Chapter 56 Don’t Come Back Again
"Didn't the Second Madam return to the Lu Residence? How did she end up like this?"
Lu Tingwan was like a puppet, with a dazed expression. Ren Fengxin changed her dirty clothes and helped her into the wooden tub. When the injured knee was soaked in hot water, she felt a tearing pain.
But she didn't care, as if only feeling the pain could relieve the pain.
"Second Madam, Feng Xin is scared by you."
"My Lord, is it because you helped the Lord that I punish you?"
As Feng Xin spoke, he dipped the Jade Dew Cream in it and applied it to the finger marks, then spread it out. The wounds from the whipping he had received in Hanzhang Palace had healed, but the scars had not yet completely faded and were all over his white back.
"My lord is so cruel that he can do such a heavy-handed thing to you. Even Feng Xin feels so bad for you even though he doesn't feel sorry for you." The more he spoke, the more he felt sorry for her. His nose was sniffing and his nasal tone started to rise again.
The heat from the wooden barrel clouded his eyes, and ripples formed in the agitation. Lu Tingwan looked at his reflection through the water, and after a long moment, he said, "Feng Xin, the flowers are dead..."
"I originally thought I could save her from the flames, but I was also responsible for pulling her out of the flames and pushing her into the abyss..." Tears silently dripped onto the water, blending into the mist. "I, I hate myself so much..."
Feng Xin was confused and couldn't recover for a long time after hearing the bad news about Zhou Hua, but how could she blame herself for Zhou Hua's death?
"Second Madam is a pure and kind person. You redressed the Zhou family's grievances and helped Hua'er dispel the haze attached to Chunfeng Tower. Hua'er will not blame you."
"Why are you so hard on yourself?" Feng Xin wiped her tears. Even though her eyes were swollen from crying, she couldn't stop crying. "You are a colorful auspicious cloud here at Feng Xin, more brilliant than the sun. The flowers free themselves, which is also a kind of redemption. All of this is created by the selfish interests of others. You have done well."
Feng Xin comforted her in the same way she had encouraged him in the past.
"But I'm in so much pain, Feng Xin, I'm in so much pain..."
Feng Xin's eyes were full of pity as she blew away the wound on her cheek again and again. She knew that the pain Lu Tingwan was talking about was not the pain from the palm strike, but the heartache. The scars in the heart could not be blown away. Only after being polished by time and covered by the dust of the world could the old scars be covered up and finally become a dead old scar.
After taking a hot bath, Lu Tingwan vented her emotions and was exhausted. She fell asleep on the soft couch. Feng Xin stayed on the bed and didn't dare to leave. She kept mumbling in her dreams and felt like she was haunted by ghosts all night. When she woke up, it was already dawn. The first snow had stopped and the wind had stopped.
The sun was high in the sky, and the thin snow was slowly melting under the warm sun, as if it wanted to wipe out all traces of last night's heavy snow without leaving a trace.
After washing again, the mud of last night disappeared, all sounds came back to life, and only a ray of morning sunshine entered my heart, making me think it was all a dream.
The sparrows on the branches in the yard fluttered non-stop. Lu Tingwan, wearing wooden clogs, opened the window and let the morning sun shine in, piercing her.
Sure enough, the snow stopped, and the earth-shattering Lu Tingwan also stopped on that windy and snowy night.
Last night, Lu Tingwan told Feng Xin that Zhichunli was sealed off and she would no longer need to go to Fenglin Lane. As for the rent, she would pay it for a full year. With Luo Yunchu in the Chamber of Commerce, even without Zhichunli, flower farmers could still supply flowers to merchants as usual. The last batch of Yu Lu Cream, which the shop represented, was delivered a few days ago, before it was sealed off.
As for the workers, Lu Tingwan asked Feng Xin to pay them triple the wages and gave each of them ten taels of silver as compensation.
As for Feng Xin, she calculated the salary for her based on the salary of the shopkeeper in Kyoto, plus a bonus, and transferred three hundred taels from the account as her reward. She also asked Feng Xin to transfer one hundred taels to the Zhou family to bury Hua'er so that she could spend her old age in peace.
One-third of the remaining net profit will go to Luo Yunchu, which is the promise she fulfilled.
