The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Zhang Shi stood there, feeling completely refreshed.

Is this what it means to dedicate oneself wholeheartedly to the cause, even unto death?

Winning people's hearts is really that simple?

Zhang Shi's self-confidence was rising wildly without him realizing it. His understanding of Yun Jing's love-struck nature might not have deepened, but his psychological advantage was growing stronger.

So Zhang Shi looked down at Xie Liu, who was kneeling on the ground, and decided to make him more convinced.

He said, "This is what you deserve, no need to be polite. But... you just said that when you and your wife, Wang, divorced, you practically left with nothing, is that right?"

Xie Liu, still emotional, managed to reply, "Yes, I was practically left with nothing, but..."

As he spoke, he gave a bitter laugh: "Given the way my wife... no, given the way my ex-wife, Wang, spends money, I haven't saved much money over the years."

Zhang Shi immediately replied, "Don't you still have a house?"

"Even if that house is dilapidated, it's still worth some money."

"According to the laws of my Great Yu, when a couple divorces, the wife may take all her dowry and the income she has earned after marriage, but she absolutely cannot take the husband's ancestral property, property acquired after marriage, fields, houses, masters, servants and maids."

"I understand and respect your kind heart and your reluctance to completely destroy your ex-wife, Wang. However... you cannot give her your house, at least not all of it."

"That's what you've earned through your hard work over the past half of your life. You deserve a share, and a large share at that."

Upon hearing this, Xie Liu's bitter smile not only didn't disappear, but intensified, and he said, "General Zhang Shi, that house was bought a few years ago, and we're still paying monthly rent and annual installments..."

"Moreover, my wife loves jewelry. Last year, she pawned the house to buy a set of jewelry to show off to her close friends."

Zhang Shi's eyes widened.

No, bro, this...

It's so tragic it's unbearable to look at!

So you've worked hard and diligently for half your life and haven't gotten a single penny? I, for one, want to help you get justice, but I don't even know how to do it!

At this moment, Zhang Shi began to feel sympathy for all those who were oppressed in the name of love, and he also understood more clearly why the Duke was so obsessed with getting rid of his love-struck mind.

If this kind of romantic thinking gets rampant, in the end it will be more than just a disaster for the country and its people; the whole world will fall apart!

...Well, by now, the world is already fucking falling apart!

It took Zhang Shi quite a while to calm down. He reached out and helped Xie Liu up, saying, "Brother, this time, you've already done a great service by coming to join us."

"But if you can be more sincere and lead me to take everything in Luofengpo, especially the sweet potato producing area and the sweet potatoes that are about to be sent to Pukou City, that would be an even greater achievement."

"Under the Duke's command, merit is always rewarded."

"With such a great contribution, you will definitely receive a substantial reward."

"I don't think you're very interested in getting promoted or anything like that. I'll just apply for a sum of money for you, let's start with a thousand taels. What do you think?"

Xie Liu's body trembled violently, and he asked incredulously, "How much? How many?"

"One thousand taels." Zhang Shidao said, "Of course, this is just the beginning for you. With your usual diligence, you will surely be promoted and receive a raise if you work hard under the Duke in the future."

"Your best days are yet to come."

Xie Liu's trembling body could no longer be stopped.

One thousand taels!

He must have earned enough money in his lifetime, but he has never seen so much money before.

He had never even seen a hundred taels of silver, let alone a thousand.

Now, should we give him a reward of one thousand taels?

Xie Liuren was in a daze, feeling as if he were in a dream.

"Here, this is one hundred taels. I will pay for it in advance. Please take it."

Zhang Shi was truly generous. After discerning what Xie Liu desired most, he took out his own money and had someone bring out one hundred taels of silver, which he then placed in front of Xie Liu.

The dazzling white light blinded Xie Liu.

But tears were already streaming down her face.

With a thud, he knelt down again: "General Zhang Shi, from now on, as long as you give the order, I, Xie Liu, will go through fire and water without even flinching."

"You're wrong!" Zhang Shi corrected, "You serve the Duke, not me."

"yes!"

Xie Liu's reply was deafening.

"Alright, then lead the way. Our army... is now heading straight for Luofeng Slope."

"yes!"

……

At Luofengpo, Wang Shi, dressed beautifully, strolled leisurely with her close female friend. Far from showing any sadness from her recent divorce, she was in an excellent mood.

"Congratulations!" her close friend exclaimed. "From now on, you're free."

"From now on, you can do whatever you want."

"Spend money as you please, go shopping as you please, hang out with whichever man you want, and never have to worry about that old man at home who's practically on his deathbed again."

"Your freedom deserves a proper celebration today."

Wang looked up, her plump face beaming with joy, and said, "Absolutely, we must celebrate properly today."

"Come on, I'll treat you to a big meal."

After enjoying a delicious meal with her best friend at the largest restaurant in Luofengpo, Wang's smile deepened. She decided that this alone was not enough to reward her rare good mood.

So, after parting ways with her close friends, she went straight to a jewelry store on Luofeng Slope, intending to buy the set of jewelry she had long admired but had hesitated to purchase because Xie Liu couldn't afford it.

—A valuable hairpin or ornament.

"Madam Wang, you've arrived."

