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

The wheels rolled over the white snow, leaving black ruts.

Weiyang Street is bustling with traffic, mostly people going to Weiyanlou for meals and drinks.

The soldiers of the West City Military Command worked intermittently, taking breaks as they went, afraid of splashing dirty water on the distinguished guests.

The soldier, leaning on his broom, said, "Sir, at this rate, when will we ever finish? Why don't we sweep other streets first and then clean Weiyang Street later?"

The commander said dejectedly, "The owner of Weiyan Tower is Commander Xiao's wife. Today, all the people who came to the restaurant were the wives of high-ranking officials. If they step in the mud, how can we have a good life in the future?"

"You are also a commander, why are you afraid of Xiao Zong?"

"Are sixth-rank officials the same as third-rank officials? Don't you dare get me into trouble, my whole family depends on me to support them!"

The soldier, full of mischievous ideas, sidled up to him and said, "Isn't the Ninth Prince the Commander of the Northern City? If you invite him to oversee things, even if the nobles have complaints, they won't dare to say anything."

The commander pointed at him, "You little rascal! Wait here, I'll go and fetch him right now!"

He rode away, and the soldier picked up a broom, preparing to sweep the snowmelt into the ditch. He had only swung it twice when a vehicle came hurtling towards him, and he froze on the spot, unable to move.

Seeing this, the driver quickly tightened the reins, and the horse reared up and neighed incessantly, but fortunately it stopped before hitting people.

Yuan Zhi fell backward, her head hitting the side wall of the carriage. She covered her forehead and quickly lifted the curtain.

"Did you bump into someone?"

"Almost," the driver said, still shaken.

Yuan Zhi looked at the man in front of the carriage and saw that he was from the Five Cities Military Command. Suddenly, she understood why Xiao Zong had left so early.

She took out a silver ingot and asked the driver to give it to the man, saying, "I'm so sorry, young man. I was in a hurry and almost hurt you. I apologize to you."

The soldier, seeing the woman's beauty—as lovely as a peach blossom, with pearly white teeth and bright eyes—thought she was an unmarried young woman. Hearing her refer to herself as "this humble servant," he realized she was already married, and wondered which fortunate man was to have such a beautiful wife!

"I...I'm fine. The roads are slippery in the snow, please drive carefully, Madam!"

"I have written it down."

I regret not listening to Luo Mei's advice!

She looked around and saw that all the soldiers from the Military Command were standing by the roadside, and she instantly understood what was going on.

"Young man, is your commander here?"

"Is the lady looking for my master?"

Yuan Zhi smiled gently: "I am the owner of Wei Yan Lou. There are many guests today, and carriages and people are coming and going, which may delay your work. Please tell the commander that if the snow in other places has not been cleared, you can go to other places first. I will spare two workers in this area to help with the cleaning."

The soldier clasped his hands in greeting, "So it's Madam Xiao. My apologies! My master... he went to Beicheng on business. I will definitely convey his message when he returns."

"Thank you very much."

Yuan Zhi lowered the curtain and said to the coachman, "Let's go."

The carriage slowed down and headed towards Weiyan Tower.

Before long, the commander rode over with the Ninth Prince on horseback. The soldier pulled the official aside and relayed Madam Xiao's original words to him.

The commander slammed his fist into his palm. "Ouch! I should have left a little later!"

The soldier said, "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away. What should we do now?"

The commander closed his eyes briefly. "I'll try to fool him!"

*

The Weiyanlou Restaurant was bustling with activity, and every seat was taken.

Yuan Zhi greeted everyone and then stepped onto the stairs.

Chu Lan, who was leaning listlessly against the railing, brightened up when she saw her coming up. "Sister-in-law!"

As Yuan Zhi walked, she untied the belt of her cloak and looked up at her. "Lan Yin is here. Where is your brother?"

"Isn't having me enough?"

"I'm counting on ripping off my customers today! Your brother drank my good wine, and he won't be leaving without spending at least ten taels!"

