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

New Year's Eve.

Amidst the thunder, fireworks burst forth like crimson clouds, illuminating the sky as bright as day. Beneath the emerald eaves and bronze tiles, music and dance filled the air, the clamor never ceasing.

The Xiao residence was brightly decorated, but the atmosphere at the banquet was unusually somber.

Qin handed two large red envelopes to Xiao Shen and Xiao Rong respectively. Zhang Hui glanced at them enviously, touched her flat stomach, and then looked at the culprit who had killed her child.

Yuan Zhi glanced at her, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Self-inflicted sin, do not live!

Xiao Zong had anticipated that his mother would embarrass Yuan Zhi, and had made preparations in advance. He reached into his sleeve, took out the New Year's money he had prepared for her, and placed it in front of her.

"For you."

Yuan Zhi paused for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She reached out and picked it up. Hmm, why is it so light?

Did you put money in there?

"I'm sorry for being rude. Please thank me first."

He stopped her from opening the red envelope, his narrow eyes fixed on her with a forceful and stubborn gaze.

Yuan Zhi conceded, "Thank you—so is there money inside?"

Xiao Zong took a sip of the fragrant wine and said, "No."

Yuan Zhi flicked his hand and threw the red envelope back, knowing that he wasn't so kind!

Their back-and-forth banter appeared to onlookers no different from flirting. Qin's brow furrowed deeper and deeper; the delicious food tasted like wax. She slammed down her chopsticks and stormed off the table.

Xiao Rong was startled and cried out "Mother!" Qin Shi didn't respond and walked away without looking back. Xiao Shen didn't want to stay any longer, so he pulled Zhang Hui over to use as a crutch and limped out.

Xiao Rong looked at her second brother's back, then at her brother and sister-in-law, holding a piece of sweet and sour fish, at a loss.

Seeing her hesitation, Yuan Zhi comforted her, saying, "Our grudges have nothing to do with you. Eat and drink as you please, don't feel burdened."

"Oh."

Xiao Rong obediently responded and continued to eat.

Xiao Zong glanced at Yuan Zhi's thin chin and placed the roast chicken and plate in front of her. "Don't talk about others. If you don't eat more, Madam, you'll be the first noblewoman in Shengjing to starve to death!"

Yuan Zhi looked at him speechlessly, "Lord Xiao, your way of showing concern is really peculiar. A whole chicken, how am I supposed to eat it?"

"If you have hands that you don't use, you might as well chop them off!"

"You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. Tomorrow I'll poison your tea and make you mute!"

Xiao Rong stared in disbelief for a long time before finally saying, "Brother, sister-in-law, how old are you? Why are you still arguing like children?"

Yuan Zhi stretched out her hands, which were adorned with nail polish. "It's your older brother who doesn't know how to cherish women! I sat there for an hour just to get this balsam juice, and now you want me to use these hands to tear apart a chicken? Could you handle that?"

Xiao Rong shook her head repeatedly, "I can't take it!"

With his sister and wife on the same side, Xiao Zong closed his eyes and opened them again, choosing to accommodate both of them.

He took out a dagger and quickly dismembered the roast chicken, throwing a chicken leg into each of their bowls.

After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, Xiao Zong and Yuan Zhi returned to Songfeng Courtyard.

Luo Mei bowed to the two men, said a few auspicious words, and received a reward of twenty taels of silver.

Yuan Zhi yawned and walked into the house in a daze. When she got to the door, she tried to open it but couldn't. She lowered her eyes and saw a locked brass padlock.

Who locked the door?

Luo Mei pursed her lips and suppressed a laugh, "Miss, it was Zhao Mama who locked it."

"Where's the key? Open the door!"

"Granny Zhao took the key, and all your belongings have been moved to the main house. She said that couples who sleep in separate rooms on the first day of the Lunar New Year are unlikely to stay together forever. So, whether you and your husband pretend or not, you must live together these next few days!"