After breakfast, Lu Tingwan lay in the yard basking in the sun, thinking about many things. Everything that had happened since he came to Kyoto from Jiangling seemed like a dream.
However, there were some things she hadn't figured out yet.
After sunset, she told Feng Xin about it and went to Weiyang Street.
When passing by Chunfeng Tower, the snow where the flowers had lain last night had already melted away, leaving only a patch of moisture. Weiyang Street and Chunfeng Tower had returned to their former bustle.
Before the New Year, merchants from all over the country would come to the capital to conduct their last business. No one cared why the person who jumped from Chunfeng Tower ended his life in humiliation. To them, he was just a passing traveler, and they just regarded it as a farce, a passing goose without a sound.
She stayed for a quarter of an hour, placed a chrysanthemum she had picked on that spot before leaving.
Chamber of Commerce Hall.
After Zhichunli was sealed off, Luo Yunchu had to negotiate the details with all the major shops and finalize the aftermath.
What happened at Chunfeng Tower last night became known to everyone in Weiyang Street. When Luo Yunchu learned about it, the first person he thought of was Lu Tingwan.
They hadn't seen each other for a few days, and they didn't know when she would be free to go out.
Tianshu stood at the desk, assisting with official business, but he was also worried: "Zhichunli was closed down for no reason, and they didn't even bother to give a proper reason. It seems that Manager Jiang will never be able to recover this time."
There was no one in the Chamber of Commerce at this time, and Luo Yunchu's study was secluded. People in the Chamber of Commerce knew that he didn't like to be disturbed by strangers, so Lu Tingwan didn't see anyone on the way in.
Just as he reached the outside of the study, he heard Tianshu's words and could not help but take a few steps back and stood there.
"The Cheng and Lu families are fighting each other, and she is caught in the middle. It is difficult for her to do anything. But I didn't expect that she would abandon the Lu family and choose to help Cheng Xianzhi and provide witnesses to the Dali Temple." Luo Yunchu was quite regretful.
Lu Tingwan couldn't hear clearly outside the door, so he leaned forward and leaned against the wooden wall.
"Young Master knew Manager Jiang's identity long ago and knew she wanted to help Cheng Xianzhi. He even asked his subordinates to cooperate. How did he predict that Cheng Xianzhi would prevail in the confrontation with the Queen Mother?"
Luo Yunchu held the folding fan tightly, not opening it. "Cheng Xianzhi is a man of deep thoughts. He previously used the identity of Han Jinzhang to let Yan Li find out about my background so that I could use her identity to gain face in front of Cheng Xianzhi. Then, after the Kong Fan and Sun Gui case, he secretly promoted me to the position of President of the Chamber of Commerce. It seemed unintentional, but in fact, there were mysteries everywhere."
"Tianshu doesn't understand."
"He knows about my relationship with Jiang Yanli," Luo Yunchu said. "He also lets her run Zhichunli under the identity of Jiang Yanli. It's understandable that he's just using this to establish a partnership with her. Cheng Xianzhi is both good and evil."
"In the merchant case, he sought justice for the farmers, and Yan Li believed he was righteous. So when Gao Heng's case came out, she believed Cheng Xianzhi could help this father and daughter."
"Cheng Xianzhi only dared to take a gamble because he was sure Yan Li would trust him." He said this with an apologetic tone, because he was the same. "It's just that, in this game, only profit can help you survive."
"If I have to blame someone, I can only blame the fickleness of the world..."
Lu Tingwan had told him that after the divorce, they would be able to have a legitimate relationship. No matter what choice he made in the end, Lu Tingwan would not complain. At least they had been together and had made promises to each other, which was a perfect ending.
"If Shopkeeper Jiang comes looking for you, how should you respond..."
"A white lie is more acceptable than a cruel truth, at least before the lie is exposed." Luo Yunchu imagined how heartbroken Lu Tingwan would be if she knew that he was also the one who schemed against her.
Thinking of this, he couldn't bear to tell the truth.
"Young Master, did you know from the beginning that Manager Jiang was the daughter of Lu Pushe and the concubine of Minister Cheng, and only then did you deliberately contact her?" Tianshu asked.
Luo Yunchu glanced at him, but did not answer in the dim light.
Lu Tingwan left the hall without waiting for his answer.
Everything was clear, just as Cheng Xianzhi had said.
