.
She truly has no choice but to divorce now.
The Feng family wants to use Xiao Xuanyou's influence to return to the capital, and they will inevitably have many secret actions.
I certainly won't stand idly by.
However, as a loyal subject, Confucius was deeply trusted by the emperor and absolutely could not allow anyone to find fault with him.
The sooner she divorces her husband, the sooner she can sever ties with the Shen family.
If the matter is exposed in the future, it will not implicate the Master.
Shen Ci'an had already signed and pressed his fingerprint, and placed it in front of Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Zhi lowered her eyes, her whole body stiffening.
Shen Ci'an didn't urge her, but waited for her calmly, like a dying person waiting for the final verdict.
The night was as dark as ink that could not be dissolved, and even the air seemed somewhat stagnant.
Jiang Zhi slowly got up, holding onto the handles of her wheelchair, and moved herself to the chair in front of the desk.
Shen Ci'an curled his fingertips, wanting to step forward to help her, but Jiang Zhi avoided him, saying, "I can do it myself."
She gripped the pen almost stubbornly, biting her lower lip tightly.
Finally, I put pen to paper.
The signing and fingerprinting were done in one smooth motion.
Shen Ci'an's face was as pale as if he had been pulled out of the water, the veins on the back of his hands were bulging, and his voice was trembling, "You and I will each have one copy, and I will send someone to the yamen office to file the other copy tomorrow."
Jiang Zhi lowered her head and only hummed in response.
Shen Ci'an's voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, "Young Miss, you are free."
Freedom?
Jiang Zhi looked somewhat bewildered.
Why do I feel so heavy-hearted and not at all relaxed?
"You're not feeling well right now. It's not too late to move out of the Shen residence once your leg injury is fully healed."
Shen Ci'an clutched the purse at his side tightly; it was a gift from the young lady on his birthday.
It was as if only in this way could they draw some strength.
Jiang Zhi didn't know what to say at that moment, and only mumbled a "okay".
Lu Yuan, who was outside, let out a long breath.
Back in the storage room, it felt like the world was vast and the small bed was exceptionally comfortable, as if one were on a boundless grassland, with the air filled with a refreshing and invigorating scent.
If he weren't currently on someone else's turf, he would have loved to go out and practice his swordsmanship in the courtyard.
＊
The next day, Jiang Zhi accompanied Feng Shaoyuan and Feng Yuan to the street as usual, while Lu Yuan followed at a distance, like a dutiful guard.
This time they went to Beilifang.
Everything Feng Yuan found fascinating, and she chattered incessantly like a swallow.
The puppet show and acrobatics captivated her, making her unable to look away.
But Jiang Zhi remained listless and unmotivated.
Feng Shaoyuan bought a bag of roasted chestnuts and placed it on Jiang Zhi's lap. "Zhi'er, is something on your mind?"
Jiang Zhi couldn't bring herself to say that she had divorced Shen Ci'an overnight, so she just shook her head and said, "Cousin, didn't you have something to do?"
Feng Shaoyuan glanced at Lu Yuan in the distance without making a sound.
Jiang Zhi knew that Lu Yuan was with him, making it inconvenient for him to act.
We need to find a way to get him away from that person.
So he put aside his frustration and gently called out, "Lord Lu."
Lu Yuan stepped forward, looking down at her. "What is it?"
Although his voice was flat and emotionless, his gaze was gentle.
Jiang Zhi handed him the chestnuts, saying, "These are for Lord Lu to eat."
"Is that so?" Lu Yuan took it without comment.
"Don't like it? Then give it back to me." Jiang Zhi spread her hands, looked up at her, her black hair and dark eyes were calm and undisturbed.
Lu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.
She didn't really want to give it to him.
It's obvious she doesn't want to peel it herself and is just making excuses to get him to do it.
If he refuses, I'll definitely give him the cold shoulder.
Lu Yuan took out a chestnut, and with a gentle pinch of his two fingers, the crispy roasted chestnut shell cracked open, revealing the plump, tender yellow flesh inside.
Jiang Zhi took the pills and ate a few. The knot in her heart eased a little, and she looked thoughtful.
Now it's too easy for her to get Lu Yuan away.
Ask him to buy something for you, or simply pretend to have a leg injury and ask him to take you to the clinic, so that Cousin Shaoyuan can take the opportunity to get away.
But then she remembered the scene from that day at the Northern Garrison Command, when Lu Yuan took off his outer robe, revealing a trail of whip marks on his back.
She just couldn't bring herself to be ruthless.
She clenched her fingers, "Lord Lu, my cousin..."
I started to talk, but I didn't know how to begin.
Lu Yuan was still peeling chestnuts in his hands, but his voice was unusually calm, "Azhi, do you know why His Majesty sent me, and not someone else, to protect your cousin?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
