Marrying a treacherous official

No matter what the Cui family said, Madam Gu only believed Yunji's words.

"Ji'er, is what the young master said true?"

Yunji withdrew from Madam Cui's embrace. She had been forced into a corner by Cui Zemin and could only nod with tears in her eyes.

Seeing that it wasn't a big deal, Madam Gu was slightly relieved.

Seeing that the couple was causing such a commotion in the mansion over this trivial argument, the Marquis immediately lost his temper and said:

"If something like this happens again, you two should argue behind closed doors. Don't involve others. Nobody wants to listen to your petty squabbles."

He got up and left angrily, taking Lady You with him.

After comforting Yunji for a few more minutes, Madam Cui, with the help of the old nanny, got up and went out.

Only Madam Gu remained in the front hall.

Yunji was about to invite Madam Gu to the main room for a private talk when she heard Cui Zemin say from behind:

"It's rare for Second Aunt to visit, so please have dinner before you leave. Someone, please invite Second Aunt to the side room to rest properly."

"Please, Second Madam. This servant will take you to the side room right away."

Xi Kui stepped forward with a smile and invited Madam Gu to leave.

The front hall was deserted and quiet, while the snow in the courtyard fell like cotton wool, and one could almost hear the soft sound of shattering jade.

Yunji stood below the hall with her back to Cui Zeming.

She had nothing more to say to him, and was about to walk out when he ordered her, "Stand still."

Cui Zemin stood up from his chair and walked straight towards her, saying to her in a teasing tone:

"Have you forgotten how confidently you made those promises to me back then?"

He walked up to her, looked closely at her angry face, and kindly helped her recall the events, word by word:

"The lady said she would not leave the inner gate again."

"The lady also said that she would rather be trapped and die in the inner courtyard than come out and see me again."

"And who is standing before me now?"

Looking at his smug face, Yunji swallowed her resentment and bluntly said, "My husband went to all this trouble to force me out here, just to say these nonsense?"

"You don't have to come out."

Cui Zemin had found her Achilles' heel, "But you dare not."

Yunji felt her thoughts had been seen through and looked at him guiltily.

"No matter how fiercely you argue with me in private, in public you will still be completely obedient to me, and you wouldn't dare to utter a single word in protest. Why is that?"

Seeing that she was silent again, Cui Zemin went straight to her long-hidden thoughts, "Madam is responsible for the reputation of the Gu family in public, and she must uphold that dignified and composed reputation no matter what."

With each word he said, her defenses crumbled.

"Madam cannot tarnish the Gu family's reputation. She has several younger sisters waiting to be married, and her younger brother will soon be taking the imperial examination. Even her only reliable uncle is just a low-ranking official who walks on the fringes of power."

When he said another word, her defenses crumbled completely.

"So Madam is provoking me. Anyway, my reputation is already ruined in the neighborhood. Even if I divorce you and kick you out of the mansion, it will still enhance your reputation, won't it?"

Yunji indeed thought this way, and he indeed did this.

She could only be divorced and driven out of the mansion by him, rather than having a public falling out and leaving the mansion with a divorce agreement.

Because the Gu family was weak and she didn't have a powerful maternal family to back her up, she couldn't be assertive. She had to carefully plan every step of the way in the Marquis's mansion.

Cui Zemin watched as her eyes dimmed and drooped, and coldly said:

"Be a good first wife, behave yourself, and don't try to trip me up behind my back. Next time, it won't just be talk."

"What can my husband do to me?"

Yun Ji raised her phoenix eyes and looked at him again. The previous dejection was gone from her eyes, replaced by an overbearing arrogance.

"Why did my husband go to such lengths to force me out of the house, incite my aunt to come to the mansion, and then go mad and attack people, attracting the whole family to watch? What is the reason for all this?"

"Given my husband's tyrannical nature, he wouldn't have just confined me to the inner courtyard when I spoke out against him; he would have directly issued a letter of divorce and kicked me out of the mansion."

She looked up at those indifferent eyes, exhaled softly, and teased him with a smile:

"Could it be that my husband has taken a liking to me?"

Cui Zeming remained silent, his gaze sinking heavily into her eyes.

After a moment of palpitation, Yun Ji regained her composure, as if a storm had passed and she was now calm and empty-headed, without a trace of extraneous thoughts.

She pinpointed his weak point with unparalleled precision, then pushed his chest aside and walked straight back to the inner courtyard.

Cui Zemin watched her strut away arrogantly.

She could have simply taken a step back and walked away, but she insisted on pushing him aside and moving forward. He had never seen such a spoiled and arrogant person.

He raised his hand to pat her chest, which she had pushed away, but before he could pat her, he suddenly felt a hollow, sinking sensation, as if something had collapsed. He couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Madam Gu waited anxiously in the side room, but Yunji did not come over for a long time.

She had no choice but to ask the maid in front of her how Yunji was doing at the mansion.

"Is the son-in-law always so domineering and rude in Qinghui Courtyard?"

"Most of the time, the old man ignores people. A lowly maid like me has never been insulted or beaten by him."

Xi Kui was telling the truth, but she didn't tell the whole truth.

She hadn't been at Qinghui Courtyard for long, and spent all her time serving in the inner courtyard, so she hadn't had much contact with Cui Zeming at all.

However, she adhered to the principles of conduct that Li Xiuji had instructed her to uphold, and she always spoke well of the master in everything. As a result, the madam took a liking to the master and naturally stopped arguing with him.

Madam Gu was somewhat swayed by her words, and for a moment she thought of Madam Zheng, and couldn't help but recite:

"This time, it was indeed that old woman who deliberately tried to harm Ji'er first. The son-in-law protected Ji'er, which is why he took out a knife to kill people. That old woman truly deserves to die."

"The master always protects the madam like this."

Seeing that Madam Gu was looking over, Xi Kui gently offered her advice:

"The Second Madam heard it all in the front hall. Whether it was Old Madam Cui Zhengshi or Madam You, the Marquis's wife, if they said a bad word about the First Madam, the Master would stand up and scold them back on her behalf."

That's true.

"The master has no good temper with anyone, but he spoils and pampers the madam."

"Has the son-in-law ever laid a hand on the child?"

"no."

Xi Kui convinced herself that the injury on the First Madam's knee was from a fall, and therefore could not be attributed to the Master.

Seeing that the young maid seemed honest but was always protecting Cui Zeming, Madam Gu suspected she might be a envoy sent from the front courtyard and asked her suspiciously:

"Are you a maidservant who works in the front yard?"

"Second Madam is innocent."

Seeing that she didn't believe her, Xi Kui hurriedly explained, "I am the only maid in the main house of the First Madam, besides Sister Hua Chao and Sister Chun Xuan."

Madam Gu found her somewhat more pleasing to the eye, but she couldn't just listen to one side's opinion. Remembering the guards who had come in, she gave them instructions:

"Call the guard at the gate over; I have some questions for him."