Marrying a treacherous official

Yunji returned to the accounting room and had Chunxuan recount in detail the imperial examination cheating case she had discovered.

Gu Jinyu's failure to be released from prison was both within her expectations and unexpected.

It's not that we can't expect Cui Zemin to release the person.

The premise is that she has to please him. Now she's whetting his appetite more and more. How can he be satisfied without bullying her ruthlessly?

"Who did you say was imprisoned in the Dali Temple's jail?"

"Cheng Wengong".

Seeing that the lady did not understand, Chunxuan explained it to her in detail.

"I heard from Uncle He at the gatehouse that it was Cheng Wengong who leaked the essay questions for the imperial examination. When the emperor learned of this, he was furious and ordered the Cheng family to be searched. It was the Palace Guard who went to search their house."

"Have you found any witnesses or physical evidence?"

"This servant doesn't know, but the gatekeeper said that Cheng Wengong confessed to leaking the exam questions. He not only admitted to all the crimes, but also signed and affixed his fingerprint during the interrogation."

Yun Ji's expression turned somber, as if a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere was about to break out, making it difficult for her to breathe.

There was no cheating scandal in the imperial examinations in my previous life, nor was there a fire at Lingshan Temple.

No one exposed Vice Minister Wei's misdeed of leaking exam questions to the sons of powerful and wealthy families, and Gu Jinyu's success in passing the imperial examination meant he would not become a prisoner.

However, Cheng Wengong still died, and he was forced to his death by Cui Zeming.

Later, Cui Zemin was impeached by the court officials, and the civil officials all took to the field to criticize him verbally and in writing, all requesting that he be put to death, and not a single person stood up to plead for him.

Even though Emperor Chenghe wanted to save his life, he could not withstand the indignation of his ministers and the widespread resentment among the people. In the end, he had no choice but to order him to be executed by slow slicing.

Who told him to kill Cheng Wengong, the great synthesizer of Confucianism?

Of all people to offend, he had to offend all the scholars and intellectuals under heaven, destroying the faith of the emperor's disciples. It would be strange if those civil officials didn't grind him to dust.

Fate plays tricks on people. No one knows why Cheng Wengong got involved in the imperial examination cheating case, and yet he ended up in the hands of Cui Zemin.

Once Cheng Wengong dies in prison, she will repeat the same mistakes she made in her previous life, and her fate will take a sharp turn for the worse.

Yunji closed her eyes wearily, and Chunxuan immediately shut her mouth, no longer babbling on.

"Bring me a brush and ink."

"Yes, madam."

Chunxuan instructed the maid to fetch a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She laid out Xuan paper on the desk and carefully ground Huizhou ink on the Duan inkstone before inviting the lady to come forward and write.

Yunji picked up her pen and wrote a letter to Gu Huaizhang.

The letter listed many things, all of which were admonitions to him not to act rashly.

He had finally risen to the rank of Imperial Censor, a fourth-rank official, and now was a crucial time for investigating corruption cases. Countless eyes in the court were watching. If he spoke up for Gu Jinyu, he would only incur the emperor's wrath and be demoted.

She had a backup plan in place to ensure Gu Jinyu's safe escape.

After the ink had dried completely, Yunji folded the letter into an envelope and handed it to Chunxuan.

"Make sure this letter is delivered to my second uncle."

"This servant understands."

Chunxuan rushed out of the door with the letter in her hand, bumping right into Xikui who was rushing in. Both of them took a big step back.

One was clutching his forehead and howling in pain, while the other was clutching his chin and hissing in pain, which amused Yunji, who was watching the commotion from the side.

"You two deserved to bump into each other because you weren't looking ahead while walking. Luckily, you didn't hurt anyone else."

Chunxuan was both angry and amused by the lady's retort. She tapped Xikui's puffy forehead and said, "I'm in a hurry to go out on business right now. I'll settle the score with you later."

Xi Kui cried out in pain, looking pitiful, and said:

"I've been hit and injured like this, and now I'm being ridiculed by Madam. I'll be punished by Sister Chunxuan later. How am I supposed to live like this?"

"Come here, who are you complaining to at the door?"

Yunji took out a bottle of Erqing powder from the medicine box and gently applied it to the bump on her forehead. "What's the matter? Why did you rush in like that without even looking where you were going?"

Xi Kui was so focused on crying out in pain that she forgot about the important matter.

"The Marquis and his wife just barged into the outer study, insisting that the eldest master release the second master from prison."

Yunji stopped what she was doing, poured some more Erqing powder into her palm, and wiped away the bruise on her forehead.

She was certain that the Lady Hou would not let the matter rest, but she did not expect her to arrive so quickly.

"Did you go to fetch the old lady?"

"As soon as Granny Kong saw the Marquis storm into Qinghui Courtyard, she immediately sent a maid to fetch the old lady."

"What about the clan elders, especially the Third Grandfather?"

"Family scandals should not be aired in public. In my humble opinion, it would be best not to alarm the clan elders about this matter."

Yunji raised her hand and slapped her on the forehead.

"Second Master is the apple of the Marquis's eye, she cherishes him terribly. The Marquis won't stop until she turns the mansion upside down and forces the eldest master to release Second Master. I'm afraid the old lady can't control her."

"This servant will go and invite the clan elders immediately."

As soon as Xi Kui finished speaking, a huge sound came from the outer courtyard as a bookshelf collapsed. The sound of shattering porcelain followed, startling everyone and causing panic.

Yunji did not want to get involved in the dispute between the father and son in the outer courtyard.

But even after hearing such a commotion, she couldn't help but take a step outside.

Xi Kui followed behind, quietly offering words of encouragement.

"It would be best for Madam to remain hidden in the accounting office. I have gone to the outer courtyard to gather information and will return immediately to report to you."

"Go and invite Third Master."

"Yes, ma'am."

Without hesitation, Xi Kui compromised and veered off into the outer corridor as she passed through the courtyard gate, rushing out to seek help.

Yunji strode into the outer study and saw that all the bookshelves in the room had fallen to the ground, and broken porcelain was scattered everywhere. Cui Zeming had been hit on the head, and blood was flowing out.

She rushed forward in a daze and pressed her handkerchief tightly against the bleeding gash.

Cui Zemin sullenly pushed her out.

"It's alright, you can go away."

"Don't move!"

Yun Ji sternly rebuked him, startling him into stopping in his tracks.

"I'm giving you one day to release the second son."

Ignoring Cui Zemin's still-bleeding wound, Cui Tingyan held a cracked plum vase in his hand and threatened to smash his head open.

"As long as I'm not dead, no matter if you're the prime minister or the chief privy councilor in the court, once you return to this manor, you'll be under my command! The second son is in prison; you have no choice but to release him!"

Cui Zemin looked at Yun Ji, whose eyes were filled with anxiety for his injuries, and smiled alluringly, repeating the same words:

"I won't let go."

"You can disobey me."

Cui Tingyan slammed the plum vase down at his feet, his eyes bloodshot as he threatened him:

"Then sever all ties with me, drain half your blood, and from now on I'll consider you my son!"