Wasn't he supposed to be a cold and aloof powerful minister? How come he broke his vows after m

Li Congjin's voice pulled him back to reality. He frowned: "Nonsense!"

His voice was quite loud, and she seemed startled, her whole body trembling, her eyes instantly welling up with tears: "I... I didn't."

Her voice trembled with a slight tremor, and her fan-like eyelashes fluttered twice. He had come home late, and she was clearly hungry, with a round grain of glutinous rice left over from when she had sneaked a bite still on her lips.

Yan Zhao's gaze fell on the snow-white glutinous rice. Perhaps bewitched, his first reaction was that the glutinous rice cake she was eating must be sweet.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he snapped back to reality, meeting her eyes that were about to burst into tears.

"You are the adopted daughter of the General's family. The Meng family broke off the engagement, and you're marrying me so hastily. What will outsiders say about you?"

Li Congjin nodded obediently: "But the old lady is not in good health, and I am afraid that my godmother will be sad."

His anger now stemmed mostly from the old lady's autocratic ways, and also from the fact that the general's mansion had changed the bride without his consent.

Yan Zhao was a man, and his word was law in the household. He was naturally unhappy that his marriage had been decided behind his back.

However, he is not unreasonable, nor will he harm the innocent.

Therefore, as long as she pretends to be "understanding" and "selfless," she can easily manipulate others.

Sure enough, Yan Zhao's anger subsided considerably after seeing her slightly red eyes.

"You don't need to wrong yourself. I'll go and talk to Grandmother right now. If matters of life and death are decided by fortune tellers, what's the point of having doctors?"

Li Cong had anticipated this morning that Yan Zhao wouldn't easily "give in," and sniffed, "Husband...do you not want me?"

He spoke in a soft, sweet voice, and his breathing quickened.

His body was still shivering, but his mouth was surprisingly bold.

She got up and walked to his side. The sweet fragrance of osmanthus, along with the soft, pink scent of the young girl, lingered around his nose. He looked down at the girl who only reached his chest, frowned slightly, and looked away.

Not receiving a reply, Li Congjin bit her lip and looked up at him.

The two stood almost touching. When she looked up, her chin brushed against his chest, and even through the fabric of his dress, the sensation was very clear.

He clenched his fists tightly, again and again.

"The Right Chancellor and Prince Jing have put the Yan family in a very difficult position. I have grown up in the Yan family from now on, so of course I don't want them to be humiliated. Besides, I won't feel wronged from now on. Compared to marrying an unknown rich man in a few years, my husband will at least treat me with respect and won't let others bully me."

Treat each other with the utmost respect?

So that's what she was thinking.

Yan Zhao was surprised that he felt a moment of loss. Li Congjin had been in the manor for thirteen years. He had watched her grow from a babbling child to a well-educated and sensible person, and he was absolutely certain that he had no other intentions.

Today was probably particularly chaotic and frustrating, so...

"General!" The servant's voice broke the silence in the room.

"What is it?"

"Someone just came from the North Courtyard. They said that Aunt Yang broke her leg while hanging red silk this afternoon and is in a lot of pain. They would like to ask you to come over."

Upon hearing this, Li Congjin raised an eyebrow.

He broke his leg this afternoon and only now sends someone to fetch him; his intentions are as clear as day.

Yan Zhao's gaze remained fixed on the top of her head. Seeing that she had no reaction, he remained silent for a moment before saying, "You must be tired today. Get some rest."

After saying that, he turned and left.

He had barely left when Chun Tao rushed in: "Miss, why did the General leave?"

How aggrieved it would be if word got out that the groom left the bridal chamber on his wedding night.

Li Congjin watched the figure disappear into the corridor and smiled, "Naturally, it's because—my mind is in turmoil."

She took a step back and then another, making him lower his guard with her charming naivety, but not letting him figure out her thoughts. Yan Zhao was probably feeling restless and depressed right now.

After all, he had called him "brother" for thirteen years, so it was understandable that he was not used to the sudden change in status.

Being just siblings isn't fun enough; more than that is what makes it exciting.

Chun Tao didn't understand the deeper meaning in her words: "The general wouldn't really have gone to the North Courtyard, would he?"

Looking at the night scene outside the window, Li Congjin lifted his foot and walked outside: "We'll know once we go and see."

"Huh?" Chun Tao exclaimed in surprise and quickly followed.

She stopped abruptly as she walked into the courtyard, as if remembering something, and said to the maid in the courtyard, "I'm going out for a while. Prepare hot water in a quarter of an hour; I want to take a bath. Also, prepare some osmanthus incense."

Tonight cannot end here. He resists her and distances himself from her, but she insists on making him unable to resist her.

It's not just for the "key" to the mausoleum, but also for him as a person.

Although Meng Liyun broke off the engagement, it was hard to guarantee that Yan Zhao wouldn't still harbor feelings for her. Now was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot and prevent him from thinking about anyone else.

The master and servant left the courtyard late at night. Most of the people in the mansion had already gone to sleep, and the garden path was deserted.

Yan Zhao had two concubines, both of whom were chosen for him when General Yan was still alive.

Both of them were daughters of noble families but not of noble birth. After entering the manor, they rarely met Yan Zhao. He never took the initiative to set foot in the North Courtyard and spent most of his days in the study.

Aunt Yang is cunning but foolish; she uses all her ideas openly.

Having decided to marry Yan Zhao, she was already prepared to face troubles in the inner quarters.

Aunt Yang's courtyard was very small, with only enough space to grow a few flowers and plants. She also had only two servants who were currently inside the house acting out a play for her.

