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

After reporting back to His Majesty, Xiao Zong returned to the Xiao residence to visit his mother and siblings. It was already quite late when he arrived at the house.

He pushed open the door and saw Yuan Zhi sitting on a stool, looking worried.

"It's so late, why aren't you asleep? What are you thinking about?"

He asked as he took off his outer robe.

Yuan Zhi forced a stiff smile, got up, took his clothes, and hung them on the wooden beam.

“We’ve faced danger several times on the way back to Beijing. Now that you’ve arrived with the evidence, how can the *** possibly sit idly by and wait to be killed? I’m worried something might happen to you; how can I sleep?”

Xiao Zong hugged her, "Don't worry, it's all in the past. With His Majesty protecting Shengjing City, no one dares to act rashly!"

Yuan Zhi nodded. "Would you like to take a bath?"

"No, I already washed up at the Xiao residence."

Xiao Zong picked her up, put her on the bed, and rubbed her head.

"Go to bed early."

Yuan Zhi hooked her arms around his neck, preventing him from leaving.

"Did you hand in that roster?"

Xiao Zong subconsciously hummed in agreement, then his eyes flickered. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"I'm just curious, given how badly it's damaged, can it even be repaired?"

"The Imperial Academy's doctors are keen on collecting rare ancient books, and the register is only twenty years old, so it's not difficult to restore them. Even if they can't be restored, it doesn't matter. Two of the officials who went to Shuozhou for disaster relief back then are still in court. If we ask them tomorrow, we can get information about the prisoners."

Yuan Zhi's expression changed slightly. His father was just a minor official back then. Xiao Zong didn't know that his father had gone to Shuozhou, but those two officials must know!

What should I do?

Xiao Zong ran his fingers through her long hair and asked gently, "You look so pale, are you feeling unwell?"

"No." Yuan Zhi smoothed his furrowed brow. "Go to sleep!"

The man noticed her unusual mood and assumed she was worried that the downfall of the government would implicate her father. He lay down, pulled her close, and whispered, "Did your father come to see you?"

Yuan Zhi shuddered. "How did you know?"

"Judging from your expression, I can guess seven or eight parts of the truth. He's contacting you now to ask you to find a way to destroy the roster and protect ***. My child, you mustn't be foolish, you absolutely cannot agree! What the Yuan family needs to do now is to sever ties with ***, not to perish with him!"

"But……"

But Uncle Chu wasn't killed by ***, it was her father!

Xiao Zong pinched her earlobe, his tone firm: "No buts! This is the only way to save the Yuan family!"

"I see."

The next morning, Yuan Zhi took a carriage to the Yuan residence.

Now that not only is there a roster, but two eyewitnesses are also in court, the matter of Chu Xia's drowning can no longer be concealed. Given this, it's best to confess and submit to the law as soon as possible; perhaps His Majesty will show leniency.

Passing by Guquan Lane, it was noisy and completely blocked.

Yuan Zhi lifted the carriage curtain, "What happened?"

The coachman said, "They say a high-ranking official has died, madam, let's take a detour!"

When Yuan Zhi saw the people from the Ministry of Justice, the word "good" stuck in his throat, and he could no longer speak.

He was murdered?!

Suddenly, she thought of something and patted the partition of the carriage. "Uncle Qian, let's not go to the Yuan residence. Take me to the Leopard Guard!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the thunderous sound of hooves came from behind. Yuan Zhi peeked out and immediately saw Xiao Zong riding on horseback.

She jumped down and waved to him.

Xiao Zong dismounted. "What are you doing here?"

"I was planning to go to the Yuan residence, but the carriage got stuck in the alley. I asked around and found out there had been a murder." She asked softly, "Was the deceased official one of the ones you mentioned last night?"

"Ah."

"Where's the other one?"

Xiao Zong said in a deep voice, "He's seriously injured. I don't know if he'll survive. We'll be evacuating here for a while. If you want to go back to your parents' home, take Fengwu Street!"

Yuan Zhi said, "I'm fine, you go ahead and do your work, official business is important!"

Xiao Zong nodded and led his subordinates through the crowd toward the mansion.

Uncle Qian asked, "Madam, are we still going to the Yuan residence?"

Yuan Zhi boarded the carriage. "No, let's change our route and go to the *** Mansion!"

The carriage arrived at the gate of the *** mansion, and Yuan Zhi sat in the carriage, waiting for the county princess to come out.

Xu Muxin was a smart woman; she knew that Xu Muxin would never visit unless it was something extremely important. And the manor was full of spies; such important matters could not be discussed there.

A short while later, Xu Muxin came out waving a fan, without a single maidservant behind her.

She stepped onto the carriage using a footstool, sat opposite Yuan Zhi, and pointed in the direction of Uncle Qian.

Is he reliable?

"reliable!"

"Okay, let's talk."

Yuan Zhi laughed, "So direct?"

"You didn't send Jiang Bai back to the manor, but instead came to see me personally, so it must be something extremely urgent. Although we haven't seen each other for a while, let's skip the formalities of asking after each other's well-being!"

“Alright, then I’ll be frank,” Yuan Zhi said. “I’ve heard that the son of Qi Ren, the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, is one of your close associates. I need you to persuade him to steal something from his father.”

Xu Muxin glanced at her, "Making me sacrifice my looks to get what you want, Boss Yuan, you're quite the businessman!"

Yuan Zhi said earnestly, "This thing is crucial evidence to bring down the ***. Helping me is helping yourself. I know who you love, and I know that your relationships with those men are just for show. Wouldn't it be better to get rid of the *** and start afresh?"

"What good will it do to get rid of him? Look at me now, so filthy and despicable! When I was pure and innocent, I couldn't even get a shred of pity from Feng Quan. How can I start over with him now?"

"Life isn't just about love! Does the absence of a man mean you have to die? Besides, Feng Quan is a gentleman. If he knew your difficulties, he would definitely understand and feel sorry for you!"

If he didn't care about you, why would he risk being punished by His Majesty to repeatedly submit memorials on your behalf? Those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see clearly. I can tell he likes you.

Xu Muxin held the fan tightly and fanned herself at the corner of her eyes, forcing back her tears.

What are you looking for?

Yuan Zhi replied: "The list of disaster relief personnel from the flood in Shuozhou in the first year of the reign of Emperor Yuan."

“Even if my mother instructed me to murder the eldest son of the Marquis of Changping, the blame will fall on that official. That alone won’t bring her down!”

"You're wrong. The murderer who killed Chu Xia wasn't your mother, but my father!"

"what?"

Yuan Zhi ignored her shock and continued:

"Besides him, there were two other officials in the capital who went to Shuozhou for disaster relief. One died this morning, and the other was seriously injured. *** wouldn't be foolish enough to kill an official appointed by the court; only my father would do that."

However, what we need to do is to fabricate everything as if it were done by ***. After stealing that register, keep it with you first. Once Xiao Zong traces it back to my father, then put it in ***'s bedroom.

Hearing this, Xu Muxin roughly understood her plan and looked at Yuan Zhi with considerable admiration.