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

Inside the tent, Yuan Zhi, dressed in plain clothes with his long, ebony hair draped behind his head, was trimming the lamp wick with small scissors.

Xiao Zong sat opposite him, flipping through a military treatise.

The candlelight was flickering because someone had trimmed it, but he was in a very good mood. After watching for a while, he slowly turned to the next page.

Yuan Zhi gritted her teeth in hatred. Xiao Zong, that bastard, couldn't win an argument with her, so he ignored her and spent days reading a tattered military book!

These past two days he's been keeping a close eye on her, sending Dou Zhao to follow her during the day and returning to his tent after his shift at night, not allowing her to leave his sight for even a moment.

It was bad enough that he kept her confined, but every night he would act as if he had been poisoned and rendered mute, not saying a word. When she deliberately provoked him, he would light calming incense and force her to sleep. She tried every trick in the book, but she couldn't get him to talk.

"How much longer are you going to keep watching?"

Xiao Zong thought she was sleepy, so he closed the book and turned off the light.

Yuan Zhi pointed scissors at him, "Xiao Zong, is this really necessary? You can trap me for a while, but you can't trap me forever! His Majesty has decreed that half of the wine in the palace must be purchased from me. What can you do when we return to Shengjing?"

Xiao Zong was afraid the scissors would hurt her, so he tried to pry her hands off. She held on tightly, refusing to let go, forcing him to respond.

Too lazy to argue, he took out a calming incense stick from the box and threw it into the brazier.

Yuan Zhi was furious: "You've used this trick again!"

She poured water onto the charcoal fire, and a burst of hot smoke shot up, blinding her. The scissors fell from her hand, and as she rubbed her eyes and crouched down to look for them, she accidentally bumped into the brazier.

Scalding hot charcoal slag flew everywhere. Xiao Zong reacted quickly, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to his side.

For the first time in many days, he spoke, and it was a scathing rebuke.

"How old are you? Still so reckless!"

Yuan Zhi was still shaken, but refused to admit defeat, and glared at him, saying, "Finally willing to speak?"

Xiao Zong fell silent again, released her hand, and tried to go back to his book. Yuan Zhi hooked her arm around his belt and pulled him closer, determined to get to the bottom of things.

"Master, our men have reported that Zheng..."

Upon receiving the news, Dou Zhao rushed to his master's tent. In the urgency of the situation, he completely forgot that the young mistress was also there, and almost let slip the secret.

The two people inside the tent were in an ambiguous position. Given the beautiful scenery and the romantic atmosphere, it was easy to guess what they had been doing. Dou Zhao clasped his hands and retreated, not daring to disturb his master and young mistress.

Yuan Zhi shouted, "Come back! Your master said that he and Consort Zheng are innocent. Now you are deliberately avoiding me. Are you implying that their relationship is ambiguous?"

Dou Zhao forced herself to step forward, "Young Madam, there's absolutely no such thing!"

Xiao Zong sighed helplessly, "No need to be coy, just say it."

"Yes!" Dou Zhao said, "Consort Zheng's maid hit the eldest grandson of the emperor and was taken away by the head maid in the empress's palace. She has not returned yet."

"When did this happen?"

Four days ago.

Yuan Zhi asked, "Why not use carrier pigeons to deliver messages?"

Xiao Zong explained, "The Imperial Guards have hawks and hunting dogs specifically for dealing with pigeons. My subordinates were probably afraid that the pigeons would be intercepted, so they sent them overland."

Yuan Zhi curled her lips, walked behind the desk and sat down, resting her chin on her hand, and said, "My little darling is asking for help, your husband must be heartbroken! Hurry up and write a letter to comfort her!"

"What trouble are you causing?" Xiao Zong glared at her.

“How would that be considered causing trouble? If my husband is embarrassed, I can write it for him. Anyway, I’ve already learned about 70-80% of your handwriting, so Consort Zheng shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

Xiao Zong ignored her and said to Dou Zhao, "Send a message back to Consort Zheng to hold on. We'll discuss everything when I get back!"

Dou Zhao nodded and went back to deliver the message.

There were only two people left in the tent, and the atmosphere was very awkward.

