Marrying a treacherous official

Seeing her pained expression, Cui Zemin immediately noticed something was wrong. "What's wrong?"

Yunji lay on the table, feigning illness to evoke his pity, "Perhaps I was thrown too hard, because this roof beam keeps spinning and making me a little dizzy."

Cui Zemin looked at her with a deep, dark gaze.

He had never seen such a delicate person before. She fainted from such a small amount of force. If he were to treat her harshly and throw her out with all his might, she and the window sill would probably be flung out.

"What are you still doing lying down? Get down!"

Yunji lay down on the warm kang and closed her eyes tightly.

Perhaps because she had been up all night doing accounting and couldn't sleep, and after being questioned by him with trepidation, she was extremely tired and exhausted, feeling like she was burning up. Sleepiness was overwhelming, making it difficult for her to wake up.

Cui Zemin searched the entire study but couldn't find a single soft pillow. He then called out to the outside:

"Someone come here."

"This old servant is here." Granny Kong immediately pushed open the door and entered, bowing to await orders.

"Go and fetch a soft pillow for the lady."

"This old servant will go and fetch it right away."

Before leaving the room, Granny Kong caught a glimpse of the First Madam resting on the warm kang (heated brick bed). Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

She had previously witnessed the master dragging and pulling his wife into the house, fearing that he would be violent towards her. Now it seemed that no matter how angry the master was, he would not lose his temper with his wife. In the end, the master would cherish her.

Cui Zemin took off his long robe with a gold-embroidered pattern and draped it over her.

He gently lifted her head, placed it in his arms as a pillow, and, watching her soft breathing, fell into a deep sleep.

"We haven't even gotten to the bottom of this with you yet, and we've told you to lie down, but instead—"

He stroked her slightly furrowed brows, still resentful, and said, "You fell asleep so comfortably, and I haven't even punished you yet."

Yunji was fast asleep and didn't react to his words at all.

Cui Zemin looked down at her, as if he understood why Pei Yun kept staring at her during the court banquet.

Her seemingly aloof facial features are actually based on an extremely delicate bone structure. The longer you look at her, the more you can see the deep classical charm that is captivating.

He reached out and removed the gold hairpin from her high bun, and her thick, dark hair fell loosely down, wrapping around his wrist like soft satin.

She wore gold and gemstone earrings on her earlobes, fastened so tightly that she couldn't take them off no matter what she did.

Just then, Granny Kong knocked on the door outside the study. "Master, the soft pillow has been delivered."

"Come in."

Without looking up, Cui Zemin asked her, "How do I untie this earring?"

Granny Kong stood aside, not offering any assistance, but simply smiled and replied, "Madam's earring has a clasp on the side; gently pull it down, and the pendant will come off."

Cui Zemin did as she was told, and indeed removed the gold and jeweled earrings from her ears, saying calmly:

"Place the soft pillow on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed)."

"Yes, this old servant will take his leave."

After Granny Kong closed the study door and left, Cui Zeming rubbed her round earlobe with his fingertips. Unlike the last time at the palace banquet, he only gently rubbed her earlobe until it turned red before letting go of her.

If she dares to offend him again, he will definitely not let her off the hook.

Huo Xi was carried into the servants' quarters by the guards for treatment.

He bit down hard on the handkerchief in his mouth, his face contorted with rage, as the guards poured wound medicine on his lacerated buttocks.

"You won't be able to get out of bed for at least ten days to two weeks this time."

Judge Li Xiuji lifted the tattered cloths and examined his injuries.

Previously, when he was punishing people, he would often give them twenty lashes, but he always showed leniency and never even broke a skin.

This time, the general personally supervised the punishment. If he didn't order the guards to really beat him, then he would be the one lying on this cot.

"You've done a terrible job. No wonder the general has demoted you, confiscated half a year's salary, and sent you back to the Tiger Wing Army."

"Who replaced me and became the commander of the general's guards?"

"It is my great honor to have taken your place."

Li Xiuji watched with a smile as his expression twisted, consumed by jealousy, and said slowly, "I will certainly not repeat your mistakes and be carried back to the Tiger Wing Army by guards."

Huo Xichong told him, "You'll regret this."

Li Xiuji was a smiling tiger. Compared to Huo Xi's honesty and taciturnity, he could get along well anywhere and carry out the general's orders to the end.

"What's there to regret? For provoking the First Madam?"

He suppressed his smile, his eyes filled with mischief.

"You're too respectful to the First Madam. Last night, you directly loaded the crimson chest into the cart and took it away. Even if she complains to the General, he will only reward you and not punish you."

Huo Xi realized that he had underestimated the First Madam's abilities so much, and that he would suffer a great setback sooner or later.

He offered kind advice, repeating his previous statement, "You'll regret this."

Seeing that his wound medicine had been changed, Li Xiuji ordered the guards to carry him out the door.

As Huo Xi passed by the outer courtyard, he saw Chunxuan waiting in the corridor, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at him all the way. Words of reluctance stuck in her throat, but in front of so many people, he couldn't say a word.

When he looked over, Chunxuan took out the gold hairpin from her wide sleeve and gently inserted it into her hair bun.

As Huo Xi was carried away from Qinghui Courtyard, the smile on his lips never stopped.

Yunji woke up in the outer study, still covered with Cui Zemin's gold-embroidered brocade robe.

She slumped onto the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and tried to rouse herself.

Only then did I realize that my hair had been untied, my hairpins were scattered haphazardly on the table, and even my peacock green jacket was lying messily on the kang (heated brick bed).

This is clearly not something a maid could do; it could only be Cui Zeming.

She cursed him under her breath, called the maid outside the door to come in, and after washing up, she got up and returned to the inner courtyard.

Hua Chao spent her days running around and finally got firsthand information.

Xi Kui was ordered to guard the door of the tent, and no one was allowed to approach the tent without the lady's permission.

"This servant sent people to inquire. 'Jingtai' is a trading company of Shanxi merchants, 'Changsheng' is a trading company of Anhui merchants, and 'Qinghe' is a trading company of Chaozhou merchants. These three major merchant groups each gave the master approximately 26,000 taels of silver."

"How much grain are stored in the granaries of the three major merchant guilds?"

"I spent some loose silver to get some information out of the porter."

Chunxuan reported the information she had gathered truthfully: "Jingtai has stockpiled at least 50,000 shi of grain in Shengjing, at least 30,000 shi in Changsheng, and at least 40,000 shi in Qinghe."

Yunji immediately understood.

What were the prices of grain before the famine?

"Seventy coins per dou of rice."

"What happens after the famine?"

"The price of rice ranges from two to three hundred coins per dou (a unit of dry measure).

Yunji pondered deeply and said, "While the master is busy training troops in the Tiger Wing Army, send a visiting card to the three major merchant guilds, saying that I am going to host a banquet for their boss at Helelou. This matter must not be leaked to the outside world."

Hua Chao replied, "This servant understands."