Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 108 Truth or Falsehood?

Pei Wenyu seemed to have heard something out of a fantasy. He turned to look at Zheng Luoqi in disbelief and said through gritted teeth, "She's my cousin!"

Zheng Luoqi remained unfazed, merely looking at him with a cold smile, and slowly said, "Oh, so what? I now order you to kill her!"

Pei Wenyu's face was terribly grim, and his voice was icy: "I can't do it!"

Zheng Luoqi burst into laughter as if he had heard a joke: "Hahahaha, I'm not negotiating with you, this is an order, you have no chance to refuse! Either your Pei family dies, or Chen Xianlin dies, you choose one, Young Master Pei!"

Pei Wenyu remained silent, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

Seeing that he remained silent, Zheng Luoqi continued, "Five years. I'm giving you five years. If Chen Xianlin isn't dead within five years, then your Pei family can expect to be wiped out! I won't bother you any longer. Think it over carefully here. Remember, I'm only giving you one day. Once you've made up your mind, come find me at this time tomorrow!"

After saying that, Zheng Luoqi didn't look at Pei Wenyu again, turned around and left, leaving Pei Wenyu standing alone with a gloomy face.

............

The next day, Wen Yixuan stormed over to Zheng Luoqi, angrily demanding, "Where's Xiaotao? Where did Xiaotao go?"

"Didn't she tell you?" Zheng Luoqi asked in confusion.

Now it was Wen Yixuan's turn to be puzzled. He asked, "Tell me what?"

"She regained her memory and had something urgent to deal with, so she left. Didn't she tell you?" Zheng Luoqi said casually.

Wen Yixuan looked at Zheng Luoqi and realized she didn't seem to be lying, and whispered, "I've spent so much time with her, and she left without even saying goodbye!"

Then Wen Yixuan left sadly again.

Zheng Luoqi watched Wen Yixuan's retreating figure with amusement, then continued with her official duties.

News has come from the capital that many shops in the Prime Minister's residence have been suppressed. It seems that the female lead has taken action. The female lead in the book is very good at business, so it is normal for the Prime Minister's residence's businesses to be suppressed.

But Zheng Yuxiang is no pushover after living all these years. He must have some skills to get to where he is today. He can't be suppressed so easily. The female lead isn't fighting alone. She has the Emperor, Grand Commandant Wen, the Lin family, and the Chen family behind her. They are all on the same side when they are fighting against the Prime Minister.

Fortunately, Zheng Yuxiang had the foresight to develop not only in the capital but also in other prefectures, otherwise he simply couldn't afford to support a private army, which is extremely expensive.

That evening, while Zheng Luoqi was handling official business, Yan Huan suddenly knocked on the door and asked, "My lord, may I come in?"

Zheng Luoqi put away the important official documents and said to the door, "Come in!"

After Yan Huan closed the door, she knelt down with a thud. Zheng Luoqi looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "What does this mean?"

"My lord, I know that Xiao Tao is gone, and you have been wary of me all along. I know that I cannot escape punishment, so I have come here to seek a glimmer of hope!" Yan Huan suddenly kowtowed and said solemnly.

Zheng Luoqi looked at her seriously and said in a cold voice, "How did you find out about this?"

"I... I actually saw it, I saw where Sister Xiaotao was taken..." Yan Huan said cautiously, not daring to look Zheng Luoqi in the eye.

Zheng Luoqi remained silent, but inwardly she thought: Are the guards in the manor just sitting around doing nothing? How could they have seen this? It seems I haven't given them enough challenges, and they've all become lax, allowing the enemy to take advantage.

Zheng Luoqi plans to start today to intensify the training of all the guards, and send those who are not meticulous in their work to be punished.

Seeing Zheng Luoqi's gloomy face, Yan Huan didn't dare to speak. She quickly lowered her head and knelt down, her forehead almost touching the ground.

"So, what did you mean by those words?" Zheng Luoqi asked slowly.

Hearing Zheng Luoqi's voice, Yan Huan's heart tightened. She gritted her teeth and finally mustered the courage to say, "My lord, you should know who sent me. I want to make a deal with you..."

"A trade?" Zheng Luoqi raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and asked, "What kind of trade? What do you want to offer in exchange?"

Yan Huan took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "I will tell you, sir, where those people's hideout is, but I want you to spare those women who, like me, have been trained and sent to be concubines for powerful and wealthy people. Many of them have no choice in their own lives, and I hope you will be merciful and spare their lives!"

"How do I know if you're telling the truth or not? What if you've come up with some new trick to lure me into a trap? I'd be at a huge disadvantage..." Zheng Luoqi wasn't going to believe her so easily. Wen Yixuan had just left, and she was already here.

Yan Huan was momentarily speechless, unsure how to prove the truth of her words. Suddenly, a glint of inspiration flashed in her eyes, as if she had just realized something, and she said, "Fate? Yan Huan's life can be taken away by you at any time, sir. Yan Huan can use her life to prove that what she said is absolutely true!"

After hearing this, Zheng Luoqi laughed sarcastically: "Pfft, hahahahahahahaha!" His eyes were full of mockery and disdain. "I can take your life anytime I want. Your life isn't as valuable as you think. Besides, if I believe you, wouldn't I be easily put in danger?"

"Between your life and my life, it seems my life is worth more than yours. I won't take this losing deal!" Zheng Luoqi said to Yan Huan with amusement. His eyes gleamed, as if he were enjoying a good show.

Yan Huan hadn't considered this possibility; to Zheng Luoqi, her life certainly wasn't something worth trading. She lowered her head, her heart filled with helplessness and bitterness.

Seeing that Yan Huan hadn't spoken, Zheng Luoqi said, "Alright, come back to me when you can prove that the information you gave me is correct, or when you can find something that can be traded on an equal footing with me!"

Yan Huan knelt there silently, her heart filled with despair and helplessness, but she quickly rallied.

Undeterred, Yan Huan continued, "You must have noticed my handkerchief, sir!"

Zheng Luoqi became interested, glanced at Yan Huan, and gestured for her to continue.

"Hasn't my lord always wanted to use the handkerchief I embroidered to track down the person behind it?" Yan Huan continued.