Marrying a treacherous official

A faint, warm light shone from the silver candlestick, the candle flame flickered, making the room even darker.

Yunji's neck was being gently bitten, tufts of tender skin were being pulled up and sucked, then pressed down and kissed heavily, and so on, lingering and kissing.

Her clothes were stripped off piece by piece and piled haphazardly around her waist.

As the chill gradually crept up her smooth back, she felt the heat in front of her.

Torn between ice and fire, the biting pain kept her awake, while the sucking kisses made her sink deeper and deeper into depravity, endlessly tormenting her until he was satisfied with his kisses.

Cui Zemin kissed along the hickey, making soft, lingering sounds as he kissed from the collarbone to the neck.

He looked up and saw those alluring red lips, his eyes went wild, and he pressed down on the back of her neck to seal his lips with his own, but she pressed two fingers against her lips and gently pulled them apart.

When Yun Ji met that intense gaze, her sharp eyes turned cold and indifferent.

She didn't want to kiss him again.

Cui Zemin brought his mouth close, but her slender fingers pressed it down forcefully.

Yunji coldly and self-possessedly refused him, subtly shifting her position to sit outside.

"My husband can kiss me however he wants, but he can't react like that when I'm not aroused."

Even though she was completely naked and her eyes were sparkling from the kiss, she could back away as easily as she wanted, cold and indifferent as if the previous romance had never existed.

Yunji pushed him away, saying without any mercy:

"On our wedding day, I waited for my husband in the bridal chamber all night, but he never came to lift my veil. Why is he behaving this way now?"

Cui Zemin impulsively wanted to bite her neck and kill her, ending it all.

But he still let go, allowing her to leave his body.

If she insists on keeping him, he will only be humiliated to death by her, and he will have no face left.

He shouldn't have reacted; he was at a disadvantage in front of her, completely controlled by her. But the wildfire had spread, how could he not react to her?

"Be careful, madam. Next time, it won't be as simple as just biting you."

Hearing the resentful words behind her, Yunji hurriedly left, clutching her clothes to her chest.

Cui Zemin had never been treated like this before, turning himself into a eunuch. It was as painful as having his manhood cut off.

He was just too greedy, which made her feel cold all over for too long, causing her to get angry with him and turn on him in no time. If they had resolved things quickly, none of this mess would have happened.

He shouted angrily outside, "Guards—!"

Granny Kong had been standing guard in the opposite corridor. As soon as she heard the master's furious voice, she knew something bad had happened.

She hurriedly pushed open the lattice door and saw the First Madam in a panic, pulling her misty blue jacket tighter around her waist, her long hair hanging messily at her sides. She looked like she had been badly bullied by the First Master.

Yunji nodded to Granny Kong, then casually left the room and headed straight for the accounting room.

Cui Zemin was hidden behind the silk screen with cranes, his expression indistinct.

"Bring in cold water."

"This old servant obeys."

Granny Kong retreated respectfully and silently left the main room.

Cui Zemin took a cold shower in the side room, and when he came out, his body was still steaming.

He left the inner courtyard dressed in a light blue casual suit, his steps slowing down until he finally stopped in the central courtyard.

Li Xiuji followed behind him attentively, and seeing that he was not leaving, he stopped and stood behind him.

For some reason, Cui Zemin recalled the dishes that Granny Kong had mentioned during dinner. The words "fresh" and "rich" stirred up his growing irritation.

So much so that he inexplicably recalled those two lines of erotic poetry.

"How is He Qingchang now?"

Li Xiuji was momentarily speechless at his question. Why did the general suddenly bring up He Qingchang out of nowhere?

"He Qingchang served as the commander of the four wings of Tianwu. He either worked in the palace or drank in the red-light district."

"He still has the leisure to drink and dine with women."

Cui Zemin asked coldly, "Who in the Palace Guard is at odds with him?"

Li Xiuji was caught off guard by his question and could only give a vague reply, "He Qingchang is arrogant and domineering, and most of the imperial guards who have served under him have personal grudges against him."

"Find the general with the highest authority and the greatest martial prowess."

Cui Zeming ordered him, "Find that military officer to blame for the incident where He Qingchang was paraded on Yunqi Bridge last time."

Li Xiuji immediately accepted the order and said, "I will do it right away."

He didn't know when He Qingchang had offended the general, to the point that the general was determined to vent all his anger on him.

After being framed in this way, He Qingchang, given his personality, would definitely go after that military officer and fight him to the death, ultimately only ending up being dismissed from his post and removed from the Palace Guard.

Yunji took a bath in the tent. Having learned from her previous experience, she didn't dare let Granny Kong come in to serve her this time.

She stared blankly at the overflowing water, where she could vaguely see the mottled marks on her neck. Her resentment towards Cui Zeming grew stronger, especially when her heart ached slightly.

Fortunately, her final counterattack was quite satisfying, and he probably wouldn't dare to provoke her again for a while.

But what if the storm has passed?

Yun Ji knew Cui Zemin's methods all too well. He would get whatever he wanted, and if he couldn't get it, he would destroy it completely.

But she was the one he was determined to have.

She gazed quietly at her reflection in the water, and realized something she was ashamed to face: she didn't reject intimacy with him; perhaps many times, she had indulged in those fleeting moments of tender affection.

Then we can only sink together and see who can extricate themselves from this quagmire.

Yunji emerged from the bathtub, changed into a pear-colored undergarment, lit the oil lamp, and leaned against the desk to carefully examine the curtains.

She fiddled with the white jade abacus in her hand, channeling all her resentment towards Cui Zeming into the motivation to do the accounting, openly stealing a sum of silver from his treasury to vent her anger.

Xi Kui pushed open the door and came in, saying, "Madam, Vice General Li says he has something important to report."

Yunji, engrossed in calculating, said without looking up, "Come in."

Li Xiuji bowed to her and presented her with a brocade box using both hands.

"This is a brocade box that the general ordered his subordinates to deliver to Madam overnight. Please accept it."

Yunji paused in her work, then ordered Xikui to take the brocade box. Inside were the jade bracelet, silver hairpin, and gold hair ornament that Cui Zemin had confiscated, along with a thousand taels of silver notes.

Holding the box of jewelry, she couldn't help but sneer, "Sending it over in the middle of the night, my husband is truly thoughtful."

Li Xiuji continued to report, "The general ordered his subordinates to send over the First Madam's monthly allowance, which is fifty taels of silver per month. In addition to the compensation for the first three months' allowance, the total is two hundred taels of silver. Please accept it, First Madam."

Xi Kui took the silver and put it into the brocade box.

Madam You's monthly allowance was thirty taels of silver, but Cui Zemin gave her fifty taels of silver, which was more than Madam You's allowance.

Yunji's resentment towards him lessened somewhat because of the money.

"Go back and tell my husband that I have fully accepted his feelings."