Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Just as he was about to ask further questions, he suddenly heard Cui Ju's voice from behind: "So it turns out that Chief Secretary Li is here, and Cui... Qi is also here. My father is still waiting in the bedroom."

Cui Guangyuan instructed Cui Ju to treat Li Ji as an elder brother, but Cui Ju still refused to address him by his courtesy name or birth order, instead calling him by his official title, clearly showing his displeasure. However, Li Ji was in no mood to pay attention to this detail at the moment. He immediately jumped up, turned to Cui Ju, and asked, "What exactly did Lord Cui say to her? What… about her biological father?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Ju's lips twitched slightly, and he then flicked his sleeve, saying, "Let her tell you... I'll go serve my father first, and Chief Secretary Li shouldn't keep him waiting any longer." With that, he turned and left.

Li Ji couldn't help but snort coldly: "This person is extremely rude."

In fact, he was in a state of shock just now, and his words and actions were not very polite. The reason he said something to Cui Ju behind her back was to remind the little girl: That guy is gone. If you have anything to say, tell me quickly... explain yourself quickly.

Cui Qi replied as expected: "The Third Young Master is naturally not pleased that a mere servant girl would want to be recognized as his sister..."

Li Ji turned around and stared at Cui Qi's back: "He...you...I...cough cough, you are Cui Guangyuan's illegitimate daughter? I've never heard you mention this before."

Cui Qi snorted coldly: "I only just found out myself..." He stretched out his right hand and gently patted the ground beside him, seemingly gesturing for Li Ji to come and sit down.

Li Ji was secretly delighted and quickly moved over, sitting down obediently cross-legged. Cui Qi then explained in a low voice, "My master said that my birth mother... was originally the beloved concubine of Zhangchou Jianqiong, the military governor of Jiannan. In the twenty-seventh year of Kaiyuan, my master was the magistrate of Tang'an County in Shuzhou. He went to Chengdu to pay his respects to Military Governor Zhangchou on some business. The military governor took a liking to her and made her live in his mansion. It was then that he had an affair with my mother..."

"When the military commander learned of this, he was furious and banished the head of the household from the mansion, and imprisoned the mother. Unexpectedly, the mother was already pregnant and soon gave birth to a baby girl... The mother died in childbirth, and the military commander ordered someone to send the baby girl to the head of the household. The head of the household lied and said that he had found her on the way and gave her to a concubine to raise..."

This baby girl was naturally Cui Qi. However, after listening to Cui Qi's story, Li Ji instinctively sensed that there were quite a few suspicious points... Considering that Zhang Qiu Jianqiong was a famous general who managed the entire Jiannan Circuit and wielded immense power, it wouldn't make sense for Cui Guangyuan to have an affair with his concubine and simply be expelled from the mansion, would it?

If Zhang Chou were a petty person, he could have immediately impeached Cui Guangyuan and dismissed him from his post, making it impossible for him to return to govern Tang'an County. If Zhang Chou were a magnanimous person, he might have simply given his concubine to Cui Guangyuan—giving away concubines was a common practice and could even be considered a good story among scholars.

Whether it was dismissing Cui Guangyuan or merely expelling him, it shows that Zhang Chou Jianqiong was not magnanimous and harbored resentment. If that's the case, why send Cui Qi back to Cui Guangyuan? He could have kept her as a maid in the mansion, or even drowned her…

Perhaps Cui Guangyuan only said nice things to Cui Qi? It's possible that Zhang Chou wanted to offer the concubine, but Cui Guangyuan was afraid of damaging his own reputation—the good story belonged to Zhang Chou, not him—so he refused to accept it. Therefore, Zhang Chou returned the woman more than half a year later.

But none of that matters—besides, Cui Guangyuan would never reveal the truth, and Zhang Chou Jianqiong has been dead for many years, so the truth will never be known—what matters is that now, on his deathbed, Cui Guangyuan has finally acknowledged the little girl, and my marriage is on the way!

Thinking of this, Li Ji couldn't help but smile slightly.

Just then, the little girl turned her head and glanced at him, immediately questioning, "I'm crying, but you seem to be very happy?"