Yuan Zhi lost interest in pressing him further, took off her outer clothes, and went to bed. Xiao Zong followed closely behind. The bed wasn't large, and the two lay arm in arm, seemingly intimate, but in reality, they were sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams.

A few days later, the group returned to Shengjing.

In the Xiao residence, Luo Mei held Yuan Zhi and wept with joy.

When she heard that the King of Wu had rebelled, she didn't sleep all night. Now that she saw her mistress return unharmed, she cried and laughed like a child.

Yuan Zhi wiped away her tears, "Don't cry, I'm fine! Sister Luo Mei, did you do what I asked you to do before you left?"

"It's all done. Everything has been moved over, bit by bit!"

Yuan Zhi nodded. "How's business at Wei Yan Lou?"

"Exceptionally good! The wine from Weiyanlou is the imperial wine personally selected by His Majesty to be taken to Mount Dai for the Fengshan ceremony. Many people come from far and wide just to taste what wine that has won His Majesty's favor tastes like!"

"That's good."

Once His Majesty's decree is issued, Wei Yan Lou's business will surely reach new heights!

Yuan Zhi took out the divorce papers she had prepared beforehand and headed to the main courtyard. Xiao Zong was not in the mansion; it was unclear whether he had gone to the Leopard Guard or to help his childhood sweetheart with her problem.

That's perfect, since he's not here, she has a better chance of escaping!

When Madam Qin heard from Granny Wang that Yuanzhi had arrived, she frowned and asked, "What is she doing here?"

Yuan Zhi entered without being announced, lifting the curtain, "I've come to deliver a generous gift to my mother-in-law!"

Qin was unimpressed. "You? Giving me a gift? I think you want to send me to my death!"

"Look at what my mother-in-law is saying! How could I be such a rebellious person?" She took out the divorce papers. "Here's the list of gifts. Please take a look, mother-in-law!"

Qin was skeptical, but when she opened the booklet, her eyes widened instantly.

"You...you want a divorce from Cong Yun?!"

Yuan Zhi smiled and glanced at her, "Are you satisfied with this gift from your daughter-in-law?"

Qin read it word by word twice, and it did indeed look like Cong Yun's handwriting, even with a personal seal, but... why did she always feel that Yuan Zhi was cheating?

"Was the divorce agreement written by Yun himself? If he wanted to divorce you, why didn't he come with you?"

She was fine during the New Year's Day celebrations, and she was fine before going to Daishan. Why does she want a divorce as soon as she comes back? Is Yuan Zhi trying to dig a pit for her again, waiting for her to jump into it?

Yuanzhi gripped the cover of the booklet. "Even if it wasn't written by my husband, my mother-in-law can make everyone believe that it was written by him, can't she?"

"Don't worry, I have no intention of harming you. I just can't stand my husband's indecisiveness between me and Consort Zheng. Your mother-in-law should know about this too; as a woman herself, I don't need to say more!"

Qin Shi understood immediately. She looked at the booklet, then at Yuan Zhi, and was at a loss for what to do.

"Why are you hesitating, mother-in-law? Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

"I learned from Yunruo..."

Yuan Zhi closed the booklet in Qin's hand. "As long as you're convinced the handwriting is Xiao Zong's, he won't blame you! I'll bear all the hatred and all the consequences. You can achieve your goal without lifting a finger. Is there a better deal in the world?"

Qin was persuaded and made up her mind, saying, "Granny Wang, please invite the elders of the clan and relatives from all branches of the family over."

Half an hour later, everyone gathered in the front hall. The elder questioned Qin Shi, asking why Xiao Zong, who advocated for divorce, had not come in person. Qin Shi brushed it off by saying that the couple hated each other.

The elder cursed her for being "unruly," and seeing that the divorce agreement did not specify how the gold and silver would be distributed, asked her if she needed any compensation besides getting her dowry back.

Yuan Zhi shook her head. The fact that Wei Yan Lou could continue operating was partly due to the treasures Xiao Zong had given her. Although she jokingly said she was paying off her debts with her own body, it was actually to secure her own safety, and had nothing to do with the money.

He gave her enough.

Finally, she signed her name on the divorce papers, ran her fingertips over his seal, and smiled with relief.

Xiao Zong, take care!