Marrying a treacherous official

Chunxuan had been keeping an eye on the movements in the outer courtyard. When she saw Huo Xi leave overnight, she rushed to the library to report the news.

"Madam, Huo Xi has secretly ridden out on horseback."

Yunji frowned slightly as she looked at the bookshelves piled high in front of her, but her expression relaxed after a moment.

"He's gone, but he'll definitely rush back tonight."

"This servant is certain that he went to inform the master."

Chunxuan sat anxiously, unable to sit still. "How can his cowardly nature bear the consequences of such a serious matter as the Madam leaving the city without permission?"

Yunji, with a rather leisurely air, teased her, saying:

"If it were you, you'd probably run even faster than him."

"How can that be the same?"

Chunxuan was so anxious she wanted to stomp her feet. At this critical moment, the madam still had the mind to bother her.

"I was on the side of the lady, thinking only of her. He was only loyal to the master, rushing to inform him at the slightest sign of trouble."

Yunji suppressed her smile; after all, she was facing imminent disaster, and she simply couldn't laugh.

Chunxuan couldn't think of a solution.

Her mind was filled with the image of the old man's madness—his sudden outburst of daggers into Minghe Hall—and she felt a chill run down her spine, deeply worried for the lady of the house.

"In two days, Madam will be returning to her residence. What should we do then?"

"Let's postpone it for two days."

"Day after day, the lady will eventually have to return to the manor to see the master."

"Then let's just go all out."

"Is Madam no longer pretending?"

Chunxuan was greatly startled. Even Yunji could feel the aftershocks of the black pearl bursting out.

"Madam... are you really not pretending anymore?"

"Once you're caught, you can't keep up the act anymore."

Yunji revealed the truth that Chunxuan had to face.

She rode out of the city, no longer the dignified and composed eldest daughter of the Gu family who had been raised in seclusion. Her so-called fame was nothing but a hollow joke. Cui Zemin only needed to send someone to investigate to find out that she had disguised herself and gone out to travel with her father more than once in Qianzhou.

Chunxuan hung her head dejectedly. In the past, the madam would coax the master, and although life in the courtyard was not very peaceful, they could still live peacefully. But now the madam doesn't even pretend anymore.

The thought of returning to the mansion and facing constant conflict with the master, leading to a life of misery, was unbearable for her, and she lost all her energy and spirit.

Yunji looked at her with pity and offered a few words of advice:

"I instructed the cook to prepare a pot of Poria cocos soup. Go to the kitchen and fetch two bowls for yourself to try and calm your mind."

"This servant wouldn't dare."

"You've had plenty of this soup before, so don't refuse this time and distance yourself from me."

When Chunxuan was told this so bluntly by her mistress, she knew that being coy would be disrespectful, so she quickly agreed, "This servant will be right back."

Yunji sat alone in the study until late into the night.

She was gambling on a clash of fates; if she won, she could escape from the Marquis's mansion; if she lost, she would repeat the mistakes of her previous life.

The game of chess is vast and unpredictable; betting on fate is a matter of immense weight.

She picked up a chess piece several times and then put it down again, picking it up again and putting it down again, wavering between hesitation and indecision, lacking only a surge of courage.

My father said that no one is born without fear.

She tried to find that potential driving force that could propel her forward.

After she was too weak to close her eyes, she saw pairs of pitiful, pleading eyes and staggering, hunched figures repeatedly appearing in the procession of refugees begging for food.

The cold of midnight is a pain that penetrates to the bone.

She slightly curled her aching, numb fingertips and exhaled a puff of white breath into the endless night.

"Father, actually I can just ignore everything."

The room full of books piled high on the walls blocked out her words. She heard the echo in her heart, and was so shocked that she almost burst into tears, but she managed to hold them back.

If it were his father, he would have gone forward without hesitation.

That night, Yunji sat in deep thought until dawn. When she looked up, she saw the clouds part and the morning light streamed through the window. At that moment, she felt less lost and helpless.

Huo Xi did not report Yun Ji's outrageous behavior, but Cui Zeming already knew about her past from others.

"Gu Yunji spent his childhood in Qianzhou and traveled to various counties and prefectures in the Northwest with Gu Huaiming."

Gao Jie leaned back in his pine chair, raised the wine jug in his hand high, poured the wine into his mouth, and his throat was filled with the rich aroma of autumn dew-covered sorghum.

"At the age of five, I rode a horse and traveled through the Yangtze River, Xiang River, Huai River, Yellow River and other river basins, visiting the cultural and scenic spots along the way. At the age of twelve, I lived in seclusion. My experience in traveling the world is something I can't even compare to."

Contrary to the "noble character" implied in his name, Gao Jie was actually a scoundrel and rogue who mingled in the streets.

He and Cui Zemin met when they were both still young.

Back then, Cui Zemin approached him, asking him to infiltrate Northern Yan as a spy. For the reward of ten thousand taels of silver, he didn't even care about his own life and agreed to the job with his yellow teeth.

This led to the later Ping'ao Victory, in which over 10,000 Northern Yan cavalrymen were annihilated and a large area of ​​territory north of Yanshan was recovered. Cui Zeming then became a major general in the Tiger Wing Army.

With this powerful backer, he thrived among all sorts of people, and his spies were scattered throughout the court and the country, forming a vast, secret network that encompassed countless shady dealings.

Cui Zemin asked him with a grim expression, "Is her relationship with Pei Yun innocent?"

Gao Jie was frivolous by nature, and he almost blurted out, "You don't know whether she's innocent or not." Fortunately, he valued his life and kept his mouth shut, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

When Gu Yunji was thirteen, Gu Huaiming arranged her marriage to Pei Yun.

He carefully worded:

"The Gu family has strict rules. Even though Pei Yun visits every now and then, he might not get to see Gu Yunji more than a few times. After Gu Huaiming passed away, Gu Yunji and her mother moved into the Li family's residence, unilaterally severing all ties with Pei Yun. However—"

Cui Zemin's sharp gaze swept over him, and Gao Jie quickly caught his breath and continued:

"Gu Yunji and Pei Yun did not meet at the Gu family mansion, but at the Pei family's old residence on the Huai River. At that time, Gu Yunji was traveling with her father in disguise, and Pei Yun took care of her as a younger brother. Perhaps it was at that time that their relationship was formed. After returning to Qianzhou, the two families arranged a marriage."

"That's all?"

That's all.

Gao Jie confessed everything in one breath. How could he dare to stop halfway through his story? His life was at stake, and he couldn't withstand repeated threats.

Cui Zemin still remembered the words she had solemnly sworn at the court banquet.

"I have met General Pei at a family banquet."

"It was just that my grandfather's generation verbally agreed to a marriage alliance. As for which younger generation would be married into the Pei family, since no formal agreement was ever made, I cannot say more."

"Whether he looks at me or not, it doesn't matter. They are all irrelevant people. My eyes can only see my husband."

It was all a lie to deceive him.

It's one thing for Cui Zeming to be wary of her at every turn, but it's quite another for her to lie to him with a string of lies. If that's the case, then neither of them will have an easy time from now on.

There was a light knock on the door of the side room of Beishanzi Tea House, and then Huo Xi's voice came in.

"General, I have important news to report."