Li Ji quickly tried to smooth things over: "I'm happy for you, you finally know who your biological father is... so why are you crying?"

He wouldn't have cared if he hadn't asked, but the moment he did, Cui Qi's eyebrows shot up and she roared, "Why shouldn't I cry? In these past twenty years, has he ever treated me like his own flesh and blood?!"

“This…” Li Ji was forced to speak up for Cui Guangyuan, “You once said that he treated you well… but since his origins are questionable, it’s probably inconvenient to tell the clan, so you have no choice but to serve as a maid for now…”

"If she really is his daughter, even if she is a maid, she should be raised well. How could she become an apprentice of a notorious thief, learning those skills of scaling walls and leaping across rooftops, being driven around day and night, and spying on his secrets? He only placed me in the inner palace of Luoyang, and then went to Luoyang with you twice. Isn't there any risk involved?!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji fell silent.

Chapter Nineteen, Dead Men Tell No Tales

The young girl's feelings are understandable. If she were merely an orphan she had taken in, she would have to repay Cui Guangyuan for saving her life and raising her. Even if it were something extremely dangerous, she would do it for the sake of her master without complaint. However, she now knows that she is actually Cui Guangyuan's illegitimate daughter... Theoretically speaking, even if Cui Guangyuan couldn't acknowledge her, he should have kept her in the manor, let her live a peaceful life, and eventually find her a good family to marry into. How could he have raised her to be a spy or even an assassin?

Is there such a thing as a father in this world?

Li Ji thought to himself, given Cui Guangyuan's treacherous nature, I wouldn't be surprised by anything he does... including, as I suspected, starting a relationship and then abandoning it, refusing to accept Zhangchou Jianqiong's concubine, and even using his own illegitimate daughter as a tool. Besides, in this patriarchal era, how many daughters of officials weren't used as tools for political marriages?

Upon thinking of "a tool for marriage alliances," a sudden inspiration struck Li Ji, and he quickly said to Cui Qi, "Actually, perhaps you have misunderstood Lord Cui?"

Cui Qi frowned and glanced sideways at Li Ji: "Misunderstanding? Are you saying that all men are this heartless?"

Li Ji waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, I am by no means heartless. I am a sentimental... no, a devoted person... I mean..." He paused, then asked in return: "Just now, did Lord Cui only tell you your true identity? Did he mention anything else?"

Cui Qi snorted coldly, letting out a breath through his nostrils: "Of course I still have to marry you, why ask a question you already know the answer to?"

Li Ji clapped his hands and said, "That's right."

So, while organizing his thoughts, he explained to Cui Qi: "Today, Lord Cui summoned me here to entrust his son to someone—he knows he is nearing the end of his life and fears that his children and grandchildren will not be able to preserve the family business. Therefore, he wants to use me to curry favor with the Prince of Fengjie. However, my relationship with him is not very deep, and I am still hesitant about whether to take on such a heavy responsibility. Lord Cui then said that he would entrust you to me as a way of repaying him."

“Of course I would be happy to do so… I was overjoyed, but I was worried that you would not agree to be someone’s concubine, so I asked Lord Cui to devise a solution that would satisfy both of us. Lord Cui then ordered me to temporarily withdraw, saying that he would ‘please speak kindly’ to you…”

"Hmph, he really did offer 'kind advice'!"

Li Ji waved his hand, signaling Cui Qi to calm down, and then continued, "Master Cui's actions are often unpredictable. Who knows if he is not pretending to acknowledge you as his daughter, so that I have no choice but to accept?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Qi's eyes widened, and he involuntarily turned towards Li Ji—"You mean...it's fake? I'm still an abandoned baby?"

Li Ji nodded slowly: "My original intention was to ask Lord Cui to adopt you as his goddaughter so that you could marry me. But such adoption not only requires going through official procedures, but will also be opposed by the clan. Even Cui Ju would not approve it. Therefore, I can only make up a story that you are actually his illegitimate daughter, so that he can recognize you before his death and Cui Ju will not be able to stop me... I have no choice but to accept it."

Cui Qi still had tear stains on his cheeks, but his expression was no longer one of anger or sorrow, but rather... utter confusion.