Li Congjin deliberately used a bit of force when he pushed the door open, and the gate creaked open. Immediately, a wail came from inside the house.

"Ouch! My leg! It hurts so much!"

Immediately following was the servant's voice: "Madam, please bear with it, the doctor will be here soon!"

Li Congjin twitched the corner of his lips, gave Chun Tao a wink, and the other woman strode forward and kicked open the door.

Aunt Yang, dressed in her finest attire, sat at the table, hugging her left leg, tears streaming down her face.

She gasped softly again, then pretended to raise her head. When she saw who it was, she froze, "How...how is it you?"

"Shouldn't it be me?" Li Congjin entered the room, and the two maids immediately stood up and made way for her. She sat down opposite Aunt Yang.

The other person glanced outside the door; the courtyard was empty.

"How have you been serving him? Our master was injured this afternoon, and we still haven't been able to get a doctor!" Li Congjin suddenly attacked, his tone sharp. The two maids were so frightened that their legs went weak and they knelt on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Miss, it's my fault for neglecting my duty!"

"Miss?" Chun Tao stood in front of the door and questioned.

The two men exchanged a glance and lowered their heads, saying, "Young...Young Madam."

Aunt Yang had never seen Li Congjin like this before, and sat there in a daze.

They used to keep to themselves, and the other person always had a nonchalant and indifferent demeanor, so she thought of him as an easy target.

Yan Zhao had not returned to the manor for more than a year, and Li Congjin, together with the mistress and others, had deceived everyone. She thought that her good opportunity to sow discord had come.

"Get out, all of you." At Li Congjin's command, Chun Tao grabbed two maids and left, closing the door behind her.

"What...what are you going to do?"

The room suddenly grew colder, and Aunt Yang stared at Li Congjin, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

"Aunt Yang is supposed to be a young lady from a wealthy family, yet I wonder who taught her these manners?" Li Congjin poured himself a cup of tea. "If the news of the General feigning injury on his wedding day reaches the ears of the mistress, what will become of you?"

Aunt Yang choked up, but didn't answer.

She scoffed, picked up her teacup, and splashed the scalding tea inside onto the other person.

"Ahhh!" Aunt Yang was scalded and immediately got up to shake off the water droplets.

Li Congjin looked at her nimble legs and curled his lips.

The other person was intimidated by her ruthlessness and decisiveness, and changed their tune, pitifully pleading, "Miss Li... no, Madam! I was just momentarily bewitched, please forgive me, okay?"

Li Congjin could easily see her resentment: "I can get past this hurdle, but the mistress is the real challenge..."

Aunt Yang shuddered.

Everyone in the manor knows that Chu Jia dotes on her. Now that she is marrying Yan Zhao, it is for the sake of the General's Mansion's reputation. What if Chu Jia finds out that she is sowing discord and kicks her out of the manor in a fit of anger?

Thinking of this, she finally dropped her pretense and said in a panic, "Young Madam, please don't tell the mistress! You can do whatever you want!"

On the surface, she appears to be obeying punishment, but in reality, she is plotting something. As long as Li Congjin makes a move against her, she can go to Yan Zhao to plead her case tomorrow.

Li Congjin pretended to hesitate as he got up, walked to Aunt Yang's side, and glanced at her from head to toe.

Aunt Yang was puzzled and hadn't said anything when she suddenly saw her grab a chair from the side.

Li Congjin swung his arm and slammed it down on the opponent's left leg.

With a muffled thud, Aunt Yang collapsed to the ground, clutching her leg in pain, sweating profusely, rolling around in agony, unable to utter a sound.

She put down the chair in her hand and chuckled, "Tomorrow I will inform the mistress that today Aunt Yang devoted herself to preparing for the general's wedding, and even broke her leg. She was afraid of bothering me and the general, so she did not make a fuss. At that time, the manor will definitely invite a famous doctor to help Aunt Yang recover properly."

When dealing with fools, reasoning with them is a poor strategy; force is the only true solution.

"Ah!" After a long while, Aunt Yang finally let out a sound, her eyes red with pain and regret. She looked at Li Congjin's departing figure.

She had been plotting against others, but instead, she was plotted against. Li Congjin neither scolded nor punished her, but instead broke her already "broken" left leg, leaving her with no way to complain.

She wasn't the little rabbit she imagined at all; she was a fox, ruthless, decisive, and utterly despicable!

On the way back, Chun Tao felt much more relaxed: "So the general didn't go to the North Courtyard. It seems the general doesn't care about the two concubines that much."

Li Congjin did not respond, and when he returned to the courtyard, he glanced at the water clock again.

The timing was perfect; she asked Chuntao to prepare a bucket of hot water so she could take a thorough bath and enjoy the fragrance.

She timed it perfectly, got out of the water, dried herself off, and changed into her nightgown.

As summer approached and the weather grew hotter, her nightgown was only a few layers of thin gauze. As she dried her hair, she walked toward the bed and bumped into Yan Zhao as he entered the central hall.

"Ah..." she gasped softly, falling backward. She didn't hit the corner of the table, but instead fell into the arms of the person behind her.

"Husband?" She raised her head and stared intently at Yan Zhao.

She had just discovered that he had left his personal seal when he left, and guessed that he had left to visit the old lady. He would only stay there for a quarter of an hour each time, and considering the round trip, he would just be returning to his room to retrieve the seal at this time.

She had just finished showering, her hair was still a little damp, and her nightgown was not tied tightly, revealing her fair skin at her collarbone.