Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

Incense burned in the boudoir, its wisps of fragrance seeping through the gold-flecked gauze curtains and reaching the man and woman making love on the bed.

The silver bells hanging from the corners of the curtain sometimes jingled like pearls falling onto a jade plate, and sometimes sang rapidly like drumbeats, making people blush.

However, the man at the door was not among them.

Feng Quan clenched his fists, and the peony juice in his right hand overflowed, dripping down between his fingers and soaking into a puddle on the bluestone slab.

After an unknown amount of time, the noise inside the room finally stopped.

Xu Muxin pulled up her coat to cover her body, which was covered with red marks, her reddened peach blossom eyes as cold as ice.

"Lord Yan, you'd better hold onto your position at the Maritime Trade Office. I'll be waiting for your good news at the end of this year."

Yan Qiao, fully dressed, pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her red lips. Xu Muxin frowned, turned her head away, and concealed the resistance in her eyes.

The man wasn't annoyed. His thin lips brushed against her cheek, and he whispered in her ear, "I will certainly live up to the county princess's expectations!"

He got up and went out, and saw Feng Quan standing outside the door. He cupped his hands in greeting to him.

"Lord Feng is here too, what a coincidence!"

Feng Quan's eyes nearly spit fire, and unusually, he didn't return the greeting.

"Lord Yan comes from a prestigious family, yet he has fallen for a woman. If word gets out, won't he be ridiculed by the world?"

Yan Qiao grabbed the bone fan he had taken and tapped it against his chest, laughing heartily.

"The pleasures of love between men and women are only natural. Lord Feng, who adheres strictly to propriety, how could he possibly understand the subtleties involved? Why don't you return to your residence and consult the beauties bestowed upon you by His Majesty before serving the county princess again!"

"You scoundrel!" Feng Quan roared. "Do you really think all the officials of Daqi are like you, spineless sycophants, arrogant and dissolute?"

Yan Qiao scoffed: "Then, Lord Feng, tell me, what brings you here? Surely you don't come here just to eavesdrop on other people's private affairs?"

Just as Feng Quan was about to retort, Xu Muxin emerged from the inner room, leaning lazily against the door. Her alluring eyes, both reproachful and angry, gazed into the distance.

“Yan Lang, you don’t understand Lord Feng. He must not know how to write tomorrow’s memorial, so he came here to see what absurd thing I have done.”

Yan Qiao smiled and said, "Oh, I see! Lord Feng, when you return, don't forget to add my name. That way, I can enter and leave the *** residence openly and legitimately!"

Feng Quan's face was gloomy, his body was stiff, and he stared at him intently.

"Will you marry her?"

"what?"

Yan Qiao was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

Feng Quan punched him in the face. "I'm asking you if you're willing to marry her! You've done everything husband and wife have done, but you have no affection for each other, no thought of giving her a proper status?"

Yan Qiao wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and punched him back. "And what about you? You're so indecisive and clingy. Have you ever thought about how the county princess feels? If you had any backbone at all, how could you have watched her get to this point!"

"That's enough! Shut up, everyone!"

Xu Muxin's voice was icy: "Yan Qiao, you should leave! And Lord Feng, you've had enough of eavesdropping in the corner, so get out of here! I'm tired, I want to rest."

Yan Qiao bowed to the county magistrate and turned to leave. Feng Quan turned halfway around, but his legs felt like they were strapped with sandbags, making it impossible for him to move even half a step.

"Aren't you leaving yet? Do you want me to have you kicked out?" Xu Muxin said indifferently.

Feng Quan gritted his teeth and strode up to her. "Do you really have to demean yourself like this?"

"Disrespect? Ha! Isn't it a blessing for a woman to be favored by so many talented young men? Or is it that Lord Feng is just being a sour grapes?"

She drew circles on his chest, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tender affection.

"Shut up!"

Feng Quan grabbed her misbehaving hand and covered her lips with his other hand, not wanting to hear her say any more.

Every word she uttered was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart. He was in so much pain he couldn't breathe, but she couldn't see any of it and kept chattering on and on.

Xu Muxin trembled all over and pushed him away forcefully.

"You can't even handle this? Feng Quan, I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. Now you come to me and say I'm demeaning myself. What right do you have to treat me like this? And by what right do you say that to me?"

The word "heartache" was etched in Feng Quan's eyes, mixed with a hint of confusion.

“I know you blame me for abandoning you at the other residence, but even if I had to do it all over again, I would still make the same choice. The county princess is of noble birth and wealth; even if she doesn't have the power to command the wind and rain, with my aunt by her side, she can certainly protect you for the rest of your life. I cannot understand how a mere Feng Quan could possibly cause you such heartbreak and such depravity?”

"Royal relatives are honey in your eyes, but to me, they are poison that burns my heart and gnaws at my bones." Xu Muxin smiled sadly. "Forget it, why should I tell you this? It was all wishful thinking on my part. Now that we are strangers, let's just wish each other well!"

She turned and went back to her room, and Feng Quan chased after her, demanding, "What do you mean? Explain yourself!"

As soon as you step inside, a faint fragrance wafts over you, and even through the embroidered screen, the wrinkled bedding on the bed is still clearly visible.

He stood there, caught in a dilemma.

Xu Muxin raised her hand and pushed the screen over, turning around with a cold laugh.

"Does Your Excellency not want to leave because you want the drug to take effect so you can make love to me here? I don't mind, but I'm afraid Your Excellency might have some reservations!"

Feng Quan's tall body jolted, he looked away and ran out the door as if fleeing.

Xu Muxin sat down, leaning on a chair, feeling utterly desolate.

Farewell, Lord Feng.

As dusk settled, the afterglow of the sunset dappled the ground.

The carriage stopped in front of Weiyan Tower, and a middle-aged man alighted from it. He was wearing a dark blue robe with trim that was neither new nor old, and strolled into the main hall.

Is your boss here?

Jiang Bai found the man unfamiliar and replied with a smile, "The master is busy. If you would like to eat anything, just tell me!"

“I’m not here for a meal. Your boss is my daughter. I’m here today to see her.”

"Ah! It's Master Yuan!" Jiang Bai said with a smile. "The master is upstairs, I'll take you there!"

Summer is approaching, and Yuanzhi is planning to make some ice cream to sell. He looks up and thinks for a moment, then looks down and scribbles a few lines on a piece of paper.

At this moment, a sheet of Xuan paper is already filled with notes.

She picked up a new sheet of paper and was about to start writing when there was a knock on the door.

"Master, Master Yuan has arrived!"

Yuan Zhi's hand trembled. "Father, what is he doing here?"

"Invite him in."

The door opened from the outside, and Yuan Pu stepped in, looking around.

"I've heard you opened a restaurant, but this is my first time here. It looks quite nice."

Yuan Zhi put down his pen and stood up to greet him.

"Father, what brings you here?"

Yuan Pu sat down, took the tea from her hand, and said with dissatisfaction, "You were so angry about the Imperial Concubine that you refused to go back to your parents' home. Your father missed you, so he had to come here to see you."

Yuan Zhi smiled and said, "My daughter wants to go back, but she's been too busy lately and can't find the time."

"He is indeed busy, not only with the restaurant business, but also with investigating your mother's background. He even wants to get involved in the affairs of the Leopard Guard."

"How did Father know...?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she instantly understood.

"The attack on the ships and the siege of Qingzhou were all your doing!"