Marrying a treacherous official

Yunji only brought Chunxuan and Xikui with her when she went to Dongzhuang Villa.

Before they left, Granny Kong called the two of them to her side and gave them a lecture, which made them determined to protect the lady's safety with their lives.

Yunji went to the front yard to get into the carriage and encountered Cui Zeming riding a black horse. She took two steps forward and curtsied to him.

Cui Zemin glanced at the two maids, an old woman, and a cook behind her, and said coldly:

"You only brought this many people with you?"

"The Lady of the Marquis only allowed four servants from her courtyard to go over there."

Yunji really wanted to take Huachao and Granny Kong to the East Manor for a few days, but the manor and the gold and silver shop both needed manpower to manage, and business was the priority, so she could only reluctantly leave them at the manor.

Seeing that she had misunderstood him, Cui Zeming clarified:

"No guards accompanying you?"

"The Lady of the Marquis has sent guards to watch over the East Estate, so no one from the courtyard is allowed to go there."

"What good are those fancy moves if they can't protect you?"

At Cui Zeming's command, six guards stepped forward, bowing and awaiting orders.

"You will guard the lady closely. If anything happens to her, you will bring your heads to me."

"Your humble servant obeys."

The six guards responded in booming voices.

Yunji looked at him with difficulty and said, "I would like to trouble you, my husband, to go to the Lady of the Marquis's presence and speak to her about this matter."

Cui Zemin pulled on the reins, ignoring her and saying, "The Tiger Wing Army's camp is only twenty or thirty li away from Lingshan Temple. It only takes half an hour to get there on horseback. If you need anything, send someone to the camp to find me."

He left those words behind and rode his horse out the door with a thud.

Looking at the strong and powerful guards in front of him, Yunji couldn't bring himself to tell them to stay and guard Qinghui Courtyard.

Perhaps learning from his previous experiences of riding out on horseback and meeting with the merchant guild, he dared not let her go out alone, so he arranged for guards to keep a close eye on her every move.

She stepped onto the carriage using a stool, and then, surrounded by six guards, swaggered out the door.

An hour later, the carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the East Villa.

After a short rest, Yunji went to the east room to pay her respects to Madam You.

Madam You looked at her coldly, and muttered a string of words:

"Who travels with such a entourage? Not only are the guards not enough, but six bodyguards have to be assigned from the courtyard to accompany you. Do you think I would harm you?"

"Mother should ask the master about this."

Yunji said expressionlessly, "The Tiger Wing Army camp is only twenty or thirty miles away. Mother can send someone over to ask questions, and news will be sent back in half an hour."

Lady You was so angry that she couldn't say a word.

Yunji slowly began to speak:

"I plan to go to Lingshan Temple to offer incense to the Bodhisattva and pray that Second Master will excel in the upcoming imperial examination. It would be best if Mother could send these guards away, otherwise, with so many people following us, it will disturb the tranquility of the Buddhist temple, and I'm afraid—"

"Shut up."

Madam You scolded her harshly, "The Second Master's imperial examination is a matter of utmost importance to the household, and you are not allowed to say anything discouraging."

Yunji changed the subject and said calmly, "The Bodhisattva is compassionate, how could she possibly hold such a grudge against ordinary people? Mother, I'll go out now to offer incense to the Bodhisattva."

Madam You scolded her, "Who gave you permission to go out?"

Yunji gently asked her, "Mother, do you really want to stop me from going to the mountain temple to pray for Second Master?"

Lady You had many concerns in front of the gods and Buddhas, so she dared not and could not stop her, and could only watch helplessly as she walked away.

"The First Madam is increasingly disregarding the Lady of the Marquis in her actions."

Granny Tong saw this and felt a pang of heartache, deeply worried for Madam You:

"I don't know when it started, but the master has been protecting the first wife in every way. Even Chi Ying said that the master has taken a liking to the first wife. Even when he came to the East Manor for a few days, he sent guards to watch over her all the way, for fear that the Marquis's wife would do something to the first wife."

"I have been patient with her until now because I am concerned that Second Master still needs to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom, and I am avoiding the sharp edge of First Master."

Madam You cursed fiercely, "She keeps pushing her luck, practically bullying me. How can I tolerate this?"

From being forced to relinquish Beizhuang, to Gu Yunji taking over Qinghui Courtyard, to the interference in the annual gifts, and then to her grandstanding at the banquet for the officials' wives, each time she was pushed to the brink of despair.

She had been waiting, waiting for Cui Gongquan to pass the imperial examination, for Cui Lizhu to marry into the Pei family, and for everything to be settled before she could deal with Gu Yunji.

But despite all her calculations, she overlooked the fact that Cui Zemin would take a liking to Gu Yunji.

As a result, the situation spiraled out of control. If Gu Yunji were to give birth to an heir, with her cunning and Cui Zeming's powerful methods, not only would the Cui family be under her control, but no one in the court would be able to bring Cui Zeming down.

One wrong step leads to another, and the whole game is lost.

Through continuous review, Madam You realized that only by eliminating Gu Yunji could she regain control of the situation.

With the Marquis's involvement, Gongquan's success in the imperial examination is practically guaranteed. The Empress's family is happy to act as matchmaker, and Lizhu's marriage can be finalized by the middle of the year.

With a fierce expression, Madam You said, "I can now go ahead and do some things."

Upon hearing this, Granny Tong understood.

"Leaving the Marquis's residence would be the perfect opportunity, but it would be difficult to make a move if the guards got close, and besides, there are no longer any of our people around the First Madam."

"The old woman is still too kind."

With a venomous glint in her eyes, Madam You said, "Killing one person is hard, but is killing a group of people hard?"

Lingshan Temple is a popular place of worship, and the melodious sound of its bells echoes throughout the mountains and forests.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Yunji knelt on a prayer mat, devoutly making a vow to the compassionate Bodhisattva with lowered eyes.

She offered three sticks of incense, made a vow, and prayed again, kneeling and begging the Bodhisattva to bless Gu Jinyu so that he could pass the imperial examination with flying colors and bring glory to the Gu family.

She then knelt down and bowed three times. She gently shook the divination tube and flicked a divination stick onto the blue brick.

Chunxuan picked up the divination slips and presented them to the lady with both hands.

Yunji took the Guanyin divination stick and examined it closely, her face turning pale with shock.

"The moon is cold and the stars are few; the boat cannot cross; the lamp is extinguished and the fish and dragons are silent—the celestial sign is the worst."

She was still reeling from the shock: Hadn't she prayed for the best fortune in her past life? How could things be like this in this life?

With a "spit," Xi Kui spat a mouthful of fine foam onto the ground, then kicked it hard into the dust.

"I returned this Guanyin divination stick using a traditional rural method, so Madam can rest assured and draw another one without worry."

Chunxuan withdrew her stunned gaze from in front of the Bodhisattva. Even a folk remedy was better than no remedy at all.

Yun Ji's expression turned cold and stern as she angrily rebuked Xi Kui:

"How dare you be so presumptuous before the Buddha! This is the worst possible divination slip for Master Cui; how can it be disregarded?"

Chunxuan, Xikui, and the six guards standing in the main hall were all full of admiration for the First Madam's witty response.