Marrying a treacherous official

With Cui Zemin's departure from the capital imminent, Yunji began packing his bags.

She placed the fox fur coat at the bottom of the mahogany box, then piled the court robes on top, repeatedly instructing him:

"The clothes, from thin to thick, have all been put into the mahogany box for the old man. He can just take them out in order when he needs them."

"Um."

"I haven't had time to make the hood and felt socks yet, so I can only send some old things from the past to the old man."

"No old ones."

Cui Zemin insisted, "Winter is still a long way off. Madam can take her time to make some warm clothes and then pack them up and send them to Xijing later."

Yunji was not good at needlework.

She found even the barely acceptable purse she made distasteful, let alone the hood and felt socks she made for him.

"The wind and snow in the Northwest are cold. Send me the fox fur and hand warmer together later."

Cui Zemin had never seen her embroider at the mansion, and assumed she had no skill in it, so he deliberately said mischievously:

"Madam, don't think you can just buy clothes from a tailor shop to get by. I can tell at a glance whether they are made by your own handiwork or not."

Yunji would never admit that her needlework was bad, and stubbornly retorted, "Besides seeing that my skills are better than those of the tailors in the shop, what else can the old man see?"

Cui Zemin smiled faintly and did not refute this statement.

Yunji packed out two large boxes of clothes, weighing them down tightly, and had Shiling carry them onto the carriage in the courtyard.

As Cui Zemin watched the trunk leave, he suddenly felt a real sense of impending departure and was overwhelmed with endless longing for her.

"Madam, have you ever considered that if your grandfather hadn't died in battle, the person you met in Qianzhou wouldn't have been Pei Yun, but me?"

Yunji stared at him blankly, never having thought about such things before.

"Sir, this is far-fetched."

"When my father-in-law was serving as an imperial censor in Qianzhou, he uncovered a case of grain embezzlement, which led to correspondence with the Xuanjia Army. Over time, they became acquainted."

Cui Zemin deduced the tunnel based on facts:

"Back then, Pei Yun went to Qianzhou to meet with his father-in-law and secretly investigate this matter. If my grandfather were still alive, the person sent to Qianzhou to investigate the grain draft would only be me."

He had brought up old grievances about Yunji before, but those were things that had actually happened, so even if they were brought against her, she accepted it.

But to drag her into this based on unfounded speculation is going too far.

"What exactly is the old man trying to say?"

Cui Zemin reached out and pulled her into his lap, then suddenly leaned down and kissed her deeply on the lips, before gazing at her intently and saying:

"If it weren't for the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Wudu, I would have been the one who secretly pledged my love to you, and I would have been the one who was engaged to you."

What he couldn't let go of the most was missing out on the young master Gu, who was disguised as a man.

Yunji looked at him with a light smile, her eyes brimming with tender spring water.

"How can you be so sure, sir, that I would choose you back then?"

"Then why has this lady taken a liking to me now?"

Cui Zemin couldn't resist lowering his head to kiss those playful lips, teasing her, "What are you laughing at? Who are you laughing at, Madam?"

The more he pressed her for kisses, the more she laughed radiantly.

Yunji exposed his hidden little thoughts.

"Yes, everything belongs to the master, even the son-in-law that Father has chosen is the master."

"Then who else do you want to be?"

Cui Zemin kissed her cheek tenderly and asked earnestly, "Does Madam really not want to go to Xijing with me?"

The look in Yunji's eyes as she gazed at him held an indescribable depth of affection.

Unlike her immediate refusal last time, this time she was caught in a dilemma, unable to make up her mind.

"Gu Yunji can accompany you to Xijing, but Madam Cui cannot."

Cui Zemin's throat bobbed, and he pressed against her neck, forcefully silencing her with a kiss.

She turned her head away from his kiss and gently persuaded him, "Grandpa, don't go crazy. I think I'm pregnant."

He kissed her earlobe and chuckled, "I think so too."

On the day Cui Zemin left the capital, Yunji did not go out to the city gate to see him off.

She feared he would bring up going to Xijing again, and that, swayed by the sorrow of parting, she might recklessly follow him, which would be unbecoming of her.

Granny Kong was preoccupied with the matter of having offspring, and she served the First Madam with even greater devotion.

"The First Madam still hasn't had her period?"

"He didn't come."

Yun Ji tried to remain calm on the surface, but in reality, she was in a complete panic.

Granny Kong counted on her fingers, still anxiously calculating:

"The First Madam's period usually starts around the 17th, at the latest the 21st. Now it's delayed by at least five days. Should we call a doctor to come and check her pulse?"

"There's absolutely no need for that."

Yunji mustn't make such a fool of herself, lest people say she's too eager for a child.

"This matter should not be publicized. Granny, you should wait a little longer. It's not too late to ask the doctor to come and examine your pulse when you are more certain."

"Yes, Madam."

After leaving the accounting room, Granny Wang couldn't shake the thought of what had happened, so she called Xi Kui over to ask her questions:

"Has the First Madam mentioned feeling unwell recently?"

No, not at all.

"For example, poor appetite, nausea or vomiting for no reason?"

"Granny, don't swear at the First Madam. I won't allow this."

As soon as Xi Kui said this, Granny Kong pulled her aside and forced her to shut up.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just worried about the First Madam. After the Master was transferred to Xijing, we don't know when he will be able to return to the manor. If the First Madam can't conceive this time, it will have to be delayed for another year or two. How can that be?"

"I am not the master, so I cannot help the madam in this matter."

Xi Kui said innocently.

Granny Kong raised her hand and patted her forehead, and she immediately became obedient.

"I'm asking you, has the First Madam been acting strangely lately?"

"This servant has noticed that the First Madam often feels sleepy. I wonder if this is a problem?"

"How exactly do you mean it?"

"In the past, when the First Madam was calculating accounts, the sound of her beads ringing out was deafening. But now, while she was using the abacus, the sound suddenly went silent. Turning my head, I saw that the First Madam had fallen asleep on the chaise longue."

Granny Kong didn't take these words seriously, knowing that taking a nap in the afternoon was a perfectly normal thing.

However, Xi Kui discovered something strange about the matter.

It was understandable that the First Madam couldn't get up when the Master was resting in the main room, but now that the Master has been transferred to Xijing, the First Madam is waking up later and later every day, which is not right.

The next morning, Xi Kui brought water to the room to help the First Madam wash up.

She called out to the First Lady through the curtains.

After muttering a couple of things in her sleep, the First Madam turned over and went back to sleep.

After this happened several times, she immediately sensed something was wrong. She went into the tent and nudged the First Madam, but only heard the First Madam muttering in her sleep. Fearing that the First Madam might not wake up, she hurriedly ran out to find Granny Kong for help.