Marrying a treacherous official

Gao Jie is a troublemaker who never misses a chance to cause trouble, no matter where he is.

He sat up from the pine chair and called out, "Come in."

Huo Xi pushed open the door and entered the side room. He knelt on the ground, his face contorted with distress, unsure how to explain himself to the general.

Cui Zemin asked him, "What happened to her?"

"The lady took it upon herself to ride out of the city and went to Lijia Village in Cao County."

Huo Xi was obligated to report everything truthfully to him, and he dared not conceal anything, saying:

"Your subordinate and Young Master Gu accompanied Madam out of the city. Along the way, there were corpses of the starving everywhere, which greatly moved Madam. When we rested at Yanzhen Nunnery, Madam asked the nun how much food and charcoal were needed to help the refugees. However, on the way back from Lijia Village..."

Seeing that he couldn't continue, Cui Zemin suddenly became enraged, "If you hesitate for another word, I'll twist your tongue out."

Huo Xi kowtowed to the ground, "Madam met Pei Yun on the official road, and he followed her all the way to the Gu residence before leaving."

Gao Jie muttered to himself, "Why is it Pei Yun again?"

He glanced at Cui Zemin and saw that his eyes were bloodshot, just like when he was in a frenzy on the battlefield. At this moment, he must have wished Pei Yun dead.

Seeing that Huo Xi was hiding something, Cui Zeming asked him directly:

"Tell me, why does Madam want to go to Li Family Village in Cao County?"

"Lijia Village suffered a famine, and a large number of refugees came to the capital to beg. The lady rode to Lijia Village to understand the disaster situation and intended to provide porridge and famine relief for the refugees."

I said she was going to meet her lover in secret.

"General, this is absolutely impossible!"

Huo Xi knelt on the ground and kowtowed loudly.

It was his duty to be loyal to the general, so he had to report to the general the truth about his wife leaving the city without permission. However, it was not his intention to put his wife in a bad position, and it was even more wrong to make his wife a target of the general's suspicion.

That's why he risked his life to save it:

"Pei Yun led the city's garrison soldiers to burn the corpse in the suburbs. This matter is verifiable. Madam happened to encounter him when she passed by the official road. Her subordinates and Young Master Gu were present at the time, and they can all testify for Madam."

"Madam did not overstep any bounds on this trip. If the general insists on pursuing the matter, it was Pei Yun who blocked the official road first and then chased after him on horseback. The fault lies entirely with Pei Yun. Madam has never taken him seriously from beginning to end."

He looked at Cui Zemin with a death-defying resolve and said:

"If I have uttered even the slightest falsehood, I am willing to atone with my death. I beg the general to see the truth."

Gao Jie had never met anyone as honest as Huo Xi.

Cui Zemin casually provoked him, and he revealed everything in great detail, even risking his life in the process. He was utterly foolish.

Little did he know that by protecting Gu Yunji so much, he was betraying his own people. How could Cui Zemin tolerate him in the future?

"Vice President Huo's intentions are clear, so your general will certainly not punish you, much less blame the First Madam."

Gao Jie, unusually kind, came to his rescue, saying, "You can go back now."

Huo Xi remained kneeling upright on the ground, determined not to get up.

Cui Zemin then asked him, "When does she plan to return to the manor?"

Huo Xi was momentarily speechless. "Madam has not yet set a date for returning to the manor."

"She has two days to return."

Cui Zemin said viciously, "If she stays in the Gu residence for more than two days, she should never set foot in the Cui family again."

Huo Xi rushed back to the Gu residence overnight.

He tied up his chestnut horse, came out of the stable, and looked up to see Chunxuan standing outside the courtyard gate, her almond-shaped eyes red from crying as she stared intently at him.

The snow continued to fall even at midnight.

He didn't know how long she had been standing under the eaves, he only saw that her face was red from the cold, and her pale red coat with floral print was covered with a thin layer of snowflakes.

Chunxuan pressed him, "Did you go to inform the old man?"

Huo Xi responded silently to her tearful and persistent questioning.

"How will the lady conduct herself after returning to the manor? How will the master view her in the future? How will the servants of Qinghui Courtyard live their lives?"

Chunxuan couldn't stop her tears from falling, and she cursed him bitterly, "I even hoped that you would stand by Madam's side and cover up this for her. In the end, I was wrong about you."

Huo Xi felt as if his liver and gallbladder were being ripped out and his body and mind were being torn apart by her accusations.

"The master has given his wife two days to return home."

"Otherwise what?"

Chunxuan rushed in front of him and slapped his shoulder, saying, "Whatever Master plans to do with Madam, shut your mouth and say something!"

Huo Xi let her hit him haphazardly, repeatedly instructing her, "Please persuade Madam to return within two days."

Chunxuan was tired of crying and hitting, so she forcefully pushed Huo Xi away and turned to walk out.

Huo Xi followed her at a distance, escorting her all the way into the villa, and stood in the heavy snow for a long time without leaving.

For two consecutive days, Yunji stayed in the study to play chess with Gu Huaizhang.

Seeing that she had abandoned her usual cautious approach to chess and instead launched a fierce attack from the start, capturing two of his black pieces in a row, Gu Huaizhang complained:

"So you're in such a rush, going back today?"

"Um."

Yunji showed no mercy, swallowing another black stone from him and saying, "Go back after lunch, and you can get a good night's rest at home."

"Isn't General Cui coming to pick you up?"

"He's waiting for me at Qinghui Courtyard; he won't be coming this time."

Gu Huaizhang hesitated to place the chess piece he had picked up.

Yunji, focused on the entire game, was not disrupted by his rhythm at all. "Second Uncle, I have been honest with you about everything, so you should be able to bear these burdens."

Gu Huaizhang placed a black piece and said, "That's because you need my help and have no choice but to tell me the truth."

Yunji took out the white stones from the plum-green glazed Go jar and said:

"Once a move is made, there's no going back. I dared to set up such a risky scheme because I have the means to deal with all sorts of unforeseen circumstances. Second Uncle, there's no need to worry too much. But you must make sure to take care of the things I'm entrusting to you."

Gu Huaizhang was caught in a passive game, constantly being led by the nose by her, and being surrounded and besieged at every turn.

"I never understood why my brother would rather let you show your face in public and take you around on tours, even though you are a woman."

Yunji placed the plum-green glazed Go jar down and stared intently at him.

"Until I realized a truth: my elder brother has read through history books, and his insights span thousands of years. He is no longer bound by worldly views. What he values ​​is you as a person, not A-Yu, nor me. Only you are the person he is willing to cultivate with all his heart and soul."