Marrying a treacherous official

This was the first time Cui Zemin had heard such an explanation; in the past, he might have believed it.

But now, he has absolutely no trust in her whatsoever.

"Keep lying."

Yunji, teased by him, continued to finish her sentence.

"Those silver ingots and notes all bear the marks of private merchants. Whether they are remelted into silver ingots or circulated as notes, they will attract the attention of the old minister, and it will be easy to trace them back to my husband."

She deliberately mentioned the old minister to remind him not to think that he could act recklessly just because he held a high position. Back then, in order to help Emperor Chenghe ascend the throne, he slaughtered the important officials of the previous dynasty, and those old ministers who survived all hated him to the bone.

If they find evidence of his rampant corruption, they will surely impeach him from his position as Privy Councilor.

Cui Zemin looked at her with a sinister gaze:

"Is this your reason for carrying out those three crimson chests and exchanging them for grain?"

"I've put my husband's shady money right out in the open."

Yun Ji looked at him resolutely and said:

"For this disaster relief, the grain will be lent out at a low interest rate in the name of my husband and the three major merchant guilds. The return after six months can be either silver or grain. My husband can withdraw the silver and grain entrusted to the three major merchant guilds anytime."

She said slowly, "The grain lent out at low interest rates covers a wide range of people and involves a large number of refugees. The amount of silver and grain returned is so large that no one can find out the details of this account. Those shady silvers are now out in the open."

Cui Zemin was almost convinced by her.

If she had said these words when she came to help him change this morning, then whatever she said would have been true. But now that she's saying these nice things, it's too late.

"Keep lying."

"My husband, I'll bring you both fame and fortune, what's wrong with that?"

Despite Yunji's best efforts, he still wouldn't let her go, not even slightly appeasing her anger.

Cui Zemin suddenly stood up and slammed the ebony chair onto the bookshelf in front of him, causing the entire wall of books to collapse with a crash.

The loud noise from inside the house startled Xi Kui, who was standing outside the door. Worried that something had happened to the First Madam, she staggered towards the study. Li Xiuji called out to her from behind:

"Stop right there, where are you going?"

"I...I'll go beg the master...to spare the lady..."

"stop!"

Seeing her trembling as she touched the lattice door, Li Xiuji rushed over and grabbed her, saying:

"If the general wants the First Madam dead, she has no choice but to die. No one can save her, do you understand?"

"Waaaaah..."

Xi Kui bit her lip tightly, but the wailing and sobbing still escaped her lips; she couldn't bear to see the First Madam die.

She had promised Sister Huachao that she would protect the First Madam, but she couldn't even protect herself.

Li Xiuji looked at the door in front of him with a complicated expression. No one could guess how the general would deal with the First Madam if he went mad.

Cui Zemin walked over to Yunji, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, and suddenly pulled her up to him.

At close range, Yunji saw the bloodthirsty cruelty in his eyes and heard the extremely soft voice that he only uttered when he was in a frenzy.

"Are you doing this for me during disaster relief?"

"For the displaced people."

"Did you expose the salt monopoly issue also for my sake?"

"So that my second uncle could get a promotion."

"Is lending grain out in my name to protect my reputation?"

"The owners of the three major merchant groups dare not claim credit for themselves. They would offer even a small benefit, for fear that you would not let them off the hook afterward."

Cui Zemin used all his strength, determined to crush her bones, but seeing her face struggling in agony, he couldn't muster any strength no matter how hard he tried.

"Why have you stopped lying to me?"

"Everything I just said was a lie."

Yunji looked at him with clear eyes, but her eyes betrayed a hint of mockery. "Can my husband trust me?"

He no longer believed her, and saying anything more would be futile, yet he still kept asking questions, which was utterly ridiculous.

Cui Zemin forcefully pushed her away, throwing her onto the bricks. The impact was so heavy that she fell to the ground and couldn't get up.

"Do you know what I despise most about you?"

Yunji scraped her knee, and blood seeped from her red and black robe with lotus patterns. She used her broken hand to support herself and tried to get up little by little.

"Your life is as fragile as paper, you've fallen so low that you have to rely on me to survive in the Marquis's mansion, yet you still put on an arrogant act in everything you do. You can't bear to see disaster victims displaced, and you're willing to give away all your resources to provide porridge and relief to the outside world. Who do you think you are?"

He said to her coldly, "You can't even protect yourself, yet you still cling to the pitiful reputation of the Gu family. You're utterly foolish!"

What he despised most was someone like her who stubbornly adhered to morality.

Yunji slowly got up amidst his mockery.

She recalled the scene from her past life when the imperial guards ransacked the entire Marquis's mansion, carrying out chests of gold and silver and catching him red-handed. Even she, who was usually so argumentative, couldn't utter a single word in his defense.

When all their wealth is gone, they will be cursed and spurned by thousands of people, generation after generation, without end.

She didn't want to end up like that with him again, so she propped herself up on her knees and stood up.

"My husband, do you know how I can stand your cruel and bloodthirsty madness?"

She was willing to risk everything, and scolded him:

"Today you may amass wealth abroad, but tomorrow you will dare to frame loyal officials and imprison them. You have done all sorts of despicable things. Even if you are powerful for a time, you will eventually face historical reckoning!"

A cup of tea was suddenly thrown at Yunji.

The movement was so fast that she was completely unprepared. She could only turn her head away and close her eyes tightly. A wet patch swept down her cheek and clung to her face with a cool sensation.

With a loud "bang," the teacup slammed against the door, shattering into pieces all over the floor.

When Cui Zemin saw that her eyes were filled with panic and uncertainty, and then she slowly raised her hand to touch her face, and when she confirmed that the stain on her hand was water and not blood, tears streamed down her face.

He saw that she was terrified, and he immediately calmed down.

Yunji looked at him through tear-filled eyes and said only one sentence:

"My husband, I beg you to divorce me."

Cui Zemin stared at her intently, then shouted angrily outside:

"Someone come here!"

Xi Kui and Li Xiuji pushed open the door and entered the study, where they both knelt on the ground to await orders.

Cui Zemin said coldly, "Lock the madam in the inner courtyard to reflect on her actions. Do not let a single maid or servant into the house. She may only be released when she has come to her senses."

"You don't need to let me out again."

Yunji resolutely severed ties with him, saying, "I'd rather be trapped and die in the inner courtyard than ever see you again."

Cui Zemin watched her walk away without looking back, unable to describe his feelings. The veins on the back of his hand bulged. He really wanted to smash her with the teacup; she would be dead by now.