Taking the opportunity, Li Ji advised, "You yourself said that Lord Cui saved your life and raised you, and you would repay him even if it meant your death. Now, all I'm doing is fabricating a story to have you impersonate his daughter in order to make a deal with me. Is this easier or harder than sneaking into the inner palace of Luoyang? Are you willing to do it? And why resent Lord Cui?"

He paused, then added, "General Zhangchou is dead, as is your mother... Her family is hard to find, and even in the Cui family, I suppose no one knows about the secrets of more than twenty years ago. With the dead unable to testify, no one can question us."

The key lies in the phrase "the dead have no way to prove it." In fact, as far as Li Ji was concerned, although he did not believe some of the details that Cui Guangyuan told Cui Qi, he did not think that the matter of the illegitimate daughter was purely fabricated.

No matter how unconventional or unpredictable his actions may be, and no matter how eager he is to win over others, he is ultimately from a prestigious family and a high-ranking official. Cui Guangyuan has no reason to fabricate a story to smear his own family before his death, right? He could have forced Cui Qi to comply, or defied the opposition of his son and clan to adopt Cui Qi as his goddaughter—neither path would be easy, but it would be much simpler than defaming himself.

Li Ji said this only to soothe the little girl's emotions. Firstly, he truly couldn't bear to see Cui Qi so heartbroken; seeing her tears felt like a knife twisting in his heart. Secondly, he feared that Cui Qi might refuse to acknowledge his relatives in a fit of anger, or even run away—since he wasn't an abandoned baby he picked up, he had no responsibility to repay Cui Guangyuan, so he might as well run away; who could stop him?

But Li Ji thought to himself, "If you run away, where am I going to find a wife?"

Cui Qi seemed to generally agree with Li Ji's words, or perhaps he was just unwilling to admit that he had a heartless father and preferred to believe that it was Cui Guangyuan's plan, but he still muttered to himself: "In order to win you over, could he really... could he really make up such a story?"

Li Ji puffed out his chest and said, "Don't underestimate me. Master Cui just said that he had a fortune teller calculate my birth chart and said that my future is limitless. That's why he asked me to take care of the third branch of the Cui family in Boling as compensation."

Cui Qi curled his lip, turned his head away, and asked in a low voice, "If that's the case... since you are so capable and have a bright future, why have you chosen me and want to marry me as your principal wife? I know my own appearance... with your reputation as Li Erlang, you could easily marry a beautiful woman..."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "When two people are in love, appearance is secondary; the key is inner qualities. I feel that your heart is like a fragrant orchid in a secluded valley, intoxicating and delightful!"

Cui Qi nodded: "Yes, you only look at inner qualities. In short, my appearance is indeed unbearable..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Here we go again? You just stopped crying and relaxed a bit, and your tongue is already so fluent again. How am I supposed to respond?"

He gritted his teeth—if he couldn't use words, he would use actions—and boldly reached out with his left hand to put his arm around the girl's seemingly frail shoulder, while his right hand took out a handkerchief from his bosom and handed it to her. He then said softly, "Why bother? I already told you my feelings when I returned from Luoyang. Do I have to rip my heart out for you to see?"

Cui Qi shrugged, shaking off Li Ji's hand, and said seemingly coldly, "I'll rip your heart out sooner or later and see if it's red or black!"

"If you like red, my heart is red; if you like black, my heart is black."

Cui Qi couldn't help but spit, casually took the handkerchief, and shoved Li Ji: "Stop talking nonsense. Go quickly, the master is still waiting for you."

Li Ji asked tentatively, "So you are willing to pretend to be his daughter and marry me?"

Cui Qi pretended to wipe away her tears, lowered her head and looked down, not daring to look at him, only muttering, "How dare I disobey the master's orders..."

Li Ji was overjoyed and then retraced his steps back to Cui Guangyuan's bedroom. But just as he was about to step into the room, Cui Ju stopped him, then lowered his head and looked down silently.

Li Ji then realized that he wasn't wearing boots... and having come from the garden, his white socks were mottled and dirty, leaving several large, dark footprints on the wooden walkway...

