Marrying a treacherous official

Cui Zemin has been frequently visiting the Tiger Wing Army's garrison lately, and Yunji has no idea what he's plotting.

She hadn't seen him for quite some time since their unpleasant encounter in the front hall.

Granny Kong hadn't seen Cui Zemin for half a month, so she personally took care of everything when preparing dinner. She even set up a set of gilded round plates with phoenixes carrying flowers, making the dinner particularly grand.

Yunji sat on the rose-patterned chair with ice-crack patterns, listening as Chunxuan stepped forward to report:

"Madam, I have learned some information, but I am not sure if I should tell you."

"Speak."

"Madam Cui Zhengshi has passed away."

Yunji's heart skipped a beat; she couldn't believe it. "How could someone who was perfectly healthy just leave like that?"

Chunxuan whispered in her ear:

"I heard that she was scared to death by the master."

"What's wrong?"

"I heard from the cleaning lady that after Madam Cui Zheng was carried back to the Sanjing Courtyard, she had nightmares every night about the master carrying a three-foot-long knife to cut off her head."

Chunxuan spoke vividly and expressively:

"The night before, when the third watchman's drum sounded, Old Madam Cui Zheng suddenly sat up in bed and screamed, 'Master has killed someone!' Then she fell straight back onto the bed, her eyes staring at the ceiling beams, and died of fright."

Although Yunji had a deep grudge against Zheng, she couldn't help but sigh when she heard the bad news.

Chunxuan got carried away and kept talking.

"The cleaning lady also said that when Cui Zhengshi's son rushed over, he saw two shadows, one black and one white, flash into the house. Presumably, it was the Black and White Impermanence coming to take Cui Zhengshi's life, which is why she died such a tragic death."

As Chunxuan became more and more enthusiastic, Granny Kong was afraid that the First Madam would resent the First Master, so she coughed softly and glared at Chunxuan when she looked over, forcing her to shut up.

Chunxuan pursed her lips tightly and said no more.

"Madam, please don't take this matter to heart."

Granny Kong gently advised, "With the passing of Madam Cui Zhengshi, the entire clan breathed a sigh of relief. Even her son felt it was a relief. The funeral was held hastily, and she was buried casually on a piece of land the next day."

Yunji found this strange. "Even the Cui family relatives find her quite annoying?"

"That's not true."

Granny Kong chimed in, "Old Madam Cui Zhengshi, relying on her seniority, acts like an elder all day long, gossiping about everyone, causing discord between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law and between husbands and wives in the Sanjing Courtyard. The relatives may not say it, but they've long hated her behind her back."

"How did my great-uncle end up marrying her?"

"The Cui family truly rose to prominence starting from when our patriarch joined the army, distinguished himself, and was appointed a general and a marquis."

Granny Kong said in the most tactful way, "Back then, the old master thought of his brothers and relatives and moved his clansmen from Chenzhou to Shengjing, which is how the Cui family clan came to be today."

Yunji understood immediately. As the saying goes, when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, which is why all sorts of demons and monsters come out to cause trouble.

"My great-aunt is truly both stupid and wicked."

"Old Madam Cui Zheng brought this upon herself, so her death cannot be blamed on the master."

All that Kong Madam said was to try and exonerate Cui Zemin in front of the First Madam.

"I'm starting to blame him."

Yunji looked out the carved window at the deserted courtyard and complained:

"We agreed to have dinner at 5 PM, but it's already so late and we haven't seen a single person."

Are you hungry?

A light, mocking laugh came from above. Yun Ji leaned back slightly in the rose chair, looking up, and met his teasing smile.

She couldn't stop her heart from pounding. This guy stood silently behind her and suddenly burst out laughing, scaring her half to death.

"What happened to your promise of being virtuous and gentle?"

Cui Zemin teased her, saying, "Is this how you think of me when I'm not around?"

Yun Ji quickly calmed down, her eyes brimming with a bright smile, and steadily met his gaze.

"Why am I thinking about you? Why didn't you hide properly behind me and instead delayed my mealtime?"

Cui Zemin was rendered speechless by her words. He glanced at Granny Kong and gave the order: "Set the table for dinner."

Granny Kong hurriedly gave the order, and various dishes were brought to the table, her voice filled with eager anticipation:

"Dongpo pork, lotus seedpod fish dumplings, dried bamboo shoot and fatty goose rolls, sir, try this rich meat; mountain and sea fish dumplings, crispy yellow glutinous rice balls, and braised golden jade, madam, savor this fresh taste of spring."

Yunji picked up a piece of "golden" fried bamboo shoots with her chopsticks, and tasted it carefully with the "jade-boiled" porridge that was served. She then smiled happily and said:

"Aunt Yu is back from the countryside, isn't she? I could tell it was her cooking the moment I tasted it."

"Madam, you have a sharp tongue."

Granny Kong flattered, "These bamboo shoots were brought back from the countryside by Ayu as a gift for Madam. She just stir-fried them and served them, and Madam immediately recognized her culinary skills."

When Cui Zemin heard Granny Kong praise her mouth, he looked intently at her red, thin lips.

Yunji rarely got to see Cui Zemin, so during their meal, she mentioned it to him:

"I want to take out a thousand taels of silver from the treasury to open a few shops."

"What shop?"

"Gold and silver shop".

Yunji had a business plan in mind.

"After spring arrives, planting and seedling cultivation will not bring any income to the four villages for several months. On the contrary, the number of tourists going out to enjoy the spring flowers is increasing day by day. When going out, one must have a presentable appearance. The business of gold and silver jewelry will definitely be booming."

She subtly hinted to him, "My husband will never lack gold and silver in the future, especially loose silver. With a gold and silver shop, these silver will have a place to be melted and cast, and a more respectable way to sell them, won't they?"

Cui Zemin stepped in to help the three major merchant groups successfully obtain salt permits; he wouldn't just do a one-off deal.

Yunji didn't know how much profit they secretly shared, but she was certain that he would never be short of money.

It's one thing for Cui Zeming to be persuaded by her, but it's another thing for him to agree to this matter.

"Leaving aside the future, since Madam took over the management of the inner quarters, how many months has it been since any money entered the storeroom?"

"That's not how you do it."

Yunji lectured him, "If you only care about a 3% profit, you can just stay and live a peaceful life on those few acres of meager land. But what you want is for the year-end surplus to double. How can you collect money if you don't expand the business?"

Cui Zemin didn't want to say more to her, and said in a deep voice, "We'll talk about withdrawing the money after we check the accounts."

Only Chunxuan and Huachao know how much embellishment Yunji's account books contain and how easily they can be scrutinized.

They silently looked at the lady, who calmly drank the porridge from her porcelain spoon, displaying an open and honest demeanor, as if she had never stolen money from the master's account.

Seeing that the lady was so composed, Chunxuan and Huachao dared not lose their composure. They pretended that nothing had happened, stood with their heads down, and buried their guilty conscience in their eyes.