Marrying a treacherous official

Cui Gongchuo was used to running rampant in his mansion; when had anyone ever dared to defy him like this?

He pointed at the guard and threatened him in a young master's tone, "Don't you dare move!"

Then he picked up a food plate from the stove and raised it to smash it at the guard's head. Just as he raised the plate, it was taken down by the guard tending the fire behind him.

Cui Gongchuo was so angry that he jumped up and down and cursed, "You've bullied me! I'll make sure none of you get away with this!"

As he spoke, he strode out, intending to knock over the dishes on the long table, but was blocked by a wall of people halfway there, and bumped his head so hard he was dizzy.

The guard lifted him up by the back of his robe with one hand, suspending him in mid-air.

Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, Ayu ran in from the outer courtyard and saw Third Master hanging in the air. She was so frightened that she kept backing away.

"What's wrong with Third Master?"

The guard took a peony pastry and quickly stuffed it into Cui Gongchuo's mouth.

"Third Master was hungry, so he went to the kitchen to find something to eat."

Seeing that the dishes for the spring banquet were still neatly arranged on the long table, Ayu felt somewhat relieved and stepped aside, allowing the guards to carry the Third Master out.

Yunji was helping the ladies of the court arrange flowers in the flower hall when Xikui secretly called her into a side room. As soon as she entered, she saw Cui Gongchuo being lifted into the air with one hand, his legs kicking wildly.

The guard reported, "Madam, the Third Master barged into the kitchen, intending to overturn the dishes on the long table, but I stopped him."

Cui Gongchuo spat out the peony pastry in his mouth and, in a preemptive accusation, said:

"Eldest sister-in-law, your guard injured me. I will report this to Father and have you punished."

"It was the master's guards who injured you."

Yunji corrected his wording, saying, "You'll have to teach the old man a lesson in front of Father later."

Cui Gongchuo cried out shamelessly, "I only ate one peony pastry from the kitchen, and my sister-in-law ordered people to tie me up. How cruel she is!"

Yunji has many ways to deal with such wicked children.

"It was my fault for not taking good care of him. I invited the young master to the outer courtyard and let him shout and yell. I put all the peony pastries on the stove in front of him and watched him eat them all."

"No, sister-in-law, I was wrong."

Cui Gongchuo once swore to Lady You that he would never embarrass her in front of outsiders.

He stopped kicking and struggling, tilted his round face up, his eyes full of a sly smile, and apologized:

"Eldest sister-in-law, I promise I won't cause any more trouble. Please, elder sister-in-law, put me down."

Yunji gestured for the guards to put him down, and then gently gave the order:

"Stay with Third Master and make sure he doesn't choke, bump into things, or faint again, or we'll have to carry him back to the east room later."

"Your humble servant obeys."

The guard obeyed and followed behind Cui Gongchuo, who was so angry that he cursed the woman as a wicked woman in his heart.

The spring banquet ended with everyone enjoying themselves.

Madam Zhou, in high spirits, opened a jar of pear blossom liquor brewed by Ayu himself, and they drank heartily together.

The memory of her drunken outburst from last time was still fresh in her mind, so Yunji didn't dare touch a drop of alcohol and just sat quietly by her side, chatting and laughing.

She heard Madam Zhou tell many strange tales about aristocratic families, and at the end, she even heard about the secret of the imperial examination questions being leaked.

"Does Madam Cui know why praying for official positions at Lingshan Temple is so effective?"

May Buddha protect you.

"It seems that Madam Cui is completely unaware of the inside story."

Slightly tipsy, Mrs. Zhou leaned closer to her and whispered to her:

"The examiners from the Ministry of Rites would select a scion of a prominent family from among the successful candidates and take him as their disciple, secretly revealing the direction of the imperial examination to help him pass the examination smoothly."

"How could this be?"

Yunji looked at Madam Zhou in great shock, unsure whether she was talking nonsense while drunk or speaking the truth after drinking.

It should be noted that Madam Zhou came from a family of scholars and poets. Her father had served as the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and was a highly respected Confucian scholar. Her husband was also a Hanlin Academician, a man of great learning who was also highly respected by civil officials in the court. Her words were undoubtedly true.

"If both sides can profit from it, they'll quickly reach an agreement, and the deal will be done."

Mrs. Zhou, slightly tipsy, told her:

"This kind of relationship, unknown to outsiders, has long since formed an impenetrable network in the court. Ordinary people cannot get in, and those who do get in cannot get out."

As the spring breeze blew, a bone-chilling cold crept up my spine.

"Aren't they afraid of being exposed?"

"The examiners of the Ministry of Rites are extremely strict in selecting candidates. Most of the time, they would rather leave the candidates vacant than casually find someone to be their protégé. Besides, they are very careful in how they leak the questions, so it is impossible for anyone to find out."

Yunji, with her exceptionally keen senses, guessed it:

"Is it at Lingshan Temple?"

Madam Zhou took another sip of pear blossom wine and smiled gently, "Madam Cui is intelligent."

Yunji immediately thought of the various divination slips in the abbot's meditation room. The moment she realized what was happening, her mind went blank.

"When praying to Buddha and asking for a divination slip, one party would hand the abbot the slip containing a secret letter, and the other party would take the slip from the abbot's hand."

"What Madam Cui said is absolutely right."

Looking at Madam Zhou's gradually clearing eyes, Yunji understood everything.

He was pretending to be drunk; he was actually revealing the answers to questions.

Behind Madam Zhou stood her husband, a Hanlin scholar, and her father, who had retired as the Crown Prince's tutor. So, which faction in the court stood behind this family?

Their goal was not simply to win over the Gu family and enter their network of connections; their ultimate aim was to win over Cui Zeming, who held considerable military power.

The cloud-like book was so chaotic that not a single clue could be made.

In her past life, she followed Lady You to Lingshan Temple to pray and obtained a very auspicious fortune stick for Gu Jinyu. After that, nothing happened, and she never heard of the secret of the Ministry of Rites leaking the exam questions.

But now everything has changed.

She dared not make a single wrong move, for fear of ruining Gu Jinyu's ten years of hard study.

"Madam Zhou is drunk, and nothing she says should be taken seriously."

"I have a low alcohol tolerance and I talk nonsense when I'm drunk. Please forgive me, Madam Cui."

Madam Zhou, supporting herself on the long table, swayed as she got up.

Yunji summoned the maid outside the door, who then helped Madam Zhou out the door, supporting her arm.

She personally escorted Madam Zhou to the door, and even after the Zhou family's carriage drove out of the East Village, she was still in a daze.

Yuuki stood behind her and carefully reminded her:

"Madam, it's time to go back."

Yunji gradually regained her composure and returned to the courtyard. She ordered Xikui to gather all the guards together, as she had something to tell them.

The guards quickly gathered in the courtyard, but there were only five of them.

Yunji asked one last question, "What was the name of that absent guard?"

The guard at the head of the line said directly, "Reporting to the First Madam, his name is Shi Ling."

Yunji knew without a doubt that the guard named Shi Ling had gone to inform Cui Zeming.