He could only give an awkward laugh and bow to Cui Ju: "Please fetch me a pair of clean socks so I can change into them..."

After Li Ji changed his socks, Cui Ju let him in and thanked Cui Guangyuan. Cui Guangyuan remained lying on the couch and nodded slightly to Li Ji: "Presumably, Cui Qi has already informed the guards. In that case... my dear son-in-law, there is no need for such formalities."

He said "no need for formalities," but deliberately mentioned "son-in-law." Li Ji wasn't stupid; how could he not understand? He immediately knelt down and said, "Mount Tai above, your son-in-law is deeply grateful for your kindness."

Cui Guangyuan smiled slightly and ordered Cui Ju, "Come over and greet your brother-in-law." Cui Ju was somewhat amused and exasperated—he had just been asked to treat him as an elder brother and had performed a grand ceremony, and now he was being treated as his brother-in-law... He had no choice but to reluctantly come over and bow to Li Ji.

Then Cui Guangyuan instructed, "My dear son-in-law, after you return, please send the marriage certificate as soon as possible."

According to the "Household and Marriage Law," marital relationships could be established in two ways: first, the man would present a marriage proposal, and the woman would reciprocate with a marriage declaration; second, the man would send betrothal gifts, which the woman would accept. However, officials and scholars generally preferred the former method (although betrothal gifts were often unavoidable), partly because it conformed to the traditional "Six Rites," and partly because—

Cultured people, of course, will write a few lines before doing anything; only illiterate bumpkins come up and offer money and silk.

However, when Cui Guangyuan ordered Li Ji to send the marriage proposal letter immediately, Li Ji frowned and did not respond immediately. In fact, he was considering the choice of a matchmaker, but Cui Guangyuan misunderstood.

Then he smiled and said, "My son-in-law is only a sixth-rank official, and his salary is limited. In addition, rice is expensive in Chang'an, so there is no need to prepare any betrothal gifts. A token amount will suffice. In addition..." He instructed Cui Ju, "First, transfer that villa in Pingkang Ward to your brother-in-law."

Li Ji was taken aback and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind. I can't possibly offer much in betrothal gifts, so how can I possibly accept such a generous dowry?"

Cui Guangyuan said, “I know your home is in Guanghua Ward, only two courtyards deep, which is really cramped, and you also have a concubine… Now that you have recognized Cui Qi, how can my daughter of the Boling Cui family live in such a humble abode when she gets married? My dear son-in-law, you don’t need to refuse. You can take that separate courtyard and more than twenty servants to help you prepare for the wedding. This is not my daughter’s dowry; the dowry is something else.”

Li Ji thought to himself, "I never thought that getting a wife could make me rich... But such a big house, I'm afraid I can afford to support her, even if I can afford to take care of her!"

Although the marriage was essentially settled, it lacked legal validity as a marriage certificate hadn't been issued. Li Ji was uneasy about not being able to formally welcome Cui Qi into his family. To put it bluntly, if Cui Guangyuan were to die shortly after he left, would it be possible to hold a wedding during his father's mourning period?

Looking at Cui Ju's expression, he was clearly very unhappy about acknowledging Cui Qi as his sister and himself as his brother-in-law. Therefore, if Cui Guangyuan were to pass away, and he were to temporarily assume the position of head of the family—the real head of the family being his brother Cui Gou—it wouldn't be entirely impossible for him to break his promise and become rich by going back on his word.

We need to get the marriage certificate done as soon as possible, so that at least we'll have room to file a lawsuit later.

So he no longer insisted on leaving his home, hastily bid farewell to Cui Guangyuan and his son, and rode straight home. Qingluan greeted him, and although her own brows and eyes were full of joy, she still instinctively noticed that her husband's expression was very different from usual—he seemed unusually excited, yet also unusually nervous. She asked, "Why did Master Cui summon you, sir?"

Li Ji was considering how to speak to Qingluan when he turned around and looked at her, and couldn't help but ask in surprise: "What's wrong at home again?"

Before Qingluan could answer, the cook ran over and kowtowed to Li Ji, saying, "My lord, it's a joyous occasion!"

"What good news?"