As soon as she entered, the shopkeeper greeted her warmly, saying, "Madam Wang, are you here to see those jewelry pieces? If you ask me, you should just buy them. Your husband is the land reclamation commissioner of Luofengpo, and his monthly salary is quite substantial. You've looked at them so many times, it's clear you really like them."

"Let's just buy it."

"If you are experiencing temporary cash flow problems, our shop supports credit payments."

Mrs. Wang nodded: "Wrap it up, I'll buy it."

The shop owner was overjoyed and quickly told the waiter to bring Wang the bill. He personally wrapped the jewelry for Wang and did not forget to praise it.

"Madam Wang, you are truly generous. Only someone like you is worthy of this piece of jewelry."

As he spoke, he quickly wrapped up the jewelry and handed it to Madam Wang.

Holding the hairpin, which felt heavy in her hands, and imagining its exquisite and delicate appearance, as well as the sound of it jingling when she wore it, filled her heart with joy.

I can't wait to take it home and savor it properly. I'm going to meet my girlfriends tonight and show it off properly.

"Oh, Madam Wang, you haven't paid the bill yet."

"Oh, I almost forgot, bring me paper and pen, I'll write you an IOU."

"Alright, Madam Wang, please have a seat."

The shop owner invited Madam Wang to sit down, handed her the bill and banknotes, and then added, "Madam Wang, this hairpin is quite expensive, costing eighty-eight taels of silver. So, after you sign it now, please have the Commissioner of the Agricultural Settlement also sign it when you get back."

"Of course, our shop wouldn't dare to rush us."

"Whenever you have free time, you can send it to the shop, or the shop can send someone to pick it up."

Wang, who had just begun to write, frowned and looked up, saying, "Why don't you just sign my name? As for Xie Liu, he definitely can't sign it because..."

"We've divorced!"

When she mentioned her divorce from Xie Liu, Wang raised her head proudly. After all, such a glorious thing should not only be announced to her sisters, but also to everyone else.

This way, her vanity can be satisfied to the greatest extent.

However, the reality seems to be somewhat different from what she expected.

The shop owner's expression immediately changed.

He then smiled slightly and said, "Madam Wang, please don't tease me. You and the Commissioner of Agricultural Settlements have been husband and wife for twenty years. How can you just say you want a divorce?"

"You must be joking, right?"

Wang was displeased.

Why would a jewelry store owner have doubts about something so delightful?

Ugh, ruining her good mood.

He frowned and said, "A divorce is a divorce, how could that be fake?"

"Do you expect me to show you the divorce papers?"

The shop owner stared at Wang's expression for a while, and the more he looked, the less he felt it was fake, but he still made the final decision.

"Are you really divorced?"

"We're divorced!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Of course not!" Wang said angrily, "No, are you ever going to stop? If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

Since she had already signed the IOU, Wang, whose mood had been ruined, got up to leave. However, she had only taken one step when her hand was empty.

The hairpin she had been longing for, and the bill for the purchase, suddenly moved from her hands to the shop owner's.

Wang was taken aback, turned her head, and asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much," the shop owner said calmly. "I just wanted to let you know, Madam Wang, that I'm not selling you this piece of jewelry."

"What?" Wang was even more surprised: "You run a shop and you dare to pick and choose your customers? You think you can just refuse to sell to me? Besides, we've already signed an IOU."

"Sizzle!" "Sizzle!"

In the blink of an eye, the shop owner tore the bill into pieces, tossed them into the air, and they fell down as tiny fragments.

"Now, the orders are gone."

"You..." Wang pointed at the shop owner, her surprise turning into disbelief.

She had been dealing with this jewelry store for many years, and the owner had always been very polite and even respectful to her. This was the first time he had treated her like this.

"Are you crazy?"

"What exactly do you want?"

The shop owner said calmly, "Madam Wang, I've made myself very clear. I'm not selling this jewelry to you."

"Why?" Wang asked again, determined to get to the bottom of it.

The shop owner had no choice but to say, "It's nothing special, it's just this hairpin. It's made of the finest materials, consisting of a 70% pure gold base, nine South Sea pearls, and three natural tourmaline teardrop pendants. It was crafted by a skilled artisan and is priced at eighty-eight taels. It's truly worth eighty-eight taels."

"Eighty-eight taels of silver! That's practically the shop's prized possession."

"I can't just let you take it like that."

"If Madam Wang really wants it, then take the cash. I guarantee I will personally deliver it to your residence with utmost respect and offer you an apology."

Only then did Ms. Wang realize that the jewelry store owner wanted her to pay in cash.

Full payment!

That doesn't make sense! We've been buying on credit before without any problems whatsoever!

He immediately said, "Didn't we always get credit or installment payments before? And didn't we get credit or installment payments just now?"

"How come you've changed so much in such a short time?"

The shop owner told the waiter to quickly put the expensive jewelry away before slowly saying, "It's different now than it was before."

"What's different?"

"Just now, I thought you and the Commissioner of Agricultural Settlements were husband and wife, so I thought you could pay in installments, on credit, and even... if it's inconvenient for a while, it's okay to collect the money later!"

"But now... you and the Commissioner of Land Reclamation have divorced, so... this expensive set of jewelry in my shop can no longer be sold to you on credit."

"Furthermore, from now on, you cannot buy anything from our store on credit or in installments; you must pay the full amount."

"Otherwise, I cannot sell the shop to you!"

……