Chu Fengchen emerged from behind Chu Lanyin with Liang Que, saying nonchalantly, "Luckily, I brought enough money with me today, otherwise, I would have had to stay and work as a farmhand!"

Yuan Zhi handed the cloak to the maid and walked over slowly. "You gave me a heads-up. The building is short of someone to hang lanterns. My cousin is tall and strong, so he probably won't even need a ladder. He'll be perfect for me!"

Liang Que chuckled. Chu Fengchen shook his head. Few people could handle his cousin-in-law's sharp tongue!

Chu Lan grabbed her sleeve, her small mouth agape, "Sister-in-law, you're being unfair! My brother and Sister Liang both got a pot of good wine, why did I get left out?"

"You have the nerve to say that? Do the math yourself, how long has it been since you last came to Wei Yan Lou? Would you have come if I didn't make you a little jealous?"

Chu Lan hugged her arm and whispered, "There's a reason for this. These past few days, I've been inquiring about Imperial Censor Qin's progress in Jiaozhou, which is why I haven't had time to come over."

"How is it?"

"Everything is ready; we are just waiting to return to the capital."

Yuan Zhi nodded and smiled, "You misunderstood. Order whatever you want to eat today, it's on me!"

"Thank you, cousin-in-law!"

Chu Fengchen pointed to himself and Liang Que, "Then we..."

Yuan Zhi smiled and wagged her finger, "If you two don't work out, fine, but you can't even afford to treat us to a meal, Young Master Chu!"

"No way, put Lan Yin's on my tab too!"

Yuan Zhi said to Chu Lanyin, "Look, it's not that I don't want to pay, it's just that your brother insisted on treating us. I'm just passing on his money as an apology."

"I agree!" Chu Lanyin said, "No wonder they say there's no merchant without cunning. Cousin-in-law, you're sure to be a great cunning merchant in the future!"

"Thanks for the compliment!"

The group chatted amiably when a waiter ran upstairs, saying, "Master, we have distinguished guests, but there are no seats available on either floor."

Yuan Zhi said, "Tell the guest if he can come back in the evening, or invite him to the backyard for a cup of tea. We can invite him to sit down at a table when there are empty seats."

The waiter was sweating profusely with anxiety. "We can't rush him, and we can't wait any longer. It's the Ninth Prince, the Emperor's younger brother!"

Yuan Zhi was taken aback. Her wine was so famous that it had attracted the Ninth Prince.

"Quick, take me there!"

Chu Lanyin exchanged a glance with her brother, and Chu Fengchen caught up with Yuan Zhi, "Sister-in-law, we're all family, it doesn't matter where we eat. Let's give our private room to the Prince!"

"Alright."

The three of them went down to the first floor, and Yuanzhi saw that the Ninth Prince was talking with several officials' families, so he hurriedly went forward to greet him.

"I was unaware of Your Highness's arrival and have been very negligent. Please forgive me!"

"It's alright, it's alright. I came uninvited, please don't be offended, Madam Xiao! It's just that your wine smells so good that I couldn't resist it."

Yuan Zhi replied, "It is a blessing that it is homemade and Your Highness has shown such favor. I have prepared wine and dishes upstairs. Please do me the honor of joining me for a banquet at Wei Yan Lou."

"Madam Xiao, don't try to fool me. The waiter just said there were no seats available, but as soon as he heard it was me, there were seats available immediately? Did you chase away the commoners to make room for me?"

Yuan Zhi laughed and said, "You're wronging me. That room was reserved for the Chu siblings. They offered it to you when they heard you were coming. I'm just here to deliver a message. If you're not going, you'll have to explain it to them yourself. Otherwise, I'll be caught in the middle, pleasing neither side!"

The Ninth Prince remembered that the Xiao family and the Chu family were related by marriage, understood the meaning behind her words, and immediately burst into laughter.

"Xiao Zong is usually as serious as a block of wood, but his wife is lively and interesting! Take me upstairs. We are all subjects of Daqi, so why distinguish between inside and outside? Let's sit together and drink at the same table!"