Marrying a treacherous official

Yunji never imagined that she would have a child with Cui Zemin.

Faced with Madam Cui's earnest expectations, she could only remain silent.

When Madam Cui saw her with her eyes lowered obediently, her expression concealing all her grievances, she inexplicably evoked pity.

"The old man treated you poorly before, and didn't know how to cherish a woman, so I never advised you to have a child."

Yunji sat quietly to the side, listening.

Old Madam Cui took her hand, cupped it in her palm, and gently stroked it, saying with satisfaction:

"Now that he's learned his lesson, all he thinks about is you. That's why I've swallowed my pride and begged you to have a child with him."

"Grandmother, you flatter me."

Yunji could not agree to this, lest he disappoint the old man, so he could only vaguely decline, saying:

"This isn't up to me; it's up to the master to make the decision."

"Why can't you decide whether or not you have a child?"

Old Madam Cui looked at her with feigned anxiety and gave her a cryptic remark.

Yunji sat there, bewildered, failing to grasp the deeper meaning behind the old lady's words.

The old nanny standing to the side couldn't bear to watch any longer. With a smile in her eyes, she leaned close to Yunji's ear and whispered something to her.

Yunji's face flushed red, and her eyes darted around in embarrassment. Under the watchful gaze of Old Madam Cui, she still forced herself to keep nodding, listening to the nanny's advice, her cheeks burning red.

Although she and Cui Zemin had been intimate, she couldn't accept being taught such explicit sexual techniques in front of outsiders.

Madam Cui remained silent, only smiling at her with doting affection.

In the silent main hall, the occasional sound of the old nanny speaking in a more forceful tone could be heard.

"Madam must choose an auspicious day... and entangle yourself to your heart's content... Once Master has quelled his lust, he won't care about anything else... while waiting for good news, avoid having sex... this matter will surely succeed."

After giving her last words, the old woman calmly straightened up and stood back as if nothing had happened.

Yunji's blush had not yet faded. After calming herself down a bit, she realized she would find it difficult to resist such hospitality, so she quickly got up to take her leave.

"Grandmother, there are still many account books to check in the courtyard, so I'll take my leave now."

"Let's go back."

Madam Cui waved her hand graciously, then continued with her instructions:

"When you married into the Marquis's mansion, you didn't bring a governess with you. Although Granny Kong is an experienced person in managing household affairs, she is quite old and has never been married. She doesn't have much experience to teach you about matters of the heart. Besides, this kind of thing can't be explained in just one or two times."

Yunji sensed the hidden meaning in the old lady's words and stood respectfully below the hall, waiting for her to continue.

Old Madam Cui gave her a moment to pause before continuing:

"I'll find a governess to teach you some bedroom skills every now and then, so you won't be too awkward in front of the master."

"Grandmother, I—"

"Go on, go on, I'm tired too, it's time to go back to Cishou Hall to rest."

Seeing that the old lady had made up her mind, Yunji had no choice but to bow and retreat outside.

When Madam Cui thought of how easily Yunji could be teased, and how a few words could make her cheeks turn completely red, she couldn't help but laugh.

"No wonder the old man cares so much about Ji'er."

"When I saw the First Madam's eyes that she had nowhere to hide from, I almost burst out laughing. But then I remembered the First Madam's sharp tongue, which even the Marquis and his wife dared to say to her. So I immediately stopped laughing."

The old nanny chimed in, agreeing with the local dialect.

Old Madam Cui had given up all hope for the Marquis and his wife, and now she only hoped that Cui Zemin could hold up the entire Marquis's mansion.

She said with unparalleled clarity, "That child is a pure person. It's no wonder that the master fell for her. She helped me to the Buddhist temple to pray that the madam would give birth to an heir soon."

The old nanny smiled and helped Madam Cui up, and together they headed straight for the Buddhist hall.

Yunji led Xikui back to Qinghui Courtyard.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Li Xiuji standing on the stone steps, bowing to her with a clear and gentle manner.

"The First Madam is back."

"Have all the broken porcelain pieces in the outer study been swept away?"

"My subordinate ordered the cleaning lady to clean it up as well."

"Make a list."

Yunji assumed he had come to ask for porcelain treasures, and glancing at his empty hands, she preemptively said:

"This isn't the first or second time that the old man has renovated the outer study. I'll send him any rare ornaments from the storeroom as appropriate. Make a list and let me take a look, then go find Hua Chao to open the storeroom."

"It's not about the decoration."

Li Xiuji confessed truthfully:

"The general locked himself in his study and forbade anyone to disturb him. When I saw that the bandage wrapped around the general's head was soaked with blood, I tried to change the bandage, but the general scolded me and told me to leave."

"What's gotten into this guy now?"

Yunji was filled with worry when she thought of the bloody hole on his head that hadn't stopped bleeding, and she turned and walked towards the outer study.

Xi Kui did not follow, but tacitly stood guard outside the study with Li Xiuji.

She glanced at Li Xiuji, who was standing leisurely to the side, and asked suspiciously:

"You spoke well of the General to the First Madam again, didn't you?"

"You can tell from that? You're getting the hang of it."

Li Xiuji's previous words were half true and half false.

In fact, when he offered to change the general's dressing, the general only mocked him, saying, "It's not your place to do it." He immediately understood what the general meant and hurriedly went to complain to the madam.

Yunji pushed open the door to the study and saw books piled up on the shelves covering the walls. The empty room contained only a desk, and Cui Zemin was leaning against an ebony chair with a gloomy face, seemingly lost in thought.

She saw that the bandage on his head was soaked with blood, picked up her medicine box and walked up to him. She reached out and untied the bandage, then sprinkled Jinshangsan (a traditional Chinese medicine powder) on his wound.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Spring sunlight streamed in through the window, slanting across the floor tiles and illuminating the dust particles rising in the air.

Cui Zemin gave her a cold look, then reached out and pulled her onto his long lap, letting her apply medicine to the wound on her head.

Because of his words "I request to leave the marriage," he still harbored resentment towards her.

Yunji pressed gauze against the wound, then pulled out strips of cloth and wrapped them around his head, tying them into a knot at the end. When she tried to get off him, he held her tightly around the waist, preventing her from moving.

She was wearing a pine-colored straight-sleeved short-sleeved shirt with a pleated skirt. Suddenly, he pulled the shirt out of the skirt, startling her so much that her voice cracked.

"What are you doing, my husband?"

Cui Zemin lifted up her straight-sleeved short shirt and looked at the finger marks branded on her fair waist. He placed his large hand on it and gestured to make sure that the famous general's long fingers and the brand were pressed tightly together.

He gently massaged her soft, supple lower back, a faint smile playing on his lips:

"It's only right to reciprocate; it's my turn to apply the medicine to Madam."