Marrying a treacherous official

At the beginning of the year, when the imperial court held its annual deliberations, aside from a few major military and national affairs, the most frequent topic of the memorials submitted by the officials was the disaster relief and aid for the Huai River floods.

Cui Zemin stood in the Hall of Diligent Governance, listening to the civil officials pleading with the emperor for money or grain. The old ministers in the Ministry of Revenue refused to contribute a single penny, making all sorts of excuses and evasions, unwilling to allocate any more funds for charity.

The two groups argued incessantly in the imperial court, infuriating Emperor Chenghe, who slammed down his memorial and roared in a display of imperial might:

"Besides asking higher authorities for help and giving handouts to those below, don't you have any other practical disaster relief strategies?"

"Your humble servant reports."

Gu Huaizhang stepped forward from the end of the line and offered his advice directly:

"Your Majesty, the new policy of government-controlled salt sales proposed by the Grand Chancellor could be improved by adding a clause to the selection of salt merchants: those who have made huge donations to the court should be given priority. This would solve the problem of the national treasury being short of money and the heavy burden of disaster relief."

Cui Zemin turned to the side and glared fiercely at Gu Huaizhang.

"Censor Gu, please continue."

"To provide relief to disaster victims, donating grain is worse than donating silver, and lending grain is worse than donating grain."

Gu Huaizhang stated the facts:

"Now the price of grain in the market has risen from seventy coins per dou of rice before the famine to two or three hundred coins per dou of rice. Merchants are deliberately hoarding grain in order to drive up the price. That is why I said that donating grain is worse than donating silver."

"The imperial court's allocation of funds for disaster relief can only help the victims temporarily and cannot curb the corrupt practice of local gentry driving down land prices and maliciously seizing the land of the victims. If merchants lend grain at low interest rates, the victims' land can be preserved while providing disaster relief. Therefore, I say that lending grain is worse than donating grain."

Emperor Chenghe was very pleased, but said with concern:

"While Imperial Censor Gu's plan is excellent, which merchants would be willing to lend grain at low interest rates?"

Merchants who want to hold salt permits have to agree, whether they want to or not.

Gu Huaizhang stated frankly, "As long as detailed rules for donations and contributions are added to the new policy of government-controlled and merchant-operated salt sales, those merchants who hoard grain will have no choice but to comply."

Emperor Chenghe highly praised Gu Huaizhang and ordered the Secretariat to revise the new policy on salt trade and promulgate it on a chosen date.

No matter how hard Cui Zeming tried to defend himself, he couldn't prevent Gu Yunji from stabbing him in the back.

Salt permits, disaster relief, silver donations—when these keywords came out of Gu Huaizhang's mouth, what else could he not understand?

Gu Yunji had been lying to him from beginning to end.

After the court session ended, Cui Zemin and others waited on the palace path, watching Gu Huaizhang descend the jade steps, and called out to him mockingly:

"Second Uncle."

"General Cui, what brings you to see me?"

Gu Huaizhang tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor, but asked him in an unfriendly tone.

Cui Zemin slowed his pace and walked alongside him outside. "During your stay at the Gu residence when Madam went to visit her mother, did you talk a lot with Second Uncle?"

Gu Huaizhang, puzzled, said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Cui Zemin asked him, puzzled, "Second Uncle, why did Madam do this?"

Gu Huaizhang, who never showed his emotions, was also angered by these words and scolded him:

"This has nothing to do with Yunji, so don't take your anger out on her."

"She was sincere to the Gu family and generously helped the refugees, but she had no sincerity towards me at all."

Standing in the snow, Cui Zemin turned around and saw Gu Huaizhang's panicked expression change. He said mischievously:

"Second Uncle, what should I do with her?"

"What do you want to do?"

Seeing that he had suddenly gone mad, Gu Huaizhang was afraid that he might do something terrible to Yun Ji, and asked in surprise and fear, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Cui Zemin chuckled lightly, then leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"I want to cut open her heart and see if I'm inside."

One sentence made Gu Huaizhang's face turn completely white instantly.

Li Xiuji and the others stood at the palace gate, their heads and faces covered with snow, forming an impenetrable wall.

He saw Cui Zemin, dressed in a crimson and purple court robe, walk out of the palace gate, kneel on the ground with his back straight, and kowtow to beg for forgiveness:

"The First Madam carried the three vermilion chests out of the mansion. I am ashamed before the General and deserve to die ten thousand times over."

Where did she take the box?

Cui Zemin underestimated her abilities. Even if she did something outrageous, he wouldn't be surprised.

Li Xiuji said, "The First Madam returned the vermilion chest to the three major merchant guilds."

"What did she get in return for all that money?"

"The grain stored in the granaries of the three major merchant guilds."

Cui Zemin glared at him menacingly. "She was distributing porridge at Xiangguo Temple to relieve famine. Whose food was she giving it to?"

Li Xiuji had no choice but to tell the truth: "The general's food."

Cui Zemin's jaw was clenched tightly. It turned out that all those days he spent socializing and returning home drunk had been a waste of his time, benefiting others instead.

How did she manage to contact the merchant guild?

"This is truly a dereliction of duty on my part."

Li Xiuji said with deep regret, "That day, the First Madam was going to inspect the farmland in Xialiangqu. After being scolded by the Madam, I failed to follow her in time, which is why the First Madam slipped away right under my nose."

Cui Zemin's elite troops all fell into her hands, how could he not hate her?

"You truly deserve to die."

Outside Xiangguo Temple, the line of refugees waiting for porridge stretched from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, and more refugees continued to pour in from all directions, extending the line outwards.

The three major merchant groups continuously transported rice and grain to the temple in their carts. The refugees watched the grain with envy, but there was no commotion or scrambling.

The rumor was circulating in the temple that the three major merchant guilds were going to lend grain to landless people at low interest rates. At first, no one believed it, but as more people heard about it, some started to believe it.

Moreover, the lady who led the three major merchant groups to distribute porridge was none other than the rumored Madam Cui.

The story spread far and wide among the refugees, to the point that when Cui Zeming rode his horse up the mountain, all he heard were praises of Yunji.

"Madam Cui's husband is the Grand Councilor of the court. Who would have thought that General Cui, who kills without blinking an eye, would marry a wife with such a kind heart?"

"If it weren't for Madam Cui's intervention, how could those merchants have opened their granaries to release grain? They would have loved to drive grain prices sky-high so we could starve to death."

"They all say that Madam Cui is the eldest daughter of the Gu family, a family that has been compiling history for generations. The whole family is noble and distinguished. No wonder Madam Cui is so kind and would do everything she can to give us porridge."

Cui Zemin spurred his horse up the mountain, startling the refugees who quickly moved aside.

He reined in his horse in front of Xiangguo Temple. The horse reared up and its sharp neigh broke the silence of the mountain temple, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

This included Yunji, who was standing under the temple gate.

She wore a red and black robe with a lotus pattern and a high collar, standing gracefully and elegantly in the wind and snow with her hands clasped in front of her. Her gaze towards him remained calm and unwavering.

Cui Zemin dismounted and steadily walked up the steps.

When the heads of the three major merchant guilds saw him, they all took a step back, making way for Yun Ji to be at the front.