She was too naive and trusted everyone, but was abandoned, betrayed and used by everyone.
She wanted to cry her heart out, but for some reason, she couldn't cry anymore and just wanted to laugh.
The laughter cut through the noisy and crowded crowd, and its source could not be seen clearly.
Every step I take feels like I am walking in the void, or in the clouds.
Her father initially brought her back to Kyoto to have her marry in place of her elder sister. Her stepmother was kind and her elder sister was close to her, but in the end they still set a trap for her, leading her to the fate of being exploited.
The Queen Mother viewed her as a chess piece, a chess piece that would complete its mission at any cost; the only man she loved was also trying every possible means to scheme against her, using her power to pave the way for his own future.
Her husband pushed her into the abyss with the most cruel means, and then cruelly told her the truth.
What did she do wrong that God punished her like this? All the inhuman beings she met were sucking her blood.
"Kyoto, the prosperity has faded." Lu Tingwan stood in the crowd with his eyes closed, letting passers-by pass by. "I never want to come here again..."
The cold wind wrapped up the dress, and the setting sun went down. Only by blending into the darkness could one prevent others from seeing one's weaknesses.
She wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle, walk through the mud, face the wind and snow from the south, and find her way back.
Cheng Xianzhi asked her to wait for two days, but she couldn't wait any longer. She went to the Zhongshu Ling Mansion alone. The palace guards sent a message to the Gongsun Mansion's study. Cheng Xianzhi and Gongsun Yin were discussing business, while Gongsun Xue was digesting her food in the courtyard.
When the news reached Gongsun Xue that Lu Tingwan had come to see Cheng Xianzhi, she held the stove and asked vaguely, "What is she doing here at this hour?"
"The Second Madam has been insisting on seeing the Minister. I've sent word that the Minister is not allowed to see guests, but the Second Madam insisted on seeing him, saying she had something important to discuss and refused to leave. I was afraid of causing trouble, so I came to ask the First Madam to come."
Gongsun Xue thought for a moment. Cheng Xianzhi said that he would give her a letter of divorce after returning. Could it be that Lu Tingwan came here to discuss this with him? Was it because she didn't want to?
"Send someone to reply and tell them that the master and I were talking to my father. If she wants anything, we have to wait until we return to the Cheng Mansion to discuss it."
The maid responded and went down, but was called back.
"Wait, just say this is the Minister's wish," Gongsun Xue said with a twist of her eyes. "The Minister has finally accompanied me back home to pay my respects to my father. He's enjoying himself right now and doesn't want to be disturbed by outsiders. If she insists on pestering me, I can only ask Lu Pushe to come to the mansion to pick her up."
"Yes, I remember it."
It was getting late and the dew was heavy. There was some frost in the night wind, which made Lu Tingwan shiver uncontrollably. She did not wear a cloak when she went out today. She only wore a light blue jacket to keep warm, but it could not stop the strong cold wind from blowing from all sides.
After waiting for half an hour, she saw the maid come out. Lu Tingwan stepped forward to ask some questions, but the palace guard stopped her with a knife. She could not go forward and could only stand in front of the steps and talk to the maid from a distance.
"Where's Cheng Xianzhi? Would you like to meet me?"
"Second Madam, please go back. Madam and the Minister are accompanying the Lord to make tea around the stove. The Minister has ordered that he will not meet you at the Zhongshu Ling Mansion. If you insist on pestering me, I will not keep our friendship."
"Please go back to the mansion and wait."
Lu Tingwan sneered. She had been waiting in the cold wind for an hour, just to see him. If he had the leisure to brew tea under the moon, why didn't he sign the divorce agreement with her yesterday and call it a day.
He made things difficult for her, humiliated her, and teased her in every possible way, just to see her in such a miserable state.
What a great Cheng Xianzhi.
Lu Tingwan suppressed his emotions and said, "Since that's the case, please tell me that from now on, I, Lu Tingwan, will not believe a single word of Minister Cheng's promise."
"I wish that the Minister and his wife live in harmony and have no suspicion of each other."
After saying that, he resolutely turned around and left. The maid stood there. Lu Tingwan's expression made her stunned for a long time. For some reason, she saw a trace of sadness in his eyes.
The figure walked farther and farther away, and finally disappeared into the dark night.
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