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

Xiao Rong had just started talking to Young Master Lu when her elder brother's backflip interrupted her, making her stomp her feet in anger.

"Sister-in-law, you need to control my brother!"

Yuan Zhi threw down her fan, lifted her skirt, and jumped down.

She had no intention of participating today, and her attire was extremely elaborate. As she ran, she kept dropping her jewelry, looking like a money-spraying fairy.

Some mischievous kid kicked a ball at her face. She lifted her skirt, about to retaliate, when she suddenly remembered her purpose on the field and quickly lowered her raised leg.

Seeing that she neither dodged nor dodged, but stood there like a wooden statue, Xiao Zong gritted his teeth and ran quickly toward her.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, then nimbly spun half a circle to shield her from the ball.

"You can't even play Cuju (ancient Chinese football), what are you doing here! Getting kicked?"

His face darkened, and he roared at her.

Yuan Zhi's almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears. "Aren't you here? With you here, I'm not afraid."

She hadn't quite grasped his barrage of questions, but after being exposed to the cold wind on the high platform, she suddenly understood.

He was angry that she had deceived him, angry that she had alienated him from his brothers and mother, and angry that she had acted recklessly without regard for her own safety.

After all, she was in the wrong first, so Yuanzhi thought for a moment and decided she had to coax him. So she picked out some nice things to say to him.

A woman nearby said to her friend, "Lord Xiao is so fierce! I just praised his handsomeness, but I didn't expect him to have such a bad temper!"

A man in the crowd chimed in, "That's right! How can a man bear to scold such a beautiful wife? He's a disgrace to men!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhi grasped Xiao Zong's hand, tilted her head, and said, "Lord Xiao's reputation has plummeted. I'm afraid the girls in Shengjing will not dare to marry you. My lord, please bear with me and grow old together!"

A faint smile appeared in Xiao Zong's eyes, but he maintained his tough stance and said arrogantly, "How rare!"

He shoved her hand away and strode forward.

Actually, he didn't blame her for what happened to Xiao Shen. Gamblers are hard to reform, and even if she didn't take action, he would find an opportunity to teach his younger brother a lesson.

As for mothers, that's even more out of the question!

Mother almost beat Zhi'er to death to protect Chengqi, so it's understandable that Zhi'er was angry and spoke back.

He was angry because she didn't value her own life. She had clearly set a trap, but she insisted on watching the wild beast fall into it without considering the danger at all.

Yuan Zhi followed behind him with her hands behind her back and her chin raised.

Little brat, still pretending!

The two returned to the high platform, and the field returned to calm. Xiao Rong and Young Master Lu cooperated with each other and scored several goals in a row.

As the next match began, General Fuyuan's eldest son suddenly unleashed his power, dribbling, controlling the ball, passing, and flying kicks with near perfection, overwhelming Xiao Rong and Young Master Lu's team.

Xiao Zong praised, "Young Master Baili's ball skills are quite good!"

Yuan Zhi echoed, "My husband and I share the same opinion! More importantly, Young Master Baili is handsome and pleasing to the eye."

The man's face darkened immediately upon hearing this, and he picked up a hawthorn preserve and stuffed it into her mouth.

Yuan Zhi chewed it subconsciously, and the sourness made her teeth feel weak.

This is blatant revenge!

As the competition drew to a close, Young Master Baili emerged with the most points, and a maidservant presented him with a gilded wine cup, her smile radiant.

"Young Master Baili's momentum is unstoppable, this prize is yours!"

Young Master Baili took it and walked up to Xiao Rong. "Here you go."

Xiao Rong lost two balls to him on the court, and got angry whenever she saw him, shouting, "I don't want to!"

The Fuyuan General's Mansion is no ordinary family; it cannot be easily offended.

Yuan Zhi stepped in to smooth things over, "Rong'er, Young Master Baili's offer is very kind, please accept it!"

Xiao Rong pouted and reluctantly accepted it, planning to throw it in the kitchen later.

Young Master Lu had already felt that Xiao Rong was arrogant, so he shifted his gaze to the other young ladies of the Xiao family.