"My lady was feeling unwell just now, so I asked the doctor from this ward to examine her—it's a sign of pregnancy!"

Li Ji was stunned for a moment before realizing what "pregnancy pulse" meant. He immediately grabbed Qingluan's wrist: "You're pregnant? Are you sure?"

Qingluan lowered her head shyly and said, "That's what the doctor said... Now that you're an official, could you please invite a royal physician for a follow-up examination?"

Li Ji recalled that he had been feeling down lately and had indeed been more intimate with Qingluan... If neither of them had any hidden ailments, then frankly, it was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. He hurriedly said, "I will invite the imperial physician to my home tomorrow..." Then he thought that this might be a good opportunity to bring it up.

Li Ji knew that Qingluan had always wanted a child. Having spent so much time together, he had a general idea of ​​what worries and expectations the concubine held in her heart. Wasn't this woman worried that if she had no children, he might mistreat her or even throw her out after he married his principal wife? Now that his marriage was settled and she was pregnant, it was a double blessing. He could finally put his mind at ease.

Upon further reflection, something was amiss. If the imperial physician were to come tomorrow and it turned out to be a false alarm—Li Ji wasn't really comfortable with the level of an ordinary doctor—wouldn't it be a double blow to Qingluan if I were to marry a second wife? While I do love Cui Qi, Qingluan has been with me for so long, I can't be too biased towards one over the other.

So he immediately ordered someone to bring horses—"I'll go fetch the imperial physician right now!"

The Imperial Medical Bureau was subordinate to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and its chief official, the Imperial Physician, was only a seventh-rank official. Most of the physicians under him were not part of the official ranks. Even so, in principle, a mid-level official of the sixth rank would not be able to easily persuade him to come. Fortunately, Li Ji was in a key department of the Northern Imperial Guard and had a very good reputation, so the Imperial Physician dared not refuse him and quickly sent a physician with experience in pregnancy testing to accompany Li Ji on his house calls.

To be honest, Li Ji himself didn't know who to turn to if he didn't directly plead with the Imperial Physician. The Imperial Physician Bureau employed four types of doctors: physicians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and sorcerers… If he mistakenly invited an acupuncturist or massage therapist, it would likely be useless; and if he inadvertently invited a sorcerer, they might even kill him…

The imperial physician took Qingluan's pulse, inquired about her recent health and any discomfort, and then turned to congratulate Li Ji: "Great news, Second Master, your wife is indeed pregnant."

That's half the battle won, so Li Ji hurriedly ordered Qingluan to fetch five hundred coins to thank the imperial physician, and then saw her out the door. Turning back, he dared to tell Qingluan the truth: "Today is truly a double celebration."

"What else is there for my lord to do?"

"To be honest, I have already arranged a marriage, and I need to ask someone to issue the marriage certificate."

Chapter Twenty, Tenfold Profit

To be honest, Qingluan was originally worried all the time that her husband would one day officially get married...

She couldn't stop it. Marriage is a major life event that no one can escape, and given her status, there was absolutely no way she could become the principal wife—according to the "Household and Marriage Law," "anyone who takes a concubine or a guest's daughter as a wife, or a maid as a concubine, shall be sentenced to one and a half years of penal servitude." Even if Zou Qingluan were the principal wife, without sufficient reason, she couldn't stop her husband from taking a concubine, let alone prevent the principal wife from entering the household by using a concubine as a pretext.

However, it is precisely because it cannot be stopped that we are especially worried.

Fortunately, she had just received a pregnancy test today, which meant she would likely have someone to rely on for the rest of her life. Li Ji's suggestion that she wanted to get married at this time was indeed less of a shock to Qingluan. Although she was still somewhat unhappy, which dampened her joy at being pregnant, she still managed to force a smile: "In that case, congratulations, sir. May I ask which family's young lady she is?"

Li Ji bluntly stated: "It's the same person who came disguised as a man the previous two times..."

Qingluan was secretly startled, thinking to herself, "My premonition was right after all; that raccoon spirit really is having an affair with my husband!" She hurriedly asked, "Just who is she?"

I thought to myself, if our status and social standing are not a good match, even if it angers my husband, I must speak kindly and persuade him to stop me.