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

The next day, Xiao Zong left the palace and went to work at the Leopard Guard without even changing his clothes.

When he got home that evening, exhausted, he hugged Yuanzhi as soon as he entered the house and rubbed against her neck.

Yuan Zhi stroked his back, "What's wrong? Why are you so clingy?"

"miss you."

Yuan Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "Is this still Lord Xiao? He's learned to speak sweet words after just a few days!"

Xiao Zong hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his body to fill the huge emptiness in his heart.

"I'm only telling you this."

"That's wonderful! I can't accept something for nothing. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

He kissed her earlobe, gently biting and licking it, watching her squint her eyes in ticklishness, yet he still wouldn't let her go.

"I want you, will you give yourself to me?"

Yuan Zhi listened to his pounding heartbeat, her thoughts drifting. "It's possible, but you have to let me think about what I can get out of you!"

"Not enough sweet talk?"

"Lord Xiao, let's get practical."

"What counts as practical?"

"Gold and silver, real estate deeds, antiques and jade, famous paintings and treasures are all included!"

Xiao Zong laughed, "These are all in the private vault. Didn't I give you the key? You can take them anytime you want!"

Yuan Zhi looked up. "It's different. I can control those things only because I have the power to manage the household, but they don't belong to me at all. I want to have my own wealth, my own courtyard, and never be controlled by anyone!"

"Is the restaurant short of money?"

She gave a dejected "hmm," and said, "There were quite a few guests on the opening day, but they were all there for Lan's sake, with the aim of arranging a marriage between them and the Marquis of Changping's family. In the end, only Lord Liang's daughter, Liang Que, took a liking to the eldest son of the third branch of the Marquis's family. The other girls didn't even get to see the men from the Chu family before they were sent to the palace."

Those ladies are secretly crying at home and have no time to patronize my little shop, so business has naturally plummeted. All my money has been used to cover the losses, so I can only turn to you for help!"

Xiao Zong smiled knowingly and couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation, "You serve me a bath, and I'll transfer half of my assets to you, how about that?"

"You said it yourself, a promise is a promise!"

Yuan Zhi, being both flexible and adaptable, readily agreed and went out to have his servants prepare water.

With everything prepared, Yuan Zhi pulled Xiao Zong into the next room.

Inside, the air was filled with mist and a subtle fragrance. Her hand rested on his belt, and her heart pounded wildly, completely out of control.

The palace sash couldn't be untied after several attempts; it had become a knot that was impossible to untie.

Yuan Zhi wanted to go out and get the scissors, but Xiao Zong pulled her back, saying, "It's not easy to get a gift from you. If you break this, when are you going to compensate me for the next one?"

Yuan Zhi is busy all day long, she has no time for these girly things, "When I have free time..."

"You're always busy with this and that, where do you find the time? Okay, you rest, I'll untie it myself."

"No way! I promised to serve you, so I have to do my best! What if after the bath you find fault with me and say I'm being lazy, and then you dock my pay?"

She bent down, her eyes fixed on the knot around his waist. She tried to untie it with her fingers and then with her fingernails, using all her strength to finally untie it.

"okay!"

She pulled out the palace sash and was about to throw it to the ground when a splash of red caught her eye.

That touch of red was just a small dot, but it stood out especially because the palace sash was light blue.

She gripped the sash tightly and said weakly, "Husband, it's too stuffy in the room. Why don't I go to the bedroom and wait for you?"

Xiao Zong assumed that she was still traumatized after the incident at the Wu Prince's Mansion, so he quickly told her to go back and rest.

Yuan Zhi sat on the edge of the bed, carefully examining what the red dot was. She rubbed it between her fingertips and discovered it was a woman's nail polish, and immediately felt terrible.

How intimate must the actions be for nail polish to get on the sash?

Recalling his sweet words, she felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. She was diligently managing the restaurant outside, while he was having an affair in the palace!

"Luomei, throw his bedding out. He is not allowed to enter my room again!"

Luo Mei rushed in from outside, her temples throbbing. "Miss, what has the young master done to upset you again?"

"Don't worry about him, just throw his bedding out. I think his bedroom is almost ready, let him go back to his old place!"

Luo Mei was carrying her bedding and walking out when Yuan Zhi called out to her, "Wait!"

"Miss?"

Yuan Zhi sighed: "Let's put it back!"

Luo Mei put down her bedding and slipped out.

Yuan Zhi was furious and wanted to kick him out, but then she thought that the restaurant was short of money, so she might as well squeeze him out of money to get through this crisis first!

After taking a shower, Xiao Zong pushed open the door and came in. He saw her sitting at her desk, lost in thought, not knowing what she was thinking.

He intended to scare her, but when he walked over, he saw the calligraphy copybook he had previously practiced spread out on the table, with his and her names written on the rice paper next to it.

"The clerical script is too rigid; I don't usually use it to write my name."

Yuan Zhi turned her head, "Then what font should we use?"

Xiao Zong flicked her forehead. "Still thinking about your secret stash? Don't worry, I promised you, how could I go back on my word?"

He picked up a blank sheet of Xuan paper, wrote a pledge, and voluntarily donated half of his private treasury to his wife, Madam Yuan.

Yuan Zhi watched him sign the document and affix his personal seal, then immediately put it into a box and placed it on her bedside table.

Xiao Zong followed her and, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, tackled her from behind.

"Will you keep your promise to me?"

Yuan Zhi, whose body was being pressed down by him, pushed him aside with her backhand.

She straddled him, pulled out her hairpin, let down her long hair, threw her clothes behind her, and leaned down to press her lips to his.

"Husband, don't be impatient, we...we'll take it slowly!"

Xiao Zong's breathing became rapid, and he felt dizzy. The air around him was filled with a subtle fragrance, as if he were having a beautiful dream from which he could not wake up.

He was like a hiker in the desert, desperately thirsting for a drop of rain, while she was a fairy sent by heaven to bring rain. His life and fortune depended entirely on her.

But this fairy was exceptionally mischievous. She seemed curious about his dying struggle, yet also like an indifferent bystander, delaying giving him a quick death.

He finally lost his temper, grabbed her wrist, turned the tables, and took control.

"I can't wait."

Outside the window, the moonlight was soft and gentle, and all was quiet, but inside, there was a lively atmosphere with soft whispers and murmurs.

The jade pot dripped drop by drop until dawn, and the sounds of the two people on the bed gradually subsided, their tender moments buried beneath the quilt.

Yuan Zhi was exhausted and her whole body ached terribly. She glared at Xiao Zong coquettishly and turned her back to him in a huff.

But the man, oblivious to his own restraint, pulled her close from behind and asked, "Would you like to take a bath?"

Yuan Zhi grabbed his hand and bit it, "You've kept me up all night and don't even want the servants to sleep, Lord Xiao, do you have any humanity?!"

"I'm innocent! I was just thinking of you!"

"Thank you, but it's not necessary. I'm going to sleep. Take your hand away!"

Xiao Zong kissed her shoulder, still wanting more, and said, "It's this late, can you still sleep? Why don't you..."

He pressed down on him again, and Yuan Zhi kicked him, yelling, "You beast!"