"I've never heard of that before."

"Granny is old, she certainly knows more than we do! Since things have come to this, please go and rest in the main house!"

Yuan Zhi grabbed the lock and said, "Call Chen Qing here and have him pry this lock off for me!"

Luo Mei didn't move. Xiao Zong didn't want to see her go crazy, so he strode over and dragged her towards the main house.

"Today is New Year's Eve. The maids and servants have been busy all day and finally have a chance to rest. Don't make a fuss and disturb everyone's peace."

Luo Mei is on night watch tonight. After Yuan Zhi finished bathing, he said that she didn't need to be served tonight and told her to put out the candles and go back to sleep.

Yuan Zhi dried her hair and saw that Xiao Zong was asleep on the outside of the bed. She tiptoed to the bedside, took off her shoes, stepped over him, and lay down on the inside.

Dry your hair.

Xiao Zong woke up when she entered the room, but he didn't open his eyes.

Yuan Zhi was startled, but after regaining her composure, she said, "It's already dried."

The other person opened their eyes, gathered her waist-length hair in their hand, and spoke in a lazy and hoarse voice, as if just waking up.

"Water has dripped onto the tatami mat."

Yuan Zhi's nightgown was already soaked with the ends of her hair; she was just being lazy and didn't want to wipe it off. Now that he had caught her, her cheeks turned red, like a ripe lychee.

Xiao Zong got up, tossed the cotton handkerchief she had left on the shelf over, and returned to his original position to continue lying there like a corpse. Yuan Zhi had no choice but to continue drying her hair.

After her hair was completely dry, she was so sleepy she was about to faint. She crawled to the foot of the bed to touch the blanket, but found nothing.

Xiao Zong gave her half of the quilt draped around his waist, saying, "Don't bother looking anymore. Granny already planned it out and only left one quilt."

Yuan Zhi twitched the corners of her mouth. Granny Zhao really had a lot of tricks up her sleeve to bring them together.

She placed a pillow between them on the bed, saying, "This is the boundary; no one is allowed to cross it!"

"Madam should say this to herself: as long as you sleep properly, the boundary marker will still be there tomorrow."

"you!"

Xiao Zong regained the upper hand, smiled, crossed his arms, and turned his back. Yuan Zhi was overcome with sleepiness, too lazy to argue with him, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

He heard even breathing behind him. Xiao Zong took out the red envelope that she had just thrown back and placed it under her pillow.

The next morning, the officials needed to go to the palace to offer their congratulations. Xiao Zong saw that she was sleeping soundly, so he took his clothes and went to the next room to wash up.

Yuan Zhi slept for half an hour longer than him. When he woke up, it was still dark outside, and only the sound of fireworks echoed in his ears.

She scooped up water from the copper basin to wash her face, and Luo Mei folded the quilt, when suddenly she let out a gasp.

"Miss, look at this!"

Yuan Zhi wiped her hands, took the red envelope, and asked in surprise, "I clearly threw it to Xiao Zong, so why did he give it back to me? Is it really necessary to argue about an empty red envelope?"

Luo Mei said, "Since we're going to throw it away anyway, why don't you open it and take a look, Miss?"

Yuan Zhi did as instructed and tore open a slit, suddenly finding a silver note inside. She was surprised; there really was something there!

Upon taking it out, it turned out to be a silver note worth ten thousand taels!

She was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth. Xiao Zong, this guy, actually has some conscience!

After changing her clothes, she went to the front hall and ordered someone to bring her writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

After paying their respects at court, officials of lower rank would visit the homes of officials of higher rank, and the two visits could easily be missed. Therefore, everyone would either present a visiting card or write their name on a piece of paper prepared by the host to indicate that they had been there.

People kept coming to offer New Year's greetings, and Yuan Zhi had to get up again as soon as he sat down, so he simply stood to greet them. By the end of the day, his legs were swollen and he was in great pain.