Marrying a treacherous official

Chi Ying learned from the maid that the First Madam had returned to her parents' home.

She knew the old man was still angry, so she took her medicine box and went out, gently knocking on the door of the outer study.

No one answered from inside; only a few lights shone through the windows.

Chi Ying composed herself and pushed open the door to the outer study.

She saw Cui Zemin sitting on the ebony chair with a sinister look on his face, his brows furrowed as if he were deep in thought. She also noticed the shards of Jianzhan porcelain scattered on the desk. She walked over with light steps and carefully picked up the broken porcelain from the table.

With a soft "Ah—", she quickly withdrew her hand.

Cui Zemin looked over impatiently, noticing a drop of blood seeping from Chi Ying's fingertip, and said slowly:

"What's wrong?"

"This servant is clumsy and accidentally cut her hand."

"If you can't clean it up, call in a maid to serve you."

"able!"

Tears welled up in Chi Ying's bright eyes. She put her finger in her mouth, and the blood that seeped out smeared her lips with a bright red, extremely beautiful color.

Cui Zemin glanced at her again, then looked away, his brows furrowing tightly.

Chi Ying swallowed the bloody, foul-smelling liquid with a sense of grievance. She took out her embroidered handkerchief, picked up the broken porcelain pieces on the table, and placed them one by one into the tea tray. Then she took out a new black glazed teacup, brewed a bowl of Biluochun tea, and presented it to him.

"Please have some tea, sir."

Cui Zemin had been crushing the teacup for so long; he must have been thirsty.

He took a couple of sips of Biluochun tea, examining its jet-black glaze, and asked her, "Was this teacup taken from the storeroom in the courtyard?"

"Yes and no."

Chi Ying opened the medicine box, took out the Golden Wound Powder, and said tactfully:

"As you should know, the storeroom in the courtyard is strictly managed. Even the supplies for the outer study must be approved by the First Madam before Hua Chao can open the storeroom to obtain them."

She softened her voice weakly and began to complain from the side:

"Porcelain pieces would break frequently in the room. I was very considerate of you, Master, and worried that you might not be able to use them when needed. So when I applied for supplies, I prepared an extra set for you. When Madam found out about this, she directly fined me by confiscating a month's salary."

Cui Zemin said coldly, "Go find Granny Kong to collect this month's allowance. If Madam asks, just say it was my idea."

Chi Ying finally won his favor, and obediently hummed in agreement, her voice carrying a hint of sweetness.

"This servant will change the dressing for the master."

Cui Zemin continued drinking his tea, paying little attention to her.

Chi Ying gently removed the cloth strip from his head, afraid that it would tear the scabs off his wounds and cause him pain. She also used an embroidered handkerchief to wet the wound little by little before slowly tearing off the cloth strip.

She carefully poured the Golden Wound Powder onto his wound, as if afraid of hurting him, and even breathed hot air onto it twice.

Seeing that he didn't stop her, she lowered her head and blew air above his ear.

Disturbed by the waves of heat, Cui Zeming chuckled to himself and asked her directly:

"What for?"

"This servant is afraid that the master will be too fond of you."

Chi Ying knew this was one of her few chances, and she had to go all out no matter what. Her knees buckled, and she slumped into the old man's lap, timidly saying:

"This servant is even more reluctant to let the master dote on her."

Cui Zemin smiled slyly, his expression both charming and suave, and said to her, "Do you know why I wanted to keep you at Qinghui Courtyard?"

Chi Ying looked at him coquettishly, "This servant did not know."

"When the lady is disobedient, she uses you to make her unhappy."

"Sir... what do you mean by that...?"

Chi Ying's expression changed drastically. She couldn't even see how the smile disappeared. A gloomy look filled his handsome face and pressed down on her.

"With the lady gone, what use are you to me? You even dare to dream of taking her place."

Cui Zemin kicked out with his long leg, throwing Chi Ying directly from his arms to the ground. She rolled several times before finally stopping after hitting a pillar.

Chi Ying was covered in bruises from the fall, but she struggled to get up and knelt down tremblingly, begging for mercy.

"This servant deserves to die. I shouldn't have had such improper thoughts. I beg you, sir, to forgive me this time, considering how devoted I have been to serving you for so many years."

"Remember your duty."

If Cui Zemin hadn't been so indignant at Yun Ji's actions, he certainly wouldn't have spared her life.

He said menacingly, "If you overstep the mark even slightly, I will make you wish you were dead."

Chi Ying kowtowed repeatedly to apologize and staggered out of the outer study.

As Cui Zemin watched the door close, facing the empty, desolate room, he thought of the woman he wanted to tear to pieces, and the anger rising in his chest wouldn't subside.

She kept saying that even if she went to beat the drum to appeal, she wouldn't force him to release Gu Jinyu, but she ran back to her parents' home, indirectly coercing him to release her.

Not a single word she uttered could be trusted, and she was constantly at odds with him in everything she did.

Even if she ran back to the Gu residence, she wouldn't be able to escape this calamity. Even if he led troops into the Yue family's residence, he would still bring her back to the mansion.

The following day at court, Emperor Chenghe finalized various policies for governing the country. Before leaving court, he, as usual, asked his civil and military officials:

"Do any other matters require your attention, ministers?"

"Your humble servant reports."

Gu Huaizhang stepped forward from the queue and reported directly:

"Cheng Wengong entrusted a servant to deliver a letter to this humble subject, saying that he wished to see the Emperor to seek justice for the countless students who had studied diligently for years."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chenghe was furious. "What grievances does he have to appeal to? What face does he have to come and appeal to me?"

Gu Huaizhang showed no sign of backing down, but instead resolutely spoke up:

"In his letter, Cheng Wengong said that if he could not clarify the matter to the emperor in person, he would die to prove his innocence and appeal to the people of the world for justice."

Emperor Chenghe laughed coldly, wanting to see how he would seek justice.

"Duke Wen of Xuancheng".

The eunuch delivered the order, and the imperial guards quickly brought Cheng Wengong to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Cheng Wengong knelt down and kowtowed, bowing deeply to Emperor Chenghe on the dragon throne.

"This sinful subject kowtows to Your Majesty."

Emperor Chenghe looked at the dejected and disheveled old man in the main hall. Only half a month had passed, and he had become so haggard. He said with a pang of pity:

"Lord Cheng, what grievance do you have to appeal?"

"The disgraced official is not the culprit behind the leak of the exam questions."

With his slightly hunched back straight, Cheng Wengong said with righteous indignation, "The real masterminds behind the imperial examination fraud case are the corrupt officials led by Vice Minister Wei. They are the ones who ruined the imperial examination system and shook the foundation of the court."

Wei Xianqi sneered, "Lord Cheng, don't make baseless accusations!"

Cheng Wengong spoke frankly, saying, "The evidence is in General Cui's hands; His Majesty will know once he investigates."

Cui Zemin stood at the head of the military officers' group, watching the fight from across the mountain.

Suddenly pulled out in front of all the ministers, he looked at Cheng Wengong with disgust, his fierce eyes seeming to remind him that the promise he made was null and void, and he could not expect him to speak as a witness.