Xiao Xuan, from the third wife's family, is a quiet and gentle girl.

……

After seeing the guests off, Yuan Zhi tugged at Xiao Zong's sleeve, "Let's go see my mother-in-law and brother-in-law!"

Xiao Zong was worried that his mother would make things difficult for her, so he said calmly, "I'll go. You and Luo Mei should go back to Songfeng Courtyard first."

"Alright."

Yuanzhi was exhausted after a long day and had no energy to argue with her mother-in-law and brother-in-law, so she avoided it if possible.

After she finished bathing, she intended to wait for Xiao Zong to return, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she fell asleep immediately.

Xiao Zong went to the main courtyard and the reed courtyard, only to be ridiculed by his mother and treated coldly by his younger brother. He was heartbroken beyond words.

But that's life; everyone's fate is filled with separation from loved ones and unfulfilled desires. Even though Xiao Congyun held immense power, he was no exception.

All he could do was huddle together with those around him for warmth and comfort.

*

In winter, water freezes instantly, and Shengjing City soon welcomed its second snowfall.

After Xiao Shen was injured, his personality became increasingly eccentric, and he did not allow anyone other than Zhang Hui to get close to him.

Poor Zhang Hui, heavily pregnant, fed Xiao Shen water and medicine every day and washed his body, and she quickly lost weight.

Granny Li felt sorry for her daughter and was afraid that pleading for her would anger the madam, so she could only secretly shed tears. In the end, she couldn't bear it any longer and went to Yuanzhi for help.

"Please, young mistress, lend a helping hand!"

Yuan Zhi, wrapped in a cloak, looked languid. "Your daughter went to great lengths to release Xiao Shen, but did she ever imagine this day would come?"

"Hui'er was confused for a moment, please don't hold it against her. I will never forget the kindness that the young mistress has shown to my mother and me!"

Yuan Zhi gave a mocking smile, saying that all the flattery he had said was useless.

“Zhang Hui has openly betrayed me. I promised not to touch her because you helped me test Xiao Shen. Now she comes to ask me for help. Is Granny Li old and senile, thinking I have the heart of a saint?”

Granny Li groveled at her feet, "Young Madam, this is the last time. As long as you help Hui'er, I'm willing to serve you like a slave for the rest of my life!"

"I don't need any servants, and you don't have anything I need on you. Luo Mei, show the guest out!"

Luo Mei invited Granny Li outside, and when she returned, she saw that Yuan Zhi looked exhausted, so she helped her lie down to rest.

A maidservant bribed by Zhang Hui in Songfeng Courtyard peeked through the curtain and saw what was happening inside, and quickly reported it to Aunt Zhang.

“Recently, the young mistress has been feeling sleepy all the time, and there is often medicinal soup simmering on the stove. I suspect that the young mistress may be pregnant.”

Zhang Hui stroked her belly. "According to you, that medicine was for preventing miscarriage?"

"pretty close."

Zhang Hui smiled knowingly and instructed her personal maid to give the other party two taels of silver.

"You did a great job. Go back now. I have something important to tell you later."

The maidservant said happily, "Thank you, Auntie! No, thank you, Second Young Mistress!"

After the outsiders left, Zhang Hui asked her personal maid to find a wandering doctor to get a strong medicine that caused Yuan Zhi to miscarry.

Now that her second master is useless, she can only rely on herself.

If Yuanzhi's child is born, he will be the legitimate son of the Xiao family, which will inevitably take away the favor of her child. She will never allow such a thing to happen!

After the maid returned, Zhang Hui asked her to give the medicine to the maid in Songfeng Courtyard and switch the two kinds of medicine.

The "pregnancy-preserving medicine" in her hands was like a hot potato. Fearing something might go wrong, the maid handed the medicine to Zhang Hui.

Zhang Hui thought that Yuan Zhi, as the principal wife, would naturally have better things than her, so she handed the medicine to a maid and asked her to brew it and bring it over.

Unexpectedly, after drinking a bowl of herbal medicine, she started bleeding.

Zhang Hui cried out, "My child! Go get a doctor, hurry!"