Marrying a treacherous official

Despite being questioned by Cui Zemin, Yun Ji remained composed and simply countered with a light question:

"In your opinion, what kind of maids and servants are suitable to stay in Qinghui Courtyard?"

"If I say she can stay, then she can stay."

"How does your husband manage to treat everyone equally and act fairly, earning the trust and respect of the servants?"

Cui Zemin patiently discussed fairness with her, saying, "Madam, is it fair and reasonable for you to expel Chi Ying from Qinghui Courtyard?"

Yunji gestured for Chunxuan to present the mahogany box in her hands. She smiled sweetly at Cui Zeming, but her words were cold and resolute, delivered with a firm and resounding tone.

"Only maids and servants whose indentures are held by their husbands can remain in Qinghui Courtyard."

She watched as Chunxuan opened the wooden box and presented a stack of indentures to Cui Zemin, letting him examine them one by one, and then she couldn't help but say in detail:

"Apart from the guards and servants in the outer courtyard, who all obey my husband's orders, there are the indentures of my dowry maids Huachao and Chunxuan in the box. In addition, there are the indentures of the dowry maids, old servants, and stewards of the late madam. Granny Kong got them back from my grandmother a few days ago."

She glanced at Chi Ying, who was kneeling on the ground, cowering in fear, and said dismissively:

"Only these servants can remain in the courtyard. Although Chi Ying is a maid from Jiaxing Garden, the Marquis no longer cares about the affairs of the inner courtyard. My husband can simply send a servant over to inquire, and he will find out that Chi Ying's indenture is in the hands of the Marquis's wife. Do you think this arrangement is unfair?"

She asked him that question, but still felt unsatisfied, so she immediately asked him a second time.

"I'll say it again: if every maid runs to your husband crying and wailing, and you favor one maid on one side and another old woman on the other, I can't manage the household affairs. How about you personally take charge of the household affairs from now on?"

Cui Zemin flung his hand, scattering the indentures all over the room.

The maids and guards inside the room all knelt on the ground.

Yunji watched the papers rise and fall in a flurry, completely unmoved.

"Have you said enough?"

With just one sentence from Cui Zemin, Yun Ji pressed her lips tightly together, refusing to say another word: "Who calls the shots in this courtyard, you or me?"

He remained wary of her, keeping Chi Ying in the backyard as if he wanted to stab her in the throat, making it impossible for her to swallow or spit it out.

Chi Ying knelt down and stepped forward, pleading with Cui Zeming through her tears:

"This servant swears to serve you to the death, Master. My only wish in this life is to stay in Qinghui Courtyard and serve you for the rest of my life. I beg you, Master, to give me a place to stay, considering how many years I have served you."

"Huo Xi—"

"Your subordinate is here."

"Go to Jiaxing Garden and find the Marquis."

Cui Zemin turned his head and looked at Yun Ji, who was sitting next to him, with a gloomy gaze. A coldness filled his indifferent eyes.

"Have the Marquis go to the Marquis's wife to retrieve Chi Ying's indenture, and say it was my idea. Is the lady satisfied now?"

"My husband has always been the one to call the shots in Qinghui Courtyard, so how could I dare to have the slightest dissatisfaction?"

Yun Ji rose from the ebony chair and looked down at Chi Ying, who was lying on the ground. Her chilling gaze filled Chi Ying with a sense of terror, as if her life and death were entirely in her hands.

"Chunxuan, you stay here and count the indentures. Not a single one can be missing."

"Yes, ma'am."

After returning to the inner courtyard, Yunji secluded herself in the accounting room to read.

When Granny Kong returned from reporting to Minghe Hall, she found Chi Ying staying in the outer study to serve. After asking Chunxuan, she learned that the First Madam and the First Master had quarreled again.

"It's all my fault for being too soft-hearted and not having the heart to beat that slut Chi Ying away with a stick."

Chunxuan said indignantly, "That's why she pretended to be pitiful to win the master's sympathy, but instead caused the madam to be implicated and suffer, and was blamed by the master."

"What's the point of saying all this now?"

Granny Kong led her maids and servants over, only to be thoroughly ridiculed by Granny Tong.

She gritted her teeth and endured it all, focusing solely on a smooth handover and ensuring no further complications arose at this crucial juncture. She hurriedly returned to the courtyard, only to find that the master had once again become estranged from his wife because of that wretched woman, Chi Ying.

After the incident of being confined to the ancestral hall, the hard-won harmony between the two was once again shattered.

No one knew how anxious and uneasy Granny Kong was at this moment. The master was about to turn thirty and had no children. How could she explain this to the late madam?

"Is the First Madam still hiding in the accounting room, sulking?"

"Um."

Chunxuan glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then quietly began to gossip about the lady.

"The old woman didn't see how tightly the master protected that slut. It infuriated the madam. She only drank a bowl of Laba porridge for dinner and then put down her chopsticks. She's probably still angry."

"Have the cook make some water chestnut cake; I'll take it in to appease the madam."

"Okay."

Chunxuan readily agreed and worked quickly, bringing over the water chestnut cake in less than 15 minutes.

Granny Kong entered through the door carrying a tray and gently placed the water chestnut cake on the desk.

"Madam, please rest for a while and try the water chestnut cake that Ayu made. Is it to your liking?"

"When did Granny invite Aunt Yu from the North Village to work as a cook in the kitchen?"

Yunji placed the travelogue on her lap, took a small bite of the water chestnut cake, and felt the soft and delicate texture melt like clouds and mist, the taste was indescribable.

"The cook in the courtyard was dismissed. Thinking that the madam could not go a day without cooking for her, this old servant sent Ayu from the North Village to fill the vacancy."

"It's good that this vacancy has been filled; I'll be able to enjoy delicious food from now on."

"I heard from Chunxuan that Madam only had a bowl of Laba porridge for dinner. How can that be?"

Granny Kong advised, "Madam, eat a couple more pieces of water chestnut cake. It'll be good for your stomach to feel full."

Yunji listened to the advice and ate all six pieces of water chestnut cake in the celadon dish.

Granny Kong put the porcelain plate into the tray and, observing her expression, said:

"Madam, don't get angry with the master over a maid; it's not worth it."

"Granny, I'm not angry with the master."

Yunji was telling the truth, but Granny Kong just wouldn't believe her and kept trying to persuade her.

"This old servant has watched you grow up since you were a child, and no one understands your temperament better than me."

Granny Kong spoke highly of Cui Zemin, saying, "Master Cui may seem cold-blooded and ruthless, but in reality he is the most affectionate and righteous. He cares about Madam more than anyone else."

Upon hearing this, Yunji was so overwhelmed with absurdity that she wanted to shake her head. However, when faced with the loyal and protective Granny Kong, she surprisingly refrained from uttering a single rebuttal.

Granny Kong mistakenly thought she had heeded the advice and continued:

"If it weren't for Madam holding down Master's knife last time, Master would have really stormed into Minghe Hall and killed someone. The Marquis would only have cursed Master as a bloodthirsty madman. Only this old servant knows how difficult it was for Master to survive the battlefield."

Yunji looked up in slight surprise. "Are you referring to the Battle of Wudu, where the master miraculously survived?"