Marrying a treacherous official

Ever since Chunxuan moved into the Dongli Courtyard, the entire Qinghui Garden has become noisy.

Since Madam Gu Er was not comfortable visiting the Marquis's residence often, she had Gu Yunshan come to the residence under the pretext of catching up with Cui Shuhua, where she would often keep Yunji company and have private conversations with her.

The flower hall was always bustling with people, filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

As the days grew colder, Yunji was concerned about Cui Zeming's winter clothes. After finishing the tiger-head hat, she set about making a windproof hat for Cui Zeming.

"Why did the First Madam tear off such a fox fur?"

"Tiger head hat".

"Who could possibly wear such a huge tiger-head hat?"

After Chunxuan exclaimed in surprise, she immediately understood, "This hat isn't made for the old man, is it?"

"Before the old man left, he asked me to prepare warm clothes for him."

Yunji's eyes were full of mischievous smiles as he said slowly, "I have to make the hood, felt socks, fox fur coat, and gloves myself. I can't buy them from a tailor shop, and I can't have someone else make them for me. He even said he could tell at a glance, and told me not to be perfunctory."

Chunxuan immediately asked, "Does the master know that the madam is not good at needlework?"

"The old man has never seen me pick up a needle and thread, don't you think?"

"Doing it on purpose is going too far."

Chunxuan wholeheartedly defended the First Madam, arguing vehemently on her behalf, "Isn't this making things difficult for the First Madam?"

His words made all the maids and servants in the flower hall laugh.

Yunji didn't care at all about being laughed at for her poor skills; she only cared that Cui Zemin would laugh at her because of it.

"I was afraid the old man wouldn't be able to tell the difference in my craftsmanship, so I made him a tiger-head hat just like Lin'er's. It would be hard for him not to notice."

The laughter in the flower hall was even louder, almost lifting the entire roof off.

Gu Yunshan playfully nudged Cui Shuhua with her elbow and whispered:

Do you think my brother-in-law will wear the tiger-head hat made by my eldest sister when he goes out?

"Don't be fooled by what my elder sister-in-law says; the tiger head design she made can be tied with a ribbon."

Cui Shuhua, looking like she knew everything, whispered in her ear:

"Eldest sister-in-law has saved both face and substance for eldest brother. When he is in the tent, he can wear this tiger head to keep warm. When he goes out to meet his subordinates, he can remove the tiger head and wear the hood, which will keep him warm and make him look impressive."

Gu Yunshan couldn't help but admire Yunji's character and conduct.

"No wonder my brother-in-law dotes on my elder sister so much. If it were me, I would be devoted to her too."

Granny Kong, holding a letter in her hand, entered the flower hall excitedly to report:

"The master sent a letter from Xijing to the madam."

"Ten days to half a month have passed since Li Xiuji last sent a letter to the old man by carrier pigeon, and the old man has only now sent a letter."

Despite grumbling, Yunji took the letter from Granny Kong's hand and quickly opened it to read.

The room fell silent as everyone waited quietly for Yunji to finish reading the letter.

Finally, Granny Kong couldn't contain her emotions any longer and asked:

"Madam, what did the master say in his letter?"

"The old man led his troops in a surprise attack on the Northern Yan camp and only returned to his post a few days ago."

Yunji felt deeply apologetic for her previous complaints, "I misunderstood him."

Granny Kong immediately comforted her, saying, "When has the First Madam ever wronged the Master? This has never happened before. What else did the Master say in his letter?"

Yunji read the handwriting on the letter repeatedly, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"After successfully raiding the Northern Yan's warehouse where grain and equipment were stored and defeating the enemy, the old man returned to his camp and received the message sent by carrier pigeon. Overjoyed, he rewarded all the generals of the army."

"Young Master is the master's lucky star."

Granny Kong smiled happily, "I suppose we won't even have to wait for the young master to come out before the master returns to the capital in triumph."

Yunji gently but firmly corrected her wording, saying, "Even as the eldest daughter, she is still Master's lucky star."

Realizing she had misspoke, Granny Kong quickly replied, "Whether it's a young master or a young lady born to the eldest madam, they are all the eldest master's lucky stars."

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye, and the days gradually grew cooler.

Yunji packed the winter clothes she had made herself into a bundle. After checking them several times to make sure they were correct, she planned to give the bundle to Li Xiuji the next day so that he could send them to Cui Zeming, who was far away in Xijing.

At this moment, a commotion could be faintly heard coming from the outer courtyard.

She called out to Xi Kui, "Go to the outer courtyard and see what happened."

Xi Kui immediately obeyed and withdrew.

Yunji rolled up her narrow sleeves with the peony pattern, picked up her pen to write a reply to Cui Zeming, when she heard Kong Mama's scolding voice clearly reaching her ears.

"With the Marquis and his wife here, it's not up to my wife to make the decisions regarding the affairs of Minghe Hall."

"Besides, if Second Master doesn't say anything, why should my First Madam plead for him?"

"Besides, my lady is currently pregnant and has difficulty moving around. She would never get involved in this mess. If you were to ask someone for help, you should ask Old Madam Gu."

Hearing the commotion outside, Yunji put the purple brush on the shelf.

She put on a jacket with a pattern of peonies and laurels, pushed open the door of the main room, and went out.

Chunying knelt on the blue bricks of the outer courtyard, pleading bitterly:

"My aunt is dying. I beg you, Madam, for the sake of our sisterly bond, please go and see her one last time. Otherwise, she will die with regrets."

"Shut up!"

Granny Kong angrily rebuked Chunying:

"How dare you ask the First Madam to go to the delivery room! If any bloodshed there were to happen to her, you wouldn't be able to atone for it even if you shortened your own lifespan! Guards, drag this maid out!"

Yunji went out to the outer courtyard, looked at Chunying who was being dragged away, and said coldly:

"What's wrong with Aunt Li?"

"Madam, save me!"

Chunying suddenly broke free from the old woman's restraints and scrambled towards Yunji, only to be pinned to the ground by Xikui and unable to move.

"Please, Madam, for the sake of our kinship, save Aunt Li's life. Otherwise, Aunt Li really won't survive this night."

"I'm asking you one last time."

Yunji asked resolutely, "What exactly happened to Aunt Li?"

Chunying dared not shout wildly any longer, and, suppressing her sobs, she told the First Madam:

"After Concubine Li's water broke during labor, the Second Master summoned a midwife to help her deliver the baby. However, Concubine Li wailed in agony for three hours, but the baby was not born. Instead, basin after basin of blood was brought out..."

"The midwife said that the concubine was dying and asked the second master to decide whether to keep the child or the concubine. The second master decided to keep the child. The Marquis and his wife were also present, and they also said they wanted the child."

"But my aunt held my hand, pleading with me to let her live, and insisted that I beg her to plead with the Madam to save her..."

"My master's wife has no say in whether Concubine Li lives or dies."

How could Granny Kong allow the First Madam to risk her life and get involved in such a mess at Minghe Hall?

"That Concubine Li has fallen to this state, abandoned by everyone, is entirely her own fault. She has no right to blame my mistress. Guards, drag this maid out!"

The rough-looking old woman stepped forward again, grabbing Chunying's arms on either side and forcefully dragging her away, but was stopped by a strong and clear voice.

"Wait a minute."