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

After leaving the Marquis of Changping's residence, Yuan Zhi went to the clinic to see Chen Qing and Luo Mei, and then took a detour to the restaurant.

There was a poisoning incident yesterday, and people are afraid to come to eat here. Apart from the manager and the waiters, there wasn't a single customer in the entire hall.

"The Message Provider" came over, seemingly wanting to comfort her, but she raised her hand to stop him and went upstairs alone.

When she was just a few steps away from the top of the stairs, she heard a noise from upstairs and quickened her pace.

"County Lord?"

Xu Muxin sat on the railing of the outer room on the second floor, with a table in front of her laden with food and wine. Two maids stood behind her, fanning her gently.

"Mr. Yuan is here. Sit down and have a drink with me!"

Xu Muxin, like a crabapple blossom in spring rain, blushed slightly and invited him with hazy, drunken eyes.

Yuan Zhi walked over, sat down, poured himself a glass of wine, and gulped it down.

As her frustration subsided slightly, a glint of light flickered in her eyes, making her seem unpredictable.

"Why has the county princess come?"

"I'm here to answer your questions." Xu Muxin's lips curled slightly. "Didn't you have something to ask me?"

Yuan Zhi didn't expect that she would still remember it after just one night.

Your smile yesterday made me very uneasy.

Xu Muxin stared at the rouge on the rim of the cup and said clearly, "It's not directed at you, so you don't need to worry. My mother dislikes Prince Kang but has no choice but to help him, so she just wants me to cause some trouble."

Yuan Zhi said, "Letting Prince Kang feel a bit of cold wind won't kill him. He's not a child, yet he's playing these kinds of tricks!"

“That’s not right!” Xu Muxin poured the wine on the ground. “It may not matter to us, but it’s a different story for the King of Wu. He’s a sickly man; even a minor cold could kill him.”

"No wonder I didn't see the Prince earlier." Yuan Zhi held up his wine cup and asked, "What grudge does *** have against Prince Kang? Why do you want him dead?"

After meeting him yesterday, she felt that Kang Wang was a good person and hoped that he would be lucky enough to survive!

"It is said that my mother once wanted to take the eldest son of the Marquis of Changping as her male concubine, but was stopped by the Prince of Kang, and the two became enemies from then on."

"Isn't it too hasty for siblings to turn against each other because of a man?"

"Don't underestimate him!" Xu Muxin chuckled. "The eldest son of the Marquis of Changping could read at the age of three, memorize what he read at five, passed the provincial examination at the age of twenty, and became a Jinshi at the age of twenty, entering the court as an official in the same year. Such an exceptionally intelligent young man is a rare find, and coupled with his handsome and dashing appearance, wouldn't you like him?"

"like."

Yuan Zhi answered truthfully.

She rested her chin on her hand and continued, "I had only heard of Young Master Chu's romantic escapades before, but I never imagined he possessed such extraordinary talent. Alas, he died too young. If he were still alive, he would surely be a handsome old man with a magnificent beard!"

Xu Muxin teased her, "If you can't see Master Chu, there's still Master Xiao, isn't there?"

"Xiao Zong?"

Yuan Zhi thought about what he would look like in his forties, and his body trembled. Even when he was old, he would still be a cold and hard rock!

"Let's not talk about him. How did you run into my men yesterday?"

"Your buddy?" Xu Muxin paused before drinking, then said, "My mother has been keeping a close eye on me lately, summoning me every day to copy Buddhist scriptures. I happened to be there when your man went, so I came along."

Yuan Zhi nodded with some doubt, "Then, did *** know you came here today?"

Xu Muxin looked up, "Why have you become so cautious?"

"The doctors in the southern border region have superb medical skills. They must have a great use for *** if they keep her hidden away. If I just bring her into the open like this, won't she hate me to death?"

"Hate is hate, but if she wants Xiao Zong to work for her, she won't touch you."

"What kind of effect? ​​If it's to be a male concubine, I won't agree."

Xu Muxin beckoned with her finger, and when Yuan Zhi got closer, she used her fan to cover their faces and whispered, "My mother is old and doesn't have the energy for this."

After saying that, the two of them stepped back in unison, cleared their throats as if to appear serious, but couldn't help themselves and burst into laughter.

*

The six men captured by the Six Doors were jointly interrogated by the three judicial departments, and the cases ultimately narrowed down to Hu San'er and Sun Laoliu.

The two men accused each other, neither admitting to poisoning the other. The Ministry of Justice used all sorts of severe torture, but the two remained steadfast in their denials. Fearing the Emperor's wrath, the officials had no choice but to consult Xiao Zong.

Xiao Zongdao said, "If they still don't confess after being tortured, either they have a grievance or the mastermind has something on them. We can't force them."

He ordered the Ministry of Justice to check if the two men's families were safe, and then took the Ministry of Justice clerks to Weiyan Tower.

Yuan Zhi was seeing Xu Muxin off when she bumped into Xiao Zong, who pulled her out of the way, saying, "Aren't you watching where you're going? Is there gold on the ground?"

Xu Muxin leaned against the maid, drunk and unsteady, her eyes suddenly brightening.

"Oh! Master Xiao has arrived!"

Yuan Zhizhen wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground. She said to the maid, "Quickly take your county princess back to the manor!"

The maid was also worried that her mistress would catch a cold from the wind, so she helped the county princess into the carriage.

Yuan Zhi gazed at Xiao Zong, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling.

"I'd love to! It's a pity no immortal taught me the secret technique to turn stones into gold, otherwise I could turn not only this ground, but even the roof tiles into a golden hue!"

Xiao Zong chuckled and pulled her inside.

"Did I raise a mythical creature? It only takes in and never gives out, swallowing so much of my treasure, and it still complains about being poor!"

"What do you mean, your treasure? It's clearly my treasure!"

Xiao Zong compromised, "Fine, everything is yours, and my money is naturally yours too."

Yuan Zhi said smugly, "That's more like it!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The clerk and his assistant kept coughing, so the two of them quieted down a bit. Yuanzhi asked them what they had come for.

"Investigate the case."

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Zong transformed into the cold and ruthless Commander Xiao, leaving everyone terrified. This man's change of expression was faster than flipping through a book!

He mainly asked Hu San'er and Sun Laoliu if there were any unusual behaviors or if they were different from usual.

A maid stepped forward and said, "Yesterday the doctor asked me to get medicine, and Hu San'er volunteered to go. He's usually very lazy, so his sudden eagerness must be suspicious!"

The cook said, "If you ask me, Sun Laoliu is much more cunning than Hu San'er. Look at his shrewd face, who can compare to him in terms of cunning?"

The clerk couldn't help but remind him: "Don't judge a book by its cover!"

"Yes, sir."

……

After the interrogation, the clerk returned to the Ministry of Justice with a stack of records, while Xiao Zong and Yuan Zhi took a walk home.

The two walked hand in hand, enjoying the scenery.

"If you run out of money, just ask me for it. Don't be shy about asking."

Upon hearing his words, Yuan Zhi said pitifully, "I have the money, but I just can't swallow this! I've prepared for this day of heavy snow for a long time and put in a lot of effort, but I never expected to fail at the last minute."

It was my carelessness that made me forget to be wary of the King of Wu. What hurts me even more is being betrayed by someone I trusted. My husband, I'm so tired!

Xiao Zong comforted him, "Go back and get a good night's sleep. Your husband will avenge you."

She hugged him. "That's the King of Wu. Are you sure you can handle this, my husband?"

"We have to do it even if we're not sure, since he offended my wife!"