Marrying a treacherous official

Yunji has been deliberately avoiding her father all these years.

She dared not easily recall anything about her father, because that past was too painful, to the point that every time she thought of it, she felt so distressed that she could not go on living.

Such a noble and upright man, merely because of a single glance that made her stunning, disregarded worldly norms and social status, and resolutely married a merchant girl as his principal wife, as the eldest son of the Gu family.

Even though he was impeached by censors and his family did not tolerate him, and he was demoted to Qianzhou as an official, he never uttered a single complaint against his mother.

My mother was a Buddhist. In order to win the first incense offering of the year at Yuanbao Temple and please her, my father painted murals all over the white walls of the temple in the dead of winter, using this as a way to "coerce" the abbot into giving him incense.

I still remember that small study, where my father would always hold her hand and teach her to recognize characters stroke by stroke, while my mother would stand behind her with a gentle smile, occasionally trimming the candle wick and brightening the lamp a little.

Her father never confined her to her room just because she was a girl.

He taught her the classics, history, philosophy, and literature. When he went out to visit friends, he would always hold her and sit her on his horse, visiting mountains and rivers and ancient sites, telling her the stories of thousands of years of history.

She cannot forget, nor dare she ever forget.

Yet this upright and honest person insisted on standing up to remonstrate to the death, and was beaten to death in the palace, his body stained with blood. How could she possibly let this go?

Yunji, wrapped in a fox fur cloak, sat in the carriage, shivering uncontrollably.

Cui Shuhua took off her purple silk jacket and wrapped it tightly around her body. She then took water from the warming plate, poured a cup of hot tea, and held it in her hands to warm her up.

"Is your eldest sister-in-law feeling any better?"

"Much better."

Yun Jiying turned pale and weakly told her, "I'm afraid you caught a cold from the cold. You're shivering all over. You'll feel better after drinking some herbal medicine when you get back to the manor."

Cui Shuhua didn't doubt that her words were false, but she couldn't help worrying:

"This blizzard came too suddenly and too fiercely. There was still some warmth during the day, but at night the wind and snow started to fall. Sister-in-law, hang in there a little longer. After we get back home, we will ask a doctor to come and examine you."

Yunji was truly overwhelmed with grief, and it was also true that she had caught a cold. She nodded drowsily, sat on the velvet blanket, and hugged herself even tighter.

The sound of footsteps crunching on snow came from outside the carriage. Through the window, someone respectfully asked:

"Excuse me, is this the Privy Councilor's carriage?"

"Who's asking questions outside?"

Cui Shuhua pressed on with a question.

"Replying to your question, young lady, I am General Pei's personal bodyguard. My general and the Privy Councilor are old friends. Hearing that Madam Cui was suffering from the cold, he instructed me to personally deliver charcoal to Madam Cui to warm her up."

When Cui Shuhua heard that charcoal was being delivered, she excitedly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and immediately saw Pei Yun riding a tall horse behind the guards. In the midst of the falling snow, his handsome and unique demeanor was as clear as the moon among the pines, and she was so captivated by his beauty that she stared at him in a daze.

Their eyes met across the distance.

Pei Yun subtly turned his gaze away, his eyes settling steadily on the frail figure wrapped in a fox fur cloak, huddled together. Looking at that pale profile, his eyes were filled with pity.

After a moment of distraction, Cui Shuhua hurriedly lowered the curtain.

She looked at the still unconscious lady, tightened her grip on the embroidered handkerchief in her hand, as if she had made up her mind, and said shyly:

"Eldest sister-in-law, I'm going out to get some charcoal and I'll be right back."

Yunji rested her head on her knees and vaguely heard that Pei Yun was going to bring her charcoal. She forced herself to lift her head, but before she could speak, she saw Cui Shuhua lift the curtain and walk out. Feixue suddenly rushed into the carriage, but was immediately blocked back by the curtain.

Cui Shuhua walked through the thick snow to Pei Yun and greeted him with pride.

"The second daughter of the Cui family greets General Pei."

"You're too polite, Second Miss."

Pei Yun smiled distantly, "I'm waiting for the Emperor's summons outside Donghua Gate. Once Lord Cui comes out of the palace, I'll go in to meet the Emperor. Preparing this charcoal is unnecessary; it would be better to give it to Madam Cui to keep warm."

The guard took out a celadon hand warmer with a floral pattern from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Cui Shuhua.

"My elder sister-in-law has caught a cold after this snowstorm, and the hand warmer that General Pei sent has just solved my urgent problem."

Holding the hand warmer, she gracefully thanked him.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yun frowned deeply. "Since Madam Cui is ill, why not send her back to the manor to see a doctor?"

Taken aback by his question, Cui Shuhua's face flushed with embarrassment and shame. She stammered, "..."

"Brother... we haven't left the palace yet. When you arrive later, we'll head back home."

Pei Yun tightened the reins. Through the curtain of the carriage, he seemed to see her suppressed suffering, but he had no right to stand up for her. To say another word would be to overstep his bounds.

He stared intently at the car window piled high with snow, and said in a deep voice:

"The snow is raging outside. Second Miss, you should hurry back to the carriage to take shelter. Be careful the hand warmer doesn't go out."

"General Pei is absolutely right."

After bidding farewell to Pei Yun, Cui Shuhua boarded the carriage and stuffed the hand warmer into Yunji's arms, saying, "Sister-in-law, quickly hold this hand warmer to warm up."

Yunji's body was fluctuating between hot and cold, and she was on the verge of developing a high fever. She said in a hoarse voice, "Second Miss, pour me a glass of water."

Cui Shuhua quickly took the warming plate, poured water, and held the teacup to her lips.

Yunji lowered her head to drink water, her throat burning with pain. She strained her voice and said, "Pour some more."

Cui Shuhua did as instructed, and after filling three cups with water, there was no more water left in the warming dish.

Yunji nestled her head on her knees, curling her body up even tighter. "Second Miss, I'm going to sleep for a while. Wait for Master to wake me up when he comes back."

Cui Shuhua nodded heavily. "Sister-in-law, rest assured. I will wake you up when my brother comes back."

As night deepened, the chill of the blizzard seeped in layer by layer, making the entire carriage feel like an icebox.

Cui Shuhua huddled in the carriage, her hands and feet numb with cold, her breath steaming in the air as she tried to warm her icy fingers.

Just as she exhaled a puff of white breath into the air, Cui Zemin lifted the curtain and entered the carriage.

"Big...Big brother, you're finally back."

"How is she?"

"My sister-in-law has fallen asleep."

Seeing the sickly blush on Yun Ji's face, Cui Zeming raised his hand to touch her forehead, finding it burning hot to the touch, and cursed darkly:

"Is this what you meant by 'falling asleep'?"

When Cui Shuhua saw that Yunji had fallen into a deep sleep due to a high fever, she was so frightened that she knelt down on the carriage. "It was my negligence that I failed to take good care of my elder sister-in-law. I beg my elder brother to punish me."

Cui Zemin pressed her for an answer, "Why didn't you take her back to see a doctor?"

Cui Shuhua said in a trembling voice, "Isn't it... that we're supposed to wait for my older brother to come back in the car?"

Cui Zemin pulled Yunji close to his chest and shouted angrily, "Drive back to the manor immediately!"